[OVERVIEW]
Primal Groudon is an insanely threatening Pokemon in VGC 2019 largely thanks to its superb offensive typing and high attacking stats coupled with its only weakness to Ground thanks to Desolate Land and solid natural bulk, making it both a force to be reckoned with offensively and a behemoth to remove defensively. Its access to two excellent spread moves, Precipice Blades and Eruption, make it capable of being a physical or special attacking powerhouse. Primal Groudon also acts as one of the best Xerneas checks in the metagame, since it resists its Fairy-type attacks and can threaten back with Precipice Blades, Fire Punch, or Overheat. Ironically enough, it's also one of the best Xerneas enablers in the metagame, as it pressures every Steel-type, as well as Amoonguss and Incineroar, all of which are sizeable roadblocks for Xerneas. However, its dominance is actually one of its biggest drawbacks, as using Primal Groudon results in playing a lot of mirror matches where games can be decided entirely on EV spreads or which player has an active Tailwind. The player must also be vigilant to win the weather war against Primal Kyogre because any Water-type attack is going to have no trouble OHKOing Primal Groudon. Dragon-types and faster special attackers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Rayquaza, Lunala, and Ultra Necrozma also match fairly well against it, as they can either wall it outright or deal devastating blows before it gets to move.
[SET]
name: Bulky Physical Attacker
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Swords Dance / Dragon Claw / Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Red Orb
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 108 HP / 148 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Precipice Blades is Primal Groudon's best Ground STAB move, as the potential damage output is too high to consider more accurate moves with lower payoff such as Earthquake and Stomping Tantrum. It's powerful enough to OHKO Tapu Koko at -1 Attack and specially defensively Incineroar otherwise. Fire Punch serves as a more reliable STAB option that's capable of OHKOing Grass- and Steel-types such as Amoonguss, Mega Metagross, and Kartana under Desolate Land. Swords Dance allows Primal Groudon to boost its already sky-high Attack to insane levels, letting it OHKO Xerneas with +2 Fire Punch and counteract Intimidate. Dragon Claw is a good coverage option for Mega Salamence and Mega Rayquaza, which would otherwise wall it. Substitute allows Primal Groudon to block Intimidate and Spore while also giving it more freedom to attack, as it can safely sponge a hit from Primal Kyogre or opposing Primal Groudon that it would not have been able to otherwise. 108 HP and 252 Special Defense EVs guarantee that Primal Groudon will always survive an Earth Power from opposing Modest Primal Groudon, while 148 Attack EVs let Primal Groudon always OHKO 4 HP Mega Rayquaza at -1 Defense with Dragon Claw.
Bulky Primal Groudon typically plays games at a slower pace because it isn't sweeping everything in a matter of turns, so pairing it with Pokemon like Incineroar, Tapu Fini, and Amoonguss, which thrive in this playstyle, is advised. A Pokemon to help with the Primal Groudon mirror match is advised, usually in the form of Mega Salamence or Groundium Z Landorus-T + Mega Gengar, as the former can wall it outright, while the latter can trap and remove it with Tectonic Rage. Primal Groudon is a great partner for Xerneas and Ultra Necrozma, as it can remove Incineroar, Mega Metagross, and Celesteela.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Eruption
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Overheat / Roar / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Protect
item: Red Orb
ability: Drought
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Eruption is Primal Groudon's best way to deal damage quickly, 2HKOing anything that doesn't resist Fire when at full power. Earth Power complements Eruption by hitting common Fire-resistant Pokemon like Incineroar and opposing Primal Groudon, but it's important to chip Incineroar into KO range; otherwise, its 50% Berry will be activated should it be holding one. Overheat is another extremely powerful Fire-type STAB move Primal Groudon makes perfect use of, as it can OHKO Xerneas before it boosts with Geomancy and isn't reliant on its remaining HP unlike Eruption. Roar trades the attacking option to be a one-time check to boosted Xerneas, as it can take the Moonblast and then phaze it. Protect is necessary for conserving HP and keeping Primal Groudon safe from faster attackers for a turn, including Z-Move users like Lunala and Ultra Necrozma. Hidden Power Ice has limited usefulness, but it is justifiable for hitting Mega Salamence and Mega Rayquaza. A Timid nature with 252 Speed EVs is generally preferred to be as fast as possible, ensuring you Speed tie at worst with opposing Primal Groudon, but running Modest nets a guaranteed OHKO on 4 HP Xerneas with Overheat, as well as way better rolls on bulky Primal Groudon with Earth Power.
Because special attacking Primal Groudon focuses on Speed and power rather than bulk, it plays better on fast-paced teams that match its tempo. This is typically in the form of Mega Kangaskhan and Tornadus, which open games fast with Fake Out and Tailwind to get the ball rolling. Mega Salamence can also be a great partner for it, as it checks opposing Primal Groudon. Xerneas and Ultra Necrozma enjoy its ability to threaten Steel-types, though the latter prefers physical Primal Groudon more often due to it matching up better against Incineroar.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[zeefable, 501951]]
- Quality checked by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835], [Raineko, 294287]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732]]
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