Primal Groudon Raid Guide — Counters, Weakness & Strategy

Primal Groudon is one of Pokémon GO’s most formidable Legendary raid bosses, boasting high bulk and powerful Ground-type attacks. As the embodiment of land itself, its Ground typing makes it resistant to many common attacking types while leaving it vulnerable to a select few. Trainers who simply bring high-CP Pokémon without considering effective typing and battle mechanics often find the fight slower and more difficult than necessary.

Because Primal Groudon’s weaknesses are specific — particularly to Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves — constructing a team that plays to these weaknesses is essential for quick and successful clears. Beyond just picking counters, understanding how weather boosts, move effectiveness, and team sequencing influence the battle can dramatically improve your success rate.

This guide breaks down the best counters, explains weather effects, offers tactical tips, and helps you build an efficient team whether you’re battling with a full raid group or in a smaller lobby.

🧬 About Primal Groudon in Pokémon GO

Primal Groudon is the Primal Reversion form of Groudon. In Pokémon GO, it appears in special Primal Raid Battles. Unlike Mega raids, Primal raids reward trainers with Primal Energy instead of Mega Energy. Primal Groudon is extremely powerful and requires multiple trainers working together to defeat it.

Primal Groudon is extremely valuable because:

• It is the best Ground-type attacker in the game
• It provides huge bonuses to Ground, Fire, and Grass-type Pokémon
• It is useful in raids, PvP, and many events

Stats & Basic Info

Type	Ground / Fire
Max CP	6672
Weather Boost	Sunny
Shiny	Yes

🎥 Watch Primal Groudon Raid Guide Video

⚠️ Primal Groudon Weaknesses

Because of its Primal form, Water type attacks deal significantly increased damage and are the best option during this raid.

Category	Details
❌ Weak To:	Water • Grass • Ice
✅ Resistant To:	Poison • Rock • Electric

Notes: Because Water-type moves deal double super-effective damage, Water attackers are by far the best option for defeating Primal Groudon quickly.

Why Water-Type Counters Work Best

Water-type Pokémon are typically the strongest counters against Primal Groudon due to both type advantage and high damage potential. Many of the strongest raid attackers in Pokémon GO are Water-type Pokémon, making them ideal for this battle.

Grass attackers can also perform well but are sometimes less reliable if Primal Groudon is using Fire-type charged attacks like Fire Blast.

🗡️ Best Counters for Primal Groudon

The best way to defeat Primal Groudon is to use strong Water-type Pokémon because of its double weakness to Water.

💧 Water-Type Counters (Top Priority – Double Weakness)

Water-type Pokémon are the strongest and most reliable counters against Primal Groudon. Due to its Fire and Ground typing, Water moves deal double super-effective damage, allowing high-DPS Water attackers to shred its HP rapidly.

• Use fast moves like Waterfall
• Charged moves such as Hydro Pump or Surf maximize damage
• Primal or Mega Water Pokémon boost team-wide Water damage

• Swampert: (Water Gun / Hydro Cannon)

Mega Swampert is one of the best possible counters thanks to its powerful Water-type attacks and Mega boost for other Water Pokémon in the raid group.

• Primal Kyogre: (Waterfall + Origin Pulse)

Primal Kyogre deals extremely high Water damage and provides powerful boosts to other Water-type attackers in the raid.

• Kyogre: (Waterfall + Surf)

Kyogre remains one of the most reliable counters due to its excellent balance of bulk and damage.

🌿 Grass-Type Counters (Secondary Option)

• Zarude: (Vine Whip + Power Whip)

Zarude performs well due to strong Grass damage combined with good survivability.

• Roserade: (Razor Leaf + Grass Knot)

Roserade provides excellent Grass-type DPS and is accessible to many players.

❄️ Ice-Type Counters (Secondary Option)

• Mamoswine: (Powder Snow + Avalanche)

Although not the primary option, Ice-type attackers like Mamoswine can also deal strong damage.

🧠 Battle Strategy & Tactical Insights

Primal Groudon’s Ground typing makes it weak to Water, Grass, and Ice moves. Trainers should prioritize Pokémon that not only hit these weaknesses but also have strong survivability. Pokémon like Kyogre with Waterfall and Surf, Swampert with Water Gun and Hydro Cannon, and Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche are excellent choices because they deal super-effective damage while being resilient enough to withstand Primal Groudon’s charged attacks.

Weather conditions can also influence battle outcomes. In Rainy weather, Water-type moves receive a weather boost, greatly increasing damage output from water counters like Kyogre and Swampert. In Snowy weather, Ice moves are boosted, making Ice counters like Mamoswine or Glaceon even more effective. Trainers should check the in-game weather before assembling their team to make the most of these conditions.

Primal Groudon’s charged moves like Earthquake and Precipice Blades are among the most powerful in the game. Dodging these heavy hits whenever possible — especially when your Pokémon are low on health — will help your counters survive longer and deal more total damage. In smaller raid groups, strategic dodging and team selection are often what make the difference between victory and defeat.

When planning your team, lead with your highest DPS counters that exploit Primal Groudon’s weaknesses. Once those Pokémon begin to faint, rotate in secondary attackers that still deal super-effective damage but have greater bulk to sustain more hits. In full raid lobbies, coordinating roles — such as focusing Water counters first, followed by Grass or Ice types — can speed up the clear significantly and make the battle smoother for everyone.

Using Mega Evolutions that boost your primary counter types — like Mega Blastoise or Mega Charizard X as a supplementary choice — can help increase damage output and improve team performance, especially in higher difficulty scenarios or when raiding with fewer trainers.

Best Mega Evolutions

Recommended Megas to use against Primal Groudon:

• Rayquaza – 🕊️ Flying boost
• Garchomp – 🌍 Ground boost
• Swampert, Blastoise, Gyarados, Slowbro, Salamence, Sharpedo – 💧 Water boost
• Rayquaza, Salamence – 🐉 Dragon boost

Difficulty

Even large groups must coordinate shields and DPS rotations. Small groups should focus on maxed Water or Ice attackers to exploit weaknesses, as raw brute force alone won’t always succeed

🌀 Primal Groudon Moveset

🗡️ Fast Moves

• Mud Shot
• Dragon Tail

💥 Charged Moves

• Earthquake
• Fire Blast
• Solar Beam

🔄 Elite Moves

• Precipice Blades
• Fire Punch

Most dangerous moveset: Mud Shot + Precipice Blades or Solar Beam

Best Regular Counters

Regular Pokémon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Regular counters with short notes on why they excel.

Pokémon	🗡️ Fast Moves	💥 Charged Moves	🔄 Elite Moves	🏆 Best Moves	🧪 Why This Counter Works
Primal Kyogre	Waterfall	Hydro Pump / Surf / Thunder / Blizzard / Avalanche	Origin Pulse	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Water-type Waterfall and Hydro Pump deal double super-effective damage against Primal Groudon’s Fire/Ground typing, while Primal boost increases Water damage for the entire team.
Kyogre	Waterfall	Hydro Pump / Surf / Thunder / Blizzard	Origin Pulse	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump exploit Primal Groudon’s double weakness to Water, delivering extremely high raid DPS.
Samurott	Fury Cutter / Waterfall	Megahorn / Hydro Pump / Razor Shell / Liquidation / Blizzard	Hydro Cannon	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump deal double super-effective Water damage, making it a strong budget Water attacker.
Gyarados	Waterfall / Dragon Breath / Bite	Hydro Pump / Outrage / Twister / Crunch	Dragon Tail / Aqua Tail / Dragon Pulse	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump hit Primal Groudon’s double Water weakness while Gyarados has good bulk for survivability.
Golisopod	Fury Cutter / Shadow Claw / Metal Claw / Waterfall	Aerial Ace / X-Scissor / Aqua Jet / Liquidation / Razor Shell	None	Waterfall and Liquidation	Waterfall and Liquidation deal double super-effective Water damage and provide consistent DPS.
Primarina	Waterfall / Charm	Hydro Pump / Sparkling Aria / Psychic / Moonblast / Disarming Voice	Hydro Cannon	Charm and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump exploit Primal Groudon’s double weakness to Water while Primarina’s bulk helps it survive longer.
Quaquaval	Wing Attack / Water Gun	Close Combat / Aerial Ace / Aqua Jet / Liquidation / Aqua Step	Hydro Cannon	Wing Attack and Close Combat	Water Gun and Liquidation deal double super-effective Water damage, making it a strong offensive Water counter.
Swampert	Mud Shot / Water Gun	Sludge Wave / Sludge / Earthquake / Surf / Muddy Water	Hydro Cannon	Water Gun and Hydro Cannon	Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon deliver extremely high Water-type DPS, exploiting Primal Groudon’s double weakness efficiently.
Feraligator	Shadow Claw / Waterfall / Ice Fang / Bite	Hydro Pump / Ice Beam / Crunch	Water Gun / Hydro Cannon	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump deal double super-effective damage and provide solid sustained DPS.
Urshifu Rapid Style	Rock Smash / Counter / Waterfall	Aqua Jet / Brick Break / Close Combat / Dynamic Punch	None	Rock Smash and Close Combat	Waterfall provides double super-effective Water damage, while Fighting coverage is neutral support.
Volcanion	Water Gun / Take Down / Incinerate	Sludge Bomb / Hydro Pump / Overheat / Earth Power	None	Water Gun and Hydro Pump	Water Gun and Hydro Pump deal double super-effective Water damage, making it effective despite its Fire typing.
Hisuian Samurott	Waterfall / Fury Cutter / Snarl	Dark Pulse / X-Scissor / Icy Wind / Razor Shell / Sacred Sword	None	Waterfall and Dark Pulse	Waterfall and Razor Shell deal double super-effective Water damage while Dark typing provides neutral coverage.

Best Shadow Counters

Shadow Pokémon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Shadow counters with short notes on why they excel.

Pokémon	🗡️ Fast Moves	💥 Charged Moves	🔄 Elite Moves	🏆 Best Moves	🧪 Why This Counter Works
Shadow Gyarados	Waterfall / Dragon Breath / Bite	Hydro Pump / Outrage / Twister / Crunch	Dragon Tail / Aqua Tail / Dragon Pulse	Dragon Tail and Hydro Pump	Shadow boost increases Waterfall and Hydro Pump damage, maximizing double super-effective Water DPS.
Shadow Kyogre	Waterfall	Hydro Pump / Surf / Thunder / Blizzard	Origin Pulse	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Shadow-boosted Waterfall and Hydro Pump produce some of the highest Water-type DPS in the game.
Shadow Swampert	Mud Shot / Water Gun	Sludge Wave / Sludge / Earthquake / Surf / Muddy Water	Hydro Cannon	Water Gun and Earthquake	Shadow boost amplifies Hydro Cannon’s already massive Water damage against Primal Groudon’s double weakness.
Shadow Milotic	Dragon Tail / Waterfall	Wrap / Hyper Beam / Blizzard / Aqua Tail / Surf/td>	None	Dragon Tail and Hyper Beam	Waterfall and Surf deal double super-effective Water damage, while Shadow boost increases total DPS.
Shadow Feraligator	Shadow Claw / Waterfall / Ice Fang / Bite	Hydro Pump / Ice Beam / Crunch	Water Gun / Hydro Cannon	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Shadow boost increases Water-type damage output, exploiting Primal Groudon’s double Water weakness.
Shadow Samurott	Fury Cutter / Waterfall	Megahorn / Hydro Pump / Razor Shell / Liquidation / Blizzard	Hydro Cannon	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Shadow-boosted Waterfall and Hydro Pump provide strong double super-effective damage.
Shadow Kingler	Metal Claw / Bubble	Vise Grip / X-Scissor / Water Pulse / Crabhammer / Razor Shell	Mud Shot	Bubble and Crabhammer	Bubble and Crabhammer deal very high double super-effective Water damage, enhanced by Shadow attack boost.
Shadow Salamence	Bite / Fire Fang / Dragon Tail	Hydro Pump / Fire Blast / Crunch / Fly / Brutal Swing / Draco Meteor	Outrage	Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor	Although Dragon damage is neutral, Shadow boost gives high raw DPS as a secondary attacker.
Shadow Palkia	Dragon Breath / Dragon Tail	Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Aqua Tail / Draco Meteor	None	Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor	Water-type coverage deals double super-effective damage while Shadow boost increases offensive output.

Best Mega Counters

Mega Pokémon that amplify the right types give you a powerful edge. Below are top Mega counters with short notes on why they excel.

Pokémon	🗡️ Fast Moves	💥 Charged Moves	🔄 Elite Moves	🏆 Best Moves	🧪 Why This Counter Works
Mega Slowbro	Water Gun / Confusion	Ice Beam / Water Pulse / Scald / Psychic / Drain Punch	Surf	Confusion and Ice Beam / Psychic	Water Gun and Surf deal double super-effective damage while Mega boost strengthens Water-type teammates.
Mega Swampert	Mud Shot / Water Gun	Sludge / Sludge Wave / Earthquake / Surf / Muddy Water	Hydro Cannon	Water Gun and Earthquake	Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon deliver extremely high Water DPS while Mega boost increases team Water damage.
Mega Blastoise	Rollout / Water Gun / Bite	Skull Bash / Flash Cannon / Hydro Pump / Ice Beam	Hydro Cannon	Rollout and Hydro Pump	Water Gun and Hydro Cannon deal strong double super-effective Water damage and boost Water teammates.
Mega Gyarados	Waterfall / Dragon Breath / Bite	Hydro Pump / Outrage / Twister / Crunch	Dragon Tail / Aqua Tail / Dragon Pulse	Dragon Tail and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump hit double weakness while Mega form boosts Water-type team damage.
Mega Rayquaza	Air Slash / Dragon Tail	Aerial Ace / Dragon Ascent / Ancient Power / Outrage	Hurricane / Breaking Swipe	Dragon Tail and Dragon Ascent	High raw Dragon DPS provides strong neutral damage, though Water-types remain superior.
Mega Garchomp	Mud Shot / Dragon Tail	Earthquake / Sand Tomb / Fire Blast / Outrage / Breaking Swipe	Earth Power	Dragon Tail and Fire Blast / Earthquake	Ground-type Earthquake deals super-effective damage while Mega boost supports Ground teammates.
Mega Salamence	Fire Fang / Dragon Tail / Bite	Fly / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Draco Meteor / Brutal Swing / Crunch	Outrage	Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor	High Dragon-type DPS provides strong neutral damage, useful when Water counters are limited.
Mega Sharpedo	Bite / Waterfall	Poison Fang / Hydro Pump / Crunch	None	Waterfall and Hydro Pump	Waterfall and Hydro Pump deal strong double super-effective Water damage with offensive Mega boost.

🎯 Catch CP & 100% IV

Understanding CP ranges helps trainers evaluate the strength of Primal Groudon when caught from raids.

CP Range:

• No Weather Boost: 3,261-3,372 CP
• Weather Boost: 4,077-4,215 CP

100% IV:

If you encounter an Primal Groudon with these CP values after the raid, it has perfect IVs and is considered a very rare and valuable catch.

• 3372 (Normal)
• 4215 (Weather Boosted)

Use:

• Golden Razz Berry
• Curveball Excellent Throws

🌦️ Weather Boost

Primal Groudon gets a weather boost in:

Weather
☀️ Sunny Boosts Fire and Ground-type attacks. Makes the raid slightly harder	🌧️ Rainy Boosts Water-type counters Best weather for defeating Primal Groudon

Revive & Potion Cost

• Average revives used: 8–14
• Average potions used: 10–18
• Dodging significantly reduces resource usage
• Using Mega Pokémon reduces total relobbies

Expert Strategy

Duo Strategy

Two experienced trainers with maxed Water-type teams can defeat Primal Groudon under Rainy weather conditions.

Trio Strategy

A trio is realistic in most weather conditions with optimized counters and Mega boosts.

Solo Strategy

A true solo against Primal Groudon is not realistically achievable due to its extremely high HP pool.

Common Raid Mistakes

• >Avoid using fragile Fire or Grass attackers that will faint quickly to Primal Groudon’s strong Fire- and Ground-type moves.
• Also be cautious with Ice attackers if Primal Groudon carries Rock coverage.

Sample Team Composition

• Lead with strongest Water-type attacker
• Follow with 3–4 additional Water Pokémon
• Add 1 Ground-type as backup
• Keep spare Water attackers ready for relobby

Maintaining consistent Water-type damage throughout the raid is the fastest and safest strategy.

Recommended Teams

💧 Best Water-type Counters

• Primal Kyogre (Waterfall + Origin Pulse)
• Mega Swampert (Water Gun + Hydro Cannon)
• Shadow Kyogre (Waterfall + Origin Pulse)
• Kyogre (Waterfall + Origin Pulse)
• Greninja
• Kingler (Bubble + Crabhammer)

Beginner Strategy

If you are new to raids or under level 35, focus on joining larger groups.

• Join raids with 5–8 trainers
• Use Water or Grass Pokémon
• Avoid Electric Pokémon
• Prioritize survival over maximum damage

Beginners should focus on building reliable Water teams such as Vaporeon, Gyarados, or Swampert.

Intermediate Strategy

Players around level 35–40 can contribute much more damage by optimizing their teams.

• Build a full Water-type team
• Power up Kyogre or Swampert
• Use Mega Water Pokémon
• Relobby quickly if your team faints

With good counters, raids can often be completed with only 4–5 players.

Budget Counter Team

If you do not have Legendary Pokémon, these options still perform well:

• Swampert
• Gyarados
• Vaporeon
• Roserade
• Leafeon
• Mamoswine

These Pokémon are widely available and still deal strong super-effective damage.

Recommended Group Size

Primal Groudon is extremely powerful and requires coordination. However, its double weakness to Water makes it manageable with strong teams.

• 4–5 Trainers: Possible with optimized Water teams
• 6–8 Trainers: Comfortable clear
• 8+ Trainers: Very safe and fast win

🧠 Raid Strategy

Prioritize Water Damage

Stack as many high-level Water-type attackers as possible. Because of the double weakness, even mid-tier Water Pokémon can outperform stronger neutral attackers.

Prepare for Solar Beam

If Primal Groudon has Solar Beam, Water-type Pokémon may faint quickly. In this situation, consider relobbying quickly or mixing in bulkier Water attackers to maintain DPS.

Coordinate Primal Boosts

Primal Pokémon provide powerful team-wide damage bonuses. Activating a Primal Water Pokémon during the raid significantly increases overall damage output and reduces completion time.

Evolution, Mega Details & Buddy Distance

Evolution Line	Base(Groudon) → Primal(Groudon)
Primal Energy (First)	400
Subsequent Cost	80
Buddy Distance	20 km
Primal Energy via Buddy	Yes
Primal Boost Bonus(Walking)	Extra Candy
Primal Boost Bonus(Catch)	Extra Fire/Ground-type Candy
Mega Boost Bonus(Buddy^)	100 Mega Energy per candy

(^ denotes first mega evolved)

Can Primal Groudon Be Shiny?

Yes. Trainers have a chance to encounter a shiny Primal Groudon after defeating the raid boss.

How to Catch Primal Groudon?

• Use Golden Razz Berries
• Throw Excellent Curveballs
• Wait for attack animation

Buddy Distance

20 km (per Pokémon GO buddy distance)

Shadow & Mega Comparison