Groudon raid week: IVs, Precipice Blades, Primal, and shadow context
August 9, 2026 · David · 7 min read
Aug 12-18 Groudon five-stars: catch CP checks, when to Elite TM Precipice Blades, how Primal and Shadow fit, plus Mega Garchomp the same week.
Groudon is back in five-star raids the week of August 12 to 18, 2026, with a Raid Hour on Wednesday the 12th (6:00 to 7:00 p.m. local). Same week, Mega Garchomp sits in mega raids. If your Ground attackers are still on Earthquake and hope, this is the window to fix that.
Trading extras after you lock IVs? List keepers and trade bait on the live trade feed.
Schedule (verified)
| Piece | When (local) |
|---|---|
| Groudon 5-star raids | Wed Aug 12, 6:00 a.m. through Tue Aug 18, 10:00 p.m. |
| Groudon Raid Hour | Wed Aug 12, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. |
| Mega Garchomp (same week) | Aug 12, 6:00 a.m. through Aug 18, 10:00 p.m. |
Shiny Groudon is in the raid pool for this rotation. Legendary shiny odds are not published as an official fixed rate; treat shiny as a long grind, not a one-hour guarantee.
Catch CP and IVs (what to screenshot)
Raid Groudon is caught as base Groudon, not Primal. Standard legendary raid floors apply (10/10/10 class floor on remote/in-person legendaries as usual for five-stars).
| Encounter | Catch CP band (community charts) | 100% IV CP |
|---|---|---|
| Level 20 raid catch | about 2260 to 2351 | 2351 |
| Level 25 weather boost (Sunny) | about 2825 to 2939 | 2939 |
Appraise or check CP before you transfer. On PoGoPit, log the catch in Inventory with IVs so you do not lose track of which copy is the investment mon.
How many should you keep?
| Goal | What to keep |
|---|---|
| Raid attacker (non-shadow) | At least one high IV (ideally hundo or near) for Primal later |
| Master League | Prefer high Attack; hundo is the clean target |
| Trade / lucky specials | Extra high-IV or shiny fodder after your keepers are set |
| Candy only | Transfer the rest once candies and XL are banked |
Two strong IV spreads is a fair floor if you care about both a powered non-shadow and a future shadow purify or swap. One perfect is enough if you are pass-poor.
Moves: Mud Shot is free, Precipice Blades is not
| Move | Type / role | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Mud Shot | Fast, Ground | Standard learnset |
| Dragon Tail | Fast, Dragon | Available; usually worse for pure Ground DPS |
| Earthquake | Charged, Ground | Common charged option without Elite TM |
| Fire Punch / Fire Blast / Solar Beam | Coverage | Situational |
| Precipice Blades | Charged, Ground (legacy) | Elite Charged TM only. Raid catches do not roll it |
If you only teach Earthquake, Groudon is fine. If you want the raid meta Ground peak for the non-shadow line, budget an Elite Charged TM for Precipice Blades. Community DPS tables consistently put Mud Shot + Precipice Blades at the top of the Groudon kit for raiding.
Do not Elite TM a random 82% before you know you have a better IV in the bag.
Primal Groudon: energy and team buffs, not a raid catch
You cannot catch Primal Groudon from a normal five-star. Primal is an evolution that spends Primal Energy (from prior Primal raid windows, research, or events that award energy). This August week is a base Groudon farm for IVs and candy, not a free Primal energy dump unless another event is stacking energy at the same time (check Events the week you play).
| Why Primal still matters | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stats | Much higher ceiling than base (community max CP charts put Primal far above base Groudon) |
| Team role | While Primals are on the field in raids, they boost Ground, Fire, and Grass damage for the party |
| Build order | Catch strong base IVs now → save energy / wait for a Primal window → evolve the mon you already love |
If your only Groudon is mid IV, this week is for upgrading the base form before you sink energy into Primal.
Shadow Groudon: different product, same species
This calendar slot is regular five-star Groudon, not a dedicated Shadow Raid Weekend. Shadow Groudon shows up in shadow five-star windows when Niantic runs them (separate from this Aug 12 to 18 card).
| Form | Why people care | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow | Highest Ground raid DPS in many metas with the shadow bonus | Needs purification decision carefully; Frustration if still locked |
| Shadow + Precipice Blades | Elite TM after you remove Frustration (purify path differs) | Expensive but the ceiling investment |
| Purified | Lower DPS than shadow, easier to live with | Only purify if you want the purify bonuses, not for max raid DPS |
Shadow raid catches use a higher IV floor than wild Rocket encounters (community standard for shadow legendaries is a 6/6/6-style floor). Hundo CP for a level 20 shadow raid catch still screenshots as 2351 (or 2939 weather boosted at 25), same top CP as non-shadow legendary catch bands, because CP math uses the same base stats before shadow multipliers in the catch screen.
If you already own a high-rank shadow from an older event, this week is still worth it for shinies, candy, and a clean non-shadow Primal candidate.
Same week: Mega Garchomp
Mega Garchomp runs parallel to Groudon. Ground/Dragon mega energy week. Earth Power on Garchomp is Elite TM territory for many builds. If you are already out for Groudon Raid Hour, knock out mega energy on the same walk.
Raid plan for the week
| Priority | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Raid Hour Wed Aug 12 for free pass density |
| 2 | Weather: Sunny boosts catch CP and Ground damage on your attackers |
| 3 | Catch, appraise, log IVs before transfer |
| 4 | Hold Elite Charged TMs until the IV is locked |
| 5 | Trade duplicates on trades; lucky specials if friendship is ready |
Weakness reminder for the boss: Groudon is pure Ground. Water, Ice, Grass, and other Ground-weak options from your raid planner inventory will carry you. Bring weather and friendship damage where you can.
What to prioritize
- One investment IV (hundo or near) for Primal later
- Precipice Blades only on that investment mon (Elite Charged TM)
- Shiny if it is still missing from the dex
- Candy / XL for level 40 to 50
- Mega Garchomp energy while you are already raiding
- Do not confuse this week with a guaranteed Shadow or Primal catch window
Track it on PoGoPit
- Events for the live Groudon and Mega Garchomp cards
- Raids for current bosses and hub timing
- Raid Planner for counters from your own bag
- Inventory to tag hundos, Elite TM targets, and trade fodder
- Trade calculator before specials
- Live trade feed when the raid bag overflows
Schedule from PoGoPit events data and Leek Duck. Catch CP bands and move legacy status follow long-standing community raid charts (e.g. Pokémon GO Hub style guides). PoGoPit is not affiliated with Niantic, Nintendo, or The Pokémon Company.