Cradily's stats are solid on their own, but Storm Drain is what pushes it over the line. It redirects Water moves and boosts its Sp. Atk. Only weak to Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Steel. Introduced in Gen 3.
Bulk defines Cradily's stat line. Sp. Def and Defense anchor the defensive side, but Speed can't keep up offensively. Tough to catch and worth 2 Sp. Def EVs.
It lives in the shallows of warm seas. When the tide goes out, it digs up prey from beaches.
Cradily Weakness
FragileType-wise, Cradily takes extra damage from Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Steel. Storm Drain grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Cradily's overall bulk (86/97/107) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
Evolved from Lileep. Cradily is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are slow to hatch. Attack grew the most through evolution (+40 over Lileep), and Cradily peaks at 495 total stats.
How to Evolve
Breed with Cradily to get Lileep eggs using 37 partners from the Water3 egg group.
This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Stormdrain supports the gameplan, and max HP and Sp. Atk EVs mean Cradily doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus the remaining moves backing it up.
Best Build
Best Cradily Moveset
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Ancient Power
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Cradily picks up Energy Ball and Earthquake along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add Poison and Ghost coverage and more, but the foundation's already strong by then.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
TMs carry this one. Cradily learns Power Whip and Solar Beam naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Poison and Ghost and beyond give it real matchup play.
The egg pool carries weight here. Barrier and Curse aren't available any other way for Cradily, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Stone Edge for solid options.
The egg pool carries weight here. Barrier and Curse aren't available any other way for Cradily, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Stone Edge for solid options.
Cradily isn't available in the wild in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Start by transferring Lileep from Ruby, Emerald, or Sword. The evolution path from Lileep to Cradily is covered in the steps below.
No wild encounters for Cradily. The 2-stage line runs through Lileep, which you can catch at moderate rates from the locations below. Evolve at level 40 once you've got the levels.
How to Obtain Cradily in Sword & Shield
To get Cradily, start by catching Lileep through fishing encounters at Lv. 60-65. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch LileepCHALLENGINGGiant's BedShieldSuper RodLv.60-6510%PostCHALLENGINGGiant's BedSwordSuper RodLv.60-6510%PostCHALLENGINGGiant's FootShieldSuper RodLv.60-6510%PostCHALLENGINGGiant's FootSwordSuper RodLv.60-6510%Post
Step 2Cradily ✓
Cradily doesn't appear wild. Catch Lileep instead, it shows up at moderate rates. Evolve it at level 40 to get Cradily. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.
How to Obtain Cradily in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Step 1Catch LileepRoute 8 - Fossil Restoration CenterUltra SunGift from NPCLv.15EarlyRouteRevive Root FossilRoute 8 - Fossil Restoration CenterUltra MoonGift from NPCLv.15EarlyRouteRevive Root Fossil
Step 2Cradily ✓
No wild encounters for Cradily in Sun & Moon. Bring Lileep over from Ruby, Emerald, or Sword, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.
Storm Drain changes the entire equation for Cradily. The 495 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier.
Lileep evolves into Cradily at level 40. Cradily is the fully evolved form. At 495 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.
Storm Drain is what you want on Cradily. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Suction Cups) work on paper but Storm Drain is what makes Cradily worth using.
Base 43 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Cradily is a mixed attacker — base 81 Attack and 81 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits.
Cradily appears in 14 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.
Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Cradily spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in a solid number of games.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A