Basculin is meant to evolve into Basculegion . At 460 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

What is Basculin weak to?

In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Basculin's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric) and Roserade (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

What is the best ability for Basculin?

Adaptability is what you want on Basculin. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Reckless, Mold Breaker) work on paper but Adaptability is what makes Basculin worth using.

What role does Basculin play in battle?

Base 98 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Basculin is a physical attacker with base 92 Attack.

Basculin - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

CTier

98Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Attack carry the offense, Sp. Def doesn't even come close. A Hostile Pokemon on a medium-fast 1M XP curve, worth 2 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats

Above

HP70

Attack92

Defense65

Sp. Atk80

Sp. Def55

Speed98

Total460

Details

Catch Rate

Difficult25 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height1.0 m

Weight18.0 kg

Base XP161

Abilities

Reckless

Strengthens recoil moves to 1.2× their power.

AdaptabilityTop Pick

Increases the same-type attack bonus from 1.5× to 2×.

Mold BreakerHA

Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2

Speed training target

Pokedex Entries

Red- and blue-striped Basculin are very violent and always fighting. They are also remarkably tasty.

Basculin Weakness

Type-wise, Basculin takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Basculin leans offensive (base 92 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.

Basculin Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

0Immune

Score0

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Basculin in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (Best Counters)

In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Serperior can KO Basculin with Leaf Storm (161-189%). Zapdos threatens a KO with Thunderbolt (135-160%). Rotom's Volt Switch also KOs at 106-126%.

Serperior Grass	A
Recommended Build AbilityContrary ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves Leaf Storm GlareUtility Hidden Power Fire Hidden Power Rock Damage vs Basculin Leaf Storm 2x 161-189%KO View Serperior builds →
Zapdos ElectricFlying	A
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemSitrus Berry NatureTimid Moves Heat Wave TailwindUtility ThunderboltSTAB RoostRecovery Damage vs Basculin Heat Wave 24-28% Thunderbolt 2x 135-160%KO View Zapdos builds →
Rotom ElectricGhost	C
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves Volt Switch Shadow Ball Will O Wisp Pain Split Damage vs Basculin Volt Switch 2x 106-126%KO Shadow Ball 61-72% View Rotom builds →

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Evolution

Basculin doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need a unique condition to push it forward to Basculegion. Evolving adds up to 70 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#550BasculinDoes not evolve

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Basculin with 23 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group. Pass egg moves like Agility, Brine, Bubble Beam and 6 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

Water2

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

40 cycles·10,280 steps

Slow~10 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

9moves

Breed With (best first)

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Basculin Best Moveset

Basculin's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Band, trading flexibility for raw power at the cost of move flexibility. Aquatail is the go-to spam option, with Fighting and Dark coverage keeping switch-ins honest.

Best Build

Experimental

Physical Sweeper

Ability

Adaptability

Item

Choice BandPOWER

Best Nature for Basculin

Adamant+ATK

Basculin best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Atk

Spe

Physical Sweeper Moveset

Aqua TailSTAB
Aqua JetSTAB
SuperpowerCoverage
CrunchCoverage

Recommended Teammates

BronzongGood

HydreigonGood

SkarmoryGood

Moves

Breeding's the move. Agility and Brine give Basculin options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Aqua Tail and Surf. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Flail

——10015Normal

Lv 1

Tackle

D5010035Normal

Lv 1

Tail Whip

——10030Normal

Lv 1

Thrash

—12010010Normal

Lv 1

Water Gun

—4010025Water

Lv 4

Uproar

C9010010Normal

Lv 7

Headbutt

C7010015Normal

Lv 10

Bite

D6010025Dark

Lv 13

Aqua Jet+1

S4010020Water

Lv 16

Chip Away

—7010020Normal

Lv 20

Take Down

—908520Normal

Lv 24

Crunch

S8010015Dark

Lv 28

Aqua Tail

S909010Water

Lv 32

Soak

D—10020Water

Lv 36

Double-Edge

C12010015Normal

Lv 41

Scary Face

——10010Normal

Lv 46

Flail

——10015Normal

Lv 50

Final Gambit

D—1005Fighting

Lv 56

Thrash

—12010010Normal

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM100

Confide

———20Normal

HM01

Cut

D509530Normal

HM07

Dive

C8010010Water

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM42

Facade

C7010020Normal

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM07

Hail

D——10Ice

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM13

Ice Beam

C9010010Ice

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM48

Round

D6010015Normal

TM55

Scald

C8010015Water

TM94

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

TM88

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

HM03

Surf

C9010015Water

TM87

Swagger

——9015Normal

TM12

Taunt

C—10020Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—9010Poison

HM05

Waterfall

C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Egg

Agility

C——30Psychic

Egg

Brine

C6510010Water

Egg

Bubble Beam

—6510020Water

Egg

Mud Shot

—559515Ground

Egg

Muddy Water

C908510Water

Egg

Rage

—2010020Normal

Egg

Revenge-4

—6010010Fighting

Egg

Swift

—60—20Normal

Egg

Whirlpool

—358515Water

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Aqua Tail

S909010Water

Tutor

Bounce

C85855Flying

Tutor

Endeavor

D—1005Normal

Tutor

Icy Wind

D559515Ice

Tutor

Snore

—5010015Normal

Tutor

Superpower

S1201005Fighting

Tutor

Uproar

C9010010Normal

Tutor

Zen Headbutt

C809015Psychic

How to Get Basculin in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

No wild encounters for Basculin in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. It's available in Black and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Basculin is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

Black

Basculin Guide

Basculin is meant to evolve into Basculegion. At 460 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Basculin's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric) and Roserade (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Adaptability is what you want on Basculin. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Reckless, Mold Breaker) work on paper but Adaptability is what makes Basculin worth using.
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Mold Breaker is the hidden ability. It bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move. Worth hunting for if you want Basculin to compete at a higher level.
Base 98 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Basculin is a physical attacker with base 92 Attack.

Game Availability

Basculin joined the series in Black & White and has been available in 9 titles so far. With 6 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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