Bonsly is a baby Pokemon from Gen 4 — it can't hold its own in battle yet. The payoff is Sudowoodo, which is where the real competitive value lives. Worth raising if you need one on your team. 5 type weaknesses to keep in mind.
Bonsly's all-in on Defense at the expense of Sp. Atk. The physical lean is obvious from the bars. Yields 1 Defense EV and follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
It expels both sweat and tears from its eyes. The sweat is a little salty, while the tears have a slight bitterness.
This Pokémon lives in dry, rocky areas. As its green spheres dry out, their dull luster increases.
Bonsly Weakness
FragileType-wise, Bonsly takes extra damage from Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Bonsly's physical bulk (base 95 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
Bonsly is the baby form here. It evolves into Sudowoodo after learning Mimic, but you can't breed it directly. Hatch one by breeding the evolved forms instead. Evolving adds up to 120 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
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Breeding's the move. Curse and Defense Curl give Bonsly options it can't learn any other way, and Normal and Dark coverage and more already covers a decent range on top of Rock Slide and Rock Tomb. The egg moves push it further.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
high spawn rates across 8 locations for Bonsly in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Best Locations
8 walking encounters at Lv. 27-30 for Bonsly across Sword and Shield. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
Bonsly isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Sudowoodo to unlock its full potential. At 290 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Bonsly's biggest threats include Swampert (Water), Roserade (Grass), and Machamp (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Ground and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 10 Speed, Bonsly won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Bonsly evolves into Sudowoodo after learning Mimic. Bonsly is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Sturdy is the go-to ability for Bonsly. It prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Its hidden ability Rattled can work in specific setups. Rock Head is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.
Bonsly fills the trick room role. It's a physical attacker with base 80 Attack. Base 10 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.
Bonsly appears in 13 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.
Bonsly first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 13 games across 6 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDPDebut
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