Bouffalant's built to absorb hits, not race for knockouts. Balanced defenses with Attack doing the heavy lifting. And the medium-fast 1M XP curve means it won't take forever to bring up, worth 2 Attack EVs.
These Pokémon can crush a car with no more than a headbutt. Bouffalant with more hair on their heads hold higher positions within the herd.
These Pokémon live in herds of about 20 individuals. Bouffalant that betray the herd will lose the hair on their heads for some reason.
Type-wise, Bouffalant takes extra damage from Fighting. Ghost moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Sap Sipper grants an additional Grass immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Bouffalant's overall bulk (95/95/95) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
Annihilape's Drain Punch hits Bouffalant for 52-61%. Conkeldurr's Drain Punch hits Bouffalant for 76-89%.
 Annihilape FightingGhost | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityDefiant ItemSitrus Berry NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Bouffalant View Annihilape builds →Drain Punch 2x52-61% | ||
 Conkeldurr Fighting | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityGuts ItemFlame Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Bouffalant View Conkeldurr builds →Mach Punch 2x41-48% Drain Punch 2x76-89% Knock Off22-26% Facade24-28% | ||
No evolution chain to worry about here. Bouffalant is a standalone Pokemon with a massive partner pool for breeding through one egg group. Eggs come out average hatch time. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Bouffalant easily with 278 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.
Most things take neutral or super-effective damage from this set. Bouffalant runs Ground and Bug coverage backed by Muscleband for extra utility. Max HP and Attack EVs and Reckless make the coverage actually threatening.
Best Build
Bouffalant best EVs are HP and Attack
Physical Wallbreaker Moveset
- Head Charge
- High Horsepower
- Zen Headbutt
- Wild Charge
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Head Charge
- Stone Edge
- Poison Jab
Recommended Teammates
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Facade
- Zen Headbutt
- Swords Dance
- Head Charge
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Head Charge
- Stone Edge
- Poison Jab
Recommended Teammates
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Facade
- Zen Headbutt
- Swords Dance
- Head Charge
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Swords Dance
- Facade
- Head Charge
- Zen Headbutt
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Hard to wall, honestly. Bouffalant threatens 11 types beyond its own STAB, with Fighting and Dark standing out. Pair that with Giga Impact and Head Charge and switchins need to think twice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Hard to wall, honestly. Bouffalant threatens 12 types beyond its own STAB, with Dark and Fighting standing out. Pair that with Giga Impact and Skull Bash and switchins need to think twice.
Hard to wall, honestly. Bouffalant threatens 10 types beyond its own STAB, with Dark and Fighting standing out. Pair that with Giga Impact and Skull Bash and switchins need to think twice.
Hard to wall, honestly. Bouffalant threatens 12 types beyond its own STAB, with Dark and Fighting standing out. Pair that with Giga Impact and Skull Bash and switchins need to think twice.
moderate rates across 18 encounter spots for Bouffalant. That's the kind of hunt where you pick one location and settle in. Sort by Best below to see where the odds are highest.
Best Locations to Catch Bouffalant in Sword & Shield
You can catch Bouffalant through 18 walking encounters from Lv. 10-15, but availability differs between Shield and Sword. Some spots are exclusive to one version.
Bouffalant doesn't appear in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. Transfer it from Black, Black 2, or Sword to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Bouffalant is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
Bouffalant doesn't appear in Sun & Moon. Transfer it from Black, Black 2, or Sword to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Bouffalant is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
Bouffalant sits at moderate rates across 2 spots in mid-game routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.
Best Locations to Catch Bouffalant in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Bouffalant looks average on paper at 490 BST. But Sap Sipper is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier tank on our tier list.
Bouffalant's biggest threats include Hitmonlee (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Bouffalant gets Sap Sipper, Reckless, and Soundproof. But Sap Sipper is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Bouffalant is a physical attacker with base 110 Attack. Tanky enough to absorb a few hits, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the tank role.
The core moveset is Headcharge, Earthquake, Wild Charge, and Megahorn. Headcharge leads at 22% usage. This set covers the tank role with a mix of damage and utility.
Since Black & White, Bouffalant has been obtainable in 7 games. A Generation 5 debut means a shorter history, but Bouffalant has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BWDebut
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves