Stats & Training
Nothing fancy in Carnivine's spread. It leans mixed with Attack out front. And you'll get 2 Attack EVs per KO for it. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
It walks around on its tentacles in search of a tree branch where it can dangle down and ambush prey.
It walks around on its tentacles in search of a tree branch where it can dangle down and ambush prey.
Carnivine Weakness
Carnivine's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. The Grass typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
 Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
 Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Cyndaquil builds →Fire Blast 2x82-97% Flamethrower 2x66-78% Flame Wheel 2x43-51% Ember 2x34-42% | ||
 Numel FireGround | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Numel builds →Fire Blast 2x86-102%KO Flamethrower 2x69-83% Ember 2x34-42% | ||
 Ekans Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Ekans builds →Acid 2x26-32% Poison Sting 2x15-18% | ||
 Paras BugGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Paras builds →Leech Life 2x66-78% X-Scissor 2x66-78% | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x90-106%KO U-turn 2x80-95% Wing Attack 2x71-84% Silver Wind 2x44-53% | ||
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
 Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x115-137%KO Flamethrower 2x92-110%KO Ember 2x44-53% Fire Spin 2x38-46% | ||
 Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 2x48-57% U-turn 2x61-72% Silver Wind 2x38-46% | ||
 Illumise Bug | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Illumise builds →U-turn 2x44-53% Silver Wind 2x51-61% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x88-103%KO U-turn 2x76-91% Wing Attack 2x66-78% Silver Wind 2x40-47% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x108-128%KO Flamethrower 2x90-106%KO Fire Punch 2x71-84% Ember 2x42-50% | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 2x45-53% U-turn 2x55-66% Aerial Ace 2x31-38% Silver Wind 2x36-44% | ||
 Golbat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Golbat builds →Fly 2x76-91% Leech Life 2x46-54% U-turn 2x41-48% Wing Attack 2x53-63% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x88-104%KO U-turn 2x79-93% Wing Attack 2x66-79% Silver Wind 2x40-48% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x111-132%KO Flamethrower 2x93-109%KO Fire Punch 2x74-87% Ember 2x42-50% | ||
Volbeat Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Volbeat builds →Signal Beam 2x45-53% U-turn 2x57-67% Aerial Ace 2x33-39% Silver Wind 2x36-42% | ||
Golbat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Golbat builds →Fly 2x76-90% Leech Life 2x46-54% U-turn 2x41-49% Wing Attack 2x52-62% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x86-101%KO U-turn 2x76-89% Wing Attack 2x65-78% Silver Wind 2x38-46% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x108-127%KO Flamethrower 2x90-107%KO Fire Punch 2x73-87% Ember 2x41-49% | ||
 Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Noctowl builds →Sky Attack 2x83-98% Fly 2x54-63% Air Slash 2x68-81% Aerial Ace 2x37-43% | ||
Golbat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Golbat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x63-75% Fly 2x76-89% Leech Life 2x43-52% U-turn 2x38-46% | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Skarmory builds →Fly 2x75-89% X-Scissor 2x46-55% Air Slash 2x40-47% Air Cutter 2x33-40% | ||
Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x88-104%KO U-turn 2x78-92% Wing Attack 2x67-79% Silver Wind 2x40-47% | ||
Pinsir Bug | C | |
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x112-131%KO Flamethrower 2x90-107%KO Lava Plume 2x82-97% Fire Punch 2x74-87% | ||
Golbat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Golbat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x65-77% Fly 2x75-89% Leech Life 2x46-55% U-turn 2x40-48% | ||
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Infernape's Fire Blast hits Carnivine for 82-96%. Dragonite threatens a KO with Outrage (107-126%). Gengar deals 63-75% with Shadow Ball.
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityBlaze ItemExpert Belt NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Infernape builds →Close Combat63-74% U Turn 2x49-58% Fire Blast 2x82-96% | ||
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Dragonite builds →Extreme Speed47-56% Outrage107-126%KO | ||
 Gengar GhostPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Gengar builds →Shadow Ball63-75% Focus Blast63-74% Explosion55-64% | ||
 Forretress BugSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Forretress builds →Rapid Spin13-15% Explosion61-72% Payback13-15% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemExpert Belt NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Carnivine View Weavile builds →Ice Shard 2x47-55% Pursuit23-28% | ||
HeartGold & SoulSilver Evolution
Carnivine doesn't evolve, so breeding's where the action is. You'll find a decent partner pool across one egg group, and eggs are average hatch time. It's got 8 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Carnivine easily with 45 breeding partners from the Plant egg group. Pass egg moves like Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Razor Leaf and 5 more to offspring.
HeartGold & SoulSilver Carnivine Best Moveset
Carnivine doesn't rely on pure speed. Leftovers gives it passive recovery each turn to stay healthy, and Modest nature still pushes offense. Sleep Powder and the remaining moves keep the pressure on while max HP and Sp. Atk EVs balance power and survivability.
Best Build
Carnivine best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Ice
- Sludge Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The natural movepool does the job, but Leech Seed and Magical Leaf from the egg pool give Carnivine something extra.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
HeartGold & SoulSilver Carnivine Locations
Carnivine starts showing up in early-game routes at decent spawn rates across 4 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Carnivine in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Which version you're playing matters for Carnivine. 4 walking spots at Lv. 5-6 spread across HeartGold and SoulSilver, and some routes only appear in one cartridge. Check the version badges below.
Carnivine Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Carnivine looks average on paper at 454 BST. But Levitate is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier attacker on our tier list. Sleep Powder with Leftovers is the standard set.
Carnivine gets Levitate. But Levitate is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Carnivine is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 46 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. Fits the attacker role.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, Carnivine has answers, but so do you. Faster attackers outpace it. Anything with a super-effective STAB move and decent speed can revenge kill.
Game Availability
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Carnivine appears in 12 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
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 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
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