Physical
Balanced
218Low
15Very Slow
DTier

As a baby Pokemon, Cleffa is mostly a stepping stone. It eventually becomes Clefable, and that's where you want to end up. The Star Shape Pokémon — cute, but not battle-ready. Ghost moves can't touch it, and only a single type hits it super-effectively.

Nothing fancy in Cleffa's spread. It leans mixed with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 1 Sp. Def EV per KO for it. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.

Base Stats
218Below
HP50
D
Attack25
F
Defense28
F
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed15
F
Total218
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Cleffa yields +1 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe
Details
Catch150ModerateFast800,000 XP0.3m / 1'00"3kg / 6.6 lbs44Base XP
Pokedex Entries

On nights with many shooting stars, CLEFFA can be seen dancing in a ring. They dance until daybreak, when they quench their thirst with the morning dew.

Emerald

Cleffa Weakness

Good

Fighting-type moves hit Cleffa for super-effective damage. The upside? Ghost-type moves can't touch it at all. Cleffa's special bulk (base 55 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
STABi
No super-effective STAB
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Cute CharmHas a 30% chance of infatuating attacking Pokémon on contact.
Magic GuardProtects against damage not directly caused by a move.
Friend GuardHADecreases all direct damage taken by friendly Pokémon to 0.75×.

Cleffa starts the chain as a baby form and evolves into Clefairy by leveling up. To get more eggs, breed the evolved versions. The evolved forms gain up to 265 total stats over Cleffa.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Cleffa
#173Cleffa
High Friendship
Clefairy
#035Clefairy
Moon Stone
Clefable
#036Clefable
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Cleffa
Normal
Clefairy
Normal
Clefable
Normal
HP
50
70+20
95+25
ATK
25
45+20
70+25
DEF
28
48+20
73+25
SP.ATK
45
60+15
95+35
SP.DEF
55
65+10
90+25
SPE
15
35+20
60+25
BST
218D-Tier
323C-Tier+105
483A-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Special
Utility
Special
Breeding
Unavailable
Undiscovered egg group

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Need something that threatens multiple types? Cleffa's movepool delivers. Coverage across 11 types plus STAB from Double-Edge and Mega Kick gives it answers for most defensive cores you'll run into.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Charm
10020Normal
Lv 1
Pound
4010035Normal
Lv 4
Encore
1005Normal
Lv 8
Sing
5515Normal
Lv 13
Sweet Kiss
7510Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM16
Light Screen
30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM33
Reflect
20Psychic
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM20
Safeguard
25Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Amnesia
20Psychic
Egg
Belly Drum
10Normal
Egg
Metronome
10Normal
Egg
Mimic
10Normal
Egg
Present
9015Normal
Egg
Splash
40Normal
Egg
Substitute
10Normal
Egg
Wish
10Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Tutor
Defense Curl
40Normal
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Tutor
Endure+4
10Normal
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Tutor
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Tutor
Metronome
10Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Psych Up
10Normal
Tutor
Rollout
309020Rock
Tutor
Seismic Toss
10020Fighting
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Soft-Boiled
5Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Swagger
9015Normal
Tutor
Thunder Wave
10020Electric

Cleffa doesn't appear in Emerald. Transfer it from Crystal, Diamond, or Legends: Arceus to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

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

Also found in:

  • At 218 BST, Cleffa is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Clefairy before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Cleffa. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 15 Speed, Cleffa won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Cleffa evolves into Clefairy by leveling up. Cleffa is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Cleffa gets Magic Guard, Cute Charm, and Friend Guard. But Magic Guard is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Cleffa is a physical attacker with base 25 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 15 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.

  • Cleffa appears in 19 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Debuting in Gold & Silver, Cleffa appears in 19 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.