Cottonee's spread isn't flashy. Speed leads, Attack trails, 0 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Speed EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
It shoots cotton from its body to protect itself. If it gets caught up in hurricane-strength winds, it can get sent to the other side of the Earth.
Weaving together the cotton of both Cottonee and Eldegoss produces exquisite cloth that’s highly prized by many luxury brands.
Type-wise, Cottonee takes extra damage from Poison, Fire, Ice, Flying, and Steel. Watch out for Poison attacks, those deal 4x damage. Dragon moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 6 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Poison |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Flying, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Fighting, Ground, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Dragon |
Archaludon can KO Cottonee with Flash Cannon (99-117%). Volcarona threatens a KO with Heat Wave (116-137%). Glimmora deals 42-49% with Power Gem.
 Archaludon SteelDragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityStamina ItemAssault Vest NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cottonee View Archaludon builds →Flash Cannon 2x99-117%KO | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemGrassyseed NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cottonee View Volcarona builds →Heat Wave 2x116-137%KO | ||
 Glimmora RockPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityToxicdebris ItemRed Card NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cottonee View Glimmora builds →Power Gem42-49% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMoody ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves View Smeargle builds →
| ||
 Pelipper Water | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cottonee View Pelipper builds →Hurricane 2x113-133%KO | ||
Evolving Cottonee into Whimsicott takes an evolution item. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. Evolving adds up to 200 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cottonee easily with 66 breeding partners from the Fairy and Plant egg groups.
Cottonee hasn't fully evolved, but Eviolite's 50% bulk boost makes it viable anyway. Bold nature with spread EVs shapes the defensive spread, and Prankster adds utility.
Best Build
Cottonee best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Support Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Dazzling Gleam
- Encore
- Giga Drain
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Encore
- Protect
- Worry Seed
- Fake Tears
Recommended Teammates
Utility Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Substitute
- Endeavor
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Utility Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Unknown
- Protect
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Support Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Encore
- Taunt
Recommended Teammates
Support Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
- Encore
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Endeavor
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Sunny Day
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Tickle
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Endeavor
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Sunny Day
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Tickle
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Cottonee develops a solid moveset just through leveling. Energy Ball and Solar Beam show up naturally, and the progression handles both STAB and utility without leaning on TMs for the core attacks.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
The egg pool carries weight here. Memento and Nature Power aren't available any other way for Cottonee, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Energy Ball for solid options.
The egg pool carries weight here. Beat Up and Captivate aren't available any other way for Cottonee, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Energy Ball for solid options.
The egg pool carries weight here. Beat Up and Captivate aren't available any other way for Cottonee, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Energy Ball for solid options.
Cottonee can't be caught in Scarlet & Violet. Bring it over from Black, Black 2, or Sword instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
10 encounter spots for Cottonee at high spawn rates starting from mid-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Best Locations to Catch Cottonee in Sword & Shield
You can catch Cottonee through 10 walking encounters from Lv. 27-65, but availability differs between Sword and Shield. Some spots are exclusive to one version.
Cottonee is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 9 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Best Locations to Catch Cottonee in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Walking encounters at Lv. 9-57 across 9 spots for Cottonee. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
Easy grab on Cottonee with high spawn rates across 9 locations in early-game routes. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.
Best Locations to Catch Cottonee in Sun & Moon
9 walking spots from Lv. 9-57 for Cottonee. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
Cottonee evolves into Whimsicott using a Sun Stone. One evolution, no branching. Solid jump from 280 BST.
Cottonee does the job early-game if you need a Grass/Fairy type on your team. Evolve it into Whimsicott before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Cottonee is catchable across 8 games. Debuted in Scarlet & Violet and most recently available in Black & White and Black 2 & White 2.
Cottonee appears in 8 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.
Introduced in Black & White, Cottonee has appeared in 8 games across 6 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
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