Is Cubone Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Underground Ground-type. Marowak hits hard physically but the Speed is painful. Better Ground options exist in Garchomp, Hippowdon, and Gastrodon. Only worth it if you grab one very early and need a Ground-type before those show up.
Cubone has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Gardenia's team hits Cubone's weaknesses hard.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Fantina's team hits Marowak's weaknesses hard.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Aaron's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Flint's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Cubone on Route 203 (walking, Lv 4, common). Swarm.
Your Cubone should hit Level 28 before you reach Maylene, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Cubone in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
high spawn rates in early-game routes across 14 locations. Cubone's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Where To Catch Cubone in BDSP
Cubone is your first catch on the way to Cubone. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 4-63 across 14 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Cubone ✓Route 203Lv.4GrassRate 40%Swarm activeBig Bluff CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameDazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRocky CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-game
Step 2Evolve into Marowak
Cubone Weakness
Cubone is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Cubone's physical bulk (base 95 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Grass, Ice |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Rock |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
What is Cubone Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Cubone
 Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
 Surskit BugWater | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Surskit builds →Scald 2x79-93% Giga Drain 2x48-57% | ||
 Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x84-99% Ice Beam 2x84-99% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x71-84% Ice Beam 2x59-71% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Gastrodon builds →Surf 2x132-156%KO Ice Beam 2x87-104%KO | ||
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Psyduck builds →Surf 2x103-122%KO Ice Beam 2x68-81% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x135-159%KO Ice Beam 2x90-106%KO | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x84-99% Ice Beam 2x84-99% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x71-84% Ice Beam 2x59-71% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Psyduck builds →Surf 2x103-122%KO Ice Beam 2x68-81% | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x131-155%KO Ice Beam 2x87-103%KO | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Golduck builds →Surf 2x131-155%KO Ice Beam 2x87-103%KO | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x78-94% Ice Beam 2x80-95% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x68-81% Ice Beam 2x58-69% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x130-153%KO Ice Beam 2x86-102%KO | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Golduck builds →Surf 2x130-153%KO Ice Beam 2x86-102%KO | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x79-93% Ice Beam 2x79-94% | ||
 Snover GrassIce | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Snover builds →Solar Beam 2x124-147%KO Ice Beam 2x94-111%KO Water Pulse 2x42-50% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x128-151%KO Ice Beam 2x85-101%KO | ||
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 2x166-196%KO Ice Beam 2x126-149%KO Water Pulse 2x57-67% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Golduck builds →Surf 2x128-151%KO Ice Beam 2x85-101%KO | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x79-93% Ice Beam 2x79-93% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x128-151%KO Ice Beam 2x85-101%KO | ||
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 2x166-196%KO Ice Beam 2x126-149%KO Water Pulse 2x57-67% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x150-177%KO Energy Ball 2x100-118%KO Water Pulse 2x68-80% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Golduck builds →Surf 2x128-151%KO Ice Beam 2x85-101%KO | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x133-157%KO Ice Beam 2x89-105%KO | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Venusaur can KO Cubone with Giga Drain (210-247%). Lapras threatens a KO with Waterfall (94-111%).
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityChlorophyll ItemLife Orb NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x210-247%KO | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Avalanche 2x71-83% Waterfall 2x94-111%KO | ||
Cubone Evolutions
Cubone is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Marowak. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 105 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cubone easily with 63 breeding partners from the Monster egg group. Pass egg moves like Ancient Power, Belly Drum, Curse and 7 more to offspring.
BDSP Cubone Best Moveset
95 Defense on a Ground pre-evo with AbilityLightning Rod absorbing Electric moves for Sp. Atk boosts. 50 Attack at 35 Speed can't use the bulk or the immunity. The moveset waits for Marowak where the physical stats improve.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Endeavor
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding opens up real options for Cubone. Ancient Power and Belly Drum come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Dig and coverage across 8 types.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly.
Cubone Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, For a casual playthrough, Cubone works as a placeholder. Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Marowak. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Cubone appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Cubone have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves