Nothing fancy in Cyndaquil's spread. It leans mixed with Speed out front. And you'll get 1 Speed EV per KO for it. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
Hails from the Johto region. Though usually curled into a ball due to its timid disposition, it harbors tremendous firepower.
Cyndaquil's Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Fairy |
Landorus's Sludge Bomb hits Cyndaquil for 80-94%. Glimmora's Power Gem also KOs at 164-193%.
 Landorus Ground | S | |
Recommended Build AbilitySheerforce ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cyndaquil View Landorus builds →Sludge Bomb80-94% | ||
 Dondozo Water | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnaware ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves View Dondozo builds →
| ||
 Glimmora RockPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityToxicdebris ItemRed Card NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cyndaquil View Glimmora builds →Power Gem 2x164-193%KO | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMoxie ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Cyndaquil View Krookodile builds →Earthquake 2x256-301%KO Knock Off83-98% Close Combat102-120%KO | ||
 Gyarados Water | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cyndaquil View Gyarados builds →Waterfall 2x235-277%KO Earthquake 2x196-230%KO | ||
Cyndaquil kicks off a three-stage evolution line through Quilava all the way to Typhlosion. For breeding, average hatch time with a massive partner pool via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 225 total stats over Cyndaquil. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cyndaquil with 278 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.
Cyndaquil's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Scarf, trading flexibility for speed patching through item lock. Eruption is the go-to spam option, with Psychic coverage keeping switch-ins honest.
Best Build
Cyndaquil best EVs are Speed and Sp. Atk
Utility Moveset
- Eruption
- Extrasensory
- Overheat
- Tera Blast
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Special Wallbreaker Moveset
- Eruption
- Extrasensory
- Heat Wave
- Tera Blast
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 7.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Cyndaquil's coverage across 9 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Eruption and Overheat for same-type damage. Flamethrower and Inferno are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Overheat and Flamethrower for Cyndaquil, with Normal and Rock coverage and more doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.
You'll want to breed for Covet and Crush Claw on Cyndaquil. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Eruption and Burn Up, they expand what Cyndaquil can actually threaten in practice.
You'll want to breed for Covet and Crush Claw on Cyndaquil. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Eruption and Burn Up, they expand what Cyndaquil can actually threaten in practice.
No wild encounters for Cyndaquil in Scarlet & Violet. It's available in Gold, Crystal, or Legends: Arceus and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
2 encounter spots for Cyndaquil at decent spawn rates starting from early-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Best Locations to Catch Cyndaquil in Legends: Arceus
Cyndaquil starts showing up in endgame routes at moderate rates across 6 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Cyndaquil in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
6 spots to find Cyndaquil at Lv. 58-63 via walking. Not all of them exist in both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl versions, so filter by your copy below.
No wild encounters for Cyndaquil in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. It's available in Gold, Crystal, or Legends: Arceus and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Cyndaquil is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon.
Also found in:
First stop is Quilava at level 14. From there the chain splits: Typhlosion at level 36 and Hisuian Typhlosion at level 36. Pick your final form based on what your team needs.
Level 14 gets you Quilava. Quick enough that Cyndaquil barely slows you down.
For a casual playthrough, Cyndaquil works as a placeholder. Fire coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Quilava. That's where the stats start mattering.
You won't have trouble finding Cyndaquil. It's been around since Scarlet & Violet and appears in 17 games total. Latest appearances: Gold & Silver and Crystal.
Debuting in Gold & Silver, Cyndaquil appears in 17 games across 9 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GSDebut
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 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