Utility
Balanced
309Low
65Moderate
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Cyndaquil rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Typhlosion, which is where the real potential kicks in. Can go either physical or special depending on the set. Part of the Gen 2 roster.

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.

Base Stats
309Avg
HP39
F
Attack52
D
Defense43
D
Sp. Atk60
C
Sp. Def50
D
Speed65
C
Total309
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Cyndaquil yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch45ChallengingMedium Slow1.06M XP0.5m / 1'08"7.9kg / 17.4 lbs62Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It flares flames from its back to protect itself. The fire burns vigorously if the POKéMON is angry. When it is tired, it sputters with incomplete combustion.

Emerald

Cyndaquil Weakness

Avg

Cyndaquil's Fire typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock moves. The Fire typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

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
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei-1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
BlazeStrengthens fire moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
Flash FireHAProtects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

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.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Cyndaquil
Fire
HP
39
58+19
78+20
ATK
52
64+12
84+20
DEF
43
58+15
78+20
SP.ATK
60
80+20
109+29
SP.DEF
50
65+15
85+20
SPE
65
80+15
100+20
BST
309D-Tier
405D-Tier+96
534B-Tier+129
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Utility
Special
Special
Breeding
Moderate

Breed Cyndaquil with 102 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Covet, Crush Claw, Foresight and 5 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
87.5%12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

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

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 Overheat and Fire Blast, they expand what Cyndaquil can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 6
Smokescreen
10020Normal
Lv 12
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 19
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 27
Flame Wheel
6010025Fire
Lv 36
Swift
6020Normal
Lv 46
Flamethrower
9510015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM50
Overheat
140905Fire
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Covet
6010025Normal
Egg
Crush Claw
759510Normal
Egg
Foresight
10040Normal
Egg
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Egg
Howl
40Normal
Egg
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Egg
Reversal
10015Fighting
Egg
Thrash
12010020Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Defense Curl
40Normal
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Endure+4
10Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Rollout
309020Rock
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Swagger
9015Normal
Tutor
Swift
6020Normal

No searching required for Cyndaquil. You receive it at Littleroot Town from an NPC. No wild encounters exist in this game, so just head to the right spot when you're ready and it's yours.

Best Locations

Littleroot Town
Gift from NPCLv.5LimitedEarlyCityGift from Professor Birch (complete Hoenn Pokédex)
MODERATE
  • At 309 BST, Cyndaquil is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Quilava before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Starmie (Water), Golem (Ground), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Cyndaquil. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Cyndaquil evolves into Quilava at level 14. Cyndaquil is the base form in a 4-stage evolutionary line.

  • Cyndaquil gets Flash Fire and Blaze. But Flash Fire is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Cyndaquil is leaning toward the special side (base 60 Sp. Atk). Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — at base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

  • Cyndaquil appears in 17 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Debuting in Gold & Silver, Cyndaquil appears in 17 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.