Without Thick Fat, Dewgong wouldn't see any competitive play. With it? It halves incoming Fire and Ice damage, turning modest base stats into a real offensive threat. Water/Ice is solid coverage on top of that. Needs some investment to avoid getting outsped.
Dewgong's spread favors balanced defenses over offense. Sp. Def leads the defensive side, Attack eats the cost. Yields 2 Sp. Def EVs per defeat. Medium-fast 1M XP curve to level.
It loves to snooze on bitterly cold ice. The sight of this POKéMON sleeping on a glacier was mistakenly thought to be a mermaid by a mariner long ago.
Dewgong Weakness
VulnerableDewgong's Water/Ice typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Grass, Fighting, and Rock moves. Thick Fat reduces Fire/Ice damage, further improving the defensive spread.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Dewgong is the evolved form of Seel. Breeding produces Seel eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Seel gave Dewgong the biggest boost in HP (+25), bringing the total to 475 stats.
How to Evolve
Breed with Dewgong to get Seel eggs easily using 102 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Disable, Encore, Fake Out and 5 more.
Bulk and offense in one package. Dewgong runs Leftovers for passive recovery each turn with a Adamant nature, so it survives long enough to threaten with Surf. Max HP and Attack EVs and utility options make it hard to safely switch into.
Best Build
Best Dewgong Moveset
- Encore
- Surf
- Body Slam
- Fake Out
Recommended Teammates
The natural movepool does the job, but Disable and Encore from the egg pool give Dewgong something extra. Pair those with Blizzard and Ice Beam for STAB and Normal and Dark coverage for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Dewgong isn't available in the wild in Emerald. Start by transferring Seel from Red, Yellow, or FireRed. The evolution path from Seel to Dewgong is covered in the steps below.
Don't let Dewgong's 475 base stat total fool you. Thick Fat is what makes it tick — it punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier.
Seel evolves into Dewgong at level 34. Dewgong is the fully evolved form. It sits at 475 BST in its evolved form.
Run Thick Fat on Dewgong. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Dewgong also gets Hydration and Ice Body, but they don't compare.
Dewgong fills the balanced role. It's a mixed attacker — base 70 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk. Base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Dewgong appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Dewgong has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A