Is Donphan Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Phanpy evolves at level 25. Ground with AbilitySturdy. If imported, AbilitySturdy guarantees surviving one hit and the Attack is strong. Handles Elesa and Shauntal. A solid Ground import behind the native options.
Phanpy trades roughly evenly with Cheren's team.
Phanpy trades roughly evenly with Roxie's team.
Burgh's team hits Phanpy's weaknesses hard.
Donphan has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Donphan has the type edge here and should clean up Clay's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Donphan has the type edge here and should clean up Marlon's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Donphan has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Caitlin's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Marshal's team.
Donphan trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Donphan cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 25.
How to Get Donphan in Black 2 & White 2
Donphan can't be caught in Black 2 & White 2. Transfer Phanpy from Gold & Silver, Crystal, or Scarlet & Violet and evolve through the 2-stage line to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.
How to Obtain Donphan in B2W2
Step 1Obtain PhanpyLATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Walking · Route 45. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · Route 45. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Ruby & SapphireNot TradeableAppears in Ruby & Sapphire via Walking · Safari Zone. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom EmeraldNot TradeableAppears in Emerald via Walking · Safari Zone · Safari Zone: 500 entry fee, 30 Safari Balls. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenNot TradeableAppears in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Sevault Canyon. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Walking · Route 207 · Swarm active. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.- Step 2Donphan ✓
Donphan Weakness
Donphan is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Donphan's physical bulk (base 120 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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Donphan Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Donphan
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x133-157%KO | ||
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x94-111%KO Blizzard 2x79-93% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
 Swanna Water | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x132-155%KO | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x92-109%KO Blizzard 2x77-92% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Swanna Water | C | |
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x64-75% Ice Fang 2x31-36% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x132-156%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
 Kyurem DragonIce | B | |
Obtain MethodGiant Chasm Interact Encounter | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Garchomp builds →Earthquake18-22% Outrage22-26% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChopleberry NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Tyranitar builds →Pursuit7-9% Crunch15-17% Superpower22-26% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySerenegrace ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Jirachi builds →U Turn9-10% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves
Damage vs Donphan View Clefable builds →Knock Off5-7% | ||
Donphan Evolutions
Evolved from Phanpy. Donphan is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Attack grew the most through evolution (+60 over Phanpy), and Donphan peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Donphan to get Phanpy eggs easily using 181 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Ancient Power, Body Slam, Counter and 8 more.
B2W2 Donphan Best Moveset
120 Attack and 120 Defense behind Ground TermStab with MoveRapid Spin for hazard removal and MoveStealth Rock for hazard setting. The moveset does everything a physical Ground type should, answering Rock and Electric types while keeping hazards controlled. AbilitySturdy guarantees one turn from full HP.
Best Build
Donphan best EVs are HP and Defense
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Shard
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 11 types means almost nothing walls Donphan cleanly, with Earthquake and Earth Power anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
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
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It attacks by curling up then rolling into its foe. It can blow apart a house in one hit.
Donphan Black 2 & White 2 Guide
For Black 2 & White 2, we rate Donphan B-Tier: a solid option in Black 2 & White 2 for the right team. At 500 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Earthquake with Leftovers is the standard set.
Sturdy is the go-to ability for Donphan. It prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Its hidden ability Sand Veil can work in specific setups.
Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Donphan is a physical attacker with base 120 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.
For Black 2 & White 2, the core moveset is Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin, and Ice Shard. Earthquake leads at 0% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Donphan spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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