Physical
Balanced
288Low
55Slow
DTier

Almost nobody uses Ekans in battle. It exists to evolve into Arbok, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Only weak to Ground and Psychic. Known as the Snake Pokemon.

You won't find a real weakness in Ekans's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Snake Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 1 Attack EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
288Below
HP35
F
Attack60
C
Defense44
D
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def54
D
Speed55
D
Total288
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Ekans yields +1 Atk
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP2m / 6'07"6.9kg / 15.2 lbs58Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The older it gets, the longer it grows. At night, it wraps its long body around tree branches to rest.

X

Moving silently and stealthily, it eats the eggs of birds, such as Pidgey and Spearow, whole.

Y

Ekans Weakness

Good

Ekans's Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Ground and Psychic moves. The Poison typing picks up 5 resistances to work with.

4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
2Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
IntimidateLowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
Shed SkinHas a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
UnnerveHAPrevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.

Ekans is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Arbok. Check the evolution method below. No compatible partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 160 total stats over Ekans.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Ekans
Poison
Arbok
Poison
HP
35
60+25
ATK
60
95+35
DEF
44
69+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
SP.DEF
54
79+25
SPE
55
80+25
BST
288C-Tier
448C-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Ekans easily from the Dragon and Ground egg groups. Pass egg moves like Beat Up, Disable, Iron Tail and 9 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
DragonGround
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
12moves

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 6.

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

The natural movepool does the job, but Beat Up and Disable from the egg pool give Ekans something extra.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 1
Wrap
159020Normal
Lv 4
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 9
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 12
Glare
10030Normal
Lv 17
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 20
Acid
4010030Poison
Lv 25
Spit Up
10010Normal
Lv 25
Stockpile
20Normal
Lv 25
Swallow
10Normal
Lv 28
Acid Spray
4010020Poison
Lv 33
Mud Bomb
658510Ground
Lv 36
Gastro Acid
10010Poison
Lv 38
Belch
1209010Poison
Lv 41
Haze
30Ice
Lv 44
Coil
20Poison
Lv 49
Gunk Shot
120805Poison

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM78
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM97
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM83
Infestation
2010020Bug
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM39
Rock Tomb
609515Rock
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM34
Sludge Wave
9510010Poison
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM09
Venoshock
6510010Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Beat Up
10010Dark
Egg
Disable
10020Normal
Egg
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
Egg
Poison Fang
5010015Poison
Egg
Poison Tail
5010025Poison
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Scary Face
10010Normal
Egg
Slam
807520Normal
Egg
Snatch+4
10Dark
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost
Egg
Sucker Punch+1
801005Dark
Egg
Switcheroo
10010Dark

Tutor Moves

Ekans can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal

You'll want mid-game access before hunting Ekans. Moderate rates across 2 encounter spots means the location matters. Sort by Best below and target the top-rated area first.

Best Locations

Route 14
YGrassLv.17RareMidRouteHorde battle
CHALLENGING
Route 14
XGrassLv.17RareMidRouteHorde battle
CHALLENGING
  • At 288 BST, Ekans is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Arbok before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Rhydon (Ground) and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Ekans. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Ekans evolves into Arbok at level 22. Ekans is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Ekans gets Intimidate, Shed Skin, and Unnerve. But Intimidate is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Ekans is a physical attacker with base 60 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — at base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

  • Ekans appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Present since Red & Blue, Ekans appears in 20 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Ekans have the longest track record of availability in the series.