Physical
Sweeper
495Average
115Fast
CTier

What separates Floatzel from the pack is Swift Swim — it doubles its Speed in rain. Combine that with Water typing and it comfortably outruns most offensive threats. Known as the Sea Weasel Pokemon. Can go either physical or special depending on the set.

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Floatzel's Speed does the work, Sp. Def pays the price. But you're still getting 2 Speed EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
495Above
HP85
C
Attack105
B
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk85
C
Sp. Def50
D
Speed115
B
Total495
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Floatzel yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch75ChallengingMedium Fast1M XP1.1m / 3'07"33.5kg / 73.9 lbs173Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is a common sight around fishing ports. It is known to rescue people and carry off prey.

Platinum

Floatzel Weakness

Good

Floatzel's Water typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass moves. The Water typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. At base 115 Speed, Floatzel outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Swift SwimDoubles Speed during rain.
Water VeilHAPrevents burns.

Floatzel is what Buizel becomes. Breed it for Buizel eggs (average hatch time). A massive partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolution from Buizel pushed Floatzel to 495 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +40.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Buizel
Water
Floatzel
Water
HP
55
85+30
ATK
65
105+40
DEF
35
55+20
SP.ATK
60
85+25
SP.DEF
30
50+20
SPE
85
115+30
BST
330C-Tier
495B-Tier+165
ROLE
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Floatzel to get Buizel eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Baton Pass, Double Slap, Fury Cutter and 5 more.

Egg Groups
GroundWater1
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
raichuazumarillpikachunidokinggolduckampharosblastoiseferaligatrkingdraswampertrhydonslowbro

Life Orb and Swiftswim form the backbone. Floatzel invests max Attack and Speed EVs to play its physical attacker role properly, and Jolly nature pushes Speed higher. Waterfall handles the heavy lifting on offense. Dark coverage rounds it out.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Swiftswim
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Floatzel Moveset

  • WaterfallSTAB
  • Aqua JetSTAB
  • Ice Punch
  • CrunchCoverage

You'll want to breed for Baton Pass and Double Slap on Floatzel. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Surf and Aqua Tail, they expand what Floatzel can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Ice Fang
659515Ice
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 1
Sonic Boom
9020Normal
Lv 1
Water Sport
15Water
Lv 3
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 6
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 10
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Lv 15
Swift
6020Normal
Lv 21
Aqua Jet+1
4010020Water
Lv 26
Crunch
8010015Dark
Lv 29
Agility
30Psychic
Lv 39
Whirlpool
358515Water
Lv 50
Razor Wind
8010010Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TM08
Bulk Up
20Fighting
TM78
Captivate
10020Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM58
Endure+4
10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM07
Hail
10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
10015Normal
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
20Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
10Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Baton Pass
40Normal
Egg
Double Slap
158510Normal
Egg
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
Egg
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Egg
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Egg
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Egg
Odor Sleuth
40Normal
Egg
Slash
7010020Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Aqua Tail
909010Water
Tutor
Dive
8010010Water
Tutor
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Swift
6020Normal

Floatzel starts showing up in mid-game routes at high spawn rates across 13 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.

Where To Catch Floatzel in Platinum

Buizel is your first catch on the way to Floatzel. You'll find walking and surfing encounters from Lv. 9-55 across 17 total spots in the chain.

  1. Buizel
    Step 1Catch Buizel
    Valley Windworks
    GrassLv.9-11CommonEarlyPower-plant
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 205 - South
    GrassLv.10-11UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 213
    GrassLv.23-25CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 212 - South
    GrassLv.23-25UncommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Floatzel
    Step 2Floatzel
    Fuego Ironworks
    GrassLv.29-31CommonMidPower-plant
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 218
    GrassLv.29-31CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 221
    GrassLv.29-31CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Victory Road - B1F
    Surfing on waterLv.30-50CommonMidCave
    EASY
    Victory Road - Nat Dex Area B1F
    Surfing on waterLv.35-55CommonLateCave
    EASY
    Route 222
    GrassLv.38-41CommonLateRouteNight
    EFFORTLESS
    Victory Road - B1F
    GrassLv.42-44CommonLateCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 222
    GrassLv.40UncommonLateRouteMorning/day
    EASY
    Victory Road - Nat Dex Area
    GrassLv.47-49CommonPostCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Victory Road - Nat Dex Exit Area
    GrassLv.47-49CommonPostCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 230
    GrassLv.48-50CommonPostRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Victory Road - Nat Dex Area B1F
    GrassLv.48-50CommonPostCave
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 224
    GrassLv.50UncommonPostRoute
    EASY
    or evolve from Buizel (Step 1)
  • Floatzel looks average on paper at 495 BST. But Swift Swim is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier sweeper on our tier list.

  • Watch for Rotom (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Floatzel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Floatzel's base 115 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Buizel evolves into Floatzel at level 26. Floatzel is the fully evolved form. At 495 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Floatzel gets Swift Swim and Water Veil. But Swift Swim is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that. With base 115 Speed, Swift Swim gives Floatzel an edge before opponents can react.

  • Floatzel is a physical attacker with base 105 Attack. But the speed tells the real story — base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the sweeper role.

  • Floatzel appears in 12 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.

Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Floatzel appears in 12 games across 6 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.