Frillish Best Moveset
Waterabsorb and Eviolite give Frillish staying power beyond its evolution stage. Calm nature boosts Sp. Def, max HP and Sp. Def EVs set the spread, and the pre-evolution bulk actually works here.
Frillish saw minimal competitive use in Gen V (Black & White / B2W2). This was Frillish's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Waterabsorb with Eviolite, favoring a Bold nature.
Best Moves
Best Build
Frillish best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Recover
- Will O Wisp
- Taunt
- Night Shade
Recommended Teammates
Frillish saw minimal competitive use in Gen VI (X & Y / ORAS). Frillish maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Waterabsorb with Eviolite, favoring a Bold nature.
Wall Moveset
- Scald
- Recover
- Night Shade
- Taunt
Recommended Teammates
Frillish saw minimal competitive use in Gen VII (Sun & Moon / USUM). Frillish maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Cursedbody with Eviolite, favoring a Calm nature.
Wall Moveset
- Recover
- Scald
- Toxic
- Hex
Recommended Teammates
Frillish saw minimal competitive use in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield / BDSP). Frillish maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Waterabsorb with Choice Scarf, favoring a Timid nature.
Special Revenge Killer Moveset
- Shadow Ball
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
Recommended Teammates
Frillish Weakness
Frillish is weak to Electric, Grass, Ghost, and Dark. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Frillish's special bulk (base 85 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Poison, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
What is Frillish Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Frillish
Jolteon's Thunderbolt hits Frillish for 67-79%. Chandelure's Shadow Ball hits Frillish for 49-58%. Weavile deals 75-88% with Knock Off.
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Frillish View Jolteon builds →Volt Switch 2x53-62% Thunderbolt 2x67-79% Shadow Ball 2x40-47% | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Frillish View Chandelure builds →Shadow Ball 2x49-58% Energy Ball 2x37-43% Flamethrower14-16% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Frillish View Weavile builds →Knock Off 2x75-88% Ice Shard11-13% | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityChlorophyll ItemLife Orb NatureNaive Moves
Damage vs Frillish View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x46-54% Sludge Bomb14-16% | ||
Evolution
One evolution ahead. Frillish grows into Jellicent through a straightforward two-stage chain. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 145 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Frillish easily with 63 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group.
How to Get Frillish
Frillish can't be caught in Winds & Waves. Transfer Frillish from Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, or Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and evolve through the 2-stage line to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.
How to Obtain Frillish in WW
- Step 1Frillish ✓LATER APPEARANCEfrom Black & WhiteNot TradeableAppears in Black & White via Surfing · Route 18. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Black 2 & White 2Not TradeableAppears in Black 2 & White 2 via Surfing · Route 4. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire via Walking · Route 134 · DexNav chain. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Step 2Evolve into Jellicent
68 encounter spots for Frillish at high spawn rates starting from mid-game water routes. Two different catch methods are in play here. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Where To Catch Frillish in SwSh
To get Frillish, start by catching Frillish through surfing and walking encounters at Lv. 27-52. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Frillish ✓Bridge FieldLv.27-29OverworldRate 10%ThunderstormWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 60%Normal WeatherWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 60%RainingEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 60%Heavy FogNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 60%Heavy FogNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 60%Normal WeatherEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 55%OvercastEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 35%RainingEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 30%SnowingWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 25%Intense SunEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 25%Normal WeatherNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 25%SnowingNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 25%OvercastStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowstormStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%OvercastStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Heavy FogStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SandstormStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowingStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Normal WeatherStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%RainingStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Intense SunStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 16%ThunderstormEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 15%Intense SunWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 10%Heavy FogWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 10%SnowstormEast Lake AxewellLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 10%SandstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 10%SandstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 10%ThunderstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 10%Intense SunNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 10%SnowstormWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 5%SnowingWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 5%OvercastWest Lake AxewellLv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 5%SandstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 2%Raining
Step 2Catch or Evolve into JellicentRoute 9Lv.41-44OverworldShieldRate 35%All WeatherRoute 9Lv.39-43Surfing on waterRate 5%All WeatherRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%SandstormRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%Heavy FogRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%ThunderstormRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%SnowingRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%SnowstormRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%RainingRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%Intense SunRoute 9 - in Outer SpikemuthLv.40-44OverworldRate 5%OvercastRoute 9Lv.41-44OverworldSwordRate 5%All WeatherHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%OvercastHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%Heavy FogHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%Heavy FogHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%OvercastInsular SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%OvercastInsular SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%Heavy FogStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%OvercastStepping-Stone SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%Heavy FogWorkout SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%OvercastWorkout SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 1%Heavy FogLake of OutrageLv.50-52GrassRate 16%Thunderstormor evolve from Frillish (Step 1)
decent spawn rates for Frillish across 4 locations in mid-game water routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Where To Catch Frillish in USUM
The path to Frillish starts with Frillish at Lv. 30-34 via surfing and fixed encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Frillish ✓Route 14Lv.30-33Surfing on waterRate 20%Route 14Lv.34Interact with PokemonOne-timeRescue Swimmer
Step 2Evolve into Jellicent
Frillish isn't available in the wild in Sun & Moon. Start by transferring Frillish from Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, or Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. The evolution path from Frillish to Frillish is covered in the steps below.
How to Obtain Frillish in SM
- Step 1Frillish ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave Jellicent with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Frillish egg.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Black & WhiteNot TradeableAppears in Black & White via Surfing · Route 18. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Black 2 & White 2Not TradeableAppears in Black 2 & White 2 via Surfing · Route 4. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire via Walking · Route 134 · DexNav chain. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
- Step 2Evolve into Jellicent
Base Stats
Sp. Def and Sp. Atk carry most of Frillish's stat budget. Attack's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Def EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Legend has it that the residents of a sunken ancient city changed into these Pokémon.
Frillish Guide
You can run Frillish through the first few routes without issues. 335 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Jellicent as fast as you can.
Game Availability
Frillish joined the series in Black & White and has been available in 8 titles so far. With 6 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
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 5BWDebut
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