Physical
Trick Room
325Low
25Very Slow
DTier

Grimer sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Muk as fast as possible. Only weak to Ground and Psychic. Known as the Sludge Pokemon.

HP and Attack carry most of Grimer's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 HP stat exp. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
325Avg
HP80
C
Attack80
C
Defense50
D
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def50
D
Speed25
F
Total325
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Grimer yields +1 HP
HP+1AtkDefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Fast1M XP0.9m / 2'11"30kg / 66.1 lbs65Base XP
Pokedex Entries

When two of these POKéMON’s bodies are combined together, new poisons are created.

Crystal

Grimer Weakness

Avg

Grimer is weak to Ground and Psychic-type moves. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (1)i
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
StenchHas a 10% chance of making target Pokémon flinch with each hit.
Sticky HoldPrevents a held item from being removed by other Pokémon.
Poison TouchHAHas a 30% chance of poisoning target Pokémon upon contact.

One evolution ahead. Grimer grows into Muk through a straightforward two-stage chain. A small partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 175 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Grimer
Poison
Muk
Poison
HP
80
105+25
ATK
80
105+25
DEF
50
75+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
SP.DEF
50
100+50
SPE
25
50+25
BST
325C-Tier
500B-Tier+175
ROLE
Trick Room
Tank
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Grimer easily with 11 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Pass egg moves like Haze, Lick, Mean Look to offspring.

Egg Groups
Indeterminate
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
3moves
Breed With (best first)
mukgengarweezingmagcargohaunterwobbuffetkoffinggrimergastlyslugmamisdreavus

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 2
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Not in Gen 2

Best Grimer Moveset

  • Fire Blast
  • CurseSetup
  • Sludge BombSTAB
  • ExplosionCoverage

Breeding opens up real options for Grimer. Haze and Lick come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Sludge Bomb and Sludge and coverage across 9 types.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Poison Gas
5540Poison
Lv 1
Pound
4010035Normal
Lv 5
Harden
30Normal
Lv 10
Disable
5520Normal
Lv 16
Sludge
6510020Poison
Lv 23
Minimize
20Normal
Lv 31
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 40
Acid Armor
40Poison
Lv 50
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM01
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM48
Fire Punch
7510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM33
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
TM31
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM41
Thunder Punch
7510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM07
Zap Cannon
100505Electric

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Haze
30Ice
Egg
Lick
2010030Ghost
Egg
Mean Look
5Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Tutor
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric

Easy grab on Grimer with high spawn rates across 6 locations in early-game routes. Two different catch methods are in play here. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Best Locations

Walking and surfing encounters at Lv. 15-33 across 6 spots for Grimer. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.

Celadon City
Surfing on waterLv.15-24CommonEarlyCity
EASY
Route 16
GrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 18
GrassLv.26-28CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 17
GrassLv.29-33CommonMidRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 17
GrassLv.29-31CommonMidRouteMorning
EFFORTLESS
Route 17
GrassLv.29UncommonMidRouteDay
EASY
  • Grimer is meant to evolve into Muk. At 325 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Grimer's biggest threats include Golem (Ground) and Starmie (Psychic), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 25 Speed, Grimer won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Grimer can evolve into Muk and Alolan Muk depending on the method. Grimer is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Base 25 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Grimer is a physical attacker with base 80 Attack. Best used as a trick room.

  • Grimer appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Grimer has appeared in 19 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.