Is Kabutops Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Kabuto evolves at level 40. Rock/Water with AbilitySwift Swim. Physical Water moves like Waterfall finally match the Attack stat. Handles Skyla through Rock and Clay through Water. The fossil pick for physical attackers.
Kabuto has the type edge here and should clean up Cheren's team.
Kabuto has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Kabuto has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Elesa's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Clay's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Kabuto trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Kabuto has the type edge here and should clean up Marlon's team.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Grimsley's team.
Kabutops has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Marshal's team hits Kabutops's weaknesses hard.
Kabutops trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Kabuto can be revived from a fossil obtained on Nacrene City. Revive Dome Fossil.
Your Kabuto should hit Level 40 before you reach Shauntal, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Kabutops in Black 2 & White 2
You're catching Kabuto first, not Kabutops. Kabuto appears but it's a rare spawn in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Kabutops in B2W2
Step 1Catch KabutoNacrene City - Nacrene MuseumLv.25Gift from NPCLimitedAnyRevive Dome Fossil- Step 2Kabutops ✓
Kabutops Weakness
Grass, Electric, Fighting, and Ground moves hit Kabutops for super-effective damage. Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Kabutops's physical bulk (base 105 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Fire |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Kabutops Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Kabutops
 Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Sewaddle BugGrass | D | |
 Flaaffy Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Flaaffy builds →Thunder Shock 2x45-55% Rock Smash 2x18-22% | ||
 Magnemite ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Magnemite builds →Thunder Shock 2x51-60% | ||
 Riolu Fighting | C | |
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x101-120%KO Rock Smash 2x26-31% | ||
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 4x287-339%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x107-127%KO Dig 2x49-59% Rock Smash 2x26-31% | ||
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 4x274-322%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x101-120%KO Dig 2x47-57% Rock Smash 2x24-29% | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x115-136%KO Dig 2x52-61% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 4x276-325%KO | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
 Sawsbuck NormalGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Sawsbuck builds →Horn Leech 4x123-146%KO Jump Kick 2x53-64% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 4x276-325%KO | ||
 Ferrothorn GrassSteel | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Ferrothorn builds →Power Whip 4x188-222%KO Bulldoze 2x32-38% Thunder 2x56-66% Rock Smash 2x22-26% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x290-342%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 4x196-231%KO Brick Break 2x42-49% Bulldoze 2x34-40% | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Ferrothorn GrassSteel | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Ferrothorn builds →Power Whip 4x185-217%KO Bulldoze 2x32-38% Thunder 2x55-65% Rock Smash 2x22-26% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x288-339%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 4x192-226%KO Brick Break 2x41-48% Bulldoze 2x33-39% | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 4x289-340%KO Earthquake 2x53-63% Focus Blast 2x96-113%KO | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Virizion GrassFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 11 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Virizion builds →Solar Beam 4x244-287%KO Close Combat 2x88-103%KO | ||
Ferrothorn GrassSteel | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Ferrothorn builds →Power Whip 4x182-214%KO Bulldoze 2x30-36% Thunderbolt 2x43-51% Rock Smash 2x21-25% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x289-340%KO | ||
In Black 2 & White 2, Ho-Oh can KO Kabutops with Earthquake (123-144%). Genesect's Explosion hits Kabutops for 44-52%. Darkrai's Focus Blast also KOs at 167-197%.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Ho-Oh builds →Earthquake 2x123-144%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDownload ItemChoice Scarf NatureNaive Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Genesect builds →U Turn25-30% Ice Beam18-21% Explosion44-52% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityBaddreams ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Darkrai builds →Dark Pulse56-65% Focus Blast 2x167-197%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Dialga builds →Draco Meteor75-89% Thunder 2x127-150%KO Aura Sphere 2x93-110%KO | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChopleberry NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Kabutops View Tyranitar builds →Pursuit15-18% Crunch30-35% Superpower 2x89-105%KO | ||
Kabutops Evolutions
Kabutops is the evolved form of Kabuto. Breeding produces Kabuto eggs, and they're slow to hatch. Evolving from Kabuto gave Kabutops the biggest boost in Attack (+35), bringing the total to 495 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Kabutops to get Kabuto eggs using 78 partners from the Water1 and Water3 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Aurora Beam, Bubble Beam, Confuse Ray and 8 more.
B2W2 Kabutops Best Moveset
Rain doubles 80 Speed through AbilitySwift Swim, and 115 Attack fires physical Water and Rock TermStab into targets before they respond. The moveset answers the same threats as Omastar from the physical side, giving rain teams a choice between special and physical Rock/Water coverage.
Best Build
Kabutops best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Kabutops misses out on Aurora Beam and Bubble Beam. That's 11 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Stone Edge and Surf, with coverage across 8 types rounding things out.
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
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It is thought that this Pokémon came onto land because its prey adapted to life on land.
Kabutops Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, Don't let Kabutops's 495 base stat total fool you. Swift Swim is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier as a wallbreaker. Stone Edge with Life Orb is the standard set.
In Black 2 & White 2, Run Swift Swim on Kabutops. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Kabutops also gets Battle Armor and Weak Armor, but they don't compare. On wall sets, Swift Swim pairs with Kabutops's base 105 Defense to absorb physical hits on the switch.
In Black 2 & White 2, Kabutops fills the wallbreaker role. It's a physical attacker with base 115 Attack. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Black 2 & White 2, run Stone Edge, Aqua Jet, Waterfall, and Swords Dance on Kabutops. Stone Edge is the most common pick at 0% usage. Waterfall provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Kabutops has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
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 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