Lileep isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Cradily to unlock its full potential. At 355 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

What is Lileep weak to?

Watch for Lapras (Ice), Hitmonlee (Fighting), and Scizor (Bug) when using Lileep. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Steel-type attackers are also a problem. At base 23 Speed, Lileep won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

What is the best ability for Lileep?

Run Storm Drain on Lileep. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Lileep also gets Suction Cups, but they don't compare.

What role does Lileep play in battle?

Lileep fills the support role. It's a special attacker with base 61 Sp. Atk. Base 23 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

Lileep - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Support

CTier

23Speed · Very Slow

Lileep Best Moveset

77/87 defenses on a Rock/Grass pre-evo with hidden AbilityStorm Drain absorbing Water moves for a Sp. Atk boost. 61 Sp. Atk at 23 Speed can't use the boost competitively. The moveset waits for Cradily where better defensive stats give AbilityStorm Drain a real platform.

★Gen III — Ruby, Sapphire & EmeraldE

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen III (Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald). This was Lileep's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Suctioncups with Leftovers, favoring a Calm nature.

Received Suction Cups

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

TM6

Toxic

Poison—POPULARUtility

TM17

Protect

Normal—POPULARPriority

Egg

Recover

Normal—POPULARRecovery

TM19

Giga Drain

Grass75POPULARSTAB

Lileep Ruby & Sapphire Moves Lileep Emerald Moves

Best Build

Experimental

Wall

Lileep best EVs are HP and Sp. Def

EVs

SpA

SpD

Wall Moveset

ToxicUtility
ProtectFAST +4
RecoverRecovery
Giga DrainSTAB

Recommended Teammates

MinunExcellent

MarshtompExcellent

ArbokExcellent

→Gen IV — Diamond, Pearl & PlatinumE

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen IV (Diamond, Pearl & Platinum). Lileep maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Suctioncups with Leftovers, favoring a Adamant nature.

Physical/Special split overhauled move damage

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

Egg

Recover

Normal—COMMONRecovery

Tutor

Seed Bomb

Grass80COMMONSTAB

TM80

Rock Slide

Rock75RARESTAB

TM19

Giga Drain

Grass75RARESTAB

Xfer

Curse

Ghost—RARESetup

Lv 57

Stockpile

Normal—RAREUtility

TM76

Stealth Rock

Rock—RARESTAB

Lv 43

Ancient Power

Rock60RARESTAB

Lileep Diamond & Pearl Moves Lileep Platinum Moves

Experimental

Physical Attacker

EVs

Atk

Def

SpD

Physical Attacker Moveset

RecoverRecovery
Seed BombSTAB
Rock SlideSTAB
Giga DrainSTAB

Recommended Teammates

HippopotasGood

CranidosGood

BronzorDecent

→Gen V — Black & White / B2W2E

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen V (Black & White / B2W2). Lileep maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Stormdrain with Eviolite, favoring a Bold nature.

Gained Storm Drain as hidden abilityHidden Abilities became available

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

Tutor

Giga Drain

Grass75COMMONSTAB

Egg

Recover

Normal—COMMONRecovery

TM6

Toxic

Poison—COMMONUtility

TM10

Hidden Power (Rock)

Rock60RARESTAB

Egg

Stealth Rock

Rock—RARESTAB

TM10

Hidden Power (Ghost)

Ghost60RARECoverage

Lv 22

Confuse Ray

Ghost—RAREUtility

Lileep Black & White Moves Lileep Black 2 & White 2 Moves

Experimental

Wall

EVs

Def

SpA

SpD

Spe

Wall Moveset

Giga DrainSTAB
RecoverRecovery
ToxicUtility
Hidden Power RockSTAB

Recommended Teammates

HippopotasGood

NatuDecent

FrillishDecent

→Gen VI — X & Y / ORASE

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen VI (X & Y / ORAS). Lileep maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Stormdrain with Eviolite, favoring a Calm nature.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

Egg

Stealth Rock

Rock—POPULARSTAB

Egg

Recover

Normal—POPULARRecovery

Tutor

Earth Power

Ground90POPULARCoverage

Lv 26

Giga Drain

Grass75POPULARSTAB

Lileep X & Y Moves Lileep ORAS Moves

Experimental

Wall

EVs

Def

SpA

SpD

Wall Moveset

Stealth RockSTAB
RecoverRecovery
Earth Power
Giga DrainSTAB

Recommended Teammates

FloetteExcellent

FrogadierExcellent

PikachuGood

→Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUME

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen VII (Sun & Moon / USUM). Lileep maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Stormdrain with Eviolite, favoring a Modest nature.

Z-Moves became available

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

Egg

Recover

Normal—POPULARRecovery

Egg

Stealth Rock

Rock—COMMONSTAB

Lv 41

Energy Ball

Grass90COMMONSTAB

TM10

Hidden Power (Rock)

Rock60COMMONSTAB

Lileep Sun & Moon Moves Lileep Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Moves

Experimental

Hazard Setter

EVs

Def

SpA

SpD

Hazard Setter Moveset

RecoverRecovery
Stealth RockSTAB
Energy BallSTAB
Hidden Power RockSTAB

Recommended Teammates

BaltoyGood

InkayGood

FloetteGood

→Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPE

Lileep saw minimal competitive use in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield / BDSP). Lileep maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Stormdrain with Eviolite, favoring a Modest nature.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

TR22

Sludge Bomb

Poison90COMMONCoverage

Tutor

Meteor Beam

Rock120COMMONSTAB

Lv 44

Energy Ball

Grass90COMMONSTAB

Egg

Recover

Normal—COMMONRecovery

Lv 16

Ancient Power

Rock60RARESTAB

Egg

Curse

Ghost—RARESetup

TR1

Body Slam

Normal85RARECoverage

Xfer

Double-Edge

Normal120RARECoverage

Lileep Sword & Shield Moves Lileep BDSP Moves

Experimental

Special Attacker

EVs

Def

SpA

SpD

Special Attacker Moveset

Sludge Bomb
Meteor BeamSTAB
Energy BallSTAB
RecoverRecovery

Recommended Teammates

CradilyGood

CorphishGood

Corsola-GalarGood

Lileep Weakness

Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Steel moves hit Lileep for super-effective damage. Storm Drain grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Lileep Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Ice, Fighting, Bug, Steel
0.5x (Resist)	Normal, Electric

What is Lileep Weak Against

Fragile

4Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score-6

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Ice Fighting Bug Steel

½xResist

Normal Electric

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Water

What is Lileep Strong Against

7Strong

1Resisted

0Immune

Score+6

2xStrong

Fire Water Ice Ground Flying Bug Rock

½xResisted

Steel

0xImmune

None

Best Pokemon Against Lileep

Scizor's Close Combat hits Lileep for 73-86%. Lucario deals 78-92% with Close Combat.

Scizor BugSteel	A
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves Bullet Punch Knock Off U Turn Close Combat Damage vs Lileep Bullet Punch 2x 37-44% Knock Off 20-24% U Turn 2x 64-76% Close Combat 2x 73-86% View Scizor builds →
Weavile DarkIce	B
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves Knock Off Ice Shard Triple Axel Swords Dance Damage vs Lileep Knock Off 17-21% Ice Shard 2x 22-26% View Weavile builds →
Lucario FightingSteel	B
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves Extreme Speed Close Combat Swords Dance Aura Sphere Damage vs Lileep Extreme Speed 9-10% Close Combat 2x 78-92% Aura Sphere 2x 51-60% View Lucario builds →

Evolution

Lileep evolves into Cradily. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are slow to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 140 total stats over Lileep. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#345Lileep

Level 40

#346Cradily

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Lileep

RockGrass

Cradily

RockGrass

86+20

ATK

81+40

DEF

97+20

SP.ATK

81+20

SP.DEF

107+20

SPE

43+20

BST

355C-Tier

495C-Tier+140

ROLE

Balanced

TYPE

Special

Mixed

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Lileep with 37 breeding partners from the Water3 egg group.

Egg Groups

Water 3

Gender

♂87.5%♀12.5%

Hatch Time

30 cycles·7,710 steps

Moderate~8 min with Flame Body

Breed With (best first)

How to Get Lileep

All 14 games

No wild encounters for Lileep in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Bring Lileep over from Ruby & Sapphire, Emerald, or Sword & Shield, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.

How to Obtain Lileep in BDSP

Step 1Lileep ✓
CARTRIDGE TRADE
from Sword & Shield
Available
Catch in Sword & Shield via Super rod · Giant's Bed, then trade to the current game via link cable.
LATER APPEARANCE
from Ruby & Sapphire
Not Tradeable
Appears in Ruby & Sapphire via Gift · Rustboro City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
LATER APPEARANCE
from Emerald
Not Tradeable
Appears in Emerald via Gift · Rustboro City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
LATER APPEARANCE
from Diamond & Pearl
Not Tradeable
Appears in Diamond & Pearl via Gift · Oreburgh City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
LATER APPEARANCE
from Platinum
Not Tradeable
Appears in Platinum via Gift · Oreburgh City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
LATER APPEARANCE
from HeartGold & SoulSilver
Not Tradeable
Appears in HeartGold & SoulSilver via Gift · Pewter City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
LATER APPEARANCE
from Black & White
Not Tradeable
Appears in Black & White via Gift · Nacrene City · Revive Root Fossil. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Train until Level 40 to evolve into Cradily
Step 2Evolve into Cradily

Base Stats

Lileep's spread favors balanced defenses over offense. Sp. Def leads the defensive side, Speed eats the cost. Yields 1 Sp. Def EV per defeat. Standard growth curve to level.

Base Stats

Avg

HP66

Attack41

Defense77

Sp. Atk61

Sp. Def87

Speed23

Total355

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging45 / 255

Growth Rate

Erratic600,000 XP

Height1.0 m

Weight23.8 kg

Base XP71

Abilities

Suction Cups

Prevents being forced out of battle by other Pokémon's moves.

Storm DrainHidden Ability

Redirects single-target water moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Water moves, raising Special Attack one stage.

Storm Drain grants Water immunity

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe

Special Defense training source

Pokedex Entry

It lived on the seafloor 100 million years ago and was reanimated scientifically.

Pokemon Shining Pearl

Lileep Guide

Lileep isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Cradily to unlock its full potential. At 355 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Watch for Lapras (Ice), Hitmonlee (Fighting), and Scizor (Bug) when using Lileep. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Steel-type attackers are also a problem. At base 23 Speed, Lileep won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Run Storm Drain on Lileep. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Lileep also gets Suction Cups, but they don't compare.
Lileep's hidden ability is Storm Drain. Redirects single-target water moves to this Pokémon where possible. Better than the standard options for competitive play.
Lileep fills the support role. It's a special attacker with base 61 Sp. Atk. Base 23 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

Game Availability

Lileep first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 14 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Settings

Lileep

Lileep Best Moveset

Best Moves

Best Build

Lileep Weakness

What is Lileep Weak Against

Best Pokemon Against Lileep

Evolution

How to Evolve

Breeding

How to Get Lileep

How to Obtain Lileep in BDSP

Where To Catch Lileep in SwSh

How to Obtain Lileep in USUM

How to Obtain Lileep in SM

Base Stats