Special
Balanced
480Average
70Moderate
CTier

Swift Swim doubles its Speed in rain, adding real value on top of Ludicolo's already solid stats. Water/Grass typing means only weak to Poison, Flying, and Bug. Known as the Carefree Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Nothing fancy in Ludicolo's spread. It leans mixed with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 3 Sp. Def EVs per KO for it. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
480Above
HP80
C
Attack70
C
Defense70
C
Sp. Atk90
B
Sp. Def100
B
Speed70
C
Total480
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Ludicolo yields +3 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+3Spe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Medium Slow1.06M XP•1.5m / 4'11"•55kg / 121.3 lbs•216Base XP
Pokedex Entries

If it hears festive music, all its muscles fill with energy. It can’t help breaking out into a dance.

Platinum

Ludicolo Weakness

Avg

Ludicolo is weak to Poison, Flying, and Bug-type moves. Ludicolo's special bulk (base 100 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
PoisonFlyingBug
½xResisti
GroundSteel
¼xResisti
Water
0xImmunei
None
STAB (4)i
FireGroundRockWater
3Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei-2
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Swift SwimDoubles Speed during rain.
Rain DishHeals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during rain.
Own TempoHAPrevents confusion.

Ludicolo evolved from Lotad's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Lotad eggs (quick to hatch). The evolution from Lotad pushed Ludicolo to 480 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Lotad
#270Lotad
14
Level 14
Lombre
#271Lombre
Water Stone
Ludicolo
#272Ludicolo
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Lotad
WaterGrass
Lombre
WaterGrass
Ludicolo
WaterGrass
HP
40
60+20
80+20
ATK
30
50+20
70+20
DEF
30
50+20
70+20
SP.ATK
40
60+20
90+30
SP.DEF
50
70+20
100+30
SPE
30
50+20
70+20
BST
220D-Tier
340D-Tier+120
480C-Tier+140
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Special
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Ludicolo to get Lotad eggs easily using 45 partners from the Plant and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Flail, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf and 4 more.

Egg Groups
PlantWater1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
azumarillvenusaurmeganiumtorterraroseradeblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertludicoloshiftry
12 of 45·

Ludicolo runs a standard special attacker set. Modest nature with flexible EVs EVs shapes the build, while Life Orb brings extra damage on every hit for a health trade. Swiftswim supports the kit from the background.

Best Build

Special Attacker
Ability
Swiftswim
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Nature
Modest+SPA
EVs

Best Ludicolo Moveset

  • Ice Beam
  • Rain DanceSTAB
  • SurfSTAB
  • Grass KnotSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Kingdra
KingdraGood
Kabutops
KabutopsGood
Bronzong
BronzongDecent

Breeding opens up real options for Ludicolo. Flail and Leech Seed come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Solar Beam and Hydro Pump and coverage across 9 types.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 1
Growl
—10040Normal
Lv 1
Mega Drain
4010015Grass
Lv 1
Nature Power
——20Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM09
Bullet Seed
1010030Grass
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM60
Drain Punch
751005Fighting
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM53
Energy Ball
8010010Grass
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
6010010Grass
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
—10020Grass
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM08
Rock Climb
908520Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
——30Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Flail
—10015Normal
Egg
Leech Seed
—9010Grass
Egg
Razor Leaf
559525Grass
Egg
Sweet Scent
—10020Normal
Egg
Synthesis
——5Grass
Egg
Tickle
—10020Normal
Egg
Water Gun
4010025Water

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Dive
8010010Water
Tutor
Fire Punch
7510015Fire
Tutor
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Seed Bomb
8010015Grass
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Synthesis
——5Grass
Tutor
Thunder Punch
7510015Electric
Tutor
Uproar
9010010Normal
Tutor
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Absorb
2010025Grass
Rem
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Rem
Energy Ball
8010010Grass
Rem
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Rem
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Rem
Hydro Pump
120805Water
Rem
Mist
——30Ice
Rem
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
Rem
Rain Dance
——5Water
Rem
Uproar
9010010Normal
Rem
Water Sport
——15Water
Rem
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Gen 3
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Gen 3
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Gen 3
Metronome
——10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 3
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting

You're catching Lotad first, not Ludicolo. Lotad appears at moderate rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 3-stage chain with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Ludicolo in Platinum

To get Ludicolo, start by catching Lotad through walking encounters at Lv. 5-48. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Lotad
    Step 1Catch Lotad
    Route 203
    GrassLv.5RareEarlyRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    Route 204 - North
    GrassLv.10RareEarlyRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    Route 204 - South
    GrassLv.10RareEarlyRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    Route 205 - North
    GrassLv.13-14RareEarlyRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    Route 212 - South
    GrassLv.26RareMidRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
  2. Lombre
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Lombre
    Route 212 - South
    GrassLv.23RareMidRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    Route 229
    GrassLv.48RarePostRouteDual-slot: Sapphire
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Lotad (Step 1)
  3. Ludicolo
    Step 3Ludicolo ✓

  • Ludicolo looks average on paper at 480 BST. But Swift Swim is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier on our tier list.

  • Ludicolo's biggest threats include Crobat (Poison), Dodrio (Flying), and Heracross (Bug), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Lombre evolves into Ludicolo using a Water Stone. Ludicolo is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Lotad. At 480 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Ludicolo gets Swift Swim, Rain Dish, and Own Tempo. But Swift Swim is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Ludicolo is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many.

  • Ludicolo appears in 15 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Since Ruby & Sapphire, Ludicolo has been in 15 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.