Special
Trick Room
CTier
30Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Magcargo's all-in on Defense at the expense of Speed. The special lean is obvious from the bars. Yields 2 Defense EVs and follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP50
D
Attack50
D
Defense120
A
Sp. Atk90
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed30
F
Total420
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.8 m
2'07"Small
Weight55.0 kg
121.3 lbsStandard
Base XP151
Average
Abilities
Magma ArmorRare
Prevents freezing.
Flame BodyTop Pick
Has a 30% chance of burning attacking Pokémon on contact.
Weak ArmorHA
Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

Its brittle shell occasionally spouts intense flames that circulate throughout its body.

Magcargo Weakness

Magcargo's Fire/Rock typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, Fighting, and Rock. Water and Ground hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. 7 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Magcargo's physical bulk (base 120 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Magcargo Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Water, Ground
2x (Weak)Fighting, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug, Fairy
0.25x (Resist)Fire
Type ChartVulnerable
4Weak
7Resist
0Immune
Score-4
4xCritical
WaterGround
2xWeak
FightingRock
½xResist
NormalIcePoisonFlyingBugFairy
¼xResist
Fire
0xImmune
None
STAB (6)
GrassIceBugSteelFireFlying
How to Beat Magcargo in X & Y (Best Counters)

In X & Y, Garchomp can KO Magcargo with Earthquake (139-164%). Tyranitar threatens a KO with Stone Edge (87-103%).

Garchomp
Garchomp
DragonGround
A
Recommended Build
AbilityRough Skin
ItemRocky Helmet
NatureJolly
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Stealth Rock
  • Swords Dance
  • Dragon Claw
Damage vs Magcargo
Earthquake 4x
139-164%KO
View Garchomp builds →

X & Y Evolution

Magcargo is the evolved form of Slugma. Breeding produces Slugma eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Slugma gave Magcargo the biggest boost in Defense (+80), bringing the total to 420 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Slugma
#218Slugma
38
Level 38
Magcargo
#219Magcargo
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Slugma
Fire
Magcargo
FireRock
HP
40
60+20
ATK
40
50+10
DEF
40
120+80
SP.ATK
70
90+20
SP.DEF
40
80+40
SPE
20
30+10
BST
250D-Tier
430C-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Trick Room
TYPE
Special
Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Magcargo to get Slugma eggs easily using 49 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Acid Armor, Curse, Earth Power and 9 more.

Egg Groups
Indeterminate
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
12moves
Breed With (best first)
gardevoirgalladegastrodonstunfisktrevenantshellosphantumpcofagriguskirliacastformraltsyamask
12 of 49·

X & Y Magcargo Best Moveset

The physical wall spread is where Magcargo earns its spot. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, Impish nature for the right lean, and Recover handles sustain. Flame Body does the rest without needing a move slot.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Flame Body
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Magcargo
Impish+DEF

Magcargo best EVs are HP and Defense

EVs

Wall Moveset

  • Ancient PowerSTAB
  • Clear Smog
  • RecoverRecovery
  • FlamethrowerSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Torkoal
TorkoalDecent
Quagsire
QuagsireDecent
Swoobat
SwoobatDecent

Moves

You'll want to breed for Acid Armor and Curse on Magcargo. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Overheat and Fire Blast, they expand what Magcargo can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Earth Power
C9010010Ground
Lv 1
Ember
—4010025Fire
Lv 1
Rock Throw
—509015Rock
Lv 1
Smog
—307020Poison
Lv 1
Yawn
C——10Normal
Lv 5
Ember
—4010025Fire
Lv 10
Rock Throw
—509015Rock
Lv 14
Harden
———30Normal
Lv 19
Recover
A——10Normal
Lv 23
Flame Burst
—7010015Fire
Lv 28
Ancient Power
A601005Rock
Lv 32
Amnesia
S——20Psychic
Lv 37
Lava Plume
C8010015Fire
Lv 38
Shell Smash
C——15Normal
Lv 44
Rock Slide
D759010Rock
Lv 52
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
Lv 59
Flamethrower
S9010015Fire
Lv 67
Earth Power
C9010010Ground

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM78
Bulldoze
D6010020Ground
TM100
Confide
———20Normal
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
D10010010Ground
TM64
Explosion
B2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
B110855Fire
TM43
Flame Charge
D5010020Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
S9010015Fire
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
D—1005Steel
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM59
Incinerate
—6010015Fire
TM83
Infestation
D2010020Bug
TM16
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TM96
Nature Power
D——20Normal
TM50
Overheat
B130905Fire
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM33
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
B——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM69
Rock Polish
D——20Rock
TM80
Rock Slide
D759010Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
—4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
D609515Rock
TM48
Round
D6010015Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
D——10Rock
TM88
Sleep Talk
B——10Normal
TM23
Smack Down
D5010015Rock
TM22
Solar Beam
C12010010Grass
TM71
Stone Edge
C100805Rock
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
C—8515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Acid Armor
D——20Poison
Egg
Curse
C——10Ghost
Egg
Earth Power
C9010010Ground
Egg
Guard Swap
———10Psychic
Egg
Heat Wave
C959010Fire
Egg
Inferno
—100505Fire
Egg
Memento
B—10010Dark
Egg
Rollout
D309020Rock
Egg
Smokescreen
——10020Normal
Egg
Spit Up
——10010Normal
Egg
Stockpile
C——20Normal
Egg
Swallow
———10Normal

Tutor Moves

Magcargo can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 4
Captivate
——10020Normal
Gen 3
Defense Curl
———40Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
S2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
D—10015Normal

How to Get Magcargo in X & Y

You're catching Slugma first, not Magcargo. Slugma appears at solid rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Magcargo in X & Y

  1. Slugma
    Step 1Catch Slugma
    Route 13
    YSmashing rocks Lv.26-28 Route
    CommonMid
    Route 13
    XSmashing rocks Lv.26-28 Route
    CommonMid
  2. Magcargo
    Step 2Magcargo ✓

Magcargo Guide

  • In X & Y, watch for Starmie (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Magcargo. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Rock-type attackers are also a problem. At base 30 Speed, Magcargo won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • In X & Y, Slugma evolves into Magcargo at level 38. Magcargo is the fully evolved form. It sits at 420 BST in its evolved form.

  • For X & Y, it depends on your team. Magcargo at 420 BST isn't a powerhouse, but the Fire/Rock coverage might be exactly what you're missing.

  • In X & Y, Magcargo has a 420 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier: a niche pick in X & Y's meta. It works best as a trick room. Ancientpower with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • Magma Armor prevents freezing. That's the one you want on Magcargo. Weak Armor is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Flame Body works too if your team needs something different.

Game Availability

Magcargo first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 17 games across 9 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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