Is Magmar Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Shining Pearl gets Magby in the Underground. Magmortar via Magmarizer trade is a powerful Fire-type. Magmar alone fills Sinnoh's Fire gap handily. Handles Gardenia, Byron, Aaron, and Candice. SP's answer to the Fire shortage.
Magby trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Magby resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Magby has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's team hits Magby's weaknesses hard.
Magmar has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Magmar resists most of Byron's coverage and hits back hard.
Magmortar resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Magmortar trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Magmortar has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Bertha's team hits Magmortar's weaknesses hard.
Magmortar trades roughly evenly with Flint's team.
Magmortar has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Magmortar trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Magmar cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 30.
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Candice.
How to Get Magmar in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
A trade step sits in Magmar's 3-stage chain from Magby. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Magby shows up at moderate rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.
How to Obtain Magmar in BDSP
The path to Magmar starts with Magby at Lv. 58-63 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Magmar Weakness
Type-wise, Magmar takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. 6 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Magmar's special bulk (base 85 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Fairy |
What is Magmar Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Magmar
 Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
 Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x76-91% Rock Slide 2x39-48% | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x104-124%KO Stone Edge 2x104-124%KO | ||
 Phanpy Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Phanpy builds →Earthquake 2x87-104%KO Rock Slide 2x43-52% | ||
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Onix builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Stone Edge 2x72-85% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x98-116%KO Rollout 2x27-33% | ||
Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x82-98% Rock Slide 2x45-53% | ||
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
 Shellos Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Shellos builds →Surf 2x61-73% Mud-Slap 2x12-16% | ||
 Buizel Water | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Buizel builds →Surf 2x67-80% Rock Tomb 2x41-49% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x109-130%KO Stone Edge 2x73-86% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x107-126%KO Rock Tomb 2x53-64% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x113-133%KO Surf 2x81-95% Stone Edge 2x75-89% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x92-109%KO Bulldoze 2x45-55% Rollout 2x25-30% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x150-177%KO Stone Edge 2x100-118%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x109-130%KO Stone Edge 2x73-86% | ||
 Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x60-72% Dig 2x42-50% Rollout 2x17-20% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x107-126%KO Dig 2x70-84% Rock Tomb 2x53-64% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x92-109%KO Dig 2x61-73% Rollout 2x25-30% | ||
Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x113-133%KO Surf 2x81-95% Stone Edge 2x75-89% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x104-122%KO Stone Edge 2x69-82% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x59-70% Dig 2x41-49% Rollout 2x17-19% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x104-122%KO Dig 2x69-82% Rock Tomb 2x52-62% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x88-105%KO Dig 2x59-70% Rollout 2x22-27% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x105-124%KO Stone Edge 2x70-83% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x57-68% Dig 2x40-47% Rollout 2x16-20% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x103-122%KO Dig 2x68-81% Rock Tomb 2x51-61% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x89-105%KO Dig 2x59-70% Rollout 2x23-27% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x104-124%KO Stone Edge 2x70-82% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x55-66% Dig 2x39-47% Rollout 2x15-18% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x103-121%KO Dig 2x68-81% Rock Tomb 2x52-62% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x87-103%KO Dig 2x58-69% Rollout 2x23-27% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x104-124%KO Stone Edge 2x70-82% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x55-66% Dig 2x39-47% Rollout 2x15-18% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x103-121%KO Dig 2x68-81% Rock Tomb 2x52-62% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x87-103%KO Dig 2x58-69% Rollout 2x23-27% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x157-185%KO Stone Edge 2x104-123%KO Surf 2x47-55% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x105-124%KO Stone Edge 2x70-82% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x157-185%KO Stone Edge 2x157-185%KO Surf 2x30-35% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Sudowoodo builds →Head Smash 2x186-219%KO Earthquake 2x83-98% | ||
 Kingler Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x157-185%KO Dig 2x84-99% Rock Slide 2x78-92% | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Garchomp's Earthquake hits Magmar for 74-88%. Tyranitar threatens a KO with Stone Edge (125-147%). Starmie deals 52-61% with Scald.
Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Tyranitar builds →Crunch50-59% Stone Edge 2x125-147%KO Earthquake 2x84-98% | ||
 Starmie WaterPsychic | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityAnalytic ItemPower Herb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Magmar View Starmie builds →Scald 2x52-61% Ice Beam9-11% Psyshock26-30% | ||
Magmar Evolutions
Magmar is partway through a three-stage line between Magby and Magmortar. The chain involves a trade, so it's not a straightforward grind. Sp.Atk has grown the most so far (+30), but there's still another 45 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Magmar to get Magby eggs using 39 partners from the Humanshape egg group. Notable egg moves include Belch, Belly Drum, Cross Chop and 8 more.
BDSP Magmar Best Moveset
100 Sp. Atk at 93 Speed with AbilityFlame Body burning physical attackers on contact. Fire TermStab gives the moveset special presence. But 65/57/85 across HP, Defense, and Sp. Def is thin. One evolution from Magmortar where the Sp. Atk scales to 125.
Best Build
Magmar best EVs are Defense and HP
Bulky Support Moveset
- Burning Jealousy
- Clear Smog
- Protect
- Flamethrower
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Belch and Belly Drum give Magmar options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Overheat and Flare Blitz. The egg moves push it further.
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
Base Stats
It was born in the crater of a volcano. Its body is covered with flames that shimmer like the sun.
Magmar Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Magmar isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Magmortar to unlock its full potential. At 495 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Magmar evolves into Magmortar via trade. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Magmar to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Magmarizer must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Flame Body is the go-to ability for Magmar. It has a 30% chance of burning attacking Pokémon on contact. Its hidden ability Vital Spirit can work in specific setups.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Magmar fills the attacker role. It's a special attacker with base 100 Sp. Atk. Base 93 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Game Availability
Magmar has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 21 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