Physical
Balanced
CTier
73Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Malamar's stats barely vary. 3 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 2 Attack EVs, medium-fast 1M XP curve to max.

Base Stats
Above
HP86
C
Attack92
B
Defense88
C
Sp. Atk68
C
Sp. Def75
C
Speed73
C
Total482
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging80 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight47.0 kg
103.6 lbsLight
Base XP169
Average
Abilities
ContraryTop Pick
Inverts stat changes.
Suction Cups
Prevents being forced out of battle by other Pokémon's moves.
InfiltratorHARare
Bypasses light screen, reflect, and safeguard.
EV Yield
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

It wields the most compelling hypnotic powers of any Pokémon, and it forces others to do whatever it wants.

Malamar Weakness

Malamar's Dark/Psychic typing leaves it vulnerable to Bug and Fairy. Bug hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. With 86 HP and balanced defenses, Malamar can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Malamar Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Bug
2x (Weak)Fairy
0x (Immune)Psychic
Type ChartAvg
2Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Score-3
4xCritical
Bug
2xWeak
Fairy
½xResist
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Psychic
STAB (4)
PsychicGhostFightingPoison
How to Beat Malamar in X & Y (Best Counters)

In X & Y, Clefable's Moonblast hits Malamar for 80-94%. Volcarona's Flamethrower hits Malamar for 67-79%. Scizor's U-turn also KOs at 208-245%.

Clefable
Clefable
Fairy
A
Recommended Build
AbilityMagic Guard
ItemLeftovers
NatureBold
Moves
  • MoonblastSTAB
  • Soft Boiled
  • Calm Mind
  • Thunder Wave
Damage vs Malamar
Moonblast 2x
80-94%
View Clefable builds →

X & Y Evolution

Malamar is the evolved form of Inkay. Breeding produces Inkay eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Inkay gave Malamar the biggest boost in Attack (+38), bringing the total to 482 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Inkay
#686Inkay
30
Level 30 (Upside Down)
Malamar
#687Malamar
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Inkay
DarkPsychic
Malamar
DarkPsychic
HP
53
86+33
ATK
54
92+38
DEF
53
88+35
SP.ATK
37
68+31
SP.DEF
46
75+29
SPE
45
73+28
BST
288D-Tier
482B-Tier+194
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Malamar to get Inkay eggs easily using 87 partners from the Water1 and Water2 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Camouflage, Destiny Bond, Flatter and 2 more.

Egg Groups
Water1Water2
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosazumarillblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolodewgong
12 of 87·

X & Y Malamar Best Moveset

Bulk and offense in one package. Malamar runs Leftovers for passive recovery each turn with a Brave nature, so it survives long enough to threaten with Superpower. Max Attack without Speed EVs and Fighting coverage make it hard to safely switch into.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Contrary
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Malamar
Brave+ATK

Malamar best EVs are Attack and Defense

EVs

Physical Tank Moveset

  • SuperpowerCoverage
  • Knock OffSTAB
  • Psycho CutSTAB
  • RestRecovery

Recommended Teammates

Hippowdon
HippowdonDecent
Volbeat
VolbeatDecent

Moves

The natural movepool does the job, but Camouflage and Destiny Bond from the egg pool give Malamar something extra.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Constrict
—1010035Normal
Lv 1
Peck
—3510035Flying
Lv 1
Reversal
——10015Fighting
Lv 1
Superpower
S1201005Fighting
Lv 1
Tackle
D5010035Normal
Lv 4
Reflect
C——20Psychic
Lv 8
Foul Play
B9510015Dark
Lv 12
Swagger
——9015Normal
Lv 13
Psywave
D—10015Psychic
Lv 15
Topsy-Turvy
——10020Dark
Lv 18
Hypnosis
D—6020Psychic
Lv 21
Psybeam
—6510020Psychic
Lv 23
Switcheroo
C—10010Dark
Lv 27
Payback
—5010010Dark
Lv 31
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
Lv 35
Pluck
—6010020Flying
Lv 39
Psycho Cut
A7010020Psychic
Lv 43
Slash
C7010020Normal
Lv 46
Night Slash
C7010015Dark
Lv 48
Superpower
S1201005Fighting

TM Moves

TM
TM40
Aerial Ace
D60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM04
Calm Mind
C——20Psychic
TM100
Confide
———20Normal
HM01
Cut
D509530Normal
TM97
Dark Pulse
C8010015Dark
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM63
Embargo
——10015Dark
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM35
Flamethrower
C9010015Fire
TM70
Flash
D—10020Normal
TM56
Fling
D—10010Dark
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM16
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TM66
Payback
—5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
D——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
TM03
Psyshock
C8010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM33
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
A——10Psychic
TM67
Retaliate
—701005Normal
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM48
Round
D6010015Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
A——10Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM12
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM46
Thief
C6010025Dark
TM24
Thunderbolt
C9010015Electric
TM41
Torment
——10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM92
Trick Room-7
B——5Psychic

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Camouflage
———20Normal
Egg
Destiny Bond
C——5Ghost
Egg
Flatter
——10015Dark
Egg
Power Split
———10Psychic
Egg
Simple Beam
D—10015Normal

Tutor Moves

Malamar can't learn any Tutor moves

Event Moves

Evt
Event
Happy Hour
———30Normal

How to Get Malamar in X & Y

Can't catch Malamar directly. Start with Inkay at decent rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 30. The 2-stage line from Inkay to Malamar is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Malamar in X & Y

To get Malamar, start by catching Inkay through walking encounters at Lv. 14-27. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Inkay
    Step 1Catch Inkay
    Route 8
    XGrass Lv.14-15 Route
    UncommonEarly
    Route 8
    YGrass Lv.14-15 Route
    UncommonEarly
    Yellow Flower
    Route 8
    YGrass Lv.14-15 Route
    UncommonEarly
    Route 8
    XGrass Lv.14-15 Route
    UncommonEarly
    Yellow Flower
    Azure Bay
    XGrass Lv.26-27 Water
    UncommonMid
    Azure Bay
    YGrass Lv.26-27 Water
    UncommonMid
  2. Malamar
    Step 2Malamar ✓

Malamar Guide

  • In X & Y, Don't let Malamar's 482 base stat total fool you. Contrary is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier. Superpower with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In X & Y, yes. Mega Malamar hits 582 BST, a solid jump from the base 482. Hold the Mega Stone, trigger it in battle, and it lasts the whole fight. One Mega per team.

  • In X & Y, watch for Scizor (Bug) and Sylveon (Fairy) when using Malamar. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Scizor is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • In X & Y, Run Contrary on Malamar. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Malamar also gets Suction Cups and Infiltrator, but they don't compare.

  • In X & Y, Malamar fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 92 Attack. Base 73 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

Game Availability

Malamar first appeared in X & Y and spans 7 games across 5 generations. It later gained a Mega form in Generation 6, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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