Physical
Balanced
290Low
90Moderate
DTier

Meowth sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Persian as fast as possible. Ghost moves can't touch it, and only a single type hits it super-effectively. Known as the Scratch Cat Pokemon.

Speed and Attack carry most of Meowth's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Easy to catch and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
290Below
HP40
D
Attack45
D
Defense35
F
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def40
D
Speed90
B
Total290
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Meowth yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP0.4m / 1'04"4.2kg / 9.3 lbs58Base XP
Pokedex Entries

All it does is sleep during the daytime. At night, it patrols its territory with its eyes aglow.

Fire Red

Adores round objects. It wanders the streets on a nightly basis to look for dropped loose change.

Leaf Green

Meowth Weakness

Good

Meowth is weak to Fighting-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Ghost-type moves entirely. Just 1 weak spot to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
STABi
No super-effective STAB
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
PickupPicks up other Pokémon's used and Flung held items. May also pick up an item after battle.
TechnicianStrengthens moves of 60 base power or less to 1.5× their power.
UnnerveHAPrevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.

One evolution ahead. Meowth grows into Persian through a straightforward two-stage chain. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 150 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Meowth
#052Meowth
High Friendship
Persian
#053Persian
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Meowth
Normal
Persian
Normal
HP
40
65+25
ATK
45
70+25
DEF
35
60+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
SP.DEF
40
65+25
SPE
90
115+25
BST
290C-Tier
440C-Tier+150
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Meowth easily with 102 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Amnesia, Assist, Charm and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Egg moves make a real difference. Meowth gets Amnesia and Assist exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Double-Edge and Body Slam.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 10
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 18
Pay Day
4010020Normal
Lv 25
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 31
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 36
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 40
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 43
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Lv 45
Swagger
9015Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM49
Snatch+4
10Dark
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Amnesia
20Psychic
Egg
Assist
20Normal
Egg
Charm
10020Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Egg
Psych Up
10Normal
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal

Meowth is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 26 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Best Locations

26 walking encounters at Lv. 10-43 for Meowth across LeafGreen and FireRed. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.

Route 5
LeafGreenGrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 5
FireRedGrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 6
LeafGreenGrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 6
FireRedGrassLv.10-16CommonEarlyRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 7
LeafGreenGrassLv.17-20CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 7
FireRedGrassLv.17-20CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 8
LeafGreenGrassLv.18-20CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 8
FireRedGrassLv.18-20CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Bond Bridge
FireRedGrassLv.31UncommonLate
EASY
Bond Bridge
LeafGreenGrassLv.31UncommonLate
EASY
Cape Brink
LeafGreenGrassLv.31UncommonLate
EASY
Cape Brink
FireRedGrassLv.31UncommonLate
EASY
Kindle Road
LeafGreenGrassLv.31UncommonLateRoute
EASY
Kindle Road
FireRedGrassLv.31UncommonLateRoute
EASY
Treasure Beach
FireRedGrassLv.31UncommonLateWater
EASY
Treasure Beach
LeafGreenGrassLv.31UncommonLateWater
EASY
Canyon Entrance
FireRedGrassLv.41UncommonLate
EASY
Canyon Entrance
LeafGreenGrassLv.41UncommonLate
EASY
Five Isle Meadow
LeafGreenGrassLv.41UncommonLate
EASY
Five Isle Meadow
FireRedGrassLv.41UncommonLate
EASY
Water Path
LeafGreenGrassLv.41UncommonLateRoute
EASY
Water Path
FireRedGrassLv.41UncommonLateRoute
EASY
Ruin Valley
LeafGreenGrassLv.43UncommonLate
EASY
Ruin Valley
FireRedGrassLv.43UncommonLate
EASY
Sevault Canyon
FireRedGrassLv.43UncommonLate
EASY
Sevault Canyon
LeafGreenGrassLv.43UncommonLate
EASY
  • Meowth is meant to evolve into Persian. At 290 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Meowth's biggest threats include Machamp (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Meowth can evolve into Persian, Galarian Perrserker, and Alolan Persian depending on the method. Meowth is the base form in a 4-stage evolutionary line.

  • Technician is what you want on Meowth. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Pickup, Unnerve) work on paper but Technician is what makes Meowth worth using.

  • Base 90 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Meowth is a physical attacker with base 45 Attack. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Meowth appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Meowth has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7 and Gigantamax and Galarian forms in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.