Utility
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

It is nocturnal in nature. If it spots something shiny, its eyes glitter brightly.

Platinum

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 IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
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 131 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Amnesia, Assist, Charm and 7 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
10moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.

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

Dream Eater and Iron Tail bring the raw damage. But Meowth also picks up coverage across 12 types from TMs, making it tough to find a safe switch. You're not locked into one angle here.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 6
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 9
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Lv 14
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 17
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 22
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 25
Taunt
10020Dark
Lv 30
Pay Day
4010020Normal
Lv 33
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 38
Nasty Plot
20Dark
Lv 41
Assurance
5010010Dark
Lv 46
Captivate
10020Normal
Lv 49
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Lv 54
Feint+2
5010010Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM78
Captivate
10020Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM79
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
10020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
10015Normal
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM82
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM49
Snatch+4
10Dark
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM89
U-turn
7010020Bug
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Amnesia
20Psychic
Egg
Assist
20Normal
Egg
Charm
10020Normal
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
7020Psychic
Egg
Last Resort
1301005Normal
Egg
Odor Sleuth
40Normal
Egg
Psych Up
10Normal
Egg
Punishment
1005Dark
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Gunk Shot
120705Poison
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Knock Off
6510020Dark
Tutor
Last Resort
1301005Normal
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Seed Bomb
8010015Grass
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Spite
10010Ghost
Tutor
Swift
6020Normal
Tutor
Uproar
9010010Normal

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Defense Curl
40Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal

You'll want mid-game access before hunting Meowth. Moderate rates across 1 encounter spots means the location matters. Sort by Best below and target the top-rated area first.

Best Locations

Trophy Garden - Daily Pokemon
GrassLv.16-18RareMidForest
CHALLENGING
  • 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 leaning toward the physical side (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.