Physical
Balanced
205Low
30Very Slow
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Metapod rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Butterfree, which is where the real potential kicks in. Part of the Gen 1 roster. Only weak to Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock.

Nothing fancy in Metapod's spread. It leans mixed with Defense out front. And you'll get 2 Defense EVs per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
205Below
HP50
D
Attack20
F
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk25
F
Sp. Def25
F
Speed30
F
Total205
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Metapod yields +2 Def
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch120Moderate•Medium Fast1M XP•0.7m / 2'04"•9.9kg / 21.8 lbs•72Base XP
Pokedex Entries

This POKéMON is vulnerable to attack while its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body.

Red / Blue

Metapod Weakness

Vulnerable

Metapod's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock moves. Metapod's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
FirePoisonFlyingRock
½xResisti
GrassFightingGround
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
GrassPoison
4Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei-5
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Shed SkinHas a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.

Metapod connects Caterpie to Butterfree as a Bug type. Can't breed at 205 stats, just keep evolving. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+20 from Caterpie). The final form adds another 190 stats on top.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Caterpie
#010Caterpie
7
Level 7
Metapod
#011Metapod
10
Level 10
Butterfree
#012Butterfree
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Caterpie
Bug
Metapod
Bug
Butterfree
BugFlying
HP
45
50+5
60+10
ATK
30
20-10
45+25
DEF
35
55+20
50-5
SP.ATK
20
25+5
90+65
SP.DEF
20
25+5
80+55
SPE
45
30-15
70+40
BST
195D-Tier
205D-Tier+10
395C-Tier+190
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Special
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

an item and an ability form the backbone. Metapod invests flexible EVs EVs to play its attacker role properly, and a nature nature pushes higher. Handles the heavy lifting on offense. Normal coverage rounds it out.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Metapod Moveset

  • Unknown
  • String ShotSTAB
  • TackleCoverage
  • HardenUtility

Recommended Teammates

Pikachu
PikachuExcellent
Pidgeotto
PidgeottoExcellent
Eevee
EeveeDecent

A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Bug STAB for Metapod, with Normal coverage doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Harden
——30Normal

TM Moves

Metapod can't learn any TM moves

Egg Moves

Metapod doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Metapod can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
String Shot
—9540Bug
Rem
Tackle
409535Normal

Metapod is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 5 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Where To Catch Metapod in Red & Blue

To get Metapod, start by catching Caterpie through walking encounters at Lv. 3-9. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Caterpie
    Step 1Catch Caterpie
    Viridian Forest
    BlueGrassLv.3-5CommonEarlyForest
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 24
    BlueGrassLv.7CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 25
    BlueGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 2
    BlueGrassLv.3-5UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Viridian Forest
    RedGrassLv.3RareEarlyForest
    CHALLENGING
    Route 25
    RedGrassLv.8RareEarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
  2. Metapod
    Step 2Metapod ✓
    Viridian Forest
    BlueGrassLv.4-6CommonEarlyForest
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 24
    BlueGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 25
    BlueGrassLv.9UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Viridian Forest
    RedGrassLv.4RareEarlyForest
    CHALLENGING
    Route 25
    RedGrassLv.7RareEarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)

  • At 205 BST, Metapod is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Butterfree before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Arcanine (Fire), Gengar (Poison), and Aerodactyl (Flying) when using Metapod. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem. At base 30 Speed, Metapod won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Caterpie evolves into Metapod at level 7. Metapod evolves into Butterfree at level 10. Metapod is a middle-stage evolution in the Caterpie line.

  • Metapod is a physical attacker with base 20 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 30 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.

  • Metapod appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Present since Red & Blue, Metapod appears in 19 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Metapod have the longest track record of availability in the series.