Physical
Balanced
365Low
65Moderate
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Nidorino rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Nidoking, which is where the real potential kicks in. Only weak to Ground and Psychic. Known as the Poison Pin Pokemon.

Nidorino's stats barely vary. 0 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 2 Attack EVs, 1.06M XP medium-slow curve to max.

Base Stats
365Avg
HP61
C
Attack72
C
Defense57
D
Sp. Atk55
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed65
C
Total365
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Nidorino yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch120Moderate•Medium Slow1.06M XP•0.9m / 2'11"•19.5kg / 43 lbs•128Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It raises its big ears to check its surroundings. If it senses anything, it attacks immediately.

Gold

Quick to anger, it stabs enemies with its horn to inject a powerful poison when it becomes agitated.

Silver

Nidorino Weakness

Avg

Ground and Psychic-type moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychic
½xResisti
GrassFightingPoisonBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (1)i
Grass
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Poison PointHas a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.
RivalryIncreases damage inflicted to 1.25× against Pokémon of the same gender, but decreases damage to 0.75× against the opposite gender.
HustleHAStrengthens physical moves to inflict 1.5× damage, but decreases their accuracy to 0.8×.

Nidorino is partway through a three-stage line between Nidoran♂ (male) and Nidoking. The chain involves an evolution item, so it's not a straightforward grind. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+17 from Nidoran M). The final form adds another 140 stats on top.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Nidoran♂ (male)
#032Nidoran♂ (male)
16
Level 16
Nidorino
#033Nidorino
Moon Stone
Nidoking
#034Nidoking
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Nidoran♂ (male)
Poison
Nidorino
Poison
Nidoking
PoisonGround
HP
46
61+15
81+20
ATK
57
72+15
102+30
DEF
40
57+17
77+20
SP.ATK
40
55+15
85+30
SP.DEF
40
55+15
75+20
SPE
50
65+15
85+20
BST
273D-Tier
365D-Tier+92
505C-Tier+140
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Mixed
Breeding
Moderate

Breed with Nidorino to get Nidoran M eggs using 66 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 4 more.

Egg Groups
GroundMonster
Gender
♂100.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosvenusaurcharizardblastoisemeganiumferaligatrrhydonslowbro
12 of 66·

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

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

Don't skip the egg moves. Nidorino picks up Amnesia and Beat Up only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Poison Sting while coverage across 8 types adds range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 8
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 12
Double Kick
3010030Fighting
Lv 19
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 27
Focus Energy
——30Normal
Lv 36
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 46
Horn Drill
—305Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM03
Curse
——10Ghost
TM40
Defense Curl
——40Normal
TM43
Detect+4
——5Fighting
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM02
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM31
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM08
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM35
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM34
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Amnesia
——20Psychic
Egg
Beat Up
—10010Dark
Egg
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Egg
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Egg
Disable
—5520Normal
Egg
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Nidorino can't learn any Tutor moves

6 encounter spots for Nidorino at high spawn rates starting from mid-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.

Where To Catch Nidorino in Gold & Silver

To get Nidorino, start by catching Nidoran♂ (male) through walking encounters at Lv. 12-23. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Nidoran♂ (male)
    Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
    Route 35
    GoldGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRouteSwarm active
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 35
    GoldGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 35
    SilverGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRouteSwarm active
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 35
    SilverGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 36
    SilverGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 36
    GoldGrassLv.12CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
  2. Nidorino
    Step 2Nidorino ✓
    Route 13
    GoldGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 13
    SilverGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 14
    GoldGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 14
    SilverGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 15
    SilverGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 15
    GoldGrassLv.23CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)

  • Nidorino isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Nidoking to unlock its full potential. At 365 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Watch for Rhydon (Ground) and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Nidorino. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Nidoran M evolves into Nidorino at level 16. Nidorino evolves into Nidoking using a Moon Stone. Nidorino is a middle-stage evolution in the Nidoran M line.

  • Nidorino fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 72 Attack. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.

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

Nidorino has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.