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

Its horn contains venom. If it stabs an enemy with the horn, the impact makes the poison leak out.

Lets Go Pikachu / Lets Go Eevee

Nidorino Weakness

Good

Ground and Psychic-type moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychic
½xResisti
GrassFightingPoisonBugFairy
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
GrassFairy
2Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei+1
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 from the Ground and Monster egg groups.

Egg Groups
GroundMonster
Gender
♂100.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Best Build

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee uses different battle mechanics.

Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.

Nidorino develops a solid moveset just through leveling. Blizzard and Ice Beam show up naturally, and the progression handles both STAB and utility without leaning on TMs for the core attacks.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Focus Energy
——30Normal
Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 1
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 3
Focus Energy
——30Normal
Lv 6
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 9
Double Kick
3010030Fighting
Lv 12
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 15
Helping Hand+5
——20Normal
Lv 23
Toxic
—9010Poison
Lv 31
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 39
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
Lv 47
Horn Drill
—305Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM51
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM10
Dig
8010010Ground
TM58
Drill Run
809510Ground
TM12
Facade
7010020Normal
TM01
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM03
Helping Hand+5
——20Normal
TM55
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM19
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM26
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM07
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM09
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM05
Rest
——10Psychic
TM52
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM08
Substitute
——10Normal
TM38
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM36
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TM27
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Nidorino doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Nidorino can't learn any Tutor moves

6 encounter spots for Nidorino at decent 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 Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

To get Nidorino, start by catching Nidoran♂ (male) through walking encounters at Lv. 3-46. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Nidoran♂ (male)
    Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
    Route 22
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.3-420%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 22
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.3-420%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 9
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.17-2215%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 9
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.17-2215%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 10
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.18-2315%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 10
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.18-2315%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 23
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.41-4610%LateRoute
    MODERATE
    Route 23
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.41-4610%LateRoute
    MODERATE
  2. Nidorino
    Step 2Nidorino ✓
    Route 9
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.17-225%MidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 9
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.17-225%MidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 10
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.18-235%MidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 10
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.18-235%MidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 23
    Let's Go EeveeGrassLv.41-4619%LateRoute
    EASY
    Route 23
    Let's Go PikachuGrassLv.41-4619%LateRoute
    EASY
    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.

  • Poison Point has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact — that's the one you want on Nidorino. Hustle is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Rivalry works too if your team needs something different.

  • 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.