Stats & Training
The stat bars tell the story: Defense carries everything and Special's dead weight. But this Rock Snake Pokemon still yields 1 Defense stat exp per fight on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Burrows at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by DIGLETTs.
Onix Weakness
Onix's Rock/Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, and Ground. Water and Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. The Rock/Ground typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Onix's physical bulk (base 160 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Water, Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- 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
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Exeggutor builds →Solar Beam 4x718-845%KO Mega Drain 4x245-289%KO | ||
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Magikarp (Route 4 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Gyarados builds →Hydro Pump 4x365-431%KO Blizzard 2x122-144%KO Surf 4x301-355%KO Ice Beam 2x100-118%KO | ||
 Tangela Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangela builds →Solar Beam 4x593-698%KO Vine Whip 4x226-267%KO Mega Drain 4x204-240%KO Absorb 4x106-125%KO | ||
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Parasect builds →Solar Beam 4x398-469%KO Dig 2x36-44% Mega Drain 4x139-164%KO | ||
 Blastoise Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Squirtle (Vermilion City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Blastoise builds →Hydro Pump 4x477-562%KO Blizzard 2x159-187%KO Earthquake 2x41-49% Surf 4x394-464%KO | ||
 Sandshrew Ground | C | |
 Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
 Bulbasaur GrassPoison | D | |
Obtain MethodCerulean City Gift | ||
 Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
 Paras BugGrass | D | |
Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
Bulbasaur GrassPoison | D | |
Obtain MethodCerulean City Gift | ||
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Paras BugGrass | D | |
 Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodVermilion City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Squirtle builds →Dig 2x25-32% Bubble Beam 4x184-218%KO Bubble 4x116-136%KO Water Gun 4x116-136%KO | ||
Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Oddish builds →Mega Drain 4x157-185%KO Absorb 4x82-97% | ||
Bulbasaur GrassPoison | D | |
Obtain MethodCerulean City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Bulbasaur builds →Razor Leaf 4x187-221%KO Vine Whip 4x157-185%KO Mega Drain 4x141-168%KO | ||
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Bellsprout builds →Vine Whip 4x165-194%KO Mega Drain 4x150-176%KO | ||
Paras BugGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Paras builds →Dig 2x29-35% Mega Drain 4x112-132%KO | ||
Squirtle Water | D | |
Obtain MethodVermilion City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Squirtle builds →Ice Beam 2x82-97% Dig 2x25-29% Submission 2x25-29% Bubble Beam 4x179-212%KO | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x188-221%KO Bubble Beam 4x268-317%KO Water Gun 4x169-200%KO | ||
Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Oddish builds →Mega Drain 4x156-183%KO Absorb 4x85-100%KO | ||
Bulbasaur GrassPoison | D | |
Obtain MethodCerulean City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Bulbasaur builds →Razor Leaf 4x190-225%KO Vine Whip 4x156-183%KO Mega Drain 4x142-167%KO | ||
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Bellsprout builds →Vine Whip 4x169-200%KO Mega Drain 4x149-175%KO | ||
Paras BugGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Paras builds →Dig 2x31-36% Mega Drain 4x113-133%KO | ||
Lapras WaterIce | B | |
Obtain MethodSilph Co Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x189-223%KO Surf 4x379-446%KO Bubble Beam 4x279-329%KO Water Gun 4x173-205%KO | ||
Tangela Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangela builds →Vine Whip 4x223-263%KO Mega Drain 4x199-234%KO Absorb 4x105-124%KO | ||
Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Parasect builds →Dig 2x37-44% Mega Drain 4x137-161%KO | ||
Oddish GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Oddish builds →Petal Dance 4x460-541%KO Mega Drain 4x161-190%KO Absorb 4x87-102%KO | ||
Bulbasaur GrassPoison | D | |
Obtain MethodCerulean City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Bulbasaur builds →Razor Leaf 4x193-227%KO Vine Whip 4x161-190%KO Mega Drain 4x143-168%KO | ||
Tangela Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangela builds →Solar Beam 4x573-675%KO Vine Whip 4x220-260%KO Mega Drain 4x196-231%KO Absorb 4x103-121%KO | ||
Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Parasect builds →Solar Beam 4x382-450%KO Dig 2x36-42% Mega Drain 4x132-156%KO | ||
 Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Dewgong builds →Blizzard 2x198-234%KO Ice Beam 2x163-193%KO Surf 4x328-387%KO Aurora Beam 2x119-141%KO | ||
 Exeggcute GrassPsychic | D | |
 Gloom GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Gloom builds →Petal Dance 4x505-594%KO Solar Beam 4x505-594%KO Mega Drain 4x171-202%KO Absorb 4x88-104%KO | ||
Tangela Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangela builds →Solar Beam 4x593-698%KO Vine Whip 4x226-267%KO Mega Drain 4x204-240%KO Absorb 4x106-125%KO | ||
Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Parasect builds →Solar Beam 4x398-469%KO Dig 2x36-44% Mega Drain 4x139-164%KO | ||
Dewgong WaterIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Dewgong builds →Blizzard 2x205-243%KO Ice Beam 2x169-199%KO Surf 4x338-398%KO Aurora Beam 2x123-145%KO | ||
Exeggcute GrassPsychic | D | |
Gloom GrassPoison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Gloom builds →Petal Dance 4x519-611%KO Solar Beam 4x519-611%KO Mega Drain 4x175-207%KO Absorb 4x93-109%KO | ||
In Yellow, Cloyster can KO Onix with Blizzard (242-284%). Articuno threatens a KO with Blizzard (264-311%). Golem deals 81-95% with Earthquake.
 Cloyster WaterIce | A | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Onix View Cloyster builds →Explosion27-32% Clamp 4x157-185%KO Blizzard 2x242-284%KO | ||
 Articuno Ice | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Onix View Articuno builds →Blizzard 2x264-311%KO Hyper Beam15-18% Ice Beam 2x216-255%KO | ||
 Golem RockGround | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Onix View Golem builds →Earthquake 2x81-95% Explosion33-39% Rock Slide15-18% Body Slam11-13% | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Onix View Victreebel builds →Wrap2-2% | ||
 Machamp Fighting | C | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Onix View Machamp builds →Earthquake 2x57-67% Body Slam12-14% Submission 2x69-81% | ||
Yellow Evolution
A Rock/Ground type with 370 stats, Onix has a chain leading to Steelix. Breeding won't work. The evolved forms gain up to 140 total stats over Onix. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Yellow Onix Best Moveset
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Explosion
- Bind
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Onix's Normal coverage all comes from technical machines, built on top of Earthquake and Dig for same-type damage. Double-Edge and Earthquake are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Yellow Onix Locations
moderate rates across 4 locations for Onix in early-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Best Locations to Catch Onix in Yellow
4 walking spots from Lv. 14-49 for Onix. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
Onix Guide
At 370 BST, Onix is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Steelix before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Yellow, watch for Starmie (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Cloyster (Ice) when using Onix. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting and Ground-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Onix is a physical attacker with base 45 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many.
In Yellow, For a casual playthrough, Onix works as a placeholder. Rock/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Steelix. That's where the stats start mattering.
In Yellow, run Explosion, Bind, Earthquake, and Rock Slide on Onix. Explosion is the most common pick at 21% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Onix appears in 21 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Onix have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves