Physical
Balanced
90Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Ponyta's Speed does the work, HP pays the price. But you're still getting 1 Speed EV per KO. Common in the wild, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP50
D
Attack85
C
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def65
C
Speed90
B
Total410
Details
Catch Rate
Easy190 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.8 m
Weight24.0 kg
Base XP82
Abilities
Run Away
Ensures success fleeing from wild battles.
Pastel Veil
Prevents the Pokémon and its allies from being poisoned.
AnticipationHA
Notifies all trainers upon entering battle if an opponent has a super-effective move, self destruct, explosion, or a one-hit KO move.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Speed training source
Pokedex Entries

Its small horn hides a healing power. With a few rubs from this Pokémon's horn, any slight wound you have will be healed.

Ponyta Weakness

Bug, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Ponyta for super-effective damage. Not too many gaps in the chart, 3 weaknesses to account for.

Ponyta Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Bug, Ghost, Dark
0.5x (Resist)Fighting, Psychic
Type ChartVulnerable
3Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Score-4
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
How to Beat Ponyta in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)
Skuntank
Skuntank
PoisonDark
A
Available Moves
Moves
  • Sucker PunchLv. 30
  • Night SlashLv. 38
  • Shadow ClawTM65
  • HexTM77
Damage vs Ponyta
Sucker Punch 2x
98-115%KO
Night Slash 2x
98-115%KO
Shadow Claw 2x
65-77%
Hex 2x
43-52%
View Skuntank builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Ponyta is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Rapidash. Check the evolution method below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 90 total stats over Ponyta. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Ponyta
Fire
HP
50
65+15
65+15
ATK
85
100+15
100+15
DEF
55
70+15
70+15
SP.ATK
65
80+15
80+15
SP.DEF
65
80+15
80+15
SPE
90
105+15
105+15
BST
410D-Tier
500C-Tier+90
500C-Tier+90
ROLE
Balanced
Sweeper
Sweeper
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Ponyta easily with 152 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckrhydonshiftryexploudquagsiremawilenidorinofarfetchdloudred

Sword & Shield Ponyta Best Moveset

Prediction matters here. Choice Band means Ponyta can't change moves after clicking, but the payoff is raw power at the cost of move flexibility. Max Attack and Speed EVs with Flame Body back that up. The remaining moves prevents free switches.

Best Build

Experimental
Physical Sweeper
Ability
Flame Body
Item
Choice BandPOWER
Best Nature for Ponyta
Jolly+SPE

Ponyta best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Sweeper Moveset

  • Flare Blitz
  • High Horsepower
  • Wild Charge
  • Quick Attack

Recommended Teammates

Moves

The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Ponyta's coverage across 8 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Future Sight and Psychic for same-type damage. Take Down and Psychic are the payoff moves.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
D4010035Normal
Lv 5
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 10
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 15
Fairy Wind
4010030Fairy
Lv 20
Agility
C30Psychic
Lv 25
Psybeam
C6510020Psychic
Lv 30
Stomp
6510020Normal
Lv 35
Heal Pulse
C10Psychic
Lv 41
Take Down
C908520Normal
Lv 45
Dazzling Gleam
D8010010Fairy
Lv 50
Psychic
C9010010Psychic
Lv 55
Healing Wish
C10Psychic

TM Moves

TM
TR12
Agility
C30Psychic
TR83
Ally Switch+2
C15Psychic
TM31
Attract
C10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
TM52
Bounce
C85855Flying
TR49
Calm Mind
C20Psychic
TM29
Charm
C10020Fairy
TR92
Dazzling Gleam
D8010010Fairy
TR26
Endure+4
C10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TR34
Future Sight
C12010010Psychic
TR94
High Horsepower
S959510Ground
TM44
Imprison
D10Psychic
TR31
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TR07
Low Kick
D10020Fighting
TM92
Mystical Fire
D7510010Fire
TR90
Play Rough
B909010Fairy
TM25
Protect+4
C10Normal
TR11
Psychic
C9010010Psychic
TM21
Rest
C10Psychic
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TR27
Sleep Talk
C10Normal
TM24
Snore
5010015Normal
TR82
Stored Power
D2010010Psychic
TR20
Substitute
C10Normal
TM40
Swift
D6020Normal
TR86
Wild Charge
S9010015Electric
TR69
Zen Headbutt
C809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Ponyta doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Expanding Force
C8010010Psychic

Sword & Shield Galarian Ponyta Locations

A solid number of locations for Galarian Ponyta with moderate rates across late-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.

Best Locations to Catch Galarian Ponyta in Sword & Shield

Galarian Ponyta shows up in 11 walking spots from Lv. 34-65. Plenty of options, and the list is sorted so the highest-rate locations at each progression stage come first.

Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Snowstorm
Glimwood Tangle
Grass Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
All Weather
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Thunderstorm
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Intense Sun
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Snowing
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Sandstorm
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Raining
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-37 Forest
10%Late
Heavy Fog
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Overcast
Glimwood Tangle
Overworld Lv.34-36 Forest
10%Late
Normal Weather
Old Cemetery
Overworld Lv.60-65
10%Post
Heavy Fog

Ponyta Guide

  • At 410 BST, Ponyta is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Rapidash before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • In Sword & Shield, watch for Pinsir (Bug), Gengar (Ghost), and Houndoom (Dark) when using Ponyta. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Run Away ensures success fleeing from wild battles. That's the one you want on Ponyta. Anticipation is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Pastel Veil works too if your team needs something different.

  • Ponyta is a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. Speed tells the real story. Base 90 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many.

  • In Sword & Shield, For a casual playthrough, Ponyta works as a placeholder. Psychic coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Rapidash. That's where the stats start mattering.

Game Availability

Available since Red & Blue, Ponyta appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Galarian form in Generation 8.

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