Is Ponyta Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Route 206 catch and one of the only native Fire-types in Sinnoh. Rapidash is fast with decent Attack. Handles Gardenia, Byron, Aaron, and Candice. If you picked Chimchar, you don't need Ponyta. If you didn't, you probably do.
Ponyta trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Ponyta resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's team hits Ponyta's weaknesses hard.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Rapidash resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Bertha's team hits Rapidash's weaknesses hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catch Ponyta on Route 211 (walking, Lv 26-28, uncommon).
Your Ponyta should hit Level 40 before you reach Candice, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Ponyta in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Ponyta is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 32 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 Ponyta in BDSP
To get Ponyta, start by catching Ponyta through walking encounters at Lv. 13-29. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Ponyta ✓Route 206Lv.14-16GrassRate 45%DayRoute 206Lv.14-16GrassRate 35%MorningRoute 206Lv.14-16GrassRate 25%NightRoute 211 - WestLv.13GrassRate 10%Route 210 - SouthLv.18-20GrassRate 50%DayRoute 215Lv.21-22GrassRate 40%DayRoute 214Lv.23-24GrassRate 35%Morning/dayRoute 210 - SouthLv.18-20GrassRate 30%Morning/nightRoute 215Lv.21-22GrassRate 30%MorningRoute 214Lv.23-24GrassRate 25%NightRoute 215Lv.21GrassRate 20%NightRoute 211 - EastLv.26-28GrassRate 15%Morning/daySandsear CaveLv.25-29GrassRequires StrengthTyphlo CavernLv.25-29CaveRequires StrengthVolcanic CaveLv.25-29CaveRequires StrengthRoute 211 - EastLv.27-28GrassRate 5%Night
Step 2Evolve into Rapidash
Ponyta Weakness
Water, Ground, and Rock moves hit Ponyta for super-effective damage. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Fairy |
What is Ponyta Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Ponyta
 Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x90-107%KO Rock Slide 2x48-57% | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x121-143%KO Stone Edge 2x121-143%KO | ||
 Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Onix builds →Earthquake 2x83-100%KO Stone Edge 2x83-100%KO | ||
 Phanpy Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Phanpy builds →Earthquake 2x102-121%KO Rock Slide 2x52-62% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x109-130%KO Rollout 2x30-36% | ||
Cubone Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Cubone builds →Earthquake 2x91-109%KO Rock Slide 2x50-59% | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Geodude builds →Earthquake 2x127-150%KO Stone Edge 2x127-150%KO | ||
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Onix builds →Earthquake 2x91-109%KO Stone Edge 2x91-109%KO | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x122-144%KO Stone Edge 2x81-96% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x122-144%KO Rock Tomb 2x62-73% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x103-122%KO Bulldoze 2x53-63% Rollout 2x28-33% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x171-201%KO Stone Edge 2x114-134%KO | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x129-152%KO Surf 2x109-129%KO Stone Edge 2x86-101%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x122-144%KO Stone Edge 2x81-96% | ||
 Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x80-95% Dig 2x47-56% Rollout 2x19-23% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x122-144%KO Dig 2x81-96% Rock Tomb 2x62-73% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Sudowoodo builds →Stone Edge 2x148-175%KO Earthquake 2x99-116%KO | ||
Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x171-201%KO Stone Edge 2x114-134%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x120-142%KO Stone Edge 2x80-95% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x78-94% Dig 2x47-56% Rollout 2x19-24% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Golduck builds →Surf 2x112-132%KO Dig 2x66-77% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x120-142%KO Dig 2x80-95% Rock Tomb 2x60-71% | ||
 Hippowdon Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x156-184%KO Stone Edge 2x103-123%KO Water Pulse 2x40-47% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x119-141%KO Stone Edge 2x79-94% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x76-90% Dig 2x45-54% Rollout 2x18-22% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Golduck builds →Surf 2x109-129%KO Dig 2x66-78% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x119-141%KO Dig 2x79-94% Rock Tomb 2x59-70% | ||
Hippowdon Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x155-183%KO Stone Edge 2x103-122%KO Water Pulse 2x39-46% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x116-137%KO Stone Edge 2x78-92% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x76-90% Dig 2x46-54% Rollout 2x19-22% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Golduck builds →Surf 2x107-126%KO Dig 2x64-75% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x116-137%KO Dig 2x78-92% Rock Tomb 2x58-69% | ||
Hippowdon Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x154-182%KO Stone Edge 2x103-121%KO Water Pulse 2x37-45% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x116-137%KO Stone Edge 2x78-92% | ||
Azumarill WaterFairy | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Great Marsh Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x76-90% Dig 2x46-54% Rollout 2x19-22% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Golduck builds →Surf 2x107-126%KO Dig 2x64-75% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x116-137%KO Dig 2x78-92% Rock Tomb 2x58-69% | ||
Hippowdon Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x154-182%KO Stone Edge 2x103-121%KO Water Pulse 2x37-45% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x179-211%KO Stone Edge 2x179-211%KO Surf 2x42-49% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x179-211%KO Stone Edge 2x119-141%KO Surf 2x64-75% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x119-141%KO Stone Edge 2x80-94% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Sudowoodo builds →Head Smash 2x214-252%KO Earthquake 2x95-112%KO | ||
 Kingler Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x179-211%KO Dig 2x96-114%KO Rock Slide 2x90-106%KO | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Swampert can KO Ponyta with Earthquake (214-252%). Landorus threatens a KO with Rock Slide (114-134%). Terrakion's Stone Edge also KOs at 325-383%.
 Swampert WaterGround | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Swampert builds →Earthquake 2x214-252%KO Flip Turn 2x129-151%KO | ||
 Landorus Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySheerforce ItemLife Orb NatureNaive Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Landorus builds →Rock Slide 2x114-134%KO | ||
 Terrakion RockFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityJustified ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Terrakion builds →Stone Edge 2x325-383%KO Close Combat195-230%KO Earthquake 2x217-255%KO | ||
Ponyta Evolutions
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
BDSP Ponyta Best Moveset
85 Attack and 90 Speed with hidden AbilityFlame Body punishing contact moves with a burn. The moveset has some Fire TermStab pace for a pre-evo but can't compete. One evolution from Rapidash where the offensive stats scale to usable levels.
Best Build
Ponyta best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Flare Blitz
- High Horsepower
- Wild Charge
- Quick Attack
Moves List
Without breeding, Ponyta misses out on Ally Switch and Charm. That's 11 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Overheat and Flare Blitz, with Normal and Steel coverage and more rounding things out.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
About an hour after birth, Ponyta’s fiery mane and tail grow out, giving the Pokémon an impressive appearance.
Its legs grow strong while it chases after its parents. It runs all day in fields and on mountains.
Ponyta Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
At 410 BST, Ponyta is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Rapidash before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, watch for Starmie (Water), Golem (Ground), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Ponyta. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.
Ponyta gets Flash Fire, Run Away, and Flame Body. But Flash Fire is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
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 Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, For a casual playthrough, Ponyta works as a placeholder. Fire 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.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGalarian
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves