Is Ponyta Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Kanto routes after the E4. Fire-type with AbilityFlash Fire granting Fire immunity. Rapidash at level 40 is fast, but by Kanto the team is usually set. One of the few Fire catches if you missed Growlithe.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Ponyta resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Chuck's team hits Ponyta's weaknesses hard.
Ponyta resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Ponyta has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Ponyta's weaknesses hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Rapidash resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Rapidash resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Rapidash trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Rapidash trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Rapidash resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Rapidash trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Ponyta on Route 27 (walking, Lv 32, rare).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 32)
- LV 32FireFlame WheelPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 32NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- LV 37FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5
- LV 46FireFlare BlitzPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Ponyta to Rapidash
Ponyta evolves into Rapidash at Level 40. Your Ponyta should hit Level 40 before you reach Brock, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 40)
- LV 40FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5
- LV 40FireFlame WheelPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 40BugMegahornPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 10
- LV 40PoisonPoison JabPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- LV 56FireFlare BlitzPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Ponyta in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Ponyta gallops across five routes wild, common to rare and ranging widely from level 6 to the low 40s. Where you meet the fire horse sets how strong it starts, so an early route gives a low-level one to raise.
Wild Ponyta may be holding when caught:
Shuca Berry (5% chance) If held by a Pokemon, it weakens a foe's supereffective Ground-type attack.5 locations to catch Ponyta
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Where To Catch Ponyta in HGSS
Ponyta is where the line starts, caught through walking encounters at Lv. 6-42. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into RapidashRoute 28Lv.41-43GrassRate 10%NightRoute 28Lv.42GrassRate 10%Morning/dayMt. Silver - BaseLv.44CaveRate 10%or evolve from Ponyta (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Ponyta catch rates for HeartGold & SoulSilver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Ponyta in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Ponyta gallops across Route 26 and Route 27, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Ponyta odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Ponyta Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Ponyta preloaded.
Ponyta Weakness
Water, Ground, and Rock moves hit Ponyta for super-effective damage. The Fire typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. 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 type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Ponyta Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Ponyta
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x337-396%KO Earthquake 2x150-177%KO Surf 2x58-69% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x183-216%KO Stone Edge 2x183-216%KO Surf 2x44-53% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x183-216%KO Stone Edge 2x122-144%KO Surf 2x68-81% | ||
 Omastar RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Omanyte (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Omastar builds →Hydro Pump 2x174-205%KO Ancient Power 2x88-104%KO Mud Shot 2x53-63% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x122-144%KO Stone Edge 2x81-96% | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Kabutops builds →Waterfall 2x132-156%KO Stone Edge 2x164-193%KO Dig 2x88-104%KO | ||
 Suicune Water | A | |
Obtain MethodBurned Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Suicune builds →Surf 2x113-133%KO Dig 2x63-74% | ||
 Kingler Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x183-216%KO Dig 2x97-115%KO Rock Slide 2x91-108%KO | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x122-144%KO Earthquake 2x77-91% | ||
 Gyarados Water | S | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x159-188%KO Earthquake 2x118-139%KO Stone Edge 2x118-139%KO | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Golduck builds →Hydro Pump 2x147-174%KO Dig 2x66-78% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Tyranitar builds →Stone Edge 2x188-221%KO Earthquake 2x125-147%KO Surf 2x78-92% | ||
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Feraligatr builds →Aqua Tail 2x137-161%KO Earthquake 2x101-119%KO Rock Slide 2x76-90% | ||
 Swampert WaterGround | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Mudkip (Silph Co Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ponyta View Swampert builds →Earthquake 2x158-186%KO Waterfall 2x126-149%KO Stone Edge 2x105-124%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 take an average time to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 90 total stats over Ponyta. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Ponyta easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Charm, Double Kick, Double-Edge and 5 more to offspring.
HGSS Ponyta Best Moveset
85 Attack and 90 Speed, fast enough to outrun slower targets and land physical Fire damage. AbilityFlash Fire absorbs incoming Fire moves for a boost. 50 HP and 55 Defense fold fast. Rapidash is the final form.
Best Build
Ponyta best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Flare Blitz
- Return
- Morning Sun
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Ponyta misses out on Charm and Double Kick. That's 8 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Flare Blitz and Fire Blast, with Normal and Flying 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
All 17 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It is a weak runner immediately after birth. It gradually becomes faster by chasing after its parents.
Its hind legs, which have hooves that are harder than diamond, kick back at any presence it senses behind it.
Ponyta HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Ponyta in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Shuca Berry (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Shuca Berry.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Ponyta as a pivot. Physical side carries the damage. Speed is middling,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Jolly on Ponyta. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the pivot role.
Game Availability
Available since Red & Blue, Ponyta appears in 20 games spanning 9 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 7Let's Go
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
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