Is Poochyena Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
Route 101 catch, first wild Pokemon you encounter. AbilityRun Away guarantees escape. Mightyena evolves at 18 with AbilityIntimidate, which is the real draw. Dark-type handles Phoebe at the E4. Early filler that evolves into something usable.
Poochyena trades roughly evenly with Roxanne's team.
Brawly's team hits Poochyena's weaknesses hard.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Mightyena has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Winona's team.
Mightyena has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Sidney's team.
Mightyena has the type edge here and should clean up Phoebe's team.
Mightyena has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Mightyena trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Catchable
Catch Poochyena on Route 101 (walking, Lv 2-3, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- LV 13DarkBitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- After Norman
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Mt. Pyre
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- LV 33NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- LV 41DarkCrunchPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
Evolve Poochyena to Mightyena
Poochyena evolves into Mightyena at Level 18. Your Poochyena should hit Level 18 before you reach Wattson, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 18)
- LV 18DarkBitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 25
- After Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- After Norman
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Mt. Pyre
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- LV 37NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
- LV 47DarkCrunchPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Poochyena in Ruby & Sapphire
Six grass spots across three early routes, all common or uncommon, make Poochyena one of the very first things you'll bump into. Levels sit at 2 to 4, so it shows up the moment you leave home.
Wild Poochyena may be holding when caught:
Pecha Berry (5% chance) A hold item that heals poisoning in battle.3 locations to catch Poochyena
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Where To Catch Poochyena in RS
The line opens with Poochyena at Lv. 2-4 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
- Step 2Evolve into MightyenaBREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Poochyena egg.
To plan your throws, open the Ruby & Sapphire catch rate calculator with Poochyena preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Poochyena in Ruby & Sapphire
Poochyena roams the grass on Route 101, Route 102, and Route 103, so work those early routes until a shiny shows itself. Compare Shiny Poochyena odds across every game
Ruby & Sapphire Shiny Poochyena Calculator
2 MethodsBoth methods here share the same odds, about 1 in 8,192 on each try. Pick whichever fits how you play.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breeding: Hatch eggs of this line; each egg rolls at the base shiny rate (no Masuda before Gen IV).
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
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.
For time estimates and charm math, open the Ruby & Sapphire shiny odds calculator with Poochyena already selected.
Poochyena Weakness
Fighting and Bug moves hit Poochyena for super-effective damage. The upside? Psychic-type moves can't touch it at all. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Poochyena Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poochyena
 Nincada BugGround | C | |
Poochyena Evolutions
Poochyena evolves into Mightyena. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 200 total stats over Poochyena. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Poochyena easily with 102 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Astonish, Covet, Leer and 2 more to offspring.
RS Poochyena Best Moveset
Dark pre-evolution heading toward Mightyena. AbilityRun Away has no competitive value. AbilityIntimidate becomes available after evolving. Stats too low for any format.
Best Build
Poochyena best EVs are HP and Defense
Bulky Support Moveset
- Roar
- Crunch
- Protect
- Heal Bell
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Poochyena misses out on Astonish and Covet. That's 5 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Crunch and Bite, with Normal and Ground 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
20 of 21 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
At first sight, POOCHYENA takes a bite at anything that moves. This POKéMON chases after prey until the victim becomes exhausted. However, it may turn tail if the prey strikes back.
POOCHYENA is an omnivore - it will eat anything. A distinguishing feature is how large its fangs are compared to its body. This POKéMON tries to intimidate its foes by making the hair on its tail bristle out.
Poochyena Ruby & Sapphire Guide
Yes. Wild Poochyena in Ruby & Sapphire can hold Pecha Berry (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Pecha Berry.
Game Availability
Poochyena first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 14 games across 7 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
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 8SwSh
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
Explore
Where to go next after Poochyena.
Keep playing · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List