Physical
Pivot
452Average
112Fast
CTier

Without Thick Fat, Purugly wouldn't see any competitive play. With it? It halves incoming Fire and Ice damage, turning modest base stats into a real offensive threat. Normal is solid coverage on top of that. It clears the crowded base-100 Speed benchmark.

Purugly's built around mixed offense. Speed leads the charge, Sp. Def pays for it. Moderately hard to find, worth 2 Speed EVs. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.

Base Stats
452Above
HP71
C
Attack82
C
Defense64
C
Sp. Atk64
C
Sp. Def59
D
Speed112
B
Total452
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Purugly yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch75ChallengingFast800,000 XP1m / 3'03"43.8kg / 96.6 lbs158Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is a brazen brute that barges its way into another Pokémon’s nest and claims it as its own.

Brilliant Diamond

To make itself appear intimidatingly beefy, it tightly cinches its waist with its split tail.

Shining Pearl

Purugly Weakness

Good

Purugly is weak to Fighting-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Ghost-type moves entirely. Thick Fat reduces Fire/Ice damage, further improving the defensive spread. At base 112 Speed, Purugly outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
STABi
No super-effective STAB
1Weak
0Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Thick FatHalves damage from fire and ice moves.
Own TempoPrevents confusion.
DefiantHARaises Attack two stages upon having any stat lowered.
Thick Fat reduces Fire/Ice to ½x

Purugly is the evolved form of Glameow. Breeding produces Glameow eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Glameow gave Purugly the biggest boost in Attack (+27), bringing the total to 452 stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Glameow
Normal
Purugly
Normal
HP
49
71+22
ATK
55
82+27
DEF
42
64+22
SP.ATK
42
64+22
SP.DEF
37
59+22
SPE
85
112+27
BST
310D-Tier
452C-Tier+142
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Breeding
Easy

Breed with Purugly to get Glameow eggs easily from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Assurance, Bite, Fake Tears and 5 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
25.0%75.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves

Purugly keeps momentum with U-turn, switching out after dealing damage or scouting. Muscleband gives it extra utility, max Attack and Speed EVs let it hit hard on the way out, and the remaining moves prevents dead turns.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Defiant
Item
Muscleband
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Purugly Moveset

  • Fake OutSTAB
  • Knock Off
  • Play Rough
  • U Turn

The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 10 types means almost nothing walls Purugly cleanly, with Giga Impact and Hyper Beam anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Play Rough
909010Fairy
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Sucker Punch+1
701005Dark
Lv 1
Swagger
8515Normal
Lv 5
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 8
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 13
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Lv 17
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
Lv 20
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 25
Charm
10020Fairy
Lv 29
Taunt
10020Dark
Lv 32
Retaliate
701005Normal
Lv 37
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 45
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Lv 52
Attract
10015Normal
Lv 60
Hone Claws
15Dark

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM83
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
TM93
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM05
Roar-6
20Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM82
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM89
U-turn
7010020Bug
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
TM10
Work Up
30Normal

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Assurance
6010010Dark
Egg
Bite
6010025Dark
Egg
Fake Tears
10020Dark
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Last Resort
1401005Normal
Egg
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Egg
Sand Attack
10015Ground
Egg
Tail Whip
10030Normal

Tutor Moves

Purugly can't learn any Tutor moves

decent spawn rates across 7 locations for Purugly in mid-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.

Where To Catch Purugly in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

The path to Purugly starts with Glameow at Lv. 25-50 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Glameow
    Step 1Catch Glameow
    Route 218
    GrassLv.29-3015%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 222
    GrassLv.4020%LateRoute
    EASY
    Grassland Cave
    GrassLv.42-46LateCaveRequires Icicle Badge
    Riverbank Cave
    GrassLv.42-46LateCaveRequires Icicle Badge
    Spacious Cave
    GrassLv.42-46LateCaveRequires Icicle Badge
    Still-Water Cavern
    GrassLv.42-46LateCaveRequires Icicle Badge
    Sunlit Cavern
    GrassLv.42-46LateCaveRequires Icicle Badge
  2. Purugly
    Step 2Purugly
    Grassland Cave
    GrassLv.25-29MidCaveRequires Defog
    Riverbank Cave
    GrassLv.25-29MidCaveRequires Defog
    Spacious Cave
    GrassLv.25-29MidCaveRequires Defog
    Still-Water Cavern
    GrassLv.25-29MidCaveRequires Defog
    Sunlit Cavern
    GrassLv.25-29MidCaveRequires Defog
    Route 222
    GrassLv.41-4215%LateRoute
    EASY
    Route 229
    GrassLv.5010%PostRoute
    MODERATE
    or evolve from Glameow (Step 1)
  • Don't let Purugly's 452 base stat total fool you. Thick Fat is what makes it tick — it punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier as a pivot.

  • Purugly's biggest threats include Machamp (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Purugly's base 112 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Glameow evolves into Purugly at level 38. Purugly is the fully evolved form. It sits at 452 BST in its evolved form.

  • Run Thick Fat on Purugly. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Purugly also gets Own Tempo and Defiant, but they don't compare.

  • Purugly fills the pivot role. It's a physical attacker with base 82 Attack. Base 112 Speed lets it outrun most of the field.

  • Purugly appears in 11 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.

Purugly first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 11 games across 6 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.