Is Rapidash Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Kanto postgame after evolving a late-catch Ponyta. Rapidash is fast and hits hard with Fire-type attacks, but Crystal needed this during the Johto story when Fire coverage was absent. By Kanto, the move tutor has already given MoveFlamethrower to other team members.
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.
Ponyta trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
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 Lt. Surge's team.
Rapidash trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Rapidash resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Misty's team hits Rapidash's weaknesses hard.
Rapidash trades roughly evenly with Brock'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 trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Rapidash has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Lance's team hits Rapidash's weaknesses hard.
Catch Ponyta
Catch Ponyta on Route 27 (walking, Lv 32, rare).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 32)
- LV 32FireEmberPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 32NormalStompPower 65Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM02NormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a man in Ilex Forest
- LV 34NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a fisherman in a house at Lake of Rage
- After Lt. Surge
- TUTORFireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod City
- LV 53FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5
Evolve Ponyta to Rapidash
Ponyta evolves into Rapidash at Level 40. Your Ponyta should hit Level 40 before you reach Lt. Surge, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 40)
- LV 40NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- LV 40NormalStompPower 65Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM02NormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a man in Ilex Forest
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- After Lt. Surge
- TUTORFireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod City
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner prize (7500 coins)
- TM03GhostCursePower —Accuracy 100%PP 10Gift in the Celadon Mansion roof house, at night only
- LV 61FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5
How to Get Rapidash in Crystal
Wild Rapidash only appears on Route 28 and Mt. Silver in the low 40s, both daytime. Evolving a Ponyta at level 40 is the reliable way to one well before that.
2 locations to catch Rapidash5 locations to catch Ponyta
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Ponyta at any of the 5 locations below, then level it up to 40 — it evolves into Rapidash.
Badge 8Where To Catch Rapidash in C
The only way to get Rapidash during the story is evolving Ponyta (Lv 40).
- Step 2Rapidash ✓or evolve from Ponyta (Step 1)
Bring the right balls: check Rapidash catch odds in the Crystal Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Rapidash in Crystal
Rapidash burns through Route 28 as a common morning and day spawn at level 40, with an uncommon Mt. Silver presence; Route 28's grass is the camp. Compare Shiny Rapidash odds across every game
Crystal Shiny Rapidash Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
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.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Rapidash in the Crystal Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Rapidash Weakness
Type-wise, Rapidash takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Rapidash leans offensive (base 100 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Rapidash Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Rapidash
 Marowak Ground | B | |
 Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Vaporeon builds →Hydro Pump 2x127-150%KO Mud-Slap 2x11-13% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x135-159%KO Rollout 2x43-51% Surf 2x34-40% | ||
 Suicune Water | B | |
Obtain MethodTin Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Suicune builds →Surf 2x86-101%KO Dig 2x34-41% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Tyranitar builds →Rock Slide 2x105-125%KO Earthquake 2x93-110%KO Surf 2x59-70% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x127-150%KO Rollout 2x27-31% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x93-110%KO Earthquake 2x57-67% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Golduck builds →Hydro Pump 2x112-132%KO Dig 2x37-45% | ||
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Azurill (Mt Mortar Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Azumarill builds →Surf 2x63-74% Rollout 2x14-17% Mud-Slap 2x10-12% | ||
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Feraligatr builds →Hydro Pump 2x96-114%KO Earthquake 2x75-89% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Nidoking builds →Earthquake 2x110-130%KO Surf 2x54-64% | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 32 Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x95-112%KO Surf 2x66-78% Rollout 2x20-24% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Rapidash View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x109-128%KO Rollout 2x22-27% | ||
Rapidash Evolutions
Rapidash is the evolved form of Ponyta. Breeding produces Ponyta eggs, and they take an average time to hatch. Evolving from Ponyta gave Rapidash the biggest boost in HP (+15), bringing the total to 500 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Rapidash to get Ponyta eggs easily using 66 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Charm, Double Kick, Flame Wheel and 3 more.
C Rapidash Best Moveset
100 Attack outperforms the 80 Sp. Atk for damage output, making physical moves like MoveReturn stronger than MoveFire Blast in practice. 105 Speed goes first against most of the format. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Fast physical attacker where the body hits harder than the flames.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Hidden Power Fighting
- Fire Blast
- Curse
- Charm
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Charm and Double Kick give Rapidash options it can't learn any other way, and Normal and Steel coverage already covers a decent range on top of Fire Blast and Flamethrower. The egg moves push it further.
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.
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
14 of 19 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It just loves to gallop. The faster it goes, the longer the swaying flames of its mane will become.
Rapidash Crystal Guide
In Crystal, Rapidash plays as a setup sweeper. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move. Set up with Curse when you get a free turn.
Yes. Galarian Rapidash is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.
Game Availability
Rapidash first appeared in Red & Blue and spans 20 games across 9 generations. It later gained a Galarian form in Generation 8, adding new dimensions to its competitive identity.
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
Explore
Where to go next after Rapidash.
Keep playing · CrystalCrystal Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Crystal Tier List