Stats & Training
Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Shiftry's Attack does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Attack EVs per KO. Tough to catch, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
By flapping its leafy fans, it can whip up gusts of 100 feet per second that can level houses.
By flapping its leafy fans, it can whip up gusts of 100 feet per second that can level houses.
Shiftry Weakness
Shiftry's Grass/Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy. Bug hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Shiftry leans offensive (base 100 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Weavile deals 60-70% with Ice Shard.
Heatran FireSteel | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
Scizor BugSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Scizor builds →Bullet Punch29-34% Knock Off15-18% | ||
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Weavile builds →Knock Off24-28% Ice Shard 2x60-70% | ||
Clefable Fairy | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Clefable builds →Moonblast 2x92-108%KO Knock Off7-9% | ||
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Evolution
Shiftry evolved from Seedot's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Seedot eggs (quick to hatch). The evolution from Seedot pushed Shiftry to 480 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +60. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Shiftry to get Seedot eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground and Plant egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Foul Play and 7 more.
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Shiftry Best Moveset
One guaranteed turn is all Shiftry needs. Focus Sash buys it, max Attack and Speed EVs make it count, and Chlorophyll adds something extra. The goal: deal early damage and deal damage with Solarblade. The remaining moves gives it play beyond just the lead turn.
Best Build
Shiftry best EVs are Attack and Speed
Doubles Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Solar Blade
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Brick Break
Recommended Teammates
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Knock Off
- Heat Wave
- Sucker Punch
- Leaf Blade
Recommended Teammates
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Growth
- Knock Off
- Solar Blade
- Heat Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves
You'll want to breed for Amnesia and Beat Up on Shiftry. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Solar Beam and Foul Play, they expand what Shiftry can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Shiftry in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
You're catching Seedot first, not Shiftry. Seedot appears at moderate rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 3-stage chain with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Shiftry in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
The path to Shiftry starts with Seedot at Lv. 58-63 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch SeedotGrassland CaveGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameRiverbank CaveGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameStill-Water CavernGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameSunlit CavernGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-game
Step 2Catch or Evolve NuzleafGrassland CaveGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameRiverbank CaveGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameStill-Water CavernGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameSunlit CavernGrass Lv.58-63 CavePostPost-gameor evolve from Seedot (Step 1)
Step 3Shiftry ✓
Shiftry Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Shiftry looks average on paper at 480 BST. But Chlorophyll is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier setup sweeper on our tier list. Solarblade with Focus Sash is the standard set.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, watch for Scizor (Bug), Blaziken (Fire), and Lapras (Ice) when using Shiftry. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Scizor is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. With 7 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Shiftry gets Chlorophyll, Wind Rider, and Pickpocket. But Chlorophyll is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Shiftry is leaning toward the physical side (base 100 Attack). Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 80 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the setup sweeper role.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, run Solarblade, Sucker Punch, Knock Off, and Brickbreak on Shiftry. Solarblade is the most common pick at 25% usage. This set covers the setup sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Since Ruby & Sapphire, Shiftry has been in 15 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB

Red & Blue - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves
