Is Shiftry Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Leaf Stone on Nuzleaf. Grass/Dark with AbilityChlorophyll for Speed in sun. The physical/special split helps the Attack stat. Too many type weaknesses to be a reliable carry.
Falkner's team hits Seedot's weaknesses hard.
Bugsy's Pokemon outpace and outclass Seedot here.
Seedot trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Morty's Pokemon outpace and outclass Seedot here.
Chuck's typing presses Seedot's defenses.
Seedot trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Seedot trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Clair's Pokemon outpace and outclass Seedot here.
Seedot has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Seedot has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Seedot trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's Pokemon outpace and outclass Seedot here.
Janine's Pokemon outpace and outclass Seedot here.
Sabrina's typing presses Seedot's defenses.
Shiftry trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Shiftry has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Shiftry has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Shiftry trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Shiftry has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Shiftry trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Shiftry trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catch Seedot
Catch Seedot in Viridian Forest (Headbutt, Lv 3-7, limited). Post-National Dex.
Recommended Moves
- From Start
- HM06FightingRock SmashPower 40Accuracy 100%PP 15From Hiker on Route 36
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 43NormalExplosionPower 250Accuracy 100%PP 5
Evolve Seedot to Shiftry
Nuzleaf evolves into Shiftry with a Leaf Stone. You can receive the Leaf Stone from an NPC in Route 34. 2 other locations are also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 55)
- LV 55GrassLeaf StormPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5
- LV 55DarkFeint AttackPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Clair
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sold by the TM clerk on 3F of the Celadon Department Store
How to Get Shiftry in HeartGold & SoulSilver
A Leaf Stone is what turns Nuzleaf into Shiftry, the lone path with no wild option. Leaf Stones are limited, so save one for whichever grass branch you care about most.
Catch Seedot or Nuzleaf at any of these 2 spots to eventually evolve into Shiftry.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8How to Obtain Shiftry in HGSS
Seedot is your first catch on the way to Shiftry. You'll find headbutt and walking encounters from Lv. 3-38 across 4 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Catch or Evolve Nuzleafor evolve from Seedot (Step 1)
- Step 3Shiftry ✓
How to Get Shiny Shiftry in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Shiftry needs a Leaf Stone, so breed a Seedot Masuda-style and evolve it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Shiftry odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Shiftry 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.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Shiftry in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Shiftry Weakness
Shiftry's Grass/Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. 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 |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Shiftry Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Shiftry
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x193-227%KO Sludge Bomb 2x42-49% | ||
 Blaziken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Silph Co Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Blaziken builds →Focus Punch 2x180-211%KO Flare Blitz 2x144-169%KO Brave Bird 2x96-113%KO Poison Jab 2x64-76% | ||
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Pinsir builds →X-Scissor 4x200-235%KO Focus Punch 2x124-146%KO | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Armaldo builds →X-Scissor 4x200-235%KO Brick Break 2x63-74% Aerial Ace 2x50-59% | ||
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Hariyama builds →Focus Punch 2x180-211%KO Poison Jab 2x64-76% | ||
 Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x163-192%KO X-Scissor 4x117-137%KO Poison Jab 2x87-103%KO | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 4x180-211%KO Wing Attack 2x67-79% Brick Break 2x56-66% | ||
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x186-219%KO X-Scissor 4x133-157%KO Poison Jab 2x67-78% Aerial Ace 2x50-59% | ||
 Hitmonlee Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Hitmonlee builds →Focus Punch 2x180-211%KO Poison Jab 2x64-76% Blaze Kick 2x68-80% | ||
 Ho-Oh Fire | S | |
Obtain MethodBell Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Ho-Oh builds →Brave Bird 2x155-182%KO Overheat 2x156-184%KO Rock Smash 2x35-41% | ||
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Yanmega builds →Bug Buzz 4x211-248%KO Air Slash 2x89-104%KO | ||
 Drapion PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Drapion builds →X-Scissor 4x102-120%KO Poison Jab 2x76-90% Brick Break 2x48-56% Ice Fang 2x41-48% | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Skarmory builds →X-Scissor 4x93-109%KO Fly 2x77-91% Rock Smash 2x24-28% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Shiftry View Houndoom builds →Overheat 2x156-184%KO Sludge Bomb 2x67-79% Rock Smash 2x26-31% | ||
Shiftry Evolutions
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 Field and Grass egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, False Swipe, Leech Seed and 6 more.
HGSS Shiftry Best Moveset
Grass/Dark with AbilityChlorophyll doubling 80 Speed in sun for a fast mixed attacker. 100 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk let the moveset hit from both sides. Without sun, 80 Speed is decent but not dominant. 60 in both defenses limit how many exchanges Shiftry survives.
Best Build
Shiftry best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Low Kick
- Explosion
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
STAB runs through Leaf Storm and Solar Beam for the basics, but Shiftry's real strength is the 10-type coverage spread. Flying and Normal hit common defensive types, and the movepool keeps going.
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 29 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
It lives quietly in the deep forest. It is said to create chilly winter winds with the fans it holds.
Shiftry HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Shiftry is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Shiftry becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Shiftry as an attacker. Splits damage between physical and special. Speed is middling,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Adamant on Shiftry. +Attack is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the attacker role.
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 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
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