Mid-stage Pokemon like Slowpoke rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Slowbro, which is where the real potential kicks in. Known as the Dopey Pokemon. Can go either physical or special depending on the set.
HP and Attack carry most of Slowpoke's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 HP EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Slowpoke uses its tail to catch prey by dipping it in water at the side of a river. However, this Pokémon often forgets what it’s doing and often spends entire days just loafing at water’s edge.
Slowpoke Weakness
VulnerableSlowpoke's Water/Psychic typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, and Dark moves. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Slowpoke's physical bulk (base 65 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
From here, Slowpoke's line branches into Slowbro and Slowking. That's 2 possible evolutions, each with its own method. The evolved forms gain up to 175 total stats over Slowpoke.
How to Evolve
Breed Slowpoke easily from the Monster and Water1 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Belch, Belly Drum, Block and 8 more to offspring.
Don't let the NFE status fool you. Slowpoke with Eviolite hits bulk numbers that compete with final forms. Max HP and Sp. Def EVs and Relaxed nature maximize that, and Oblivious handles the rest.
Best Build
Best Slowpoke Moveset
- Trick Room
- Protect
- Sunny Day
- Heal Pulse
Recommended Teammates
The natural movepool does the job, but Belch and Belly Drum from the egg pool give Slowpoke something extra. Pair those with Future Sight and Dream Eater for STAB and coverage across 9 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
4 encounter spots for Slowpoke at decent spawn rates starting from late-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Best Locations
Before you go hunting for Slowpoke, check which of the 4 spots belong to your version. Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby each have different walking encounters at Lv. 36-38.
Slowpoke is meant to evolve into Slowbro. At 315 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Watch for Raikou (Electric), Venusaur (Grass), and Pinsir (Bug) when using Slowpoke. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 15 Speed, Slowpoke won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Slowpoke can evolve into Slowbro, Slowking, Galarian Slowbro, and Galarian Slowking depending on the method. Slowpoke is the base form in a 5-stage evolutionary line.
Regenerator is what you want on Slowpoke. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Oblivious, Own Tempo) work on paper but Regenerator is what makes Slowpoke worth using.
Base 15 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Slowpoke is a special attacker with base 40 Sp. Atk.
Slowpoke appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Slowpoke has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Galarian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwShGalarian
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A