Is Smeargle Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Ruins of Alph encounter. Normal-type with AbilityOwn Tempo or AbilityTechnician. Sketch copies any move permanently, giving Smeargle unlimited customization. The stats are too low for gym battles, but the move flexibility has creative niche uses.
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Catchable
Catch Smeargle in the Ruins of Alph (walking, Lv 20-22, uncommon).
HeartGold & SoulSilver Smeargle Locations
Smeargle keeps to the Ruins of Alph grass and a daytime Safari Zone spot, uncommon at both. There is no swarm or rod trick here, just two quiet locations, so catch one when the puzzle area brings you through.
2 locations to catch Smeargle
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6Best Locations to Catch Smeargle in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Smeargle in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Smeargle paints its way through the Ruins of Alph, but breeding it Masuda-style is the quicker path to a shiny. Compare Shiny Smeargle odds across every game
Shiny Smeargle Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Smeargle 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.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Smeargle preloaded.
Smeargle Weakness
Smeargle's Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting. It shrugs off Ghost-type attacks completely. Just 1 weak spot to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
Smeargle Evolutions
Smeargle doesn't evolve, so breeding's where the action is. You'll find a massive partner pool across one egg group, and eggs take an average time to hatch. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Smeargle easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group.
HGSS Smeargle Best Moveset
Access to every move in the game through MoveSketch, copied permanently. The moveset sets MoveStealth Rock, MoveSpikes, MoveSpore for 100% sleep, and any other combination. 20 in both offenses and 55 HP mean Smeargle does its job and falls. Speed at 75 is average.
Best Build
Smeargle best EVs are Attack and Speed
Support Moveset
- Spore
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Spikes
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Not a lot to pick from. Smeargle gets Normal STAB for same-type damage, and limited coverage rounds things out. You're building around what's available rather than choosing from a deep bench.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
A special fluid oozes from the tip of its tail. It paints the fluid everywhere to mark its territory.
Once it becomes an adult, it has a tendency to let its comrades plant footprints on its back.
Smeargle HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- Where in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone can I find Smeargle?
See the Locations section above for where to find Smeargle in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Smeargle from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Smeargle easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, go for it. Smeargle rates S-Tier, and its Normal typing handles most of what the story throws at you.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Smeargle as a hazard setter. Physical side carries the damage. Speed is middling, Explosion is the primary attack.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Jolly on Smeargle. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the hazard setter role.
Game Availability
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Smeargle spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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 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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