Physical
Pivot
430Average
115Fast
CTier

While most trainers evolve Sneasel into Weavile immediately, the unevolved form has a niche with Eviolite boosting its defenses. Psychic moves can't touch it, which offsets the 6 weaknesses somewhat. The stat spread favors raw physical power. A longtime staple going back to Gen 2.

The stat bars tell the story: Speed carries everything and Sp. Atk's dead weight. But this Sharp Claw Pokemon still yields 1 Speed EV per fight on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
430Above
HP55
D
Attack95
B
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk35
F
Sp. Def75
C
Speed115
B
Total430
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Sneasel yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch60ChallengingMedium Slow1.06M XP0.9m / 2'11"28kg / 61.7 lbs86Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It has a cunning yet savage disposition. It waits for parents to leave their nests, and then it sneaks in to steal their eggs.

Sun

It uses its claws to poke holes in eggs so it can slurp out the insides. Breeders consider it a scourge and will drive it away or eradicate it.

Moon

Sneasel Weakness

Fragile

Sneasel's Dark/Ice typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting, Fire, Bug, Rock, Steel, and Fairy moves. Fighting hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. At base 115 Speed, Sneasel outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

4xCriticali
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
6Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Scorei-8
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
4x Fighting — Close Combat, Drain Punch, Focus Blast
Abilities
Inner FocusPrevents flinching.
Keen EyePrevents accuracy from being lowered.
PickpocketHASteals attacking Pokémon's held items on contact.

To get Weavile from Sneasel, you need a held item. The evolution method matters here. The evolved forms gain up to 80 total stats over Sneasel.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Sneasel
DarkIce
Weavile
DarkIce
HP
55
70+15
ATK
95
120+25
DEF
55
65+10
SP.ATK
35
45+10
SP.DEF
75
85+10
SPE
115
125+10
BST
430C-Tier
510A-Tier+80
ROLE
Pivot
Sweeper
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Sneasel easily from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Assist, Avalanche, Bite and 13 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
16moves

the remaining moves is what separates a good sweep from a wasted boost. After Swords Dance, Sneasel threatens a wide range with flexible EVs EVs and Eviolite backing every hit.

Best Build

Physical Setup Sweeper
Ability
Innerfocus
Item
EvioliteBULK
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Sneasel Moveset

  • Icicle CrashSTAB
  • Ice ShardSTAB
  • Knock OffSTAB
  • Swords Dance

Recommended Teammates

Breadth over depth defines this movepool. Sneasel won't stack one type's damage ceiling, but coverage across 10 types means it always has an effective option. Blizzard and Ice Beam anchor the STAB core.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Taunt
10020Dark
Lv 8
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 10
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 14
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Lv 16
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 20
Agility
30Psychic
Lv 22
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Lv 25
Hone Claws
15Dark
Lv 28
Beat Up
10010Dark
Lv 32
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 35
Slash
7010020Normal
Lv 40
Snatch+4
10Dark
Lv 44
Punishment
1005Dark
Lv 47
Ice Shard+1
4010030Ice

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM04
Calm Mind
20Psychic
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM97
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM63
Embargo
10015Dark
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM54
False Swipe
4010040Normal
TM56
Fling
10010Dark
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM07
Hail
10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM47
Low Sweep
6510020Fighting
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM33
Reflect
20Psychic
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM95
Snarl
559515Dark
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM94
Surf
9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
20Normal
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM81
X-Scissor
8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Assist
20Normal
Egg
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
Egg
Bite
6010025Dark
Egg
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Egg
Crush Claw
759510Normal
Egg
Double Hit
359010Normal
Egg
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Egg
Feint+2
3010010Normal
Egg
Foresight
40Normal
Egg
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
Egg
Ice Shard+1
4010030Ice
Egg
Icicle Crash
859010Ice
Egg
Punishment
1005Dark
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost
Egg
Throat Chop
8010015Dark

Tutor Moves

Sneasel can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 2
Curse
10Ghost
Gen 6
Cut
509530Normal
Gen 3
Defense Curl
40Normal
Gen 2
Detect+4
5Fighting
Gen 6
Dig
8010010Ground
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 4
Fury Cutter
409520Bug
Gen 4
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 2
Nightmare
10015Ghost
Gen 6
Power-Up Punch
4010020Fighting
Gen 6
Retaliate
701005Normal
Gen 6
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
Gen 6
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 6
Strength
8010015Normal
Gen 4
Swift
6020Normal
Gen 4
Whirlpool
358515Water

A handful of locations for Sneasel with decent spawn rates across late-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.

Best Locations

4 walking encounters at Lv. 42-45 for Sneasel across Moon and Sun. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.

Mount Lanakila - Cave
MoonGrassLv.42-4520%LateCave
EASY
Mount Lanakila - Cave
SunGrassLv.42-4520%LateCave
EASY
Mount Lanakila - Outside
MoonGrassLv.42-4520%LateCave
EASY
Mount Lanakila - Outside
SunGrassLv.42-4520%LateCave
EASY
  • At 430 BST, Sneasel is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Weavile before bringing it to any serious fight.

  • Watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting), Arcanine (Fire), and Scyther (Bug) when using Sneasel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Hitmonlee is the most dangerous since Fighting moves deal 4x damage. Rock, Steel, and Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Sneasel's base 115 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Sneasel can evolve into Weavile and Hisuian Sneasler depending on the method. Sneasel is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Inner Focus prevents flinching — that's the one you want on Sneasel. Pickpocket is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Keen Eye works too if your team needs something different.

  • Sneasel is a physical attacker with base 95 Attack. But the speed tells the real story — base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • Sneasel appears in 18 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Available since Gold & Silver, Sneasel appears in 18 games spanning 8 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Hisuian form in Generation 8.