Physical
Attacker
290Low
10Very Slow
CTier

Trapinch sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Flygon as fast as possible. Electric moves can't touch it, and only 3 types hit it super-effectively. Known as the Ant Pit Pokemon.

Attack leads and Speed gets almost nothing. That's Trapinch's stat line in a nutshell. 1 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Easy to catch and yields 1 Attack EV.

Base Stats
290Below
HP45
D
Attack100
B
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def45
D
Speed10
F
Total290
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Trapinch yields +1 Atk
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Slow1.06M XP0.7m / 2'04"15kg / 33.1 lbs58Base XP
Pokedex Entries

TRAPINCH’s nest is a sloped, bowl-like pit dug in sand. This POKéMON patiently waits for prey to tumble down the pit. Its giant jaws have enough strength to crush even boulders.

Ruby

TRAPINCH is a patient hunter. It digs an inescapable pit in a desert and waits for its prey to come tumbling down. This POKéMON can go a whole week without access to any water.

Sapphire

Trapinch Weakness

Avg

Trapinch is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Standard number of weaknesses for the Ground typing.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Scorei-1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Hyper CutterPrevents Attack from being lowered by other Pokémon.
Arena TrapPrevents opponents from fleeing or switching out. Eluded by flying-types and Pokémon in the air.
Sheer ForceHAStrengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects.

Three stages ahead. Trapinch grows into Vibrava, then pushes on to Flygon. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via two egg groups. Evolving adds up to 230 stat points total.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Trapinch
Ground
Vibrava
GroundDragon
Flygon
GroundDragon
HP
45
50+5
80+30
ATK
100
70-30
100+30
DEF
45
50+5
80+30
SP.ATK
45
50+5
80+30
SP.DEF
45
50+5
80+30
SPE
10
70+60
100+30
BST
290B-Tier
340D-Tier+50
520A-Tier+180
ROLE
Attacker
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Trapinch easily with 37 breeding partners from the Bug and Dragon egg groups. Pass egg moves like Focus Energy, Gust, Quick Attack to offspring.

Egg Groups
BugDragon
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
3moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosflygoncharizardkingdrasceptilemiloticaltariamasquerainarbokseadrasevipervolbeat

Earthquake is the safe click most turns. Choice Band locks Trapinch into it but rewards with raw power at the cost of move flexibility. Adamant nature and max HP and Attack EVs maximize that first hit. Arenatrap helps on the margins.

Best Build

Physical Wallbreaker
Ability
Arenatrap
Item
Choice BandPOWER
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Trapinch Moveset

  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Rock Slide
  • Hidden Power Bug
  • Sunny Day

Breeding opens up real options for Trapinch. Focus Energy and Gust come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Dig and Dark and Normal coverage and more.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 9
Sand Attack
10015Ground
Lv 17
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 25
Sand Tomb
358515Ground
Lv 33
Crunch
8010015Dark
Lv 41
Dig
6010010Ground
Lv 49
Sandstorm
10Rock
Lv 57
Hyper Beam
150905Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM37
Sandstorm
10Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Focus Energy
30Normal
Egg
Gust
4010035Flying
Egg
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal

Tutor Moves

Trapinch can't learn any Tutor moves

high spawn rates in mid-game routes across 2 locations. Trapinch's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.

Best Locations

Route 111 - Desert
SapphireGrassLv.19-21CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
Route 111 - Desert
RubyGrassLv.19-21CommonMidRoute
EFFORTLESS
  • Trapinch is meant to evolve into Vibrava. At 290 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Trapinch's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Breloom (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. At base 10 Speed, Trapinch won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Trapinch evolves into Vibrava at level 35. Trapinch is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Sheer Force is what you want on Trapinch. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Hyper Cutter, Arena Trap) work on paper but Sheer Force is what makes Trapinch worth using.

  • Base 10 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Trapinch is a physical attacker with base 100 Attack. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits. Best used as an attacker.

  • Trapinch appears in 15 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Available in 15 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Trapinch spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.