Physical
Attacker
290Low
10Very Slow
DTier

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

Its nest is a sloped, bowl-like pit in the desert. Once something has fallen in, there is no escape.

Sword

It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down.

Shield

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.

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 47 breeding partners from the Bug and Dragon egg groups. Pass egg moves like Bug Bite, Feint, First Impression and 4 more 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
7moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosflygondrapiongolisopodcharizardkingdramiloticnoiverncrustlealtariascraftydragalge

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Breeding opens up real options for Trapinch. Bug Bite and Feint come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Earth Power and coverage across 8 types.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 1
Sand Attack
10015Ground
Lv 4
Laser Focus
30Normal
Lv 8
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 12
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Lv 16
Sand Tomb
358515Ground
Lv 20
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
Lv 24
Dig
8010010Ground
Lv 28
Crunch
8010015Dark
Lv 32
Sandstorm
10Rock
Lv 36
Earth Power
9010010Ground
Lv 40
Earthquake
10010010Ground
Lv 44
Superpower
1201005Fighting
Lv 48
Fissure
305Ground

TM Moves

Src
TM31
Attract
10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM81
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
TR32
Crunch
8010015Dark
TM15
Dig
8010010Ground
TR67
Earth Power
9010010Ground
TR10
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TR26
Endure+4
10Normal
TM39
Facade
7010020Normal
TR13
Focus Energy
30Normal
TM28
Giga Drain
7510010Grass
TM08
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM53
Mud Shot
559515Ground
TM25
Protect+4
10Normal
TM21
Rest
10Psychic
TM22
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM48
Rock Tomb
609515Rock
TM76
Round
6010015Normal
TM49
Sand Tomb
358515Ground
TM32
Sandstorm
10Rock
TR27
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM24
Snore
5010015Normal
TM11
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TR20
Substitute
10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
5Fire
TR39
Superpower
1201005Fighting

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
Egg
Feint+2
3010010Normal
Egg
First Impression+2
9010010Bug
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Fury Cutter
409520Bug
Egg
Gust
4010035Flying
Egg
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Scorching Sands
7010010Ground

Finding Trapinch at moderate rates takes patience. 3 spots are available in mid-game routes, but the rate difference between them matters. Lock in the top one from the sorted list below.

Best Locations

Trapinch appears in 3 walking locations at Lv. 29-33 across Shield and Sword. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.

Route 6
ShieldOverworldLv.29-335%MidRouteAll Weather
MODERATE
Hammerlocke Hills
ShieldOverworldLv.29-312%MidSandstorm
CHALLENGING
Route 6
SwordOverworldLv.29-331%MidRouteAll Weather
HARD
  • 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.