Utility
Balanced
299Low
65Moderate
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Vulpix rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Ninetales, which is where the real potential kicks in. Only weak to Water, Ground, and Rock. Known as the Fox Pokemon.

Sp. Def and Speed carry most of Vulpix's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
299Below
HP38
F
Attack41
D
Defense40
D
Sp. Atk50
D
Sp. Def65
C
Speed65
C
Total299
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Vulpix yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Fast1M XP0.6m / 2'00"9.9kg / 21.8 lbs60Base XP
Pokedex Entries

As each tail grows, its fur becomes more lustrous. When held, it feels slightly warm.

Black 2 / White 2

Vulpix Weakness

Avg

Water, Ground, and Rock-type moves hit Vulpix for super-effective damage. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Vulpix's special bulk (base 65 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gen V Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei-1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Flash FireProtects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
DroughtHASummons strong sunlight that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

Vulpix doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Ninetales. The evolved forms gain up to 206 total stats over Vulpix.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Vulpix
Fire
HP
38
73+35
ATK
41
76+35
DEF
40
75+35
SP.ATK
50
81+31
SP.DEF
65
100+35
SPE
65
100+35
BST
299D-Tier
505B-Tier+206
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Breeding
Easy

Breed Vulpix easily from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Disable, Extrasensory, Feint Attack and 10 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
25.0%75.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
13moves

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 5.

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

Without breeding, Vulpix misses out on Disable and Extrasensory. That's 13 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Overheat and Flare Blitz, with coverage across 7 types rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 4
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 7
Roar-6
10020Normal
Lv 10
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 12
Fire Spin
358515Fire
Lv 15
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 18
Imprison
10Psychic
Lv 20
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 23
Flame Burst
7010015Fire
Lv 26
Will-O-Wisp
7515Fire
Lv 28
Hex
5010010Ghost
Lv 31
Payback
5010010Dark
Lv 34
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Lv 36
Safeguard
25Normal
Lv 39
Extrasensory
8010030Psychic
Lv 42
Fire Blast
120855Fire
Lv 44
Grudge
5Ghost
Lv 47
Captivate
10020Normal
Lv 50
Inferno
100505Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM53
Energy Ball
8010010Grass
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM43
Flame Charge
5010020Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM59
Incinerate
3010015Fire
TM50
Overheat
140905Fire
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
10020Normal
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM20
Safeguard
25Normal
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
7515Fire

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Disable
10020Normal
Egg
Extrasensory
8010030Psychic
Egg
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Flare Blitz
12010015Fire
Egg
Heat Wave
1009010Fire
Egg
Hex
5010010Ghost
Egg
Howl
40Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Egg
Power Swap
10Psychic
Egg
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost
Egg
Tail Slap
258510Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Covet
6010040Normal
Tutor
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
Tutor
Foul Play
9510015Dark
Tutor
Heat Wave
1009010Fire
Tutor
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
Tutor
Pain Split
20Normal
Tutor
Role Play
10Psychic
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Spite
10010Ghost
Tutor
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 4
Ominous Wind
601005Ghost
Gen 4
Swift
6020Normal

decent spawn rates across 4 locations for Vulpix in late-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.

Best Locations

Vulpix's encounter pool splits between Black 2 and White 2. You've got 4 walking spots at Lv. 34-37 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Abundant Shrine
Black 2GrassLv.34UncommonLateRuinsAny
EASY
Abundant Shrine
White 2GrassLv.34UncommonLateRuinsAny
EASY
Abundant Shrine
Black 2GrassLv.37UncommonLateRuinsAnyDouble grass
EASY
Abundant Shrine
White 2GrassLv.37UncommonLateRuinsAnyDouble grass
EASY
  • Vulpix is meant to evolve into Ninetales. At 299 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Watch for Starmie (Water), Golem (Ground), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Vulpix. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Vulpix can evolve into Ninetales and Alolan Ninetales depending on the method. Vulpix is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Drought is what you want on Vulpix. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Flash Fire) work on paper but Drought is what makes Vulpix worth using.

  • At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Vulpix is leaning toward the special side (base 50 Sp. Atk). Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Vulpix appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Vulpix has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.