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 it develops, its single white tail gains color and splits into six. It is quite warm and cuddly.

Gold

If it is attacked by an enemy that is stronger than itself, it feigns injury to fool the enemy and escapes.

Silver

Vulpix Weakness

Avg

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

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
3Weak
5Resist
0Immune
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 with 66 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Disable, Feint Attack, Flail and 2 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
5moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

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

Without breeding, Vulpix misses out on Disable and Feint Attack. That's 5 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Fire Blast and Flamethrower, with Normal and Ground coverage and more rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 1
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 7
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 13
Roar-6
20Normal
Lv 19
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 25
Safeguard
25Normal
Lv 31
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Lv 37
Fire Spin
357015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM02
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Disable
5520Normal
Egg
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Egg
Spite
10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Vulpix can't learn any Tutor moves

Vulpix's scattered across 7 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.

Best Locations

Walking encounters at Lv. 13-18 across 7 spots for Vulpix. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.

Route 36
GrassLv.13UncommonEarlyRoute
EASY
Route 37
GrassLv.14UncommonEarlyRouteMorning/night
EASY
Route 37
GrassLv.14-16UncommonEarlyRouteDay
EASY
Route 7
GrassLv.18CommonMidRouteDay
EFFORTLESS
Route 7
GrassLv.18UncommonMidRouteMorning/night
EASY
Route 8
GrassLv.18UncommonMidRouteMorning/day
EASY
Route 8
GrassLv.18RareMidRouteNight
CHALLENGING
  • 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.

  • 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.