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
Catch190Easy•Medium Fast1M XP•0.6m / 2'00"•9.9kg / 21.8 lbs•60Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Both its fur and its tails are beautiful. As it grows, the tails split and form more tails.

Yellow

Vulpix Weakness

Avg

Water, Ground, and Rock-type moves hit Vulpix for super-effective damage. 4 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 I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
WaterGroundRock
½xResisti
FireGrassIceBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
GrassIceBug
3Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei-2
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

You'll evolve Vulpix into Ninetales the traditional way. This Fire type doesn't breed despite having a chain ahead. The evolved forms gain up to 206 total stats over Vulpix.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Vulpix
#037Vulpix
Fire Stone
Ninetales
#038Ninetales
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Vulpix
Fire
Ninetales
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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Best Build

Gen 1 build content has limited support (no abilities, held items, or natures).

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

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Vulpix. TMs unlock Normal and Ground coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Fire Blast and Flamethrower into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 16
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 21
Roar-6
——20Normal
Lv 28
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Lv 35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
Lv 42
Fire Spin
357015Fire

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Vulpix doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Vulpix can't learn any Tutor moves

Vulpix is handed to you at Celadon City. No encounter rates or random spawns involved, so there's nothing to grind. Check the location details below for the exact conditions to trigger it.

Best Locations

Celadon City - Game Corner
Gift from NPCLv.18LimitedMidCityPurchase: 1,000 coins
MODERATE

  • 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.