Mixed
Balanced
DTier
98Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Attack carry the offense, Sp. Def doesn't even come close. A Hostile Pokemon on a medium-fast 1M XP curve, worth 2 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats
Above
HP70
C
Attack92
B
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk80
C
Sp. Def55
D
Speed98
B
Total460
Details
Catch Rate
Difficult25 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.0 m
3'03"Small
Weight18.0 kg
39.7 lbsFeather
Base XP161
Average
Abilities
Reckless
Strengthens recoil moves to 1.2× their power.
Adaptability
Increases the same-type attack bonus from 1.5× to 2×.
Mold BreakerHA
Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entries
No Sun Moon entries available

These Pokémon form schools with others of the same color. The greatest foe of a school of blue Basculin is a school of red Basculin.

Basculin Weakness

Type-wise, Basculin takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Basculin leans offensive (base 92 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.

Basculin Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Type ChartGood
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrass
½xResist
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (3)
FireGroundRock
How to Beat Basculin in Sun & Moon (Best Counters)
Zapdos
Zapdos
ElectricFlying
A
Electric is super effective against BasculinView Zapdos →

Sun & Moon Evolution

Basculin doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need a unique condition to push it forward to Basculegion. Evolving adds up to 70 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Basculin
#550BasculinDoes not evolve

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Basculin with 25 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group. Pass egg moves like Agility, Brine, Bubble Beam and 6 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Water2
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
40 cycles·10,280 steps
Slow~10 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
9moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosoctillerymalamarmagikarpremoraidinkaywailordrelicanthalomomolawailmerlanturnsharpedo
12 of 25·

Sun & Moon Basculin Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 7.

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

Moves

Breeding's the move. Agility and Brine give Basculin options it can't learn any other way, and Normal and Dark coverage and more already covers a decent range on top of Aqua Tail and Surf. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
—4010035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
——10030Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
D4010025Water
Lv 3
Uproar
—9010010Normal
Lv 5
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
Lv 7
Bite
D6010025Dark
Lv 9
Aqua Jet+1
D4010020Water
Lv 11
Chip Away
—7010020Normal
Lv 14
Take Down
—908520Normal
Lv 17
Crunch
C8010015Dark
Lv 20
Aqua Tail
C909010Water
Lv 23
Soak
D—10020Water
Lv 26
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Lv 30
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Lv 34
Flail
——10015Normal
Lv 38
Final Gambit
D—1005Fighting
Lv 42
Thrash
C12010010Normal
Lv 46
Head Smash
C150805Rock

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM100
Confide
D——20Normal
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM07
Hail
C——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
C9010010Ice
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM48
Round
D6010015Normal
TM55
Scald
C8010015Water
TM88
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM94
Surf
C9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
D—8515Normal
TM12
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM98
Waterfall
C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Agility
C——30Psychic
Egg
Brine
—6510010Water
Egg
Bubble Beam
—6510020Water
Egg
Mud Shot
—559515Ground
Egg
Muddy Water
C908510Water
Egg
Rage
D2010020Normal
Egg
Revenge-4
D6010010Fighting
Egg
Swift
D60—20Normal
Egg
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Tutor Moves

Basculin can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 6
Cut
—509530Normal
Gen 6
Dive
—8010010Water
Gen 6
Secret Power
—7010020Normal

How to Get Basculin in Sun & Moon

No wild encounters for Basculin in Sun & Moon. It's available in Black and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Basculin is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

Black

Basculin Guide

  • Basculin is meant to evolve into Basculegion. At 460 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • In Sun & Moon, Basculin's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric) and Roserade (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Adaptability is what you want on Basculin. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Reckless, Mold Breaker) work on paper but Adaptability is what makes Basculin worth using.

  • In Sun & Moon, Mold Breaker is the hidden ability. It bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move. Worth hunting for if you want Basculin to compete at a higher level.

  • Base 98 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Basculin is a mixed attacker with base 92 Attack and 80 Sp. Atk.

Game Availability

Basculin joined the series in Black & White and has been available in 9 titles so far. With 6 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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