Special
Balanced
DTier
15Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Cleffa's spread. It leans mixed with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 1 Sp. Def EV per KO for it. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.

Base Stats
Below
HP50
D
Attack25
F
Defense28
F
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed15
F
Total218
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate150 / 255
Growth Rate
Fast800,000 XP
Height0.3 m
1'00"Tiny
Weight3.0 kg
6.6 lbsFeather
Base XP44
Low Yield
Abilities
Cute Charm
Has a 30% chance of infatuating attacking Pokémon on contact.
Magic Guard
Protects against damage not directly caused by a move.
Friend GuardHA
Decreases all direct damage taken by friendly Pokémon to 0.75×.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe
Special Defense training source
Pokedex Entries

According to local rumors, Cleffa are often seen in places where shooting stars have fallen.

Cleffa Weakness

Poison and Steel moves hit Cleffa for super-effective damage. The upside? Dragon-type moves can't touch it at all. Cleffa's special bulk (base 55 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Cleffa Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Poison, Steel
0.5x (Resist)Fighting, Bug, Dark
0x (Immune)Dragon
Type ChartGood
2Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Score+2
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
PoisonSteel
½xResist
FightingBugDark
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Dragon
STAB (3)
FightingDragonDark
How to Beat Cleffa in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Venusaur's Sludge Bomb also KOs at 235-276%.

Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn
GrassSteel
A
Recommended Build
AbilityIron Barbs
ItemLeftovers
NatureImpish
Moves
  • Leech Seed
  • Knock Off
  • SpikesHazard
  • Gyro Ball
Damage vs Cleffa
Knock Off
23-28%
View Ferrothorn builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

Cleffa starts the chain as a baby form and evolves into Clefairy by leveling up. To get more eggs, breed the evolved versions. The evolved forms gain up to 265 total stats over Cleffa. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Cleffa
#173Cleffa
High Friendship
Clefairy
#035Clefairy
Moon Stone
Moon Stone
Clefable
#036Clefable
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Cleffa
Fairy
Clefairy
Fairy
Clefable
Fairy
HP
50
70+20
95+25
ATK
25
45+20
70+25
DEF
28
48+20
73+25
SP.ATK
45
60+15
95+35
SP.DEF
55
65+10
90+25
SPE
15
35+20
60+25
BST
218D-Tier
323C-Tier+105
483A-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Special
Utility
Special

Breeding

Unavailable
Undiscovered egg group

Sword & Shield Cleffa Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

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

Moves

Without breeding, Cleffa misses out on Aromatherapy and Heal Pulse. That's 5 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Play Rough and Draining Kiss, with coverage across 9 types rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Copycat
C——20Normal
Lv 1
Pound
—4010035Normal
Lv 1
Splash
D——40Normal
Lv 4
Sing
D—5515Normal
Lv 8
Sweet Kiss
D—7510Fairy
Lv 12
Disarming Voice
D40—15Fairy
Lv 16
Encore
C—1005Normal
Lv 20
Charm
C—10020Fairy

TM Moves

TM
TR17
Amnesia
C——20Psychic
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
TM29
Charm
C—10020Fairy
TM15
Dig
D8010010Ground
TM87
Draining Kiss
D5010010Fairy
TR30
Encore
C—1005Normal
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM47
Fake Tears
D—10020Dark
TR15
Fire Blast
D110855Fire
TR02
Flamethrower
D9010015Fire
TM59
Fling
——10010Dark
TR77
Grass Knot
D—10020Grass
TM41
Helping Hand+5
C——20Normal
TR42
Hyper Voice
D9010010Normal
TM27
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TR31
Iron Tail
D1007515Steel
TM17
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TM10
Magical Leaf
D60—20Grass
TM01
Mega Kick
D120755Normal
TM
Mega Punch
D808520Normal
TR14
Metronome
D——10Normal
TM89
Misty Terrain
D——10Fairy
TR90
Play Rough
D909010Fairy
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TR11
Psychic
D9010010Psychic
TR25
Psyshock
D8010010Psychic
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM18
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM19
Safeguard
C——25Normal
TR33
Shadow Ball
D8010015Ghost
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TM11
Solar Beam
D12010010Grass
TR82
Stored Power
D2010010Psychic
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM14
Thunder Wave
C—9020Electric
TR38
Trick
C—10010Psychic
TR35
Uproar
D9010010Normal
TM71
Wonder Room
———10Psychic
TR85
Work Up
D——30Normal
TR69
Zen Headbutt
D809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Aromatherapy
C——5Grass
Egg
Heal Pulse
C——10Psychic
Egg
Present
——9015Normal
Egg
Tickle
D—10020Normal
Egg
Wish
C——10Normal

Tutor Moves

Cleffa can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Cleffa in Sword & Shield

Cleffa doesn't appear in Sword & Shield. Transfer it from Crystal, Diamond, or Legends: Arceus to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

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

Catch in the wild in:

Brilliant DiamondWalking · Mt. CoronetLegends: ArceusWalking · Fabled Spring

Then trade to Sword & Shield.

Also found in:

CrystalDiamondPlatinumSunUltra Sun

Cleffa Guide

  • Clefairy by leveling up is the mid-stage. Push through to Clefable using a Moon Stone for the final form. 218 BST right now won't cut it long-term.

  • You can find Cleffa in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 18 other games across the series.

  • Yes, Cleffa is in Sword & Shield. It shows up in 19 games across the series.

  • In Sword & Shield, For a casual playthrough, Cleffa works as a placeholder. Fairy coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Clefairy. That's where the stats start mattering.

Game Availability

Debuting in Gold & Silver, Cleffa appears in 19 games across 9 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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