Utility
Support
CTier
43Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Bulk defines Cradily's stat line. Sp. Def and Defense anchor the defensive side, but Speed can't keep up offensively. Tough to catch and worth 2 Sp. Def EVs.

Base Stats
Above
HP86
C
Attack81
C
Defense97
B
Sp. Atk81
C
Sp. Def107
B
Speed43
D
Total495
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Erratic600,000 XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight60.4 kg
133.2 lbsStandard
Base XP173
Average
Abilities
Suction CupsNiche
Prevents being forced out of battle by other Pokémon's moves.
Storm DrainHATop Pick
Redirects single-target water moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Water moves, raising Special Attack one stage.
Storm Drain grants Water immunity
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpD+2Spe
Special Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

It lives in the shallows of warm seas. When the tide goes out, it digs up prey from beaches.

Cradily Weakness

Type-wise, Cradily takes extra damage from Ice, Fighting, Bug, and Steel. Storm Drain grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Cradily's overall bulk (86/97/107) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.

Cradily Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ice, Fighting, Bug, Steel
0.5x (Resist)Normal, Electric
Type ChartFragile
4Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Score-6
Gen V Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
IceFightingBugSteel
½xResist
NormalElectric
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Water
STAB (7)
FireIceFlyingBugWaterGroundRock
How to Beat Cradily in Black & White (Best Counters)

In Black & White, Excadrill's Earthquake hits Cradily for 46-54%. Volcarona's Fire Blast hits Cradily for 46-55%. Conkeldurr deals 78-92% with Drain Punch.

Excadrill
Excadrill
GroundSteel
A
Recommended Build
AbilitySandforce
ItemChoice Scarf
NatureJolly
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Rapid Spin
  • Iron Head
  • Rock Slide
Damage vs Cradily
Earthquake
46-54%
Rapid Spin
8-9%
Rock Slide
23-27%
View Excadrill builds →

Black & White Evolution

Evolved from Lileep. Cradily is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are slow to hatch. Attack grew the most through evolution (+40 over Lileep), and Cradily peaks at 495 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Lileep
#345Lileep
40
Level 40
Cradily
#346Cradily
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Lileep
RockGrass
Cradily
RockGrass
HP
66
86+20
ATK
41
81+40
DEF
77
97+20
SP.ATK
61
81+20
SP.DEF
87
107+20
SPE
23
43+20
BST
355D-Tier
495C-Tier+140
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Special
Mixed

Breeding

Moderate

Breed with Cradily to get Lileep eggs using 25 partners from the Water3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Barrier, Curse, Endure and 6 more.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
30 cycles·7,710 steps
Moderate~8 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
9moves
Breed With (best first)
drapioncrawdauntcorsolaskorupicorphisharcheopsomastarkabutopscarracostaarchenomanytekabuto
12 of 25·

Black & White Cradily Best Moveset

This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Stormdrain supports the gameplan, and max HP and Sp. Atk EVs mean Cradily doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus utility options backing it up.

Best Build

Experimental
Special Tank
Ability
Storm Drain
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Cradily
Modest+SPA

Cradily best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk

EVs

Special Tank Moveset

  • RecoverRecovery
  • Giga DrainSTAB
  • Ancient PowerSTAB
  • ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

Tyranitar
TyranitarDecent
Gliscor
GliscorDecent

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Barrier and Curse aren't available any other way for Cradily, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Solar Beam and Stone Edge for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Acid
—4010030Poison
Lv 1
Astonish
—3010015Ghost
Lv 1
Constrict
—1010035Normal
Lv 1
Ingrain
———20Grass
Lv 8
Acid
—4010030Poison
Lv 15
Ingrain
———20Grass
Lv 22
Confuse Ray
D—10010Ghost
Lv 29
Amnesia
D——20Psychic
Lv 36
Ancient Power
A601005Rock
Lv 46
Gastro Acid
——10010Poison
Lv 56
Energy Ball
B8010010Grass
Lv 66
Spit Up
——10010Normal
Lv 66
Stockpile
D——20Normal
Lv 66
Swallow
D——10Normal
Lv 76
Wring Out
——1005Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM78
Bulldoze
D6010020Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
C10010010Ground
TM53
Energy Ball
B8010010Grass
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
D—10020Normal
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
D—10020Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM69
Rock Polish
D——20Rock
TM80
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
D4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
—609510Rock
TM48
Round
—6010015Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
D——10Rock
TM36
Sludge Bomb
C9010010Poison
TM34
Sludge Wave
C9510010Poison
TM23
Smack Down
—5010015Rock
TM22
Solar Beam
B12010010Grass
TM71
Stone Edge
C100805Rock
HM04
Strength
C8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
C——30Normal
TM06
Toxic
A—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Barrier
D——30Psychic
Egg
Curse
C——10Ghost
Egg
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Egg
Mega Drain
—4010015Grass
Egg
Mirror Coat-5
D—10020Psychic
Egg
Recover
S——10Normal
Egg
Stealth Rock
B——20Rock
Egg
Tickle
——10020Normal
Egg
Wring Out
——1005Normal

Tutor Moves

Cradily can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 3
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
Gen 4
Bullet Seed
D2510030Grass
Gen 4
Captivate
——10020Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
D7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
D2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
——10015Normal
Gen 3
Psych Up
———10Normal
Gen 4
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
Gen 4
String Shot
——9540Bug

How to Get Cradily in Black & White

Cradily doesn't appear wild. Catch Lileep instead, it shows up but it's a rare spawn. Evolve it at level 40 to get Cradily. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Cradily in Black & White

  1. Lileep
    Step 1Catch Lileep
    Nacrene City - Nacrene Museum
    WhiteGift from NPC Lv.25 City
    LimitedMid
    AnyRevive Root Fossil
    Nacrene City - Nacrene Museum
    BlackGift from NPC Lv.25 City
    LimitedMid
    AnyRevive Root Fossil
  2. Cradily
    Step 2Cradily ✓

Cradily Guide

  • In Black & White, Storm Drain changes the entire equation for Cradily. The 495 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as a support. Recover with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Black & White, Cradily's biggest threats include Cloyster (Ice), Blaziken (Fighting), and Scyther (Bug), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Steel-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Storm Drain is what you want on Cradily. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Suction Cups) work on paper but Storm Drain is what makes Cradily worth using.

  • Base 43 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Cradily is leaning toward the physical side (base 81 Attack). Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a support.

  • In Black & White, Storm Drain is the hidden ability. It redirects single-target water moves to this Pokémon where possible. Worth hunting for if you want Cradily to compete at a higher level.

Game Availability

Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Cradily spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in a solid number of games.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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