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 CupsRare
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 has short legs and can’t walk very fast, but its neck and tentacles can extend to over three times their usual length to nab distant prey.

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
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
IceFightingBugSteel
½xResist
NormalElectric
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Water
STAB (7)
FireIceFlyingBugWaterGroundRock
How to Beat Cradily in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)
Heatran
Heatran
FireSteel
S
Recommended Build
AbilityFlashfire
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • Earth Power
  • Magma Storm
  • Stealth Rock
  • TauntUtility
View Heatran builds →

Sword & Shield 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 32 partners from the Water3 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
30 cycles·7,710 steps
Moderate~8 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
drapionclawitzergolisopodcursolacrawdauntcorsolaskorupiclaunchercorphisharcheopsomastarkabutops
12 of 32·

Sword & Shield Cradily Best Moveset

Nothing fancy here. Cradily builds around Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, Bold nature for the right stat lean, and max HP and Defense EVs. Stormdrain does its job quietly.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Storm Drain
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Cradily
Bold+DEF

Cradily best EVs are HP and Defense

EVs

Doubles Wall Moveset

  • Giga DrainSTAB
  • Ancient PowerSTAB
  • Leech SeedSTAB
  • Earth Power

Recommended Teammates

Porygon2
Porygon2Decent
Excadrill
ExcadrillDecent
Tyranitar
TyranitarDecent

Moves

TMs carry this one. Cradily learns Power Whip and Solar Beam naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Poison and Ghost and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Acid
—4010030Poison
Lv 1
Astonish
—3010015Ghost
Lv 1
Confuse Ray
B—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Leech Seed
S—9010Grass
Lv 1
Wrap
—159020Normal
Lv 12
Ingrain
———20Grass
Lv 16
Ancient Power
S601005Rock
Lv 20
Mega Drain
—4010015Grass
Lv 24
Brine
D6510010Water
Lv 28
Amnesia
C——20Psychic
Lv 32
Gastro Acid
D—10010Poison
Lv 36
Giga Drain
S7510010Grass
Lv 43
Spit Up
D—10010Normal
Lv 43
Stockpile
A——20Normal
Lv 43
Swallow
D——10Normal
Lv 48
Energy Ball
C9010010Grass

TM Moves

TM
TR17
Amnesia
C——20Psychic
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TR01
Body Slam
B8510015Normal
TM55
Brine
D6510010Water
TM81
Bulldoze
D6010020Ground
TM50
Bullet Seed
D2510030Grass
TM15
Dig
C8010010Ground
TR67
Earth Power
A9010010Ground
TR10
Earthquake
C10010010Ground
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TR65
Energy Ball
C9010010Grass
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM28
Giga Drain
S7510010Grass
TM09
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TR77
Grass Knot
D—10020Grass
TM88
Grassy Terrain
———10Grass
TM08
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM53
Mud Shot
D559515Ground
TR72
Power Whip
B1208510Grass
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM21
Rest
A——10Psychic
TM54
Rock Blast
D259010Rock
TM22
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM48
Rock Tomb
C609515Rock
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TM32
Sandstorm
D——10Rock
TR59
Seed Bomb
C8010015Grass
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TR22
Sludge Bomb
A9010010Poison
TR78
Sludge Wave
C9510010Poison
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TM11
Solar Beam
B12010010Grass
TR76
Stealth Rock
A——20Rock
TR75
Stone Edge
C100805Rock
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM34
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM
Swords Dance
C——20Normal

Egg Moves

Cradily doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Meteor Beam
B1209010Rock

How to Get Cradily in Sword & Shield

No wild encounters for Cradily. The 2-stage line runs through Lileep, which you can catch at moderate rates from the locations below. Evolve at level 40 once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Cradily in Sword & Shield

To get Cradily, start by catching Lileep through fishing encounters at Lv. 60-65. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Lileep
    Step 1Catch Lileep
    Giant's Bed
    ShieldSuper Rod Lv.60-65
    10%Post
    Giant's Bed
    SwordSuper Rod Lv.60-65
    10%Post
    Giant's Foot
    ShieldSuper Rod Lv.60-65
    10%Post
    Giant's Foot
    SwordSuper Rod Lv.60-65
    10%Post
  2. Cradily
    Step 2Cradily ✓

Cradily Guide

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

  • In Sword & Shield, 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 Sword & Shield, 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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