Physical
Wallbreaker
CTier
50Speed · Slow

Stats & Training

Attack and Defense carry most of Donphan's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Attack and Defense EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
High
HP90
B
Attack120
A
Defense120
A
Sp. Atk60
C
Sp. Def60
C
Speed50
D
Total500
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.1 m
3'07"Small
Weight120.0 kg
264.6 lbsHeavy
Base XP175
Average
Abilities
SturdyTop Pick
Prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Protects against the one-hit KO moves regardless of HP.
Sand VeilHA
Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
EV Yield
HPAtk+1Def+1SpASpDSpe
Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.

Donphan Weakness

Donphan is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Donphan's physical bulk (base 120 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Donphan Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Water, Grass, Ice
0.5x (Resist)Poison, Rock
0x (Immune)Electric
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterGrassIce
½xResist
PoisonRock
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Electric
STAB (5)
FireElectricPoisonRockSteel
How to Beat Donphan in X & Y (Best Counters)

In X & Y, Serperior can KO Donphan with Leaf Storm (111-130%). Gastrodon deals 76-89% with Scald.

Serperior
Serperior
Grass
A
Recommended Build
AbilityContrary
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • Leaf Storm
  • GlareUtility
  • Hidden Power Fire
  • Hidden Power Rock
Damage vs Donphan
Leaf Storm 2x
111-130%KO
View Serperior builds →

X & Y Evolution

Evolved from Phanpy. Donphan is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Attack grew the most through evolution (+60 over Phanpy), and Donphan peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Phanpy
#231Phanpy
25
Level 25
Donphan
#232Donphan
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Phanpy
Ground
Donphan
Ground
HP
90
90
ATK
60
120+60
DEF
60
120+60
SP.ATK
40
60+20
SP.DEF
40
60+20
SPE
40
50+10
BST
330D-Tier
500A-Tier+170
ROLE
Balanced
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Physical
Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Donphan to get Phanpy eggs easily using 200 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Ancient Power, Body Slam, Counter and 9 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
12moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 200·

X & Y Donphan Best Moveset

Donphan runs a standard defensive wall set. Impish nature with max HP and Defense EVs shapes the build, while Leftovers brings passive recovery each turn. Sturdy supports the kit from the background.

Best Build

Situational pick
Bulky Support
Ability
Sturdy
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Donphan
Impish+DEF

Donphan best EVs are HP and Defense

EVs

Bulky Support Moveset

  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Rapid Spin
  • Ice Shard
  • Knock Off

Recommended Teammates

Heatran
HeatranDecent
Jirachi
JirachiDecent

Moves

The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 10 types means almost nothing walls Donphan cleanly, with Earthquake and Bulldoze anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bulldoze
C6010020Ground
Lv 1
Defense Curl
———40Normal
Lv 1
Fire Fang
C659515Fire
Lv 1
Growl
——10040Normal
Lv 1
Horn Attack
—6510025Normal
Lv 1
Thunder Fang
—659515Electric
Lv 6
Rapid Spin
S5010040Normal
Lv 10
Knock Off
A6510020Dark
Lv 15
Rollout
D309020Rock
Lv 19
Magnitude
——10030Ground
Lv 24
Slam
—807520Normal
Lv 25
Fury Attack
—158520Normal
Lv 31
Assurance
C6010010Dark
Lv 39
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Lv 46
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
Lv 54
Giga Impact
B150905Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM78
Bulldoze
C6010020Ground
TM100
Confide
———20Normal
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TM49
Echoed Voice
D4010015Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
D—1005Steel
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM84
Poison Jab
C8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
TM69
Rock Polish
D——20Rock
TM80
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
—4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
C609515Rock
TM48
Round
D6010015Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
D——10Rock
TM88
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM71
Stone Edge
C100805Rock
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Ancient Power
D601005Rock
Egg
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
Egg
Counter-5
D—10020Fighting
Egg
Endeavor
D—1005Normal
Egg
Fissure
——305Ground
Egg
Focus Energy
D——30Normal
Egg
Head Smash
B150805Rock
Egg
Heavy Slam
D—10010Steel
Egg
Ice Shard+1
S4010030Ice
Egg
Mud-Slap
D2010010Ground
Egg
Play Rough
C909010Fairy
Egg
Snore
—5010015Normal

Tutor Moves

Donphan can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Charm
D—10020Fairy
Rem
Double-Edge
B12010015Normal
Rem
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Rem
Flail
——10015Normal
Rem
Last Resort
B1401005Normal
Rem
Natural Gift
D—10015Normal
Rem
Odor Sleuth
———40Normal
Rem
Tackle
D5010035Normal
Rem
Take Down
—908520Normal

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 4
Captivate
——10020Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal

How to Get Donphan in X & Y

Donphan isn't available in the wild in X & Y. Start by transferring Phanpy from Silver, Crystal, or Scarlet. The evolution path from Phanpy to Donphan is covered in the steps below.

How to Obtain Donphan in X & Y

  1. Phanpy
    Step 1Obtain Phanpy

    Also found in:

    SilverCrystalRubyEmeraldFireRedDiamond
  2. Donphan
    Step 2Donphan ✓

Donphan Guide

  • For X & Y, we rate Donphan C-Tier: a niche pick in X & Y's meta. At 500 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Earthquake with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In X & Y, Donphan's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Sturdy is the go-to ability for Donphan. It prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Its hidden ability Sand Veil can work in specific setups.

  • Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Donphan is a physical attacker with base 120 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.

  • For X & Y, the core moveset is Earthquake, Rapid Spin, Ice Shard, and Knock Off. Earthquake leads at 24% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Donphan spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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