For the Sword & Shield meta, At 680 BST, Lugia is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a pivot.

What is Lugia weak to?

In Sword & Shield, watch for Raikou (Electric), Lapras (Ice), and Tyranitar (Rock) when using Lugia. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Lugia has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

What is the best ability for Lugia?

In Sword & Shield, Run Multiscale on Lugia. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Lugia also gets Pressure, but they don't compare.

What role does Lugia play in battle?

In Sword & Shield, Lugia fills the pivot role. It's a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk. Base 110 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.

What is Lugia's hidden ability?

In Sword & Shield, Lugia's hidden ability is Multiscale. Halves damage taken from full HP. Better than the standard options for competitive play.

Lugia - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Pivot

STier

110Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Lugia's spread favors special bulk over offense. Sp. Def leads the defensive side, Attack eats the cost. Yields 3 Sp. Def EVs per defeat. Slow 1.25M XP grind to level.

Base Stats

Legend

HP106

Attack90

Defense130

Sp. Atk90

Sp. Def154

Speed110

Total680

Details

Catch Rate

Legendary3 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height5.2 m

Weight216.0 kg

Base XP306

Abilities

Pressure

Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.

MultiscaleHA

Halves damage taken from full HP.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpD+3Spe

Strong Special Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

No Sword Shield entries available

It sleeps in a deep-sea trench. If it flaps its wings, it is said to cause a 40-day storm.

Lugia Weakness

Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Lugia for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. Lugia's overall bulk (106/130/154) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.

Lugia Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, Dark
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Psychic
0.25x (Resist)	Fighting
0x (Immune)	Ground

Type ChartAvg

5Weak

3Resist

1Immune

Score-3

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Ice Rock Ghost Dark

½xResist

Grass Psychic

¼xResist

Fighting

0xImmune

Ground

STAB (4)

Fighting Poison Grass Bug

How to Beat Lugia in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Weavile's Knock Off hits Lugia for 46-54%. Nihilego deals 48-57% with Power Gem.

Weavile DarkIce	A
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves Knock Off Ice Shard Triple Axel Swords Dance Damage vs Lugia Knock Off 2x 46-54% Ice Shard 2x 29-34% View Weavile builds →
Zeraora Electric	A
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemAir Balloon NatureJolly Moves Plasma Fists Fake Out Drain Punch Fire Punch Damage vs Lugia Drain Punch 4-5% View Zeraora builds →
Nihilego RockPoison	A
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves Power Gem Grass Knot Stealth Rock Sludge Wave Damage vs Lugia Power Gem 2x 48-57% View Nihilego builds →
Blacephalon FireGhost	A
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves Shadow Ball FlamethrowerSTAB TrickUtility OverheatSTAB Damage vs Lugia Shadow Ball 2x 58-68% Flamethrower 32-38% Overheat 46-55% View Blacephalon builds →
Mamoswine IceGround	B
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves EarthquakeSTAB Icicle Crash Ice Shard Knock Off Damage vs Lugia Ice Shard 2x 39-46% Knock Off 2x 42-50% View Mamoswine builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

A Psychic/Flying-type legendary, Lugia doesn't evolve or breed. At 680 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#249LugiaDoes not evolve

Breeding

Unavailable

Undiscovered egg group

Sword & Shield Lugia 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

Coverage runs deep. Lugia can hit 10 types beyond STAB, including Rock and Dragon. The offense anchors on Sky Attack and Future Sight while TMs handle everything else.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Ancient Power

D601005Rock

Lv 1

Dragon Rush

C1007510Dragon

Lv 1

Gust

D4010035Flying

Lv 1

Weather Ball

D5010010Normal

Lv 1

Whirlwind-6

D——20Normal

Lv 9

Mist

D——30Ice

Lv 18

Safeguard

C——25Normal

Lv 27

Calm Mind

C——20Psychic

Lv 36

Extrasensory

C8010020Psychic

Lv 45

Recover

C——10Normal

Lv 54

Aeroblast

—100955Flying

Lv 63

Rain Dance

C——5Water

Lv 72

Hydro Pump

C110805Water

Lv 81

Future Sight

B12010010Psychic

Lv 90

Sky Attack

B140905Flying

TM Moves

TM95

Air Slash

C759515Flying

TM64

Avalanche-4

D6010010Ice

TR06

Blizzard

C110705Ice

TR01

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

TM55

Brine

D6510010Water

TM81

Bulldoze

D6010020Ground

TR49

Calm Mind

C——20Psychic

TM45

Dive

C8010010Water

TR62

Dragon Pulse

C8510010Dragon

TR67

Earth Power

C9010010Ground

TR10

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TR26

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM39

Facade

C7010020Normal

TM06

Fly

C909515Flying

TR34

Future Sight

B12010010Psychic

TM28

Giga Drain

C7510010Grass

TM09

Giga Impact

B150905Normal

TM35

Hail

C——10Ice

TM41

Helping Hand+5

C——20Normal

TR89

Hurricane

C1107010Flying

TR03

Hydro Pump

C110805Water

TM08

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TR42

Hyper Voice

C9010010Normal

TR05

Ice Beam

C9010010Ice

TM27

Icy Wind

D559515Ice

TM44

Imprison

D——10Psychic

TR74

Iron Head

C8010015Steel

TR31

Iron Tail

C1007515Steel

TM17

Light Screen

C——30Psychic

TM25

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TR11

Psychic

B9010010Psychic

TR25

Psyshock

C8010010Psychic

TM33

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM18

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM21

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM76

Round

D6010015Normal

TM19

Safeguard

C——25Normal

TM32

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TR33

Shadow Ball

C8010015Ghost

TR40

Skill Swap

C——10Psychic

TR27

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM24

Snore

—5010015Normal

TM30

Steel Wing

D709025Steel

TR20

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM34

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TR04

Surf

C9010015Water

TM40

Swift

D60—20Normal

TR09

Thunder

C1107010Electric

TM14

Thunder Wave

C—9020Electric

TR08

Thunderbolt

C9010015Electric

TR38

Trick

C—10010Psychic

TR16

Waterfall

C8010015Water

TM46

Weather Ball

D5010010Normal

TM36

Whirlpool

D358515Water

TM71

Wonder Room

———10Psychic

TR69

Zen Headbutt

C809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Lugia doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Dual Wingbeat

D409010Flying

Tutor

Scale Shot

D259020Dragon

How to Get Lugia in Sword & Shield

No wild encounters for Lugia in Sword & Shield. It's available in Gold, Crystal, or Ultra Moon and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

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

Also found in:

Gold Crystal Emerald FireRed HeartGold Alpha Sapphire

Lugia Guide

For the Sword & Shield meta, At 680 BST, Lugia is built different. We rank it S-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a pivot.
In Sword & Shield, watch for Raikou (Electric), Lapras (Ice), and Tyranitar (Rock) when using Lugia. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Lugia has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.
In Sword & Shield, Run Multiscale on Lugia. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Lugia also gets Pressure, but they don't compare.
In Sword & Shield, Lugia fills the pivot role. It's a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk. Base 110 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.
In Sword & Shield, Lugia's hidden ability is Multiscale. Halves damage taken from full HP. Better than the standard options for competitive play.

Game Availability

Lugia has appeared in 17 games since Gold & Silver, spanning 9 generations. As a Legendary, it's typically a one-per-save encounter tied to the story or post-game content.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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