What is Magcargo weak to?

In Crystal, watch for Starmie (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Magcargo. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Rock-type attackers are also a problem. At base 30 Speed, Magcargo won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

How do you evolve Magcargo?

In Crystal, Slugma evolves into Magcargo at level 38. Magcargo is the fully evolved form. It sits at 420 BST in its evolved form.

Should I use Magcargo?

For Crystal, it depends on your team. Magcargo at 420 BST isn't a powerhouse, but the Fire/Rock coverage might be exactly what you're missing.

In Crystal, Magcargo has a 420 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. It works best as a support. Rest with Leftovers is the standard set.

What are Magcargo's strengths?

In Crystal, Fire/Rock typing gives Magcargo 6 resistances. Base 120 Defense is the standout stat. 420 BST gives it a workable foundation.

Magcargo - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Mixed

Support

CTier

30Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Magcargo's all-in on Defense at the expense of Speed. The special lean is obvious from the bars. Yields 2 Defense stat exp and follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Above

HP50

Attack50

Defense120

Sp. Atk90

Sp. Def80

Speed30

Total420

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging75 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.8 m

Weight55.0 kg

Base XP151

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Magma Armor

Prevents freezing.

Flame Body

Has a 30% chance of burning attacking Pokémon on contact.

Weak ArmorHA

Raises Speed and lowers Defense by one stage each upon being hit by a physical move.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe

Defense training target

Pokedex Entries

Its body is as hot as lava and is always billowing. Flames will occasionally burst from its shell.

Crystal

Magcargo Weakness

Magcargo's Fire/Rock typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, Fighting, and Rock. Water and Ground hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. 6 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Magcargo's physical bulk (base 120 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Magcargo Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
4x (Critical)	Water, Ground
2x (Weak)	Fighting, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug
0.25x (Resist)	Fire

Type ChartVulnerable

4Weak

6Resist

0Immune

Score-5

Gen II Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def

4xCritical

Water Ground

2xWeak

Fighting Rock

½xResist

Normal Ice Poison Flying Bug

¼xResist

Fire

0xImmune

None

STAB (6)

Grass Ice Bug Steel Fire Flying

How to Beat Magcargo in Crystal (Best Counters)

In Crystal, Machamp can KO Magcargo with Earthquake (129-153%). Golem threatens a KO with Earthquake (182-214%). Nidoking's Earthquake also KOs at 159-187%.

Machamp Fighting	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Cross Chop Rock Slide Earthquake CurseSetup Damage vs Magcargo Rock Slide 2x 49-57% Earthquake 4x 129-153%KO View Machamp builds →
Golem RockGround	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Explosion Rapid Spin RoarUtility Damage vs Magcargo Earthquake 4x 182-214%KO Explosion 37-44% Rapid Spin 7-9% View Golem builds →
Nidoking PoisonGround	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Ice Beam Lovely Kiss Thunder Damage vs Magcargo Earthquake 4x 159-187%KO Ice Beam 14-17% Thunder 35-41% View Nidoking builds →
Vaporeon Water	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves GrowthSetup SurfSTAB RestRecovery Acid Armor Damage vs Magcargo Surf 4x 212-249%KO View Vaporeon builds →

Crystal Evolution

Magcargo is the evolved form of Slugma. Breeding produces Slugma eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Slugma gave Magcargo the biggest boost in Defense (+80), bringing the total to 420 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#218Slugma

Level 38

#219Magcargo

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Slugma

Fire

Magcargo

FireRock

60+20

ATK

50+10

DEF

120+80

SP.ATK

90+20

SP.DEF

80+40

SPE

30+10

BST

250D-Tier

430C-Tier+180

ROLE

Balanced

Trick Room

TYPE

Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Magcargo to get Slugma eggs easily using 11 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Acid Armor.

Egg Groups

Indeterminate

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

1moves

Breed With (best first)

Crystal Magcargo Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Utility Moveset

RestRecovery
Fire BlastSTAB
AmnesiaUtility
Acid Armor

Recommended Teammates

MisdreavusDecent

CloysterDecent

MiltankDecent

Moves

Without TMs, Magcargo's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get Poison and Normal coverage and more on top of Fire Blast and Flamethrower for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Ember

—4010025Fire

Lv 1

Rock Throw

—509015Rock

Lv 1

Smog

—207020Poison

Lv 8

Ember

—4010025Fire

Lv 15

Rock Throw

—509015Rock

Lv 22

Harden

———30Normal

Lv 29

Amnesia

A——20Psychic

Lv 36

Flamethrower

A9510015Fire

Lv 48

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

Lv 60

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

TM40

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM26

Earthquake

D10010010Ground

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

TM38

Fire Blast

S120855Fire

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM31

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

S——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM04

Rollout

D309020Rock

TM35

Sleep Talk

A——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

HM04

Strength

D8010015Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg

Acid Armor

A——40Poison

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Flamethrower

A9510015Fire

How to Get Magcargo in Crystal

Can't catch Magcargo directly. Start with Slugma at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 38. The 2-stage line from Slugma to Magcargo is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Magcargo in Crystal

Slugma is your first catch on the way to Magcargo. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 27-32 across 3 total spots in the chain.

Step 1Catch Slugma
Route 17
Grass Lv.29-32 Route
35%Mid
Day
Route 16
Grass Lv.27 Route
5%Mid
Route 18
Grass Lv.27 Route
5%Mid
Train until Level 38
Step 2Magcargo ✓

Magcargo Guide

In Crystal, watch for Starmie (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Magcargo. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Rock-type attackers are also a problem. At base 30 Speed, Magcargo won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
In Crystal, Slugma evolves into Magcargo at level 38. Magcargo is the fully evolved form. It sits at 420 BST in its evolved form.
For Crystal, it depends on your team. Magcargo at 420 BST isn't a powerhouse, but the Fire/Rock coverage might be exactly what you're missing.
In Crystal, Magcargo has a 420 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. It works best as a support. Rest with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Crystal, Fire/Rock typing gives Magcargo 6 resistances. Base 120 Defense is the standout stat. 420 BST gives it a workable foundation.

Game Availability

Magcargo first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 17 games across 9 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Want to tell us more?

What was most useful?

About:

What could be improved?

About:

Thanks for your feedback