Stats & Training
The stat bars tell the story: Speed carries everything and Sp. Atk's dead weight. But this Sharp Claw Pokemon still yields 1 Speed stat exp per fight on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
Its paws conceal sharp claws. If attacked, it suddenly extends the claws and startles its enemy.
Vicious in nature, it drives PIDGEY from their nests and feasts on the eggs that are left behind.
Sneasel Weakness
Sneasel's Dark/Ice typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting, Fire, Bug, Rock, and Steel. Fighting hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. At base 115 Speed, Sneasel outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fighting |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Bug, Rock, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Ice, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- 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
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Onix builds →Rock Throw 2x43-52% Rock Smash 4x52-62% | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Geodude builds →Fire Blast 2x40-48% Fire Punch 2x29-34% Rock Throw 2x66-78% Rock Smash 4x69-83% | ||
 Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Cyndaquil builds →Fire Blast 2x88-103%KO Ember 2x34-41% | ||
 Paras BugGrass | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Paras builds →Leech Life 2x88-103%KO Fury Cutter 2x48-57% Rock Smash 4x64-76% | ||
 Spinarak BugPoison | D | |
 Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x121-143%KO Fire Punch 2x84-99% Ember 2x49-58% Rock Smash 4x76-90% | ||
 Beedrill BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Beedrill builds →Fury Cutter 2x52-63% Twineedle 2x33-40% | ||
 Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Growlithe builds →Fire Blast 2x94-112%KO Ember 2x37-45% Rock Smash 4x60-72% | ||
Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Cyndaquil builds →Fire Blast 2x84-99% Ember 2x33-40% Rollout 2x19-24% | ||
 Vulpix Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Vulpix builds →Fire Blast 2x76-90% Ember 2x30-36% | ||
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x121-143%KO Iron Tail 2x88-105%KO Dynamic Punch 4x177-210%KO Fire Punch 2x85-100%KO | ||
 Mankey Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Mankey builds →Dynamic Punch 4x236-279%KO Iron Tail 2x79-93% Fire Punch 2x27-33% Karate Chop 4x121-143%KO | ||
 Tyrogue Fighting | D | |
Obtain MethodMt Mortar Gift | ||
 Machoke Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Machoke builds →Fire Blast 2x48-57% Dynamic Punch 4x279-329%KO Fire Punch 2x33-40% Karate Chop 4x145-171%KO | ||
Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Growlithe builds →Fire Blast 2x94-111%KO Iron Tail 2x70-83% Ember 2x36-43% Rock Smash 4x61-71% | ||
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x117-138%KO Iron Tail 2x85-101%KO Dynamic Punch 4x171-202%KO Fire Punch 2x82-97% | ||
Mankey Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Mankey builds →Dynamic Punch 4x222-262%KO Iron Tail 2x74-87% Fire Punch 2x26-32% Karate Chop 4x117-138%KO | ||
Tyrogue Fighting | D | |
Obtain MethodMt Mortar Gift | ||
Machoke Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Machoke builds →Fire Blast 2x46-55% Dynamic Punch 4x263-310%KO Fire Punch 2x32-39% Karate Chop 4x134-159%KO | ||
Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Growlithe builds →Fire Blast 2x91-107%KO Iron Tail 2x68-80% Ember 2x34-41% Rock Smash 4x59-69% | ||
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x117-138%KO Iron Tail 2x85-101%KO Dynamic Punch 4x171-202%KO Fire Punch 2x82-97% | ||
Mankey Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Mankey builds →Dynamic Punch 4x222-262%KO Iron Tail 2x74-87% Fire Punch 2x26-32% Karate Chop 4x117-138%KO | ||
Tyrogue Fighting | D | |
Obtain MethodMt Mortar Gift | ||
Machoke Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Machoke builds →Fire Blast 2x46-55% Dynamic Punch 4x263-310%KO Fire Punch 2x32-39% Karate Chop 4x134-159%KO | ||
Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Growlithe builds →Fire Blast 2x91-107%KO Iron Tail 2x68-80% Ember 2x34-41% Rock Smash 4x59-69% | ||
Magmar Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Magmar builds →Fire Blast 2x117-138%KO Iron Tail 2x85-101%KO Dynamic Punch 4x171-202%KO Fire Punch 2x82-97% | ||
Mankey Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Mankey builds →Dynamic Punch 4x222-262%KO Iron Tail 2x74-87% Fire Punch 2x26-32% Karate Chop 4x117-138%KO | ||
Tyrogue Fighting | D | |
Obtain MethodMt Mortar Gift | ||
Machoke Fighting | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Machoke builds →Fire Blast 2x46-55% Dynamic Punch 4x263-310%KO Fire Punch 2x32-39% Karate Chop 4x134-159%KO | ||
Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Growlithe builds →Fire Blast 2x91-107%KO Iron Tail 2x68-80% Ember 2x34-41% Rock Smash 4x59-69% | ||
In Gold & Silver, Machamp can KO Sneasel with Rock Slide (87-103%). Skarmory's Drill Peck hits Sneasel for 47-55%. Forretress's Explosion also KOs at 106-124%.
 Machamp Fighting | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Machamp builds →Rock Slide 2x87-103%KO Earthquake58-69% | ||
 Skarmory Steel | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Skarmory builds →Drill Peck47-55% | ||
 Forretress BugSteel | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Forretress builds →Explosion106-124%KO Rapid Spin22-25% | ||
 Golem RockGround | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Golem builds →Earthquake81-96% Explosion135-159%KO Rapid Spin27-32% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Sneasel View Houndoom builds →Fire Blast 2x131-154%KO Crunch24-28% Pursuit12-14% | ||
Gold & Silver Evolution
To get Weavile from Sneasel, you need a held item. The evolution method matters here. The evolved forms gain up to 80 total stats over Sneasel. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Sneasel easily with 66 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Bite, Counter, Foresight and 2 more to offspring.
Gold & Silver Sneasel Best Moveset
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Feint Attack
- Metal Claw
- Fury Swipes
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The natural movepool does the job, but Bite and Counter from the egg pool give Sneasel something extra. Pair those with Blizzard and Ice Punch for STAB and coverage across 8 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Gold & Silver Sneasel Locations
Sneasel appears at moderate rates across 4 spots in late-game routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Best Locations to Catch Sneasel in Gold & Silver
4 walking encounters at Lv. 38-42 for Sneasel across Gold and Silver. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
Sneasel Guide
At 430 BST, Sneasel is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Weavile before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Gold & Silver, watch for Hitmonlee (Fighting), Arcanine (Fire), and Scyther (Bug) when using Sneasel. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Hitmonlee is the most dangerous since Fighting moves deal 4x damage. Rock and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Sneasel's base 115 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
Sneasel is a special attacker with base 35 Sp. Atk. Speed tells the real story. Base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.
In Gold & Silver, For a casual playthrough, Sneasel works as a placeholder. Dark/Ice coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Weavile. That's where the stats start mattering.
In Gold & Silver, run Ice Beam, Feintattack, Metalclaw, and Furyswipes on Sneasel. Ice Beam is the most common pick at 18% usage. This set covers the pivot role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Available since Gold & Silver, Sneasel appears in 18 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Hisuian form in Generation 8.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves