
Is Cubone Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Rock Tunnel in Kanto, postgame only. Ground-type coverage with solid physical Attack once Marowak evolves at 28. Crystal's Johto story gives you Quagsire and Donphan for Ground before Kanto opens up. Cubone arrives after its niche is filled.
Cubone trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Cubone trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Cubone trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Cubone has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Marowak resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Erika's team hits Marowak's weaknesses hard.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Will's team hits Marowak's weaknesses hard.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Marowak trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Marowak has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Cubone is given to you as a gift on Goldenrod City at Lv 15. 800 Coins. Purchase for 800 Coins at the Goldenrod Game Corner prize counter
- STARTING (Lv 15)
- LV 15GroundBone Club9885%20
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDig120100%10
- TM14IceBlizzard11070%5
- TM38FireFire Blast11085%5
- TM48FireFire Punch75100%15
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrength80100%15
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron Tail10075%15
- LV 37NormalThrash120100%10
Your Cubone should hit Level 28 before you reach Chuck, at typical leveling pace.
- STARTING (Lv 28)
- LV 28GroundBone Club9885%20
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDig120100%10
- TM14IceBlizzard11070%5
- TM38FireFire Blast11085%5
- TM48FireFire Punch75100%15
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrength80100%15
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron Tail10075%15
- LV 46NormalThrash120100%10
How to Get Cubone in Crystal
Cubone is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 3 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Where To Catch Cubone in C
The path to Cubone starts with Cubone at Lv. 10-18 via walking and gift encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Cubone ✓Rock Tunnel - 1FLv.10CaveRate 30%Morning/dayRock Tunnel - B1FLv.12CaveRate 30%Morning/dayGoldenrod City - Game CornerLv.15Gift from NPCLimitedPurchase: 800 coins
Step 2Catch or Evolve into MarowakRock Tunnel - 1FLv.12CaveRate 5%Morning/dayRock Tunnel - B1FLv.15CaveRate 5%Morning/dayRoute 10Lv.15GrassRate 5%Morning/dayRoute 9Lv.18GrassRate 5%Morning/dayor evolve from Cubone (Step 1)
Cubone Weakness
Cubone is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Cubone's physical bulk (base 95 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Grass, Ice |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Rock |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- 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
What is Cubone Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Cubone
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Chikorita Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift | ||
Hoppip Grass | D | |
Poliwag Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEcruteak City Surfing | ||
Totodile Water | C | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift | ||
Smoochum IcePsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift | ||
Chikorita Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift | ||
Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Hoppip Grass | D | |
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x163-193%KO Water Gun 2x59-70% | ||
Smoochum IcePsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift | ||
Skiploom Grass | C | |
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing | ||
Bayleef Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Surf 2x133-157%KO Blizzard 2x167-197%KO | ||
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Smoochum IcePsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift | ||
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Psyduck builds →Surf 2x109-130%KO Blizzard 2x93-110%KO | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Quagsire builds →Surf 2x109-130%KO Ice Punch 2x58-69% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x157-185%KO Blizzard 2x132-156%KO | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Surf 2x128-152%KO Blizzard 2x163-193%KO | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x122-144%KO Blizzard 2x102-121%KO | ||
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x157-184%KO Blizzard 2x130-154%KO | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Surf 2x125-148%KO Blizzard 2x159-188%KO | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x119-141%KO Blizzard 2x100-118%KO | ||
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Gyarados builds →Surf 2x98-116%KO Blizzard 2x82-96% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x157-184%KO Blizzard 2x130-154%KO | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Surf 2x125-148%KO Blizzard 2x159-188%KO | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x119-141%KO Blizzard 2x100-118%KO | ||
Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Gyarados builds →Surf 2x98-116%KO Blizzard 2x82-96% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Vaporeon builds →Surf 2x157-184%KO Blizzard 2x130-154%KO | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Lapras builds →Surf 2x125-148%KO Blizzard 2x159-188%KO | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Feraligatr builds →Surf 2x119-141%KO Blizzard 2x100-118%KO | ||
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Gyarados Water | B | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Gyarados builds →Hydro Pump 2x126-148%KO Blizzard 2x84-99% | ||
Celebi PsychicGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Interact Encounter | ||
Tangela Grass | C | |
Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
A | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Rhyhorn builds →Earthquake27-32% Rock Slide10-12% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Elekid builds →Psychic33-39% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Drowzee builds →Psychic24-29% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Magcargo builds →Fire Blast52-61% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemCharcoal Moves
Damage vs Cubone View Flaaffy builds →Tackle8-10% | ||
Cubone Evolutions
Cubone is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Marowak. Check the evolution method below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 105 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cubone easily with 36 breeding partners from the Monster egg group. Pass egg moves like Ancient Power, Belly Drum, Perish Song and 4 more to offspring.
C Cubone Best Moveset
Ground pre-evolution heading toward Marowak's Held ItemThick Club transformation. MoveEarthquake exists at stats that can't deliver competitive damage. The gap between Cubone and Thick Club Marowak is the largest power jump in the format.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
- Body Slam
- Fire Blast
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding opens up real options for Cubone. Ancient Power and Belly Drum come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Dig and coverage across 8 types.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It lost its mother after its birth. It wears its mother’s skull, never revealing its true face.
Cubone Crystal Guide
Cubone costs 800 Coins in Crystal. Earn coins by playing the slot machines on the Game Corner floor or buying them at the counter (1,000 coins for ₽10,000).
In Crystal, For a casual playthrough, Cubone works as a placeholder. Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Marowak. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Cubone appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Cubone have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves