Is Lugia Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Whirl Islands static encounter. Level 45 in SoulSilver during the story, level 70 in HeartGold postgame. Psychic/Flying with AbilityPressure. Enormous special Defense. The SoulSilver box legendary handles the E4 and Red. HeartGold players wait until after all 16 badges.
Lugia resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Whitney's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Chuck's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Lugia resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Clair's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Lugia resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Lugia resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Blue's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Lugia resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Karen's coverage and hits back hard.
Catch Lugia on Whirl Islands (interact, Lv 70, limited). Encounter deep in the Whirl Islands after collecting the Silver Wing and Tidal Bell
- STARTING (Lv 70)
- LV 70FlyingAeroblast15095%5
- LV 70PsychicExtrasensory120100%20
- After Whitney
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFly13595%15
- After Brock
- TM26GroundEarthquake100100%10
- LV 79PsychicFuture Sight180100%10
- LV 93PsychicCalm Mind—100%20
- LV 99FlyingSky Attack21090%5
How to Get Lugia in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Lugia waits at a fixed spot in this game. Head to Whirl Islands for a one-time encounter. No random spawns or encounter rates involved — it's a set battle at a known location.
How to Get Lugia in HeartGold & SoulSilver
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Psychic |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Lugia Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Lugia
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x42-50% Thunderbolt 2x28-33% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Shadow Claw 2x35-41% Pursuit 2x32-38% Thunderbolt 2x26-31% Ice Beam 2x26-31% | ||
 Plusle Electric | B | |
 Flaaffy Electric | C | |
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x56-66% Shadow Ball 2x32-38% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x42-51% Thunderbolt 2x28-34% | ||
 Magnemite ElectricSteel | C | |
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Payback 2x37-44% Shadow Claw 2x32-38% Thunderbolt 2x24-29% Ice Beam 2x24-29% | ||
 Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x45-54% Thunderbolt 2x34-40% Sucker Punch 2x19-23% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x53-62% Shadow Ball 2x30-36% Bite 2x16-19% | ||
 Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x39-47% Thunderbolt 2x26-31% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Bite 2x39-47% Shadow Claw 2x30-36% Thunderbolt 2x23-28% Ice Beam 2x23-28% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x55-65% Shadow Ball 2x31-37% Bite 2x15-18% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x39-46% Thunderbolt 2x26-31% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Bite 2x41-48% Shadow Claw 2x31-37% Thunderbolt 2x23-28% Ice Beam 2x23-28% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x52-62% Shadow Ball 2x29-35% Bite 2x14-17% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x38-45% Thunderbolt 2x25-30% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Bite 2x40-48% Shadow Claw 2x31-37% Thunderbolt 2x22-27% Ice Beam 2x22-27% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x54-63% Shadow Ball 2x30-35% Bite 2x15-18% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Lapras builds →Ice Beam 2x38-45% Thunderbolt 2x25-30% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x48-57% Shadow Ball 2x27-33% Payback 2x12-14% | ||
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x115-136%KO Avalanche 2x31-37% Assurance 2x26-31% Thunderbolt 2x20-23% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Tyranitar builds →Crunch 2x52-61% Stone Edge 2x64-76% Shadow Claw 2x30-36% Thunderbolt 2x26-31% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x63-74% Shadow Claw 2x30-35% Avalanche 2x26-30% Payback 2x22-26% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x47-55% Shadow Ball 2x26-31% Crunch 2x24-28% | ||
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Groudon's Stone Edge hits Lugia for 49-57%. Garchomp deals 40-47% with Stone Edge.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Giratina builds →
| ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDrought ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Groudon builds →Stone Edge 2x49-57% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySandveil ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Garchomp builds →Outrage24-28% Stone Edge 2x40-47% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Scizor builds →Bullet Punch13-16% Superpower10-12% U Turn23-27% Pursuit 2x26-31% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityShadowtag ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves View Wobbuffet builds →
| ||
Lugia Evolutions
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
Breeding
HGSS Lugia Best Moveset
Defensive legendary at 130 Defense and 154 Sp. Def with 106 HP absorbing everything. The moveset blocks attacks from both sides while supporting with MoveRoost recovery. AbilityPressure drains PP. 90 in both offensive stats give modest threat. 110 Speed is fast for a tank. Banned from standard play.
Best Build
Lugia best EVs are HP and Speed
Wall Moveset
- Roost
- Ice Beam
- Whirlwind
- Calm Mind
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Lugia can hit 13 types beyond STAB, including Normal and Dragon. The offense anchors on Sky Attack and Future Sight while TMs handle everything else.
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 is said that it quietly spends its time deep at the bottom of the sea because its powers are too strong.
It is said to be the guardian of the seas. It is rumored to have been seen on the night of a storm.
Lugia HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
For the HeartGold & SoulSilver 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 wall. Roost with Leftovers is the standard set.
Lugia is a static encounter at Johto Whirl Islands in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Lugia appears at level 45. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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.
Pressure increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. That's the one you want on Lugia. It's the only ability Lugia has.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Lugia fills the wall role. It's a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Base 110 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.
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
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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