Is Magcargo Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Fire/Rock is defensively terrible: 4x weak to both Water and Ground. The postgame timing compounds the bad typing. Crystal's Battle Tower punishes these weaknesses even harder than the story mode does. Not worth the roster spot.
Slugma has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Slugma resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's team hits Slugma's weaknesses hard.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Clair's Pokemon outpace and outclass Slugma here.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Sabrina's typing presses Slugma's defenses.
Slugma has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Slugma trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Misty's team hits Magcargo's weaknesses hard.
Brock's team hits Magcargo's weaknesses hard.
Magcargo trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Magcargo trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Magcargo trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Magcargo has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Bruno's team hits Magcargo's weaknesses hard.
Magcargo has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Catch Slugma on Route 16 (walking, Lv 27, rare).
- STARTING (Lv 27)
- LV 27FireEmber60100%25
- LV 27RockRock Throw5090%15
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire Blast16585%5
- After Whitney
- TM13NormalSnore50100%15
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden Power60100%15
- LV 36FireFlamethrower135100%15
- LV 43RockRock Slide7590%10
- LV 50NormalBody Slam85100%15
Your Slugma should hit Level 38 before you reach Misty, at typical leveling pace.
- STARTING (Lv 38)
- LV 38FireFlamethrower135100%15
- LV 38RockRock Throw7590%15
- LV 38FireEmber60100%25
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire Blast16585%5
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrength80100%15
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden Power60100%15
- LV 48RockRock Slide11390%10
- LV 60NormalBody Slam85100%15
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 C
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 SlugmaRoute 17Lv.29-32GrassRate 35%DayRoute 16Lv.27GrassRate 5%Route 18Lv.27GrassRate 5%
Step 2Magcargo ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Magcargo egg.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Water, Ground |
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Fire |
- 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 Magcargo Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Magcargo
 Totodile Water | C | |
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Totodile builds →Water Gun 4x65-78% Mud-Slap 4x28-35% | ||
 Slowpoke WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Slowpoke builds →Water Gun 4x65-78% Mud-Slap 4x28-35% | ||
 Poliwag Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEcruteak City Surfing | ||
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Geodude builds →Rock Throw 2x37-46% Mud-Slap 4x43-52% | ||
 Sandshrew Ground | C | |
 Cubone Ground | C | |
Obtain MethodGoldenrod City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Cubone builds →Bone Club 4x71-86% Rock Smash 2x11-14% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Water Gun 4x91-107%KO Rock Smash 2x14-18% | ||
 Hitmonlee Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Hitmonlee builds →Jump Kick 2x71-86% Mud-Slap 4x36-43% | ||
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Azumarill builds →Water Gun 4x71-86% Mud-Slap 4x23-29% Rollout 2x14-18% Rock Smash 2x11-14% | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Quagsire builds →Water Gun 4x71-86% Mud-Slap 4x45-54% Rock Smash 2x14-18% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Surf 4x197-233%KO Rock Smash 2x12-15% | ||
Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Azumarill builds →Surf 4x152-179%KO Mud-Slap 4x19-24% Rollout 2x12-15% Rock Smash 2x9-12% | ||
Quagsire WaterGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Quagsire builds →Surf 4x160-188%KO Dig 4x99-116%KO Rollout 2x16-21% Rock Smash 2x12-15% | ||
 Croconaw Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Croconaw builds →Surf 4x152-179%KO Dig 4x60-72% Rock Smash 2x12-15% | ||
 Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Psyduck builds →Surf 4x160-188%KO Dig 4x45-54% Rock Smash 2x9-12% | ||
 Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Vaporeon builds →Surf 4x226-267%KO Mud-Slap 4x21-25% | ||
 Poliwrath WaterFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Poliwag (Ecruteak City Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Poliwrath builds →Surf 4x163-193%KO Dynamic Punch 2x75-89% Mud-Slap 4x25-30% | ||
 Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Feraligatr builds →Surf 4x175-207%KO Dig 4x67-79% Dynamic Punch 2x54-64% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Surf 4x181-215%KO Rock Smash 2x12-15% | ||
 Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Marowak builds →Dig 4x88-104%KO Dynamic Punch 2x46-54% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Vaporeon builds →Surf 4x220-260%KO Mud-Slap 4x20-24% | ||
Poliwrath WaterFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Poliwag (Ecruteak City Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Poliwrath builds →Surf 4x153-181%KO Dynamic Punch 2x76-90% Mud-Slap 4x24-29% | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Feraligatr builds →Surf 4x171-202%KO Dig 4x69-82% Dynamic Punch 2x54-65% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Surf 4x177-210%KO Rock Smash 2x12-14% | ||
Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Marowak builds →Dig 4x86-101%KO Dynamic Punch 2x45-53% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Vaporeon builds →Surf 4x220-260%KO Mud-Slap 4x20-24% | ||
Poliwrath WaterFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Poliwag (Ecruteak City Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Poliwrath builds →Surf 4x153-181%KO Dynamic Punch 2x76-90% Mud-Slap 4x24-29% | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Feraligatr builds →Surf 4x171-202%KO Dig 4x69-82% Dynamic Punch 2x54-65% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Surf 4x177-210%KO Rock Smash 2x12-14% | ||
Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Marowak builds →Dig 4x86-101%KO Dynamic Punch 2x45-53% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Vaporeon builds →Surf 4x220-260%KO Mud-Slap 4x20-24% | ||
Poliwrath WaterFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Poliwag (Ecruteak City Surfing) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Poliwrath builds →Surf 4x153-181%KO Dynamic Punch 2x76-90% Mud-Slap 4x24-29% | ||
Feraligatr Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Feraligatr builds →Surf 4x171-202%KO Dig 4x69-82% Dynamic Punch 2x54-65% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Lapras builds →Surf 4x177-210%KO Rock Smash 2x12-14% | ||
Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Marowak builds →Dig 4x86-101%KO Dynamic Punch 2x45-53% | ||
Marowak Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Marowak builds →Earthquake 4x134-158%KO Dynamic Punch 2x45-53% | ||
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Tyranitar builds →Earthquake 4x135-159%KO Surf 4x133-157%KO Rock Slide 2x76-89% Dynamic Punch 2x68-80% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 4x196-231%KO Surf 4x76-89% Dynamic Punch 2x65-77% Rollout 2x30-36% | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Vaporeon builds →Hydro Pump 4x286-336%KO Mud-Slap 4x18-22% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Slowbro builds →Surf 4x210-247%KO Earthquake 4x84-100%KO Dynamic Punch 2x42-50% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build ItemNothing Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Sneasel builds →Ice Beam7-9% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemNothing Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Delibird builds →Thief15-18% Ice Beam12-14% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Tangela builds →Bind1-2% Giga Drain27-32% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Murkrow builds →Drill Peck9-11% Thief19-22% Pursuit13-15% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemNothing Moves
Damage vs Magcargo View Venomoth builds →Thief20-24% Psychic30-35% Giga Drain25-29% | ||
Magcargo Evolutions
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
C Magcargo Best Moveset
Fire/Rock creates 4x weaknesses to both Water and Ground, the format's two most common attacking types. MoveFire Blast from 80 Sp. Atk hits modestly. Held ItemLeftovers can't sustain what the typing invites. Defensive liabilities that outweigh the offensive output.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Rest
- Fire Blast
- Amnesia
- Acid Armor
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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
Its body is as hot as lava and is always billowing. Flames will occasionally burst from its shell.
Magcargo Crystal 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.
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, Magcargo fills the support role. It's a mixed attacker with base 50 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk. Base 30 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Crystal, run Rest, Fire Blast, Amnesia, and Acidarmor on Magcargo. Rest is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the support role with a mix of damage and utility.
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
- 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