NationalDex
piplup
#393

Piplup

Penguin Pokémon

Water

Because it is very proud, it hates accepting food from people. Its thick down guards it from cold.

Base Stats

HP 53
Attack 51
Defense 53
Sp. Atk 61
Sp. Def 56
Speed 40
Total 314

Type Effectiveness

Abilities

Evolution Chain

prinplup Prinplup Lv. 16
empoleon Empoleon Lv. 36

Moves

Details

Category Penguin Pokémon
Height 0.4 m
Weight 5.2 kg
Base Exp 63
Growth Rate Medium Slow
Capture Rate 45
Base Happiness 70
Gender 87.5% ♂ / 12.5% ♀
Habitat
Egg Groups Water1 ,Ground

Sprites

piplup Front Front
piplup Back Back
piplup Front Shiny Front Shiny
piplup Back Shiny Back Shiny
piplup Official Art Official Art
piplup Official Art (Shiny) Official Art (Shiny)

Competitive

lc Usage: 0.1%
Utility
Item
Eviolite
Nature
Bold
EVs
HP 92
Def 252
SpD 148

Strategy Overview

Piplup has a niche as one of the few LC Pokemon that can both set up hazards with Stealth Rock and get rid of the opponent's with Defog, giving it decent role compression. It's also a Defog user that isn't weak to Stealth Rock, allowing it to switch in more easily. Supporting this are its decent defenses and good defensive typing, letting it take resisted attacks and some neutral ones. Its access to a Water-type STAB move in Scald lets it beat most traditional Stealth Rock setters like Onix and Dwebble. However, Piplup is extremely passive, making it setup bait for sweepers like Shellder and Calm Mind Spritzee. It is also forced into performing its predictable niche, as it's outclassed as a Water-type attacker by Chinchou and defensive Staryu due to their better Speed and movepools. Piplup has access to no recovery outside of Rest, making it prone to getting worn down over time. Finally, it faces competition from Kabuto, a Water-type hazard setter with Rapid Spin, Knock Off, and Weak Armor, as well from Slowpoke and Mareanie, bulkier Water-types with access to Regenerator and recovery.

Most Used Moves

Defog
96.9%
Scald
95.9%
Ice Beam
72.2%
Yawn
18.4%

Most Used Items

Eviolite
95.5%

Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc