Pokemon Breeding Guide

1. A Ditto and an Everstone is all you need. Done.

Just kidding. Pokemon Breeding is a highly complex process that requires patience and dedication. You want the best Pokemon with the best moves and Individual Values. Breeding is the absolute best way to do this. Most players who engage in Pokemon Breeding outside of Pokedex completion are doing it for the competitive metagame. Here are some basics:

How to Breed Pokemon Basics:

1. Breeding can only take place in the Pokemon Day Care on Route 7 in Pokemon X and Y.

2. Both participating Pokemon must be of the opposite gender. There is one exception.

3. Both participating Pokemon must be part of the same Egg Group.

4. The species that hatches from the Egg will always be that of the female Pokemon.

5. A Pokemon and its evolutionary relatives will always be in the same Egg Group.

7. If it’s a mammal, it’s 90% likely to be the Field Egg Group.

There are several special conditions that can break these basic rules, but they are rare. For now, assume these basics are ironclad.

The first important thing you need to know are Egg Groups (outside of Ditto, of course). I will not be listing every Pokemon in every Egg Group, but I will provide a general overview of what Pokemon to expect in certain Egg Groups. Keep in mind that there are four things the Pokemon Breeder outside the Day Care will say to determine whether or not you’ll get an egg:

“The two Pokemon get along very well!” Eggs almost guaranteed.

“The two Pokemon seem to get along.” Pretty likely you’ll get eggs.

“The two Pokemon don’t really like each other.” Don’t expect a miracle.

“The two Pokemon prefer to play with other Pokemon than each other.” Give up; there won’t be any eggs.

Now this is a general overview of Egg Groups. NOTE: The Field Egg Group is so broad, you can almost assume there is a combination of Field and Group X.

1. Grass – This group is self explanatory. It is exclusively Grass types. There are some Pokemon that can be part of the same Egg Group such as Venusaur, which is Grass and Monster. Types almost always reflect which Egg Group a Pokemon belongs to.

2. Bug – Again, this group is exclusively Bug types. There are less dual group combinations in the Bug Group, however. Note that while the Sewaddle family line is Bug/Grass, they are not part of the Bug and Grass groups, just the Bug Group. Paras and Parasect are. You can still breed them. But experimentation is very important in breeding.

3. Flying – Must be a Flying type, must be based on avian creature with wings. Jumpluff won’t cut it, for example.

4. Human-Like – This is one of the more diverse Egg Groups. The key element of this group is that all participants are based on bipedal hominids or something along those lines. They must be at least bipedal. Cacnea, Cacturne, Volbeat, and Illumnise are part of this group as special exceptions. Scraggy’s line is strangely not (Field and Dragon). Neither is Ralts’s evolutionary lines, strangely (Amorphous).

5. Monster – This is the second most diverse Egg Group. The Pokemon in here are normally considered intimidating, and many starters are part of this Egg Group. PokeManiacs love using these types of Pokemon. There are combinations with the Grass, Dragon, Field, and Water 1 Egg Groups.

6. Fairy – This Egg Group existed long before the Fairy type was introduced. There is a guarantee that a Fairy type will be part of this group. Some Pokemon, like Sylveon, are not part of this group. Snorunt and its evolutions, Castform, and Manaphy/Phione are part of this group as well as Water 1. Pikachu is part of this group as well.

7. Dragon – Take the Dragons and you have this group. However, a lot of reptilian Pokemon find their way into this group, as well as Pokemon that can be considered draconic (not Aerodactyl, it’s in Flying). The Pokemon families that are based on sea horses and Milotic are Pokemon in this group.

8. Mineral – It is all Rock, Steel, and some Ice types. The only exceptions are Voltorb line, the Porygon line, the Yamask line, and the Trubbish line. Many of the Pokemon in this Group are genderless Pokemon, therefore you would need to breed it with Ditto.

9. Field Group – If it’s a mammal, it’s in the Field Egg Group. Therefore, Pokemon like Wailord and Skitty can breed. I know, it’s disturbing. Duck-like Pokemon are in the Water 1 and Field group, but not Flying. Farfetch’d is the exception. The Zubat line is not part of the Field Egg Group but the Swoobat line is.

10. Amorphous – This is determined by the Pokemon’s body shape being asymmetrical or gaseous. Blob-like Pokemon are also part of this group.

11. Water 1 – These Pokemon are water types found in lakes, ponds, and swamps. I suppose you can say that these are amphibious or terrestrial water types. The Water 1 group can be compared to the Field group for its diversity and broadness. Mantine is part of this group.

12. Water 2 – This Water type group focuses on fish Pokemon and some cephalopods (octopus Pokemon like Inkay and Octillery).

13. Water 3 – These Water types are invertebrate, instead relying on a hard exoskeleton to protect them. Quite often fossil Pokemon and crab Pokemon are in this group. Strangely Skorupi and Archen’s family lines are in this group. Tentacool, Tentacruel, Staryu, and Starmie are also part of this group.

14. Ditto – Ditto can breed with everything (including genderless Pokemon) but other Dittos, legendaries, and baby Pokemon.

15. No Eggs Discovered – Baby and Legendary Pokemon exclusively. This group cannot breed whatsoever. Manaphy, despite being a legendary can breed because it is part of the Water 1 and Fairy Egg Groups. Manaphy must breed with Ditto, and it will always result in Phione. Nidorina and Nidoqueen are strangely part of this group…

How Inheritance works:

1. Move Inheritance – If both Pokemon know a move that can be learned by the child Pokemon through level up, it is guaranteed to know that move upon hatching. So if Golduck and Floatzel breed both knowing Hydro Pump, the child Buizel or Psyduck will be born knowing Hydro Pump.

2. TM Move Inheritance – If both Pokemon know a TM move, the child Pokemon will know it as well. If a Pidgeot and a Staraptor both know Steel Wing, the child Pidgey or Starly will also know it.

3. Egg Moves – If a Pokemon’s parent knows a move that can be specifically learned as an egg move, the Pokemon will hatch with the egg move. So if a father Haxorus knows Dragon Pulse (roll with it), and breeds with a mother Charizard, that baby Charmander will know Dragon Pulse. Research to find out what Egg Moves a Pokemon can learn.

4. Nature Inheritance – A child Pokemon always have a random nature unless the mother or father is holding an Everstone. An Everstone guarantees that the parent’s nature will be passed down. An Everstone can be found in Geosenge Town.

5. Stat Inheritance – Again, this is normally a random factor with some input from the parents. However, have a parent hold a “Power” item and its natural strength in a certain stat is guaranteed to be passed down.

a. Power Weight – Passes HP

b. Power Bracer – Passes Attack

c. Power Belt – Passes Defense

d. Power Lens – Passes Special Attack

e. Power Band – Passes Special Defense

f – Power Anklet – Passes Speed

*All of these “Power” items can be obtained in Kiloude City’s Battle Maison for 16 BP.

6. Ability Inheritance – Abilities are random depending on the species of Pokemon that hatched. The mother’s ability is still pretty likely going to be passed down. If you are not satisfied with a hatched Pokemon’s ability, you can use the Ability Capsule for 200 BP at the Battle Maison (you are better off keeping on breeding), and no, you cannot change to a hidden ability with this item. If the mother has a hidden ability there is a 1/2 to 1/3 chance the child will know it as well.

7. Shininess Inheritance – Still ridiculously hard to pull off with breeding. Your chances improve significantly if the mother is shiny (or the father is shiny and is breeding with Ditto) but are still painstakingly low. Don’t waste your time as the Poke Radar (Sycamore Lab 2F, finish Hall of Fame) offers a much better solution to finding shiny Pokemon.

*IF YOU PLAN TO BREED A SHINY, YET COMPETITIVELY VIABLE POKEMON… MAY ARCEUS HELP YOU.

Breeding Exceptions

1. Ditto – Ditto can breed with anything that is not in the “No Eggs Discovered.” Anything. It is better for Ditto to take the role of the mother, however (more likely to find Eggs). Many Pokemon without a gender MUST breed with Ditto. You cannot breed two Magnemite together, for instance.

2. Manaphy – Manaphy is in the Water 1 and Fairy Egg Groups, and is the only legendary that can breed. It must breed with Ditto, and the child will always be Phione.

3. Nidoran (Female) can breed, her evolutions cannot.

4. If a strictly male Pokemon like Nidoking were to breed with a Nidoran (Female), there is a chance you could get a Nidoran (Male) instead. Tauros and Miltank, and Volbeat and Illumise are examples of this exception. In the Nidoran case, Ditto can also influence this as well.

5. Incense – Certain baby Pokemon require incense to be born. For example, if a female Snorlax is NOT holding a Full Incense, you will get a baby Snorlax, not a baby Munchlax. All incense can be purchased in Coumarine City.

a. Sea Incense – Use with a female Marill or Azumarill to produce Azurill.

b. Lax Incense – Use with a female Wobuffet to produce Wynaut.

c. Rose Incense – Use with a female Roselia or Roserade to produce Budew.

d. Pure Incense – Use with a female Chimcho to produce Chingling.

e. Rock Incense – Use with a female Sudowoodo to produce Bonsly.

f. Odd Incense – Use with a female Mr. Mime to produce Mime Jr.

g. Luck Incense – Use with a female Chansey or Blissey to produce Happiny.

h. Full Incense – Use with a female Snorlax to produce Munchlax.

i. Wave Incense – Use with a female Mantine to produce Mantyke.