Kabuto
RockWater
Best attacking moveset: Scratch and Ancient Power, worth 7.3 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Kabuto can learn 6 combinations. Scratch with Ancient Power does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Shot | Ground | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Scratch | Normal | 6 | 0.5s | +4 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Power | Rock | 70 | 3.5s | -33 |
| Aqua Jet | Water | 45 | 2.5s | -33 |
| Rock Tomb | Rock | 65 | 3.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Kabuto has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, egg, research, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,549 at level 50, 1,370 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 783 CP at level 20, or 979 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 730 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 148 attack · 140 defense · 102 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 75,000 Stardust and 75 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 5,000 Stardust and 5 Candy |
| Size | 0.5 m and 11.5 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Kabuto does not have one best moveset, it has 4. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Fire, Flying, Bug.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Mud Shot + Ancient Power | 10.5 |
| Scratch + Ancient Power | 9.7 | |
| Bug | Scratch + Ancient Power | 9.7 |
| Ice | Scratch + Ancient Power | 9.7 |
| Rock | Mud Shot + Aqua Jet | 9.0 |
| Ground | Scratch + Aqua Jet | 8.4 |
| Poison | Mud Shot + Ancient Power | 7.6 |
| Electric | Mud Shot + Ancient Power | 7.6 |
| Normal | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Water | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Grass | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Psychic | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Dragon | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Dark | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Fairy | Scratch + Ancient Power | 7.3 |
| Steel | Mud Shot + Aqua Jet | 7.0 |
| Fighting | Scratch + Aqua Jet | 6.8 |
| Ghost | Mud Shot + Ancient Power | 6.7 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Kabuto is actually for.
Counters: what beats Kabuto
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Razor Leaf + Leaf Blade | 61.0 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Power Whip | 52.3 |
 Roserade | GrassPoison | Magical Leaf + Leaf Storm | 51.9 |
 Zarude | DarkGrass | Vine Whip + Power Whip | 50.9 |
 Rillaboom | Grass | Razor Leaf + Frenzy Plant Legacy | 50.3 |
 Breloom | GrassFighting | Force Palm + Grass Knot Legacy | 49.4 |
 Meowscarada | GrassDark | Leafage + Frenzy Plant Legacy | 49.1 |
 Decidueye | GrassGhost | Magical Leaf + Frenzy Plant Legacy | 48.4 |
 Tapu Bulu | GrassFairy | Bullet Seed + Grass Knot | 48.2 |
 Tsareena | Grass | Magical Leaf + Grass Knot | 47.6 |
Ranked by damage per second against Kabuto's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.