Piplup
Water
Best attacking moveset: Bubble and Drill Peck, worth 5.9 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Piplup can learn 6 combinations. Bubble with Drill Peck 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble | Water | 10 | 1.0s | +12 |
| Pound | Normal | 6 | 0.5s | +5 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Beam | Water | 45 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Drill Peck | 70 | 2.5s | -33 | |
| Icy Wind | Ice | 65 | 3.5s | -33 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Piplup has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,215 at level 50, 1,075 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 614 CP at level 20, or 767 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 568 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 112 attack · 102 defense · 142 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 0.4 m and 5.2 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Piplup does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ground, Rock, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 8.7 |
| Rock | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 8.7 |
| Fire | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 8.7 |
| Fighting | Bubble + Drill Peck | 8.2 |
| Bug | Bubble + Drill Peck | 8.2 |
| Grass | Pound + Drill Peck | 7.8 |
| Bubble + Icy Wind | 6.4 | |
| Dragon | Pound + Icy Wind | 6.2 |
| Normal | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Poison | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Ghost | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Psychic | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Ice | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Dark | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Fairy | Bubble + Drill Peck | 5.9 |
| Water | Pound + Drill Peck | 5.7 |
| Steel | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 5.7 |
| Electric | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 5.7 |
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 Piplup is actually for.
Counters: what beats Piplup
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 58.9 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 50.6 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Razor Leaf + Leaf Blade | 50.5 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 49.5 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 48.9 |
 Roserade | GrassPoison | Magical Leaf + Leaf Storm | 43.0 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 42.8 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 42.6 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 42.3 |
 Zarude | DarkGrass | Vine Whip + Power Whip | 42.2 |
Ranked by damage per second against Piplup's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.