Prinplup
Water
Best attacking moveset: Metal Claw and Hydro Pump, worth 8.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Prinplup can learn 6 combinations. Metal Claw with Hydro Pump 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 |
| Metal Claw | Steel | 6 | 0.5s | +5 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Beam | Water | 45 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Hydro Pump | Water | 135 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Icy Wind | Ice | 65 | 3.5s | -33 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Prinplup has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,923 at level 50, 1,701 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 972 CP at level 20, or 1,215 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 914 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 150 attack · 139 defense · 162 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 | 0.8 m and 23 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Prinplup does not have one best moveset, it has 3. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Rock, Ground, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 12.9 |
| Ground | Bubble + Hydro Pump | 12.9 |
| Fire | Bubble + Hydro Pump | 12.9 |
| Ice | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 10.3 |
| Fairy | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 10.3 |
| Normal | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Fighting | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 | |
| Poison | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Bug | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Ghost | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Psychic | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Dark | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 8.8 |
| Steel | Bubble + Hydro Pump | 8.5 |
| Electric | Bubble + Hydro Pump | 8.5 |
| Grass | Metal Claw + Icy Wind | 8.5 |
| Dragon | Metal Claw + Icy Wind | 8.5 |
| Water | Metal Claw + Hydro Pump | 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 Prinplup is actually for.
Counters: what beats Prinplup
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 44.8 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 38.5 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Razor Leaf + Leaf Blade | 38.3 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 37.6 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 37.1 |
 Roserade | GrassPoison | Magical Leaf + Leaf Storm | 32.7 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 32.5 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 32.3 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 32.1 |
 Zarude | DarkGrass | Vine Whip + Power Whip | 32.0 |
Ranked by damage per second against Prinplup's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.