Is Bulbasaur good in Pokemon GO?

Not on its own, but Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker, so a good copy is worth evolving.

Is Bulbasaur a good raid attacker?

Bulbasaur ranks #256 of 344 grass attackers with 6.8 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Should I evolve Bulbasaur?

Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker; Mega Venusaur is A-tier for Grass raid attacker. Evolve the copy with the best IVs for that role and transfer spare Bulbasaur for candy.

Can Bulbasaur be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Bulbasaur is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Bulbasaur worth keeping?

Shadow Bulbasaur hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

#001 · Generation 1

Bulbasaur

grass poison

Max CP (L40 / L50): 1,115 / 1,260
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 637 / 796
Research CP (L15): 477
Buddy distance: 3 km
2nd charged move: 10,000 dust · 25 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Keep to evolve

Bulbasaur will not win battles on its own, but Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker. Keep the good-IV copies and the candy to evolve one.

Battle roles

–
Great Leagueshadow#1069 of 1154 · score 52.7
Ranked #1069 of 1154; not competitive in Great League.
–
Little Cup#73 of 168 · score 72.5
Ranked #73 of 168; not competitive in Little Cup.

Worth evolving into

Venusaur
B Poison raid attacker (shadow)
Mega Venusaur
A Grass raid attacker (mega)A Poison raid attacker (mega)

Collection value

Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
3 costume/event variants: costumed copies cannot be re-obtained outside their event.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack118

Defense111

Stamina128

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

fire×1.6
flying×1.6
ice×1.6
psychic×1.6

Resists

grass×0.391
electric×0.625
fairy×0.625
fighting×0.625
water×0.625

Evolution line

Bulbasaur
→25 candyIvysaur
→100 candyVenusaur

→ Ivysaur: 25 candy

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

Loading IV checker…

PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Little Cup	–	#73 / 168	72.5	Vine Whip · Power Whip · Sludge Bomb	L17.5 · 3/14/12
Little CupShadow	–	#102 / 168	67	Vine Whip · Power Whip · Sludge Bomb	L17.5 · 3/14/12
Great League	–	#1072 / 1154	52.2	Vine Whip · Power Whip · Seed Bomb	L50 · 15/15/15
Great LeagueShadow	–	#1069 / 1154	52.7	Vine Whip · Power Whip · Seed Bomb	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Bulbasaur can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

grassMax Overgrowthfrom Vine Whip250 / 300 / 350 power
normalMax Strikefrom Tackle250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

Below the tier thresholds as a Max Battle attacker, tank, or healer.

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
poisonShadow	–	#143 / 197	7.2	50	Vine Whip · Sludge Bomb
poison	–	#147 / 197	6.7	56	Vine Whip · Sludge Bomb
grassShadow	–	#250 / 344	7.3	51	Vine Whip · Power Whip
grass	–	#256 / 344	6.8	58	Vine Whip · Power Whip

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Vine WhipSTAB	grass	6	+5	0.5s	12.0	5	+8	2 turns
Tackle	normal	5	+5	0.5s	10.0	3	+3	1 turn

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy
Sludge BombSTAB	poison	85	-50	2.5s	1.70	80	-50
Seed BombSTAB	grass	55	-33	2.0s	1.67	55	-40
Power WhipSTAB	grass	90	-50	2.5s	1.80	90	-50

Questions people ask

Is Bulbasaur good in Pokemon GO?: Not on its own, but Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker, so a good copy is worth evolving.
Should I keep or transfer Bulbasaur?: Bulbasaur will not win battles on its own, but Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker. Keep the good-IV copies and the candy to evolve one.
Is Bulbasaur a good raid attacker?: Bulbasaur ranks #256 of 344 grass attackers with 6.8 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Should I evolve Bulbasaur?: Venusaur is B-tier for Poison raid attacker; Mega Venusaur is A-tier for Grass raid attacker. Evolve the copy with the best IVs for that role and transfer spare Bulbasaur for candy.
Can Bulbasaur be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Bulbasaur is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Bulbasaur worth keeping?: Shadow Bulbasaur hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

PoGo Dex is free and gets fresh data every week. If it saved you from a bad transfer, you can buy me a coffee.

Donate on Ko-fi

Costumes & event variants (3)

Party HatEvent costume
Pikachu Visor (GO Fest 2020)Event costume
Shedinja HatEvent costume