Is Growlithe good in Pokemon GO?

Not for battle. Growlithe has no ranked PvP, raid or Max Battle role, so keep one for the Pokedex and transfer the rest.

Is Growlithe a good raid attacker?

Growlithe ranks #219 of 263 fire attackers with 6.0 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Growlithe be shiny in Pokemon GO?

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

Is Shadow Growlithe worth keeping?

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

#058 · Generation 1

Growlithe

fire

Forms & variants

Max CP (L40 / L50): 1,243 / 1,405
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 710 / 888
Research CP (L15): 533
Buddy distance: 3 km
2nd charged move: 50,000 dust · 50 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Transfer

Transfer the extras

Growlithe has no job in PvP, raids, or Max Battles. Keep one for the Pokedex and any of the special variants below, and transfer the rest for candy.

Battle roles

–
Great Leagueshadow#692 of 1154 · score 69.7
Ranked #692 of 1154; not competitive in Great League.
–
Little Cupshadow#69 of 168 · score 73
Ranked #69 of 168; not competitive in Little Cup.

Collection value

Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
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

Attack136

Defense93

Stamina146

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

Weak to

ground×1.6
rock×1.6
water×1.6

Resists

bug×0.625
fairy×0.625
fire×0.625
grass×0.625
ice×0.625
steel×0.625

Evolution line

Growlithe
→50 candyArcanine

→ Arcanine: 50 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	–	#93 / 168	68.3	Ember · Body Slam · Flamethrower	L15 · 5/15/15
Little CupShadow	–	#69 / 168	73	Ember · Body Slam · Flamethrower	L15 · 5/15/15
Great League	–	#739 / 1154	68.2	Ember · Flame Wheel · Body Slam	L50 · 15/15/15
Great LeagueShadow	–	#692 / 1154	69.7	Ember · Flame Wheel · Body Slam	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)

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

Max Moves

fireMax Flarefrom Ember250 / 300 / 350 power
darkMax Darknessfrom Bite250 / 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
fire	–	#219 / 263	6.0	48	Bite · Flamethrower
fireShadow	–	#220 / 263	6.2	42	Bite · Flamethrower
normalShadow	–	#248 / 354	6.2	42	Bite · Body Slam
normal	–	#256 / 354	5.7	46	Bite · Body Slam

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
EmberSTAB	fire	10	+10	1.0s	10.0	4	+9	2 turns
Bite	dark	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	2	+4	1 turn

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy
Flame WheelSTAB	fire	55	-50	2.5s	1.10	80	-45
Body Slam	normal	50	-33	2.0s	1.52	65	-40
FlamethrowerSTAB	fire	65	-50	2.0s	1.30	90	-55

Questions people ask

Is Growlithe good in Pokemon GO?: Not for battle. Growlithe has no ranked PvP, raid or Max Battle role, so keep one for the Pokedex and transfer the rest.
Should I keep or transfer Growlithe?: Growlithe has no job in PvP, raids, or Max Battles. Keep one for the Pokedex and any of the special variants below, and transfer the rest for candy.
Is Growlithe a good raid attacker?: Growlithe ranks #219 of 263 fire attackers with 6.0 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Growlithe be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Growlithe is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Growlithe worth keeping?: Shadow Growlithe 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