Home → HeartGold & SoulSilver Nuzlocke Tier List
HeartGold & SoulSilver Nuzlocke Tier List 2026
Every obtainable Pokémon in HeartGold and SoulSilver ranked S to F for Nuzlocke runs. Version exclusives clearly marked. Johto and early Kanto encounters included.
How to read this list: Tiers reflect Nuzlocke performance — availability, evolution timing, typing, movepool, and how well each Pokémon handles Johto's gym leaders, Elite Four, and Lance. A Pokémon can have great competitive stats but rank low if it evolves too late or can't survive the journey.
Version tags: HG means HeartGold exclusive. SS means SoulSilver exclusive. Unmarked Pokémon are available in both versions.
Ampharos Electric
The single best Pokémon in HGSS Nuzlocke. Mareep is available on Route 32 very early. Massive Special Attack, great bulk, and STAB Thunderbolt handle Falkner (if caught early), Chuck's Poliwrath, Jasmine's Magnetons, Clair's Gyarados, and Lance's Gyarados plus Charizard. One of the few single Pokémon that contributes to almost every major fight.
Feraligatr Water
The strongest starter choice. Totodile gets STAB Waterfall, Ice Fang (for Clair and Lance's Dragons), and Crunch (for Morty and Will). High Attack with solid bulk. No 4× weaknesses. Handles Pryce, Clair, Lance's Gyarados, and most of Kanto's rock gyms single-handedly.
Gyarados
WaterFlying Red Gyarados is a guaranteed Lv.30 encounter at Lake of Rage — free high-level team member. Intimidate plus Dragon Dance plus huge Attack stat makes it a sweeper. Handles Chuck's Primeape, Pryce's Piloswine, and contributes against most of Kanto.
Crobat PoisonFlying
Zubat is everywhere (Union Cave, Dark Cave, Mt. Mortar). Evolves at high friendship — achievable through walking with HGSS's companion system. Insane Speed, Inner Focus prevents flinch, access to Cross Poison, Aerial Ace, and Confuse Ray. Handles Chuck, Bugsy, and Janine effortlessly.
Heracross BugFighting
Available via Headbutt trees (Routes 42, 45, and others) and as a rare Bug-Catching Contest prize. Guts ability plus STAB Megahorn destroys the Elite Four. Counters Will, Bruno, Karen's Umbreon, and Lance's Gyarados. One of the best Bug types in the franchise.
Typhlosion Fire
Cyndaquil starter. Blast Burn plus Flamethrower plus solid Special Attack. Handles Bugsy, Jasmine's Magnetons, Pryce partially, Koga's Forretress. Struggles against Water-heavy trainers. In SoulSilver, competes with Ninetales; in HeartGold, it's the main Fire option alongside Arcanine.
Arcanine HG Fire
Growlithe on Route 36 in HeartGold only. Intimidate cuts enemy Attack, Flash Fire absorbs Fire moves, massive stats make this a top-tier Fire choice. Handles Bugsy, Jasmine, Koga's Forretress, and Karen's Vileplume. HeartGold players rarely use Typhlosion when Arcanine is available.
Ninetales SS Fire
Vulpix on Route 36/37 in SoulSilver only. Flash Fire ability, access to Nasty Plot and STAB Fire Blast. Slightly bulkier than Arcanine but less raw power. SoulSilver's answer to HeartGold's Arcanine — invaluable for Bugsy, Jasmine, and Karen.
Donphan Ground
Phanpy is a HeartGold exclusive on Route 45; in SoulSilver it's Teddiursa territory. Massive Attack and Defense with Sturdy ability. STAB Earthquake handles Jasmine, Chuck partially, Karen's Houndoom, and Red's Pikachu. A-tier bulk meets A-tier offense.
Ursaring SS Normal
Teddiursa (rare Headbutt tree encounter) is a SoulSilver staple. Guts ability plus STAB Return hits incredibly hard. Evolves to Ursaring at Lv.30. Functions like a bulkier Slaking without the Truant drawback. Dominates neutral matchups and carries through the Elite Four.
Scizor BugSteel
Scyther from Bug-Catching Contest evolves with Metal Coat (held by wild Magnemite or from Mt. Mortar). Technician ability plus Bullet Punch priority is game-changing. Walls Will's Psychic team and contributes against most Dragon fights.
Mamoswine IceGround
Swinub on Ice Path evolves to Piloswine at Lv.33, then to Mamoswine by re-learning Ancient Power. Unique Ice/Ground typing handles Lance (Ice Beam plus Earthquake) and Clair simultaneously. Best Ice-type available before the Elite Four.
Togekiss FairyFlying
Togepi egg from Mr. Pokémon at game start. Evolves to Togekiss via Shiny Stone (available late in HGSS). Serene Grace plus Air Slash gives 60% flinch chance. Huge Special Attack with diverse movepool. Note: Fairy typing is Gen 6+, in HGSS it counts as Normal/Flying.
Tyranitar RockDark
Larvitar in Mt. Silver (post-game) or Dark Cave with some luck. Sand Stream weather boosts Special Defense of Rock types. Crunch handles Will, Morty, and Kanto's Sabrina. Hard to raise due to late evolution but dominant once online.
Golem RockGround
Geodude in Union Cave evolves twice (trade for final form). STAB Earthquake and Rock Slide hit hard. Sturdy saves you from one-shot KOs. Good answer to Falkner, Jasmine's Magnetons, and Lance's Charizard. Multiple weaknesses hold it back from A-tier.
Machamp Fighting
Machop in Rock Tunnel or via in-game trade in Goldenrod. Requires trade to evolve to Machamp — otherwise stuck as Machoke. No Guard plus Dynamic Punch never misses. Handles Whitney's Miltank, Karen's Umbreon, and Kanto's Rock types.
Lapras WaterIce
Union Cave on Fridays only (one per week). Water/Ice typing makes this the ultimate Lance counter with Ice Beam. Bulky Special stats. Limited to one per playthrough, but if you catch it, it's a team carry.
Noctowl NormalFlying
Hoothoot on Route 31 (night). Insomnia ability prevents Morty's Hypnosis. Decent Special Attack with Extrasensory and Hypnosis of its own. Solid HM slave plus real battler. A useful early-game pick.
Umbreon Dark
Eevee gift from Bill in Goldenrod. Level up at night with high friendship. Massive bulk with Mean Look and Faint Attack. Walls Morty and Will singlehandedly. Slow but hard to kill.
Espeon Psychic
Same Eevee, level up during daytime with high friendship. High Speed and Special Attack. Psychic plus Shadow Ball gives good coverage. Falls off against Karen's Dark team but shines earlier.
Alakazam Psychic
Abra on Route 34 (rare encounter). Requires trade to evolve fully. Crazy Speed and Special Attack, but paper-thin Defense. One hit from anything Dark or Bug kills it. Glass cannon that wrecks Bruno's Fighting team.
Houndoom DarkFire
Houndour only appears during Kanto post-game (Route 7 at night). Flash Fire plus STAB Fire Blast plus Crunch makes it dual-threat. Late arrival keeps it at B instead of A, but very strong for post-game grinding.
Meganium Grass
Chikorita starter. Hardest starter choice — poor matchups against most Johto gyms (Falkner, Bugsy, Jasmine all resist or threaten it). Excellent bulk and Reflect/Light Screen support. If you pick Chikorita, you're doing a challenge run. Not recommended for first-time Nuzlockers.
Steelix SteelGround
Onix via trade in Violet City. Massive Defense stat and excellent typing with 10 resistances. Slow and weak Special Defense holds it back. Great utility Pokémon for setting Stealth Rock.
Azumarill Water
Marill on Mt. Mortar (rare) or via Headbutt trees. Huge Power doubles Attack stat, making weak moves deal big damage. Handles Clair's team with Ice Punch. Note: Fairy typing is Gen 6+; in HGSS it's pure Water.
Miltank Normal
Route 38/39 (rare encounter). Bulky Normal-type with Stomp and Milk Drink. Same Pokémon that famously ends Nuzlockes — if you catch one yourself, you get to use its bulk. Doesn't hit as hard as other Normal attackers like Ursaring.
Jumpluff GrassFlying
Hoppip on Route 32 (rare). Fast with Sleep Powder and Leech Seed utility. Low offensive stats but excellent status-inflictor. Use as a support member, not a sweeper.
Politoed Water
Poliwag via fishing on Route 30/32. Requires King's Rock trade to evolve. Drizzle ability (Gen 5+ only) doesn't help in HGSS. Decent bulk but outshined by Feraligatr and Gyarados.
Persian SS Normal
Meowth on Routes 5/6/7/8 in SoulSilver only. Technician plus STAB Return hits above weight class. Fast but frail. Good for cleanup but dies to anything strong. Better in SS than no Normal option at all.
Sudowoodo Rock
Guaranteed encounter on Route 36 (requires Squirt Bottle). Bulky Rock-type with Wood Hammer coverage. Good Rock option if you missed Geodude. Low Speed is a dealbreaker against anything fast.
Granbull Normal
Snubbull on Route 38 (daytime). Intimidate plus huge Attack. Slow and lacks coverage moves. Useful for Fighting matchups but outclassed by Ursaring (SS) or Arcanine (HG).
Ariados HG BugPoison
Spinarak at night in HeartGold only. Low stats but gets Sucker Punch priority and good utility. SoulSilver gets Ledyba instead, which is weaker. Neither evolution is a top pick.
Forretress BugSteel
Pineco via Headbutt trees. Excellent defensive typing with 11 resistances. Poor offensive stats force it into a pure defensive role. Koga also uses one, giving you hints at matchups.
Kingdra WaterDragon
Horsea via fishing on Whirl Islands. Requires Dragon Scale trade to evolve fully. Mid-game arrival and trade requirement hold it back. Once online, it's one of the best Dragons available.
Quagsire WaterGround
Wooper on Route 32 (Surf). Great typing with only Grass weakness, but pitiful stats. Unaware ability helps against setup sweepers but doesn't help raw performance.
Furret Normal
Sentret on Route 29 (very early). Low stats across the board. Frisk is a nice ability but doesn't make up for weak offense. Replace as soon as you get anything stronger.
Raticate Normal
Rattata everywhere on early routes. Quick Attack priority and Hyper Fang are decent. Outclassed by every other Normal type in the game. Only use as early filler.
Dunsparce Normal
Dark Cave (rare). Serene Grace plus Bite plus Headbutt gives constant flinch chances. Memetically loved but mechanically weak. Only for challenge runs.
Dodrio NormalFlying
Doduo on Route 26/27 (post-game). Fast with Drill Peck and Tri Attack. Arrives too late to matter for main story. Average bulk, dies to any super-effective hit.
Delibird HG IceFlying
Ice Path in HeartGold only. Terrible stats and movepool. Cute but useless. Usually kept in the box unless doing a novelty run.
Octillery Water
Remoraid on Routes 42/44. Decent Special Attack but awful Speed and middling bulk. Gets hit hard by anything fast. Overshadowed by Feraligatr and Gyarados.
Magcargo FireRock
Slugma on Route 16/17 (post-game Kanto). Awful typing with 4× Water, Ground weaknesses. Low Speed. Only exists for the novelty.
Ledian SS BugFlying
Ledyba at night in SoulSilver only. Historically bad stats — cannot compete with most wild Pokémon. Baton Pass is its only niche. Unfortunately SoulSilver's only early Bug option.
Unown Psychic
Ruins of Alph. Only knows Hidden Power. Terrible stats. A Pokédex entry only, not a battler.
Farfetch'd NormalFlying
Gift NPC trade in Goldenrod. Low stats make it unusable for serious Nuzlocke runs. Keep in box for Pokédex completion only.
Luvdisc Water
Rare Whirl Islands encounter. Pure filler. No redeeming battle qualities.
Smeargle Normal
Route 34. Sketch learns any move, but low stats mean it can't use them well. Theoretically versatile, practically useless in Nuzlocke.
Tier list principlesA Pokémon's rank comes from a mix of: (1) how early you can catch it, (2) typing and matchups against HGSS gyms, (3) how fast it evolves to its final form, and (4) raw stats. HGSS has some unique quirks — long evolution requirements (happiness, trade, stones), radio-based encounters, Headbutt trees — that affect tier placement. If you miss an S-tier in your run, don't panic — A and B tier picks can still carry a full playthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best starter for an HGSS Nuzlocke? Totodile is the most recommended — Feraligatr has no 4× weaknesses and learns Ice Fang for Clair and Lance. Cyndaquil is second-best; Chikorita is a challenge pick.
Are HeartGold and SoulSilver tier lists different? Mostly identical. Both share 95%+ of encounters. The key differences are HG's Arcanine vs SS's Ninetales, and a handful of exclusive encounters like Spinarak (HG), Ledyba (SS), Teddiursa evolution availability, and Delibird (HG).
How do I catch Heracross in HGSS? Use Headbutt on specific trees on Routes 42, 45, and a few others. Rare encounter but worth resetting for. Also occasionally appears as a Bug-Catching Contest prize at National Park.
Is Togekiss worth using if Fairy type didn't exist in Gen 4? Yes — Togekiss's base stats and Air Slash flinch strategy work independent of typing. In HGSS it's Normal/Flying, which is still excellent.
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