Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Dustox is a dual type bug and poison Pokemon. It is the final stage evolution of its three stage evolution line and evolves from Wurmple which evolves into Cascoon or Silcoon once it reaches the level thresholds. Dustox is classified by the Pokedex as the “Poison Moth Pokemon” which is likely a reference to its general behavior. This guide will showcase Dustox’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Dustox.
About Dustox
As a generation three Pokemon, Dustox first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime in the episode Seeing is Believing. In this episode, Jessie’s Cascoon evolves into a Dustox. This Dustox was seen throughout the series in many different Pokemon Contests. Wurmple has two different potential evolution lines. It can evolve into Silcoon or Cascoon once it reaches level 7 and if it evolves into Cascoon, it will evolve into Dustox at level 10. The Pokedex mentions that whenever Dustox flaps its wings, a fine dust is scattered all over. The dust is actually poisonous.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire Seeing is Believing |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Evolution | One of Wurmple’s final evolutions, evolves from Cascoon |
| 1st Evo level | 7 |
| 2nd Evo level | 10 |
| Pokedex Entry | Dustox is instinctively drawn to light. Swarms of this Pokémon are attracted by the bright light of cities, where they wreak havoc by stripping the leaves off roadside trees for food. |
Dustox Base Stats
| HP | 60 |
| ATTACK | 50 |
| DEFENCE | 70 |
| SP. ATTACK | 50 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 90 |
| SPEED | 65 |
| TOTAL | 385 |
Appearance
Dustox is a pink and green Pokemon that resembles a fully grown moth. Dustox’s wings are green, but its main body is pink. It also has yellow antennae and eyes with red legs. Dustox’s eyes are made from black spots and it has an egg-shaped body. Its wings surround its frame in a half circle around Dustox and there are small red markings found on Dustox’s wings as well. Dustox is an average sized Pokemon at 3 feet and 11 inches, or 1.2 meters, tall.
Behavior
In the anime, Dustox is shown to be a competitive Pokemon that cares about its appearance. The Pokedex descriptions of Dustox makes it sound menacing. It is capable of spreading a large amount of fine poisonous dust into the air. Luckily, Dustox tends to stay away from civilized areas and prefers to stay in forests. It will spend its time stripping leaves off of trees for food. Like moths in real life, Dustox is attracted to light and tends to be more active at night.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Dustox has nothing impressive about its base statline. Its strongest stat is in its special defense stat, but the rest of its stats are fairly balanced. While it is slower than most Pokemon, the Shield Dust ability can make Dustox more resilient. Dustox’s role on a team likely includes setup, disabling moves, or supportive moves. As a dual type bug and poison Pokemon, Dustox takes 2x damage from flying, rock, fire, and psychic type moves. It is immune to no types, but will resist fighting, poison, bug, grass, and fairy type moves.
Best Moveset
There is little reason to consider using Dustox in competitive play, as it struggles to find a place. You can attempt to utilize scaling moves with Dustox, but it does not have any way to accelerate the time required or have any higher than average stats to start with. However, it can use the Black Sludge held item and the Shield Dust ability to perform as a defensive Pokemon. Consider running Quiver Dance, Iron Defense, Bug Buzz, and Roost. This set is aimed at scaling Dustox’s stats to become a threatening Pokemon. Use Roost to sustain Dustox’s health and Bug Buzz to sweep your opponent’s team. Focus on playing slow and scaling Dustox’s stats to eventually beat your opponent.
| Quiver Dance | Iron Defense |
| Bug Buzz | Roost |
How to Catch Dustox in Pokemon Go?
If you would like to obtain a Dustox in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Lotad and eventually evolve it into a Dustox. Like most evolved Pokemon, its base evolution is much more common to obtain. You can find Lotad spawning in the wild, at a boosted rate, near parks, gardens, rivers, lakes, canals, docks, harbors, oceans, lakes, and other watery or grassy areas. Lotad can also be hatched from 5 and 7 km eggs but while Dustox has not been featured as a raid boss, Lotad and Ludicolo have been tier one and tier three raid bosses respectively. To evolve Lotad into Dustox it will require 25 candies. It will take another 100 candies to evolve Dustox into a Ludicolo.
Trivia
- Both Dustox and Venomoth are classified by the Pokedex as the “Poison Moth Pokemon”.
- The inspiration for Dustox’s design is likely based on the Japanese Luna Moth.
- The name Dustox is a combination of the words dust and toxic.
FAQ
Is Dustox male or female?
The gender ratio on Dustox is actually 50/50. There is no gender restriction on Dustox and Wurmple will evolve into either Silcoon or Cascoon based on its personality values. It can be nearly impossible to control this value and it may as well be random. A Dustox can be male or female at the same potential odds.
Is Dustox a moth?
Dustox is likely based on real life moths, especially with their similar behavior. Like real life moths, Dustox is instinctively attracted to light. It is specifically resembling the Japanese Luna Moth. The developers will often draw inspiration from real life and Dustox is no exception.
Is Dustox any good?
There is little reason to consider Dustox on your team. It does have access to many different scaling options. Dustox has an average statline of base stats, so it will require time to be impactful in battle. Keep an eye on its bad matchups to see success with Dustox.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Poison Moth Pokemon”. While Dustox’s impact on competitive play is limited, it can grow into a threatening Pokemon in battle. Thanks to its access to scaling moves, Dustox can be useful in battle with enough time. Even though this requires time, the payoff can be worth the investment. Reserve a slot on your team for Dustox if you want a scaling bug and poison type Pokemon.
