Introduced in generation four, with the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, Monferno is a dual type fire and fighting Pokemon. It is the second stage evolution of its three stage evolution line and evolves from Chimchar and into Infernape when they reach the level thresholds. Monferno is classified by the Pokedex as the “Playful Pokemon” which is likely a reference to its general behavior. This guide will showcase Monferno’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Monferno.
About Monferno
As a generation four Pokemon, Monferno first appeared in the Diamond and Pearl season of the anime in the episode Evolving Strategies!. In this episode, Ash’s Chimchar evolves into a Monferno during a battle against Trainer Paul. The Pokedex states that the flame on Monferno’s tail will grow larger to keep its opponents away.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Diamond and Pearl Evolving Strategies! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Evolves from Chimchar, evolves into Infernape |
| 1st Evo level | 14 |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 |
| Pokedex Entry | To intimidate attackers, it stretches the fire on its tail to make itself appear bigger. |
Monferno Base Stats
| HP | 64 |
| ATTACK | 78 |
| DEFENCE | 52 |
| SP. ATTACK | 78 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 52 |
| SPEED | 81 |
| TOTAL | 405 |
Appearance
Monferno is a small orange and brown Pokmeon that resembles a fiery monkey. Most of its body is orange, but its stomach is brown and the area around its face is blue and red. There is also an orange and red fiery tail at Monferno’s base. It stands on two legs and has two arms but while its two feet end with three toes each, its arms extend into five fingers. Monferno has a pointed tooth that can be visible even when its mouth is closed. Monferno is a small Pokemon at only 2 feet and 11 inches, or 0.9 meters, tall.
Behavior
There are many uses for Monferno’s tail. It is typically used to keep opponents away or stretched in order to make Monferno seem more menacing. It is a social Pokemon, and the size of its tail flame can indicate its place in its pack. If the flame is bigger or brighter, it is ranked higher in its hierarchy. Monferno is an agile Pokemon and it can use its tail to attack or use it to grapple. The Pokedex mentions that Monferno can utilize more than its tail for offense.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As the second evolution in its evolution line, Monferno is still relatively weak. It has balanced physical and special attack stats matched with a decent speed stat. However, most of its stats are below average as it has yet to evolve. Monferno’s defensive stats are weaker than average at this stage of the game. As a dual type fire and fighting Pokemon, Monferno takes 2x damage from flying, ground, water, and psychic type moves. It has no immunities but is resistant to bug, steel, fire, grass, ice, and dark type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Monferno is typically reserved for the NFE (Not Fully Evolved) bracket. In this format, it can be utilized as an offensive Pokemon with access to hazards. While its abilities typically do not do any favors for Monferno, using an Eviolite held item can keep it alive in battle. Consider running Stealth Rock, Close Combat, Flare Blitz, and U-Turn. This set is aimed at getting the most out of Monferno’s turns. It cannot scale its stats making Monferno more powerful in shorter battles. Use Stealth Rocks early and U-Turn to pivot into more aggressive Pokemon. Otherwise you can use Close Combat and Flare Blitz for damage against your opponent’s Pokemon.
| Stealth Rock | Close Combat |
| Flare Blitz | U-Turn |
How to Catch Monferno in Pokemon Go?
If you would like to obtain a Monferno in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Chimchar and eventually evolve it into Monferno. Like most evolved forms, its base evolution spawns more commonly in the wild and thus makes it easier to encounter. You can find Chimchar spawning in the wild, at a boosted rate, near cities, neighborhoods, beaches, parks, and other residential or dry areas. Chimchar can also be hatched from 2 and 5 km eggs. Chimchar, Monferno, and Infernape have all appeared as raid bosses as tier one, two, and four raid bosses respectively. To evolve Chimchar into a Monferno it will take 25 candies and it will require another 100 candies to evolve Monferno into an Infernape.
Trivia
- Monferno shares its Pokedex classification as the “Playful Pokemon” with Pancham.
- The inspiration for Monferno’s design is likely based on monkeys. Specifically, the golden snub-nosed monkey.
- The name Monferno is a combination of the words monkey and inferno.
FAQ
How do I evolve Monferno into Infernape?
Monferno will evolve into Infernape once it reaches level 36. Monferno will evolve from Chimchar once it reaches level 14. There are no special conditions to fulfill with this Pokemon’s evolution line and they will all evolve once they reach their respective level thresholds. Once your Monferno evolves into an Infernape, you can move on to collecting other Pokemon.
Is Monferno a rare Pokemon?
Since Monferno is a starter Pokemon, it is fairly exclusive. It can typically only be encountered once per save file as starter Pokemon rarely spawn naturally in the wild. Even if you decide on Chimchar as your starting Pokemon, you will need to consider the other two starters if you want to complete the Pokedex. This will likely require trading in the end.
What can Monferno learn?
Monferno does best with fire and fighting type moves. The STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) values you can take advantage of makes Monferno’s fire and fighting type moves more valuable. The important moves to keep an eye on include Close Combat, Flare Blitz, Mach Punch, and more.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Playful Pokemon”. While Monferno’s involvement in competitive play is typically limited to a unique format, Monferno can perform as a useful offensive Pokemon. With access to many offensive moves and hazards, Monferno can provide a lot of utility to your team. The damage from Monferno can be significant. Reserve a slot on your team for Monferno if you want an aggressive fire and fighting type Pokemon.
