Introduced in generation four with the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, Weavile is a dual type dark and ice Pokemon. Typically casted in a villainous role for most Pokemon media, Weavile tends to be the pick of rivals or the main antagonists of the game. It evolves from Sneasel with some unique conditions and along with its sinister appearance, it holds some malevolent roles in Pokemon lore. This guide will showcase Weavile’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle, as well as other general facts about Weavile.
About Weavile
While Weavile was introduced in the generation four games with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, its pre evolution, Sneasel, was introduced in generation two. This two stage evolution was likely to supplement Sneasel’s usability in both Pokemon media as well as competitive battles. Weavile first appeared in the Pokemon movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Like many roles that Weavile and its pre-evolution were cast in, it typically takes a sinister role. Weavile evolves from Sneasel when it is holding the Razor Claw item and leveled during nighttime. The Pokedex states that they hunt in groups and will mark their territory with claw marks in trees, ice, and boulders.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Evolves from Sneasel when leveled up holding the Razor Claw item during nighttime. |
| 1st Evo level | N/A |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | They live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination. |
Weavile Base Stats
| HP | 70 |
| ATTACK | 120 |
| DEFENCE | 65 |
| SP. ATTACK | 45 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 85 |
| SPEED | 125 |
| TOTAL | 510 |
Appearance
Weavile’s is a bipedal Pokemon with many sharp edges. The most notable part of its design is its long claws which are razor sharp. Even the claws on its feet appear jagged and sharp. Most of Weavile’s body is black with some red accents on its head, around its neck, and its red tail. Despite Weavile’s intimidating appearance, it is only 3 feet and 7 inches, or 1.1 meters, tall. Weavile also has an amber gem placed in the middle of its forehead.
Behavior
As mentioned above, Weavile is typically depicted as a villainous Pokemon. They are usually found hunting in packs and their attacks are ruthless. These packs are capable of hunting down much larger prey, going as large as Mamoswines. The Pokedex states that Weavile will hunt in coordinated attacks and one swipe from their claws can cause frostbite. It is known to be highly intelligent and will mark their territory in 500 distinct patterns.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Weavile has had quite the rocky history throughout competitive Pokemon. While it is quite powerful in certain brackets going all the way into generation six, in the newer generations, Weavile begins to show its age. Nevertheless, Weavile is a powerful physical attacker with a very good speed stat to back it up. Unfortunately for Weavile, its typing leaves it weak to many different types in the game. Rock, bug, steel, fire, and fairy types all deal 2x damage to Weavile, while fighting deals 4x damage. Weavile excels against psychic type moves, sporting a complete immunity to psychic.
Mega Weavile
Unfortunately for fans of Weavile, Mega Weavile is not an official Pokemon of the mainline games. It is not likely for Mega Weavile to be introduced any time soon, especially as the developers have been moving away from mega evolutions. Mega Weavile would help with Weavile’s position in competitive Pokemon, especially considering its strength with the older generations. Nevertheless, it is not likely that Mega Weavile will be an official release in the Pokemon franchise.
Best Moveset
As a powerful physical attacker with a good speed stat to match, Weavile has some relevance in competitive Pokemon battles. Most often, Weavile will be used as a physical offensive sweeper. With a Choice Band held item, its chances to One Hit KO opposing Pokemon is much higher. For moves, consider running Knock Off, Icicle Crash, Pursuit, and Ice Shard. Knock Off benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) while also removing your opponent’s held item, Icicle Crash also benefits from STAB with the added bonus of potentially flinching your target, Pursuit can force your opponents to think twice about switching out, and Ice Shard is a priority move that also benefits from STAB.
| Knock Off | Icicle Crash |
| Pursuit | Ice Shard |
How to Catch Weavile in Pokemon Go
The easiest way to obtain a Weavile in Pokemon Go is to obtain enough Sneasels to eventually evolve into Weavile. Sneasel has appeared as a tier one and tier two raid boss in the past, making it relatively common to encounter with enough diligence. Of course you can find Sneasels and Weaviles in the wild, but Sneasel is more uncommon than most Pokemon. Search in snowy areas or open grassy areas for the best chance of finding a Sneasel. You can also find Sneasels by hatching 5 km eggs. In order to evolve your Sneasel into Weavile you will need 100 Sneasel candies as well as a Sinnoh Stone.
Trivia
- Sneasel and Weavile are unique as no other Pokemon shares the type combination of dark and ice.
- Weavile and Gliscor hold many similarities as their pre evolutions were introduced in generation two and their final evolution was introduced in generation four while also requiring a unique item in order to fully evolve.
- The inspiration for Weavile’s design likely comes from Japanese mythology of the kamaitachi, a type of demon that is often represented as weasels with sickles for weapons.
Video Guide
FAQ
Is Weavile a Good Pokemon?
While Weavile did not age particularly well, it is still quite powerful both in casual and competitive play. There are more powerful options today, but if you need a fast, physical attacking Pokemon, Weavile can fill the role very well. Whereas more powerful options exist, Weavile still maintains some relevance in competitive play.
Can Male Sneasel Evolve?
There is no gender restriction with evolving a Sneasel. You do need the unique requirement of the Razor Claw held item. In addition to this held item, you will need to level your Sneasel at night. While there are some unique conditions with evolving Sneasel, it does not need to meet any specific level threshold to evolve. Once you have the held item, and you level your sneasel at night, you can evolve your Sneasel.
How Does Weavile Evolve?
Weavile does not evolve. It is the final evolution of Sneasel and while Sneasel requires some unique conditions in order to evolve, Weavile simply has no other form to evolve into. There is no stage beyond Weavile in the official Pokemon games. This makes it very similar to Gliscor and Gligar in terms of their evolving conditions as well as when they were introduced into the game.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this sharp claw Pokemon. Weavile is typically the villain in many of the episodes of the anime or the movie roles that Weavile plays. In competitive battle, Weavile has not been able to maintain its peaks of capabilities, but still remains a relevant offensive Pokemon. Weavile exists as one of the more developed Pokemon of the Pokemon universe. If you enjoy Weavile’s roles in media and competitive, it is likely that Weavile is here to stay.
