3CL TCG

Species guide · Ages 10+ · July 2026

Piplup

Say it: PIP-lup

Kids summary (simpler)Tap to expand

Piplup is the Penguin Pokémon — Water starter before Prinplup and Empoleon. In Pokémon GO it is usually candy on the way to Empoleon — not a finished raid attacker. Water helps against Fire, Ground, and Rock; Grass and Electric hit Water hard. Catch Piplup from the wild, eggs, or events, then evolve. Hydro Cannon from Piplup Community Day belongs on Empoleon.

Say it: PIP-lup

Piplup (#393) is a Water Pokémon in Pokémon GO — the baby stage of Empoleon. Trainers almost never power Piplup for raids; the value is candy and IVs for Prinplup/Empoleon (and Hydro Cannon). Against Piplup, lead with Grass or Electric. Stats, type chart, moves, and counter picks below use our Game Master snapshot.

Water#393

Type-colored placeholder — not official Pokémon artwork (see IP notice below).

Pokédex notes

Piplup's Empoleon is Water/Steel — resists many types and shows up in Great League with the right moves.

Where in GO: Wild spawns, eggs, Field Research, and seasonal events

Invest tip: Do not sink Stardust into Piplup. Keep high-IV copies for Empoleon. Shadow Piplup is the same — evolve toward Shadow Empoleon.

Type matchups

  • Water moves hit Fire, Ground, and Rock hard.

When Piplup is your opponent, Electric, Grass hits hard.

Full type matchup guide →

GO base stats

From Game Master snapshot — IVs, buddy, and power-ups change real battle stats.

Attack
112
Defense
102
Stamina
142

Weak to

ElectricGrass

Resists

FireWaterIceSteel

Best Pokémon to use against it

When this species is your opponent (Rocket battle, gym, raid, or PvP), these picks exploit its typings. Each list is a pool of options — not a required 12-Pokémon lobby.

Recommended

Strongest practical attackers for this matchup.

  1. 1. Zekrom · beats Electric

    Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt

  2. 2. Shadow Zekrom · beats Electric

    Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt

  3. 3. Shadow Raikou · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  4. 4. Xurkitree · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Discharge

  5. 5. Therian Thundurus · beats Electric

    Volt Switch + Thunderbolt

  6. 6. Mega Manectric · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  7. 7. Raikou · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  8. 8. Electivire · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  9. 9. Shadow Electabuzz · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Thunder Punch

  10. 10. Zapdos · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Thunderbolt

  11. 11. Magnezone · beats Electric

    Spark + Wild Charge

  12. 12. Luxray · beats Electric

    Spark + Wild Charge

Budget

Solid alternatives when you cannot build the Recommended picks.

  1. 1. Electivire · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  2. 2. Luxray · beats Electric

    Spark + Wild Charge

  3. 3. Manectric · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  4. 4. Jolteon · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Thunderbolt

  5. 5. Ampharos · beats Electric

    Volt Switch + Zap Cannon

  6. 6. Zebstrika · beats Electric

    Spark + Wild Charge

  7. 7. Galvantula · beats Electric

    Volt Switch + Discharge

  8. 8. Eelektross · beats Electric

    Spark + Thunderbolt

  9. 9. Heliolisk · beats Electric

    Volt Switch + Thunderbolt

  10. 10. Stunfisk · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Discharge

  11. 11. Raichu · beats Electric

    Thunder Shock + Wild Charge

  12. 12. Magneton · beats Electric

    Spark + Discharge

Recommended moves

Piplup’s Game Master pool is temporary. Real investment is Empoleon — evolve before serious TMs and power-ups.

Fast

  • Bubble · Standard

    Water energy

  • Pound · Standard

    Normal filler

Charged

  • Bubble Beam · Standard

    Water nuke

  • Drill Peck · Standard

    Flying coverage

  • Icy Wind · Standard

    Ice / debuff

Moves in GO

Always-available Game Master learnset (regular TMs). Community Day / Elite TM moves appear above when we have curated notes for this species.

Fast

  • bubble
  • pound

Charged

  • bubble beam
  • drill peck
  • icy wind

PvP league ranks (family snapshot)

  • Great League · rank #787 of 954 · CP 1215

    Bubble + Drill Peck

  • Master League · rank #854 of 1023 · CP 1215

    Bubble + Drill Peck

Open battle tools →

In your Collect

Name match only (text). Cards you have saved in Card Nexus Collect — not official art.

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Open Collect →

Raid and PvP advice uses our Game Master snapshot (updated July 2026).

In the Competitive Guide

Pokédex browserSearchGO CompanionFamily trades