Competitive Information for Empoleon [Diamond/Pearl]


Water / Steel
Abilities:
At 1/3 or less of its max HP, this Pokemon's Water-type attacks have 1.5x power.


Disclaimer: All videos and opinions are owned by their respective creators and may not reflect our views.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Empoleon? These builds are optimized for Diamond/Pearl Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Diamond/Pearl metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Prepare for battle with Empoleon, an epic Pokémon boasting Water and Steel attributes. It's to see Empoleon show up as a Diamond/Pearl opponent. It is weak to Electric, Fighting, and Ground-typed attacks. Explore the movesets below to see how Empoleon performs in battles.
Item: Focus Sash / Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 244 Hp / 168 SpA / 96 Spe
Moveset:
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Stealth Rock
Empoleon shows a top-notch Special Tank prowess in single battles. The intention of this moveset is to absorb special attacks and counter with decent force. Focus Sash helps protect Empoleon from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Torrent, at 1/3 or less of its max hp Empoleon's water-type attacks have 1.5x power. With a Shuca Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective ground-type attack then the Shuca Berry gets consumed.
◆ Surf is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Power doubles on dive).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Grass Knot is a special 0-base power Grass-type move (more power the heavier the target).
◆ Stealth Rock is a status move (hurts foes on switch-in. Factors rock weakness).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/eaa18b
Item: Focus Sash / Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 32 Hp / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
Moveset:
- Drill Peck
- Aqua Jet / Waterfall
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
Empoleon excels as popular Physical Sweeper during single battles. This configuration strives to crush rivals using formidable physical attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Empoleon from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Torrent, at 1/3 or less of its max hp Empoleon's water-type attacks have 1.5x power. With a Shuca Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective ground-type attack then the Shuca Berry gets consumed.
◆ Aqua Jet is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 40-base power Water-type move (usually goes first).
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Stealth Rock is a status move (hurts foes on switch-in. Factors rock weakness).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Empoleon's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/eba18b
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Surf / Hydro Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Ice Beam / Icy Wind
- Signal Beam
For single battles, Empoleon is a top-notch Special Sweeper. It tries to overwhelm foes with formidable special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Empoleon from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Empoleon's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Torrent, at 1/3 or less of its max hp Empoleon's water-type attacks have 1.5x power.
◆ Hydro Cannon is a special STAB-boosted 150-base power Water-type move (Empoleon cannot move next turn).
◆ Flash Cannon is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Steel-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
◆ Signal Beam is a special 75-base power Bug-type move (10% chance to confuse the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/eca18b
Item: Petaya Berry
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Serious
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Substitute
- Agility
- Ice Beam
- Surf
Taking on single battles? Empoleon is a fabulous Special Sweeper. This moveset focuses to crush rivals using overwhelming special power. The Petaya Berry will raise Empoleon's Sp. Atk by 1 stage when it reaches 1/4 max HP or less and gets consumed. With Torrent, at 1/3 or less of its max hp Empoleon's water-type attacks have 1.5x power.
◆ Agility is a status move (raises your Empoleon's speed by 2 stages).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Surf is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Power doubles on dive).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/eda18b
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Empoleon? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Diamond/Pearl Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Diamond/Pearl metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Surf / Hydro Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Icy Wind / Ice Beam
- Signal Beam
For those intense double battles, Empoleon is a superior Special Sweeper. This moveset is designed to take down the opponent's team with potent special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Empoleon from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Empoleon's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Torrent, at 1/3 or less of its max hp Empoleon's water-type attacks have 1.5x power.
◆ Hydro Cannon is a special STAB-boosted 150-base power Water-type move (Empoleon cannot move next turn).
◆ Flash Cannon is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Steel-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
◆ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Signal Beam is a special 75-base power Bug-type move (10% chance to confuse the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/faa18b
Movepool
Want to know what moves Empoleon can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Empoleon.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Empoleon can perform in Diamond/Pearl. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive DP Move and Ability Combos for Empoleon
- Moves: Endure + Flail
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Yawn + Protect
- Ability: Torrent + Item: Focus sash
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Double Hit + Item: King's Rock
- Moves with Priority: Bide, Endure, Protect, Aqua Jet
- Moves that Break Screens: Defog, Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Yawn, Toxic
Moves that boost Empoleon's stats
- Agility
- Iron Defense
- Metal Claw
- Steel Wing
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Empoleon
- Agility
- Aqua Jet
- Drill Peck
- Earthquake
- Grass Knot
- Hydro Cannon
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Knock Off
- Knock Off
- Protect
- Rest
- Stealth Rock
- Substitute
- Surf
- Swords Dance
- Toxic
- Waterfall
Common Effort Values for Empoleon in Diamond and Pearl
- Modest Nature ( 244/0/0/168/0/96/ )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/4/252/ )
- Optimize Empoleon's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.

THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Some builds on this page have been hidden, click here to display them
Here are the best movesets for Empoleon. Top rated Empoleon Diamond/Pearl movesets. You can find Empoleon builds Diamond/Pearl. Empoleon movesets Diamond/Pearl are listed here. VGC Empoleon Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Empoleon in Diamond/Pearl along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution