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Exclusive toPokemon Sapphireupon its debut, Lotad and its evolutions can now be caught in bothPokemon Scarlet & Violetthanks to the release of The Teal Mask DLC. Lotad isn’t the only Pokemon from Hoenn to make a return, as plenty of other Gen 3 Pokemon can be found walking around Kitakami. However, it is a Pokemon that trainers are going to want to catch and evolve to complete the Kitakami Pokedex.
Lotad’s Water/Grass-typing means it can shrug off type weaknesses that regular Grass and Water-type Pokemon may have, such as Fire and Electric-type moves. This alone may make it appear more valuable to someScarlet/Violettrainers, but before reorganizing the party, it’s best to know the pros and cons of the Lotad-line.
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Lotad and Lombre can be found inWisteria Pondandby the river inMossfell Confluencerespectively. Wisteria Pond can be reached by headingwest from the Bus Station, while Mossfell Confluence can be reached by goingsouth from Reveler’s Road.
While it’s not a requirement, it’s advised to have unlocked Koraidon/Miraidon’s swim ability. This is partially because the Lotad tend to gather inWisteria Pond, and without Koraidon/Miraidon’s swim ability, the player character won’t be able to stray too far from the shore. Thankfully, the Lotad tend to gather close to the shoreline.
Lombre won’t swim in the river by Mossfell Confluence, and instead can be found walking the riverbank. This isa Fixed Lombre spawn, meaning there will be only one at a time. Fortunately, Lombre also tends to spawn atWistful Fields, which isright next to Wisteria Pond.
When catching these two Pokemon, Net Balls and Dive Balls are generally recommended. However, a Dive Ball will only work if the Lotad/Lombre is physically in the water. Thus, the Dive Balls may be better for Lotad, but not so much the Lombre. Like any other Pokemon found in Kitakami, the levels of these Pokemon can be from10-20or60+depending onwhere players are at inScarlet/Violet’s main storyline.
Lombre and Lotad also appear as Tera Raid Pokemon. Ludicolo also appears in Tera Raids, but only in 5-star Tera Raids.
How to Evolve Lombre
Evolving Lotad into Lombre is easy: Players just need to raise its level to14or, if its already over level 14, give it an Exp Candy or Rare Candy. Once it becomes Lombre, or if players caught a Lombre instead of Lotad, it will evolve into Ludicolo when exposed to aWater Stone. This evolutionary stone can be picked up practically anywherewhere there is water. So, search small ponds, rivers, lakes, and more.
If RNG is giving players a hard time, then it may be better to get the Water Stone elsewhere. Here are two other ways to get a Water Stone:
Once its become Ludicolo, players will want to have itRemember Movesto give it a better moveset for battle. Since Ludicoloevolves via evolution stone, it won’t learn any new moves as it levels up. Instead, it will have access to its learnpool when it was a Lombre in the Remember Moves screen.
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More Information About Ludicolo (Is It Worth Using?)
While a certain Cipher Admin fromPokemon ColosseumandXD: Gale of Darknessmay argue that Ludicolo is the best Pokemon, the Carefree Pokemon isn’t for everyone. The Water/Grass-typing negates soem Grass and Water Type Weaknesses, but this shouldn’t be the deal breaker for whether Ludicologets a spot on the team.
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Looking at its base stat spread, Ludicolo seems to be an all-around Pokemon with its best stat being its Special Defense. This means special moves like Flamethrower and Thunderbolt won’t deal as much damage as Flame Punch or Thunder Fang. Ludicolo also isn’t the best physical attacker, but it’s ideal for a team that sets upRain Dance. It can learn moves like Hydro Pump and Ice Beam, and, even though it’s a physical move, Thunder Punch, which gives it coverage against two of its type weaknesses: Bug and Flying.
On the downside, Ludicolo’s strengths are heavily reliant on rain. Two out of three of its Abilities, Rain Dish and Swift Swim, only trigger in rain,making them very situational. Ludicolo’s slow Speed means it will almost always be attacking last in battle, and the poor Defense means if it gets hit by a physical move that targets its weakness, it can very well be 1HKO’d.
As such, players may find Ludicolo to be a better supporter than a battler. If using it primarily for battles, then trainers are going to need to set up the battlefield with their first Pokemon before sending out Ludicolo.
Pokemon ScarletandPokemon Violetare available for Nintendo Switch.
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