Diglett and Dugtrio are the only possible encounters in Diglett's Cave, in all three games.
One mole, two moles, three moles. Dugtrio is easily one of the most immediately profitable Pokémon in Kanto, evolving not too late from when it is caught - if at all, as Dugtrio can also be caught already evolved - and getting an amazing move right off the bat, which will nuke much of the middle game, as well as carrying an important type advantage over several gyms. Dugtrio is excellent for a good number of threats that would otherwise be hard to deal with, such as the ever-feared Alakazam and Koga's Pokémon, which enjoy using accuracy-reducing or evasion-boosting moves. Sadly, it loses plenty of steam in the long run, and is worse than many other Ground Pokémon in almost every way other than its Speed; nevertheless, its short-term usefulness secures it a good spot in the team until around Blaine.
Gym #2 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Diglett outspeeds and 2HKOs Staryu with Dig, but must not face Starmie, as its BubbleBeam is a near-guaranteed one-shot.
Rival (S.S. Anne): Pidgeotto overpowers Diglett easily, being immune to Ground. Raticate can be 2HKOed with Dig if Diglett manages to outspeed, which is likely, as it will be higher levelled and Raticate's base Speed is only marginally higher. Kadabra can also be 2HKOed if outsped, but this is less likely than Raticate outspeeding; Diglett can take up to two Confusions, at any rate, so unless hurt from the previous battles it will win against Kadabra either way. Charmeleon is near-OHKOed by Dig, but both Ivysaur and Wartortle can 2HKO Diglett and should be avoided instead.
Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Voltorb and Pikachu are OHKOed by Dig and Raichu is 2HKOed, if Diglett is still unevolved; if Dugtrio is already evolved, Dig also OHKOs Raichu. GG.
Rival (Pokémon Tower): By taking a detour to Celadon City before this battle, Dugtrio can have a better matchup, since Rock Slide will become available to it. Pidgeotto is 2-3HKOed by the move, and Dugtrio would not be able to KO it fast enough without it. Exeggcute can be eventually KOed with Rock Slide too, an average 4-5HKO; it only has Barrage as an attacking move. Growlithe is murdered by Dig, which also 1-2HKOs Kadabra, depending on Dugtrio's level; Dugtrio must steer clear of Gyarados' Hydro Pump, however. Starter-wise, Dugtrio is able to 3HKO Ivysaur with Dig if it does not manage to land a Leech Seed, whereas Charmeleon is 1-2HKOed without risks; Wartortle is also 3HKOed before Water Gun can do the same.
Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Dugtrio's Dig 2HKOs Onix and Rhyhorn, but it can only 3-4HKO Kangaskhan, whose average 3-hit Comet Punch is a 3HKO. Dugtrio should preferably not fight Giovanni's ace.
Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Dugtrio must not fight in this gym. Victreebel OHKOs it with Razor Leaf, Vileplume 2HKOs with Petal Dance, and Tangela resists Dig - as well as having good Defense - and would eventually wear it out with Bind.
Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): Dig is a one-shot against both Koffing and a 1-2HKO against Muk. It can also 2HKO Weezing, but this exposes Dugtrio to its likely Explosion, which has a high probability of killing Dugtrio from full health.
Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Hitmonlee is 2-3HKOed by Dig, and Hitmonchan is 3HKOed. Hitmonlee has a small chance of 2HKOing with Double Kick, but the circumstance should mesh with a low damage roll on Dugtrio's end to actually kill the mole, and this is very unlikely to happen.
Rival (Silph Co.): Rock Slide 3HKOs Pidgeot, and Slash 3HKOs Exeggcute regardless of whether Reflect is put up or not. Growlithe is OHKOed by dig, but Gyarados remains unbeatable, with Hydro Pump. Alakazam is 2HKOed by Dig, as it still can only 3HKO at best, with Psybeam; if Dig is Disabled, Slash will also 2HKO. Charizard is 2HKOed by Rock Slide, but Venusaur one-shots with Razor Leaf and Blastoise outdamages even with Water Gun.
Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Nidorino is OHKOed by Dig, while Rhyhorn and Nidoqueen are 2HKOed, but harmless as neither has any Ground moves. Kangaskhan is 3HKOed, as well.
Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Kadabra and Mr. Mime are 2HKOed by Dig; Mr. Mime can be finished off with Slash, if it uses Barrier or Reflect on the first turn. Venomoth is averagely 2HKOed, though two very low damage rolls may lead to a 3HKO; this is not a problem for Dugtrio, as it can take a few Psybeams from it. Alakazam should be preferably 2-3HKOed with Slash, as Alakazam's Psybeam also 3HKOs and its Speed is tied with Dugtrio's, which therefore needs to outspeed in order to win.
Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): Earthquake is a net OHKO against Growlithe and Ponyta, and 1-2HKOs Rapidash, potentially after getting past Fire Spin. The move also 2HKOs Arcanine, whose Fire Blast is also a 2HKO; Dugtrio will win unless burned.
Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Earthquake 2HKOs all of Giovanni's Pokémon except Rhydon, which is 3HKOed instead. There is no danger for Dugtrio in this gym.
Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Pidgeot is still 3HKOed by Rock Slide, and Exeggcute is 3HKOed by Slash; SolarBeam would only 2HKO Dugtrio, and needs a turn to charge. Earthquake beats Growlithe by OHKOing it, and Rhyhorn and Alakazam by 2HKOing each; if Alakazam uses Reflect after the first Earthquake, Slash will deal it the finishing blow. Rock Slide is a 2HKO against Charizard, but Gyarados and Blastoise easily beat Dugtrio with Hydro Pump, whereas Venusaur does so with Razor Leaf.
Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Only Jynx may be safely 2HKOed with Earthquake; all of the other Pokémon Lorelei has can averagely KO Dugtrio in more turns than Earthquake can KO them or, in Slowbro's case, can set up with Amnesia and wreck entire teams without the player's control. Dugtrio would only offer them chances to score critical hits or set up, and should not be used against them.
Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Earthquake 2HKOs both of the Onix, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Machamp is dangerous; although Dugtrio can 3HKO it, its Submission oscillates between 2HKO and 3HKO range. Dugtrio should, at most, weaken it and then switch out.
Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Earthquake is a guaranteed OHKO against the lead Gengar, as well as Haunter; it also 1-2HKOs Arbok and Gengar. Status alterations are a major impairment for Dugtrio in this battle, so it should be kept healed from Dugtrio's Glare and the omnipresent Hypnosis, especially since Haunter and the ace Gengar know Dream Eater. Golbat can be 2-3HKOed with Rock Slide or Slash.
Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Gyarados knows Hydro Pump and should be avoided at all costs. The two Dragonair are 2HKOed easily with Earthquake; even their Hyper Beams only 3HKO Dugtrio. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, can outspeed and 2HKO with Hyper Beam, so it should be left up to a better suited teammate. Dugtrio is also too frail to fight Dragonite, and would get 2HKOed by it if it tried to do so.
Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Pidgeot is yet again 3HKOed by Rock Slide; if needed, Dugtrio can live a Sky Attack. Earthquake 2HKOs Alakazam as usual, and Slash can finish the job after an Earthquake if Reflect is put up. Rhydon's moves are still bad, so it gets 2-3HKOed by Earthquake; likewise, Exeggutor knows no STAB moves at all, and can therefore be 4HKOed with Slash on average. Arcanine is 2HKOed by Earthquake; Gyarados still knows Hydro Pump, and will kill Dugtrio if it attempts to fight it, as would Venusaur and Blastoise, whose respective STAB moves OHKO Dugtrio. Charizard is 2HKOed by Rock Slide, but will also 2HKO Dugtrio if either Rock Slide misses, so the matchup is dangerous.
Post-Game: No. If Dugtrio has come this far, now is its time to retire.
Gym #2 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Diglett outspeeds and 2HKOs Staryu with Dig, but must not face Starmie, as its BubbleBeam is a near-guaranteed one-shot.
Rival (S.S. Anne): Spearow overpowers Diglett easily, being immune to Ground. Rattata and Eevee are 2HKOed by Dig easily, but not Sandshrew, which can take two hits and 2HKO with Slash.
Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Dugtrio 1-2HKOs Raichu with Dig. GG.
Rival (Pokémon Tower): By taking a detour to Celadon City before this battle, Dugtrio can have a better matchup, since Rock Slide will become available to it. Fearow is 2-3HKOed by the move, and Dugtrio would not be able to KO it fast enough without it. Vulpix and Magnemite are OHKOed by Dig, whereas Sandshrew and Eevee are 2HKOed; Shellder is 2-3HKOed, but by staying in battle, Dugtrio subjects itself to the risk of getting trapped by Clamp.
Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Dugtrio's Dig 2HKOs Onix and Rhyhorn, and it also 3HKOs Persian.
Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Dugtrio must not fight in this gym. Weepinbell 1-2HKOs it with Razor Leaf, Gloom 2HKOs with Petal Dance, and Tangela resists Dig - as well as having good Defense - and would eventually wear it out with Bind or Mega Drain.
Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): All three of the Venonat are 2HKOed by Earthquake; the third one may be 3HKOed instead, but will not kill Dugtrio with Psychic in any case. Venomoth is insidious; it can be 3HKOed, but its Double Team makes hitting or not hitting it uncertain, and its Psychic 4HKOs. An X Accuracy or a switch-out, however, will fix this problem.
Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Hitmonlee is 2-3HKOed by Dig, and Hitmonchan is 3HKOed. Hitmonlee has a small chance of 2HKOing with Double Kick, but the circumstance should mesh with a low damage roll on Dugtrio's end to actually kill the mole, and this is very unlikely to happen.
Rival (Silph Co.): Sandslash is more powerful and sturdier than Dugtrio, which would not win the matchup if it tried. Ninetales, Magneton and Kadabra are all 2HKOed easily by Dig; the move also 2HKOs Jolteon and Flareon, though Dugtrio may need to break out of Flareon's Fire Spin to score the KO. Both Cloyster and Vaporeon beat Dugtrio with Aurora Beam.
Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Nidorino is OHKOed by Dig, while Rhyhorn and Nidoqueen are 2HKOed, but harmless as neither has any Ground moves. Persian is 2HKOed, as well.
Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Abra is a free KO due to having no offensive moves whatsoever, Kadabra is 2HKOed with Dig or Earthquake. Alakazam should be preferably 2-3HKOed with Slash, as Alakazam's Psybeam also 3HKOs and its Speed is tied with Dugtrio's, which therefore needs to outspeed in order to win.
Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): Earthquake is a 2HKO against Ninetales and 1-2HKOs Rapidash, potentially after getting past Fire Spin. The move also 2HKOs Arcanine, whose Fire Blast is also a 2HKO; Dugtrio will win unless burned.
Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Earthquake 2HKOs all of Giovanni's Pokémon except Persian and Rhydon, which must be avoided, because their Slash and Earthquake respectively 2HKO Dugtrio and Dugtrio's own Earthquake would only be a 3HKO.
Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): If Dugtrio is several levels higher than Sandslash (mid-50s), it can 3HKO with Earthquake, as Sandslash would only 3HKO with Slash. Exeggcute is 3HKOed by Slash; SolarBeam would only 2HKO Dugtrio, and needs a turn to charge. Kadabra, Ninetales and Magneton are all 2HKOed instead, and so are Jolteon and Flareon, though Flareon may slow Dugtrio down with repeated Fire Spins. Cloyster and Vaporeon must be avoided, as they have killer Ice and Water STAB, respectively.
Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Only Jynx may be safely 2HKOed with Earthquake; all of the other Pokémon Lorelei has can averagely KO Dugtrio in more turns than Earthquake can KO them or, in Slowbro's case, can set up with Amnesia and wreck entire teams without the player's control. Dugtrio would only offer them chances to score critical hits or set up, and should not be used against them.
Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Earthquake 2HKOs both of the Onix, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Machamp is dangerous; although Dugtrio can 3HKO it, its Submission oscillates between 2HKO and 3HKO range. Dugtrio should, at most, weaken it and then switch out.
Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Earthquake is a guaranteed OHKO against the lead Gengar, as well as Haunter; it also 1-2HKOs Arbok and Gengar. Status alterations are a major impairment for Dugtrio in this battle, so it should be kept healed from Dugtrio's Glare and the omnipresent Hypnosis, especially since Haunter and the ace Gengar know Dream Eater. Golbat can be 2-3HKOed with Rock Slide or Slash.
Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Gyarados knows Hydro Pump and should be avoided at all costs. The two Dragonair are 2HKOed easily with Earthquake; even their Hyper Beams only 3HKO Dugtrio. Aerodactyl, on the other hand, can outspeed and 2HKO with Hyper Beam, so it should be left up to a better suited teammate. Dugtrio is also too frail to fight Dragonite, and would get 2HKOed by it if it tried to do so.
Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Sandslash overpowers Dugtrio again with its own Earthquake, and must not be fought. Earthquake 2HKOs Alakazam as usual, and Slash can finish the job after an Earthquake if Reflect is put up. Exeggutor knows no STAB moves at all, and can therefore be 4HKOed with Slash on average. Ninetales and Magneton are 2HKOed by Earthquake; Cloyster now knows Ice Beam, and will kill Dugtrio if it attempts to fight it, as would Vaporeon, whose Hydro Pump OHKOs Dugtrio. Jolteon and Flareon remain 2HKOable with Earthquake; like Alakazam, Flareon knows Reflect, but Dugtrio can use Slash after an Earthquake to seal the KO.
Post-Game: No. If Dugtrio has come this far, now is its time to retire.
Moves
Diglett starts off with just Scratch and Growl, but also learns the fantastic move Dig at level 19. Having a base power of 100 in this generation, this is effectively as good as Earthquake, and everything Diglett needs to wreck its enemies for the middle portion of the game. At 24, it gets Sand-Attack, but the move is not really useful in any sort of way; after evolving, it learns Slash at 35, which is very good to get rid of Flying-types, as its base power is also fairly high thanks to it being a guaranteed critical hit. Lastly, it learns Earthquake at 47, which can replace Dig to knock out enemies faster.
Not much else is in Dugtrio's arsenal, though it can learn Rock Slide via TM after reaching Celadon City. Hyper Beam is also an option, as it will score a critical hit about 25% of the time and Dugtrio will not need to recharge after using it, though Slash is generally better and has no drawbacks.
Recommended moveset: Earthquake, Rock Slide, Slash, and any filler move
Recommended Teammates
Flying-types: Grass-types are not numerous in Kanto, but it is also difficult to find anti-Grass coverage without weaknesses that overlap with Dugtrio's. Flying-types offer the best compromise, being fairly common, having Fly for STAB and only one relatively rare weakness shared with Dugtrio.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Fearow, Dodrio, Gyarados, Dragonite
Electric-types: Water-types are very common, and best countered by Electric-types, since good Grass coverage is fairly lacking in the first generation. In addition, unlike Grass-types, Electric-types have no weakness in common with Dugtrio.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Raichu, Magneton, Electabuzz, Jolteon
Physical tanks: Dugtrio's physical defense is thinner than paper, and must categorically be compensated by a teammate that can take physical hits. Dugtrio will die with almost any physical move, not necessarily a strong one.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Slowbro, Cloyster, Exeggutor, Weezing, Kangaskhan, Lapras, Snorlax, Dragonite
Special tanks: Although Dugtrio's Special is not as bad as its Defense, its low HP still make it fairly incapable of taking hits, even on the special side. A good special wall should be designated to do this instead.
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Dugtrio's stats
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
35
95 - 142
180 - 274
Attack:
80
76 - 145
148 - 284
Defense:
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
Special:
70
67 - 134
130 - 262
Speed:
120
112 - 189
220 - 372
Total:
355
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Diglett Line Ratings
Availability
Matchups
Movepool
Survivability
Type Usefulness
Team Role
Offensive Utility
Defensive Utility
Tankiness
Fun Factor
Overall
At what point in the game should I be evolved? Immediately. Diglett can manage against Lt. Surge in Red and Blue, but has lower Speed than Raichu and this is a problem for its thinner-than-paper Defense. Dugtrio has better chances of surviving, and even then, its tankiness is one of the worst in the game; it needs all the power it can get.
How good is the Diglett line in a Nuzlocke? Very good for a few gyms, and generally a reliable Pokémon in the middle game, though in the late game it starts losing steam quickly. It can carve a niche into the team until about Blaine, but from there on out, its only real usefulness is taking down Alakazam and possibly Agatha's ghosts. Still, for a tactical Pokémon rather than a strategic one, it performs its role the way it should be.
