Pokemon

Deino (#0633) | Stats, Evolutions, Moveset, Locations, Battle Strategies

Deino is a dino-like Pokémon with black fur surrounding it from head to neck. Being unable to see, its first instinct is to bite on everything that moves, which makes it quite fiery. Its cute appearance is not to fall for, as you’ll be covered in wounds until a Deino memorizes you by scent. 

Its specialty lies within its moveset, which has several effective Dark, Dragon, and other types of moves in its inventory. Read more about Deino, its evolutions, stats, and battle tips.

About Deino

National Pokédex No.	#0633
Type	Dark	Dragon
Species	Irate Pokémon
Height	0.8 m (2’07”)
Weight	17.3 kg (38.1 lbs)
Abilities	Hustle
Other Names	Japanese: モノズ (Monozu) German: Kapuno French: Solochi Korean: 모노두 (monodu)

Deino debuted in Generation V and lasted till the end. However, it had a short disappearance during Gen VII. In the remaining generations, it registered itself in the Pokédex of several regions. 

Generation	Region	Series		Pokédex No.
Gen V	Unova	Black/White		#139
Gen V	Unova	Black 2/White 2		#273
Gen VI	Mountain Kalos	X/Y		#142
No entry in Generation VII
Gen VIII	Galar	Sword/Shield		#386
Gen VIII	Crown Tundra	Sword/Shield		#136
Gen IX	Paldea	Scarlet/Violet		#370
It has no index in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Alola, Sinnoh, and Hisui regions.

Origins and Lore

The word Deino may be a fusion of the words Dino (Dinosaur) and ein (German for one). A more relatable word can be the Ancient Greek word Deinos, which was often used to describe dinosaurs. It is also the name of one of the mythical Graeae sisters, who shared a single interchangeable eye.

It resembles a young dragon or sauropod. Given the fact that it is blind and usually resides near water inside caves, Deino may also be adapted from a cave salamander. Besides that, it has an array of tales being spoken through its Pokédex entries.

Pokédex Entries
Generation V
Black	It is known to bite everything it touches, and is not a fussy eater. Engaging with it carelessly is risky.
White	They are unable to see, so they attack and bite to understand their surroundings. Their skin is flecked with bruises.
Black 2	Without eyesight, it is oblivious to its environment, so it tackles everything and nibbles anything that moves.
White 2
Generation VI
X	They are unable to see, so they attack and bite to understand their surroundings. Their skin is flecked with bruises.
Y	Without eyesight, it is oblivious to its environment, so it tackles everything and nibbles anything that moves.
Omega Ruby	They are unable to see, so they attack and bite to understand their surroundings. Their skin is flecked with bruises.
Alpha Sapphire	Without eyesight, it is oblivious of its environment, so it tackles into everything and nibbles anything that moves.
Generation VII
No entries in Generation VII
Generation VIII
Sword	When it stumbles upon something, its primary urge is to bite it. If it appreciates how it tastes, it will record the related scent to memory.
Shield	Since it can’t see, this Pokémon is actively biting at anything it contacts, trying to stay in track with its environment.
Generation IX
Scarlet	It cannot see, so its first resort to examining things is to bite them. You will be drenched in bruises until a Deino opens up to you.
Violet	It lives deep inside a cavern. Food there is limited, so Deino will sink its jaws into anything that passes by and try to eat it.
It has no Pokédex entries in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus.

Biology and Behavior

With black hair covering its head and neck, Deino is a little, blue, quadrupedal Pokémon that only shows its mouth. Six purple patches, resembling bruises, surround the fur of its neck. Its hair grows in the form of a single, tiny horn on top of its head. It also has a little tail that looks like it has been chewed off. Deino has several wounds all over his body.

Being blind to its surroundings, Deino rams and bites into anything and everything to figure it out. As it lives in caves with scarce food, its instinct is to eat anything that moves. It remembers objects and living beings by their scent and taste. Moreover, it is also shown rearing up on its hind legs whenever it is happy and excited.

Details for Starters
Catch Rate	45 (5.9% using PokéBall with full HP)
Growth Rate	Slow
Base Exp. Points	60
Total Exp. Points	1,250,000 points
Base Friendship (Happiness)	35 (Low)
EV Yield	1

EV Yield Distribution
HP	Attack	Defense	Sp. Attack	Sp. Defense	Speed
0	1	0	0	0	0

Base Stats

All Deinos have the same starting stats, totaling 300 values, regardless of generation. However, their nature and holdings can have a variety of effects on these metrics.

Stat Range
Stats	At Level 50		At Level 100
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
HP	112	159	214	308
Attack	63	128	121	251
Defense	49	112	94	218
Sp. Attack	45	106	85	207
Sp. Defense	49	112	94	218
Speed	38	99	72	192
Min. stats are calculated as per a Deino with 0 EVs, 0 IVs, and a hindering nature. Max. stats are calculated as per a Deino with 252 EVs, 31 IVs, and a beneficial nature.

Evolutionary Line

Deino evolves into Zweiloys, at Level 50, which further evolves into Hydreigon at Level 64. Players can battle trainers and wild Pokémon, or in hasty scenarios, by using rare candies. Remember that a Pokémon doesn’t evolve if and until it is holding an everstone.

Zweilous
National Pokédex No.	#0634
Type	Dark	Dragon
Species	Hostile Pokémon
Height	1.4 m (4’07”)
Weight	50.0 kg (110.2 lbs)
Abilities	Hustle
EV Yield	2 Attack
Catch Rate	45 (5.9% using Poké ball on full HP)
Base Exp. Points	147

Hydreigon
National Pokédex No.	#0635
Type	Dark	Dragon
Species	Brutal Pokémon
Height	1.8 m (5′11″)
Weight	160.0 kg (352.7 lbs)
Abilities	Levitate
EV Yield	3 Sp. Attack
Catch Rate	45 (5.9% using Pokeball on full HP)
Base Exp. Points	300

Fun Fact!

In Gen XI, a paradox Pokémon Iron Jugulis holds a striking resemblance to Hydreigon.

Breeding

Deino can be bred with different species to learn certain egg moves, like Belch and Double Hit, that can not be taught otherwise.

Egg Groups	Dragon
Gender Ratio	50% male, 50% female
Egg cycles	40
Approx. Steps	10,024-10,280

After breeding, the offspring Pokémon may learn the egg move right after hatching, after leveling up, or by being reminded by a Pokémon Move Reminder. However, the only condition is that one of the parent Pokémon must be aware of the certain egg move before breeding.

Egg Moves	Compatible Parents
	After Level Up	After Reminding	After Hatching
Astonish	Trapinch Applin Flapple Appletun Dreepy Drakloak Dragapult Dipplin Hydrapple	Vibrava Flygon	Swablu Altaria Deino Zweilous Hydreigon
Belch	Ekans Arbok Seviper	—	Deino Zweilous Hydreigon Salandit Silicobra Sandaconda
Double Hit	Zweilous Hydreigon Drakloak Dragapult	Hydrapple	Deino Zwelious Hydreigon
Head Smash	Scraggy Scrafty	—	Deino Zweilous Hydreigon
Through Picnics in Pokémon Scarlet/ Violet version, you can breed Deino with any Pokémon knowing the egg move.

In-Game Availability

From Gen V-IX several Pokémon GBA versions feature a direct or indirect way to obtain a Deino. However, it is unobtainable in Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu!, Let’s Go Eevee!, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus.

Version		Game Locations
Black	White	Victory Road
Black 2	White 2	Breed Zweilous/Hydreigon
X	Y	Breed Zweilous/Hydreigon
Omega Ruby	Alpha Sapphire	Meteor Falls
Sun	Moon	Ten Carat Hill
Ultra Sun	Ultra Moon	Trade/migrate from another game
Sword		Lake of Outrage, Dusty Bowl, Giant’s Mirror, Bridge Field (Max Raid Battle)
Shield		Trade/migrate from another game
Sword Expansion Pass		Roaring-Sea Caves
Scarlet		South Province: Alfornada Cavern North Province: Area Two, Dalizapa Passage, Glaseado Mountain Tera Raid Battles (3★)
Violet		Union Circle Tera Raid Battle Search (3★)

Sprites in Different Generations

Several generations introduced a modified sprite of Deino, with some featuring both normal and shiny variants.

Generation	Normal	Shiny
Gen V
Gen VI
Gen VII	—	—
Gen VIII		—
Gen IX		—

Training and Battling — Type Effectiveness

Deino can be of great benefit with proper training. Being a Dark-Dragon type makes it completely immune to Psychic types while adding natural strength against most Pokémon types. Tackling the opponent using its power points while covering its weak spots is the right strategy to play.

Damage Taken	Type	Status
0x	Psychic	Immune to
¼x	None	—
½x	Ghost	Resistant
	Fire	Resistant
	Electric	Resistant
	Grass	Resistant
	Water	Resistant
	Dark	Resistant
1x	Normal	Normally affected
	Poison	Normally affected
	Ground	Normally affected
	Flying	Normally affected
	Rock	Normally affected
	Steel	Normally affected
2x	Fighting	Weak
	Ice	Weak
	Bug	Weak
	Dragon	Weak
4x	Fairy	Extremely weak

If the opponent Pokémon uses Miracle eye or this Pokémon is given a Ring Target, the impact of Psychic-type moves increases to 1x.

Moves and Abilities

Deino and Zweilous are the only Pokémon to have solely Hustle as their ability.

Hustle
Battle Effect	Increases the user’s Attack by 50% but reduces the Accuracy of Physical moves by 20%
External Effect	If the Pokémon is leading the party, wild Pokémon are more likely to be of a higher level.

Deino’s moves went through a slight change in Gen VII, VIII, and IX. The latest move chart as per Gen IX is given below:

Gen IX Moves
By Level Up
Level	Move	Type	Category	Power	Acc.	PP
1	Focus Energy	Normal	Physical	—	—	35
1	Tackle	Normal	Status	40	100	30
4	Dragon Breath	Dragon	Special	60	100	20
8	Bite	Dark	Physical	60	100	25
12	Roar	Normal	Status	—	—	20
16	Assurance	Dark	Physical	60	100	10
20	Headbutt	Normal	Physical	70	100	15
24	Work Up	Normal	Status	—	—	30
28	Slam	Normal	Physical	80	75	20
32	Crunch	Dark	Physical	80	100	15
36	Scary Face	Normal	Status	—	100	10
40	Dragon Pulse	Dragon	Special	85	100	10
44	Body Slam	Normal	Physical	85	100	15
48	Hyper Voice	Normal	Special	90	100	10
52	Dragon Rush	Dragon	Physical	100	75	10
56	Nasty Plot	Dark	Status	—	—	20
60	Outrage	Dragon	Physical	120	100	10
Bold moves indicate that the move gets the Same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Deino.

By Breeding
Move	Type	Category	Power	Acc.	PP
Astonish	Ghost	Physical	30	100	15
Belch	Poison	Special	120	90	10
Double Hit	Normal	Physical	35	90	10
Head Smash	Rock	Physical	150	80	5
Only Before Gen VIII
Assurance	Dark	Physical	60	100	10
Dark Pulse	Dark	Special	80	100	15
Earth Power	Ground	Special	90	100	10
Fire Fang	Fire	Physical	65	95	15
Ice Fang	Ice	Physical	65	95	15
Screech	Normal	Status	—	85	40
Thunder Fang	Electric	Physical	65	95	15

By TM (Technical Machine)
TM	Move	Type	Category	Power	Acc.	PP
1	Take Down	Normal	Physical	90	85	20
6	Scary Face	Normal	Status	—	100	10
7	Protect	Normal	Status	—	—	10
8	Fire Fang	Fire	Physical	65	95	15
9	Thunder Fang	Electric	Physical	65	95	15
10	Ice Fang	Ice	Physical	65	95	15
18	Thief	Dark	Physical	60	100	25
25	Facade	Normal	Physical	70	100	20
30	Snarl	Dark	Special	55	95	15
44	Dragon Tail	Dragon	Physical	60	90	10
47	Endure	Normal	Status	—	—	10
49	Sunny Day	Fire	Status	—	—	5
50	Rain Dance	Water	Status	—	—	5
59	Zen Headbutt	Psychic	Physical	80	90	15
66	Body Slam	Normal	Physical	85	100	15
70	Sleep Talk	Normal	Status	—	—	10
82	Thunder Wave	Electric	Status	—	90	20
85	Rest	Psychic	Status	—	—	5
87	Taunt	Dark	Status	—	100	20
94	Dark Pulse	Dark	Special	80	100	15
103	Substitute	Normal	Status	—	—	10
108	Crunch	Dark	Physical	80	100	15
115	Dragon Pulse	Dragon	Special	85	100	10
117	Hyper Voice	Normal	Special	90	100	10
133	Earth Power	Ground	Special	90	100	10
140	Nasty Plot	Dark	Status	—	—	20
156	Outrage	Dragon	Physical	120	100	10
169	Draco Meteor	Dragon	Special	130	90	5
171	Tera Blast	Normal	Special	80	100	10
172	Roar	Normal	Status	—	—	20
177	Spite	Ghost	Status	—	100	10
203	Psych Up	Normal	Status	—	—	10
226	Dragon Cheer	Dragon	Status	—	—	15

Competitive Usage & Strategies

As per seasoned players, several strategies have come in handy while battling with Deino in your party.  

X/Y/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
Choice Scarf
Moveset	Outrage	Crunch
	Superpower	Zen Headbutt
Held Item	Choice Scarf
Nature	Jolly
EVs	20 HP, 236 Attack, 36 Sp. Defense, 212 Speed

As both Dark and Dragon types lay weak against a Fairy-type Pokémon, Deino, being a dual, suffers 4x impact of fairy-type moves. Thus, it should be strongly avoided in a battle with a Pokémon using moves such as Moonblast, Fleur Cannon, Geomancy, and Disarming Voice.

Dragon is always a threat to another Dragon. Moreover, Fighting-type moves like Close Combat, Super Power, Cross Chop and Dynamic Punch causes enough damage to take on one-third of the HP. Besides that, some Ice and Bug-type moves might serve a good deal on Deino’s HP.

Role in the Pokémon World

Major Appearance – Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Ep. 56 – The Lonely Deino!

Plot

A Deino interrupted Ash and Cilan’s battle, while two more stole their food. As found later, the three Deino were living in a Pokémon Day Care run by Bobby. Among them, two Deino were very friendly and cheerful while the third one remained shy. Iris also tried to help it open up to the surroundings, using her experience with Dragon-type Pokémon.

Other Minor Appearances:-

• The shy Deino again showed up in Explorers of the Hero’s Ruin!.
• A trainer’s Deino appeared in Climbing the Tower of Success!, Curtain Up, Unova League!, and Survival of the Striaton Gym!.

It also made an appearance in the manga ‘Pokémon Adventures’, in the chapter ‘ Hallway Hijinks’. Leo, a trainer used Deino to battle Cheren’s Unfezant during the quarterfinals of the Unova League. A member of the Shadow Triad used Deino to attack Lenora at Nacrene City.

Trivia and Fun Facts

• Among all the Pokémon evolving twice, Deino evolves into its final form at the highest level, i.e., level 64.
• Deino and its evolutions were originally decided to have references from tanks. Removed multiple times, they were lastly remade to be based on Yamata no Orochi.[1]
• Deino is the only Pokémon whose name’s letters are in alphabetical order.

With its wide range of powerful attacks, Deino holds a strong reputation in the circle of Dark Pokémon. However, in the Dragon community, it’s not that much special, given the low stats. Moreover, having Hustle as an ability lowers the accuracy of most moves, making Deino a bit unreliable. 

Conclusively, Deino can do a wonderful job in finishing off quick battles. But, for it to fight in the long run, having a backup and coverage party can be beneficial.