Evolution tool · original GBC · not HGSS
Evolution Methods Finder for Pokémon Gold & Silver
Search every Gen 2 evolution on original Gold and Silver: level-up thresholds, stones, link trades, friendship lines, and the Tyrogue Attack/Defense branches. Browse all 122 methods and jump straight into this site’s Pokédex, Trade Planner, stone locations, and friendship tools.
Fast answer
Five ways Pokémon evolve on G/S carts
If a mon will not evolve, check the correct method family and whether you are reading a remake or Crystal-only tip. Everstone blocks automatic level, friendship, stat, and trade evolutions, but it does not block direct stone use. Tyrogue is resolved from its calculated Lv.20 stats, not temporary battle boosts.
Interactive tool
Search every evolution method
122 methods
Deep links
Method family guides on this site
Level-up (83)
Most Johto and Kanto lines evolve by gaining a level at or above a fixed threshold. Unequip Everstone. Rare Candy and battle levels both count. Baby forms and some mid stages still use other methods later.
Evolution stones (18)
Fire, Water, Thunder, Leaf, Moon, and Sun Stones. Original G/S never sell them in marts—use Bill’s grandpa, Bug Contest, map balls, Mom shopping, and rare wild holds. A held Everstone does not prevent you from using a stone directly.
Trade (10)
Four plain trades (Alakazam, Machamp, Golem, Gengar) plus six item trades: King’s Rock, Metal Coat, Dragon Scale, Up-Grade. Use Trade Planner if you only have one cart.
Friendship (8)
Threshold is 220/255, then a level-up. Haircut Brothers, walking, vitamins, and the Goldenrod rater all help. Espeon needs morning/day; Umbreon needs night.
Tyrogue stats (3)
Gift Tyrogue from Mt. Mortar evolves at level 20 based on its calculated Attack vs Defense. DVs, battle-earned Stat Exp, Protein, and Iron can change the branch; X items and temporary stat stages do not.
Common blockers
- Everstone held
- Friendship still under 220
- Wrong RTC hour for Espeon/Umbreon
- Missing trade partner or held item
- Looking at HGSS / Crystal-only sources
Stat branch
Tyrogue → Hitmonlee / Hitmonchan / Hitmontop
At level 20 the cartridge compares Tyrogue’s calculated Attack and Defense. Enter both DVs and permanent Stat Exp: battle gains, Protein, and Iron can flip the result. Temporary battle stages such as X Attack, Harden, or Screech are ignored by evolution.
Lv.20 stat inputs
Protein adds 2,560 Attack Stat Exp and Iron adds 2,560 Defense Stat Exp while that stat’s high byte is below 100.
Why there is no single Hitmontop DV chance
The game compares final stats, not raw DV equality. With zero and equal Stat Exp, Lv.20 rounding makes 40 of 256 Attack/Defense DV pairs tie (5/32); unequal training changes that set, so a trained Tyrogue has no universal fixed chance.
Do not trust battle stages
Swords Dance, Harden, Screech, or X Attack during the level-up fight do not change the evolution. The branch uses the permanent stats calculated from base stats, DVs, Stat Exp, and level.
Progress
Evolution completion checklist
Local checklist for the special method groups players usually miss. Plain level-up lines are easier—use the finder for those.
FAQ
Evolution questions for original Gold & Silver
How many evolution methods are on original Gold/Silver?
122 edges: 83 level-up, 18 stone, 10 trade, 8 friendship, 3 Tyrogue stat branches. Counts come from pret/pokegold evolution tables exposed through this site’s Pokédex dataset.
How do I evolve Tyrogue into Hitmontop?
Raise Tyrogue to level 20 with its calculated Attack equal to Defense. Enter its DVs and Attack/Defense Stat Exp in the tool above; vitamins and battle training can change the result, so raw DV equality alone is not the rule.
Why won’t my Golbat / Chansey / Togepi evolve?
They need friendship 220 or higher, then a level-up without Everstone. Use Haircut Brothers, walking, vitamins, and the Goldenrod friendship rater. See the friendship checker for exact bands.
Where do I get Metal Coat, King’s Rock, Dragon Scale, and Up-Grade?
Open the trade evolutions hub for every map source and wild hold rate, then the Trade Planner if you need a second cart.
Can I evolve every mon on one cartridge without trading?
No. Ten evolutions require a link trade (some with held items). Friendship and stones are single-player. For living dex planning, pair this page with the complete Pokédex requirements guide.
Is this the same as HeartGold / SoulSilver?
No. Remakes add different item availability, Pokéwalker, and later-gen conveniences. This finder is only for original GBC Gold and Silver.
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