Linoone

Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Linoone is a monotype normal Pokemon. It evolves from Zigzagoon and if it is the Galarian variant, then Linoone evolves into Obstagoon. Linoone is classified by the Pokedex as the “Rushing Pokemon” which indicates its general behavior as a fast moving Pokemon. This guide will showcase Linoone’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Linoone.

About Linoone

As a generation three Pokemon, Linoone first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime in the episode Showdown at Linoone. This episode showcased a trainer named Kimmy who owned a kleptomaniac Linoone. Linoone is the middle evolution of the Galarian variant, and the final evolution of the regular variant. Zigzagoon will evolve into Linoone at level 20, and a Galarian Linoone will evolve into Obstagoon when leveled up to 35 at night. The Pokedex states that Linoone is fast, but has trouble maneuvering around at a full sprint.

Linoone Base Stats

Despite having different visual appearances, the regular and Galarian Linoone have identical base stat totals.

(Regular Linoone)

(Galarian Linoone)

Appearance

Linoone is a quadrupedal Pokemon that resembles a weasel or ferret combined with a badger. It has a long slender body and a bushy tail to match its body color. Most of its body is white with brown stripes found throughout its body. The Galarian variant is similar, but with black instead of brown stripes. Each of Linoone’s feet have two pointed claws and more closely resemble a badger than a weasel. Linoone is a small Pokemon at only 1 foot and 8 inches, or 0.5 meters, tall.

Behavior

Linoone is known to be a particularly quick Pokemon as it can run up to 60 miles per hour but it has trouble making angled turns. It will typically make a full stop before it can move around an obstacle in its path. They are also known to be thieves as they enjoy taking any round shaped object. Linoone are also capable hunters, pouncing with precision and using their pointed claws to attack their prey. The Galarian variant of Linoone are more reckless and aggressive, and will boldly attack anything even if their target is much larger than Linoone.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The stat distribution for both regular and Galarian Linoone are fairly balanced. Its speed stat is its strongest feature, but the rest of its stats leave a bit to be desired. While Linoone’s health pool is respectable, the rest of its stats are fairly mediocre and it can be difficult for Linoone to fulfill a standard role.

As regular Linoone is a monotype normal Pokemon, it takes 2x damage from fighting type moves, is immune to ghost type moves but has no resistances. Galarian Linoone, on the other hand, is a dual type normal and dark Pokemon which takes 4x damage from fighting type moves, and 2x damage from fairy and bug type moves. It is immune to ghost and psychic type moves, and is resistant against dark type moves.

Best Moveset

Since Linoone’s introduction in generation three, it has not been the most powerful Pokemon. It can deal considerable amounts of damage with enough set up and it can fulfill an offensive role on your team. With a Sitrus Berry, as a held item, it can survive to the point where it can sweep an opposing team. Consider running Belly Drum, Extreme Speed, Seed Bomb, and Shadow Claw/Substitute. Belly Drum is integral to an offensive Linoone and the Sitrus Berry held item keeps Linoone healthy, Extreme Speed can take advantage of Belly Drum and benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus). Finally, while Seed Bomb is for type coverage, Shadow Claw/Substitute are interchangeable as an offensive or defensive move respectively.

How to Catch Linoone in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain a Linoone in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Zigzagoon and eventually evolve it. You can find Zigzagoon, in the wild, at a boosted spawn rate near residential areas, universities, and parking lots. Zigzagoon can also be hatched from 2 and 7 km eggs. A Galarian Zigzagoon can also be found in similar ways, but with the addition of having a boosted spawn rate at night time. Unfortunately, none of Zigzagoon’s evolution line can be found in raid battles at Pokemon Gyms. Thus you will need to find a Zigzagoon the hard way and then evolve it to obtain its other evolutions. To evolve a regular Zigzagoon into Linoone you will need 50 candies while the Galarian variant, needs 25 candies to evolve it into Galarian Linoone and another 100 to evolve it into Obstagoon.

Trivia

1. Linoone has the same Hoenn Pokedex and Central Kalos Pokedex numbers.
2. The inspiration for Linoone’s design is likely a combination of the European badger and a weasel or ferret.
3. The name Linoone is a combination of the words line and raccoon.

Explainer video

FAQ

What does a Linoone evolve into?

A regular Linoone will not evolve into anything as it is the final evolution in its two stage evolution line. However, a Galarian Linoone can evolve into an Obstagoon once it is leveled at night time after the level threshold of 35. It is rare for different variants of Pokemon to have an exclusive evolution, but likely indicates the developers’ plan to keep the older Pokemon relevant.

Is Linoone any good?

Linoone has a somewhat cheesy strategy of utilizing Belly Drum to maximize its attack and then a priority move to sweep an enemy team. With a Substitute in play and a Sitrus Berry, as a held item, it becomes more resilient than some players may initially realize. Other than this straightforward strategy, there is not much else that Linoone has to offer.

Is Linoone a badger?

The inspiration for Linoone’s design seems to be a combination of a badger mixed with a ferret or weasel. It has badger-like claws but its name also indicates that a raccoon could have inspired the design. This inspiration is much clearer with the Galarian variant of Linoone as it almost matches a raccoon’s fur color.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Rushing Pokemon”. While Linoone has not made the biggest impact on competitive play, it was revisited with the Galarian variant found with generation eight. This completely changed Linoone’s typical playstyle and provided some hope for the older Pokemon of the franchise. It is likely that the developers will continue to do region-specific Pokemon in the future. Reserve a slot on your team for Linoone if you want an aggressive normal type Pokemon.