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One unique Psychic-type in the series is Espurr. It was introduced back in Generation VI and has been the fuel for constant memes ever since. This purrky Poke-Friend has a lot of interesting quirks in how it evolves, its origins, and much more that players will want to know before trainers try to raise one of their own.

Updated October 27th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Pokemon GO is constantly adding more Pokemon to its roster, letting players get their hands on their favorite Pocket Monsters. Those that adore Espurr can snag one whenever they want, allowing dedicated Pokemon GO gamers to secure a pint-sized Psychic-type that is capable of evolving into a pretty powerful evolution. Espurr’s cute and quirky nature, paired with its shocked staring, makes it one of the most unique Pokemon to place on a team roster. To better celebrate this Psychic kitten, we’ve updated the following list with even more facts.

How To Evolve Espurr

It’s incredibly easy to evolve Espurr in Pokemon GO — just give it 50 Espurr candy! In Pokemon Sword and Shield, players simply train Espurr until it reaches level 25. There are no fancy tricks, evolving this psychic kitty is as simple as teaching a Metapod harden!

Espurr’s Evolution Differs By Gender

Depending on if an Espurr is male or female, it will look incredibly different when it evolves into Meowstic. The colorations are different, it has a different number of tails, and even its ears are shaped differently. It’s by far one of the more interesting gender differences in Pokemon in terms of looks and style.

Different Genders = Different Moves And Abilities

Depending on the gender Espurr is when it evolves, its evolution will learn different kinds of moves and abilities. A male Espurr will evolve and learn a lot more status causes moves. Plus, it has the Hidden Ability Prankster.

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In contrast, a female Espurr will evolve to have far more moves based on dealing damage through attacks. It also has a different Hidden Ability called Competitive. It can be seriously worth getting these Hidden Abilities as they buff up Meostic and Espurr considerably.

Espurr’s Shiny Coloration

Espurr’s shiny is particularly adorable and certainly worth tracking down for any hunters out there. Its lavender/pink color scheme just screams kawaii in the best way. Not to mention, when it evolves to Meowstic, it looks even better somehow. Seriously, Pokemon shouldn’t be allowed to be this gosh darn adorable!

Espurr’s Stats In Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO sometimes changes up a Pokemon’s stats comparatively to the “base games” when it enters the mobile smash hit. It’s possible to battle with Espurr and it is capable of using some pretty damaging charge moves. Here’s a look at all of Espurr’s base stats for Pokemon GO:

Base Attack: 120 Base Defense: 114 Stamina: 158

It’s also possible to hatch one from an egg and it will take players approximately 10km to do so.

Where Espurr’s Name Comes From

Espurr has a cute name that is a bit of a pun. Extrasensory Perception, otherwise known as ESP, is combined with the sound cats make, purring, to create this adorable Pokemon’s equally adorable name. The cat and psychic related puns are kept up across multiple languages as well. Here are some examples:

Japanese: ニャスパー Nyasper French: Psystigri German: Psiau Korean: 냐스퍼 Nyaseupeo Cantonese Chinese: 妙喵 Miuhmīu Mandarin Chinese: 妙喵 Miàomiāo

Where To Catch Espurr

In Pokemon GO, Espurr is easiest to capture in one-star raids. Espurr isn’t exclusive to either Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield, making it easy to acquire on there in the following areas:

Route 5 Hammerlocke Hills Motostoke Riverbank Watchtower Ruins Stony Wilderness (In Max Raid Battles)

What Espurr Is Based On

Espurr is potentially based on two things. The first is a Nekomata, which comes from Chinese and Japanese folklore. They are a kind of cat yōkai with two different types, some that live in the mountains and others that resemble domesticated cats. This might have been where the two separate evolutions came from.

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The other potential inspiration is the Scottish Fold cat breed. Comparing one to Espurr makes the similarities quite apparent. The folded ears, the owl-like eyes; these two could easily be cousins. Espurr is certainly one of the cutest cat Pokemon around.

It’s Good In The Pokemon TCG

Espurr is actually used in a cool deck in the Pokemon TCG that is perfect for players that don’t want to spend tons of cash on cards. It uses the Espurr from Unbroken Bonds combined with the Weezing from the same set. Weezing stacks on damage counters while Espurr uses Ear Kinesis to then knock the opponent out. It’s a solid deck that’s worth seeing in action.

What Moves It Can Learn From Breeding

Lots of Pokemon can learn unique moves from breeding and Espurr is no exception. While the moves it can learn aren’t exactly mindblowing, players might potentially want them for their utility.

Yawn: Can learn from breeding with Wooper, Quagsire, Dunsparce, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Munna, and Musharna. Tickle: Can learn from breeding with Minccino and Cinccino.

Passing down egg moves can look complicated at first but it’s actually surprisingly easy. While Tickle might not be all that impressive, Yawn can be a curious move to have, especially once Espurr evolves into a female Meowstic as it has less access to status-causing moves.

It Can Learn A Move From The Move Tutor In Generation VIII

Espurr is capable of learning a specialized move called Expanding Force in Generation VIII. By visiting the Move Tutor in Sword & Shield, the pint-sized Psychic kitten can be gifted the attack, which comes packed with 80 Power, 100 percent Accuracy, and strikes a single foe.

What makes Expanding Force so useful is that it gains a 1.5x attack boost when used on Psychic Terrain and boasts the ability to strike all opponents instead of a single target. It also benefits from a STAB bonus when used by Espurr.

It’s Not A Strong Little Cup Contender

As much as it’s fun to bring little buddies into battles, Espurr just isn’t very strong competition in Little Cup. In Pokemon GO, it’s outclassed by other Psychic types; in Sword and Shield, there’s little reason to use Espurr over the faster and stronger Abra. There are still sets and teams that try to incorporate it, but the sad truth of the matter is that there are stronger Pokemon in the format.

NEXT: Pokemon: The Most Overpowered Psychic-Types From Each Generation, Ranked