Pokémon Sleep: Best Pokémon to Hunt at Old Gold Power Plant | Biscuit Priority Guide

Old Gold Power Plant is home to many valuable Pokémon, including strong ingredient specialists, berry specialists, and Pokémon that support cooking strategies. However, you don’t need to hunt every powerful Pokémon you encounter.

For example, both Grubbin and Aron can become excellent sources of Rousing Coffee. If your team already produces enough Coffee, investing biscuits into both may not be necessary.

In this guide, I’ll share which Pokémon I recommend hunting at Old Gold Power Plant and how I prioritize them. Rather than focusing only on individual strength, consider which ingredients and roles your current team is missing before deciding where to spend your biscuits.

Best Pokémon to Hunt at Old Gold Power Plant

PriorityPokémon
High PriorityGrubbin, Aron, Shinx, Pumpkaboo, Tinkatink, Dedenne, Shuppet
Worth ConsideringMimikyu, Pichu, Pawmi
Depends on Your TeamCaterpie, Gastly, Mawile, Farfetch’d

These priorities assume that you haven’t already raised a strong Pokémon for the same role. Ingredient specialists, in particular, should be evaluated based on the dishes you regularly prepare and the ingredients your team can already collect.

Some Pokémon, such as Mimikyu, are extremely powerful but require significant investment in both hunting and training. That’s why I don’t automatically place every high-performing Pokémon in the highest priority category.

High-Priority Pokémon to Hunt

Grubbin | One of the Best Choices for Rousing Coffee

Grubbin is an ingredients specialist that can collect Rousing Coffee from its first ingredient slot. Its final evolution, Vikavolt, is an excellent Coffee farmer and is well worth hunting if you frequently prepare dishes that require large amounts of Coffee.

However, evolving Charjabug into Vikavolt requires a Thunder Stone. Because of this additional investment, I prefer to be somewhat selective even when choosing a temporary Vikavolt. Ideally, I want a Pokémon with a clear advantage, such as Ingredient Finder M.

I personally raised a temporary Vikavolt while continuing to hunt for a stronger one. If you don’t have a reliable Coffee farmer yet, I think this is a reasonable approach, but I wouldn’t recommend evolving the first Grubbin you catch without considering its stats.

Aron can also collect Rousing Coffee from its second ingredient slot. When choosing between these two Pokémon, consider whether you need Coffee alone or could also benefit from the other ingredients they provide.

Aron | Excellent for Both Bean Sausage and Rousing Coffee

Aron is an ingredients specialist that collects Bean Sausage from its first ingredient slot and can unlock Rousing Coffee in its second slot. Its final evolution, Aggron, has excellent ingredient-gathering potential and can serve as either a Sausage farmer or a Coffee farmer.

Aggron also benefits from its main skill, Charge Energy S. Since it can restore its own Energy, it can maintain helping efficiency more easily when your team’s healer doesn’t activate as often as expected.

I currently use an ABB Aggron at Lv. 30, and it already provides more than enough Bean Sausage for my cooking needs. If you mainly need Sausage, AAA or AAB can be appealing choices, while ABB is useful if you want to focus on Coffee after unlocking the second ingredient slot.

One advantage Aron has over Grubbin is that evolving it into Aggron doesn’t require an evolution stone. If you want a Pokémon that can help with both Sausage and Coffee, or you prefer to save your evolution items, Aggron is an excellent candidate.

Shinx | Choose Between Tomatoes and Oil Based on Your Team

Shinx is an ingredients specialist that gathers Snoozy Tomatoes from its first ingredient slot and can unlock Pure Oil in its second slot. Its final evolution, Luxray, has strong ingredient-gathering potential and can be useful for either ingredient.

The best ingredient spread depends on what your team already has. For example, if you have reliable Oil farmers, there is little reason to prioritize an ABB Luxray just because it is strong.

In my case, I already have several Pokémon that gather plenty of Pure Oil, so I’m currently hunting for a Shinx that can specialize in Tomatoes. Unfortunately, I still haven’t found one I’m completely satisfied with.

On the other hand, if your Tomato supply is already covered but you need more Oil, an ABB Luxray can be an excellent option. Decide which ingredient you need first, then look for a Pokémon with strong ingredient-gathering bonuses, such as Ingredient Finder M or Helping Speed improvements.

Pumpkaboo | A Strong Choice for Plump Pumpkin

Pumpkaboo is an ingredients specialist that gathers Plump Pumpkin from its first ingredient slot. Plump Pumpkin has high base Strength, making it useful not only for specific recipes but also as an extra ingredient when you have unused cooking pot capacity.

Several powerful dishes use Plump Pumpkin, so I would like to raise at least one strong Gourgeist. However, Pumpkaboo’s ingredient finding rate is relatively low, which makes its nature and sub skills particularly important.

Ideally, I want an AAA Gourgeist that specializes in Plump Pumpkin through Lv. 60, preferably with Ingredient Finder M or another useful ingredient-gathering bonus. Its naturally low ingredient rate makes these bonuses especially valuable.

Of course, finding a nearly perfect Pokémon can take a long time. One practical option is to use an AAX Pumpkaboo that collects Pumpkins through Lv. 30 while continuing to hunt for a stronger AAA candidate.

This lets you start using Plump Pumpkin in your cooking without committing all your resources to a Pokémon that may not be ideal in the long term.

Tinkatink | An Excellent Fairy-Type Berry Specialist

Tinkatink is a Fairy-type berries specialist. For a long time, the Clefairy evolutionary line was the only Fairy-type berries specialist available, and hunting Clefairy was difficult because its appearances were heavily associated with Good Sleep Day.

I’ve been playing Pokémon Sleep since the early days, and I still haven’t raised a Clefable that I’m completely satisfied with. The introduction of Tinkatink gave players another practical option for building a strong Fairy-type berry team.

Its final evolution, Tinkaton, has strong berry-gathering potential and also comes with Charge Strength M. I wouldn’t prioritize spending Main Skill Seeds on this skill, but the additional Strength it provides is still a welcome bonus.

As with most berries specialists, I prioritize Berry Finding S, followed by useful bonuses such as Helping Bonus and Helping Speed. If you don’t already have a strong Fairy-type berries specialist, Tinkatink is definitely worth hunting.

Dedenne | One of My Top Recommendations for Cooking Teams

Dedenne is a skills specialist with the main skill Tasty Chance S, which increases the chance of an Extra Tasty dish. This makes it extremely valuable for teams that rely on cooking powerful meals to generate large amounts of Strength.

I rate Dedenne so highly that I consider it one of the Pokémon responsible for making cooking-focused strategies so powerful in Pokémon Sleep today. If you haven’t raised one yet, I strongly recommend considering it whenever you encounter one at Old Gold Power Plant.

When hunting Dedenne, I place a high value on Skill Trigger M. Helping Bonus, Helping Speed bonuses, and Skill Level Up M can also make a candidate more appealing.

However, Dedenne doesn’t evolve, so increasing its main skill level generally requires valuable Main Skill Seeds. For that reason, I wouldn’t immediately invest in the first Dedenne I catch. I want a Pokémon whose overall performance justifies that investment.

Dedenne can also appear at Lapis Lakeside. Since that area has several other valuable Pokémon, it’s worth considering which research area offers the best hunting opportunities for your current team.

For more details about my selection standards, see my Skills Specialist Selection Guide.

Shuppet | A Reliable Ghost-Type Berry Specialist

Shuppet is a Ghost-type berries specialist that evolves into Banette. With Berry Finding S and other useful bonuses, Banette can contribute significant Strength without requiring Main Skill Seeds.

Another powerful Ghost-type option is Mimikyu, which uses Berry Burst to generate Strength. However, Mimikyu requires considerable investment in both hunting and main skill levels to reach its full potential.

Banette’s advantage is that it can perform its main role as a berries specialist without relying on expensive main skill upgrades.

Personally, I don’t see Banette and Mimikyu as an either-or decision. Ideally, I’d like to have both available for different team compositions.

If you currently lack a strong Ghost-type Strength contributor, I recommend looking for a Shuppet with Berry Finding S first. Banette provides a more straightforward way to build your Ghost-type berry team while you continue preparing resources for other Pokémon.

Pokémon Worth Considering

Mimikyu | Extremely Powerful, but Difficult to Perfect

Mimikyu is a Ghost-type skills specialist with Berry Burst, a powerful main skill that can generate substantial Strength. I consider its overall Strength potential exceptional, especially when used in Ghost-type teams.

However, taking full advantage of Mimikyu requires significant investment. Since it doesn’t evolve, raising its main skill to the maximum level can require up to five Main Skill Seeds, depending on its sub skills.

I would also like Mimikyu to have Berry Finding S, since it can contribute as a Ghost-type berry collector in addition to using Berry Burst. At the same time, Skill Trigger M and other skill activation bonuses are important for making the most of its main skill.

This means an ideal Mimikyu needs both strong berry performance and reliable skill activation. Finding that combination can be as difficult as, or even more difficult than, hunting an ideal berries specialist.

Despite these requirements, Mimikyu can provide excellent returns when fully invested in. Even if you already have a strong Banette, raising Mimikyu can still be worthwhile.

However, if you’re short on Main Skill Seeds, there’s no need to rush its training. You can continue hunting for a strong candidate while comparing its investment requirements with those of your other skills specialists.

Pichu | A Great Choice If You Still Need Raichu

Pichu evolves into Raichu, one of the strongest Electric-type berries specialists. Raichu’s fast helping speed makes it an excellent Strength contributor, particularly when it has Berry Finding S.

However, whether you should hunt another Pichu depends on your current team. If you already raised a strong Raichu, perhaps from an early-game Pikachu with Berry Finding S, I don’t think a second one should automatically become a priority.

Of course, having multiple strong Electric-type berry collectors can still be useful. If I were hunting a second Raichu, I would personally aim for a combination of Berry Finding S and Helping Bonus to make the investment worthwhile.

If you don’t have a strong Raichu yet, Pichu is an excellent target. If you already have one, I would generally prioritize other missing ingredients or team roles first.

Pawmi | An Electric-Type Healer for EX Research Areas

Pawmi is an Electric-type skills specialist with Energy for Everyone S. Its final evolution, Pawmot, can serve as a valuable healer, particularly when you want to build an Electric-type team.

What makes Pawmot especially interesting to me is its potential usefulness in EX research areas. These areas can place greater value on using Pokémon of the designated types, making type-compatible support Pokémon more attractive.

For example, Cyan Beach EX introduced a significant helping-speed penalty, increasing the relative value of Pokémon that could benefit from the area’s type-related advantages. In this kind of environment, having a healer that matches one of the designated types can expand your team-building options.

Pawmot currently has a distinctive role as an Electric-type healer, so I would eventually like to raise a strong one.

However, main skill level is extremely important for a healer. Even when raising Pawmi through its evolutionary line, you’ll need Main Skill Seeds to reach the highest main skill level. If you already have a powerful healer such as Gardevoir, I would prioritize that Pokémon first.

I personally haven’t raised Pawmot yet, although I’d like to have a strong one in the future. For me, Pawmi is more of a long-term investment for expanding EX team options than a Pokémon everyone needs to raise immediately.

Pokémon That Depend on Your Team

Caterpie | Useful If You Need a Bug-Type Berry Specialist

Caterpie evolves into Butterfree, a Bug-type berries specialist. Since Bug-type berry specialists are relatively limited, a strong Butterfree can help expand your options for EX research areas.

However, I don’t place it particularly high on my hunting priority list. Leppa Berry is not involved here; Butterfree collects Lum Berries, which have relatively low base Strength.

For example, although Bug-type Pokémon are relevant at Amber Canyon, I personally prefer raising strong Dragon-type berry collectors such as Altaria or Salamence when focusing on Strength production.

Dragon-type berries have higher base Strength, allowing well-trained Dragon-type Pokémon to become excellent Strength contributors.

That said, Butterfree can still be useful if you haven’t raised a strong Dragon-type berries specialist. I would prioritize Berry Finding S, with Helping Bonus being another particularly appealing trait.

If you already have powerful Dragon-type berry collectors, Caterpie can remain a lower priority. Otherwise, a strong Butterfree can help broaden your options for future EX research.

Gastly | Still Worth Raising If You Find a Strong One

Gastly evolves into Gengar, an ingredients specialist that can collect Fiery Herb and Tasty Mushroom. While Gengar has been a useful ingredient farmer for a long time, it now faces competition from several other Pokémon.

Dragonite is a powerful Fiery Herb farmer, while Quagsire and Amoonguss are alternatives for Tasty Mushroom. Because of these options, I wouldn’t automatically make Gastly a top hunting priority.

However, Gengar still has meaningful advantages. For example, the powerful curry udon recipe uses both Fiery Herb and Tasty Mushroom, making Gengar’s ingredient options particularly convenient for that dish.

Dragonite also requires considerable time and resources to raise. If you already have a strong Gastly, there’s no need to wait until you’ve finished hunting and training a Dragonite before building a reliable Herb farmer.

Another advantage is that Ghost-type Pokémon have historically received increased appearance rates and additional Candy opportunities during Halloween events. Although future events may differ, these opportunities can make Gastly relatively manageable to train.

Personally, I wouldn’t spend large amounts of biscuits aggressively hunting Gastly, but I would absolutely consider raising a strong one if I happened to catch it.

If your team already has reliable Herb and Mushroom farmers, there’s little need to add another Gengar.

Mawile | A Strong Oil Farmer With High Investment Costs

Mawile is an ingredients specialist that gathers Pure Oil from its first ingredient slot. It also has Ingredient Select S, a main skill that provides additional ingredients.

This is a useful bonus for an ingredients specialist, although its skill activation rate isn’t particularly high.

I currently use Mawile myself, and in my experience its main skill tends to activate about once per day, sometimes twice. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend raising Mawile primarily for its main skill.

However, Ingredient Select S can provide additional ingredients that Mawile already collects. With an Oil-focused ingredient spread, this can help increase its overall Pure Oil supply.

I find this particularly convenient because I usually put an ingredients specialist on my team when I need a specific ingredient. Any additional Oil Mawile collects can make meal preparation easier.

The main drawback is how difficult Mawile is to hunt and train. It doesn’t evolve, requires 16 friendship points, and isn’t available in many research areas.

I personally had a difficult time raising my Mawile to Lv. 60. I made active use of Mini Candy Boost opportunities and invested substantial resources before finally completing its training.

Despite that investment, I’ve been happy with its ingredient-gathering performance.

If you’re short on Pure Oil and happen to catch a Mawile with a strong ingredient spread and useful sub skills, I think it’s absolutely worth considering. However, if you already have reliable Oil farmers, there’s no reason to force yourself to hunt a Pokémon with such a high friendship point requirement.

Farfetch’d | Worth Considering If You Need Large Leeks

Farfetch’d is a rare ingredients specialist that can collect Large Leeks from its first ingredient slot. With an AAA ingredient spread, it can become an excellent dedicated Leek farmer.

However, I don’t consider Farfetch’d a top hunting priority in the current cooking environment.

Although dishes such as the Leek-based sukiyaki curry can produce substantial Strength, other high-Strength recipes have become available. As a result, the need to urgently secure a dedicated Large Leek farmer isn’t as high as it once was.

Of course, if your team struggles to gather enough Large Leeks, Farfetch’d can still be an excellent training candidate.

The challenge is its high friendship point requirement of 16, which makes repeatedly catching Farfetch’d expensive. Personally, I would be more inclined to spend biscuits on it when it has a bonus biscuit opportunity or when I specifically need a stronger Leek farmer.

For more information about its performance and hunting priority, see my Best Pokémon to Hunt at Cyan Beach guide.

Final Thoughts | Prioritize the Roles Your Team Is Missing

At Old Gold Power Plant, I recommend choosing your hunting targets based on the ingredients and roles your team currently lacks.

What Your Team NeedsRecommended Pokémon
Rousing CoffeeGrubbin, Aron
Bean SausageAron
Snoozy Tomato or Pure OilShinx
Plump PumpkinPumpkaboo
Better Extra Tasty chancesDedenne
Berry-based StrengthTinkatink, Shuppet, Pichu
Electric-type healing for EX areasPawmi

Pokémon such as Mimikyu and Pawmi may also require Main Skill Seeds before reaching their full potential, so remember to consider your available training resources.

Rather than spending biscuits on every strong Pokémon you encounter, focus on the ones that can fill gaps in your current team. This will help you make better use of your biscuits and build a more balanced collection of Pokémon over time.