Pokémon Sleep: Best Pokémon to Hunt at Lapis Lakeside

Lapis Lakeside is one of the best research areas for hunting Pokémon that can remain useful for a long time. It features valuable Pokémon such as Ralts, Dratini, and Stufful, along with several excellent Berries and Ingredients specialists.

Although some of these Pokémon are now available in other research areas, Lapis Lakeside still offers a strong selection of Pokémon worth catching.

In this guide, I’ll share which Pokémon I recommend hunting at Lapis Lakeside based on my own experience raising and using them. I’ll also consider how difficult they are to hunt, their training costs, and whether other Pokémon can fill the same roles.

Best Pokémon to Hunt at Lapis Lakeside

Here is my recommended priority list for Pokémon available at Lapis Lakeside.

These priorities are not absolute. The best Pokémon to hunt depends on what your current team needs.

For example, Ralts becomes a high priority if you don’t have a reliable healer, while Stufful is especially valuable if you struggle to gather enough Greengrass Corn.

I also distinguish between finding a Pokémon good enough to stop hunting and deciding whether to invest resources into raising it immediately. Even a strong Pokémon doesn’t necessarily need to be raised right away if you already have another Pokémon performing the same role.

I’ve explained this approach in more detail in my Pokémon selection and training guide.

High-Priority Pokémon to Hunt

Ralts | Gardevoir Is an Excellent Healer

Gardevoir, the final evolution of Ralts, is a Skills specialist with Energy for Everyone S. Its excellent skill activation performance makes it one of the strongest healing options in Pokémon Sleep.

A strong healer can stay on your team for long periods and remain useful across many research areas.

Torterra is now another powerful healing option, and I personally think prioritizing Torterra can be a good choice. However, if you find an excellent Ralts before obtaining a strong Torterra, I would seriously consider raising Gardevoir instead.

When evaluating Ralts, I prioritize Skill Trigger M, followed by Helping Bonus and Helping Speed bonuses.

For its ingredient spread, I would prefer something other than AAA if possible. Fancy Apples can already be gathered efficiently by Pokémon such as Skeledirge, so having Gardevoir contribute different ingredients can be useful.

However, Gardevoir’s primary role is healing. I wouldn’t reject an otherwise excellent Ralts simply because its ingredient spread isn’t ideal.

Think Carefully Before Evolving Ralts Into Gallade

Male Ralts can also evolve into Gallade, a Skills specialist with Extra Helpful S.

I’ve previously rated Gallade highly when built with Berry Finding S, allowing it to function somewhat like a Fighting-type Berries specialist. I actually own a Lv. 70 Gallade and enjoy using it.

However, powerful Fighting-type Pokémon such as Blaziken have become available, making this approach less attractive than it once was.

There is also a limitation to Extra Helpful S. When the skill targets Gallade itself, it only gathers its own Berries and ingredients. Without Berry Finding S, Gallade collects just one Berry per Berry-producing help.

For that reason, I would want a particularly strong build, including Berry Finding S, before raising Gallade primarily for Berry production.

Even if you find a strong male Ralts, I generally recommend evolving it into Gardevoir unless you have a specific reason to use Gallade.

Dratini | I Recommend an AAA Dragonite

Dragonite is an outstanding Ingredients specialist, particularly for gathering Fiery Herbs.

Dratini is also available at Cyan Beach (Expert), but I still consider Lapis Lakeside an excellent hunting location. Several other valuable Pokémon appear under the Dozing sleep type, allowing you to work toward multiple targets.

AAA Is My Preferred Ingredient Spread

If I were raising my first Dragonite, I would choose AAA.

High-level recipes such as “Bulldoze” Guacamole and Chips and “Bounce” Curry Udon require considerable amounts of Fiery Herbs.

I currently raise an AAA Dragonite, and even at Lv. 41, it can supply the Fiery Herbs needed for these recipes relatively comfortably.

Dragonite has excellent base ingredient-gathering performance, so even a Pokémon without particularly strong Ingredient Finding bonuses may still produce respectable amounts.

Nevertheless, because I intend to use Dragonite for a long time, I would ideally look for Ingredient Finder M, Helping Speed bonuses, or other useful traits.

ABB Is Powerful, but Bewear Is Strong Competition

ABB Dragonite is also an excellent Greengrass Corn farmer.

However, Bewear is another outstanding option for Corn, and it is much easier to train than Dragonite.

If your main goal is simply to secure a reliable Corn supplier, raising Bewear may be more practical.

That doesn’t mean ABB Dragonite is a bad choice. An exceptionally strong ABB Dratini can absolutely be worth raising.

I have a reasonably promising ABB Dratini in reserve myself, but since I’m already raising an AAA Dragonite, I don’t currently feel a need to train it.

Dragonite Is Expensive to Raise Again

One of the most important factors when selecting Dratini is its training cost.

The Dratini evolutionary line requires a large amount of experience, and Dragonair doesn’t evolve into Dragonite until Lv. 41. Replacing an already trained Dragonite can therefore be extremely expensive.

Besides my AAA Dragonite, I also raise an AAC Dragonite designed partly for Amber Canyon.

That Dragonite doesn’t have Ingredient Finding bonuses, but it has Berry Finding S, allowing it to contribute both ingredient production and Berry Strength.

This demonstrates that Dragonite doesn’t necessarily need to be evaluated exclusively by ingredient production.

Still, if you’re raising your first Dragonite, my recommendation is to aim for an AAA Fiery Herb farmer.

An EXP Gains Up nature may be valuable because of the heavy training requirements. Alternatively, you may prefer to keep hunting until you find a build that closely matches your ideal.

Either approach can work. The important thing is to choose a Dragonite you’ll feel comfortable investing substantial resources into.

Stufful | A High Priority if You Need Greengrass Corn

Bewear, the evolution of Stufful, is one of the best Pokémon for gathering Greengrass Corn.

Corn is useful even around the time you unlock Lapis Lakeside, including for Inferno Corn Keema Curry. It remains important for advanced recipes such as “Honey Gather” Chocolate Waffles and “Bulldoze” Guacamole and Chips.

A reliable Corn farmer can therefore remain valuable throughout much of your progression.

AAA Is the Best General Choice

I recommend an AAA Bewear for dedicated Corn production.

ABB can work as a Bean Sausage farmer, but there are powerful competitors such as Aggron. I’d rather focus on Bewear’s excellent Corn-gathering performance.

Ideally, I would look for an AAA Stufful with Ingredient Finder M and Helping Speed bonuses.

Bewear’s base performance is strong enough that Ingredient Finder M alone can already make it useful. Still, having multiple positive bonuses is worthwhile when you’re regularly making recipes that require large amounts of Corn.

Raising a Temporary AAX Bewear Can Be Worth It

Unlike Dragonite, I don’t think you necessarily need to wait for a near-perfect Stufful before raising one.

The reason is simple: not having enough Corn may prevent you from cooking powerful recipes.

Before finding my current Bewear, I raised an AAX individual as a temporary Corn supplier.

Looking back, I think that was a good decision. Waiting for an ideal AAA Pokémon would have meant missing opportunities to prepare high-Strength dishes.

If you don’t have a reliable Corn farmer, I think an AAX Stufful with decent ingredient-gathering performance can be worth raising.

The Bewear I’m Currently Raising

My current Bewear has the following build.

I’m extremely satisfied with this Pokémon. It combines strong ingredient production with additional inventory capacity and Helping Speed bonuses.

I expect that once it reaches Lv. 80, I’ll rarely have trouble gathering enough Corn.

Of course, you don’t need a Bewear this strong to make it useful.

If you’re missing a Corn supplier, prioritize securing one. If your current team already gathers enough Corn, you can afford to be more selective.

Treecko | Sceptile Is Worth Hunting for an Excellent Build

Sceptile, the final evolution of Treecko, is one of the Pokémon I would most strongly recommend hunting at Lapis Lakeside.

Although it’s a Skills specialist, Sceptile has a powerful Berry Burst main skill and a short helping time. This allows it to contribute Strength in a way that resembles a Berries specialist.

Even at around main skill Lv. 3, Sceptile can perform extremely well without requiring a large investment in Main Skill Seeds immediately.

I Prioritize Berry Finding S and Skill Trigger

When hunting Treecko, these are the three traits I personally want:

• Berry Finding S
• A Skill Trigger sub skill
• A nature that increases Helping Speed or main skill chance

These are fairly demanding requirements, but I think Sceptile is worth being selective about.

Sceptile can generate Strength from both its regular Berry production and its main skill. A strong build should ideally improve both.

I Would Be More Selective With Sceptile Than Meganium

Meganium is another excellent Grass-type Pokémon, but I personally place more value on finding an exceptional Sceptile.

Meganium specializes in collecting Berries, while Sceptile can combine Berry Finding S with Berry Burst to generate additional Strength.

The two aren’t directly interchangeable, but Sceptile is powerful enough that I feel its introduction has lowered Meganium’s relative value.

I expect Sceptile to remain a strong long-term investment, although future updates could change the balance.

My Sceptile’s Build

My own Sceptile has a nature that increases main skill chance, along with these sub skills:

I particularly like that all five sub skills have useful applications, even when considering the Pokémon’s long-term development toward Lv. 80.

Skill Level Up M is debatable when evaluating maximum potential, but saving Main Skill Seeds also has real value.

I’ve discussed this in detail in my Skill Level Up M evaluation guide.

Chikorita | Meganium Is Still an Excellent Berries Specialist

Meganium is a powerful Grass-type Berries specialist.

Durin Berries are among Snorlax’s favorites at Lapis Lakeside, making Meganium particularly useful for this research area. Its Berry production can also generate respectable Strength elsewhere, even without the favorite-Berry bonus.

I Would Aim for Berry Finding S Plus Another Strong Trait

Berry Finding S is my first priority when evaluating Chikorita.

However, in the current environment, I’d prefer a Pokémon with at least one additional advantage, such as Helping Bonus, Helping Speed bonuses, or a Helping Speed Up nature.

I also value EXP Gains Up natures on Berries specialists.

A Berries specialist continues gaining value as its level increases because each Berry becomes worth more Strength. Easier training can therefore be a meaningful long-term advantage.

You Don’t Necessarily Need to Rush Meganium Anymore

In the past, raising a reasonably good Chikorita was particularly valuable for progressing through Lapis Lakeside.

Today, there are more powerful Berries specialists available, and changes to Pokémon appearances have expanded your options.

If you already have strong Pokémon such as Raichu, Empoleon, Typhlosion, or Walrein, you may be able to progress without immediately investing in Meganium.

Of course, if your team lacks strong Berry producers, a Chikorita with Berry Finding S can still be worth raising.

But for players progressing through the game today, I don’t think there’s as much pressure to settle quickly. Since you’ll potentially use Meganium for a long time, aiming for Berry Finding S plus another useful trait makes sense.

Torchic | Blaziken Combines Strong Berries With Useful Ingredients

Blaziken is an exceptionally strong Fighting-type Berries specialist.

Its Berry production makes it useful wherever Fighting-type Pokémon have an advantage, including applicable Expert research areas.

Its main skill, Charge Energy S, is another benefit. Being able to restore its own Energy can be valuable when your healer is less effective because of Expert mode restrictions.

AAA Is My Preference, but ABC Can Also Work

For Blaziken, I primarily look for Berry Finding S and Helping Speed bonuses. However, its ingredient spread deserves some attention.

Blaziken can gather Tasty Mushrooms from its first ingredient slot, which is an unusual and useful advantage.

It’s not an Ingredients specialist, so I wouldn’t rely on it as my only Mushroom supplier. Still, getting extra Mushrooms from a Pokémon that is already producing substantial Berry Strength can be very helpful.

If I were hunting a new Torchic, I would prefer an AAA Mushroom spread.

However, I currently raise an ABC Blaziken with an Ingredient Finding bonus, and I’ve found it surprisingly convenient.

Its ingredients are spread across different types, but those ingredients can be useful for desserts, curries, and salads. Pure Oil is also valuable because strong dedicated Oil farmers are relatively limited.

Ultimately, Berry production should remain the priority. I treat the ingredient spread as an additional advantage rather than a strict requirement.

Bulbasaur | AAA Venusaur Is an Excellent Honey Farmer

Venusaur is a powerful Ingredients specialist for gathering Honey.

Honey remains particularly valuable for desserts, including high-level recipes such as “Honey Gather” Chocolate Waffles. It is also used in “Cut” Sukiyaki Curry.

I think having at least one reliable Honey farmer is extremely useful.

AAA Is My Recommended Ingredient Spread

I would prioritize an AAA Bulbasaur for dedicated Honey production.

Ribombee is another option, and each Pokémon has its own strengths. However, for straightforward Honey gathering, I personally rate Venusaur’s production performance more highly.

If you already have a strong Ribombee, there’s no need to replace it immediately.

But if you’re starting from scratch, I recommend hunting an AAA Bulbasaur with Ingredient Finder M, Helping Speed bonuses, or useful Inventory Up sub skills.

I Wouldn’t Prioritize ABB for Tomatoes

ABB Venusaur gathers both Honey and Snoozy Tomatoes.

This combination does have some uses. For example, “Scary Face” Pancakes requires both ingredients.

However, there historically haven’t been many recipes that consume large amounts of Honey and Tomatoes together.

I actually raised an ABB Venusaur to Lv. 30 in the past, mainly because reliable Tomato farmers were harder to come by at that time.

With more strong Tomato specialists available today, I wouldn’t make the same choice as readily.

ABB can still be useful depending on your team and preferred recipes, but AAA gives Venusaur a clearer long-term role as a Honey specialist.

Pokémon Worth Hunting

Dedenne | Excellent for Cooking-Focused Teams

Dedenne is a Skills specialist with Tasty Chance S, which increases the chance of a dish receiving an Extra Tasty bonus.

I rate Dedenne extremely highly. In my view, it’s one of the Pokémon that helped make cooking-focused strategies so powerful.

When evaluating Dedenne, I prioritize Skill Trigger M, followed by Helping Bonus, Helping Speed bonuses, and potentially Inventory Up.

However, Dedenne requires 16 friendship points and doesn’t evolve, making both hunting and training relatively expensive.

Since improving its main skill also requires Main Skill Seeds, I would only invest heavily in an individual I’m confident about.

Dedenne also appears at Old Gold Power Plant, so consider which research area offers the best combination of Pokémon you want to hunt.

Natu | A Strong Psychic-Type Berries Specialist

Xatu is an excellent Psychic-type Berries specialist with a base helping time of 2,500 seconds.

Compared with Musharna, Xatu is better suited to generating Strength primarily through Berry production.

I prioritize Berry Finding S, followed by Helping Bonus and Helping Speed bonuses.

Its Ingredient Magnet S main skill is also convenient, but I wouldn’t invest heavily in Skill Trigger bonuses. Xatu’s primary responsibility is collecting Berries.

I already raise Musharna, but I’m still interested in finding a strong Xatu. If you’re choosing your first Psychic-type Berries specialist, I generally recommend Xatu.

For a more detailed comparison, see my Xatu selection guide and comparison with Musharna.

Bellsprout | AAA Victreebel Is a Reliable Tomato Farmer

Victreebel is an excellent Ingredients specialist for gathering Snoozy Tomatoes.

I personally find it convenient to use, and I recommend an AAA spread if you want a dedicated Tomato supplier.

ABB can provide Soft Potatoes, but Pokémon such as Meowscarada and Cetitan have made that role more competitive.

There are also alternative Tomato farmers, including Abomasnow and Luxray. If your current team already has reliable Tomato production, Bellsprout may not be a priority.

On the other hand, Bellsprout only requires five friendship points, making it relatively easy to hunt.

Evolving Victreebel requires a Leaf Stone, but I still consider it a strong option for anyone struggling with Tomatoes.

Sprigatito | An Excellent Long-Term Potato Farmer

Meowscarada is one of the valuable Ingredients specialists capable of gathering Soft Potatoes from its first ingredient slot.

Cetitan is another strong option, but it requires an evolution item, and its hunting locations are relatively limited.

If you don’t frequently visit Snowdrop Tundra, Sprigatito may be easier to hunt and train.

I personally use an AAA Sprigatito-line Pokémon whenever I need Potatoes. I actually keep it as Floragato rather than evolving it into Meowscarada, simply because I prefer Floragato’s design.

ABB Can Also Work for Moomoo Milk

Although AAA is my preferred spread for Potatoes, ABB can be valuable for gathering Moomoo Milk.

The number of dedicated Milk specialists is relatively limited, with Blastoise and Meowscarada being two important options.

If you don’t have a strong Blastoise, an excellent ABB Sprigatito may be worth raising instead.

The ingredient combination can also be useful for recipes such as “Overgrow” Avocado Gratin, which requires both Soft Potatoes and Moomoo Milk.

Doduo | Worth Hunting for Cyan Beach (Expert)

Dodrio is a Flying-type Berries specialist.

Many players have been able to progress through regular Cyan Beach without raising a particularly strong Dodrio.

However, Cyan Beach (Expert) is considerably more demanding, making a powerful Flying-type Berries specialist much more valuable.

Training Convenience Is Also Important

Berry Finding S is my first priority when evaluating Doduo, but I would also like Helping Bonus or Helping Speed bonuses.

My own Dodrio has Berry Finding S and Sleep EXP Bonus, along with a Naive nature that increases EXP gains.

Its other sub skills aren’t particularly impressive, but I value how easily it can gain experience while helping train the rest of my team.

Berries specialists become stronger as they level up, and Doduo isn’t necessarily an easy Pokémon to collect large amounts of Candy for.

For that reason, I believe training convenience can be just as important as some direct performance bonuses when choosing a long-term Berries specialist.

Doduo isn’t especially common at Lapis Lakeside, but if you’re preparing for Cyan Beach (Expert), I recommend looking for an individual worth investing in over the long term.

Pokémon That Depend on Your Team and Playstyle

Quaxly | An Option for Soybeans or Large Leeks

Quaquaval can gather Greengrass Soybeans and Large Leeks.

An AAA spread makes it a potential Soybean farmer, while ABB can be used for Large Leeks.

For Soybeans, I would compare Quaquaval with Pokémon such as Golem. Quaxly is a starter Pokémon and relatively approachable to hunt, so it can be a good option if you need more Soybeans.

For Large Leeks, however, Farfetch’d is a powerful competitor with better dedicated gathering performance.

That said, Farfetch’d requires 16 friendship points, making it significantly more difficult to hunt.

If you find an excellent ABB Quaxly, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to raise it as a Large Leek supplier rather than waiting for an ideal Farfetch’d.

Mankey | Worth Raising if You Find a Strong One

Primeape is a Fighting-type Berries specialist.

I would have rated Mankey more highly in the past, but Blaziken is now a powerful competitor.

If you’re starting from scratch and want to raise one Fighting-type Berries specialist, I would generally prioritize Torchic.

However, Primeape is still capable of performing well.

A Mankey with Berry Finding S and additional bonuses such as Helping Bonus or Helping Speed can certainly be worth raising.

Munna | For Players Who Want Both Strength and Dream Shards

Musharna is a Psychic-type Berries specialist with Dream Shard Magnet S.

It can contribute Berry Strength while also gathering Dream Shards through its main skill.

However, if your main goal is simply to maximize Berry Strength, I recommend Xatu instead.

Musharna also requires investment in its main skill level before you can expect substantial Dream Shard production.

I personally raised Musharna to Lv. 60 because I liked the idea of combining Berry production with Dream Shard farming.

It’s a Pokémon I enjoy using, but its training and Main Skill Seed requirements make it a relatively specialized choice.

You can read more about my experience in my Musharna selection guide and Lv. 60 review.

You Don’t Need to Catch Every Pokémon at Lapis Lakeside

Lapis Lakeside features many Pokémon, but that doesn’t mean you should spend Biscuits on everything you encounter.

If you already have a strong Pokémon fulfilling a particular role, or if another research area offers an easier hunting opportunity, you can afford to skip some encounters.

It’s also important to adjust your selection standards depending on the Pokémon.

For example, I would be relatively selective with Dragonite because raising a replacement requires substantial resources.

With Bewear, however, I think raising a reasonably good temporary Corn farmer can be worthwhile because it allows you to prepare stronger meals much earlier.

Final Thoughts | Focus on Pokémon You’ll Use for a Long Time

Lapis Lakeside has many Pokémon worth hunting, but your priorities should depend on what your team currently lacks.

If you need a healer, Ralts is an excellent target. For Fiery Herbs, I recommend Dratini, while Stufful is a high priority if you don’t yet have a reliable Greengrass Corn supplier.

Treecko, Chikorita, and Torchic are also valuable for players seeking strong long-term Strength producers. Bulbasaur and Sprigatito are worth considering if you need reliable ingredient production.

Rather than spending Biscuits simply because a Pokémon is generally considered strong, focus on the roles your team still needs to fill.

That approach will help you make better use of both your Biscuits and your training resources.