How to Evolve Magmar

Evolve Magmar into Magmortar by trading it to another player while it holds a Magmarizer. In Legends series games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A, trading is bypassed entirely; simply use the Magmarizer directly on Magmar from your satchel to trigger the evolution instantly.

Magmar evolves into Magmortar, a pure Fire-type with a massive Special Attack stat. It entirely lacks the Speed and defensive bulk required for serious competitive play, rendering it unviable in modern Smogon SV tiers.

For story playthroughs, it earns a solid 6/10 rating. It hits incredibly hard and clears out bulky opponents, but you will need to pivot or provide speed control to keep it alive against faster threats.

• Required Item: Magmarizer.
• Traditional Mechanic: Trade while holding the item.
• Legends Mechanic: Use the item directly from the inventory.

The Legends series removes the multiplayer trade requirement, making this the most efficient and solo-friendly way to obtain Magmortar. You do not need a trading partner or an active internet subscription.

1. Obtain a Magmarizer from the Trading Post using Merit Points or find one inside space-time distortions.
2. Open your satchel and navigate to the Magmarizer.
3. Select Use and apply it directly to Magmar in your active party.
4. Confirm the prompt to initiate the evolution sequence immediately.

This method consumes the item instantly. The mechanic functions exactly like an evolution stone, completely ignoring the traditional trade trigger.

Magmar returned in The Indigo Disk DLC, bringing back the strict trade-evolution mechanic. You must coordinate with another player to complete this process.

1. Locate a Magmarizer in the Terarium's Canyon Biome or purchase it from the Blueberry Academy school store.
2. Open your party menu and give the Magmarizer to Magmar as a held item.
3. Connect to the internet and open the Poké Portal to initiate a Link Trade.
4. Trade Magmar to a trusted partner. The evolution will trigger on their screen.
5. Have your partner trade the newly evolved Magmortar back to your game.

Never use Surprise Trade for this process. You will lose your Pokémon and the single-use evolution item permanently.

Held-item trade evolutions frequently cause confusion. If your Magmar remains unevolved after attempting the steps above, check these common failure points.

• Trading via Pokémon HOME: Evolutions do not trigger inside the HOME application. The trade must happen directly in-game via the Poké Portal or Y-Comm.
• Leveling up with the item: The Magmarizer is not an experience-enhancing item. Leveling up Magmar while it holds the item does absolutely nothing.
• Holding the wrong item: If Magmar is holding an Everstone or a Charcoal instead of the exact Magmarizer, the evolution is blocked.
• Wrong game mechanics: Trying to use the Magmarizer directly from the bag in Scarlet/Violet will fail. That direct-use shortcut is strictly exclusive to the Legends series.