Magcargo is a limbless, gastropodmolluskPokémon consisting almost entirely of bright red magma. Its oval eyes are large and yellow with small pupils and extend upward from its head. It has a bulbous snout and a wide mouth, with two drops of magma dangling from each side of its upper jaw. Magcargo's back is protected by a gray, spherical shell composed of hardened, but brittle magma, forming irregular lumps and plates. Marcargo can store fire energy in its shell. A streak of fire leaks from the side of its shell. Magcargo's lower body is amorphous and covered in bubbles of magma.
Magcargo's internal body temperature can reach over 18,000 °F (10,000 °C), causing it to evaporate water on contact. Flames circulate throughout its body, occasionally spouting through cracks in its shell. While its shell is brittle enough to be shattered with a slight touch, Magcargo can reform its body by dipping itself in magma. It can be found in mountainous regions and has been living in volcano craters for tens of thousands of years. According to one folklore, when the wild Marcargo population suddenly increases, it's a sign that a volcano eruption is coming.
The shell on its back is just skin that has cooled and hardened. It breaks easily with a slight touch. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) Its brittle shell occasionally spouts intense flames that circulate throughout its body. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
Magcargo's shell is actually its skin that hardened as a result of cooling. Its shell is very brittle and fragile - just touching it causes it to crumble apart. This Pokémon returns to its original size by dipping itself in magma.
Magcargo's body temperature is approximately 18,000 degrees F. Water is vaporized on contact. If this Pokémon is caught in the rain, the raindrops instantly turn into steam, cloaking the area in a thick fog.
Magcargo's shell is actually its skin that hardened as a result of cooling. Its shell is very brittle and fragile—just touching it causes it to crumble apart. This Pokémon returns to its original size by dipping itself in magma.
Magcargo's body temperature is approximately 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Water is vaporized on contact. If this Pokémon is caught in the rain, the raindrops instantly turn into steam, cloaking the area in a thick fog.
Magcargo debuted in Some Like it Hot, where Egan was trying to catch one but kept failing. However, after he applied Misty's strategies, he managed to catch an unusually large Magcargo.
In Poetry Commotion!, Flannery's Slugma, nicknamed Mag, evolved into a Magcargo. It was the first Pokémon used in Flannery's Gymbattle against Ash. It faced off against his Corphish, but eventually lost despite a hard-fought match.
Magcargo has its sprite changed in Crystal from Gold and Silver; in this case, its shell is edited slightly, making it one of few Pokémon to have three different sprites in Generation II.
Magcargo appears to be based on a snail, likely Victaphanta atramentaria or Platymma tweediei, with a body of lava and a shell of rock. It may also be based on the Cherufe, mythical evil creatures of rock and magma that inhabit the magma pools found deep within Chilean volcanoes. In legends, they are the main sources of earthquakes in Chile.
Name origin
Magcargo and Magcargot may be a combination of magma, escargot (French for snail), and cargo.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.