Utility
Balanced
DTier
90Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Speed and HP carry most of Poliwhirl's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 2 Speed EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
Avg
HP65
C
Attack65
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk50
D
Sp. Def50
D
Speed90
B
Total385
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate120 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.0 m
3'03"Small
Weight20.0 kg
44.1 lbsFeather
Base XP135
Average
Abilities
Water Absorb
Absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.
Damp
Prevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.
Swift SwimHA
Doubles Speed during rain.
Water Absorb grants Water immunity
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entries

Staring at the swirl on its belly causes drowsiness. This trait of Poliwhirl’s has been used in place of lullabies to get children to go to sleep.

Poliwhirl Weakness

Electric and Grass moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Poliwhirl Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Type ChartGood
2Weak
4Resist
1Immune
Score0
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrass
½xResist
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Water
STAB (3)
FireGroundRock
How to Beat Poliwhirl in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Zarude's Close Combat hits Poliwhirl for 65-76%. Regieleki threatens a KO with Thunderbolt (158-186%). Raikou's Thunderbolt also KOs at 173-204%.

Zarude
Zarude
DarkGrass
A
Recommended Build
AbilityLeafguard
ItemChoice Scarf
NatureJolly
Moves
  • Darkest Lariat
  • Power Whip
  • U Turn
  • Close Combat
Damage vs Poliwhirl
U Turn
38-45%
Close Combat
65-76%
View Zarude builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

From here, Poliwhirl's line branches into Poliwrath and Politoed. That's 2 possible evolutions, each with its own method. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+25 from Poliwag). The final form adds another 125 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

4 Forms
Poliwag
#060Poliwag
25
Level 25
Poliwhirl
#061Poliwhirl
Poliwrath
#062PoliwrathWater Stone
Politoed
#186PolitoedTrade + Kings Rock
Stat Comparison 4 Stages
Poliwag
Water
Poliwhirl
Water
Poliwrath
WaterFighting
Politoed
Water
HP
40
65+25
90+25
90+25
ATK
50
65+15
95+30
75+10
DEF
40
65+25
95+30
75+10
SP.ATK
40
50+10
70+20
90+40
SP.DEF
40
50+10
90+40
100+50
SPE
90
90
70-20
70-20
BST
300D-Tier
385D-Tier+85
510C-Tier+125
500B-Tier+115
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Physical
Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Poliwhirl to get Poliwag eggs easily using 81 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Endeavor, Haze, Mind Reader and 3 more.

Egg Groups
Water1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
azumarillblastoisegolduckkingdraswampertmiloticwalreinslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolocrawdaunt
12 of 81·

Sword & Shield Poliwhirl Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Endeavor and Haze. That's 6 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Hydro Pump and Muddy Water, with Ground and Normal coverage and more rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Hypnosis
C—6020Psychic
Lv 1
Mud Shot
D559515Ground
Lv 1
Pound
—4010035Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
—4010025Water
Lv 18
Bubble Beam
D6510020Water
Lv 24
Rain Dance
C——5Water
Lv 32
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
Lv 40
Earth Power
D9010010Ground
Lv 48
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
Lv 56
Belly Drum
C——10Normal
Lv 66
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM31
Attract
C—10015Normal
TR06
Blizzard
D110705Ice
TR01
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
TM43
Brick Break
D7510015Fighting
TM81
Bulldoze
D6010020Ground
TM15
Dig
D8010010Ground
TM45
Dive
C8010010Water
TR67
Earth Power
D9010010Ground
TR10
Earthquake
C10010010Ground
TR30
Encore
C—1005Normal
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM59
Fling
——10010Dark
TM35
Hail
C——10Ice
TM41
Helping Hand+5
C——20Normal
TR03
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
TR05
Ice Beam
D9010010Ice
TM04
Ice Punch
D7510015Ice
TM27
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TM01
Mega Kick
D120755Normal
TM
Mega Punch
D808520Normal
TR14
Metronome
D——10Normal
TM53
Mud Shot
D559515Ground
TR45
Muddy Water
D908510Water
TM25
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TR11
Psychic
D9010010Psychic
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM76
Round
D6010015Normal
TR84
Scald
C8010015Water
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TR04
Surf
C9010015Water
TM23
Thief
D6010025Dark
TR16
Waterfall
C8010015Water
TM36
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Endeavor
D—1005Normal
Egg
Haze
C——30Ice
Egg
Mind Reader
———5Normal
Egg
Mist
D——30Ice
Egg
Splash
D——40Normal
Egg
Water Pulse
D6010020Water

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Poliwhirl in Sword & Shield

Can't catch Poliwhirl directly. Start with Poliwag at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 25. The 2-stage line from Poliwag to Poliwhirl is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Poliwhirl in Sword & Shield

The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 13-45 via walking and surfing encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Poliwag
    Step 1Catch Poliwag
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Normal Weather
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Snowing
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Raining
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Overcast
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Normal Weather
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Thunderstorm
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Intense Sun
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Snowing
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Raining
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Thunderstorm
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Overcast
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18 Cave
    16%Early
    Intense Sun
    Brawlers' Cave
    ShieldSurfing on water Lv.40-45 Cave
    50%Late
    All Weather
    Brawlers' Cave
    SwordSurfing on water Lv.40-45 Cave
    50%Late
    All Weather
  2. Poliwhirl
    Step 2Poliwhirl ✓

Poliwhirl Guide

  • Poliwhirl is meant to evolve into Poliwrath. At 385 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • In Sword & Shield, watch for Raikou (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Poliwhirl. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • In Sword & Shield, Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at level 25. Poliwhirl can evolve into Poliwrath and Politoed depending on the method. Poliwhirl is a middle-stage evolution in the Poliwag line.

  • Swift Swim is what you want on Poliwhirl. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Water Absorb, Damp) work on paper but Swift Swim is what makes Poliwhirl worth using.

  • In Sword & Shield, Poliwhirl's hidden ability is Swift Swim. Doubles Speed during rain. Better than the standard options for competitive play.

Game Availability

One of the original 151, Poliwhirl has appeared in 20 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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