Physical
Balanced
85Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Attack and Speed carry most of Qwilfish's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 1 Attack EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP65
C
Attack95
B
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk55
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed85
C
Total430
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.5 m
Weight3.9 kg
Base XP88
Abilities
Poison Point
Has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.
Swift Swim
Doubles Speed during rain.
IntimidateHATop Pick
Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
EV Yield
HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training source
Pokedex Entries

To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once.

Qwilfish Weakness

Qwilfish's Water/Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Ground, and Psychic. With 8 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Qwilfish leans offensive (base 95 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.

Qwilfish Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Ground, Psychic
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fairy
Type ChartGood
3Weak
8Resist
0Immune
Score+2
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
How to Beat Qwilfish in X & Y (Best Counters)
Dugtrio
Dugtrio
Ground
C
Available Moves
Moves
  • DigTM28
  • Mud BombLv. 28
  • BulldozeTM78
  • Sand TombLv. 26
Damage vs Qwilfish
Dig 2x
82-97%
Mud Bomb 2x
48-58%
Bulldoze 2x
62-74%
Sand Tomb 2x
38-45%
View Dugtrio builds →

X & Y Evolution

Qwilfish doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Overqwil. The evolved forms gain up to 80 total stats over Qwilfish. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Qwilfish
#211Qwilfish
Does not evolve

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Qwilfish easily with 23 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group. Pass egg moves like Acid Spray, Aqua Jet, Astonish and 7 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Water2
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
10moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosoctillerymalamarmagikarpremoraidinkaywailordrelicanthalomomolawailmerlanturnsharpedo

X & Y Qwilfish Best Moveset

Expert Belt and Intimidate form the backbone. Qwilfish invests max HP and Attack EVs to play its physical attacker role properly, and Adamant nature pushes Attack higher. Waterfall handles the heavy lifting on offense. The remaining moves rounds it out.

Best Build

Experimental
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Expert Belt
Best Nature for Qwilfish

Qwilfish best EVs are Attack and HP

EVs

Doubles Physical Tank Moveset

  • Poison JabSTAB
  • ProtectFAST +4
  • Aqua JetSTAB
  • WaterfallSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Moves

You'll want to breed for Acid Spray and Aqua Jet on Qwilfish. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Hydro Pump and Sludge Wave, they expand what Qwilfish can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Destiny Bond
C5Ghost
Lv 1
Fell Stinger
D5010025Bug
Lv 1
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
Lv 1
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 1
Spikes
C20Ground
Lv 1
Tackle
D5010035Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 9
Harden
30Normal
Lv 9
Minimize
10Normal
Lv 13
Bubble
4010030Water
Lv 17
Rollout
D309020Rock
Lv 21
Toxic Spikes
C20Poison
Lv 25
Spit Up
10010Normal
Lv 25
Stockpile
C20Normal
Lv 29
Revenge-4
6010010Fighting
Lv 33
Brine
D6510010Water
Lv 37
Pin Missile
D259520Bug
Lv 41
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 45
Aqua Tail
A909010Water
Lv 49
Poison Jab
S8010020Poison
Lv 53
Destiny Bond
C5Ghost
Lv 57
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
Lv 60
Fell Stinger
D5010025Bug

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
D110705Ice
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM64
Explosion
B2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
D10020Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
D1005Steel
TM07
Hail
D10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
D9010010Ice
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
S8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
S10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C5Water
TM44
Rest
C10Psychic
TM27
Return
D10020Normal
TM48
Round
D6010015Normal
TM55
Scald
C8010015Water
TM30
Shadow Ball
D8010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
C10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
C9010010Poison
TM34
Sludge Wave
C9510010Poison
TM90
Substitute
C10Normal
HM03
Surf
C9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM12
Taunt
C10020Dark
TM73
Thunder Wave
S10020Electric
TM06
Toxic
C9010Poison
TM09
Venoshock
D6510010Poison
HM05
Waterfall
S8010015Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Acid Spray
4010020Poison
Egg
Aqua Jet+1
S4010020Water
Egg
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Egg
Brine
D6510010Water
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Haze
C30Ice
Egg
Signal Beam
D7510015Bug
Egg
Supersonic
5520Normal
Egg
Water Pulse
D6010020Water

Tutor Moves

Qwilfish can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 3
Defense Curl
40Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
D10Normal
Gen 4
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
D10015Normal
Gen 4
Swift
6020Normal
Gen 3
Swords Dance
C20Normal
Gen 4
Whirlpool
358515Water

X & Y Qwilfish Locations

high spawn rates for Qwilfish across 2 locations in late-game fishing spots. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.

Best Locations to Catch Qwilfish in X & Y

Route 8
YSuper Rod Lv.35 Route
CommonLate
Route 8
XSuper Rod Lv.35 Route
CommonLate

Qwilfish Guide

  • Qwilfish is meant to evolve into Overqwil. At 430 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • In X & Y, watch for Raikou (Electric), Golem (Ground), and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Qwilfish. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Intimidate is what you want on Qwilfish. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Poison Point, Swift Swim) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Qwilfish worth using.

  • In X & Y, Qwilfish's hidden ability is Intimidate. Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle. Better than the standard options for competitive play.

  • Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Qwilfish is a physical attacker with base 95 Attack.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Gold & Silver, Qwilfish has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

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