Is Poliwag Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?
Poliwag arrives through the Isle of Armor DLC. If brought into the main story, Water typing covers the basics against Kabu and Gordie. Poliwrath adds Fighting for more coverage. Not a standout import since Galar has plenty of native Water options, but serviceable on a replay.
Milo's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Nessa's team.
Poliwag resists most of Kabu's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Bea's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Opal's team.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Gordie's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Raihan's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Bede's team.
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Leon:
Catch Poliwag on Brawlers' Cave (Surf, Lv 40-45). All Weather.
You can pick up the Water Stone in Bridge Field. 2 other locations are also available.
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Leon.
How to Get Poliwag in Sword & Shield
Easy grab on Poliwag with high spawn rates across 14 locations in early-game routes. Two different catch methods are in play here. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in SwSh
The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 13-45 via walking and surfing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Brawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%ThunderstormBrawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%RainingBrawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%OvercastBrawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%Intense SunBrawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%Normal WeatherBrawlers' CaveLv.13-18OverworldRate 16%SnowingBrawlers' CaveLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 50%All Weatheror evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Poliwag Weakness
Poliwag is weak to Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
What is Poliwag Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwag
In Sword & Shield, Jolteon can KO Poliwag with Thunderbolt (357-421%). Venusaur threatens a KO with Giga Drain (267-314%).
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x357-421%KO Shadow Ball106-125%KO Volt Switch 2x279-329%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityChlorophyll ItemLife Orb NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x267-314%KO | ||
Poliwag Evolutions
Poliwag's evolution chain splits 2 ways into Poliwrath and Politoed. The method you choose determines which form you get. Evolving adds up to 210 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
SwSh Poliwag Best Moveset
Rain teams don't bother with this pre-evo even for AbilitySwift Swim doubling the 90 Speed, because 40 in every offensive and defensive stat means the moveset contributes nothing. Two evolutions to either Poliwrath or Politoed before the same ability starts paying off.
Best Build
Poliwag best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Psychic
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Poliwag gets Endeavor and Haze exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Ground coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Hydro Pump and Muddy Water.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
For Poliwag, swimming is easier than walking. The swirl pattern on its belly is actually part of the Pokémon’s innards showing through the skin.
In rivers with fast-flowing water, this Pokémon will cling to a rock by using its thick lips, which act like a suction cup.
Poliwag Sword & Shield Guide
In Sword & Shield, Poliwag does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Poliwhirl before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Poliwag has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves