Is Politoed Good in Crystal Playthrough?
Trade Poliwhirl with a King's Rock. Crystal keeps the same trade evolution that most solo players skip. Politoed is a pure Water-type without Poliwrath's Fighting coverage, which makes it less useful in a game that already has plenty of Water options.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Poliwhirl resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Poliwrath resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jasmine:
Poliwrath resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Pryce:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clair:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lt. Surge:
Sabrina's team hits Poliwrath's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Sabrina:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Erika:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Janine:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Misty:
Poliwrath resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Brock:
Poliwrath resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blaine:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blue:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catch Poliwhirl
Catch Poliwhirl on Route 30 (Surf, Lv 20-24, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner prize (5500 coins)
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Ice Path
- LV 35NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- After Lt. Surge
- TUTORIceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod City
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
- LV 51WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
Evolve Poliwhirl to Politoed
Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Clair.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner prize (5500 coins)
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Morty
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Olivine City
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Ice Path
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner prize (7500 coins)
- TUTORIceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod City
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
Evolve Poliwhirl to Poliwrath
Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with a Water Stone. You can receive the Water Stone from an NPC in Route 42.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 31)
- LV 31FightingSubmissionPower 120Accuracy 80%PP 25
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner prize (5500 coins)
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Ice Path
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- After Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Celadon Game Corner prize (7500 coins)
- TUTORIceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod City
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Saffron City
How to Get Politoed in Crystal
Politoed never appears wild in Crystal. It comes from trading a Poliwhirl while it holds a King's Rock, the branch that turns the same Poliwhirl into Poliwrath with a Water Stone instead.
Wild Politoed may be holding when caught:
Kings Rock (2% chance) May make the foe flinch. (HOLD)Catch Poliwag or Poliwhirl at any of these 15 spots to eventually evolve into Politoed.
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing, tall grass encounters
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8How to Obtain Politoed in C
To get Politoed, start by catching Poliwag through fishing, surfing, and more encounters at Lv. 3-44. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 1Catch PoliwagRoute 22Lv.5-14Surfing on waterRate 90%Viridian CityLv.5-14Surfing on waterRate 90%Ecruteak CityLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 30Lv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 31Lv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Violet CityLv.15-24Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 22Lv.3-4GrassRate 40%NightRoute 31Lv.4GrassRate 30%NightRoute 30Lv.4GrassRate 20%NightBlackthorn CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Ecruteak CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Ilex ForestLv.10Old RodRate 15%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 30Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 31Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 35Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 43Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 44Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Ruins of Alph - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 15%Violet CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 22Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 28Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 6Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Viridian CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 44Lv.20-29Surfing on waterRate 90%Blackthorn CityLv.20Good RodRate 65%Ecruteak CityLv.20Good RodRate 65%Ilex ForestLv.20Good RodRate 65%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 30Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 31Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 35Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 43Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 44Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Ruins of Alph - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 65%Violet CityLv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 22Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 28Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 6Lv.20Good RodRate 65%Viridian CityLv.20Good RodRate 65%Route 44Lv.22GrassRate 30%NightRoute 28Lv.35-44Surfing on waterRate 90%Blackthorn CityLv.40Super RodRate 80%Ecruteak CityLv.40Super RodRate 80%Ilex ForestLv.40Super RodRate 80%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 30Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 31Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 35Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 43Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 44Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Ruins of Alph - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 80%Violet CityLv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 22Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 28Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Route 6Lv.40Super RodRate 80%Viridian CityLv.40Super RodRate 80%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.35-39Surfing on waterRate 10%
- Step 2Catch or Evolve PoliwhirlRoute 22Lv.10-14Surfing on waterRate 10%Viridian CityLv.10-14Surfing on waterRate 10%Ecruteak CityLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 30Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 31Lv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Violet CityLv.20-24Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 44Lv.24-26GrassRate 10%NightRoute 44Lv.25-29Surfing on waterRate 10%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.35-44Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 28Lv.40GrassRate 40%NightMt. Silver - OutsideLv.42-44CaveRate 40%NightRoute 28Lv.40-44Surfing on waterRate 10%or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)
- Step 3Politoed ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Poliwag egg.
How to Get Shiny Politoed in Crystal
Politoed requires teamwork, evolving only when a shiny Poliwhirl is traded while holding a King's Rock; the real hunt happens before the link cable. Compare Shiny Politoed odds across every game
Crystal Shiny Politoed Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Crystal with Politoed preloaded.
Politoed Weakness
Type-wise, Politoed takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Politoed's special bulk (base 100 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Politoed Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Politoed
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Celebi PsychicGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Interact Encounter | ||
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Tangela Grass | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Raikou Electric | S | |
 Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
 Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
 Jolteon Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Pikachu Electric | C | |
Obtain MethodCeladon City Gift | ||
 Electabuzz Electric | C | |
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodTeam Rocket Hq Interact Encounter | ||
 Jumpluff Grass | C | |
Politoed Evolutions
Politoed is one of 2 ways Poliwhirl's chain can end. This one takes the trade route, while the siblings go different directions. Breed through Poliwag to get eggs. Poliwrath has 10 more total stats, but Politoed makes up for it with a stronger Sp.Def gain (+60 from Poliwag). View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Politoed to get Poliwag eggs easily using 37 partners from the Water 1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Haze, Mind Reader and 2 more.
C Politoed Best Moveset
Water-type with MoveSurf and MoveIce Beam from 90 Sp. Atk for standard coverage. MovePerish Song forces KOs or switches after three turns, a unique finisher mechanic. MoveHypnosis at 60%% accuracy adds unreliable sleep. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Coverage attacker with a built-in win condition.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Belly Drum
- Earthquake
- Lovely Kiss
- Hidden Power Bug
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Bubble Beam and Haze aren't available any other way for Politoed, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Hydro Pump and Surf for solid options.
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.
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
25 of 31 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
When it expands its throat to croak out a tune, nearby POLIWAG and POLIWHIRL gather immediately.
Politoed Crystal Guide
Politoed is obtained by trade-evolving Poliwhirl. Catch or evolve a Poliwhirl first, then trade. The King's Rock must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
In Crystal, Politoed plays as a balanced. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully.
Game Availability
Politoed has been available in 17 games since Gold & Silver, though obtaining it requires a trade evolution. This extra step makes it less common than Pokemon found through standard wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Politoed.
Keep playing · CrystalCrystal Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Crystal Tier List