Is Poliwag Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Water with AbilityWater Absorb healing from Water hits. Wild on several routes. Poliwrath at Water Stone adds Fighting for a useful dual type. An early Water option that competes for the slot against Azumarill.
Poliwrath resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cheren:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Roxie:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Burgh:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Elesa:
Poliwrath resists most of Clay's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Clay's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clay:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Skyla:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Drayden's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Drayden:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Marlon's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Marlon:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Shauntal:
Poliwrath resists most of Grimsley's coverage and hits back hard.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Grimsley:
Caitlin's team hits Poliwrath's weaknesses hard.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Caitlin's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Caitlin:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Marshal:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Iris's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Iris:
Catch Poliwrath on Route 19 (Super Rod fishing, Lv 40-70, common).
Catch Politoed on Route 19 (Super Rod fishing, Lv 40-70, common).
How to Get Poliwag in Black 2 & White 2
Poliwag appears at high spawn rates across 34 spots in late-game fishing spots. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in B2W2
The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 40-70 via fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
- Step 1Catch Poliwag
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Floccesy RanchLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyGiant Chasm - CaveLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyGiant Chasm - Inner CaveLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyLostlorn ForestLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 19Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 20Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 23Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 6Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 1FLv.40-55Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 3FLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 4FLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - OutsideLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyWellspring Cave - 1FLv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyWellspring Cave - B1FLv.50-70Super RodRate 70%Anyor 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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Poliwag Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwag
 Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Jolteon can KO Poliwag with Thunderbolt (194-228%). Venusaur threatens a KO with Giga Drain (151-178%).
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemFlame Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x194-228%KO Shadow Ball57-67% Volt Switch 2x151-178%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityOvergrow ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Venusaur builds →Giga Drain 2x151-178%KO Sludge Bomb90-106%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
B2W2 Poliwag Best Moveset
Water typing at 40 in most stats can't answer anything. AbilitySwift Swim doubles Speed in rain, but the moveset lacks damage output even at doubled Speed. Poliwrath two evolutions away adds the Fighting typing and bulk to function in rain.
Best Build
Poliwag best EVs are Attack and Speed
Utility Moveset
- Hydro Pump
- Belly Drum
- Waterfall
- Thief
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Poliwag gets Bubble Beam and Encore 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 Surf.
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
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Its skin is so thin, its internal organs are visible. It has trouble walking on its newly grown feet.
Poliwag Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, 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