Is Poliwag Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Underground Water-type. Poliwrath (Water/Fighting) or Politoed (trade + King's Rock) are the evolution choices. Poliwrath handles Byron and Candice with Fighting coverage. Solid pick if you want Water plus something extra.
Poliwag resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Gardenia's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's typing presses Poliwag's defenses.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Candice's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Volkner's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Aaron's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Aaron:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bertha:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Flint:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lucian:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cynthia:
Catch Poliwag on Route 227 (Surf, Lv 20-30, common).
You can pick up the Water Stone in Route 213.
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Aaron.
How to Get Poliwag in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Poliwag's scattered across 16 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in BDSP
The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 10-63 via walking, surfing, and more encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch Poliwag
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Route 225Lv.10-25Good RodRate 35%Route 227Lv.20-30Surfing on waterRate 30%Route 228Lv.20-30Surfing on waterRate 30%Fountainspring CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameGrassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameor 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
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 2x217-256%KO | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, 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
BDSP Poliwag Best Moveset
90 Speed is exceptional for a pre-evo but 50 Attack can't use it. Hidden AbilitySwift Swim doubles that Speed in rain for an absurd pace with nothing behind it. The moveset has no competitive function. Branches into Poliwrath or Politoed.
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 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
Base Stats
Its skin is so thin, its internal organs are visible. It has trouble walking on its newly grown feet.
Poliwag Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, 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