Is Poliwag Good in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Playthrough?
Wild Water-type that needs patience. The Poliwrath evolution via Water Stone offers Fighting coverage for Molayne's E4, but early Poliwag is weak and slow. Commit to the chain or skip it.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Ilima's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Hala's team.
Lana's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
ElectricSteelReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Moon only)
BugElectricReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GrassReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GhostFairyReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou...
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Kiawe's team.
Mallow's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Sophocles's team.
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Acerola:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Nanu's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Nanu's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Nanu:
Mina's team hits Poliwrath's weaknesses hard.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Mina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Mina:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Hapu's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Hapu's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Hapu:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Molayne's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Molayne's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Molayne:
Poliwrath resists most of Olivia's coverage and hits back hard.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Olivia:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Acerola's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Acerola:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Kahili's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Kahili's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kahili:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kukui:
Catch Poliwag on Brooklet Hill (walking, Lv 14-17).
Your Poliwag should hit Level 25 before you reach Sophocles, at typical leveling pace.
You can pick up the Water Stone in Paniola Ranch.
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Acerola.
How to Get Poliwag in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Easy grab on Poliwag with high spawn rates across 8 locations in early-game water 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 USUM
To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through surfing and walking encounters at Lv. 14-17. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch Poliwag
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Brooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17GrassRate 20%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17GrassRate 20%or 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 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Jolteon can KO Poliwag with Thunderbolt (319-376%). Venusaur threatens a KO with Giga Drain (238-281%).
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityVoltabsorb ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Jolteon builds →Shadow Ball94-111%KO Thunderbolt 2x319-376%KO Volt Switch 2x249-293%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityChlorophyll ItemLife Orb NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Venusaur builds →Sludge Bomb142-168%KO Giga Drain 2x238-281%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
USUM Poliwag Best Moveset
Water at 50 offenses with AbilityWater Absorb granting Water immunity and AbilitySwift Swim doubling Speed in rain. The moveset has nothing at pre-evolution power. Poliwrath and Politoed two evolutions away take different competitive paths.
Best Build
Poliwag best EVs are Attack and Speed
Utility Moveset
- Waterfall
- Belly Drum
- Return
- Hypnosis
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
Despite the danger, it wants to come up on land. So it does its best to waddle along, but when an enemy finds it, it rushes back to the water.
The direction of the swirl on their stomachs differs depending on where they live. Poliwag aficionados can tell them apart at a glance.
Poliwag Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Guide
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, 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