Is Poliwag Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Surfing the postgame routes at level 35 and up. Three evolution paths give flexibility, and AbilityWater Absorb heals from Water attacks. But every Poliwag evolution competes in Sinnoh's overcrowded Water field. Battle Frontier options.
Poliwag resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Gardenia's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's typing presses Poliwag's defenses.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Poliwrath 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.
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.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Flint:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lucian:
Poliwrath resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jupiter:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Mars:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Saturn:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cynthia:
Catchable
Catch Poliwag on Route 227 (Surf, Lv 35-45, common).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 35)
- LV 35WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Fantina
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM29PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Veilstone Game Corner
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- TM03WaterWater PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Ravaged Path
- LV 38WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Poliwag to Poliwrath
Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with a Water Stone. You can pick up the Water Stone in Route 213. 2 other locations are also available. Use the Water Stone in the post-game, after you beat Cynthia.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM31FightingBrick BreakPower 113Accuracy 100%PP 15Oreburgh Gate (basement)
- After Fantina
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Poliwag to Politoed
Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed when traded. Trade it in the post-game, after you beat Cynthia.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Gardenia
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- After Fantina
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Poliwag in Platinum
Poliwag is a surf-only catch, common at two water spots around levels 35 to 45. You will need Surf to reach it, since it stays out on open water rather than near any shoreline.
2 locations to catch Poliwag
Encountered via Surfing
Badge 8Where To Catch Poliwhirl in Pt
- Step 2Poliwhirl ✓or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)
Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Platinum for Poliwhirl.
How to Get Shiny Poliwag in Platinum
Poliwag only takes to the Surf on Route 227 and Route 228, so the faster shiny comes from breeding one with a foreign Ditto. Compare Shiny Poliwag odds across every game
Platinum Shiny Poliwag Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
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.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your Platinum shiny odds for Poliwag.
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
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x260-306%KO Shock Wave 2x87-103%KO | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Route 201 Gift) | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 2x224-264%KO | ||
 Cherrim Grass | C | |
 Carnivine Grass | C | |
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
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
Breeding
Breed Poliwag easily with 69 breeding partners from the Water 1 egg group. Pass egg moves like Bubble Beam, Endeavor, Haze and 7 more to offspring.
Pt Poliwag Best Moveset
Wasted Speed at 90 when every other stat sits in the 40s. The moveset has no role. AbilityWater Absorb gives free switches into Water attacks, but that's about it. Poliwhirl, then Poliwrath or Politoed.
Best Build
Poliwag best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Attacker Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power Electric
- Belly Drum
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Poliwag gets Bubble Beam and Endeavor 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
25 of 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
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 Platinum Guide
In Platinum, Poliwag has 300 BST and evolves into Poliwhirl. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Yes. Poliwag is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Poliwag becomes available after the main story is complete in Platinum.
Game Availability
Poliwag has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 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 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 Poliwag.
Keep playing · PlatinumPlatinum Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Platinum Tier List