Is Poliwag Good in Sun & Moon Playthrough?
Poliwag is found fishing across Alola's waterways. Needs two evolutions to become useful, and the Water Stone for Poliwrath isn't available until mid-game. A slow build toward a decent payoff.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should bring the Totem Gumshoos down.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Hala's team.
The Totem Wishiwashi's typing presses Poliwag's defenses.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should bring the Totem Salazzle down.
The Totem Lurantis hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with the Totem Vikavolt.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with the Totem Mimikyu.
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Nanu's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Nanu:
Poliwrath 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 trades roughly evenly with the Totem Kommo-o.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against the Totem Kommo-o:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Hala's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Hala:
Poliwrath resists most of Olivia's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Olivia:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with 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.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kahili:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kukui:
Catchable
Catch Poliwag on Brooklet Hill (walking, Lv 14-17).
Evolve Poliwag to Poliwhirl
Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at Level 25. Your Poliwag should hit Level 25 before you reach Sophocles, at typical leveling pace.
Evolve Poliwhirl to Poliwrath
Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with a Water Stone. You can pick up the Water Stone in Route 8.
Evolve Poliwhirl to Politoed
Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Nanu.
How to Get Poliwag in Sun & Moon
Poliwag is a common sight near Alolan water, met by surfing or in grass along the banks across a few spots, from level 14 to level 55, and sometimes handed over as a gift.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in SM
- Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Brooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17GrassRate 20%Brooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17GrassRate 10%or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)
Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Sun & Moon for Poliwhirl.
How to Get Shiny Poliwag in Sun & Moon
Poliwag paddles around Brooklet Hill, and a running SOS chain there keeps handing out fresh shiny chances. Compare Shiny Poliwag odds across every game
Sun & Moon Shiny Poliwag Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is SOS Chaining at full boosts, about 1 in 274 on each try. Tune it below.
SOS Chaining: Leave one ally fainted and force endless calls. Bonus rolls step up at 11, 21, and 31 calls.
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 |
|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 29 |
| 25%one in four | 79 |
| 50%coin flip | 190 |
| 90%very likely | 630 |
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 Sun & Moon 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 |
What is Poliwag Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwag
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x252-297%KO | ||
 Lurantis Grass | C | |
 Decidueye GrassGhost | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Rowlet (Iki Town Gift) | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) | ||
 Meganium Grass | C | |
 Serperior Grass | B | |
 Togedemaru ElectricSteel | C | |
 Vikavolt BugElectric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwag View Vikavolt builds →Thunderbolt 2x241-284%KO Solar Beam 2x214-252%KO | ||
 Luxray Electric | C | |
 Whimsicott GrassFairy | C | |
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 95 breeding partners from the Water 1 egg group. Pass egg moves like Bubble Beam, Encore, Endeavor and 10 more to offspring.
SM Poliwag Best Moveset
Water at 50 Attack with AbilitySwift Swim doubling Speed in rain. AbilityWater Absorb absorbs Water moves for healing. The moveset fires at pre-evolution power. Poliwrath or Politoed two evolutions away fills different roles.
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
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
The swirl on its belly is its internal organs showing through. If the swirl is tinged white, that means it’s affected by some disease.
It’s still not very good at walking. Its Trainers should train this Pokémon to walk every day.
Poliwag Sun & Moon Guide
In Sun & 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 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 · Sun & MoonSun & Moon Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Sun & Moon Tier List