Is Poliwhirl Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Poliwag evolves at level 25. Water with AbilityWater Absorb. Water Stone for Poliwrath whenever ready. The mid-stage waiting for its Fighting addition.
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 (rippling water fishing, Lv 40-70, common). Shaking/Bubbling spots.
Catch Politoed on Route 19 (rippling water fishing, Lv 40-70, common). Shaking/Bubbling spots.
Catch Poliwag on Route 19 (Super Rod fishing, Lv 40-70, common).
How to Get Poliwhirl in Black 2 & White 2
high spawn rates for Poliwhirl across 34 locations in late-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in B2W2
The path to Poliwhirl starts with Poliwag at Lv. 40-70 via fishing and walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch PoliwagFloccesy 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%Any
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Floccesy RanchLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotLostlorn ForestLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 19Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 20Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 23Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 6Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 1FLv.40-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 3FLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 4FLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - OutsideLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - CaveLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 55%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - Inner CaveLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 55%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - 1FLv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - B1FLv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotor evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Poliwhirl Weakness
Electric and Grass moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. 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 Poliwhirl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwhirl
 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 | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x174-205%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x169-200%KO | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x163-192%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x168-197%KO | ||
 Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x176-207%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x181-213%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x166-196%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x173-203%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x178-210%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Roselia builds →Petal Dance 2x164-193%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x174-205%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x180-211%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Raikou can KO Poliwhirl with Thunderbolt (150-177%). Breloom's Bullet Seed hits Poliwhirl for 43-50%.
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x150-177%KO Aura Sphere44-52% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Breloom builds →Mach Punch34-39% Bullet Seed 2x43-50% | ||
Poliwhirl Evolutions
From here, Poliwhirl's line branches into Poliwrath and Politoed. That's 2 possible evolutions, each with its own method. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+25 from Poliwag). The final form adds another 125 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Poliwhirl to get Poliwag eggs easily using 78 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Encore, Endeavor and 10 more.
B2W2 Poliwhirl Best Moveset
Middle stage where AbilitySwift Swim doubles 90 Speed in rain, but 65 Sp. Atk behind Water TermStab can't threaten targets that real rain attackers handle easily. Held ItemEviolite adds bulk, and the moveset stalls in rain without converting the Speed advantage into KOs. One evolution from Poliwrath.
Best Build
Poliwhirl best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Focus Punch
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Bubble Beam and Encore. That's 13 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Hydro Pump and Surf, with Normal and Ground coverage and more rounding things out.
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 spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
Poliwhirl Black 2 & White 2 Guide
Poliwhirl is meant to evolve into Poliwrath. At 385 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
No. Poliwhirl only evolves into Politoed through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in Black 2 & White 2. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Poliwhirl to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Kings Rock must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Swift Swim is what you want on Poliwhirl. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Water Absorb, Damp) work on paper but Swift Swim is what makes Poliwhirl worth using.
In Black 2 & White 2, Poliwhirl's hidden ability is Swift Swim. Doubles Speed during rain. Better than the standard options for competitive play.
Game Availability
One of the original 151, Poliwhirl has appeared in 20 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
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