Utility
Balanced
385Low
90Moderate
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Poliwhirl rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Poliwrath, which is where the real potential kicks in. An original Gen 1 pick. Sits at a decent but contested Speed tier.

Speed and HP carry most of Poliwhirl's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 2 Speed EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
385Avg
HP65
C
Attack65
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk50
D
Sp. Def50
D
Speed90
B
Total385
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Poliwhirl yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch120Moderate•Medium Slow1.06M XP•1m / 3'03"•20kg / 44.1 lbs•135Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.

Diamond / Pearl

Poliwhirl Weakness

Good

Electric and Grass-type moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Water
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
4Resist
1Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Water AbsorbAbsorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.
DampPrevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.
Swift SwimHADoubles Speed during rain.
Water Absorb grants Water immunity

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.

How to Evolve

4 Forms
Poliwag
#060Poliwag
25
Level 25
Poliwhirl
#061Poliwhirl
Poliwrath
#062PoliwrathWater Stone
Politoed
#186PolitoedTrade + Kings Rock
Stat Comparison 4 Stages
Poliwag
Water
Poliwhirl
Water
Poliwrath
WaterFighting
Politoed
Water
HP
40
65+25
90+25
90+25
ATK
50
65+15
95+30
75+10
DEF
40
65+25
95+30
75+10
SP.ATK
40
50+10
70+20
90+40
SP.DEF
40
50+10
90+40
100+50
SPE
90
90
70-20
70-20
BST
300D-Tier
385D-Tier+85
510C-Tier+125
500B-Tier+115
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Physical
Mixed
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Poliwhirl to get Poliwag eggs easily using 69 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Endeavor, Haze and 7 more.

Egg Groups
Water1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
10moves
Breed With (best first)
azumarillblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolodewgongcrawdaunt
12 of 69·

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Bubble Beam and Endeavor. That's 10 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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bubble
2010030Water
Lv 1
Hypnosis
—7020Psychic
Lv 1
Water Sport
——15Water
Lv 5
Bubble
2010030Water
Lv 8
Hypnosis
—7020Psychic
Lv 11
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 15
Double Slap
158510Normal
Lv 18
Rain Dance
——5Water
Lv 21
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Lv 27
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Lv 32
Mud Shot
559515Ground
Lv 37
Belly Drum
——10Normal
Lv 43
Wake-Up Slap
6010010Fighting
Lv 48
Hydro Pump
120805Water
Lv 53
Mud Bomb
658510Ground

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Endeavor
—1005Normal
Egg
Haze
——30Ice
Egg
Ice Ball
309020Ice
Egg
Mind Reader
——5Normal
Egg
Mist
——30Ice
Egg
Mud Shot
559515Ground
Egg
Refresh
——20Normal
Egg
Splash
——40Normal
Egg
Water Sport
——15Water

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Gen 3
Defense Curl
——40Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Gen 3
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Gen 3
Metronome
——10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 3
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting

Easy grab on Poliwhirl 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 Diamond & Pearl

To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through surfing and fishing encounters at Lv. 10-55. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Poliwag
    Step 1Catch Poliwag
    Route 225
    DiamondGood RodLv.10-25CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 225
    PearlGood RodLv.10-25CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 227
    DiamondSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 227
    PearlSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 228
    PearlSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 228
    DiamondSurfing on waterLv.20-30CommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Poliwhirl
    Step 2Poliwhirl ✓
    Route 227
    PearlSurfing on waterLv.10-55CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 227
    DiamondSurfing on waterLv.10-55CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 225
    DiamondSuper RodLv.30-55CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 225
    PearlSuper RodLv.30-55CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 225
    DiamondSurfing on waterLv.40-50CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    Route 225
    PearlSurfing on waterLv.40-50CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    Route 228
    PearlSurfing on waterLv.40-55CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    Route 228
    DiamondSurfing on waterLv.40-55CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)

  • 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.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Poliwhirl. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at level 25. Poliwhirl can evolve into Poliwrath and Politoed depending on the method. Poliwhirl is a middle-stage evolution in the Poliwag line.

  • 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.

  • Base 90 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Poliwhirl is leaning toward the physical side (base 65 Attack).

  • Poliwhirl appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

One of the original 151, Poliwhirl has appeared in 20 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.