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.

What is Poliwhirl weak to?

In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, 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.

How do you evolve Poliwhirl?

In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, 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.

What is the best ability for Poliwhirl?

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.

What is Poliwhirl's hidden ability?

In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, Poliwhirl's hidden ability is Swift Swim. Doubles Speed during rain. Better than the standard options for competitive play.

Poliwhirl - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Utility

Balanced

DTier

90Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

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

Avg

HP65

Attack65

Defense65

Sp. Atk50

Sp. Def50

Speed90

Total385

Details

Catch Rate

Moderate120 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Slow1.06M XP

Height1.0 m

Weight20.0 kg

Base XP135

Abilities

Water Absorb

Absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.

Damp

Prevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.

Swift SwimHA

Doubles Speed during rain.

Water Absorb grants Water immunity

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2

Speed training target

Pokedex Entries

Under attack, it uses its belly spiral to put the foe to sleep. It then makes its escape.

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.

Poliwhirl Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

1Immune

Score0

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Water

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Poliwhirl in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee (Best Counters)

Venusaur GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Power WhipLv. 1 Petal DanceLv. 1 Razor LeafLv. 31 Vine WhipLv. 5 Damage vs Poliwhirl Power Whip 2x 118-139%KO Petal Dance 2x 167-197%KO Razor Leaf 2x 56-66% Vine Whip 2x 45-54% View Venusaur builds →
Parasect BugGrass	C
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 9 Damage vs Poliwhirl Absorb 2x 21-26% View Parasect builds →
Pikachu Electric	C
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Moves Moves ThunderLv. 30 ThunderboltLv. 21 Thunder ShockLv. 1 Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunder 2x 91-107%KO Thunderbolt 2x 74-88% Thunder Shock 2x 34-41% View Pikachu builds →

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee Evolution

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

3 Forms

#060Poliwag

Level 25

#061Poliwhirl

Water Stone

#062Poliwrath

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Poliwag

Water

Poliwhirl

Water

Poliwrath

WaterFighting

65+25

90+25

ATK

65+15

95+30

DEF

65+25

95+30

SP.ATK

50+10

70+20

SP.DEF

50+10

90+40

SPE

70-20

BST

300D-Tier

385D-Tier+85

510C-Tier+125

ROLE

Balanced

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Breeding is not available in this game

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee Poliwhirl Best Moveset

Best Build

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee uses different battle mechanics.

Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.

Moves

Leveling does the heavy lifting. Poliwhirl picks up Hydro Pump and Blizzard along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add Normal and Fighting coverage and more, but the foundation's already strong by then.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Bubble

—4010030Water

Lv 1

Hypnosis

C—6020Psychic

Lv 1

Pound

—4010035Normal

Lv 1

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Lv 4

Pound

—4010035Normal

Lv 8

Hypnosis

C—6020Psychic

Lv 12

Water Gun

D4010025Water

Lv 16

Double Slap

—158510Normal

Lv 21

Bubble Beam

—6510020Water

Lv 30

Low Kick

D—10020Fighting

Lv 39

Body Slam

D8510015Normal

Lv 48

Hydro Pump

C110805Water

TM Moves

TM51

Blizzard

D110705Ice

TM13

Brick Break

D7510015Fighting

TM10

Dig

D8010010Ground

TM41

Earthquake

C10010010Ground

TM12

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM01

Headbutt

D7010015Normal

TM03

Helping Hand+5

C——20Normal

TM55

Ice Beam

D9010010Ice

TM35

Ice Punch

D7510015Ice

TM07

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM40

Psychic

D9010010Psychic

TM05

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM29

Scald

C8010015Water

TM15

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

TM08

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM47

Surf

C9010015Water

TM27

Toxic

C—9010Poison

TM25

Waterfall

C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Poliwhirl doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Poliwhirl in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

10 encounter spots for Poliwhirl at moderate rates starting from early-game water routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.

Where To Catch Poliwhirl in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through surfing encounters at Lv. 3-56. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

Step 1Catch Poliwag
Route 22
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.3-4 Route
45%Early
Route 22
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.3-4 Route
45%Early
Route 25
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.9-14 Route
45%Early
Route 25
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.9-14 Route
45%Early
Route 23
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.41-46 Route
45%Late
Route 23
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.41-46 Route
45%Late
Cerulean Cave - 1F
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
45%Post
Cerulean Cave - 1F
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
45%Post
Cerulean Cave - B1F
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
45%Post
Cerulean Cave - B1F
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
45%Post
Train until Level 25
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓
Route 22
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.3-4 Route
10%Early
Route 22
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.3-4 Route
10%Early
Route 25
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.9-14 Route
10%Early
Route 25
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.9-14 Route
10%Early
Route 23
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.41-46 Route
10%Late
Route 23
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.41-46 Route
10%Late
Cerulean Cave - 1F
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
9%Post
Cerulean Cave - 1F
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
9%Post
Cerulean Cave - B1F
Let's Go EeveeSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
9%Post
Cerulean Cave - B1F
Let's Go PikachuSurfing on water Lv.51-56 Cave
9%Post
or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)

Poliwhirl 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.
In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, 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.
In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, 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.
In Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, 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

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Zapdos ElectricFlying	A
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves Heat Wave TailwindUtility ThunderboltSTAB RoostRecovery Damage vs Poliwhirl Heat Wave 29-35% Thunderbolt 2x 167-197%KO View Zapdos builds →
Amoonguss GrassPoison	B
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemBlack Sludge NatureSassy Moves SporeUtility Rage Powder ProtectPriority Giga Drain Damage vs Poliwhirl Giga Drain 2x 91-107%KO View Amoonguss builds →
Breloom GrassFighting	B
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemFocus Sash NatureAdamant Moves SporeUtility Mach Punch Bullet Seed Swords Dance Damage vs Poliwhirl Mach Punch 38-45% Bullet Seed 2x 48-56% View Breloom builds →
Raikou Electric	C
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves ThunderboltSTAB Hidden Power Ice Calm Mind ReflectUtility Damage vs Poliwhirl Thunderbolt 2x 173-204%KO View Raikou builds →