Mixed
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

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

Lets Go Pikachu / Lets Go Eevee

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.

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

3 Forms
Poliwag
#060Poliwag
25
Level 25
Poliwhirl
#061Poliwhirl
Water Stone
Poliwrath
#062Poliwrath
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Poliwag
Water
Poliwhirl
Water
Poliwrath
WaterFighting
HP
40
65+25
90+25
ATK
50
65+15
95+30
DEF
40
65+25
95+30
SP.ATK
40
50+10
70+20
SP.DEF
40
50+10
90+40
SPE
90
90
70-20
BST
300D-Tier
385D-Tier+85
510C-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Poliwhirl to get Poliwag eggs easily from the Water1 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body

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.

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
—6020Psychic
Lv 1
Pound
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 4
Pound
4010035Normal
Lv 8
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 12
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 16
Double Slap
158510Normal
Lv 21
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Lv 30
Low Kick
—10020Fighting
Lv 39
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Lv 48
Hydro Pump
110805Water

TM Moves

Src
TM51
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM13
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM10
Dig
8010010Ground
TM41
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM12
Facade
7010020Normal
TM01
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM03
Helping Hand+5
——20Normal
TM55
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM35
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
TM07
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM40
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM05
Rest
——10Psychic
TM29
Scald
8010015Water
TM15
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
TM08
Substitute
——10Normal
TM47
Surf
9010015Water
TM27
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM25
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Poliwhirl doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

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.

  1. Poliwag
    Step 1Catch Poliwag
    Route 22
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.3-445%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 22
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.3-445%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 25
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.9-1445%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 25
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.9-1445%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 23
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.41-4645%LateRoute
    EASY
    Route 23
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.41-4645%LateRoute
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.51-5645%PostCave
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.51-5645%PostCave
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.51-5645%PostCave
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.51-5645%PostCave
    EASY
  2. Poliwhirl
    Step 2Poliwhirl ✓
    Route 22
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.3-410%EarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 22
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.3-410%EarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 25
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.9-1410%EarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 25
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.9-1410%EarlyRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 23
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.41-4610%LateRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 23
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.41-4610%LateRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.51-569%PostCave
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.51-569%PostCave
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Let's Go EeveeSurfing on waterLv.51-569%PostCave
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Let's Go PikachuSurfing on waterLv.51-569%PostCave
    CHALLENGING
    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 a mixed attacker — base 65 Attack and 50 Sp. Atk.

  • 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.