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 surface of POLIWHIRL’s body is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle.

Ruby / Sapphire

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 III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
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 58 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Haze, Ice Ball and 4 more.

Egg Groups
Water1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
azumarillblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolodewgongcrawdaunt
12 of 58·

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

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

Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Bubble Beam and Haze. That's 7 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Hydro Pump and Surf, with Normal and Ice coverage and more rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bubble
2010030Water
Lv 1
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 7
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 13
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 19
Double Slap
158510Normal
Lv 27
Rain Dance
——5Water
Lv 35
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Lv 43
Belly Drum
——10Normal
Lv 51
Hydro Pump
120805Water

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
HM08
Dive
6010010Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Haze
——30Ice
Egg
Ice Ball
309020Ice
Egg
Mind Reader
—1005Normal
Egg
Mist
——30Ice
Egg
Splash
——40Normal
Egg
Water Sport
——15Water

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

Poliwhirl isn't available in the wild in Ruby & Sapphire. Start by transferring Poliwag from Red. The evolution path from Poliwag to Poliwhirl is covered in the steps below.

How to Obtain Poliwhirl in Ruby & Sapphire

  1. Poliwag
    Step 1Obtain Poliwag

    Also found in:

    Red
  2. Poliwhirl
    Step 2Poliwhirl ✓

  • 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.