Is Poliwhirl Good in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Playthrough?
Middle stage with two branches. Water Stone for Poliwrath gives you Water/Fighting for Molayne's E4. King's Rock trade for Politoed is the alternative. Poliwrath is the better story-mode pick.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Ilima's team.
Poliwag trades roughly evenly with Hala's team.
Lana's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
ElectricSteelReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Moon only)
BugElectricReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GrassReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GhostFairyReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou...
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Kiawe's team.
Mallow's team hits Poliwag's weaknesses hard.
Poliwag has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Sophocles's team.
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Acerola:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Nanu's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Nanu's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Nanu:
Mina's team hits Poliwrath's weaknesses hard.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Mina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Mina:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Hapu's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Hapu's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Hapu:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Molayne's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Molayne's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Molayne:
Poliwrath resists most of Olivia's coverage and hits back hard.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Olivia:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Acerola's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Acerola:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Kahili's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Kahili's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kahili:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Kukui's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Kukui:
Catch Poliwag on Brooklet Hill (walking, Lv 14-17).
Your Poliwag should hit Level 25 before you reach Sophocles, at typical leveling pace.
You can pick up the Water Stone in Paniola Ranch.
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Acerola.
How to Get Poliwhirl in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
4 encounter spots for Poliwhirl at decent spawn rates starting from mid-game routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Where To Catch Poliwhirl in USUM
To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through walking and surfing encounters at Lv. 14-28. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch PoliwagBrooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17Surfing on waterRate 40%Brooklet Hill - NorthLv.14-17GrassRate 20%Brooklet Hill - SouthLv.14-17GrassRate 20%
Step 2Poliwhirl ✓Malie GardenLv.25-28GrassRate 20%Malie GardenLv.25-28GrassRate 10%SOS chain (rain)or 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 |
What is Poliwhirl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwhirl
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Paniola Ranch Gift) | ||
 Vikavolt BugElectric | B | |
Obtain MethodHeahea Beach Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Vikavolt builds →Thunderbolt 2x169-199%KO Energy Ball 2x112-133%KO | ||
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Grovyle Grass | C | |
 Ivysaur GrassPoison | C | |
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Raikou can KO Poliwhirl with Thunderbolt (93-110%).
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x93-110%KO | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Breloom builds →Mach Punch20-23% Bullet Seed 2x24-29% | ||
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 95 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Encore, Endeavor and 10 more.
USUM Poliwhirl Best Moveset
Mid-stage Water at 65 across most stats with AbilitySwift Swim as a hidden ability. Held ItemEviolite adds some bulk. The moveset at mid-stage power cannot compete. Evolves into Poliwrath through Water Stone or Politoed through Held ItemKings Rock trade.
Best Build
Poliwhirl best EVs are Sp. Atk and HP
Utility Moveset
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Metronome
- Ice Punch
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
Base Stats
Although it has become capable of living on land, it spends its time in the water, where its prey, fish Pokémon, are plentiful.
Its health suffers when its skin dries out, so be sure to moisturize it diligently.
Poliwhirl Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon 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 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. 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 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, 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