Special
Pivot
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. Special's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 2 Speed stat exp. 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.

Yellow

Poliwhirl Weakness

Avg

Electric and Grass-type moves hit Poliwhirl for super-effective damage. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIce
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei-1
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

Partway through Poliwag's chain, Poliwhirl is a Water type pushing toward Politoed. No breeding at this stage. 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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Poliwhirl Moveset

  • AmnesiaUtility
  • HypnosisUtility
  • BlizzardCoverage
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Exeggutor
ExeggutorGood
Chansey
ChanseyGood

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Poliwhirl. TMs unlock Normal and Ice coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Surf into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bubble
2010030Water
Lv 1
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 16
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 19
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 26
Double Slap
158510Normal
Lv 33
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Lv 41
Amnesia
——20Psychic
Lv 49
Hydro Pump
120805Water

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110905Ice
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM18
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM27
Fissure
—305Ground
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM05
Mega Kick
120755Normal
TM01
Mega Punch
808520Normal
TM35
Metronome
——10Normal
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM46
Psywave
—10015Psychic
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM19
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM17
Submission
808025Fighting
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water

Egg Moves

Poliwhirl doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Poliwhirl can't learn any Tutor moves

Easy grab on Poliwhirl with high spawn rates across 2 locations in early-game fishing spots. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Where To Catch Poliwhirl in Yellow

To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through fishing encounters at Lv. 5-40. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Poliwag
    Step 1Catch Poliwag
    Route 22
    Super RodLv.5-15CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Viridian City
    Super RodLv.5-15CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Celadon City
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCave
    EASY
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCave
    EASY
    Fuchsia City
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Pallet Town
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Route 10
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 11
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 12
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 13
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 17
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 18
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 19
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 20
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 21
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 22
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 23
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 24
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 25
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 6
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Safari Zone - Center
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - East
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - North
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Safari Zone - West
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyFacility
    EASY
    Seafoam Islands - B4F
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyWater
    EASY
    Seafoam Islands - B3F
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyWater
    EASY
    Vermilion City - City
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Viridian City
    Good RodLv.10CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Route 23
    Super RodLv.25-30CommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Poliwhirl
    Step 2Poliwhirl ✓
    Route 22
    Super RodLv.15UncommonEarlyRoute
    MODERATE
    Route 23
    Super RodLv.30-40CommonMidRoute
    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.

  • Base 90 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Poliwhirl is a special attacker with base 50 Special. Best used as a pivot.

  • 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.