Is Poliwhirl Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Postgame surfing routes at level 35 and up. Evolves from Poliwag. Water Stone for Poliwrath or trade with King's Rock for Politoed. AbilityWater Absorb heals from Water hits. Both evolutions compete in Sinnoh's deep Water field.
Poliwhirl resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Gardenia's team hits Poliwhirl's weaknesses hard.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's typing presses Poliwhirl's defenses.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Aaron:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bertha:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Flint:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lucian:
Poliwrath resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jupiter:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Mars:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Saturn:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cynthia:
Catchable
Catch Poliwhirl on Route 227 (Surf, Lv 35-55, common).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 35)
- LV 35WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Gardenia
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- After Fantina
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- LV 48WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Poliwhirl to Poliwrath
Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with a Water Stone. You can pick up the Water Stone in Route 213. 2 other locations are also available. Use the Water Stone in the post-game, after you beat Cynthia.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM31FightingBrick BreakPower 113Accuracy 100%PP 15Oreburgh Gate (basement)
- After Fantina
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 225Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Poliwhirl to Politoed
Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed when traded. Trade it in the post-game, after you beat Cynthia.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Gardenia
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- After Fantina
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 212
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15From Cynthia's grandmother inside the ruins
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15From Jasmine in Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Poliwhirl in Platinum
Poliwhirl also turns up while surfing, common at a couple of spots at levels 35 to 55. Evolving a Poliwag at level 25 works too, landing one a bit earlier than the deep-water encounters.
Wild Poliwhirl may be holding when caught:
Kings Rock (5% chance) An item to be held by a Pokemon. It may cause the foe to flinch when the holder inflicts damage.2 locations to catch Poliwhirl2 locations to catch Poliwag
Encountered via Surfing
Encountered via Surfing
Badge 8Catch Poliwag at any of the 2 locations below, then level it up to 25 — it evolves into Poliwhirl.
Badge 8Where To Catch Poliwhirl in Pt
To get Poliwhirl, start by catching Poliwag through surfing encounters at Lv. 35-45. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Poliwhirl ✓or evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)
Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Bring the right balls: check Poliwhirl catch odds in the Platinum Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Poliwhirl in Platinum
Poliwhirl swims those same waters, but breeding a Poliwag line through a foreign Ditto is the surer path to a shiny at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Poliwhirl odds across every game
Platinum Shiny Poliwhirl Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Poliwhirl in the Platinum Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Poliwhirl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Poliwhirl
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Exeggutor builds →Leaf Storm 2x235-277%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x182-214%KO Shock Wave 2x61-72% | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Turtwig (Route 201 Gift) Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Torterra builds →Wood Hammer 2x148-175%KO | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Victreebel builds →Leaf Storm 2x195-230%KO | ||
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwhirl View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 2x129-152%KO | ||
 Cherrim Grass | C | |
 Carnivine Grass | C | |
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
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 69 partners from the Water 1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Endeavor, Haze and 7 more.
Pt Poliwhirl Best Moveset
Every stat between 50 and 65, with nothing to build a moveset around. AbilityWater Absorb gives free switches into Water attacks, and that's the most useful thing here. Poliwrath or Politoed from here.
Best Build
Poliwhirl best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Belly Drum
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Encore
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Poliwhirl misses out on Bubble Beam and Endeavor. That's 10 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
31 of 32 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
Poliwhirl Platinum Guide
No. Poliwhirl only evolves into Politoed through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in Platinum. The King's Rock must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Yes. Wild Poliwhirl in Platinum can hold Kings Rock (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Kings Rock.
Yes. Poliwhirl is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Poliwhirl becomes available after the main story is complete in Platinum.
In Platinum, Poliwhirl has 385 BST and evolves into Poliwrath. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Poliwhirl.
Keep playing · PlatinumPlatinum Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Platinum Tier List