Is Poliwrath Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Water Stone on Poliwhirl. Water/Fighting with AbilityWater Absorb. Handles Clay through Water and Grimsley through Fighting. Decent bulk absorbs hits through the E4. The three immunities from AbilityWater Absorb plus Fighting resistance are valuable.
Poliwrath resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Cheren:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Roxie:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Burgh:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Poliwhirl has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Elesa:
Poliwrath resists most of Clay's coverage and hits back hard.
Poliwhirl resists most of Clay's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clay:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Skyla:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Drayden's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Drayden:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Marlon's team.
Poliwhirl trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Marlon:
Poliwrath trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Shauntal:
Poliwrath resists most of Grimsley's coverage and hits back hard.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Grimsley:
Caitlin's team hits Poliwrath's weaknesses hard.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Caitlin's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Caitlin:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Politoed has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Marshal:
Poliwrath has the type edge here and should clean up Iris's team.
Politoed trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Iris:
Catch Poliwhirl on Route 19 (rippling water fishing, Lv 40-70, common). Shaking/Bubbling spots.
Catch Poliwhirl on Route 19 (rippling water fishing, Lv 40-70, common). Shaking/Bubbling spots.
How to Get Poliwrath in Black 2 & White 2
Poliwrath starts showing up in endgame routes at high spawn rates across 22 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Where To Catch Poliwrath in B2W2
Poliwag is your first catch on the way to Poliwrath. You'll find walking and fishing encounters from Lv. 40-70 across 90 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch PoliwagFloccesy RanchLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyGiant Chasm - CaveLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyGiant Chasm - Inner CaveLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyLostlorn ForestLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 19Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 20Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 23Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyRoute 6Lv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 1FLv.40-55Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 3FLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - 4FLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyVictory Road - OutsideLv.40-70Super RodRate 70%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyWellspring Cave - 1FLv.50-70Super RodRate 70%AnyWellspring Cave - B1FLv.50-70Super RodRate 70%Any
Step 2Catch or Evolve PoliwhirlFloccesy RanchLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotLostlorn ForestLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 19Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 20Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 23Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotRoute 6Lv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 1FLv.40-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 3FLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 4FLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - OutsideLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - CaveLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 55%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - Inner CaveLv.40-70Rippling Water FishRate 55%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - 1FLv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - B1FLv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 65%AnyShaking spotor evolve from Poliwag (Step 1)- Step 3Poliwrath ✓Victory Road - 1FLv.50-60Rippling Water FishRate 35%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 3FLv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 35%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 4FLv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 35%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - 1FLv.60Rippling Water FishRate 35%AnyShaking spotWellspring Cave - B1FLv.60Rippling Water FishRate 35%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - CaveLv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotGiant Chasm - Inner CaveLv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotRoute 23Lv.50-70Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.60Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.60Rippling Water FishRate 5%AnyShaking spotor evolve from Poliwhirl (Step 2)
Poliwrath Weakness
Type-wise, Poliwrath takes extra damage from Electric, Grass, Flying, and Psychic. It resists 7 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Bug, Rock, Dark, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Poliwrath Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Poliwrath
 Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Whimsicott builds →Energy Ball 2x51-61% Gust 2x18-21% | ||
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Leavanny builds →Leaf Blade 2x66-78% Aerial Ace 2x30-35% | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
 Braviary Normal | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 4 Interact Encounter | ||
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x91-108%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x97-115%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 2x65-77% Aerial Ace 2x30-35% | ||
Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Leavanny builds →Leaf Blade 2x67-79% Aerial Ace 2x30-35% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x97-114%KO | ||
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 2x65-77% Aerial Ace 2x29-35% | ||
Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Leavanny builds →Leaf Blade 2x67-79% Aerial Ace 2x30-36% | ||
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Dragonite builds →Fly 2x82-96% Thunder Punch 2x45-54% | ||
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x96-113%KO Aerial Ace 2x28-34% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Braviary Normal | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 4 Interact Encounter | ||
 Unfezant Normal | C | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Rotom's Thunderbolt hits Poliwrath for 81-96%.
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Poliwrath View Rotom builds →Volt Switch 2x63-75% Shadow Ball36-42% Thunderbolt 2x81-96% | ||
Poliwrath Evolutions
Poliwrath is one of 2 ways Poliwhirl's chain can end. This one takes the item path, while the siblings go different directions. Breed through Poliwag to get eggs. Poliwrath and Politoed share the same 500 total stats, but they're distributed differently. Check the comparison below to see where each one specializes. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Poliwrath to get Poliwag eggs easily using 78 partners from the Water1 egg group. Notable egg moves include Bubble Beam, Encore, Endeavor and 10 more.
B2W2 Poliwrath Best Moveset
Water/Fighting TermStab answers Rock, Steel, and Dark types that weather teams struggle against. AbilitySwift Swim in rain doubles the 70 Speed, and 95/90 defenses absorb hits between attacks. The moveset fills the rain team's Fighting gap while moving fast enough to threaten first.
Best Build
Poliwrath best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Waterfall
- Brick Break
- Ice Punch
- Scald
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Bubble Beam and Encore give Poliwrath options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Focus Punch and Focus Blast. The egg moves push it further.
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
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
With its extremely tough muscles, it can keep swimming in the Pacific Ocean without resting.
Poliwrath Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, Poliwrath looks average on paper at 500 BST. But Swift Swim is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier on our tier list. Waterfall with Leftovers is the standard set.
Poliwrath gets Swift Swim, Water Absorb, and Damp. But Swift Swim is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Poliwrath is a mixed attacker with base 85 Attack and 70 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many.
For Black 2 & White 2, the core moveset is Waterfall, Brickbreak, Icepunch, and Scald. Waterfall leads at 0% usage. Waterfall provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Poliwrath appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Poliwrath have the longest track record of availability in the series.
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