While most trainers evolve Qwilfish into Overqwil immediately, the unevolved form has a niche with Eviolite boosting its defenses. Only weak to Electric, Ground, and Psychic. Introduced in Gen 2. Sits at a decent but contested Speed tier.
Attack and Defense carry most of Qwilfish's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 1 Attack EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
A QWILFISH uses the pressure of water it swallows to shoot toxic quills all at once from all over its body. It finds swimming to be somewhat challenging.
Qwilfish Weakness
GoodQwilfish's Water/Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Ground, and Psychic moves. With 7 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Qwilfish's physical bulk (base 85 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Qwilfish doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Overqwil. The evolved forms gain up to 70 total stats over Qwilfish.
How to Evolve
Breed Qwilfish easily with 17 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group. Pass egg moves like Astonish, Bubble Beam, Flail and 2 more to offspring.
This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Poison Point supports the gameplan, and flexible EVs EVs mean Qwilfish doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus the remaining moves backing it up.
Best Build
Best Qwilfish Moveset
- Spikes
- Self Destruct
- Sludge Bomb
- Destiny Bond
Recommended Teammates
You'll want to breed for Astonish and Bubble Beam on Qwilfish. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Hydro Pump and Sludge Bomb, they expand what Qwilfish can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Qwilfish can't be caught in Emerald. Bring it over from Gold, Crystal, or X instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Qwilfish is meant to evolve into Overqwil. At 440 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Qwilfish evolves into Overqwil using a Barb Barrage 20 Times In Strong Style. Qwilfish is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Intimidate is what you want on Qwilfish. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Poison Point, Swift Swim) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Qwilfish worth using.
Base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Qwilfish is leaning toward the physical side (base 95 Attack). Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Qwilfish appears in 19 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Since debuting in Gold & Silver, Qwilfish has appeared in 19 titles over 8 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A