Competitive Information for Poliwrath [Ruby/Sapphire]


Water / Fighting
Abilities:
Note: Pokemon with the Water Absorb ability are immune to Water attacks.
Movesets for Singles
What is a good competitive moveset for Poliwrath? These builds have been optimized for Pokemon competing in Ruby/Sapphire Single Battles. The movesets and EVs have been specifically calibrated to deal the most amount of damage to the largest group of potentially common opponents and typing threats for the Ruby/Sapphire generation metagame.
Poliwrath is a pretty decent Water and Fighting-typed Pokemon. Poliwrath is a super common Pokemon to see in Generation 3. Poliwrath is typically seen in the UU tier (Underused). Poliwrath is weak to Electric, Flying, Grass, and Psychic-typed attacks.
Item: Silk Scarf
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Double-Edge / Frustration
- Brick Break / Seismic Toss
- Earthquake / Dig
- Defense Curl
Physical Sweeper Poliwrath (Water Absorb)
Poliwrath is a stupendous Physical Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Don't forget back before Generation IV, a move's damage category was determined by its type. With Water Absorb, Poliwrath heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Frustration is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at minimum happiness).
♦ Brick Break is a physical STAB-boosted 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, even if the target is immune).
♦ Seismic Toss is a physical STAB-boosted 0-base power Fighting-type move (does damage equal to your Poliwrath's level).
♦ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. power doubles on dig).
♦ Dig is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (digs underground turn 1, strikes turn 2).
♦ Defense Curl is a status move (raises your Poliwrath's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/ds10a3e
Item: Mystic Water
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Surf / Waterfall
- Ice Beam / Ice Punch
- Psychic
- Thief
Special Sweeper Poliwrath (Water Absorb)
Poliwrath is a wonderful Special Sweeper. It's designed to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Prior to Generation IV, a move's damage category was determined by its type. With Water Absorb, Poliwrath heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Waterfall is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
♦ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Ice Punch is a special 75-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Psychic is a special 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Thief is a special 40-base power Dark-type move (if your Poliwrath has no item, it steals the target's).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/ds11a3e
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Moveset:
- Bulk Up
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Waterfall
Poliwrath Special Wall (This Is A Brain On Drugs)
Poliwrath is a spectacular Special Wall. It is primarily designed to take a substantial amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. In the old days before Generation IV, a move's damage category was determined by its type. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Poliwrath last longer regaining it's HP every turn. With Water Absorb, Poliwrath heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Sleep Talk is a status move (Poliwrath must be asleep. uses another known move).
♦ Rest is a status move (Poliwrath sleeps 2 turns and restores hp and status).
♦ Waterfall is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/ds12a3e
Movesets for Doubles
What is a good doubles moveset for Poliwrath? These builds have been optimized for Ruby/Sapphire Double Battles. They have movesets and EVs specifically calibrated to generally work best versus multiple Pokemon at once as well as helping to support other team members and allys in the Ruby/Sapphire generation metagame.
Item: Soft Sand
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Dig
- Double-Edge / Frustration
- Brick Break / Seismic Toss
- Defense Curl
Doubles Physical Sweeper Poliwrath (Water Absorb)
Poliwrath is a wonderful Physical Sweeper. The purpose of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Back before Generation IV, a move's damage category was determined by its type. With Water Absorb, Poliwrath heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Dig is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (digs underground turn 1, strikes turn 2).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 1/3 recoil).
♦ Frustration is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at minimum happiness).
♦ Brick Break is a physical STAB-boosted 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, even if the target is immune).
♦ Seismic Toss is a physical STAB-boosted 0-base power Fighting-type move (does damage equal to your Poliwrath's level).
♦ Defense Curl is a status move (raises your Poliwrath's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/dd10a3e
Item: Mystic Water
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Surf / Waterfall
- Icy Wind / Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Thief
Doubles Special Sweeper Poliwrath (Water Absorb)
Poliwrath is a pretty decent Special Sweeper. It's meant to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. In the old days prior to Generation IV, a move's damage category was determined by its type. With Water Absorb, Poliwrath heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Waterfall is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move that deals a considerable amount of damage.
♦ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
♦ Ice Beam is a special 95-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Psychic is a special 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Thief is a special 40-base power Dark-type move (if your Poliwrath has no item, it steals the target's).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/dd11a3e
Movepool
Wondering what moves can Poliwrath learn? Here is the list of moves this Pokemon can learn in this selected generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by move type, category, accuracy, and power. Bolded moves will gain the same-type attack bonus (STAB) if this Pokemon uses them.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Poliwrath can perform in Ruby/Sapphire. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive RS Move and Ability Combos for Poliwrath
- Moves: Defense curl + Ice ball
- Moves: Belly drum + Rest
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Dynamic Punch
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Helping Hand
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic, Hypnosis
Moves that boost Poliwrath's stats
- Belly Drum
- Bulk Up
- Defense Curl
Most notable and possible best moves for Poliwrath
- Earthquake
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Protect
- Rest
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Poliwrath in Ruby and Sapphire
- Nature ( )
- Nature ( )
- Optimize Poliwrath's EV spread for Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
Related Videos
Here are various how-to-use and competitive moveset analysis video guides for Poliwrath in Ruby/Sapphire. These featured videos will most likely contain additional strategies and combos not listed on our site. Disclaimer: All videos belong to their respective owners along with the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the videos. They belong solely to the author and not to us.
We currently do not have any competitive video guides for Poliwrath in Ruby/Sapphire
Want to have your Competitive Pokemon videos sponsored on our site? Contact us!
Some builds on this page have been hidden, click here to display them
Here are the best movesets for Poliwrath. Top rated Poliwrath Ruby/Sapphire movesets. You can find Poliwrath builds Ruby/Sapphire. Poliwrath movesets Ruby/Sapphire are listed here. VGC Poliwrath Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Poliwrath in Ruby/Sapphire along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution