Competitive Information for Poliwhirl [X/Y]
Water
Abilities:
Prevents Explosion/Self-Destruct/Aftermath while this Pokemon is active.
If Rain Dance is active, this Pokemon's Speed is doubled.
This Pokemon heals 1/4 of its max HP when hit by Water moves; Water immunity.
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Note: Pokemon with the Water Absorb ability are immune to Water attacks.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Poliwhirl? These builds are optimized for X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the X/Y metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Meet Poliwhirl, the noteworthy Pokémon of Water types! Poliwhirl is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. Its only type-related weaknesses are Electric and Grass. Want to master Poliwhirl's movesets? Dive into our detailed strategies below!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 168 Hp / 252 Atk / 88 SpD
Moveset:
- Ice Punch / Double-Edge
- Waterfall / Dive
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Brick Break / Wake-Up Slap
Poliwhirl is an outstanding Physical Sweeper. It is meant to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Poliwhirl from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Poliwhirl's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Swift Swim, Poliwhirl's speed is doubled during rainy weather. Ice Punch was added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Dive is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (dives underwater turn 1, strikes turn 2).
♦ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
♦ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent pkmn speed by 1 stage).
♦ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
♦ Wake-Up Slap is a physical 70-base power Fighting-type move (power doubles if target is asleep, and wakes it).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iaa3d
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 168 Hp / 252 SpA / 88 SpD
Moveset:
- Surf / Scald
- Psychic
- Ice Beam / Icy Wind
- Round / Snore
Poliwhirl is an outstanding Special Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Poliwhirl from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Poliwhirl's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Swift Swim, Poliwhirl's speed is doubled during rainy weather.
♦ Scald is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (30% chance to burn the target. thaws target).
♦ Psychic is a special 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Ice Beam is a special 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
♦ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Poliwhirl must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/iba3d
Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 104 Def / 152 SpD
Moveset:
- Brick Break
- Belly Drum
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
Poliwhirl is pretty popular Double Wall. It is designed to have enough defenses and bulk to take both physical and special hits. With Water Absorb, Poliwhirl heals 1/4 of its max hp when hit by water moves; water immunity.
♦ Belly Drum is a status move (Poliwhirl loses 50% max hp; This also maximizes Poliwhirl's attack stat).
♦ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/ica3d
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Poliwhirl? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive X/Y Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the X/Y metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 168 Hp / 252 Atk / 88 SpD
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Ice Punch / Double-Edge
- Waterfall / Dive
- Brick Break / Wake-Up Slap
Poliwhirl is an outstanding Physical Sweeper. It's primary goal is to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Poliwhirl from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Poliwhirl's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Swift Swim, Poliwhirl's speed is doubled during rainy weather. Ice Punch was added to provide additional threat coverage.
♦ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent pkmn speed by 1 stage).
♦ Ice Punch is a physical 75-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Dive is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (dives underwater turn 1, strikes turn 2).
♦ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
♦ Wake-Up Slap is a physical 70-base power Fighting-type move (power doubles if target is asleep, and wakes it).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jaa3d
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 168 Hp / 252 SpA / 88 SpD
Moveset:
- Surf / Bubble
- Icy Wind / Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Round / Snore
Poliwhirl is pretty popular Special Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Poliwhirl from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Poliwhirl's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Swift Swim, Poliwhirl's speed is doubled during rainy weather.
♦ Bubble is a special STAB-boosted 40-base power Water-type move (10% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
♦ 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 90-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).
♦ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
♦ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Poliwhirl must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/jba3d
Movepool
Want to know what moves Poliwhirl can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon X/Y generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Poliwhirl.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Poliwhirl can perform in X/Y. 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 XY Move and Ability Combos for Poliwhirl
- Moves: Defense curl + Ice ball
- Moves: Belly drum + Rest
- Moves: Endure + Endeavor
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Endeavor + Item: Focus Sash
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Helping Hand, Protect
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Scald, Hypnosis, Toxic
Moves that boost Poliwhirl's stats
- Belly Drum
- Defense Curl
- Power-Up Punch
Most notable and possible best moves for Poliwhirl
- Earthquake
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Protect
- Rest
- Scald
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Poliwhirl in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Poliwhirl's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon X and Y
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Poliwhirl. Top rated Poliwhirl X/Y movesets. You can find Poliwhirl builds X/Y. Poliwhirl movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Poliwhirl Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Poliwhirl in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for Politoed evolution