Poliwhirl
Water
Best attacking moveset: Bubble and Bubble Beam, worth 6.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Poliwhirl can learn 8 combinations. Bubble with Bubble Beam does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble | Water | 10 | 1.0s | +12 |
| Mud Shot | Ground | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Beam | Water | 45 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Mud Bomb | Ground | 60 | 2.5s | -33 |
| Water Pulse | Water | 65 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Scald Legacy | Water | 75 | 3.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Poliwhirl has been released. Players have found it from: wild, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,604 at level 50, 1,419 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 811 CP at level 20, or 1,013 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 757 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 130 attack · 123 defense · 163 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 100 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1 m and 20 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Poliwhirl does not have one best moveset, it has 2. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ground, Rock, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 9.9 |
| Rock | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 9.9 |
| Fire | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 9.9 |
| Poison | Mud Shot + Mud Bomb | 9.0 |
| Steel | Mud Shot + Mud Bomb | 9.0 |
| Electric | Mud Shot + Mud Bomb | 9.0 |
| Normal | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Fighting | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 | |
| Bug | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Ghost | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Psychic | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Ice | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Dark | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Fairy | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 6.1 |
| Water | Mud Shot + Mud Bomb | 5.9 |
| Dragon | Mud Shot + Mud Bomb | 5.9 |
| Grass | Bubble + Bubble Beam | 4.1 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Poliwhirl is actually for.
Counters: what beats Poliwhirl
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 50.0 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 42.9 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Razor Leaf + Leaf Blade | 42.8 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 41.9 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 41.4 |
 Roserade | GrassPoison | Magical Leaf + Leaf Storm | 36.5 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 36.3 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 36.1 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 35.9 |
 Zarude | DarkGrass | Vine Whip + Power Whip | 35.8 |
Ranked by damage per second against Poliwhirl's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.