Pokemon GO: Walrein weaknesses and best counters

With the recent conclusion of Spheal's Community Day event, Walrein has risen in popularity in Pokemon GO's Battle League. With the sudden appearance of this bulky walrus, many players may need some tips and tricks to help get past it in a battle.

Debuting in the third generation of the franchise, Walrein and its evolutionary line made an intimidating presence.

Sealeo appeared on Gym Leader Wallace's team in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire as a defensive tank with utility, thanks to the moves 'Encore' and 'Body Slam' having a chance to paralyze. Walrein made an appearance on the team of Glacia of the Hoenn Elite Four alongside two Sealeo.

When looking for specific counters for a particular Pokemon, various factors need to be considered when building against that Pokemon. Details like the Pokemon's typing, stats, and potential moveset can help players determine which Pokemon are most qualified to take on a threat.

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Best strategies for countering Walrein in Pokemon GO

Walrein as it appears in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Walrein is a Water and Ice-type Pokemon. Despite having one of the weakest secondary typings in the game, Walrein still maintains relevancy, thanks to the excellent Water defensive typing.

The Water typing covers many of Ice's common weaknesses, but Walrein's Ice typing contradicts the many resistances of Water typing. This puts Walrein in a weird spot where it only resists other Water and Ice-type attacks while having weaknesses to Rock, Fighting, Grass, and Electric-type attacks.

Looking toward's Walrein's stats in Pokemon GO, it is easy to see why this Pokemon remains one of the best safe switches trainers can have on their team.

A stamina stat of 242 paired with a defense of 176 makes for a Pokemon that can shrug off many forms of fast attacks, with its only major weakness being supercharged attacks like 'Stone Edge' or 'Close Combat.' Walrein's attack stat of 182 also gives it some offensive utility against the opponent it switches in against, so players should be aware of that.

Walrein's optimal moveset employs a combination of both of its typings which is rare for most Pokemon. This situation gives Walrein bonus coverage, giving it more usage as the game goes on, instead of just being a burner Pokemon to switch into when your attacker gets countered.

This is a huge contributor to Walrein's spike in usage. Walrein's optimal moveset combines 'Waterfall' and either of 'Blizzard' or 'Icicle Spear,' both Water and Ice-type moves respectively.

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Lucario and a few others can counter Walrein in Pokemon GO

The best Pokemon to use to counter Walrein are ones with a massive attack stat to outburst Walrein in a 1v1 battle. Pokemon like Lucario resist Walrein's powerful Ice-type charged attacks while taking chunks of its health away through supercharged attacks and super-effective fast attacks.

Other Pokemon like Rampardos and Machamp can take on Walrein as well, but Lucario performs the best against it by far in Pokemon GO. To summarize, Walrein's bulk can make it an intimidating Pokemon to deal with in Pokemon GO's Battle League.

However, it is held back incredibly by its low defense and Ice-typing. This makes it vulnerable to supercharged attacks from offensive Pokemon like Lucario and Rampardos.