Poliwag is a Water type Pokemon introduced in Generation I. Poliwag is one of the first Pokemon that was designed for the Red and Blue beta. It evolves into Poliwhirl then Politoed or Poliwrath.
About Poliwag
| First appearance in anime | Primeape Goes Bananas |
| First appearance in game | Red and Blue |
| Region | Joto |
| Evolution | Poliwag → Poliwhirl → Poliwrath, Politoed |
| 1st Evo level | 25 |
| 2nd Evo level | Evolves to Poliwrath when exposed to a Water Stone, or Politoed when traded holding a King’s Rock |
| Pokedex Entry | For Poliwag, swimming is easier than walking. The swirl pattern on its belly is actually part of the Pokémon’s innards showing through the skin. In rivers with fast-flowing water, this Pokémon will cling to a rock by using its thick lips, which act like a suction cup. |
Poliwag Base stats
| HP | 40 |
| ATTACK | 50 |
| DEFENCE | 40 |
| SP. ATTACK | 40 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 40 |
| SPEED | 90 |
| TOTAL | 300 |
Appearance
Poliwag is a small, tadpole-like Pokémon that has two feet and a long, flat tale that is mostly transparent. Its body is blue apart from a circle of white on its abdomen which has a black swirl in the middle. Poliwag has big eyes and a red mouth while its legs are newly developed. It has no arms, though it will eventually evolve to have them. Furthermore, the swirl on its abdomen will be clearer if it has just eaten but will be tinged white if the Pokemon has a disease. The direction of the swirl is, allegedly, affected by location, especially if it is near the equator.
Behavior
Poliwag is often found swimming rather than anywhere on dry land. It is easily startled, and will run away at any sign of danger. Because of its inexperience with legs, it struggles to use them correctly and efficiently, making swimming a little more challenging. Poliwag tends to eat salveyo weed which is found on the bottom of clear lakes.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Poliwag is weak to Water, Grass, Dragon, and Electric Pokémon and thus these will do twice as much damage to Poliwag. It is not immune to a certain type of Pokémon but it is resistant to Fire, Rock, and Ground. These types will only do half the damage when fighting Poliwag. It is affected normally by Normal, Psychic, Steel, Ice, Ghost, Flying, and Dark types.
Best moveset (Poliwag)
Poliwag has a lot of strong moves including Skull Bash, which is a move that has 130 power and 100% accuracy. Here are Poliwag’s best moves: Skull Bash raises the user’s defense by 1 on 1 turn and Double Edge has a 33% recoil. Ice Beam has a 10% chance to freeze the target while Dive makes the Pokémon dive underwater on turn 1 and strike on turn 2.
| Skull Bash | Double Edge |
| Ice Beam | Dive |
How to catch Poliwag in Pokemon Go?
Poliwag tends to spawn in locations such as canals, harbors, riverbanks, streams, wetlands, and beach locations. They are also at an increased spawn rate in the rain but it has a 15% flee rate and a 40% capture rate. It also hatches out of 5 km eggs. You can evolve your Poliwag into a Poliwhirl at 25 candies and into its final evolution type, either a Poliwrath or a Politoed, at 100 candies.
Trivia
- Before Generation VI, Poliwag and Ditto had the same cry.
- All known as “Tadpole Pokémon, Poliwag shares its species name with Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, and Tympole.
- Generation V changed Poliwag's base Experience yield from 77 to 60 which makes it the only Pokémon whose base Experience yield is the same as its National Dex number.
- Poliwag is Satoshi Tajiri’s, the creator of Pokemon, favorite Pokemon.
FAQs
Is Poliwag in Sword and Shield?
Poliwag is a very rare Pokémon in Sword and Shield. Once a player has obtained the DLC for the game, they will need to travel to the Isle of Armor. Only there will they find a reliable location to find Poliwag: the Brawler’s Cave.
Does Poliwag evolve three times?
No, Poliwag only evolves twice. For the second evolution, there are two options for evolution.
Can Poliwag be shiny in Pokémon Go?
Yes. A shiny Poliwag is a lighter blue color as compared to a normal Poliwag.
Is Poliwrath or Politoed better?
There is no scenario where Politoed is better than Poliwrath. Poliwrath has better stats, better CP, access to better moves and a better overall position in the meta.
Is Poliwag rare in Pokémon Go?
Yes, Poliwag is considered to be rare in Pokémon Go. However, Poliwag has higher spawn rates in areas near oceans, lakes, rivers, harbors, and canals.
Conclusion
Poliwag is an old Pokemon, dating back to Generation 1. It is one of the rare Pokemon that actually undergoes evolution while evolving. The Poliwag does not have arms but by the time it has fully evolved to either a Politoed or Poliwrath, it has both arms, showcasing actual evolution to acquire the body parts it needs to survive. Most Pokemon undergo changes in evolution but not many evolve quite like that.
