http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/poliwag
QC Checks: Elevator music, darkamber8828
GP Checks: Natgeo, Gen. Empoleon
[Overview]
<p>Poliwag is a very strong little tadpole. He is one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier, possibly reaching 19 speed. He can fit into many roles on a team from being a special attacker, to a choice Pokemon, to even being an effective Belly Drum user. Poliwag has a rather shallow offensive movepool, but his deep support movepool more than makes up for it. Poliwag may be relatively frail, but with its blistering Speed Poliwag can be a force to be reckoned.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Hypnosis / Rain Dance
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Swift Swim / Water Absorb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 36 Def / 200 SpA / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This is arguably Poliwag's most useful set. It can outspeed most of the unboosted metagame, and can easily KO Gligar with Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. Though Poliwag might seem to be outclassed by other Water-types such as Staryu and Chinchou, he has something that the other's do not: Hypnosis. Hypnosis is extremely useful as it can Sleep slower threats that could potentially sweep your team, like Meditite. Hydro Pump is Poliwag's main STAB move and can dish out a lot of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Surf can be used over Hydro Pump if you like reliability over power, but in most cases, Poliwag really needs all the power he can get. Ice Beam is used to beat Grass-types and Dragon-types which resist Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Grass is there for Water-type threats like Carvahna which resist both Hydro Pump and Ice Beam. Life Orb is the preffered option for the item slot since Poliwag needs the extra damage output, but Eviolite can be used if you want to add some extra bulk. The given EV spread maximizes Poliwag's Speed and Special Attack while giving it one point of bulk on Defense and Special Defense.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>If you want to use Rain Dance in the last slot over Hypnosis, then change the ability to Swift Swim. Rain Dance is a viable option because it gives Poliwag a huge boost to Water-type attacks as well as giving it a Speed stat of 36. Another option for the item slot is Choice Specs, which will give Poliwag a bigger boost in Special Attack than Life Orb does, but you don't get to switch moves and you will be easier to predict. Ferroseed easily counters this set by resisting all of your attacks barring Ice Beam and KOes you back with Bullet Seed. Hidden Power Fire is a decent alternative to Hidden Power Grass because it can KO Snover and Ferroseed, but doesn't see much use outside of that. Carvahna is also a good check to Poliwag because most Carvahna carry Protect, so they can just Protect on your first attack, gain a Speed boost, and hit you hard with Crunch. Magnemite is a great partner for Poliwag because it can trap Ferroseed and beat it with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
[SET]
name: BellyWag
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Return
move 4: Hypnosis
item: Oran Berry
ability: Swift Swim / Water Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Under the right circumstances, BellyWag can potentially sweep through whole teams. Though this set is highly risky, if you manage to pull it off the reward will be tremendous. After a single Belly Drum, Poliwag gets +6 Attack, and coupled with its blistering 19 Speed, you have a real scary tadpole on your hands. The given moveset is only resisted by Ferroseed and Frillish who should both be dealt with before attempting to set up. Waterfall is the main STAB move and has a 20% chance of causing a flinch, which is a nice bonus. Return is the best option for the second attack because it lets Poliwag hit everything neutrally except for Ferroseed and Frillish in the whole metagame. Hypnosis is the best option for the last slot because it lets Poliwag sleep anything slower than it, which allows Poliwag to get a free Belly Drum up. Oran Berry is the best option for an item because it heals you when you reach 50% of your health. This works especially well with Belly Drum because as you use it you lose 50% of your health, which activates Oran Berry. A Jolly nature is the prefered nature because Poliwag needs all the speed he can get if he wants to maximize his sweeping capabilities. The given EV spread is used to maximize Poliwag's Speed, as well as his Attack. The other EVs are used to give Poliwag another point in his Defense and Special Defense.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Any Pokemon with priority will beat this set into the ground. Since Poliwag is so frail, it won't be able to take any attacks before it can use Belly Drum. Ferroseed easily beats this set because he resists both the main attacks and can KO back with Bullet Seed. BellyWag really likes Stealth Rock support, as it can break Focus Sashes, so Poliwag can KO things without worrying about it. Rain Dance can be helpful because it can activate Poliwag's Swift Swim, as well as giving Waterfall a nice power boost. Pretty much any Choice Scarf user that carries an Electric- or Grass-type attack can counter Poliwag; an example of this is Scarf Chinchou who outruns Poliwag and OHKOes with Thunderbolt. Since Poliwag needs to be at full health when he switches in, Rapid Spinners are good teammates, Such as Baltoy and Sandshrew. Sandshrew can also set-up Stealth Rock to support Poliwag's sweep. Baltoy can set up Stealth Rock as well, but it can also set up Dual Screens which make it much easier for Poliwag to set-up. Wynaut is a good teammate for BellyWag because he can trap prioirty users like Timburr, Croagunk, and Meditite and KO them with Counter or Mirror Coat. Dig is also a decent move to use on this set because it can hit Frillish and Ferroseed neutrally. Remember, Poliwag only gets one shot at this sweep, so make sure you pick a good time to use it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On the Belly Drum set, you could opt for Encore over Hypnosis. You can Encore a Water- or Ice-type attack and proceed to Belly Drum. With the new Encore mechanics, however, this can be less effective as Encore now does not last as long. It is also very risky compared to Hypnosis since Poliwag doesn't really want to take any damage before he sets up with Belly Drum. Poliwag also has a relatively deep support movepool with moves like Toxic, Rain Dance, Haze, Hail, Endeavor, and Swagger. Poliwag also has the move Wake-Up Slap which has a chance to KO sleeping Munchlax with maximum Attack EVs. Poliwag can run a Substitute + 3 attacks set, or a Substitute + Encore set, but he really doesn't have the bulk to take any hits behind a Substitute.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>There are a few counters to Poliwag. The best counter to the Special Attacker set is Ferroseed. It resists all of Poliwag's attacks barring Ice Beam which won't do anything to it anyway, and can also OHKO Poliwag with Bullet Seed. Ferroseed is also a great counter to the BellyWag set considering it resists all of Poliwag's attacks. Frillish is also a hard counter to BellyWag because he, too, resists all of Poliwag's attacks. Chinchou can switch in and OHKO with its STAB Thunderbolt, however it cannot survive a +6 Return, so it can only safely revenge if Rain Dance is not up. The special attacker set has a lot of trouble breaking through most bulky Pokemon since it only has mediocre Special Attack. This lack of power will make Poliwag set up bait for Pokemon like Scraggy. The BellyWag set is also relatively weak to priority users like Croakgunk, Meditite, and Timburr. Choice Scarf Snover is another counter to this set because he can revenge KO with Giga Drain. Wooper, with it's ability, Unaware, bypasses the Belly Drum boost and can KO with Earthquake. Dratini resists Water-type attacks and can easily beat Poliwag with ExtremeSpeed or set up in its face with Dragon Dance.</p>
QC Checks: Elevator music, darkamber8828
GP Checks: Natgeo, Gen. Empoleon
[Overview]
<p>Poliwag is a very strong little tadpole. He is one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier, possibly reaching 19 speed. He can fit into many roles on a team from being a special attacker, to a choice Pokemon, to even being an effective Belly Drum user. Poliwag has a rather shallow offensive movepool, but his deep support movepool more than makes up for it. Poliwag may be relatively frail, but with its blistering Speed Poliwag can be a force to be reckoned.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Hypnosis / Rain Dance
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Swift Swim / Water Absorb
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 36 Def / 200 SpA / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This is arguably Poliwag's most useful set. It can outspeed most of the unboosted metagame, and can easily KO Gligar with Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. Though Poliwag might seem to be outclassed by other Water-types such as Staryu and Chinchou, he has something that the other's do not: Hypnosis. Hypnosis is extremely useful as it can Sleep slower threats that could potentially sweep your team, like Meditite. Hydro Pump is Poliwag's main STAB move and can dish out a lot of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Surf can be used over Hydro Pump if you like reliability over power, but in most cases, Poliwag really needs all the power he can get. Ice Beam is used to beat Grass-types and Dragon-types which resist Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Grass is there for Water-type threats like Carvahna which resist both Hydro Pump and Ice Beam. Life Orb is the preffered option for the item slot since Poliwag needs the extra damage output, but Eviolite can be used if you want to add some extra bulk. The given EV spread maximizes Poliwag's Speed and Special Attack while giving it one point of bulk on Defense and Special Defense.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>If you want to use Rain Dance in the last slot over Hypnosis, then change the ability to Swift Swim. Rain Dance is a viable option because it gives Poliwag a huge boost to Water-type attacks as well as giving it a Speed stat of 36. Another option for the item slot is Choice Specs, which will give Poliwag a bigger boost in Special Attack than Life Orb does, but you don't get to switch moves and you will be easier to predict. Ferroseed easily counters this set by resisting all of your attacks barring Ice Beam and KOes you back with Bullet Seed. Hidden Power Fire is a decent alternative to Hidden Power Grass because it can KO Snover and Ferroseed, but doesn't see much use outside of that. Carvahna is also a good check to Poliwag because most Carvahna carry Protect, so they can just Protect on your first attack, gain a Speed boost, and hit you hard with Crunch. Magnemite is a great partner for Poliwag because it can trap Ferroseed and beat it with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
[SET]
name: BellyWag
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Return
move 4: Hypnosis
item: Oran Berry
ability: Swift Swim / Water Absorb
nature: Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Under the right circumstances, BellyWag can potentially sweep through whole teams. Though this set is highly risky, if you manage to pull it off the reward will be tremendous. After a single Belly Drum, Poliwag gets +6 Attack, and coupled with its blistering 19 Speed, you have a real scary tadpole on your hands. The given moveset is only resisted by Ferroseed and Frillish who should both be dealt with before attempting to set up. Waterfall is the main STAB move and has a 20% chance of causing a flinch, which is a nice bonus. Return is the best option for the second attack because it lets Poliwag hit everything neutrally except for Ferroseed and Frillish in the whole metagame. Hypnosis is the best option for the last slot because it lets Poliwag sleep anything slower than it, which allows Poliwag to get a free Belly Drum up. Oran Berry is the best option for an item because it heals you when you reach 50% of your health. This works especially well with Belly Drum because as you use it you lose 50% of your health, which activates Oran Berry. A Jolly nature is the prefered nature because Poliwag needs all the speed he can get if he wants to maximize his sweeping capabilities. The given EV spread is used to maximize Poliwag's Speed, as well as his Attack. The other EVs are used to give Poliwag another point in his Defense and Special Defense.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Any Pokemon with priority will beat this set into the ground. Since Poliwag is so frail, it won't be able to take any attacks before it can use Belly Drum. Ferroseed easily beats this set because he resists both the main attacks and can KO back with Bullet Seed. BellyWag really likes Stealth Rock support, as it can break Focus Sashes, so Poliwag can KO things without worrying about it. Rain Dance can be helpful because it can activate Poliwag's Swift Swim, as well as giving Waterfall a nice power boost. Pretty much any Choice Scarf user that carries an Electric- or Grass-type attack can counter Poliwag; an example of this is Scarf Chinchou who outruns Poliwag and OHKOes with Thunderbolt. Since Poliwag needs to be at full health when he switches in, Rapid Spinners are good teammates, Such as Baltoy and Sandshrew. Sandshrew can also set-up Stealth Rock to support Poliwag's sweep. Baltoy can set up Stealth Rock as well, but it can also set up Dual Screens which make it much easier for Poliwag to set-up. Wynaut is a good teammate for BellyWag because he can trap prioirty users like Timburr, Croagunk, and Meditite and KO them with Counter or Mirror Coat. Dig is also a decent move to use on this set because it can hit Frillish and Ferroseed neutrally. Remember, Poliwag only gets one shot at this sweep, so make sure you pick a good time to use it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On the Belly Drum set, you could opt for Encore over Hypnosis. You can Encore a Water- or Ice-type attack and proceed to Belly Drum. With the new Encore mechanics, however, this can be less effective as Encore now does not last as long. It is also very risky compared to Hypnosis since Poliwag doesn't really want to take any damage before he sets up with Belly Drum. Poliwag also has a relatively deep support movepool with moves like Toxic, Rain Dance, Haze, Hail, Endeavor, and Swagger. Poliwag also has the move Wake-Up Slap which has a chance to KO sleeping Munchlax with maximum Attack EVs. Poliwag can run a Substitute + 3 attacks set, or a Substitute + Encore set, but he really doesn't have the bulk to take any hits behind a Substitute.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>There are a few counters to Poliwag. The best counter to the Special Attacker set is Ferroseed. It resists all of Poliwag's attacks barring Ice Beam which won't do anything to it anyway, and can also OHKO Poliwag with Bullet Seed. Ferroseed is also a great counter to the BellyWag set considering it resists all of Poliwag's attacks. Frillish is also a hard counter to BellyWag because he, too, resists all of Poliwag's attacks. Chinchou can switch in and OHKO with its STAB Thunderbolt, however it cannot survive a +6 Return, so it can only safely revenge if Rain Dance is not up. The special attacker set has a lot of trouble breaking through most bulky Pokemon since it only has mediocre Special Attack. This lack of power will make Poliwag set up bait for Pokemon like Scraggy. The BellyWag set is also relatively weak to priority users like Croakgunk, Meditite, and Timburr. Choice Scarf Snover is another counter to this set because he can revenge KO with Giga Drain. Wooper, with it's ability, Unaware, bypasses the Belly Drum boost and can KO with Earthquake. Dratini resists Water-type attacks and can easily beat Poliwag with ExtremeSpeed or set up in its face with Dragon Dance.</p>
