Bet you weren't expecting this to show up today. As always, this is a first draft, so anticipate mistakes and sudden changes. This one was a real slog to write, as Poliwrath has weird or complicated interactions with like every Pokemon in the tier. This version is also a complete overhaul of the original, bearing almost no resemblance to it (though I'm still giving Sevi 7 the second writer credit). I didn't even really want this analysis, but at least its up now, so... I hope you enjoy it at least. I can now get back to Victreebel for OU.
[OVERVIEW]
Poliwrath has very steep competition as one of many significant Water-type Pokemon in RBY UU. It does not have the speed of Tentacruel, the bulk of Vaporeon, the typing of Omastar, or the powerful STAB Ice-type moves of Dewgong. What Poliwrath does have, though, is one of the most diverse and interesting movepools of any Pokemon in the tier. For starters, it's the only legal fully evolved Water-type Pokemon with a sleep-inducing move, that being Hypnosis. While Hypnosis has underwhelming accuracy, it is a unique tool that threatens slower foes such as Hypno and deters quicker foes such as Tentacruel from switching in. Offensively, Poliwrath has options such as Body Slam, Earthquake, Submission, and Psychic on top of the staples Surf and Blizzard. While it can’t run all of these moves, Poliwrath can be tricky to play around and require scouting. To make it even more dynamic, Poliwrath also has Amnesia as a niche option that improves its offensive prowess and longevity. On top of all these options, Poliwrath can still serve as a traditional bulky Water-type Pokemon, being a soft check to Articuno and physical attackers like Dugtrio.
Despite its impressive advantages, Poliwrath is just short of truly being a staple in RBY UU. The most obvious weakness is its typing; while having a powered-up Submission and resisting Rock Slide are good traits, being weak to Psychic and Flying far outweighs the positives. Hypno and Kadabra are incredibly common and enormously threatening, giving Poliwrath a major disadvantage not faced by other slow Water-type Pokemon. While Dodrio is less common, it too can easily knock out Poliwrath. Aside from this, Poliwrath has truly mediocre stats, lacking even one base stat with three digits. Physically, Poliwrath shines a little bit, as it has marginally more bulk than Vaporeon and Dewgong and hits as hard as Articuno. However, it is still outdone defensively by Omastar and offensively by most dedicated physical attackers. Specially, Poliwrath is very exploitable, being less bulky than even Dewgong by a fairly large margin. Its offensive options are similarly underwhelming; notably, Poliwrath’s Blizzard will always fail to OHKO Dragonite without a critical hit, meaning it can't reliably prevent AgiliWrap like other Water-type Pokemon. Poliwrath is a niche option with several unfortunate shortcomings, fitting best on teams that need a bulky Water-type Pokemon and a sleeper in one Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Bulky Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Body Slam / Submission / Hydro Pump / Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is Poliwrath’s biggest selling point over conventional Water-type Pokemon. The move can be used in a number of ways to get an advantage, especially early-game. If Poliwrath can get in against the slower Hypno, it's usually free to induce sleep. This can be accomplished by switching in as Hypno wakes up from Rest, or by using a Pokemon like Kadabra or Electabuzz to bait it in. Poliwrath also happens to be faster than Vaporeon and Omastar while Speed tying with Dewgong, meaning it can easily threaten them with Hypnosis as well. Unlike Hypno, these Pokemon struggle to punish Poliwrath if it misses. While it is typically used early-game, Hypnosis is a decent tool throughout the entire match, as it gives Poliwrath an option to stymie dangerous sweepers like Dugtrio, Aerodactyl, and Articuno. Blizzard hits many key targets in the metagame for respectable damage. Blizzard 2HKOes Dugtrio, Dragonite, and Aerodactyl and 3HKOes Tangela and Venusaur. The damage on Dragonite is especially important, as Poliwrath has limited tools to stop AgiliWrap, especially if it has already hit something with Hypnosis. Poliwrath will typically make use of a physical move, as its decent Attack allows it to deal solid damage to Water-type Pokemon, especially Tentacruel and Omastar. Earthquake is a common choice because it can 2HKO Tentacruel over half the time. Tentacruel is fairly hesitant to engage with Poliwrath, as Earthquake can deal immense damage on the switch or if Wrap misses. Earthquake is also notable for 2HKOing Haunter, Electabuzz, and Raichu and almost certainly 3HKOing Omastar.
Poliwrath’s final moveslot is usually dedicated to additional coverage or Rest. Body Slam is much weaker than Earthquake, but the chance for paralysis is very helpful for stymieing partial-trappers like Dragonite and offensive checks like Gyarados, Kadabra, and Electric-type Pokemon. Submission is another strong option that applies a lot of pressure to Normal-type Pokemon while also giving Poliwrath more options for Rock- and Ice-type Pokemon. Submission always 2HKOes Persian and can 2HKO Kangaskhan, Clefable, and Dewgong. Despite these advantages, Submission is not an overly common choice due to its low accuracy and dreadful recoil, which limit a Pokemon that is already not very bulky. Hydro Pump is Poliwrath’s strongest move against neutral targets like Hypno. The move is guaranteed to OHKO Dugtrio and Golem. Additionally, Hydro Pump 4HKOes Hypno and is Poliwrath's best option for hitting Kangaskhan and Persian after Submission. Lastly, Rest helps extend Poliwrath’s usefulness throughout the game. The move is most useful when Poliwrath is expected to take a more defensive role, such as checking Dugtrio or Articuno. However, Poliwrath’s numerous weaknesses leave it very vulnerable while it is asleep.
Poliwrath is best suited for teams that appreciate the offensive advantages of sleep and the defensive advantages of a bulky Water-type Pokemon. Because of its somewhat quick Hypnosis, Pokemon that can bait in Hypno, Tangela, and bulky Water-type Pokemon tend to be good partners. These include Kadabra, Electabuzz, Raichu, and Kangaskhan. Wrappers like Tentacruel and Dragonite are also helpful for pivoting so Poliwrath can get in more safely. Poliwrath's ability to soft check Articuno and physical attackers like Dugtrio and Kangaskhan means it works quite well with Flying-, Ground-, and Electric-type Pokemon. Flying-type Pokemon are additionally good partners thanks to Poliwrath's resistance to Rock. This means Poliwrath can get in rather safely against Dugtrio if it needs to. Due to its Psychic weakness, Poliwrath typically requires the support of multiple Psychic-type Pokemon, making both Hypno and Kadabra standard partners. Pokemon like Tangela, Dragonite, Dugtrio, and Golem are also good for patching up weak spots that Poliwrath might bring to a team. Agility sweepers like Articuno, Dodrio, and Dragonite appreciate Hypnosis incapacitating a key Pokemon or providing them with an opportunity to set up.
[SET]
name: Amnesia
move 1: Amnesia
move 2: Surf
move 3: Blizzard / Hypnosis / Earthquake
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
After Hypnosis, Amnesia is the next most interesting option available to Poliwrath. Successfully setting up with Amnesia is fairly difficult in RBY UU, primarily due to the abundant use of Wrap. While Poliwrath doesn’t suffer a ton of damage from Wrap, it is not uncommon for a Pokemon such as Tentacruel to switch in as Poliwrath first uses Amnesia, use Wrap to chip it, and pivot out to something that can pick Poliwrath off. This issue is worsened by the fact that Amnesia does nothing for Poliwrath’s weakness to Drill Peck, meaning Dodrio can always knock out Poliwrath once its health drops below 50%. Additionally, Poliwrath competes with the already uncommon Golduck in this role, which has superior typing and Speed for an easier time when setting up. However, Amnesia still demands a lot of respect to deal with, meaning that it can drive very predictable switches that can be exploited. For example, if the opponent relies on Tentacruel to pressure Amnesia Poliwrath, mixing in Hypnosis or Earthquake can harshly punish the switch-in.
If the opponent lacks strong options to finish off a weakened Poliwrath, like Kadabra or Dodrio, Amnesia becomes a lot more practical. Even if Wrap is still on the table, Poliwrath’s above-average physical bulk enables it to stomach a few hits as it waits for misses, during which it can boost, attack, or heal with Rest. If Wrap isn’t present, Poliwrath really only fears critical and being frozen, meaning it can set up in front of a surprisingly large number of Pokemon, most notably Articuno and bulky Water-type Pokemon. Surf is generally the special move of choice due to STAB and its high PP. At +4 Special, Surf will 2HKO every neutral target in the tier. At +6, Surf can 3HKO even the mighty Vaporeon, meaning nothing can Rest stall Poliwrath. Blizzard is often used alongside Surf for perfect coverage against everything but Water-type Pokemon. It also allows Poliwrath to threaten Dragonite, Venusaur, and Tangela without boosting. Earthquake and Hypnosis can alternatively be used to punish common switch-ins to Amnesia Poliwrath, most notably Tentacruel. Hypnosis can also potentially net Poliwrath a free turn to set up, which can be crucial for extra damage or bulk.
Amnesia Poliwrath requires a lot of support to function properly, as a number of things can go wrong. Dodrio and Venusaur are entirely unfazed by Poliwrath’s boosting and can reliably KO it once it drops below 50%, so Pokemon that can handle them are quite helpful; these include Rock-, Ice-, and Flying-type Pokemon. Pokemon like Dugtrio, Kadabra, and Kangaskhan can pressure common Poliwrath switch-ins like Tentacruel, Electabuzz, Hypno, and Kadabra, which can often come in for free when the opponent expects Poliwrath to use Amnesia. This makes Pokemon like Dugtrio, Kanagaskhan, and Kadabra notable partners. If Poliwrath is not running Hypnosis, sleepers like Haunter, Venusaur, and Tangela are good choices, as they help it find free turns to set up or quickly dispatch a key threat. Paralysis spreaders make it hard for physical attackers like Persian and Kangaskhan to punish Poliwrath while it is asleep from Rest.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Poliwrath has a genuinely massive movepool consisting of many interesting niche options. Psychic is somewhat useful on either set, as only Hypno and Kadabra resist it. It also happens to be Poliwrath’s strongest option against opposing Poliwrath and the rare Venomoth. However, Poliwrath’s relatively low Special stat makes the move underwhelming, even if it hits the target for super effective damage; Tentacruel is only 4HKOed. Surf can be used on the bulky sleeper set but suffers from the same problems as Psychic. The move fails to OHKO Dugtrio and is outclassed by Earthquake when hitting neutral targets like Hypno and Kadabra. It is mainly useful for hitting Persian and Kangaskhan, but Hydro Pump and Submission are typically stronger though less reliable options. Hyper Beam is a strong option for finishing off neutral targets, especially those with a low Defense stat. It is Poliwrath’s strongest move against Hypno, Kadabra, Articuno, Gyarados, and Vaporeon. Seismic Toss gives Poliwrath a consistent option for damage against every Pokemon, scoring a 4HKO or better against every major threat, aside from Vaporeon and Kangaskhan. It is seldom the strongest option for any Pokemon, but it reliably hits anything that could switch in. Because Blizzard fails to OHKO Dragonite and Hypnosis is inconsistent, Toxic is occasionally used to prevent Dragonite from setting up AgiliWrap. It also helps pressure other partial-trappers, most notably Pinsir. Counter is an interesting option for Persian, Kangaskhan, Vaporeon, and Omastar,which are quite likely to use a Normal-type move when facing Poliwrath, but it's difficult to fit into conventional sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Hypno and Kadabra**: Hypno and Kadabra can easily 2HKO Poliwrath with Psychic. Aside from Hypnosis and Amnesia-boosted attacks, Poliwrath can only 4HKO or attempt to freeze Hypno. While Kadabra is much easier to KO, it outspeeds Poliwrath, which makes Poliwrath largely unable to threaten it. Kadabra’s high critical hit rate is also frightening for Poliwrath, as a critical hit Psychic will always OHKO, even after Amnesia boosts.
**Gyarados**: Unboosted Poliwrath lacks any tools to meaningfully threaten Gyarados outside of Hypnosis. Gyarados, meanwhile, outspeeds Poliwrath and will 2HKO it with Thunderbolt about one third of the time. Gyarados can even come in for free if it can correctly predict Earthquake. Additionally, Gyarados's impressive Attack allows it to pressure Poliwrath even after Amnesia.
**Venusaur**: Venusaur outspeeds Poliwrath and can deal massive damage with Razor Leaf. Thanks to the move’s near-guaranteed critical hit, it will virtually always 2HKO Poliwrath even if it has used Amnesia. Additionally, Venusaur has a faster and more accurate sleep move than Poliwrath, giving it ample ability to pressure Poliwrath even at full health. Poliwrath can threaten Venusaur with a 3HKO from Blizzard, however.
**Thunderbolt Users**: Poliwrath’s mediocre Special and Water typing leave it highly susceptible to Thunderbolt users. Electabuzz, Raichu, and Electrode are guaranteed to 2HKO Poliwrath and have high critical hit rates. Weaker and less common Thunderbolt users like Gyarados, Dragonite, Persian, Clefable, and Raticate also can deal pretty hefty damage to Poliwrath.
**Dodrio**: Dodrio’s powerful Drill Peck is extremely likely to 2HKO Poliwrath. While Dodrio does fear Blizzard, it can potentially come in on Earthquake or Body Slam and still take out Poliwrath before Blizzard can KO it. Additionally, Dodrio can punish Rest very harshly, potentially setting up with Agility on top of getting the KO.
**Partial-trapping Moves**: Because Poliwrath has many exploitable weaknesses and is relatively slow, it is not overly difficult to whittle down with Wrap or Bind and pivot to a strong attacker that can finish it off. While Poliwrath has the potential to 2HKO all notable partial-trappers, Tentacruel, Dragonite, and Pinsir are still frequently used to handle Poliwrath. Additionally, if Dragonite hasn't sustained any damage, it is guaranteed to survive Blizzard, meaning it can set up with Agility unless Poliwrath happens to carry Toxic or land Hypnosis.
**Bulky Water-type Pokemon**: Bulky Water-type Pokemon, most notably Vaporeon, take little damage from all of Poliwrath’s moves. Dewgong functions similarly, but is quite weak to Submission. Bulky Water-type Pokemon can’t do too much in return outside of paralysis from Body Slam, however. Interestingly, Poliwrath is actually a solid check to itself once Sleep Clause is in effect, as no move aside from Psychic can 3HKO it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877], [Sevi 7, 505149]]
- Quality checked by: [[pacattacc, 520967], [Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
[OVERVIEW]
Poliwrath has very steep competition as one of many significant Water-type Pokemon in RBY UU. It does not have the speed of Tentacruel, the bulk of Vaporeon, the typing of Omastar, or the powerful STAB Ice-type moves of Dewgong. What Poliwrath does have, though, is one of the most diverse and interesting movepools of any Pokemon in the tier. For starters, it's the only legal fully evolved Water-type Pokemon with a sleep-inducing move, that being Hypnosis. While Hypnosis has underwhelming accuracy, it is a unique tool that threatens slower foes such as Hypno and deters quicker foes such as Tentacruel from switching in. Offensively, Poliwrath has options such as Body Slam, Earthquake, Submission, and Psychic on top of the staples Surf and Blizzard. While it can’t run all of these moves, Poliwrath can be tricky to play around and require scouting. To make it even more dynamic, Poliwrath also has Amnesia as a niche option that improves its offensive prowess and longevity. On top of all these options, Poliwrath can still serve as a traditional bulky Water-type Pokemon, being a soft check to Articuno and physical attackers like Dugtrio.
Despite its impressive advantages, Poliwrath is just short of truly being a staple in RBY UU. The most obvious weakness is its typing; while having a powered-up Submission and resisting Rock Slide are good traits, being weak to Psychic and Flying far outweighs the positives. Hypno and Kadabra are incredibly common and enormously threatening, giving Poliwrath a major disadvantage not faced by other slow Water-type Pokemon. While Dodrio is less common, it too can easily knock out Poliwrath. Aside from this, Poliwrath has truly mediocre stats, lacking even one base stat with three digits. Physically, Poliwrath shines a little bit, as it has marginally more bulk than Vaporeon and Dewgong and hits as hard as Articuno. However, it is still outdone defensively by Omastar and offensively by most dedicated physical attackers. Specially, Poliwrath is very exploitable, being less bulky than even Dewgong by a fairly large margin. Its offensive options are similarly underwhelming; notably, Poliwrath’s Blizzard will always fail to OHKO Dragonite without a critical hit, meaning it can't reliably prevent AgiliWrap like other Water-type Pokemon. Poliwrath is a niche option with several unfortunate shortcomings, fitting best on teams that need a bulky Water-type Pokemon and a sleeper in one Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Bulky Sleeper
move 1: Hypnosis
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Body Slam / Submission / Hydro Pump / Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hypnosis is Poliwrath’s biggest selling point over conventional Water-type Pokemon. The move can be used in a number of ways to get an advantage, especially early-game. If Poliwrath can get in against the slower Hypno, it's usually free to induce sleep. This can be accomplished by switching in as Hypno wakes up from Rest, or by using a Pokemon like Kadabra or Electabuzz to bait it in. Poliwrath also happens to be faster than Vaporeon and Omastar while Speed tying with Dewgong, meaning it can easily threaten them with Hypnosis as well. Unlike Hypno, these Pokemon struggle to punish Poliwrath if it misses. While it is typically used early-game, Hypnosis is a decent tool throughout the entire match, as it gives Poliwrath an option to stymie dangerous sweepers like Dugtrio, Aerodactyl, and Articuno. Blizzard hits many key targets in the metagame for respectable damage. Blizzard 2HKOes Dugtrio, Dragonite, and Aerodactyl and 3HKOes Tangela and Venusaur. The damage on Dragonite is especially important, as Poliwrath has limited tools to stop AgiliWrap, especially if it has already hit something with Hypnosis. Poliwrath will typically make use of a physical move, as its decent Attack allows it to deal solid damage to Water-type Pokemon, especially Tentacruel and Omastar. Earthquake is a common choice because it can 2HKO Tentacruel over half the time. Tentacruel is fairly hesitant to engage with Poliwrath, as Earthquake can deal immense damage on the switch or if Wrap misses. Earthquake is also notable for 2HKOing Haunter, Electabuzz, and Raichu and almost certainly 3HKOing Omastar.
Poliwrath’s final moveslot is usually dedicated to additional coverage or Rest. Body Slam is much weaker than Earthquake, but the chance for paralysis is very helpful for stymieing partial-trappers like Dragonite and offensive checks like Gyarados, Kadabra, and Electric-type Pokemon. Submission is another strong option that applies a lot of pressure to Normal-type Pokemon while also giving Poliwrath more options for Rock- and Ice-type Pokemon. Submission always 2HKOes Persian and can 2HKO Kangaskhan, Clefable, and Dewgong. Despite these advantages, Submission is not an overly common choice due to its low accuracy and dreadful recoil, which limit a Pokemon that is already not very bulky. Hydro Pump is Poliwrath’s strongest move against neutral targets like Hypno. The move is guaranteed to OHKO Dugtrio and Golem. Additionally, Hydro Pump 4HKOes Hypno and is Poliwrath's best option for hitting Kangaskhan and Persian after Submission. Lastly, Rest helps extend Poliwrath’s usefulness throughout the game. The move is most useful when Poliwrath is expected to take a more defensive role, such as checking Dugtrio or Articuno. However, Poliwrath’s numerous weaknesses leave it very vulnerable while it is asleep.
Poliwrath is best suited for teams that appreciate the offensive advantages of sleep and the defensive advantages of a bulky Water-type Pokemon. Because of its somewhat quick Hypnosis, Pokemon that can bait in Hypno, Tangela, and bulky Water-type Pokemon tend to be good partners. These include Kadabra, Electabuzz, Raichu, and Kangaskhan. Wrappers like Tentacruel and Dragonite are also helpful for pivoting so Poliwrath can get in more safely. Poliwrath's ability to soft check Articuno and physical attackers like Dugtrio and Kangaskhan means it works quite well with Flying-, Ground-, and Electric-type Pokemon. Flying-type Pokemon are additionally good partners thanks to Poliwrath's resistance to Rock. This means Poliwrath can get in rather safely against Dugtrio if it needs to. Due to its Psychic weakness, Poliwrath typically requires the support of multiple Psychic-type Pokemon, making both Hypno and Kadabra standard partners. Pokemon like Tangela, Dragonite, Dugtrio, and Golem are also good for patching up weak spots that Poliwrath might bring to a team. Agility sweepers like Articuno, Dodrio, and Dragonite appreciate Hypnosis incapacitating a key Pokemon or providing them with an opportunity to set up.
[SET]
name: Amnesia
move 1: Amnesia
move 2: Surf
move 3: Blizzard / Hypnosis / Earthquake
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
After Hypnosis, Amnesia is the next most interesting option available to Poliwrath. Successfully setting up with Amnesia is fairly difficult in RBY UU, primarily due to the abundant use of Wrap. While Poliwrath doesn’t suffer a ton of damage from Wrap, it is not uncommon for a Pokemon such as Tentacruel to switch in as Poliwrath first uses Amnesia, use Wrap to chip it, and pivot out to something that can pick Poliwrath off. This issue is worsened by the fact that Amnesia does nothing for Poliwrath’s weakness to Drill Peck, meaning Dodrio can always knock out Poliwrath once its health drops below 50%. Additionally, Poliwrath competes with the already uncommon Golduck in this role, which has superior typing and Speed for an easier time when setting up. However, Amnesia still demands a lot of respect to deal with, meaning that it can drive very predictable switches that can be exploited. For example, if the opponent relies on Tentacruel to pressure Amnesia Poliwrath, mixing in Hypnosis or Earthquake can harshly punish the switch-in.
If the opponent lacks strong options to finish off a weakened Poliwrath, like Kadabra or Dodrio, Amnesia becomes a lot more practical. Even if Wrap is still on the table, Poliwrath’s above-average physical bulk enables it to stomach a few hits as it waits for misses, during which it can boost, attack, or heal with Rest. If Wrap isn’t present, Poliwrath really only fears critical and being frozen, meaning it can set up in front of a surprisingly large number of Pokemon, most notably Articuno and bulky Water-type Pokemon. Surf is generally the special move of choice due to STAB and its high PP. At +4 Special, Surf will 2HKO every neutral target in the tier. At +6, Surf can 3HKO even the mighty Vaporeon, meaning nothing can Rest stall Poliwrath. Blizzard is often used alongside Surf for perfect coverage against everything but Water-type Pokemon. It also allows Poliwrath to threaten Dragonite, Venusaur, and Tangela without boosting. Earthquake and Hypnosis can alternatively be used to punish common switch-ins to Amnesia Poliwrath, most notably Tentacruel. Hypnosis can also potentially net Poliwrath a free turn to set up, which can be crucial for extra damage or bulk.
Amnesia Poliwrath requires a lot of support to function properly, as a number of things can go wrong. Dodrio and Venusaur are entirely unfazed by Poliwrath’s boosting and can reliably KO it once it drops below 50%, so Pokemon that can handle them are quite helpful; these include Rock-, Ice-, and Flying-type Pokemon. Pokemon like Dugtrio, Kadabra, and Kangaskhan can pressure common Poliwrath switch-ins like Tentacruel, Electabuzz, Hypno, and Kadabra, which can often come in for free when the opponent expects Poliwrath to use Amnesia. This makes Pokemon like Dugtrio, Kanagaskhan, and Kadabra notable partners. If Poliwrath is not running Hypnosis, sleepers like Haunter, Venusaur, and Tangela are good choices, as they help it find free turns to set up or quickly dispatch a key threat. Paralysis spreaders make it hard for physical attackers like Persian and Kangaskhan to punish Poliwrath while it is asleep from Rest.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Poliwrath has a genuinely massive movepool consisting of many interesting niche options. Psychic is somewhat useful on either set, as only Hypno and Kadabra resist it. It also happens to be Poliwrath’s strongest option against opposing Poliwrath and the rare Venomoth. However, Poliwrath’s relatively low Special stat makes the move underwhelming, even if it hits the target for super effective damage; Tentacruel is only 4HKOed. Surf can be used on the bulky sleeper set but suffers from the same problems as Psychic. The move fails to OHKO Dugtrio and is outclassed by Earthquake when hitting neutral targets like Hypno and Kadabra. It is mainly useful for hitting Persian and Kangaskhan, but Hydro Pump and Submission are typically stronger though less reliable options. Hyper Beam is a strong option for finishing off neutral targets, especially those with a low Defense stat. It is Poliwrath’s strongest move against Hypno, Kadabra, Articuno, Gyarados, and Vaporeon. Seismic Toss gives Poliwrath a consistent option for damage against every Pokemon, scoring a 4HKO or better against every major threat, aside from Vaporeon and Kangaskhan. It is seldom the strongest option for any Pokemon, but it reliably hits anything that could switch in. Because Blizzard fails to OHKO Dragonite and Hypnosis is inconsistent, Toxic is occasionally used to prevent Dragonite from setting up AgiliWrap. It also helps pressure other partial-trappers, most notably Pinsir. Counter is an interesting option for Persian, Kangaskhan, Vaporeon, and Omastar,which are quite likely to use a Normal-type move when facing Poliwrath, but it's difficult to fit into conventional sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Hypno and Kadabra**: Hypno and Kadabra can easily 2HKO Poliwrath with Psychic. Aside from Hypnosis and Amnesia-boosted attacks, Poliwrath can only 4HKO or attempt to freeze Hypno. While Kadabra is much easier to KO, it outspeeds Poliwrath, which makes Poliwrath largely unable to threaten it. Kadabra’s high critical hit rate is also frightening for Poliwrath, as a critical hit Psychic will always OHKO, even after Amnesia boosts.
**Gyarados**: Unboosted Poliwrath lacks any tools to meaningfully threaten Gyarados outside of Hypnosis. Gyarados, meanwhile, outspeeds Poliwrath and will 2HKO it with Thunderbolt about one third of the time. Gyarados can even come in for free if it can correctly predict Earthquake. Additionally, Gyarados's impressive Attack allows it to pressure Poliwrath even after Amnesia.
**Venusaur**: Venusaur outspeeds Poliwrath and can deal massive damage with Razor Leaf. Thanks to the move’s near-guaranteed critical hit, it will virtually always 2HKO Poliwrath even if it has used Amnesia. Additionally, Venusaur has a faster and more accurate sleep move than Poliwrath, giving it ample ability to pressure Poliwrath even at full health. Poliwrath can threaten Venusaur with a 3HKO from Blizzard, however.
**Thunderbolt Users**: Poliwrath’s mediocre Special and Water typing leave it highly susceptible to Thunderbolt users. Electabuzz, Raichu, and Electrode are guaranteed to 2HKO Poliwrath and have high critical hit rates. Weaker and less common Thunderbolt users like Gyarados, Dragonite, Persian, Clefable, and Raticate also can deal pretty hefty damage to Poliwrath.
**Dodrio**: Dodrio’s powerful Drill Peck is extremely likely to 2HKO Poliwrath. While Dodrio does fear Blizzard, it can potentially come in on Earthquake or Body Slam and still take out Poliwrath before Blizzard can KO it. Additionally, Dodrio can punish Rest very harshly, potentially setting up with Agility on top of getting the KO.
**Partial-trapping Moves**: Because Poliwrath has many exploitable weaknesses and is relatively slow, it is not overly difficult to whittle down with Wrap or Bind and pivot to a strong attacker that can finish it off. While Poliwrath has the potential to 2HKO all notable partial-trappers, Tentacruel, Dragonite, and Pinsir are still frequently used to handle Poliwrath. Additionally, if Dragonite hasn't sustained any damage, it is guaranteed to survive Blizzard, meaning it can set up with Agility unless Poliwrath happens to carry Toxic or land Hypnosis.
**Bulky Water-type Pokemon**: Bulky Water-type Pokemon, most notably Vaporeon, take little damage from all of Poliwrath’s moves. Dewgong functions similarly, but is quite weak to Submission. Bulky Water-type Pokemon can’t do too much in return outside of paralysis from Body Slam, however. Interestingly, Poliwrath is actually a solid check to itself once Sleep Clause is in effect, as no move aside from Psychic can 3HKO it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Volk, 530877], [Sevi 7, 505149]]
- Quality checked by: [[pacattacc, 520967], [Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Last edited:
