Pokemon Go: Best Poliwrath Moveset & Is It Good

Poliwrath is one of the many Pokemon you can acquire while playing Pokemon Go. Although it might not be your first pick to use on a team, it’s a solid, situational Pokemon. The best way to get the most out of this Pokemon is by giving it a suitable moveset, and there is a best moveset you can make for Poliwrath.

What really makes it shine is the July 2023 Community Day event featuring Poliwag. Poliwrath unlocks the fast move Counter. With this powerful fast move under its belt, it becomes a much more flexible option for PvP encounters in the game. Here’s what you need to know about the best moveset for Poliwrath and if it’s good in Pokemon Go.

• The Best Moveset for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go
  • The Best Fast Move for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go
  • The Best Charged Attacks for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go
  • Is Poliwrath Good in Pokemon Go?

The Best Moveset for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go

Poliwrath is a Water and Fighting-type Pokemon in Pokemon Go. It is weak against Electric, Fairy, Flying, Grass, and Psychic-type moves but resistant against Bug, Dark, Fire, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Water-type attacks. It has a relatively equal amount of weaknesses and resistances, making it a flexible pick on your team.

What makes Poliwrath really shine is the ability to learn Counter for its fast move for the July 2023 Community Day. It’s a powerful attack that can turn it high-powered attacker, and it has a variety of Charged Moves that it can use to fight against a variety of opponents. More often than not it will prefer to use Ice Punch as its primary Charged Move, but you have several options to pick from, based on your team or the PvP competition you’re entered with it in Pokemon Go. Some players might want to grab the Slippery Swirls Special Research ticket if they participate in the Community Day event.

Although Poliwrath might be overlooked by Pokemon Go players who prefer to use Medicham in the Great League, it will likely have much use in any of the Themed Cups. Alternatively, you might have the chance to use it in the Ultra League.

These are all of the Fast Moves and Charged Moves you can use on Poliwarth, and the best choices you can pick in Pokemon Go.

The Best Fast Move for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go

• Bubble (Water-type) – 7 damage and 3.6 energy per turn (2.3 damage per turn) – 3 turns
• Counter (Fighting-type) – 8 damage and 3.5 energy per turn (4 damage per turn) – 2 turns
• Mud Shot (Ground-type) – 3 damage and 4.5 energy per turn (1.5 damage per turn) – 2 turns
• Rock Smash (Fighting-type) – 9 damage and 2.3 energy per turn (3 damage per turn) – 3 turns

When it comes to picking out a Fast Move, the best option for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go is going to be Counter. It’s a powerful Fighting-type that gives a good amount of energy. However, there might be instances or even specific PvP Cups in the Pokemon Go League that make a Mud Shot Poliwrath the superior option, but this will vary. A Poliwrath with Counter is the best option, which I highly recommend using.

Mud Shot might be the option if you’re trying to fight up against several Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, and Steel-type Pokemon. Because of how easy it is to encounter Poliwag, having a Poliwrath with Mud Shot shouldn’t be too difficult.

The Best Charged Attacks for Poliwrath in Pokemon Go

• Dynamic Punch (Fighting-type) – 90 damage and 50 energy
• Hydro Pump (Water-type) – 130 damage and 75 energy
• Ice Punch (Ice-type) – 55 damage and 40 energy
• Power-up Punch (Fighting-type) – 20 damage and 35 energy (100% chance to increase user’s attack stat by 1 rank)
• Scald (Water-type) – 80 damage and 50 energy (30% chance to lower the opponent’s attack stat by 1 rank)
• Submission (Fighting-type) – 60 damage and 50 energy

Next, we have Poliwrath’s Charged Attack. This is the big, heavy-hitter move it will unleash in Pokemon Go. Of the options, Ice Punch is a must-have option for Poliwrath. Ice Punch is an excellent choice to counter any incoming Grass or Flying-type Pokemon that could appear in the Great, Ultra, or any Pokemon Go Leagued Themed Cups, making it a solid first option for Poliwrath’s Charged Attacks.

For the second move, selecting the perfect choice’s a bit more difficult. For myself, I would recommend going with Dynamic Punch because of how much power it can use, but Scald is a good option, alongside Power-Up Punch, making itself stronger each time it uses this attack. It isn’t easy to narrow down the best one, and it might be up to you to figure out what to pick, especially for your team.

The best moveset to teach Poliwrath in Pokemon Go is the Fast Move Counter and the Charged Moves Ice Punch and Dynamic. You can be flexible on your final Poliwrath moveset, but this seems to be one of the superior choices.

Is Poliwrath Good in Pokemon Go?

When it comes to it, yes, Poliwrath is a good choice for the Great League, the Ultra League, and some of the more specific Themed Cups that appear in Pokemon Go. There are better choices than it, such as using Medicham in the Great League, but I feel that Poliwrath is a suitable Pokemon to add to your Ultra League team and to prepare for any specialized cups that could appear.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.

More Stories by Zack Palm

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qK3Mnqeuql6YvK57xq6gnZ2jZL2wt8Smpqdll6R6o7HSrWSpp5yexLOt06FkpqemmsCmwIyiqmahpGK0sLvD