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Thanks to its solid defensive stats and typing, Poliwrath is a sturdy phazer able to comfortably switch into offensive Pokemon like Rhydon, Klinklang, and Silvally-Dark. Circle Throw prevents Pokemon like non-Thunderbolt Silvally-Poison and Gurdurr from using it as setup fodder. Leftovers gives Poliwrath better overall longevity, especially since RestTalk is not a reliable form of recovery. Rocky Helmet discourages Silvally formes from pivoting with U-turn and racks up chip damage against offensive Qwilfish. Water Absorb lets it safely switch into Pokemon reliant on Water-type moves like Kabutops. The Speed EVs enable it to outspeed Jolly Rhydon. This defensive set fits well on bulkier teams. Although Poliwrath has great bulk, Pokemon that sport type advantage can easily overpower it, such as Thwackey, Rotom formes, and Uxie. Pokemon that can cover its weaknesses, such as Altaria, Stunfisk, and Silvally-Dark, can help by switching into them. Special walls like Miltank, Clefairy, and Articuno can switch into special wallbreakers like Jynx and Rotom that Poliwrath is also vulnerable to, as well as providing additional utility—the former two can provide Stealth Rock and cleric support, which works well with Circle Throw, while the latter can clear entry hazards and pivot. In return, Poliwrath can switch into and wall physical wallbreakers like Rhydon, Rapidash, and Alolan Dugtrio.

Choice Specs Poliwrath is a great wallbreaker with solid power. The STAB combination of Hydro Pump and Focus Blast offers great neutral coverage against most of the tier, exploiting teams that rely on traditional Water- and Fighting-type checks, such as Tangela and Alcremie. Ice Beam targets Grass- and Dragon-types that would otherwise switch in safely, like Altaria, Gourgeist-S, and Appletun. Vacuum Wave bypasses Poliwrath’s mediocre Speed tier and picks off weakened attackers like Thievul and Shiftry. For when Hydro Pump's power isn't needed, Scald can be used as an accurate Water-type STAB move that can also fish for burns. Toxic allows Poliwrath to wear down special walls such as Articuno and Cramorant. Water Absorb gives Poliwrath switch-in opportunities against Pokemon reliant on Water-type moves, like Qwilfish and Kabutops. Poliwrath works well on balance and offensive teams, using its typing and power to force out defensive staples like Stunfisk, Tangela, and Miltank. However, it dislikes taking status from these Pokemon, even if it has the coverage to hit them super effectively. Besides absorbing status for it, Pokemon like Clefairy and Altaria can also provide cleric support to allow statused Poliwrath to continue wallbreaking. Poliwrath's mediocre Speed gives it trouble entering the field and attacking safely; pivoting into Pokemon like Kabutops and defensive Qwilfish can help, but VoltTurn users such as Rotom, Silvally formes, Uxie, and Clefairy can provide additional support. Physical attackers like Kangaskhan, Thwackey, and Silvally-Dark benefit from Poliwrath targeting physical walls, which not only helps them wallbreak or clean mid- or late-game, but also invites special walls in for them to take advantage of.

Moves While Vacuum Wave is much weaker than Focus Blast and leaves Poliwrath walled by bulky Pokemon such as Silvally-Water and specially defensive Komala, it is a more reliable STAB move that allows Poliwrath to pick off weakened threats such as Custap Berry Golem, Silvally, and Pawniard. Toxic can also be run over Focus Blast so Poliwrath can cripple switch-ins such as Swanna and Shiinotic. Ice Beam allows Poliwrath to hit Grass-types such as Gourgeist-XL and Shiinotic while also hitting Flying-types that may try to switch in such as Rotom-S and Altaria. Protect provides a more effective way to accumulate passive recovery and can be used to scout Choice Scarf users such as Electivire. Set Details 144 Speed EVs allow Poliwrath to outspeed Adamant Golem and Adamant Torterra. A Modest nature and maximum EVs into Special Attack maximize Poliwrath's power, while the remaining EVs go into HP to make Poliwrath bulkier. Water Absorb is used so that Poliwrath can check Water-type Pokemon such as Simipour and Floatzel. Fightinium Z allows Poliwrath to bypass the inaccuracy of Focus Blast and to break through Pokemon such as Silvally-Dragon, Simipour, and Toucannon. It also makes Poliwrath a much more reliable offensive check to bulky Normal-types such as Lickilicky, Komala, Bouffalant, and Vigoroth. Usage Tips Poliwrath mainly functions as a tank, which means it should prioritize switching into Pokemon it can reliably check such as Combusken, Simipour, Pinsir, and Floatzel. Once Poliwrath is on the field, it should look to attack foes and predict switch-ins accordingly. For example, Poliwrath can switch into Pinsir and freely use Scald; however, if the opponent has a Scald switch-in such as Silvally-Water or Altaria, Poliwrath should use Focus Blast or Ice Beam or double switch out to a teammate. It should also be noted that common Pokemon such as Mareanie, Swanna, and Bronzor counter Poliwrath, so Poliwrath should anticipate those switch-ins and double switch out to a teammate. Because Poliwrath only has access to passive recovery through Leftovers, it should refrain from taking chip damage as much as possible. Furthermore, if holding Leftovers, Poliwrath should avoid switching into moves like Knock Off and Switcheroo from Pokemon it can check such as Simipour, Kecleon, and Choice Specs Floatzel. Although Fightinium Z allows Poliwrath to more easily switch into these Pokemon, without Leftovers, Poliwrath is much easier to wear down and should play more aggressively as a result. In addition, Poliwrath should avoid being crippled by Toxic users such as Silvally-Fighting and Altaria, and it should be careful about using Protect against Pokemon that may try to set up such as Nasty Plot Raichu and Z-Mirror Move Swanna. Team Options In order to more easily secure KOs, Poliwrath appreciates Pokemon that can set entry hazards such as Golem, Mawile, and Crustle. Conversely, Pokemon that can remove entry hazards such as Swanna, Komala, Silvally-Dragon, and Silvally-Poison are key to keep Poliwrath healthy. In particular, Swanna, Komala, and Silvally-Poison are all unaffected by Toxic Spikes and can comfortably switch into Mareanie, which counters Poliwrath. Fire-types such as Combusken, Rapidash, and Simisear all appreciate Poliwrath's ability to check Water- and Ground- types such as Floatzel, Simipour, Golem, and Sandslash. In return, these previously mentioned Fire-types can check Grass-types such as Leafeon and Shiinotic. Poliwrath pairs well with Pokemon that can absorb or remove status effects such as Altaria, Granbull, Lickilicky, and Komala. Wallbreakers that appreciate Poliwrath's decent mixed bulk such as Torterra, Raichu, and Bouffalant all pair well with Poliwrath. Bouffalant pairs particularly well with Poliwrath thanks to its access to a Grass-type immunity in Sap Sipper.

Moves Circle Throw phazes potential setup sweepers and switch-ins that may try and to take advantage of Poliwrath's passivity such as Muk and Simipour. Toxic allows Poliwrath to cripple Pokemon and pressure potential switch-ins such as Shiinotic, Gourgeist-XL, and Silvally-Water. Protect provides Poliwrath with the ability to Toxic stall opposing Pokemon while also getting free recovery from Leftovers. Set Details 56 Speed EVs allow Poliwrath to outspeed Golem, and the rest of the EVs maximize its bulk. A Bold nature is used over a Relaxed or Impish one because having a Relaxed nature prevents Poliwrath from outspeeding Golem and Poliwrath prefers the damage output of Scald against Pokemon such as defensive Golem, Marowak, and Combusken. Usage Tips This set acts as a physical wall, and as such, Poliwrath should prioritize switching into physical attackers such as Floatzel, Golem, and Silvally-Fighting. However, Poliwrath should be wary of being worn down due to its lack of reliable recovery. This is vital because Poliwrath typically checks select threats for its team and should remain as healthy as possible to repeatedly check those threats. While Circle Throw can mainly stop setup sweepers like Z-Me First Pinsir and prevent Poliwrath's switch-ins from coming onto the field, it is also useful to wear down foes when entry hazards are up. Poliwrath should use Protect to rack up recovery from Leftovers as well as additional residual damage against Pokemon that are inflicted with Toxic. Additionally, if Poliwrath is up against a Pokemon that commonly runs a Choice item such as Electivire, Komala, or Beheeyem, it is often beneficial to scout using Protect. Because this set makes Poliwrath especially passive, it should be wary of foes such as Swanna, Leafeon, and Simisage that can use Poliwrath as setup fodder by forcing it out. Team Options Poliwrath appreciates the added pressure that entry hazards create, so Pokemon like Mawile, Bronzor, Golem, and Crustle tend to pair well with it. Mawile and Bronzor are worth mentioning due to their resistances to both Psychic- and Flying-type moves. Poliwrath pairs well with Pokemon that can remove entry hazards such as Silvally-Dragon, Komala, and Swanna. Status absorbers and clerics such as Lickilicky and Altaria help keep Poliwrath healthy by alleviating the pressure that status effects can put on it. Specially defensive tanks such as Muk, Kecleon, and Komala greatly appreciate Poliwrath's ability to check physical attackers such as Golem, Rapidash, and Floatzel. In return, they sponge special attacks for Poliwrath. Wallbreakers such as Bouffalant and Raichu all also appreciate how well Poliwrath can check physical attackers. Other Pokemon that can check Grass-, Electric-, and Flying-types such as Rapidash, Silvally-Dragon, and Rotom-S make for great partners as well.

Set Information Strong STAB options such as Superpower and Waterfall allow Poliwrath to not remain too passive in a match. Alternatively, Low Kick can be used over Superpower as a reliable option against Pokemon like Melmetal, Mega Gyarados, and Snorlax and avoids lowering Poliwrath's stats, although one must note it's not the strongest attack against certain Pokemon like Eevee-S. Scald similarly can be used over Waterfall with a Relaxed nature to deal as much damage as Earthquake on Melmetal, hit physically defensive Pokemon harder, and spread burns, which can be devastating to many of the Pokemon Poliwrath checks. Toxic is used to cripple common switch-ins to Poliwrath like Mew, Starmie, and Zapdos. Seismic Toss provides a more reliable method of damage output against Pokemon that resist Poliwrath's STAB moves like Clefable and Mega Venusaur, in addition to being a damaging move that's still reliable when Poliwrath gets burned. Alternatively, Earthquake is notable for hitting Alolan Muk and Mega Charizard X. An Impish nature is used to increase Poliwrath's bulk, giving it more opportunities to switch into the Pokemon it checks without lowering its damage output or Speed. However, when using Scald over Waterfall, Relaxed is preferred, which still gives a Defense boost while dropping Speed, one of Poliwrath's less important stats. Usage Tips Poliwrath's resistances to Steel, Rock, and Dark and good bulk can be utilized to easily switch it in on Pokemon like Melmetal and Mega Gyarados. Superpower is mainly used as a strong attacking option if there are no better options. It is recommended to switch out Poliwrath after Superpower has been used, since the stat drops make Poliwrath easier to take advantage of. Earthquake is generally to be used when a Pokemon like Alolan Muk or Gengar is switching in rather than as a regular attack. When against Melmetal, Poliwrath can use either Scald or Earthquake to soften it up before using Superpower. However, one must be wary of Thunder Punch. Team Options Alolan Muk can take advantage of the Psychic-types that generally counter Poliwrath thanks to its Dark typing, in addition to being a reliable check to Gengar. In return, Poliwrath can handle Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados and Melmetal. Eevee-S's Sparkly Swirl can be used to heal status off Poliwrath, as Poliwrath doesn't like being paralyzed or burned. It also means that Poliwrath can more freely utilize moves like Rest. Mega Aerodactyl or even regular Aerodactyl can take care of the Flying-types that Poliwrath struggles with while also setting up Stealth Rock to increase the potency of Poliwrath's damage output.

Moves Circle Throw is a STAB move that forces switches and racks up entry hazard damage. Scald is used for its high chance to inflict a burn rather than for its power. Rest, in conjunction with Sleep Talk, allows Poliwrath to recover all lost health and cures it from any status ailments, although Sleep Talk is a tad unreliable. Waterfall is an option over Scald for a stronger STAB move, but it isn't very powerful and the burn chance from Scald outweighs any additional benefits that Waterfall provides. The combination of Protect + Toxic is a good alternative over RestTalk, as it makes so that Poliwrath doesn't get worn down as quickly and suck up momentum for balanced teams, while exploiting Scrafty's reliance on High Jump Kick. In addition, Poliwrath is able to cripple opposing bulky Water-types and other such Pokemon with Toxic, thereby limiting the amount of Pokemon capable of switching in on it. Set Details The listed EVs maximize Poliwrath's physical bulk. A Relaxed nature is chosen because it adds to Poliwrath's bulk without lowering the damage output of Poliwrath's attacks, and the drop in Speed is not very important, as Poliwrath doesn't outspeed anything notable. Leftovers gives Poliwrath a form of consistent recovery, although Rocky Helmet is also an option because it adds chip damage. However, using any other item besides Leftovers means Poliwrath gets worn down even quicker than usual. Usage Tips Poliwrath is best used as a wall against physical attackers such as Sneasel. Poliwrath should try and stay at high health to avoid using Rest, as Sleep Talk can be unreliable. Try to avoid using Poliwrath against physical attackers that have super effective moves, as even though Poliwrath is bulky, it doesn't enjoy stomaching these hits. Spamming Circle Throw is what Poliwrath does best, so try to use it as often as possible. Use Protect on High Jump Kick users such as Scrafty and Hitmonlee when needed. Against Pokemon that can threaten it but are incapable of setting up, taking a turn to use Protect to garner Leftovers recovery, stall for status damage, and possibly scout for their next possible move is a good idea. Use Toxic when forcing a switch from the likes of Houndoom to cripple bulky Water-types. Additionally, if you can predict when the opponent is going to use a Water-type move, you can switch Poliwrath into it and regain health. Team Options Entry hazard support such as Stealth Rock from Registeel and Diancie, which can also switch into Flying-type attacks for Poliwrath, and Spikes from Roselia and Ferroseed can help Poliwrath rack up more damage with Circle Throw. Psychic-types such as Meloetta and Delphox appreciate the pressure Poliwrath puts on Pokemon that threaten them such as Sneasel and Houndoom, while they can threaten Grass-types such as Venusaur. Clerics such as Togetic, Aromatisse, and Diancie, the latter of which can also alleviate pressure from Houndoom and check Flying-types, allow Poliwrath to use Rest more freely, making it less reliant on Sleep Talk.

Moves Rest is Poliwrath's only form of reliable recovery and is a necessity to check physical attackers throughout the game. Sleep Talk allows Poliwrath to continue to do its job while it is asleep by either spreading burns or phazing the foe. Scald is highly spammable and can cripple many physical attackers for the rest of the match. Circle Throw allows Poliwrath to force out setup sweepers and switch-ins, possibly putting the opponent into an unfavorable matchup. Set Details Leftovers gives Poliwrath a form of passive recovery that allows it to stay in the match longer. Alternatively, Rocky Helmet gives Poliwrath a better way to check contact attackers by dealing damage upon contact. Poliwrath runs maximum HP and Defense EVs to maximize its physical bulk in order to check physical attackers better. Water Absorb restores Poliwrath's HP when it's hit by a Water-type move, allowing it to counter most bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Alomomola by switching into their Scald, which is usually their only damaging move. Usage Tips Poliwrath's good defensive typing allows it to work as a good defensive check to most physical attackers, phaze dangerous setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Curse Snorlax, and check some physical attackers that many other bulky Water-types can't, such as Entei, Krookodile, and Mega Sharpedo. However, Poliwrath should only be used on defensively-oriented teams due to the fact that it can easily kill momentum and doesn't deal much damage. Due to its defensive capabilities, it can force a lot of physical attackers out and can capitalize on this by either forcing out the switch-in with Circle Throw or trying to burn it with Scald. Team Options Ground- and Rock-types such as Gligar, Donphan, and Rhyperior like having Poliwrath as a partner, as it can easily force out the Water-, Ice-, and Fighting-types that threaten them. Psychic types such as Reuniclus and Cresselia appreciate Poliwrath's ability to check Steel-types, giving them chances to heal or set up. Rotom-H beats the Flying- and Grass-types that check Poliwrath, while Poliwrath checks the Water- and Rock-types that beat Rotom-H in return. Like Rotom-H, many defensive Pokemon, such as Florges, Bronzong, and Mega Aggron, can form nice stall cores with Poliwrath.

By running Rest and Sleep Talk, Poliwrath can overcome its lack of reliable recovery and act as a status absorber at the same time. This set utilizes Poliwrath's impressive bulk and many resistances to switch into battle and begin shuffling its opponent with Circle Throw. Poliwrath's defenses and typing make it effective at switching in repeatedly to phaze the opponent, Resting when it is low on health to continue shuffling. In the fourth slot, Waterfall allows Poliwrath to counter physical threats weak to Water, such as Arcanine and Rhyperior. Toxic, on the other hand, assists Poliwrath in crippling bulky threats like Slowbro and Milotic that would otherwise wall Poliwrath. It can also be used to cripple Ghost-type foes such as Dusclops and Mismagius. While this Poliwrath is physically bulky thanks to the EVs, it won't take many strong neutral or super effective special attacks. Therefore, Poliwrath appreciates teammates that can take Grass-, Electric-, and Psychic-typed special attacks, such as and Rotom-H. Since this Poliwrath is excellent at phazing opponents with Circle Throw, it is most effective on a team that lays hazards to fully take advantage of the forced switches. Bulk Up can also be run over Circle Throw or Waterfall to make a set similar to Suicune's Crocune set. When using Bulk Up, an alternate EV spread should be run, utilizing 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD with a Careful nature in order to maximize Poliwrath's defenses with Bulk Up. However, without Toxic, Poliwrath will not be able to defeat Slowbro or Milotic. Additionally, Ghost-types are immune to Circle Throw, so any Poliwrath running a Bulk Up RestTalk set will need to have those threats removed before it starts its boosting run.

Poliwrath is one of the few Pokemon with access to the combination of Substitute and Encore in addition to Focus Punch, which make it an excellent user of the latter. With this set, Poliwrath can easily come in on a Water-type attack, Encore it, and then set up a Substitute while its enemy switches out. By doing so, Poliwrath can turn a Pokemon that normally walls it into setup fodder. The EVs for the set allow it to outrun 0 Speed Suicune, and hence pretty much any bulky Water-type in UU, and lock it into Scald. While Encore is often the preferred option to ensure Poliwrath can get up a Substitute, Bulk Up may be used to increase Poliwrath's Defense while also increasing its Attack. Toxic can also be used over Encore to help deal with Pokemon that wall Poliwrath, such as Slowbro and Spiritomb. While Poliwrath hits harder using its STAB moves, Rock Slide can be run over Waterfall to provide superior coverage with Focus Punch. The same can be said of Ice Punch; however, both moves are extremely lacking in power; Poliwrath cannot even 2HKO 0 / 0 Celebi with Ice Punch. Roserade is an excellent teammate, able to absorb Electric- and Grass-type attacks, crush bulky Water-type foes with its powerful STAB Grass-type attacks, and soften enemies resistant to Focus Punch with its Toxic Spikes. Any hazards, in fact, work well with Poliwrath's ability to force switches using Encore. Rotom-H is also an excellent partner for Poliwrath, resisting all of its weaknesses except Psychic and having very good synergy with it in general.

This Poliwrath is designed to play a supportive role on a team. Waterfall and Brick Break allow Poliwrath to show a bit of offensive presence, utilizing its unique Water / Fighting typing to its advantage. Icy Wind slows the opposing team down, allowing slower Pokemon to gain an upper hand in the battle. Helping Hand allows Poliwrath to strengthen its ally's attacks, which is especially useful if its ally runs Surf. Protect may be used instead of Helping Hand, allowing Poliwrath to defend itself from attacks if needed. Poliwrath's EVs allow it to survive a Dragon Gem-boosted Draco Meteor from a Timid Latios. The remainder of the EVs are then placed into Attack to add more power to its moves. Holding a Sitrus Berry further improves upon Poliwrath's survivability, but a type-resist berry, such as a Wacan or Coba Berry, can act as acceptable substitutes. Due to having Water Absorb, a partner that runs Surf, such as Ludicolo or Politoed, can be effective, as Poliwrath can heal itself from the attack while it deals significant damage against its foes, especially after a Helping Hand boost. Other Pokemon with powerful spread moves, such as Abomasnow or Chandelure, can also work well, as Poliwrath can either power up their attacks with Helping Hand or slow down the opponents with Icy Wind, allowing its partner to outrun the opponents.

Poliwrath is neither particularly fast nor hard-hitting, but these problems can be alleviated after a bit of setup. By using Belly Drum, Poliwrath skyrockets to a whopping 600 Attack, and with Swift Swim it will outrun just about anything in the rain. Waterfall is Poliwrath's primary STAB move, dealing extra damage with the rain up. Brick Break acts as a secondary STAB move, providing decent coverage when used in tandem with Waterfall. Earthquake can be used instead of Brick Break, offering Poliwrath a way to hit multiple targets after powering up, it also allows Poliwrath to take down Amoonguss and Jellicent after a Belly Drum, in exchange for the ability to KO Ludicolo and Abomasnow. Lastly, Protect allows Poliwrath to stop and scout incoming attacks that will likely be directed at it. 84 Speed EVs provide Poliwrath with 101 Speed, allowing it to outrun positive natured base 130 Speed Pokemon in the rain. 168 HP EVs keep Poliwrath's HP as an even number, allowing its Sitrus Berry to activate immediately upon the usage of Belly Drum. The remainder of the EVs go into maximizing Poliwrath's Attack, while the leftover few EVs go into its remaining defenses. Belly Drum is a risky strategy, and might require a bit of team effort to pull off successfully. If you feel that it is too risky, Belly Drum can be replaced with Earthquake, and its Sitrus Berry swapped out for a Life Orb, Water Gem or Fighting Gem, transforming Poliwrath into a simple rain sweeper. Even at +6 Attack, Poliwrath will not OHKO everything in sight; Pokemon such as Latios and Metagross have a chance to survive, while Latias and Cresselia can survive Poliwrath's attack with some room to spare. However, the story changes if it is raining, as all of the mentioned Pokemon will be crushed under the might of a +6 Waterfall in the rain. Poliwrath will often require either rain or Tailwind support in order to do some real sweeping; without one of them, it simply isn't fast enough. Thundurus and Politoed are good Pokemon to accompany Poliwrath, as they can get the rain up fairly easily. Since Belly Drum cuts a bit into Poliwrath's chances of survival, it is likely that it will need some extra support to bring itself up to +6. Follow Me or Rage Powder users, such as Togekiss and Amoonguss, respectively, can make it a lot easier to execute Belly Drum successfully. Likewise, Pokemon with Fake Out, such as Hitmontop or Ludicolo, can stop threats to Poliwrath as it sets itself up.

Poliwrath can be a very dangerous bulky sweeper, setting up on many Pokemon while also being able to render many Pokemon helpless with Hypnosis. With a couple of Bulk Ups under its belt, Poliwrath becomes a formidable physical tank, being able to take hits and dish out hard ones as well. The choice between STAB and coverage is always a tough choice for Poliwrath. Ice Punch hits Pokemon such as Venusaur and Altaria hard, as they resist both of Poliwrath's STAB moves, but Brick Break hits any Pokemon who isn't weak to Ice Punch harder. Return is a solid choice as well, as it grants perfect coverage with Waterfall; however, Brick Break and Ice Punch hit many more targets for super effective damage. The last slot is best used as a utility move for Poliwrath, taking advantage of placing a counter to sleep, stopping a potential set-up, or blocking status and critical hits. Hypnosis lets Poliwrath immobilize one of its common switch-ins, such as Slowbro or Uxie, keeping it away from the battle for a decent amount of turns. You can then bring in a counter without taking damage in the process. With Encore, Pokemon like Curse Registeel, Quagsire, or Gastrodon are no longer threats, because Poliwrath can Encore them as they use Curse, forcing them to switch out as Poliwrath uses Bulk Up. Substitute blocks dangerous status, such as Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, and Bulk Up can help make physically unbreakable Substitutes. Poliwrath is unable to sweep with its counters in the way, similar to the SubPunch set. Slowbro and friends come back again, taking little damage from any attack and fighting back with their STAB Psychics. So as they return to the fray, so do Absol and Drapion, who are able to drill these Pokemon with strong Dark-type attacks or trap them with Pursuit. Blaziken and Magmortar also work well with Poliwrath because they can lure and take out Pokemon such as Slowbro with their strong super effective special attacks.

Outside of Water Absorb, Poliwrath has no way of restoring a reasonable amount of health by itself, but with the RestTalk set, Poliwrath now has a decently reliable way of gaining its health back. Sporting decent defensive stats, Poliwrath can be a viable user of the RestTalk combo, allowing it to become a tough tank and a great status absorber. Although, as with every RestTalk set, there will always be downsides. In this case, Poliwrath loses its rather decent Attack stat, becoming very weak on the attacking side and therefore turning into perfect set-up bait for Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Mismagius. The moveset is pretty standard for Poliwrath, since using both of its STAB attacks, Waterfall and Brick Break, provides near perfect coverage, only resisted by Altaria, Slowbro, Venusaur, and Toxicroak in UU (you can use Ice Punch as an alternative option for dealing neutral or super effective damage against some these Pokemon if they cause trouble). Body Slam is another interesting option that may paralyze the opposing Pokemon. As stated before, Poliwrath's poor Attack stat with the given EVs can be solved by equipping a Life Orb, enabling it to deal slightly more damage than usual. If you want to keep Poliwrath as a bulky tank, Leftovers is the superior option as it allows for more survivability. It would be a very good idea to eliminate the opponent's stat boosting Pokemon, since they can easily switch in on Poliwrath with little to no fear and proceed to set up something nasty. Common examples of these Pokemon are Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Nasty Plot Mismagius, and Swords Dance Drapion. Spiritomb and Weezing are decent answers to stat boosters, being able to switch in on them and threaten them with Will-O-Wisp. It should also be mentioned that physically defensive Pokemon, such as Weezing and Milotic, can easily rub off anything Poliwrath fires out at them, leaving Poliwrath vulnerable to a stall match. Venusaur can pose an immediate threat to Milotic, being able to OHKO it with Leaf Storm or put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. Venusaur and Poliwrath also make a great combo, as Venusaur can switch into Electric attacks fired at Poliwrath, while Poliwrath can sponge Fire- and Ice-type attacks thrown at Venusaur.

Poliwrath is one of the bulkiest Fighting-types available and also has the benefit of having a secondary STAB in Water to work with. Basically, the strategy of this set is to send Poliwrath into something that it can force out, such as Registeel or Regirock, and set up a Substitute. Your next move would depend on your opponent's switch-in. This set has many viable options to go in the last two slots. The choice between Waterfall and Ice Punch is indeed a tough selection; Waterfall grants decent coverage and STAB, while Ice Punch provides much better super effective type coverage against Pokemon like Altaria and Venusaur. However, both can be used if you are not a fan of Encore, Bulk Up, or Hypnosis. Encore is an excellent move for Poliwrath to use, as it gives it an opportunity to Encore a move like Iron Head from Registeel or Wish from Chansey, allowing Poliwrath to score a free Substitute. Bulk Up allows Poliwrath to set up on weaker physical attackers, such as Regirock and Steelix. It also helps Poliwrath make unbreakable Substitutes on the physical side and OHKO a good portion of the metagame with its powerful STAB Focus Punch. Hypnosis, although not mentioned, is great to hit Pokemon like Slowbro or Venusaur who resist both of Poliwrath's STAB moves. It's a great way to temporarily take Poliwrath's counters out of the game, although the 60% accuracy may be risky. If these three options seem unappealing, Ice Punch can take their place. With Pokemon such as Slowbro, Uxie, and other bulky Psychic-types taking very little damage from Poliwrath's STAB attacks and dealing decent damage back to Poliwrath with their STAB Psychics, Poliwrath is going to need help from certain Pokemon to work more effectively. Absol and Drapion are great partners for Poliwrath, both being immune to Psychic and having Pursuit, Crunch, or Night Slash to deal with these Pokemon. Registeel works especially well because it takes minimal damage from Electric-type attacks, and resists Grass-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Poliwrath, while also setting up Stealth Rock.

Poliwrath can become an extremely threatening Belly Drum sweeper when played properly, capable of sweeping entire teams who aren't ready for this threat. This set takes Poliwrath to a whole new level as a sweeper, since most of its other sets rely on improving its defensive capabilities and tanking. After pulling off a Substitute and a Belly Drum, Poliwrath's Attack and Speed stats skyrocket to an incredible Attack stat of 1076 and a great Speed stat of 393, the latter thanks to Salac Berry. Poliwrath now outspeeds everything without a Choice Scarf in the UU metagame aside from the occasional Electrode. Waterfall and Return are recommended since that combo hits everything for neutral or super effective damage. Waterfall will obviously be the main attack of choice since it receives a valuable STAB boost and has a chance to flinch, which could help Poliwrath greatly in some cases. Return is the best alternative so Poliwrath can deal heavy damage to Pokemon who resist Water-type moves, mainly Slowbro and Milotic. The procedure is quite simple, yet difficult to pull off. Switch Poliwrath in on a bulky Pokemon who isn't able to deal enough damage to break its Substitute, such as Registeel, or if you're lucky enough, a Choiced Water-type move thanks to Water Absorb. Substitute as they switch, and proceed to use either Belly Drum or attack right away depending on who they switch in. If the switch-in is not that threatening, such as a Pokemon who doesn't have priority moves, set up a Belly Drum and attempt to sweep. If the switch-in does have priority moves or is faster than Poliwrath, it's a good idea to attack right away instead of wasting a potential Belly Drum sweep. Before you start any Belly Drum sweep with Poliwrath, you must make sure that there are no priority attackers that can put an end to its sweep, since Poliwrath fails to receive a reasonable priority move. Sucker Punch Absol, Vacuum Wave Blaziken, and Mach Punch Hitmontop are prime examples of Pokemon who use priority moves. Jolly Drapion threatens Absol due to its resistance to Sucker Punch and ability to knock out Absol with X-Scissor; Slowbro can switch into Blaziken's STAB moves and threaten it with Surf; and, Weezing can switch into Hitmontop and burn it with Will-O-Wisp, draining its effectiveness. Entry hazards can make it much harder to score the Belly Drum boost since Poliwrath will keep getting hit by them as it switches out from a Pokemon who stops it from Belly Drumming, meaning that sooner or later, Poliwrath won't have enough health to set up. Toxic Spikes in particular will ruin Poliwrath since it will only have at most one chance to attack if it ends up receiving a Belly Drum boost behind a Substitute, which is not very useful. Drapion comes to mind again, as it is great at absorbing and setting up its own Toxic Spikes thanks to its overall bulk, while Claydol is capable of Rapid Spinning away any entry hazards and can than proceed to set up Stealth Rock. Poliwrath can be easily revenge-killed by Choice Scarfers with a base Speed stat of 71 or above with a positive nature and max Speed, like Mesprit, Rotom, and Venusaur.

CroCune has been considered a threatening force in the OU metagame, but now, Poliwrath brings Suicune into the UU metagame by using an identical set. This set allows Poliwrath to become a sturdy tank, a fantastic status absorber, and a threatening sweeper at the same time, being able to destroy most teams that aren't prepared for such a threat. The main attacking choice for this set would be Waterfall, as it receives a helpful STAB boost and hits a lot of types for neutral or super effective damage, while only being resistant to Dragon-, Water-, and Grass-types. The EV spread is pretty simple; maximizing Poliwrath's HP and Special Defense helps it tank on the special side since it is boosting its Defense and not Special Defense. With its great overall bulk, Poliwrath has many chances to switch in and start setting up Bulk Up to attempt a sweep. It's best to switch it in on weaker Pokemon or Pokemon who can't harm it greatly, such as Registeel, Blaziken, and Weezing. Once Poliwrath receives a couple of Bulk Up boosts, it's ready to wreak havoc and eliminate Pokemon who can't take powerful Waterfalls and can't deal much damage towards it. However, Poliwrath will have difficulties with Pokemon who absorb Water-type moves, including Toxicroak, Lapras, Parasect, and Quagsire. Although maximizing Poliwrath's HP and Special Defense helps, Poliwrath will still take a lot of damage from high powered super effective special attacks, as well as high powered super effective physical attacks if it hasn't received a few Bulk Ups under its belt. Leaf Storm from a Timid Venusaur running max Special Attack with a neutral nature will deal 77% - 91%, which is devastating. Registeel is an excellent answer in threatening these Pokemon, since it boasts excellent Special Defense, resists Grass-, Flying-, and Psychic-type moves aimed at Poliwrath, and can cripple Pokemon with Thunder Wave. Providing dual screen support for Poliwrath is recommended to help Poliwrath set up. Clefable and Gardevoir are excellent dual screeners thanks to their decent bulk and massive support movepools.

A great surprise set. Put up a Substitute against Waters and such, and Focus Punch away. Hidden Power Ghost is for Ghosts while Hidden Power Rock takes care of Fliers (mostly Salamence, Gyarados and Zapdos in standard, as it won't make a difference versus Fearow and Gligar, who take more damage from Focus Punch). Hypnosis helps you to set up more easily and may shut down your main counter, while Bulk Up makes Poliwrath a physical tank. If you can set up a Substitute against slower physical Pokemon and Bulk Up a few times, they're going to be in a world of pain. Using Ice Beam on this set isn't a bad idea. It should cripple if not kill Gligar and Salamence, and it helps against Flygon and Zapdos as well.

Now this looks like an ordinary Substitute + Belly Drum Water version of Charizard, but it is in some ways better. Send this on a Water Pokemon, especially if your opponent's Suicune doesn't have Roar. The scenario might go like this: You Substitute, they switch. You Belly Drum, they attack. You get Salac boost and you can just attack. Hidden Power Ghost hits Ghosts and Psychics super effectively, but Hidden Power Rock gets Fliers. Since Poliwrath can't get over 394 Speed (393 max with Salac), the EVs suggested give just enough to beat Jolly Dugtrio and Timid Alakazam, as well as take less than 25% from Salamence's Choice Band Rock Slide (so you can switch it in after it kills something, Substitute as it attacks for less than 1/4 or switches, and then Belly Drum). With Hidden Power Rock, you'll need to increase your Speed EVs by 4 at the cost of Defense. In UU, barring Jolly Persian and Electrode, Adamant Poliwrath with those EVs is faster than all UU Pokemon after its Salac activates, giving you some much needed hitting power. Return hits Poisons and, most importantly, Gligar much harder than Brick Break or your Hidden Powers, hits Fliers harder than Hidden Power Ghost, and hits Psychics harder than Hidden Power Rock. It will always OHKO Gligar, but even min HP Gligar has a chance to survive Adamant Hidden Power. You can't even touch Ghosts, obviously, but in UU, Gligar, Vileplume, and Hypno are all common, and Return is the only way to cover them all. Don't use Hidden Power Rock in UU, as there are few Fliers that don't either take neutral damage from Fighting (Fearow and company), or take neutral damage from Rock (Gligar).

The Speed beats out Adamant Tyranitar, letting you Brick Break before it attacks, if it chooses to stay in. It also guarantees you will be faster than Zapdos, even 252 Timid ones, after Rock Tomb lowers its Speed. Choice Band Rock Tomb 2HKOs Zapdos about half the time after Leftovers, so if you can hit it with anything, it's going down to two Rock Tombs (Rock Tomb always lowers Speed). Ice Beam is to 2HKO Salamence, who is probably going to be their first switch in to Poliwrath. Focus Punch is easy to get off against Roar Suicune, and also good against Milotic. Sleep Talk is an option to make this thing a real Milotic counter, and it can go over anything but Brick Break.

Poliwrath's viability in OU revolves around the combination of Amnesia and Hydro Pump. All would-be checks fall to it if they allow enough free turns: Starmie has great odds to be 2HKOed at +4, Alakazam is 2HKOed at +2 and OHKOed at +6, and even Chansey cannot survive two +6 Hydro Pumps. Other Pokemon that may attempt to finish off a weakened or crippled Poliwrath are also significantly easier to take down with Hydro Pump than with Surf: Snorlax is OHKOed by +6 Hydro Pump but always stomachs a +6 Surf, while +4 is enough to drop Tauros. While the prospects of Hydro Pump's accuracy and PP will understandably scare players off, the favorable ranges this move reaches are simply too important. In the third slot, a tool against Exeggutor is highly recommended: Blizzard will hit for over half its HP after a single Amnesia, but if the team has no plans to put any other foes to sleep, then Hypnosis is also a valid way of threatening it, while also doubling as a way for Poliwrath to give itself free turns. For the last slot, many options are viable: Submission provides an immediate critical hit OHKO threat on Chansey, though the accuracy and recoil make it fairly inconsistent, while Surf's accuracy can be appreciated in specific scenarios where the extra damage from Hydro Pump is not required. Other options such as Body Slam, Counter, Psychic, and Rest can also have merits in very specific scenarios but are strongly discouraged, as they do not contribute to Poliwrath's primary purpose as a wallbreaker.