With all of the prominent attackers in Pokemon GO, Poliwrath may have gone overlooked due to its vast movepool.
Statistically, it sits in an awkward place where its stats don’t fare well in Ultra League but are excellent for Great League. 182 Attack isn’t too impressive, and its highest stat is its 2047 Stamina.
Where Poliwrath excels, though, is with its moves: the attacks it can learn are really efficient in terms of speed, energy and damage. This Pokemon might be a force to be reckoned with in Great League, or even a sleeper pick in Ultra League.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
How does Poliwrath pick from its large movepool in Pokemon GO?
Poliwrath has two decent options for fast moves with Bubble and Rock Smash. In general, Bubble is the better move. Rock Smash has higher base damage, but because it’s a slower move, its DPS ends up being around where Bubble is. In terms of EPS, Bubble charges 11.7, whereas Rock Smash charges only 7.7. This and the speed of Bubble gives it a slight edge.
The factor that may tip the scale in Rock Smash’s favor, though, is charge moves. The best ones Poliwrath has access to are Fighting-type, so it might make more sense to use Poliwrath as a general Fighting attacker.
Speaking of Fighting-type charge moves, a golden attack that Poliwrath can learn is Dynamic Punch. 90 base power with STAB and only costing 50 energy is nothing to scoff at. This will be what Poliwrath relies on for most of its damage, as it can put a dent in lots of Pokemon.
Poliwrath also has plenty of options to pair it with. One really interesting move that synergises with Dynamic Punch is Ice Punch. This is a good tool to use when predicting a Venusaur switching in. Venusaur is a hard counter to Poliwrath, since it’s Grass/Poison typing covers both Water and Fighting. Ice Punch can also hit threatening Flying-type Pokemon like Altaria and Togekiss.
Hydro Pump can also be great on a Poliwrath that knows Bubble. It might not work as well on Rock Smash Poliwrath, though, because it will make certain matchups harder. For instance, Poliwrath can beat Fire-type Pokemon, but if it spends time clicking Rock Smash on a Moltres or Darmanitan, it runs the risk of letting them get to a powerful charge move before Poliwrath can Hydro Pump.
Finally, there is something to be said for Power up Punch. Buffing Poliwrath’s Attack is a great way of improving on that 182 Attack stat. The issue is that since Dynamic Punch is so good, trainers could end up with a Poliwrath that only knows Fighting moves. It’s often better to have at least some versatility. Power up Punch would pair well with Bubble/Hydro Pump, but it sacrifices Dynamic Punch.