-Misty
No Pokémon team is complete without a Water Pokémon – and as Water Pokémon are probably the most prevalent type in the series, there’s absolutely no excuse not to have one of these slippery sods in your squad. Whether it’s because Tsunekazu Ishihara really likes aquatic life, or because there’s a plethora of real-world influences available, Water Pokémon have always been at the forefront as the most quantitative Pokémon type. Not only are they popular, but they’re also incredibly impressive in battle, with Grass and Electric types being their only weaknesses. Whole teams are even put together around Water types, known competitively as “Water teams” or “rain teams” .
With there being so many Water Pokémon available to catch in the wild, I very rarely chose the water starter. I’d always look in the wild to fill that gap in my six ‘mon team – although there were some Water starters I really liked, so had to sort out some sort of early trade/game reset setup with my brothers! I’ve some fond memories of clearing out entire Fire/Rock/Ground teams with just the Water Pokémon alone, launching moves like Hydro Pump for sheer power, or Scold and Muddy Water to chuck in a status effect/drop.
Looking past some of the dull, very fish-obvious designed ‘mon, there’s some incredibly designed, and incredibly strong, Water Pokémon out there. So at the request of my wife, I’ve put together my favourite, Top 10 Water Pokémon.
Did You Know?
- Gen I (Red & Blue) introduced the most water type ‘mon at 32!
- Water type has the most ‘mon that evolve via trading.
- All water starters and their evolutions are Blue!
10) Ludicolo
When one of the only weaknesses to the Water type is Grass, you can bet that a Pokémon with a dual Water/Grass type – nullifying one of its weaknesses – is no joke. Enter Ludicolo. I say no joke, but it’s hard not to look at that foolish grin on Ludicolo’s face and think there’s some sort of prank afoot. It’s something I love about Ludicolo’s design, the unserious and comical nature of the ‘mon captured and executed through his smile and side to side hop. Design aside, Ludicolo has some fantastic tools in battle – whether you’re using the ability Rain Dish to restore health, or Swift Swim to increase speed, both set up Ludicolo to be a nuisance to the opposing team. Throw in Fake Out to stop initial attacks in their tracks, plus access to very strong Grass and Water moves, and Ludicolo really is the complete opposite to a joke.
9) Politoed
I’ve always had a strong association for Water Pokémon with the ability Drizzle – summoning rain as they enter battle not only strengthens the water-based STAB moves right off the bat, but can usually be combined with another ‘mon in doubles for a tactical advantage (like Ludicolo above). Well, Politoed is one of these ‘mon and, for reasons unknown, I always preferred this evolution over his Kanto final form, Poliwrath. I absolutely love Politoed’s design, especially how it’s completely removed from Poliwag and Poliwhril, but still includes the spiral pattern on the stomach, giving a nod to its evolutionary chain. Politoed’s equipped with a relatively impressive 500 base stat, with its Sp. Def making up a fifth of the total! Mostly, I love Politoed’s shiny design – swapping the Green and Yellow for bright Blue and Pink, giving this toad an exotic Amazon frog-esque vibe!
8) Milotic
I always felt like Mioltic was the Gen III version of Gyarados. Like Magikarp, the first form Feebas is a relatively gross, and pretty weak, fish. But when evolved, although not as ferocious in aesthetic as Gyarados, Milotic’s transformation is equally as impressive – the result a majestic, beautiful, sea serpent…thing. I really love Miltoic’s mosaic inspired tail design, the blue and red scales slotting together like shards of glass. With incredibly strong Sp. Def and access to Coil, played correctly, Miltoic can buff up her Attack and Defense, making it really difficult to take her out of battle.
7) Seismitoad
The second Toad to make the list is Seismitoad. Another Water Pokémon with a good dual type, Seismitoad’s access to STAB ground moves means it can launch super effective attacks against opposing electric types – again rendering one of Water types weaknesses useless! Seismitoad has an attack base stat of 95 which means you’re likely to set him up with physical moves. Combine this with his ability Poison Touch which has a 20% chance to poison foes when physically attacked, and Seismitoad becomes a real menace. His other ability Swift Swim is also viable if you’ve got a drizzle/rain dance ‘mon on your team! Seismitoad also appears on the Galar Champion Leon’s team – so you know you’re in for a rough time when this Toad HOPS into battle (double pun – you know, Hop as in frog, and Hop as in Leon’s brother…I’ll move on).
6) Jellicent
I’ve always loved Pokémon that have Male and Female specific designs – female Wobboffet with her lipstick, or female Pikachu with the love heart tail – they’re all good. These differences however are minimal when compared to the changes across male and female Jellicent. Whilst male Jellicent is blue with a large, handlebar moustache, female Jellicent is pink with what I always think looks like a Queen Victoria style collar. Both designs are great and male Jellicent was a big part of my Pokémon Black/White team. I’m also a really big fan of the unique Water/Ghost dual type. Being able to launch attacks like Water Spout and Shadow Ball from a single ‘mon is a blessing – or for a Ghost ‘mon, I suppose you could say a curse!
5) Squirtle
From the Blastoise evolutionary chain, I always personally thought that Squirtle was the best. Whether it’s the cute design, the Squirtle-squad episode from the original anime series (which was my favourite episode growing up), or that I can now dash about as this adorable-shelled fella in Smash Bros. I couldn’t tell you! Squirtle’s always got that smile on his face, and it’s difficult not to get sucked in, and start feeling just as happy. The starter ‘mon are always fondly remembered – whilst the final evolution perhaps sticks with you the longest, it’s that initial design and appeal that lead to your decision, and Squirtle’s sure roped a lot of people in to choosing him!
4) Swampert
Just like Seismitoad, Swampert is another Pokémon with the Water/Ground dual typing. Gen III had really good starter mon – Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip – the latter eventually evolving into Swampert. I of course chose Torchic on my first playthrough but on my 2nd, and in other games that followed, I really enjoyed having Swampert on my team. Swampert has an astonishing base attack of 110, meaning you can set him up with STAB moves like Liquidation (which can also lower defence, further glorifying that attack stat) or Earthquake for a powerful sweeping move. Brute-force aside, the amphibian look and newt-inspired design of Swampert only improves as you mega-evolve him for a more muscular, feracious aesthetic (and the mega evolution also brings a big old attack boost to boot).
3) Toxapex
I’ve got two words for you; Baneful. Bunker. That’s right, Toxapex is the only Pokémon with access to this incredible move – like Protect, a necessary and prevalent move in the competitive meta, Baneful Bunker will stop Toxapex from taking any damage for that turn. However, should someone target Toxapex when this move is active, they’ll also be poisoned, meaning you can watch the poison damage as you plan your attacks moving forwards. This glorious move will keep your opponent on their toes, and make them doubt themselves into attacking Toxapex, leaving him free to use powerful Poison and Water STAB moves like Poison Jab and Liquidation. Toxapex was an integral part of my Moon team, and like Seismitoad and Swampert, the Poison attacks allow him to root out a weakness in those Grass types!
2) Gyarados
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, Gyarados was also number 2 in my Top 10 Kanto Pokémon list – we’ll get him to the top of a list one day! Everything I love about Gyarados I’ve said in that previous blog, but one thing I didn’t mention (it being a Kanto list) was Gyarados’ mega evolution. I didn’t think it would have been possible to make Gyarados look more fierce, but the mega evolution certainly achieves this, adding splashes of Red and a larger sail on his back to increase the intimidation. The power boost with the mega evolution, and the swap in typing to Water/Dark, is also beneficial, making him an even bigger threat. I also really love the shiny Red Gyarados design – and it’s hard not to think about the anime appearances with the shiny Gyarados in particular!
1) Greninja
I’ve always chosen a Fire starter, but this decision was never more difficult with Generation VI’s starters. Out of Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie, I badly want to choose Froakie but had a tradition to maintain – truth be told, I chose Fennekin, got to about the third gym, and started again with Froakie – and never looked back. Froakie eventually became Greninja, and the god-like level of design on this Water Pokémon is unparalleled. The ninja-inspired Frog includes shuriken shaped scars on his legs and a noticeable tongue-scarf. With an incredibly high Sp. Attack stat, his signature move Water Shuriken becomes formidable in battle, whilst Dark Pulse is a great Dark type STAB move. I was incredibly happy when Greninja was announced for Smash Bros. too, he’s one of my favourite ‘mon, so naturally became one of my mains. Chuck in the Ash-Greninja and Shiny version and you’ve got an incredible Water Pokémon that would stand out on any team.
Of all types, Water Pokémon are hard to ignore – their power and extensive reach in each of the Pokémon regions means at some point, you’re gonna want to get one of these in your team. Their few weaknesses and varied movepool make them great in both single and double battles – although perhaps their most tactical and creative battling is in the doubles format. With the vast number of Water Pokémon to choose from, I imagine this list would be very different to most, but hopefully, there’s a ‘mon in here you would’ve chosen or love – and there’s few leaving you wet behind the ears.