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protected by a silver spoon
Hello! As you may know, I like Poliwag. A lot. I am here to talk to you about Poliwag and how to properly use it. What is so special about Poliwag, you ask? I’ll tell you.
Poliwag’s strengths:
-19 Speed
-Water-typing and immunity to water
-Unresisted coverage
-Belly Drum
-Hypnosis
-Encore
Poliwag’s weaknesses:
-Easily KO’d
-Soundly beaten by Elekid, Diglett and Voltorb
-Ties majority of sweeps
-Outsped by Scarfers
However, with the advent of HeartGold/SoulSilver, a Bellywag sweep has almost never had such an easy time setting itself up. Well, not itself exactly. You see, Poliwag was excellent before Platinum because Hypnosis had 70% accuracy, allowing it to set-up relatively easily. However, the 10% drop was a huge hit to Poliwag. Add that onto the fact that it had become predictable and you suddenly had a weak and more often than not useless Pokemon. Enter HGSS.
Poliwag got one move in HGSS that it cares about. That move, of course, is Encore! Now Poliwag has a bit of an edge to it. You can risk staying in and being Encored on your useless move and letting it BD for free, or switch and risk being Slept and letting Poli BD for free. Additionally, its favorite partner Gligar became known as a RP sweeper, making it all the better for the trio of support Poliwag needs.
It is important to understand something about Poliwag before using it. It is not a Pokemon which can just be slapped onto a team such as Elekid, Diglett or Bronzor. The team must be built around eliminating Poliwag’s checks, something akin to a SubAgilityPetaya Empoleon team in OU. Unlike such a team, however, Poliwag typically cannot come out midgame. It is exclusively an endgamer. That said, it OHKOs everything in the game with a sole exception, that being Lileep with 3 Stockpiles.
Have I gotten your attention yet? 48 Attack with unresisted coverage hits like a meteor. Not just a truck, a meteor. Now, how does one go about setting up such a magnificent and satisfying victory, you ask? It’s very simple and only three Pokemon are required. Poliwag, Gligar and Bronzor. Bronzor sets up obligatory Stealth Rock to remove pesky Sashers and then Dual Screens to allow Gligar to take an Ice move.
From there, Gligar Rock Polishes and Baton Passes to the waiting Poliwag as it is hit by an Ice or Water move. Now comes decision time. Poliwag can either Encore the user of the Water/Ice move that does nearly nothing to the tadpole, or can Hypnosis at 40% risk of dying. It depends on the set and what you’re comfortable with. If you feel they will switch, then BD on the switch. Congratulations, you’ve just won. Well, maybe. If you’ve taken proper care to remove Meowth and Sucker Punchers, then yes, you’ve won.
So please, give Bellywag a try sometime! It can be difficult to pull off, but there is nothing in Pokemon as satisfying as a Bellywag sweep.
Poliwag’s strengths:
-19 Speed
-Water-typing and immunity to water
-Unresisted coverage
-Belly Drum
-Hypnosis
-Encore
Poliwag’s weaknesses:
-Easily KO’d
-Soundly beaten by Elekid, Diglett and Voltorb
-Ties majority of sweeps
-Outsped by Scarfers
However, with the advent of HeartGold/SoulSilver, a Bellywag sweep has almost never had such an easy time setting itself up. Well, not itself exactly. You see, Poliwag was excellent before Platinum because Hypnosis had 70% accuracy, allowing it to set-up relatively easily. However, the 10% drop was a huge hit to Poliwag. Add that onto the fact that it had become predictable and you suddenly had a weak and more often than not useless Pokemon. Enter HGSS.
Poliwag got one move in HGSS that it cares about. That move, of course, is Encore! Now Poliwag has a bit of an edge to it. You can risk staying in and being Encored on your useless move and letting it BD for free, or switch and risk being Slept and letting Poli BD for free. Additionally, its favorite partner Gligar became known as a RP sweeper, making it all the better for the trio of support Poliwag needs.
It is important to understand something about Poliwag before using it. It is not a Pokemon which can just be slapped onto a team such as Elekid, Diglett or Bronzor. The team must be built around eliminating Poliwag’s checks, something akin to a SubAgilityPetaya Empoleon team in OU. Unlike such a team, however, Poliwag typically cannot come out midgame. It is exclusively an endgamer. That said, it OHKOs everything in the game with a sole exception, that being Lileep with 3 Stockpiles.
Have I gotten your attention yet? 48 Attack with unresisted coverage hits like a meteor. Not just a truck, a meteor. Now, how does one go about setting up such a magnificent and satisfying victory, you ask? It’s very simple and only three Pokemon are required. Poliwag, Gligar and Bronzor. Bronzor sets up obligatory Stealth Rock to remove pesky Sashers and then Dual Screens to allow Gligar to take an Ice move.
From there, Gligar Rock Polishes and Baton Passes to the waiting Poliwag as it is hit by an Ice or Water move. Now comes decision time. Poliwag can either Encore the user of the Water/Ice move that does nearly nothing to the tadpole, or can Hypnosis at 40% risk of dying. It depends on the set and what you’re comfortable with. If you feel they will switch, then BD on the switch. Congratulations, you’ve just won. Well, maybe. If you’ve taken proper care to remove Meowth and Sucker Punchers, then yes, you’ve won.
So please, give Bellywag a try sometime! It can be difficult to pull off, but there is nothing in Pokemon as satisfying as a Bellywag sweep.
The Best Set in History said:Poliwag@Oran Berry
36 HP/36 Atk/116 Def/196 Spe/116 SDef
Jolly Nature
-Hypnosis/Encore
-Belly Drum
-Waterfall
-Return