(Game Freak / Adam Watkins)
My name is Adam Watkins. I am an English Literature and Media major who absolutely loves video games. Some of my favorites are Super Mario Bros. 3,... Read more
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Water-type Pokémon are one of the most popular types in the series. Perhaps this is due to their generally great type matchups or maybe it’s due to their successful competitive history when making use of the rain weather condition. Either way, Water-types differ from the offensive pressure that is the Fire-type and the utility-based playstyle of most Grass-types by mostly focusing on a variety of different build types.
No matter what role you need filled on your team, chances are there is a water type that covers it. To help make this tough decision we have put together a list of the six best Water types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Please note, this list will not contain any legendary Pokémon as they are basically in a class all their own.
➡️ We have ranked the Pokémon below from weakest (still relatively strong) at #5 to strongest at #1.
#5 Toxapex
Overview: Toxapex is a Poison/Water-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 495. This Pokémon is all about defense as shown by its two highest stats being its defense at 152 and special defense at 142. Its lowest stat is its speed stat at 35. The Pokémon’s remaining stats float anywhere between 50 and 60.
Type Matchups: Toxapex’s mixed typing gants it resistances to eight of the 18 types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. On top of that, it only has three weaknesses, one to the Electric-type, one to the Ground-type, and one to the Psychic-type.
Abilities: Toxapex can generally be run using one of two builds. A critical hit-focused build or Poision-based stall build. Both are made equally viable thanks to this Pokémon’s two powerful abilities.
First up is Merciless. This ability makes all attacking moves performed by the user into critical hits as long as the enemy Pokémon is poisoned. This is crazy strong and only made fair by Toxapex’s less-than-stellar attack stats. The second ability is called Regenerator, and this allows for Toxapex to heal ⅓ of its HP each time it switches out of battle.
Battle Strengths: One move in Toxapex’s arsenal is its signature move Baneful Bunker. This move is a priority-style Protect move that poisons the attacking Pokémon if they are using a move that makes physical contact. This move will be your bread and butter for setting up your crits or stall tactics. Another move that should be run on pretty much all Toxapexes is Toxic Spikes. This move will poison all opponents that witch into battle except Poison-types, Flying-type, and Pokémon with abilities that counter hazards.
#4 Gastrodon
Overview: Gastrodon is a Water/Ground-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 475. Its highest base stat is its HP at 111, while its lowest stat is its Speed stat which has a base value of 39. It has a respectable special attack stat of 92 followed closely by its attack stat of 83. Gastrodon’s stats push its development more toward a tank style of play.
Type Matchups: Gastrodon is a Water/Ground type Pokémon, granting it immunity to Electric-type moves. This combination also gives it resistance against Rock, Steel, Fire, and Poison-type attacks. However, Gastrodon has a pronounced vulnerability to Grass-type moves, taking 4x damage. Having only one weakness makes Gastrodon a really tanky Pokémon that is almost guaranteed to survive for a few turns.
Abilities: Gastrodon only has two really strong abilities. Its first notable ability is Storm Drain, which not only grants immunity to Water-type moves but also boosts Gastrodon’s special attack stat by one stage when hit by one. Its second ability is its hidden ability Sand Force. Sand Force boosts the power of Ground, Rock, and Steel-type moves by 30% while in the sand storm weather condition. This ability also grants immunity to the sand storm’s damage every turn.
Battle Strengths: Gastrodon’s function in battle is that of a tank. It is primarily designed to take hits but can also deal pretty good damage on its own. Gastrodon is better at taking hits from special attacks rather than physical but its high HP stat makes up for that. When it comes to offense Gastrodon has a few really solid options like Earthquake, Scald, and Recover. It also has plenty of setup moves that help it make an impact on the field like Rain Dance, Sand Storm, Acid Armor, Amnesia, Spikes, and Stealth Rocks.
#3 Gyarados
Overview: Gyarados is a Water/Flying-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 540. Its highest stat is its attack stat at a base of 125. In contrast, its lowest is Special Attack, with a base value of 60. Its other two notable stats are its HP stat and special defense stat. Its HP stat is 90 and its special defense stat is 100.
Type Matchups: Gyarados’s Water/Flying type gives it resistances to Steel, Fighting, Bug, Water, and Ground moves. Being a Flying type, it’s immune to Ground-type moves which tend to be really popular in PvP. Something to keep in mind, it’s crucial to be wary of Electric-type moves, as they deal 4x damage to Gyarados.
Abilities: Gyarados has two really good abilities. The first is Intimidate. This ability lowers the attack stat of all enemy Pokémon currently on the field by one stage every time Gyarados switches into battle. Given how common high-attack Pokémon are in PvP, this ability can get quite a lot of value.
Its second ability is called Moxie and it’s debatably better than Intimidate. Moxie increases the user’s attack stat by one stage each time the user gets a KO on an enemy Pokémon. This ability allows Gyarados to sweep entire enemy teams after one or to triggers of Moxie, assuming they don’t have a speed advantage over it.
Battle Strengths: Gyarados shines as a heavy-hitting attacker with some decent bulk attached as a bonus. It hits really hard, especially after using setup moves like Dragon Dance or after a couple of triggers of Moxie. It has great moves to back it up as well, such as Waterfall, Crunch, Aqua Tail, Thrash, Dragon Tail, Stone Edge, and Outrage. It even learns Thunder Wave!
#2 Palafin (Hero Form)
Overview: Palafin is a pure Water-type Pokémon with a base stat total of 457 in its base form and a total of 650 while in its Hero Form. For the sake of this list, we will only be looking at the stats of Palafin’s Hero form. Palafin (Hero)’s highest stat is its attack stat at a ridiculous base of 160. Its second highest stat is its special attack stat at 106. Its lowest stat is its special defense stat at 87.
Type Matchups: Being a pure Water-type, Palafin is only weak to two types, those being Electric and Grass. It resists Fire, Water, Ice, and Steel which are all fairly common types in PvP with the exclusion of the Ice-type.
Abilities: The main focus of Palafin’s playstyle is its ability Zero-To-Hero. This ability allows Palaifin to switch into its Hero form once it switches in battle. The next time Palafin comes back to the field it will be in its Hero form and its stats will have increased.
Battle Strengths: Palafin doesn’t do too much when in its base form, it isn’t useless but it isn’t exceptional either. What makes this Pokémon come online is its ability. This does require Palafin to enter battle in its base form first, then it needs to switch out and re-enter the battle in order to use its Hero form.
Once in its Hero form, it can make perfect use of its powerful physical attacking moves like Aqua Tail, Jet Punch, Acrobatics, Wave Crash, Zen Headbutt, and so many more. To help trigger its ability, Paladin can use the move Flip Turn to switch out while dealing damage. Once in Hero form, Palafin can really do some serious damage, no matter what move set you run with it.
#1 Quaquaval
Overview: Quaquaval may not have the destructive power of Palafin’s Hero form, but it comes pretty close with the right setup and it doesn’t require a switchout to activate, in fact, it often doesn’t want to switch out at all. This water starter has a base stat total of 530. Its highest stat is its attack stat at 120. Its lowest stat is its special defense stat of 75. The rest of these stats are all either 80 or 85, making Quaquaval pretty solid in every area.
Type Matchups: Quaquaval’s Water/Fighting typing grants it resistances to Fire, Water, Ice, Bug, Rock, Dark, and Steel-type moves. It has a weakness to Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, and Fairy-type moves.
Abilities: Quaquaval only has two abilities. The first is Torrent which is standard for all Water-type staters. This ability boosts the power of all Water-type moves by 50% while the user’s help is at or below ⅓ of its max. Quaquaval’s second ability is Moxie and it’s just as strong here as it is on Gyarados, raising the user’s attack stat by one stage each time it lands a KO on an enemy Pokémon.
Battle Strengths: Quaquaval game plan generally revolves around making use of its hidden ability Moxie and its signature move Wave Crash to sweep through enemy teams one KO at a time. Wave Crash is a 120 base-power Water-type move that raises the user’s speed stat by one stage each time it lands. This move will also cause recoil damage to the user. This combination is your bread and butter with Quaquaval and it can win you games all on its own.
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That wraps up our list of the six best Water-types. Do you agree with our list? What are your picks for best/favorite Water-types? Are you looking for more Pokémon guides? Consider signing up for our newsletter today and join the high ground!
Happy Gaming!
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