Poliwag takes the spotlight this Community Day, bringing special bonuses, exclusive moves, and a perfect chance to expand your shiny collection while catching one of Kanto’s most charming Pokémon.
How do I catch a shiny Poliwag?
You cannot influence shiny odds directly, but Community Day gives a big boost, so most players see multiple shiny Poliwag if they play throughout the event. Tap every Poliwag you encounter, use Incense and Lure Modules on PokéStops in busy areas, and focus on fast catch techniques to clear spawns quickly. Completing event Field Research and Timed Research can also reward extra Poliwag encounters, giving you more chances at a shiny. If you find one with poor IVs, keep catching more so you can trade later for a chance at a lucky shiny with better stats.
As per old research by the now-defunct website The Silph Road (via Wayback Machine), Shiny rates on Community Days are about 1 in 25, which means that if you keep playing throughout the three-hour window, you should find quite a few shiny Pokémon.
If you’re short on time or Poké Balls, you can pop an Incense, then quickly tap each Poliwag to check for shiny ones, running from any that aren’t shiny. Notably, any Poliwag you’ve already tapped will face where your player is standing, so that should help identify which ones you may have already checked.
What Community Day moves do Poliwag’s evolutions learn?
During Poliwag Community Day, Poliwrath and Politoed gain exclusive moves. Evolving Poliwhirl into Poliwrath during the event or up to five hours afterward teaches it the Charged Attack Counter, giving it stronger Fighting-type coverage. Evolving Poliwhirl into Politoed within the same time frame rewards it with the Charged Attack Ice Beam, adding versatility against Dragon and Flying-type opponents. These event-exclusive moves make both evolutions more useful in PvP and PvE battles.
The Poliwag family has two final evolutions: Poliwrath and Politoed. If you evolve them from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. in your local time, they will learn special moves. Evolving Poliwhirl into Poliwrath (which just uses 100 Poliwag Candy) will give it the fast attack Counter. Evolving Poliwhirl into Politoed (which costs 100 Poliwag Candy and a King’s Rock) will give it the charged attack Ice Beam.
If you miss out on evolving it during this period, you will likely be able to evolve it during a Community Day weekend event in December to get Counter or Ice Beam. If you don’t want to wait, you can use an Elite TM to get the move.
How does the Poliwag family do in the meta?
Poliwrath and Politoed hold modest spots in the current Pokémon Go meta. Poliwrath benefits from its versatility as a Water and Fighting type, performing well in Great and Ultra League, especially with fast Energy gain and useful coverage moves. Politoed can still find value as a spammy Water type in certain formats, thanks to its solid bulk and quick charge moves. While neither dominates high-level play, both remain dependable and fun choices for players seeking flexible team options.
Poliwrath is predicted to be a PvP monster when set up with Counter, Scald, and Ice Punch, since this gives it great coverage and a fast charge bar. This is all great, since none of the Poli-family are really used in PvE content.
While this isn’t the meta we usually talk about, it should be noted that Poliwrath is an absolute monster against Giovanni and the Team Go Rocket leaders, as mentioned by Reddit user Kupo43 on The Silph Road subreddit. With Counter, Power Up Punch, and Dynamic Punch, you should be able to burn through shields quickly and defeat any Rocket member who doesn’t have a type that resists fighting-type. For more coverage, you can give it other moves like Mud Shot or Ice Punch, but Counter and Power Up Punch are a known wombo-combo.
How do I make the most of Poliwag Community Day?
To maximize Poliwag Community Day, focus on stocking up on Quick Catches by using a Pinap Berry and Excellent Throw combo on every encounter, aiming for 20 XP per catch. Activate your second move with an Elite TM right after evolution to unlock Poliwag’s powerful moveset, then transfer extras for candy to power up multiple Politoed. Spin as many PokéStops as possible during the three-hour window to gather more berries and items, and join local raids or trades if available to boost your shiny odds and XP gains.
The following bonuses will be active during Poliwag Community Day:
- 1⁄4 hatch distance for eggs placed into Incubators during the event
- Doubled candy for catching Pokémon
- Doubled chance for level 31 trainers to get XL candy from catching Pokémon
- Incense lasts three hours
- Lure Modules lasts three hours
- Poliwag special photobombs when taking snapshots
- One additional special trade
- Stardust cost halved for trading
That said, you should definitely put your eggs in Incubators and pop an Incense and try to nab some powerful Poliwag.
If you can Mega EvolveBlastoise, Slowbro, Gyarados, or Swampert, you’ll score additional Poliwag Candy per catch.
In addition to all this, Niantic is still running special four-star raids from 5-10 p.m., where if you clear the Poliwhirl raid, Poliwag will spawn in a 300-meter radius around the gym for 30 minutes. These raids cannot be done remotely. If the usual 2-5 p.m. spawn increase doesn’t get you the Poliwag you wanted, you can try raiding for another chance.
Best IVs to keep for Poliwrath and Politoed
Poliwrath and Politoed excel in Pokémon Go PvP, particularly Great and Ultra Leagues, so prioritize IVs that maximize stat product (Attack/Defense/HP balance) at cap levels like 1500 CP or 2500 CP.
Poliwrath IVs
Aim for 0/14/15 in Great League (1498 CP at level 22) for top bulk and performance with moves like Counter. For Ultra League, target 0/14/14 (2499 CP at level 44).
Politoed IVs
Great League ideal is 0/15/11 (1500 CP at level 23.5) to optimize its Mud Shot and Earthquake setup. Ultra League prefers 0/15/14 or 0/14/14 (2498 CP at level 48.5).
PvP Rankings
These “hundos” (perfect PvP IVs) rank highly on tools like PvPoke, outperforming higher-attack IVs by enabling better longevity against common threats. Avoid 15/15/15 unless powering up beyond leagues.
Which IV spread is best for Great League PvP for Politoed
For Great League PvP (1500 CP cap), the optimal IV spread for Politoed prioritizes low Attack to maximize bulk (Defense and Stamina) while staying under the cap, typically at level 23 or so.
Top IV Recommendation
The rank 1 IVs are 0 Attack / 15 Defense / 11 Stamina (around 1498 CP), offering the highest stat product for better survivability against meta threats like Azumarill or Galarian Stunfisk. Alternatives like 0/15/15 or 0/14/15 rank in the top 10 and perform nearly identically in simulations.
Why These IVs?
Low Attack minimizes CP inflation, allowing more investment in bulk for Politoed’s Mud Shot + Ice Beam or Earthquake playstyle, where energy generation and tankiness matter over damage output. Ranks 1-10 generally win the same key matchups on PvPoke, so prioritize CP closest to 1500.
