There are 144 different Water-types, and a bunch of them are really good! But with all of those really great Water Pokémon, there are bound to be other greats that get left behind. And most of them are probably just as effective as the ones that get used all the time! So which of these underrated water-y ‘mons are actually worth your time? Let’s take a look.
20. Whiscash
With those big eyes and that derpy grin, it’s easy to think that Whiscash could never be a threat. And when you look at its stats, you’d see that you’re right. However, there are two things that make this goofy guy stand out. The first is its typing. Water/Ground is one of the best dual types in the game since it only has one weakness to the fairly uncommon grass moves. The second thing: access to Dragon Dance, a great boosting move that increases the users attack and speed by one stage. That’s right, this catfish has the heart of a dragon! Are there other Pokémon that outclass it? Definitely. But does it deserve to be forgotten? Not at all.
19. Clamperl
It may seem weird to put a pre-evolution on this list, but hear me out. Clamperl is an adorable little thing that evolves based on it holding a deep sea scale or tooth when it evolves. However, these items also give Clamperl a boost. Making it a threat in the Little Cup metagame. This helped greatly by Clamperl’s access to Shell Smash, possibly the best boosting move in the entire game. It doubles the user’s attack, special attack, and speed, at the cost of decreasing both defenses. Combine this with the Deep Sea Tooth and you suddenly have a terrifying sweeper in the Little Cup meta. Clamperl may look harmless. But access to the right moves and items make it a real threat against the right competition.
18. Drednaw
While most water types are known for their special attacking prowess, sometimes you want something that hits opponents directly. And Drednaw is a great option for that. Drednaw is the newest addition to this list being introduced in Sword and Shield. It has a fairly decent 115 base attack, and an average speed, but its true usefulness lies in the ability Swift Swim. This doubles a Pokémon’s speed when it’s raining. And with access to moves like Stone Edge, Liquidation, Superpower, and Crunch, this thing can hit hard! On top of all this, Drednaw has a Gigantamax form that uses Stonesurge, a Water-type move that summons stealth rocks onto the field. While it isn’t the most powerful G-max move, I still think that Nessa was onto something when she used it. Drednaw hits hard and can be just what you need on a rain team.
17. Lanturn
Lanturn is an interesting Pokémon because of its unique Water/Electric typing. Add on an Ice-type attack, and you can hit over half of all Pokémon for super effective damage! But what makes Lanturn really cool is the chance for additional immunities with Water or Volt Absorb. These are abilities that allow the user to turn Water or Electric attacks into health instead of damage. That means Lanturn can really take advantage of its big HP stat. But I think the real thing holding Lanturn back is the fact that it’s so darn cute! I mean, have you seen an angler fish? Those things are freaking terrifying!
16. Bruxish
Bruxish is probably the most hated Pokémon of recent years due to its… unique look. Alright, it’s just downright ugly. But this justifies its decent Dazzling ability which prevents priority moves from being used against your team. It literally stops the opponent dead in their tracks. But what makes Bruxish really interesting is its Water/Psychic typing combined with Strong Jaw, an ability that boosts the damage of any bite-based attack. This is perfect for Bruxish since it has access to Psychic Fangs, a biting move that also breaks screens. The fact of the matter is that you could really shock your opponent by bringing a Bruxish onto the field. You know what? It really is Dazzling.
15. Samurott
Samurott is probably the most forgettable Water starter. Its pre-evolutions are awesome, but the final result just looks a little… off. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an effective Pokémon. Samurott has great attacking stats that can utilize a bunch of powerful moves, like Hydro Pump, Mega Horn, Aqua Jet, and Razor Shell. But its real strength lies in its ability Shell Armor. Shell Armor makes sure that a Pokémon can never receive a critical hit. That means you can invest in Samurott’s decent defenses and give yourself plenty of time to set up Swords Dance! People may forget about Samurott. But if you do, you’ll be in for a surprise when it takes you down with a single Hydro Pump.
14. Poliwrath
Water/Fighting is a great dual typing. Just look at Keldeo and Urshifu! However, if you don’t have access to these literal legends, might I recommend Poliwrath? Poliwrath is often in the shadow of Politoed, its rain-setting counterpart, but I promise that Poliwrath can be an absolute beast under the right circumstances. Once again, you have another great option for a physical rain sweeper. And it can take it even farther with the move Belly Drum, which takes advantage of Poliwrath’s decent mixed defenses. Or maybe you want to go all in on the defenses and use its other ability Water Absorb? The fact of the matter is that Poliwrath is actually one of the more useful Pokémon you’ll find on this list. Just don’t give it Dynamic Punch like Chuck did.
13. Clawitzer
I love a crustacean and Clawitzer is one of my absolute favorites in all of Pokémon. This is mostly because of its incredible ability with Mega Launcher. Mega Launcher makes any pulse move deal 50% more damage and there are way more than you think. Clawitzer can learn Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Aura Sphere, and Heal Pulse if you’re feeling like a healer. Thrown on a Choice Specs and suddenly you have an incredibly powerful, albeit slow, wall breaker! Clawitzer may be a one trick pony, but what a cool trick it is!
12. Inteleon
I wanted Inteleon to be a lot cooler than it actually is. We were supposed to get James Bond, but instead we got what looks like someone dressing up in a James Bond costume! But either way, Inteleon fills in a unique niche by being able to always get critical hits. Inteleon’s Sniper ability means that critical hits deal 2x damage instead of 1.5x damage. So its signature move Snipe Shot has a higher chance of critical hits. Combine this with the move Focus Energy and the Scope Lens item and you have a critical hitting machine!
11. Octillery
I’m a huge fan of Octillery. It’s an octopus and its shiny is completely gold! How cool is that? And while it has a terrible speed stat, it makes up for it with its great coverage. Boasting a cool 105 special attack, Octillery can learn Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Energy Ball. This means it can hit almost 700 Pokémon for super effective damage. That’s insane! But the real joy comes in realizing that the low speed is a gift and not a curse because of Trick Room. Trick Room is a move that makes slower Pokémon move before faster Pokémon. All of a sudden, you have a sweeper that can hit just about everything! Hopefully this is a cephalopod that we’ll be seeing a lot more of.
10. Kabutops
When I was a kid, I thought that the coolest thing a Pokémon could have was swords for hands. And while Scyther is cool, Kabutops was always my favorite. Unfortunately, Kabutops was always caught in Omastar’s shadow due to Shell Smash and Twitch Plays Pokémon. But that doesn’t mean that Kabutops is forgotten! It has a great 115 attack stat, and access to Swift Swim, just like Drednaw. However, Kabutops is a little bit faster and has access to a great utility move in Rapid Spin. But really, Kabutops gets the edge over Drednaw because I like it more. Kabutops looks awesome and deserves way more love than it gets.
9. Pyukumuku
Pyukumuku is a Pokémon that literally spits its guts at you. What, you don’t love it already? It also doesn’t learn any attacking moves. Then why did it make it into the top 10? Because it’s basically a Water-type Wobuffett. Pyukumuku is meant to trap physical Pokémon with Block and slowly whittle them down with Toxic, Counter, and Spite. Not only all of that, but it also has reliable recovery with Recover and Rest. Top all of this off with awesome 130 defense and special defense, and you have a Pokémon that will slowly drain the life out of your opponent. Not only that, but its Unaware ability makes the opponents stat boosting moves completely useless. Is there a lot of variety with Pyukumuku? God, no. But is it effective? Definitely.
8. Kingler
As I mentioned earlier, I love crustaceans. And all crustacean-like Pokémon are awesome. This has been true since the beginning. And for my example, I present Kingler. Kingler is a crab with an awesome 130 attack stat. And ever since the physical/special split of Gen 4, it has been able to take advantage of that. With great moves like Crab Hammer, Liquidation, High Horsepower, and Superpower, Kingler will always be hitting for a ton of damage. Unfortunately, Kingler really needs help with its special stats. It has an incredibly low special defense and can be taken out easily by most Electric-types. But I’d hate to focus on the negative. I love Kingler, and I would hate to be Krabby about it.
7. Carracosta
One of the first Pokémon that was ever seen was Blastoise, an awesome turtle with cannons coming out of its shell. How can the other turtle Pokémon measure up to the Squirtle line? Well, I think Carracosta measures up just fine. Sporting huge attack and defense stats, Carracosta is able to take full advantage of Shell Smash. Yes, I know, this is yet another Water Pokémon that uses Shell Smash. But that move is incredible! Can you blame me? But Carracosta has a much easier time setting up Shell Smash because of its Sturdy ability. This prevents Carracosta from getting taken out in a single hit against a Grass or Electric-type. This way, it can boost up and take out its opponent with a Stone Edge or an Ice Beam. Minding that the opponent doesn’t have a priority attack. In my opinion, Carracosta is definitely turtley enough for the Squirtle club.
6. Feraligatr
I’ve talked about Feraligatr a lot recently, so I’ll make this quick. Feraligatr really came into its own with the ability Sheer Force, an ability that boosts the base power of moves with a secondary effect. And while it does cancel that effect, it is absolutely worth it. Feraligatr takes advantage of this with powerful physical moves like Liquidation, Crunch, and Ice Punch. But what really makes it great is the move Dragon Dance. Once you get a little bit of speed on this thing, it really can’t be stopped. Unfortunately, Feraligatr is not yet available in Sword and Shield. But once it is, look out. Because this thing will be everywhere!
5. Empoleon
With the Diamond and Pearl remakes, all of the Sinnoh starters are back in full force. And while Infernape is going to steal the spotlight, I feel that Empoleon is equally deserving. Empoleon sports a unique Water/Steel-typing that gives it 10 resistances and an immunity. It’s able to take advantage of all of this by being an absolutely incredible utility Pokémon. It can set up Stealth Rock, or get rid of them with Defog. It can pass around poison with Toxic, or burns with Scald. It can phase out opponents with Roar, or defend itself with Protect. Empoleon may just be one of the best defensive Water-types in the game. And once it gets into the competition, it’s going to make a name for itself.
4. Barbaracle
Man, there really are a lot of Shell Smashers on this list! But did you ever wonder what one would look like if it was just a bunch of rocks with hands coming out of it? Then you’ll love Barbaracle! Yes, we have yet another Water/Rock-type that uses Shell Smash. But what makes Barbaracle stand out from all the others because of its move variety. It not only gets to use the usual Water, Rock, and Fighting moves, but it also has access to Aerial Ace to deal with Grass-types, and Grass Knot to deal with all those annoying Water/Ground-types. Also, it has the ability Tough Claws, which makes any move that makes contact with the opponent even stronger. Is Barabaracle ugly? Yes. But can it hit like a truck once it sets up? Helly yes.
3. Seismitoad
Seismitoad is right up there with Bruxish and Barbaracle for ugliest water Pokémon. But for some reason, I like Seismitoad way more. It’s a frog-like Pokémon that actually looks like a frog! And it also is one of the greatest defensive walls in all of Pokémon. With its decent bulk and great typing, Seismitoad serves as a threat to any physical attacker. It can switch it to water attacks no problem due to Water Absorb, and support its team with moves like Stealth Rock, Toxic, and Knock Off. But that’s not all! Seismitoad can also be, you guessed it, a rain sweeper! However, what sets it apart from other sweepers is Power Whip: a really powerful Grass-type move. And Sludge Wave, a great Poison move. Now you can’t just block Seismitoad with Gastrodon or a Grass-type. This toadie can take them out, no problem. Seismitoad can slip into either of these roles well due to its relatively even stat distribution. I love this thing, warts and all.
2. Crawdaunt
Here it is. The final crustacean in the whole list! And what a great one to go out on. Crawdaunt is freaking incredible with a massive 120 attack stat and a great Water/Dark-typing. Crawdaunt is really able to take advantage that attack and those types because of Crab Hammer, and Knock Off, a move that knocks any held item off of the opponent. Combine this with priority in Aqua Jet and Close Combat, and you have a terrifying threat right away. But that’s not all! Crawdaunt also has the ability Adaptability. Essentially, this is exactly like Sniper, but for super effective damage. Which is a lot more common than critical hits. And it has access to Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. What can’t this crawdad do? Crawdaunt is quite literally a bully. And one of the best Water Pokémon that I never see used. However, there is one more Pokémon that really takes the cake…
1. Quagsire
We start with a derpy grin and we end with a derpy grin. And much like Whiscash, Quagsire is a Water/Ground-type that is secretly a beast. However, Quagsire doesn’t have a great boosting move or an ability that powers up its attacks. No, it seems to be Unaware of all that. Unaware is an incredible ability that makes the user ignore any of the opponent’s stat changes. This makes any stat increase null and void. If your opponent has a super boosted sweeper, just switch in Quagsire. It will poison it with Toxic and keep itself alive with its decent physical bulk and access to Recover. Quagsire looks like a doofus, and looks like it doesn’t have any idea what’s happening around it. And that is exactly why Quagsire is so successful. It deserves to be mentioned with the other great Water/Ground-types like Swampert and Gastrodon. And since it isn’t, it’s easily the most underrated Water-type.
