Having a team of purely one type of Pokemon can be fun, especially if you are a big fan of that type. Luckily, for those who love Water-types, there are a ton of good choices out there to build a great team.
When building the perfect Water-type team, there is a lot to consider; the best moves, the specific Pokemon you want on the team, the items they should hold, the abilities they have, and little details such as the Natures and IVs. We take a look at all of these in this guide.
Updated on August 6, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: Water-types have always existed since the first Pokemon games of the early '90s. Not only that, but they sometimes are the very first Pokemon players befriend due to them being one of the starter Pokemon types. They were made even more popular through characters like Misty in the TV show.
Water-type has the most Pokemon, nearly making itself the size of two generations with 144 Pokemon. It also has the most Gigantax forms, most G-Max moves, and most types that evolve through trading. With all that in mind, this means they can also be the type with the most to give!
Water Team's Strengths And Weaknesses
To best utilize an all-water team, the trainer must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Strong Against: Water-types can do the highest damage to Fire, Ground, and Rock-types.
Weak Against: Water-types cannot do much damage against Grass, Dragon, and other Water-types.
Resistant Against: Steel, Water, Fire, and Ice-types cannot do much damage to Water-types. However, Ice-types that know Freeze-Dry are dangerous, as that special Ice-type move is super-effective against Water-types.
Vulnerable Against: The types that hit Water-types the hardest are Electric and Grass.
Weather Effects: Rain increases Water-type attacks by 50 percent and harsh sunlight decreases their attack by 50 percent.
Good Water-Types To Have
Gyarados – Gyarados is a favorite of many competitive players, and for good reason. It is beloved for its Speed and Attack stats.
Kingdra – The combination of being Dragon and Water-type gives Kingdra a lot of offensive and defensive coverage to other types.
Starmie – Starmie is a good choice for its Speed and Special Attack, along with a diverse Special Attack move-pool.
Swampert – Being part Ground-type gives Swampert access to moves other Water-types do not normally have such as Earthquake and Stealth Rock. Unlike other Water-types, Swampert also is not weak to Electric-types.
Empoleon – Like Swampert, Emploeon's part Steel-typing gives it a lot of unique advantages in battle. It has a great Defense and can use Stealth Rock.
Vaporeon – Vaporean has a ton of HP and makes for a great support Pokemon due to its ability to use moves like Wish, Protect, and Heal Bell.
Feraligatr – Good as an offensive attacker, Feraligatr can use Dragon Dance and/or Swords Dance. It also has access to solid moves like Earthquake, Aqua Jet, and Superpower
Milotic – Milotic is a good defender with its ability to learn healing moves like Recover and Refresh. It can also learn hard-hitting attacks like Ice Beam and Scald.
Cloyster – Cloyster can make a great team lead since it can set up Toxic Spikes and use Explosion.
Ludicolo – Its access to Grass-type moves make it stand out from many other Water-types. Ludicolo works great with Energy Ball, Ice Beam, and Giga Drain.
Jellicent – Being part Ghost-type gives Jellicent great moves like Hex, Shadow Ball, and Will-O-Wisp. It also can learn Recover.
Azumarill – Azumarill has access to Fairy-type moves and can become an incredible offensive attacker with the move Belly Drum.
Toxapex – An amazing defensive Pokemon, Toxapex can learn multiple recovery moves and can wear down enemies with Poison-type attacks.
Qwilfish – Great for its Toxic Spikes. Like Toxapex, Qwilfish can wear down opponents with Poison-type moves.
Dracovish – Dracovish has become competitively precious for its move, Fishious Rend, which doubles in power if it hits first.
Moves You Will Want For A Water-type Team
When it comes to moves, there are a couple you will want to prioritize for a Water-based team. An entire team strategy can be built around just a couple of moves.
Rain Dance – This move boosts the power of Water-types. With a pure Water-type team, Rain Dance is a must-have.
Waterfall – Best used for Pokemon with high Attack Stats, this move is a good one because it has a 20 percent chance to cause the opponent to flinch.
Aqua Jet – This move is great just based on the fact that it always goes first. It is basically a Quick Attack for Water-types.
Dragon Dance – Great move to boost both Attack and Speed. Certain Water-types can use it such as Gyarados, Kingdra, Lapras, Milotic, and Whiscash.
Surf – For Pokemon with high Special Attack, Surf has reliable accuracy and high power. Not just that, but it can hit two Pokemon if you are in a double battle.
Hydro Pump – Another Special Attack move, Hydro Pump has much higher power than Surf. Despite its 20 percent chance of missing its target, the raw power of Hydro Pump still makes this move worth it.
Substitute – When sticking to a single type in one team, you may have less coverage for other types such as Grass and Electric-types. Substitute can be a solid defense during such battles.
Toxic – A dependable move for any team. Toxic can be learned by Empoleon, Feraligatr, Gyarados, Jellicent, Ludicolo, and many others.
Rest – Always a great choice for defensive Pokemon. For a Water-type team, this can be a good move for Vaporeon, Gyarados, or Kingdra.
Roar – For a pure Water-type team, Roar allows Pokemon to push back opponents they are weak against in order to have more control of the battle. This move is best when combined with Stealth Rock and/or Toxic Spikes.
Recover – Like Rest, this move is good for health recovery. Recover can work well on a Jellicent, Starmie, and Toxapex.
Protect – This move can be learned by most Pokemon. Best when used on a defensive team member like Toxapex and/or Vaporeon.
Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes – These moves are a must for competitive battles. Toxic Spikes is preferable as it chips away at enemies with poison status effects. These should be openers for battles and on the first Pokemon released.
Scald – A great move for its raw power as well as its chance to give enemies the Burn status affliction.
Calm Mind – Raises Special Attack and Special Defense. Should be used with Pokemon with these as their best stats.
Ice Beam – An attack to mow down one of Water-type's greatest weaknesses, Grass-types.
Abilities To Look For In Water Pokemon
For a Water-type team, there are certain abilities that can get OP.
Water Absorb – Pokemon with this ability are not only immune to all Water-type attacks, but they are also healed by them. This is great for double battles, as you can use Surf to damage opponents and heal your other Pokemon on the field at the same time.
Swift Swim – With Rain Dance active, the speed of Pokemon with this ability is doubled. Pokemon that can have this ability include Ludicolo and Qwilfish.
Rain Dish – Another Rain Dance-dependent ability. This one will heal the Pokemon by 1/6 of their HP for as long as Rain Dance is active.
Items To Use With Water Pokemon
Pokemon, their moves, and their abilities are not the only bits that make a perfect team. Items can make all the difference in a battle. There are some that are particularly desired for competitive play.
Absorb Bulb and Luminous Moss - These items are best for a specific double-battle strategy. Absorb Bulb raises the holder's Special Attack when hit by a Water-type move while Luminous Moss does the same but with Special Defense. With an all Water-type team in a double battle, this would boost their power when hitting their ally with Surf.
Leftovers - Every turn, Leftovers restores the holder's HP a little bit.
Life Orb - Boosts the power of the holder's moves, but will also damage them when using those moves.
Rocky Helmet - Will damage the Pokemon attacking the holder, but only if the attack counts as a "contact" move (a move that will cause physical contact between the two Pokemon, like Tackle).
Splash Plate, Mystic Water, Sea Incense, and Wave Incense - All these items have the same effect, boosting the power of Water-type moves by 20 percent when held.
Terrain Extender - Will lengthen the duration of moves that alter the terrain in a battle. For a Water-type team, this could be great for Rain Dance.
Consider Breeding Pokemon
Last but not least, consider breeding Pokemon for perfect IVs and Natures if you want to get a team that is as perfect as possible. Breeding is a whole other challenge in the Pokemon world, and it can take hatching hundreds of eggs before you get a perfect IV Pokemon.
There are ways in every game that can check Pokemon IVs. They are usually only unlocked after beating the Champino though. For example, in Sword and Shield, after defeating Leon, the IV checker/judge function is unlocked to see in Pokemon boxes.