Okay, so I’ve been messing around with Politoed in competitive battling lately, and let me tell you, figuring out the best moveset was a JOURNEY. I started by just throwing on some random moves I liked, you know, the usual suspects.
My First (Failed) Attempt
- Surf – Because, duh, it’s a water type.
- Ice Beam – For those pesky grass types.
- Earthquake – I thought it would be good coverage.
- Hypnosis – Sleep is always fun, right?
This…did not go well. I got absolutely wrecked. Earthquake was super weak, Hypnosis missed all the time, and I just felt like I wasn’t doing enough damage. Back to the drawing board!
Digging Deeper
I did some serious research (aka, I googled “politoed best moveset” and spent way too long reading forums). I discovered that Politoed is best used as a bulky support Pokemon, especially with the Drizzle ability. This changed EVERYTHING.
The Winning Formula
After a ton of trial and error, here’s the moveset I’ve had the most success with:
- Scald– STAB, chance to burn, It is much better than Surf.
- Protect-To stall and increase the survivability.
- Perish Song-Great in certain late-game situations.
- Encore – I used Encore to the moves to trap opponents.
Instead of trying to sweep, I was setting up rain, crippling opponents with burns, and generally making things difficult for the other team. Encore was surprisingly useful for locking opponents into useless moves, and Perish Song became my win condition in several matches.
Final Thoughts
This whole experience taught me that sometimes, the most obvious moves aren’t the best. You gotta really think about a Pokemon’s role on your team and build around that. It’s not always about raw power; strategy and support can be just as important. I’m still learning, but I’m finally having some real success with my Politoed, and that feels pretty good!
