Water-type Pokemon: Weaknesses & Strengths explained

Master the art of battling alongside or against Water-type Pokemon with our guide, which includes their weaknesses, resistances, best counters, and more.

Just like with Fire and Grass, Water-type Pokemon are one of the choices to pick from as a starter at the beginning of every Pokemon mainline game.

This type has been part of the franchise since Gen 1 and is the most common type to date, with 177 entries in the Pokedex, followed closely by the Normal type.

As these are some of the most powerful adversaries you’ll face, you need to master their weaknesses to come out victorious. So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Water-type Pokemon.

Water-type Pokemon weaknesses

Water-type Pokemon have two primary weaknesses when it comes to moves and opposing Pokemon types:

• Electric
• Grass

Therefore, when looking to take down a Water-type Pokemon, bring along a team that includes Pokemon that belong to those types and make sure they have matching movesets.

Keep in mind that things may change depending on your opponent’s secondary typing (if it has one).

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Water-type Pokemon strengths & resistances

As well as having weaknesses, Water-type Pokemon are also resistant to certain types and moves such as Fire, Water, Ice, and Steel. That means you must avoid using any Pokemon that has those types if you want to survive an encounter with a Water creature.

If you decide to add a Water ‘mon to your team, you should take advantage of them when facing Fire, Ground, and Rock opponents, as Water-type moves are super effective against them. Nonetheless, never take your water partner to a fight against Grass, Dragon, or fellow Water beasts, as you won’t be able to deal much damage.

Remember that if your Water-type Pokemon has a secondary type, you might have an edge in battle.

Best counters for Water-type Pokemon

To face Water-type Pokemon, you should consider the following counters:

• Ogerpon Teal Mask (Grass)
• Raikou (Electric)
• Xurkitree (Electric)
• Hisuian Electrode (Electric/Grass)
• Mow Forme Rotom (Electric/Grass)

When coming up against Water types, pure Electric-type Pokemon are reliable options, but it’s even better if you go for dual Electric/Grass-type options to target both weaknesses.

You can always pair up either Electric or Grass typing with any other type, except the ones resisted by Water Pokemon: Steel, Fire, Water, and Ice. So other options like Zekrom, Miraidon, Decidueye, and many more become suitable options.

Best Tera Types for Water-type Pokemon

Following the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and Gen 9, players should be aware of the best combinations available for the Water type, as the mechanic bends the battling rules a little bit.

• Water: Boosts the power of Water moves. It can even be pushed further if it is raining on the battlefield.
• Grass: A defensive Tera Type that helps Water-type Pokemon resist Grass moves after Terastallizing.
• Ground: Will turn your Water-type immune to Electric-type moves after Terastallizing.

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Best Water moves in Pokemon

There are 48 Water-type moves in Pokemon and we’ve picked the most powerful special, physical, and status attacks you can use in battle:

MOVE	CATEGORY	POWER	ACCURACY	PP	EFFECT	GEN
Water Spout	Special	150	100%	5	The higher the user’s HP, the higher the damage caused	Gen III
Hydro Pump	Special	110	80%	5	–	Gen I
Origin Pulse	Special	110	85%	10	Hits all adjacent opponents	Gen VI
Surf	Special	90	100%	15	Hits all adjacent opponents	Gen I
Wave Crash	Physical	120	100%	10	User receives recoil damage	Gen VIII
Crabhammer	Physical	100	90%	10	High critical hit ratio	Gen I
Aqua Tail	Physical	90	90%	10	–	Gen IV
Liquidation	Physical	85	100%	10	May lower the opponent’s Defense	Gen VII
Life Dew	Status	X	X	10	User and teammates recover HP	Gen VIII
Rain Dance	Status	X	X	5	Makes it rain for 5 turns	Gen II

Best Water-type Pokemon of all time

The Pokemon franchise has a total of 177 Water-type creatures (up to Gen 9), and here are the 10 best of the ranking:

• Primal Kyogre
• Palkia
• Blastoise
• Gyarados
• Greninja
• Walking Wake
• Swampert
• Tapu Fini
• Ogerpon (Wellspring Mask)
• Tapu Fini

If none of the Pokemon listed above suits you, you can check our ranking with the 15 Best Water-type Pokemon for more options.

That’s all you need to know about Water-type Pokemon. Don’t forget to check out our list of all the Cat or Dog Pokemon in the franchise, and learn more about other types such as Fairy, Psychic, and Ghost.