RBY 4U (Under3U) Poliwag [GP Ready]

Poliwag
Type: Water
Stats: 40 | 50 | 40 | 40 | 90

Introduction

Poliwag is fast, frail, and has access to Hypnosis and Amnesia. These traits make it a high-risk, high-reward suicidal lead. The problem is Poliwag doesn’t strongly dominate any of its match-ups, it only does well against rare ones such as Staryu or Blastoise. This means it doesn’t pay off very often and you usually have to gamble on a coin flip and on Hypnosis’s shaky accuracy. Still, in a fast-paced tier such as 4U where things can go very quickly, Poliwag can give you a huge early-game advantage when it works out.

Lead

Poliwag
- Hypnosis
- Amnesia
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic / Blizzard

Set Details

First step is use Hypnosis and cross your fingers. If it doesn’t work out, Poliwag will end up asleep, paralysed, or severely crippled. If it works out you start setting up one or more Amnesias depending on what your opponent sends in. Hydro Pump is your most powerful move, notably 2HKOing Porygon at +2. Psychic actually hits as hard as Hydro Pump on Water resist and Venomoth, but is more accurate and can cause special drops. Blizzard can be used in that spot if you don’t mind relying on Hydro Pump’s accuracy for Water resists and want to 2HKO Tangela at +2.

Other Options

Surf can diminish the variance with its better accuracy but you lose power and the 2HKO on Porygon (making it a better check).

Checks and Counters

Being such a luck-reliant pokemon actually makes Poliwag its own counter. It’s very limited when it doesn’t work out, and relying on it is pretty much going all in. If it works successfully and lands sleep though, Slowpoke is a good switch-in. It can paralyse it and set up its own Amnesias and win most of the time. Blastoise can also switch-in without fearing much. Tangela can if Poliwag doesn’t have Blizzard (and it can even sleep it) and can set up Growth. Staryu is a possibility but it prefers Blizzard-Wag. Switching on Venomoth to play a 50/50 on putting it asleep is a possibility but you risk losing a bit more than 50% of your life. Porygon can gamble on a Hydro Pump miss and a full paralysis after it has used Thunder Wave. Electrode and Magneton can paralyse and hurt it pretty bad even through Amnesias. Weepinbell OHKOs with critical hit Razor Leaf but is a rare sight and doesn’t like Blizzard.

Match-up Details

Going against Venomoth is a 50/50 on sleep, though Poliwag has a slight disadvantage given that Sleep Powder has a better accuracy than Hypnosis.

Going against Abra also is a speed tie, but it’s a bad match-up. Abra does 65% with Psychic in Average and can paralyse Poliwag, meaning it will not be very efficient.

Rapidash outspeeds, 2HKOs with Body Slam + Hyper Beam, and has a 30% to paralyse Poliwag turn 1. All of this combined with the crit rate and the Hypnosis accuracy means it's a risky match-up, but it can work out. Sames goes with Arcanine.