Pokémon Sword and Shield has only 400 Pokémon to choose from heading into the 2020 competitive season, which means there’s not a lot of choices left when it comes to finding the perfect Water-type Pokémon to put on your team.
After the National Dex culling in Sword and Shield, there is only a handful of Water-type Pokémon left in the game and most of them are pretty weak. Granted, there are 33 different fully evolved beasts on offer, which is more than what Fire-type Pokémon got.
Thankfully, there are some good heavy hitters and defensive options available. We’ve created this list of options to consider for your next competitive bout.
Milotic
Type: Water
Milotic has been a powerhouse in previous titles and has returned again to wreak havoc on the competition.
Primarily used as a tank, Milotic can also put out a good amount of damage if it needs to. Its popularity as a defensive Water tank dates all the way back to Ruby and Sapphire and was a lot of teams’ main Water-type.
With the Pokédex being cut and a smaller pool of Water-types on offer, Milotic’s market value is sure to rise. But whether that will be enough for it to become a top-tier pick in the competitive scene is yet to be seen.
Pelipper
Type: Water/Flying
Pelipper works best when using the ability Drizzle to cause the terrain to change to rain. Terrain control is important in all battles, especially with the introduction of Dynamax, so having the chance to change it on the fly is a great asset.
Outside of terrain control, Pelipper works best at supporting the team. Teaching it moves like Wide Guard will help out in Double Battles and will set up the field for the rest of your party.
While it can do a lot of damage, it’ll likely faint from any hit due to its low health. Pelipper will do well equipped with a Focus Sash to stay in the battle that much longer and to set up your dominating victory.
Drednaw
Type: Water/Rock
As the only Gigantamax and new Pokémon on the Water-type list, Drednaw is a go-to and beginner-friendly Water-type Pokémon. Anyone can get a near-perfect IV Gigantamax version of Drednaw from Raids and simply change its Nature with a Mint from the Battle Tower.
You ideally want to have a Drednaw that has the ability Shell Armor to make sure opposing Pokémon can’t pull off critical hits. Additionally, players should make it into a physical attacker with a lot of tankiness behind it. Since you’ll likely be using this one to Dynamax, be sure to also invest all your Dynamax crystals into it to give it the most health possible.
Whiscash
Type: Water/Ground
Whiscash could be a Pokémon that you’re sleeping on in the current metagame.
The Water and Ground-type is only weak to Grass-type Pokémon and gains access to powerful moves like Dragon Dance. Its wide variety of abilities means that you can turn it into whatever is best for your party and strategy.
For instance, its Oblivious ability can stop it from being affected by Attract or Taunt. Similarly, Whiscash can make opposing Pokémon flinch through moves like Zen Headbutt or Spark.
Seismitoad
Type: Water/Ground
Like Whiscash, Seismitoad is weak only to Grass-type Pokémon and has access to a wide variety of moves at its disposal. It’s another unorthodox Pokémon in the Water-type pool that can easily be overlooked.
Players can turn this Pokémon into a strong physical attack-dealing machine combined with the Poison Touch ability, which gives Seismitoad a 30-percent chance to poison a target hit with a physical contact move.
