Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Best Water Types [Top 10]

Much like every other game before them, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet also feature multiple Water-type Pokemon. To be more specific, there are 54 Water types in Scarlet and Violet, with 12 new Water-type Pokemon.

Water-type moves are strong against Fire, Rock, and Ground-type Pokemon. But Water-type Pokemon are weak against Electric and Grass-type moves. Due to its great offensive and defensive capabilities, the Water type is considered one of the best in the games.

With that being said, what are the top 10 best Water-type Pomeon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? And what is the type effectiveness of Water-type Pokemon in general?

Here’s your ultimate guide to the 10 best Water-type Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Key takeaways

• Water-type Pokemon are strong against Fire, Ground, and Rock-type Pokemon.
• But they are weak against Electric and Grass-type moves.
• One of the best Water types in Scarlet and Violet is Palafin.
• You can also get a Gyarados, which is considered a classic gem from the first Generation.
• Other incredible Water-type Pokemon include Quaquaval, Barraskewda, Vaporeon, and Cloyster.

The Water Type In Scarlet And Violet Explained

The Water type has existed since Generation I and is one of the 18 types in Pokemon. This type, along with the Fire and Grass types, is one of the first Pokemon types you receive in the form of a Starter Pokemon.

As such, one of the first Water types in Scarlet and Violet that you can choose is Quaxly. This pompous little duckling has all-around great stats that are balanced. And its final evolution, Quaquaval, is the perfect choice for a beginner. But more on that later.

Water Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

The Water type is strong against the Fire, Ground, and Rock types. This makes sense, given the nature of these elements.

However, you should avoid using Water-type moves against other Water-type Pokemon. They will also deal 50% less damage against Grass and Dragon-type Pokemon.

On the contrary, most Water-type Pokemon can learn Ice-type moves that are useful against Grass and Dragon-type Polemon. Hence, it’s a great offensive type.

Moreover, weather effects such as rain can boost the power of Water-type moves. But harsh sunlight will reduce it. Extremely harsh sunlight will negate all Water-type damage.

Water Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice
• No effect: None

Water types in Scarlet and Violet are weak against Electric and Grass-type moves. This means that moves of these two specific types will deal double the damage that they would normally deal.

Additionally, Fire, Ice, and other Water-type moves deal half the normal damage to Water-type Pokemon. Hence, you’re better off fighting against these types.

Since Water-type Pokemon are only weak to two types, Water is a great defensive type too. Moreover, if you use Soak or Freeze-Dry, it will make your opponent Water-type and give you the upper hand.

Top 10 Water Type Pokemon In Scarlet And Violet

These are the 10 of the best Water types in Scarlet and Violet:

Slowking

• Type: Water/Psychic
• Abilities: Oblivious, Own Tempo
• Hidden Ability: Regenerator
• Base Stat Total: 490

The first on the list is Slowking. This Water/Psychic is the best Pokemon for its Special Defense and HP. For reference, it has a Base HP of 95 and a Base Special Defense of 110.

Besides that, however, this Pokemon is extremely slow (following the tradition with the Slowpoke line). However, the slow speed is immediately compensated by its defensive capabilities.

Not only is its Special Defense extremely high but it also has the Oblivious Ability. This prevents it from being intimidated, taunted, infatuated, or even Confused.

And to add icing on the cake, this Pokemon can learn all sorts of Status Moves along with HP-recovering moves.

How To Acquire Slowking

First, purchase the King’s Rock and catch a Slowpoke. Then, equip the King’s Rock on the Slowpoke and trade it for any other Pokemon. It will evolve into this Pokemon once it reaches the other player. Then, you can simply trade it back.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock, Fighting, Poison
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon, Psychic, Steel
• No effect: Dark

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass, Ghost, Dark, Bug
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel, Psychic, Fighting
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Oblivious: Slowking cannot be infatuated, taunted, or affected by Intimidate..
• Own Tempo: Slowking cannot be confused or affected by Intimidate..
• Regenerator (Hidden): The Pokemon regenerates some of its HP when it is withdrawn.

Gastrodon

• Type: Water/Ground
• Abilities: Storm Drain, Sticky Hold
• Hidden Ability: Sand Force
• Base Stat Total: 475

Another strong Water-type Pokemon that you should use in battle is Gastrodon. It has the dual Water/Ground-typing that makes it an extremely hard Pokemon to counter in fights.

And that’s not all. Gastroodn has relatively higher Defense than other Water-type Pokemon. Given its higher HP base stat, you can guess that this Pokemon is pretty much unstoppable. The only type that can deal super-effective damage against this Pokemon is the Grass Type.

How To Acquire Gastrodon

You can easily acquire a Gastorodon by leveling a Shellos until it reaches level 30. It will evolve into Gastrodon.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock, Electric, Poison, Steel
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon, Bug
• No effect: Flying

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Grass,
• Not very effective: Fire, Steel, Poison, Rock
• No effect: Electric, Water (due to Storm Drain)

Abilities

• Storm Drain: Gastrodon becomes the target for all Water-type moves. Water-type moves do no damage to Gastrodon, instead boosting its Special Attack.
• Sticky Hold: Items held by Gastrodon cannot be stolen or removed by other Pokemon.
• Sand Force (Hidden): Gastrodon’s Ground, Steel, and Rock-type attacks get a boost during a sandstorm.

Floatzel

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Swift Swim
• Hidden Ability: Water Veil
• Base Stat Total: 495

If you want a Water-type Pokemon with balanced stats, then opt for Floatzel. This Pokemon has incredible Speed that even trumps that of Gengar. Additionally, its Attack stat is impressive compared to other fully-evolved Pokemon.

Moreover, due to Floatzel’s Swift Swim Ability, its Speed doubles when it is raining. Combine this with the Rain Dance TM, and you have a Pokemon that’s extremely fast in battle.

There are two downsides to this Pokemon, however. First, Floatzel is not so great for defensive capabilities. Its Defense and Special Defense are exceptionally low. Additionally, Floatzel has a generally lower total base stat than other fully-evolved Water types.

How To Acquire Floatzel

You can easily find Floatzel in the wild in Beach, River, and Ocean Biomes. Additionally, you can evolve one from Buizel at level 26.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Swift Swim: Pokemon with this ability have boosted Speed during rainfall.
• Water Veil (Hidden): Floatzel cannot be burned.

Dondozo

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Oblivious, Unaware
• Hidden Ability: Water Veil
• Base Stat Total: 530

Also encountered as a Titan, Dondozo is a great Water-type in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s highly revered due to its higher total base stat as well as its extreme resilience.

To be more specific, it has a base Defense of 115 and a base HP of 150. With these stats, it can take on any and all attacks, as long as they aren’t super-effective.

Additionally, it has a base stat of 100, which makes it a good offensive Pokemon as well. However, it has very low Special Attack and Defense and even lower Speed. Hence, it should be used with caution.

How To Acquire Dondozo

You can find Dondoz as a Titan in the middle of Casseroya Lake. To find out more about how to defeat the Titan Dondozo, check out our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Titan order guide.

If you didn’t catch the Pokemon the first time you fought it, you can go back to the location and catch it again.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Oblivious: Dondozo cannot be infatuated, taunted, or affected by Intimidate.
• Unaware: Dondozo will ignore any changes in the stats of an opponent when attacking.
• Water Veil (Hidden): The Pokemon cannot be burned.

Golduck

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Cloud Nine, Damp
• Hidden Ability: Swift Swim
• Base Stat Total: 500

If you have played the first Generation games, you’ll know that Golduck is the Water-type Pokemon of choice for most players. Although it has been overshadowed by newer Pokemon, it’s still a great option in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

For one thing, it has a high Special Attack, meaning that its Water attacks deal a lot of damage. Additionally, due to its Cloud Nine Ability, it will negate all weather effects. This, paired with the Swift Swim Hidden Ability, can make it an unstoppable Pokemon.

However, it’s more balanced than specialized. Hence, it’s a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none.

How To Acquire Golduck

You can find a bunch of Golduck in the crater that’s right next to Fury Falls. They appear only when you eat a Chocolate Banana Crepe at Mesagoza. Then, you’ll need to fly northwest of the South Province in Area Two.

The crater is ripe with Golduck as well as some Dratini and they keep appearing even when you catch them. You can also evolve a Psyduck by leveling it up to level 33.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Cloud Nine: Removes all weather effects from the battlefield.
• Damp: Prevents opponents from using any explosive attacks like Self-Destruct.
• Swift Swim (Hidden): Golduck’s Speed becomes doubled when it rains.

Cloyster

• Type: Water/Ice
• Abilities: Skill Link, Shell Armor
• Hidden Ability: Overcoat
• Base Stat Total: 525

One of the best Water types in Scarlet and Violet for its defensiveness is Cloyster. It has a base Defense of 180, making it ideal for countering Pokemon that are super-effective against its typing.

Additionally, its Attack and Special Attack stats are relatively better too. Hence, it’s a great offensive Pokemon as well. However, it has a very low base HP and even lower Special Defense. Hence, you should consider boosting those stats.

Moreover, this Pokemon is the best choice for battling the late-game Dragon-type Pokemon you can find in the games.

How To Acquire Cloyster

Unfortunately, you can not find this Pokemon in the wild. You’ll need to evolve it from a Shellder. First, catch a Shellder. You can easily find one in seawater. But you can’t find them in bodies of freshwater.

Then, get a Water Stone and expose your Shellder to it. It will evolve into a Cloyster. The best part is that you don’t need to waste time training to level up your Shelder.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Ground, Rock, Flying
• Not very effective: Water, Dragon, Steel
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Ice
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Skill Link: Makes multi-strike moves always hit 5 times.
• Shell Armor: Cloysters cannot receive any critical hits.
• Overcoat (Hidden): Cloyster is immune to sandstorms, spores, and powders.

Vaporeon

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Water Absorb
• Hidden Ability: Hydration
• Base Stat Total: 525

Vaporeon is an excellent choice for gamers who want a well-rounded offensive and defensive Pokemon. To be more specific, Vaporeon has a high base HP, Special defense, and Special Attack. Hence, it’s a Pokemon that deals with incredible amounts of Special damage.

However, its Attack and Defence as well as its Speed are not very high. Hence, you should consider hosting those stats to give your Vaporeon an upper hand in battle. Moreover, due to its Water Absorb Ability, it’s not only immune to Water-type attacks but also restores HP from them.

How To Acquire Vaporeon

To acquire a Vaporeon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you must use a Water Stone on an Eevee. Eevees are not very easy to find. You can only find them in specific locations. These include South Province (Area 2), West Province (Area 3), and the route that leads to the Pokemon League.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Water Absorb: Vaporeon will restore a quarter of its max HP when it is hit by Water-type attacks.
• Hydration (Hidden): Cures all status conditions of Vaporeon when it is raining.

Barraskewda

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Swift Swim
• Hidden Ability: Propeller Tail
• Base Stat Total: 490

Barraskewda has an extremely high base Attack of 123 paired with an even higher Speed of 136. This makes it the perfect choice for offensive gameplay. However, its other stats, including its Special Defense and HP, are not the best. Hence, it’s best for knocking out enemies quickly.

What makes this Pokemon even better is its Swift Swim Ability. This doubles its already-impressive Speed when it is raining. Paired with Rain Dance, it will make the Pokemon take the upper hand in battle.

How To Acquire Barraskewda

You can find Barraskewda in abundance in the Paldea region. They are found in the Ocean and River Biomes, though the spawn rate is quite low. Alternatively, you can evolve an Arrokuda by leveling it up to level 26.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Swift Swim: Barraskewda’s Speed doubles when it rains.
• Propeller Tail (Hidden): Rejects the opponent’s Abilities’ effects and also ignores moves that draw in other moves.

Quaquaval

• Type: Water/Fighting
• Abilities: Torrent
• Hidden Ability: Moxie
• Base Stat Total: 530

If you chose Quaxly as your Starter Pokemon, then you’re in luck. Quaquaval is an extremely powerful Pokemon and even has dual Water/Fighting typing. Its stats are all balanced with exceptional Attack and Speed.

Additionally, since it has dual typing, it can learn both water and Fighting-type moves. This completely changes the game as it opens up your options to strong attacks like Wave Crash, Close Combat, and Swords Dance.

How To Acquire Quaquaval

There is only one method for obtaining Quaquaval in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and that’s to level your Quaxly. Quaxly can be acquired right at the very start of the game as your Starter Pokemon.

Quaxly will first evolve into Quaxwell at level 16. Then, Quaxwell will evolve into Quaquaval at level 36. You can also trade for Quaxly and its evolutionary line if you have a friend who chose Quaxly as a starter.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock, Normal, Ice, Dark, Steel
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon, Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Fairy
• No effect: Ghost

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, Fairy
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel, Bug, Rock, Dark
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Torrent: If Quaquaval has less than or equal to a third of its max HP, its Water-type attacks will deal 50% more damage.
• Moxie (Hidden): When Quaquaval makes a Pokemon faint via a damaging move, its Attack will increase. If its Attack has already been increased by 6 stages, Moxie has no effect.

Palafin

• Type: Water
• Abilities: Zero to Hero
• Hidden Ability: None
• Base Stat Total: 457 (Zero Form), 650 (Hero Form)

And the most powerful of all Water types in Scarlet and Violet is Palafin. And the reasons why are all too obvious. For one thing, Palafin is an extremely flexible Pokemon. Its base stats in its Zero Form are pretty impressive on their own. Its base HP and Speed are incredible in this state.

And when it transforms into the Hero Form, it retains its high HP and Speed. But on top of that, it also gets extra high Defense, Special Attack, Attack, and Special Defense. Thus, it’s one of the best Water types for both its defensive and offensive nature.

However, activating its Hero Form is not going to be easy. You’ll need to switch Palafin out first. The Hero Form only gets activated after switching the Pokemon out.

How To Acquire Palafin

You must evolve a Finizen into a Palafin. The good news is that Finizens can be found in almost every single ocean present in Paldea.

The bad news is that evolving is going to be tough. You’ll need to go to the Pokemon Center and join a Union Circle. For this, you’ll need a friend to play with you. You must level up your Finizen to level 38 while in the Union Circle with at least one other player.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Rock
• Not very effective: Water, Grass, Dragon
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Grass
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
• No effect: None

Abilities

• Zero to Hero: The signature ability of Palafin. If you switch out your Zero Form Palafin for the first time during a fight, it will switch into its Hero form.

Bonus Entry: Gyarados

• Type: Water/Flying
• Abilities: Intimidate
• Hidden Ability: Moxie
• Base Stat Total: 540

Gyarados is an extremely powerful Water-type in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It has great-rounded stats that lend it incredible durability as well as offensiveness during battle.

To begin, it has a base Attack of 125 and a base Special Defense of 100. This makes it one of the best Pokemon for both offensive and defensive strategies. Additionally, its Speed, Defense, and HP are also incredibly high. The only stat that it falters in is Special Attack.

Gyarados has a unique learn-set which includes the all-time powerful Hyper Beam. Pair that with Intimidate, and you have a virtually unstoppable Pokemon. It also has a Mega Evolution, but you can’t use Mega Evolutions as of now in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

How To Acquire Gyarados

You can catch Gyarados in the wild by traveling to the Secluded Beach, East and South Paldean Seas, and even Casseroya Lake. You can also catch a Magikarp in the same locations and evolve it at level 20.

Offensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Fire, Ground, Fighting, Bug
• Not very effective: Water, Dragon, Electric, Steel
• No effect: None

Defensive Type Effectiveness

• Super-effective: Electric, Rock
• Not very effective: Fire, Water, Steel, Flying, Bug
• No effect: Ground

Abilities

• Intimidate: Gyarados lowers the Attack stats of all adjacent opponents in battle.
• Moxie (Hidden): If Gyarados makes another Pokemon faint via a damaging move, its Attack rises. If its Attack has already risen by 6 stages, Moxie will have no effect.

Final Thoughts

The Water type is an extremely powerful type in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It features exceptional offense with splendid defense and an amazing move pool.

Of all the Water types in Scarlet and Violet, Palafin and Gyarados have got to be the best. They have the most useful Abilities in battle paired with great all-round stats. You can also opt for Quaquaval or Barraskewda, both of which have great offensive capabilities.

Now that you know the best Water types in Scarlet and Violet, it’s time to catch your own Pokemon.

Are lag and jitter slowing you down? Check out our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet performance issues guide for troubleshooting technical problems.