Politoed is easily one of the best water Pokemon ever. Maybe not in terms of stats or battle capabilities. But in its design. I mean, look at it. It’s a giant frog. What more could you possibly want? But getting it will require a little help from a friend… and perhaps a few thousand Pokedollars. Here’s how to get Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
How to Get Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
If you have Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’ve likely noticed there’s not a single Poliwag anywhere across the whole of Paldea. But if you have the Teal Mask DLC, you can get your very own tadpole in Kitakami, just outside of Moussi Town. Poliwags and even Poliwhirls love the river just south and east of town.
But these Poliwhirls can evolve into more than just Poliwrath. If you want your very own Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll need to trade a Poliwhirl holding a King’s Rock.
If you don’t have a friend on hand to trade with, there are community-set trade codes for the Teal Mask, which can help you get your Politoed. But in exchange, you’ll need to trade back a Poliwhirl with a King’s Rock.
How to Get a King’s Rock in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Unfortunately, there’s only one shop in Kitakami, and it doesn’t sell everything we need. To get a King’s Rock in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you must go to the Delibird Presents Shop in Mesagoza.
It’s the shop closest to the southeast entrance. But be prepared to spend quite a bit on it. They go for 10,000 Pokedollars.
What Other Pokemon Evolve With a King’s Rock?
Turn’s out Poliwhirl isn’t the only Pokemon you can evolve with a King’s Rock—you can also evolve Kantonian Slowpoke. Kantonian Slowpoke normally evolves into Slowbro starting at level 37, but much like Poliwhirl, if you trade it while it’s holding a King’s Rock, that Slowpoke will then evolve into the handsomely royal Slowking.
And that’s it—those are the only two Pokemon that evolve with a King’s Rock. But the Rock does also have a useful habit of occasionally making your opponent Flinch when attacking them, so it’s a pretty good item to keep around.
Can You Catch Politoed in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?
It is possible to catch Politoed natively all by your lonesome in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but you’ll need a good amount of luck and skill to do so. To catch Politoed, you’ll need to come across one in a 5-Star or 6-Star Tera Raid. Politoed aren’t walking around in the wild, so this is the only way to get one if you want to bypass trading.
You’ll have to come prepared, because high-level Tera Raids are no joke. The best way to tackle these raids are with a friend or with strangers online, but we understand that’s not always an option, so we’ll try to give you a little guidance here.
You’ll be facing off against a level 75 or 90 Politoed with near-perfect stats and a random Tera type. Given that Tera types are random, we can’t tell you exactly which Pokemon will be best as a type match-up, but we can at least tell you that you’ll want to bring a Pokemon that can tank some serious Water damage. The Politoed we faced had the moves Surf, Hyper Voice, Weather Ball, and Encore, and had the ability Drizzle which makes it rain at the start of battle.
In our playthrough, we used Walking Wake against Politoed. Walking Wake is a bulky Pokemon that can not only can tank Politoed’s enhanced Water attacks but also use Sunny Day to keep the effects of rain at bay. As a bonus, Walking Wake’s ability, Protosynthesis, meant that the harsh sunlight from Sunny Day boosted its most proficient stat as well as Fire-type attacks. The amount of mileage you get out of Fire attacks will depend on the Tera type you’re up against. Our Politoed’s Tera type was Fairy, which is weak to Fire, so this was perfect for us.
Success in a high-level Tera Raid depends on your ability to deal as much damage as possible, so if Walking Wake isn’t cutting the mustard for you, try looking at Ghost/Grass duo type Pokemon like Trevenant or Ghost/Dragon duo types like Drakloak. The Ghost typing will make you immune to Hyper Voice (and possibly Weather Ball if you can get rid of the rain), and the Grass and Dragon typing will make you resistant to Water. Just be sure to have a move-set that can output the damage you need.
Once you knock out Politoed, you’ll be able to catch it with a guaranteed 100% catch rate no matter the ball you choose. Despite facing off against a level 90 Politoed, the Politoed you catch will always be level 75.
How to Unlock 6-Star Tera Raids
If you’re having trouble finding a Politoed Raid, or any 6-Star Tera Raids at all in your game, it’s probably because you haven’t unlocked them. The game doesn’t tell you this, but you’ll actually have to go through quite a lengthy process before you start stumbling across these high-level raids.
To unlock 6-Star Tera Raids, you need to first finish the game. This includes all three pathways: Victory Road, Path of Legends, and Starfall Street. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have to face all eight gym leaders for a second time, and then beat the first Academy Ace Tournament. After that, Jacq will call you and tell you about these dangerous raid crystals popping up that you shouldn’t go into.
You should absolutely go into these dangerous raids. After completing ten 4-Star and 5-Star Tera Raids, you’ll unlock 6-Star Raids. Once unlocked, you can find only one 6-Star Tera Raid per real life day. But you can always move your Switch’s internal clock forward if you’re particularly impatient. Good luck finding that Politoed!
Politoed isn’t the only Pokemon you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to grab. Getting a Masterpiece Poltchaegist might be one of the hardest tasks in the Teal Mask DLC.
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