With Sobble Community Day, Pokémon GO trainers will have every single available Water-type starter in the franchise with their exclusive Community Day moves, obviously until Pokémon Winds and Waves debuts the undeniably cool Gecqua.
Sporting the powerful Hydro Cannon, these Pokémon are known for creating waves in the meta, quite literally!
But with Water types being among the most common monsters, how much of an impact do these starters make in the Raids and PvP meta?
So let’s surf through each Water starter in the game, laying out their performance in combat and how they stack up against each other. We will also look at their Mega Evolutions (wherever applicable).
Blastoise
Fondly called Big Man Blastoise by a large section of the fanbase, this cannon-wielding tortoise is an icon. However, with stats more inclined towards bulk, it’s Mega Blastoise that gets the spotlight from this line.
Mega Blastoise is a tough nut for sure, but it’s outclassed by every other Water starter Mega Evolution in the game. Sure, it’s not a bad idea to use it for the prolonged Mega Boost, but even Mega Swampert is bulkier in that regard. It’s not a poor choice in Raids by any means, but it’s just that the other Water starter Megas offer more value.
Unfortunately, even in the Max Battle scenario, GMax Blastoise is outclassed. In offense, GMax Inteleon is a straight upgrade, dishing out the highest damage figures of not only Water, but all GMax starters in general. Even as a tank, Crowned Shield Zamazenta, Gigantamax Lapras, and even Dynamax Blissey surpass it. So whether it’s Raids or Max Battles, Blastoise only plays second fiddle to other (and better) alternatives.
However, all is not sunk for Blastoise, as this Pokémon is one of the best in PvP, particularly the Great and Ultra League. In both platforms, Blastoise is among the defining threats with a win rate over nearly half the meta!
What really matters is that Blastoise is at least functional in every mode of combat. While outclassed, it is a decent addition to both Raids and Max Battles. Its peak comes in the GO Battle League, where it is always a major threat. Honestly, props to Blastoise for carving a niche for itself wherever it goes!
Feraligatr
Feraligatr was once dismal in Raids, but thanks to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this croc will get access to a powerful Water/Dragon Mega Evolution in the future. The best part? Mega Feraligatr is busted!
While Mega Greninja will edge it out in DPS, when considering the perfect mix of damage and bulk, Mega Feraligatr is the best Water starter in Pokémon GO!
In fact, the Dragon subtyping helps Mega Feraligatr take only 0.391x damage from Fire attacks (as compared to 0.691x by a typical Water type). Of course, Primal Kyogre will remain the overall best Water Pokémon, but when it comes to Fire Raid Bosses, Mega Feraligatr is the best performer in these battles.
Coming to PvP, Feraligatr is lethal (especially the Shadow variant). This killer croc punishes the entire meta with its diverse range of moves, and is an ace at breaking cores. The regular version is a tad behind Blastoise, but for the Shadows, Feraligatr is easily stronger than Blastoise.
By the way, shout-out to the incredible Steve Irwin. We all miss you, and you would have loved Mega Feraligatr.
Swampert
For Swampert, I’d like to talk about PvP first, as this is one of those rare Pokémon that is viable in all Leagues, including the Little Cup! Packing the amazing Water and Ground dual typing, Swampert is only double-weak to Grass, and it made Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon famous. Its fame set the concept of Mud Bois in stone and made it the stuff of legend for all GBL players! While power creep has made Swampert a little less relevant in PvP these days, it is still quite the threat and almost always proves useful in any PvP battle it participates in.
For Raids, you rock the hunky Mega Swampert, the bulkiest Water starter in the game. This makes it an asset for keeping the Mega Boost afloat for a long while, and though it is outclassed by a fair bit in both the Water and Ground typing, it remains a solid choice for both. Swampert, dear reader, will remain one of the best non-Legendary investments you would make in Pokémon GO. Period.
Empoleon
We finally come to a Water starter without a Mega Evolution, and it’s the uniquely typed Empoleon, flashing the Water and Steel combo. Sadly, the impressive intro doesn’t make up for the damage numbers, as Empoleon is among the lower tier of Hydro Cannon users, and unlike the two Pokémon it surpasses in DPS (Feraligatr and Blastoise), it doesn’t have a Mega Evolution to salvage.
Now, you might think that Empoleon is a major disappointment, but this bird flips the script in PvP, establishing itself as one of the premier threats in the Great and Ultra League. After all, it has a whopping 11 type resistances and a superb moveset of Metal Sound, Hydro Cannon, and Drill Peck.
In fact, in the Forever Forward Season, Empoleon is the top-ranked Water starter in both the Great and Ultra League rankings!
Samurott
Samurott surpasses Empoleon, Feraligatr, and Blastoise in DPS, but two of those have Megas to become relevant in PvE. Samurott now contends with Empoleon, and while it’s a little better in Raids, Empoleon takes the crown in PvP.
To put it into perspective, while there is no real ‘worst’ Hydro Cannon user in Pokémon GO, Samurott is definitely the least impressive. So if you’re looking for a pecking order of Hydro Cannon users in an overall sense, Samurott is at the bottom of the barrel.
Greninja
A lot of you might have been waiting for this, and you’ll be glad to know that it was well worth the wait! After Primal Kyogre, Mega Greninja is the best Water type for Raids in Pokémon GO. In other words, Mega Greninja delivers the top performance from a Water-type starter. It doesn’t just end here; if the game decides to bring Ash Greninja to the forefront, the icon is even stronger and will surpass Primal Kyogre in damage figures!
Even at this moment, there’s a lot to cheer as Shadow Greninja is among the best damage dealers in the Water department, just marginally behind Shadow Kyogre.
Now, you would expect that Greninja having the bulk of a wet tissue paper would make it terrible in PvP, but thanks to having access to the quickest Water Fast Attack in PvP (Water Shuriken), it can use Hydro Cannon in no time and annihilate a large portion of the Great and Ultra League metas. Greninja has earned its hype in Pokémon GO just like the anime and the mainline games, and this froggo is here to slay!
Primarina
Primarina is yet to have its Shadow debut in Pokémon GO, but even without that, it is very good, dealing almost as much DPS as Crabhammer Kingler in the Water typing, and close to Togekiss in the Fairy typing. This makes this elegant starter superb for lower-tier Raids.
But what truly makes Primarina stand out is its performance in the Master League. Trainers, Primarina is the only starter Pokémon (considering all of Water, Fire, and Grass) to excel in the Master League, an environment where Legendaries run rampant. With an excellent moveset, stats, and the fabulous Water/Fairy typing (not weak to Steel), this is among the top threats in the GO Battle League’s ultimate platform. If you have one with high IVs, you’ll be surprised by how well it fares in the Master League!
Quaquaval
Don’t be fooled by the pomp and glamour of this dancing birb; Quaquaval is the second-best Hydro Cannon user when not considering Megas and Shadows, and is an amazing addition to your Raid squad. Yes, its Fighting type showing leaves a lot to be desired, but its Water DPS is pretty close to regular Kyogre! That’s frankly an incredible feat for a non-Shadow starter.
Quaquaval isn’t the most memorable in PvP, but it does put up a decent display in the Great and Ultra League. Nothing too flamboyant in combat, but usable in a positive way nonetheless.
Hisuian Samurott
Are you ready to finally meet the worst Water starter? Well, it’s someone who doesn’t learn Hydro Cannon, but the fact remains that Hisuian Samurott is bad. For context, Hisuian Samurott’s DPS is behind the likes of Sharpedo, Volcanion, and even Shadow Omastar, making it a horrible pick for Raids. And yeah, it’s the same as a Dark type as well, inflicting less damage than Bisharp and Cacturne. 🙁
Unfortunately for Hisuian Samurott, it’s extremely low ranked in PvP as well, making it a forgettable starter despite its amazing design and shiny.
Inteleon
We finally arrive at the star of the moment, and the name’s Inteleon. Intel Eon. First up, with a jaw-dropping ATK of 262, it boasts the highest offensive power of ALL starters (all three types) in Pokémon GO (ignoring Mega Evolutions, obviously). As a result, Inteleon eclipses both Kyogre and Mega Gyarados in DPS, and is at the top of Hydro Cannon DPS (no Megas and no Shadows). In other words, Inteleon is the best non-Mega, non-Shadow Water type in Pokémon GO.
On the flip side, Inteleon’s horrendous bulk makes it the worst starter for PvP in general. But once again, there’s a twist with Inteleon’s résumé as it has the highest ATK of all Gigantamax Pokémon in the game. It is the undisputed best Water type for Max Battles, dealing astronomical damage with GMax Hydrosnipe. This makes it the best Gigantamax Pokémon to do super-effective damage against Fire, Rock, and Ground Max Pokémon, but do remember that GMax Inteleon is also very glassy, requiring tanky support from the likes of DMax Blissey or GMax Blastoise. Also, GMax Hydrosnipe does 350/400/450 DMG for level 1/2/3, but the damage at level 3 can be boosted to level 4 and 550 DMG with the Dynamax Cannon Adventure Effect of Eternatus.
You can read the comparative analysis articles covering all Grass starters and Fire starters in Pokémon GO, and in either case, we were able to narrow down the top performers quite effortlessly. However, the Water type starters are a different ballgame altogether. Other than Hisuian Samurott, we have deduced at least a niche (and impressive) application of all the Hydro Cannon starters in the meta. Seriously, all of these starters have something to brag about, and it would be an injustice to crown a best Water starter.
That said, we are now 100% sure that among all three starter types, Water is undoubtedly the best in Pokémon GO!
