Ah, Wartortle (get it? a war turtle)—one of my favorite Gen I Evoliote Pokémon. In Pokémon GO, though, Wartortle packs a punch still. It excels in the Great League thanks to its defensive stats and pretty decent move pool. Let’s dive in. 🏄♀️
About Wartortle in Pokémon GO
Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon, is #8 in the National Pokédex.
In Pokémon GO, you can either evolve it from its pre-evolution, the Squirtle, using 25 Squirtle Candies. It becomes Blastoise at the cost of another 100 Candies.
Luckily, though—it only costs 10,000 Candies to unlock an additional move. Now—only where to get this gem.
How To Get Wartortle in Pokémon GO
There are several ways, from classic Pokémon catching to special events. As of March 2021, you can catch Wartortle in Pokémon GO by:
- Encountering Wartortle in the wild, albeit it’s relatively uncommon.
- Catch and evolve Squirtle from the wild.
- Special events: Niantic gives plenty of love to Kanto Pokémon, so stay tuned for when they gather en masse.
- Raid battles: Although unlikely, as the last time Wartortle was featured was back in early 2018.
Pokémon GO rotates various events throughout the year, so if you don’t find this little guy in the wild—chances are—you will have to wait for a while. With how the game is set up, particularly for the more difficult catches, they either come in large batches through events or non at all. If you believe you’ve got the luck for it, as a Water typing—try to find the closest body of water and happy hunting!
Best Wartortle Movesets in Pokémon GO PVP Battles
This ‘mon CP caps at 1702. With this max CP, the only league where it will find a footing is in the Great League.
Wartortle’s Attack/Defense/HP distribution is: 153/126/155

But when it the realm that it is usable in, though—it does well. For Pokémon with higher max CPs, the best strategy is to minimize Attack EVs and maximize Defense and HP since Attack counts double in CP. This way, your battle Pokémon will get the most stat distribution for the allocated CP of 1,500.
However, in Wartortle’s case, In terms of EV, since its max stats peak just over the league’s limit of 1,500—your best bet is to go all out.
- Attack = 15
- Defense = 15
- HP = 15
I was lucky enough to catch a Wartortle at its max EVs capacity—and it’s oh-so-rewarding!

Onto movesets:
TR; DR—The best set for Wartortle is:
- Fast Attack: Water Gun
- Charge Attacks: Aqua Jet, Ice Beam
Wartorle’s Fast Attacks in Pokémon GO

Wartorle’s Charge Attacks in Pokémon GO

Detailed PVP Strategy for Wartortle
Remember, this little guy’s stat distribution is 153/126/155. Any Pokémon in the Great League with a lower Attack stat than HP and Defense would be considered a “tanker” and can take a good few charge attacks before going down.
Thus, Wartortle makes an excellent starting mon to open a battle. Your goal with Wartortle is to take a few hits, charge up energy quickly, and deplete the opponent with their shield.
Wartorle has two simple, fast attacks: Water Gun and Bite. Water Gun is your go-to fast attack; it’s slightly weaker, but charges 50% more energy than Bite—3 every half seconds, or 6 energies per second.
Aqua Jet is an excellent charge attack, not for the prowess, but the minimal energy requirement of 45. Thus, it requires 8 quick Water Guns—the equivalent to 4 seconds for you to launch your first charged move.
And you’ve guessed it. Your goal is not to deal damage; you should focus on firing multiple Aqua Jets and deplete 1-2 of the opponent’s shields while keeping your shields for your two other heavy hitters in the party.
Ice Beam is not too shabby either, with an average energy requirement and outstanding power of 90. Since many users, especially the seasoned veterans in the Great League, expect weaker hits to go out at the start of the battle—you could launch your first charge move with an unexpected Ice Beam. Trust, it’s a fantastic little feeling when you land a super effective move against a Dragon or Grass-type right at the start of the battle (Venasaur and Altaria be-gone!).
I’ve gotten so many to rage-quit with this strategy! And the best part is, since it’s such an uncommon Great League Pokémon in the current meta, nobody expects what to happen! Thus, catch your foe off guard and sweep!
Other Strategies in PVP Battles
You could also use Wartortle as the closing ‘mon, though I found this tactic to be a bit less effective. Because, usually, without draining all foe’s shields off, Wartortle fails to take down the last Pokémon with the lower power of Aqua Jet. Also, albeit fast, Water Gun doesn’t load up energy quite as fast as other premier fast attacks, such as the Bullet Seed, Mud Shot, or Bubble.
The trickiest part is, I admit—finding one with full stats. So keep your eye out for a supporting event to snatch the perfect 4* Wartorle in Pokémon GO. And happy fun battling, Trainers!
Aiangato Rating: 5/5—it’s unpredictable, it’s fun, and it’s nostalgic! 👾
Leave a Reply