Politoed

Bad Gyarados, bad Vaporeon, bad Suicune… the list goes on and on. In the main series games, Politoed automatically made it rain, which would’ve been a neat ability in GO.

Best PvE Offensive Moveset

• Bubble is superior to Mud Shot for Politoed’s role as a Fire, Rock, and Ground-type slayer. 

• Weather Ball Water is best charge move due to its consistency as 3-bar move. 

• Surf and Hydro Pump are step down, but still decent if TMs are lacking. 

• Scald is another step down.

• Ice Beam* and Blizzard are a fine moves, but they have no synergy with Politoed’s fast moves.

• Earthquake can pair with Mud Shot for a budget Ground-type attacker role, but maybe use other Pokemon instead? 

• Return is also a bad option.

Best PvE Defensive Moveset

• Bubble is the better defensive fast move for its stronger DPS. 

• Weather Ball Water is better than Scald and Surf due to its easier accessibility as a 3-bar move. 

• Ice Beam* has coverage against Grass-type attackers and Dragonite, common attackers into Politoed.

• Blizzard is a 1-bar move, and is almost always inferior to Ice Beam on defense.

• Hydro Pump is the least reactable of Politoed’s charge moves, but takes a long time to access. 

• Earthquake can surprise Electric-type attackers, until they dodge it.

• Return comes out fast and furious, but doesn't have very high damage. 

Mud Shot is generally more preferable as it allows Politoed to use its powerful charge moves sooner before fainting. Bubble can also be viable if more Water-type damage is needed since it also gets STAB, but having slower access to its charge moves may leave Politoed more vulnerable without coverage options. 

Weather Ball (Water) costs slightly less energy than Surf but is slightly less efficient in terms of Damage Per Energy (DPE). Earthquake and Blizzard both provide valuable coverage, with the former covering against Politoed's weakness to Electric, and the latter covering Politoed's weakness to Grass. Either move can work depending on coverage needed. Ice Beam is a cheaper alternative to Blizzard, sacrificing burst damage for increased reliability