Pokémon: The 8 Best Gen III Water-types (& 7 That Aren't So Great)
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Pokemon The 12 Best Gen 3 Water-Types
Gen III featured some great water-types, and some that just didn't live up to expectations. Gamers familiar with the Gen 3 Pokemon games (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) know that this is not the easiest of lists to compile. The source of this difficulty is the fact that there was an abundance of great Gen 3 Water . Because of this, there will be a lot of great Pokemon left off this list – like Whiscash (who is surprisingly capable in battle), Sharpedo, Milotic, and Kingdra. Only the final stage of a Pokemon's evolutionary line will make this list, and only the move-sets available for these Pokemon in will be considered. Updated May 26, 2022, by Jeff Drake: Gen 3 introduced not only many great Pokemon to the series, but it also added new game mechanics to the series that are still around in the current generation. One of these additions was passive abilities. These abilities can make a so-so Pokemon much more formidable in battle. The Pokemon from previous generations appearing in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald were given one (or more) of these passive abilities. This means there are Pokemon from Gens 1 and 2 that didn't make a list of the best Water-types from those games might be included in the best from Gen 3. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Milotic
Milotic was introduced in Gen 3 and has maintained its reputation as a one-Pokemon wrecking crew. Special Attack and Special Defense are Milotic's best stats, but it also has a healthy amount of hit points as well - the rest of its stats aren't exactly horrible either. Even back in Gen 3, this Pokemon had a great list of moves to choose from. It has Recover, which allows Milotic to heal itself, Attract has 100 percent accuracy and can immobilize Pokemon of the opposite sex, and most importantly, Milotic can learn one of the best Water-type attack moves - Hydro Pump. Whiscash
This catfish Pokemon comes with a lot of hit points, making it a nice tank. The rest of its stats are above average; not great, but also not a detriment in battle. Whiscash is a Water/Ground-type Pokemon. This allows it to battle Electric-type Pokemon without much problem, solving a pretty big problem for most Water-types. The most obvious problem with Whiscash is its lack of powerful Water-type attack moves. It has several strong Ground moves, but its only Water attack is Water Gun (with a power of 40). It can also learn Fissure - this move only has 30 percent accuracy, but if it works, the target instantly faints. Sharpedo
Players that like having their Pokemon going first every turn in battle will like Sharpedo. This shark Pokemon starts fast and gets buffs to its Speed throughout battle thanks to its Speed Boost ability. Its Rough Skin ability cause Pokemon that hit Sharpedo with a physical attack to take damage. Sharpdeo gets several great attack moves, in addition to a few useful status affecting moves. Its best attack move is Skull Bash; this move increases Sharpedo's Defense and delivers substantial damage to the target over two turns. Slash and Crunch are also great choices for attack moves. Crunch is particularly helpful in dealing with those pesky Ghost-types. Relicanth
Relicanth is a slow Pokemon. That's okay, though, because it has , a great Attack, and plenty of hit points. One of this Pokemon's ; this rare ability negates the damage taken by Pokemon who use moves like Double-Edge and Take Down. This Pokemon possesses another rare trait among Pokemon - it can heal itself. Relicanth can learn Rest at level 50 - it's a move that fully heals the user, but also puts them to sleep for two turns. The ability of Pokemon to heal themselves is a lot more common in Sword and Shield, but in Gen 3, there wasn't a large selection of Pokemon with healing moves. Starmie
Starmie has been one of the best Water-types in the series for a long time. Even after so many other Water-types have been added, it still has its role in team compositions and serves its trainers well. With high Speed, Special Attack, and great typing, it's hard to beat. Staryu is found later in the Gen 3 games, being obtained through fishing in Lilycove City. However, this late in the game, it makes great use of high-power attacks like Surf. Most importantly, its possible move-sets help make the rest of the game just a little bit easier. Tate and Liza better watch out. Kingdra
Kingdra is a cool and unique Pokemon that is oft-forgotten in favor of other, easier-to-obtain Pokemon. Horsea is uncommon, found on a few routes through fishing. It also needs to be traded with an item to evolve from Seadra to Kingdra, meaning people without friends are out of luck. However, Kingdra is a fantastic and unique Pokemon. It is very fast, especially in the rain, with a solid stat-line that gives it the ability to do a lot. Unfortunately, the truth is that Kingdra does struggle more because it can't make use of its attack stat aside from two Normal-type attacks. It wasn't the best of the best, but still pretty great. Ludicolo
Be careful who you make fun of on Route 102 because they might grow up to get some sick dance moves. Ludicolo is a Pokemon capable of defying all the odds. Since its addition into the game, it has found uses in every single tier of play, even when it has no right to be participating. It has an average stat line, but with two Rain-powered abilities in its pocket, it can become a serious threat. In Gen 3, it has incredible type coverage in its move-set and a to either help it tank more hits or dish out serious damage. If you left your Lombre to rot in the PC, you might have missed out on an underappreciated Water-type. Walrein
Walrein is a walrus-like Water/Ice type Pokemon, and evolves from Sealeo (which evolves from Spheal). Ice-type Pokemon are usually strong, and Walrein is no exception. This Pokemon has some excellent stats; particularly hit points, Defense, Special Defense, and Special Attack. Walrein is given access to some seriously powerful attack moves like Blizzard and Body Slam in Gen 3. Additionally, it also learns Rest and Snore – so it can Rest to become fully healed and still attack while sleeping using Snore. Lastly, Walrein can learn Sheer Cold; which can one-hit faint the opponent (if it actually hits). This Pokemon doesn't learn a very powerful Water-type attack via leveling-up, so Walrein is an excellent choice to which to teach Surf. Gyarados
Even people who have never played Pokemon probably recognize Gyarados. This Water/Flying-type Pokemon resembles a giant demonic lamprey and was introduced all the way back in Gen 1. It is also famous for evolving from possibly the weakest Pokemon – Magikarp. This behemoth has great stats all around; however, its maximum hit point total, Attack, and Special Defense are all incredibly high. Gyarados also learns Hyper Beam, and its high Attack rating lets it deal an immense amount of damage when using this move. It's still a little odd this was never made a Water/Dragon-type at some point though. Wailord
Wailord is a titanic whale Pokemon that evolves from Wailmer and is one of the stoutest Pokemon in the game. This Pokemon has an astounding amount of hit points, which is good because Wailord's Defense and Special Defense aren't that great. Wailord also has a high Attack and Special Attack. The list of available moves for Wailord is full of powerful attacks – enough that it's difficult to pick only three or four. Like many Water-types Wailord can learn Hydro Pump (110 power), but unlike those other Pokemon this is not Wailord's best attack. This Pokemon is only one of four that can learn Water Spout (150 power). Swampert
Swampert's appearance on this list is probably not a big surprise to most players since it is the final stage of a Pokemon's evolutionary line. Swampert is a Water/Ground-type, and evolves from the cute little Mudkip (and then Marshtomp). It has a respectable amount of hit points, as well as great Attack, Defense, and Special Defense ratings – its Speed and Special Attack ratings are average. Swampert is immune to Electric-type attack moves, but being a Water/Ground Pokemon makes it doubly weak against Grass-type attacks. This Pokemon's list of available moves includes useful attacks like Muddy Water – which hits all enemy Pokemon in team battles. Kyogre
Kyogre is still one of the most powerful Pokemon in the global Pokedex - despite being five generations old. This Pokemon resembles a blue orca with wings, and is one of the introduced in Gen 3. Kyorge's stats are phenomenal – notably, its Special Attack and Special Defense. Three of Kyogre's available attacks have a power above 100. It also gets Sheer Cold for instant faints and Rest for healing. Drizzle is Kyogre's ability; this activates at the start of battle and causes rain to fall until the end of battle unless weather conditions are changed by a move. The rain causes Kyogre's Water-type attacks to deal an additional 50 percent damage.