Is Walrein Good?

Walrein is strictly situational. While excellent for in-game playthroughs like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl due to its massive 110/90/90 bulk, it is practically unviable in modern serious competitive play. Its abysmal base 65 Speed and crippling Stealth Rock weakness keep it locked in the lowest tiers.

Walrein trades speed for massive bulk, making it a reliable campaign tank that completely falls apart against serious competitive entry hazards.

Rating 6/10 · Tier A-(In-Game / GO), PU/Untiered (Competitive Singles) · Role : Bulky Special Tank / Phazer

Strengths

• Massive 110 HP and 90 in both defenses allow it to survive most neutral hits.
• Thick Fat ability halves Fire and Ice damage, turning it into a premier special sponge.
• Excellent STAB combination with Surf and Ice Beam hits many major threats for super-effective damage.
• Top-tier threat in Pokémon GO's Great and Ultra Leagues thanks to Powder Snow and Icicle Spear.

Weaknesses

• Base 65 Speed guarantees it moves last against almost all offensive Pokémon.
• Loses 25% of its maximum HP to Stealth Rock upon switching in.
• Weak to highly common Electric, Grass, Fighting, and Rock attacks.
• Lacks reliable instant recovery outside of Rest, severely limiting its long-term walling potential.

Walrein occupies a very specific niche within the Ice/Water type spectrum. Unlike fast offensive glass cannons such as Weavile or Greninja, Walrein is built entirely around taking hits. Its base stat distribution heavily favors survivability, boasting a massive 110 HP paired with a solid 90 in both Defense and Special Defense.

This natural bulk allows it to shrug off neutral attacks with ease. Its Special Attack sits at a respectable base 95, meaning it is not just passive setup bait. It can hit back reasonably hard with its STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves. However, this defensive profile is immediately compromised by its Ice/Water typing.

Offensively, Ice and Water provide excellent coverage, hitting Ground, Rock, Fire, Grass, Flying, and Dragon types. Defensively, the typing is a massive liability. Walrein carries four common weaknesses: Electric, Grass, Rock, and Fighting. These types are ubiquitous in both playthroughs and competitive environments.

Because of its abysmal base 65 Speed, Walrein is forced to take a hit before it can retaliate. This dictates its primary role: a slow, specially oriented tank or phazer. It relies on surviving the opponent's initial assault to fire back with a powerful Surf or Ice Beam, or to disrupt the enemy team with utility moves like Yawn or Roar.

Walrein's viability heavily depends on its ability slot. Thick Fat is almost always the optimal choice for general gameplay. This ability provides a hidden 50% damage reduction against Fire and Ice-type attacks. Because Walrein is already a Water-type, Thick Fat turns a neutral Fire matchup into a resistance, and an Ice resistance into an absolute wall.

With Thick Fat, Walrein becomes a premier special sponge. It can comfortably switch into a Choice Specs Flamethrower or an Ice Beam from massive threats without taking significant damage. This ability alone defines its role as a defensive pivot in lower competitive tiers and during story campaigns.

The Niche of Ice Body

Ice Body offers a completely different strategic route. It restores 1/16th of Walrein's maximum HP at the end of every turn during Hail or Snow conditions. In older generations, this made Walrein a staple on dedicated Hail stall teams, pairing perfectly with Abomasnow.

However, outside of dedicated weather teams, Ice Body is completely useless. Relying on it requires a strict team composition. Furthermore, with the transition from Hail to Snow in Generation 9 (which boosts Defense for Ice types instead of dealing chip damage), the passive damage strategy that Ice Body Walrein relied on has become significantly less potent.

In modern main-series competitive formats, Walrein is practically unviable. It does not appear in standard Smogon SV statistics because it is not present in Scarlet and Violet, but even in previous generations like Sword/Shield or Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, it languished in the lowest tiers (PU or Untiered).

Its inability to climb higher tiers stems directly from its typing. Being an Ice-type means Walrein loses exactly 25% of its maximum HP every single time it switches into Stealth Rock. For a Pokémon designed to switch in and absorb hits, this entry hazard damage is a death sentence. It forces teams to run dedicated Defog or Rapid Spin support just to keep Walrein functional.

The Infamous SubSalac Sheer Cold Strategy

Historically, Walrein is famous for a highly specific, degenerate strategy in Generation 3 and 4 lower tiers: the SubSalac Sheer Cold set. Players would equip Walrein with a Salac Berry, use Substitute repeatedly until its HP dropped low enough to activate the berry (boosting its Speed), and then spam the One-Hit KO move Sheer Cold.

Because Ice Body or Leftovers could manipulate its HP alongside Protect, this set was a nightmare to face. It was entirely RNG-dependent but incredibly dangerous. Today, OHKO clauses in serious formats ban Sheer Cold entirely, stripping Walrein of its most notorious competitive niche and leaving it to rely strictly on standard bulky sets.

Despite its competitive flaws, Walrein possesses distinct strengths that make it a formidable opponent in the right context. Its most significant advantage is its exceptional special bulk. When heavily invested in HP and Special Defense, Walrein can comfortably absorb special attacks from heavy hitters.

Its potent STAB combination cannot be ignored. Ice Beam and Surf hit a vast portion of the metagame for neutral or super-effective damage. Very few Pokémon resist both Water and Ice, meaning Walrein rarely finds itself completely walled offensively, even without investment in its Special Attack stat.

Access to Key Support Moves

Walrein's movepool is packed with utility options that allow it to disrupt the opponent's strategy. Key moves include:

• Encore: Traps an opponent into repeating a harmless setup move, forcing them to switch.
• Roar: Phazes out setup sweepers who try to use Walrein as setup bait.
• Super Fang: Instantly halves the target's current HP, allowing Walrein to break down dedicated walls like Blissey or Snorlax.
• Yawn: Forces the opponent to either switch out or fall asleep, generating massive momentum for your team.

If Walrein were to return in a Generation 9 environment with Terastallization (like the upcoming Legends: Z-A), Tera Water would perfectly patch its defensive holes by removing its Ice weaknesses while boosting Surf's damage output.

To get any value out of Walrein, its moveset must be carefully tailored to its bulky nature. Offensive sets are generally outclassed by faster Water-types, so defensive and utility builds are mandatory.

Bulky Special Attacker

This set is ideal for in-game playthroughs or lower-tier competitive matches. Equip an Assault Vest or Leftovers. The item choice dictates the moveset. An Assault Vest boosts Special Defense by 50% but restricts Walrein to attacking moves.

• Ice Beam: Primary STAB, highly reliable with a 10% freeze chance.
• Surf: Secondary STAB, perfectly accurate and powerful.
• Earth Power: Crucial coverage to hit Electric-types that threaten it.
• Aqua Jet / Toxic: Aqua Jet provides priority to pick off weakened foes, while Toxic (if running Leftovers) puts a timer on opposing walls.

Dedicated Wall / Staller

This set relies entirely on Leftovers and the Thick Fat ability to stall out opponents. It focuses on passive damage and disruption rather than direct attacks.

• Toxic: The core of the set, crippling bulky opponents.
• Protect: Stalls for Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery while scouting the opponent's move.
• Ice Beam: Prevents Walrein from being completely passive and handles Grass-types.
• Rest / Encore: Rest provides full HP recovery at the cost of two turns of sleep. Encore punishes setup sweepers.

To evaluate Walrein honestly, one must acknowledge its severe limitations. Its base 65 Speed is a massive liability. It will almost always take a hit before it can act. Against strong physical attackers, this is often fatal. Despite its decent base 90 Defense, its lack of reliable instant recovery makes it highly susceptible to being worn down.

Physical vulnerability is a massive issue. Common physical types like Rock and Fighting absolutely shred Walrein. A Close Combat from an Iron Hands or a Stone Edge from a Terrakion will easily score a One-Hit KO, bypassing Walrein's massive HP pool entirely.

The Hazard Problem

As mentioned, Stealth Rock pressure is Walrein's biggest enemy. Taking 25% damage just for entering the battlefield completely ruins its ability to act as a pivot. If your team cannot reliably clear hazards with Rapid Spin or Defog, Walrein becomes dead weight.

Furthermore, Electric and Grass-type threats easily exploit Walrein. A Rillaboom using Grassy Glide will strike first despite Walrein's bulk, and a Zapdos using Thunderbolt will severely dent it. Even with Thick Fat, Walrein simply cannot withstand sustained super-effective pressure from modern offensive threats.

While it struggles in Smogon singles, Walrein shines brilliantly in story campaigns. In games like Pokémon Emerald, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, or Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, Walrein is a top-tier team member. You catch Spheal mid-game, and by the time it reaches level 44 to become Walrein, it has the bulk to trivialize Elite Four battles.

Its ability to tank hits from powerful storyline bosses and fire back with super-effective Ice Beams against late-game Dragon-types (like Drake's Salamence or Cynthia's Garchomp) makes it an incredibly reliable anchor for any playthrough team.

Dominance in Pokémon GO

Walrein's true modern claim to fame is its performance in Pokémon GO PvP. Following its Community Day, Walrein gained access to the fast move Powder Snow and the charged move Icicle Spear. This combination completely broke the Great League and Ultra League metagames upon release.

Even after slight nerfs to Icicle Spear's energy cost, Walrein remains a dominant force in GO. Its natural bulk translates perfectly to the CP formulas of the lower leagues. It spams charge moves incredibly fast, breaks shields efficiently, and threatens a massive portion of the meta with Earthquake as a secondary nuke. If you are asking if Walrein is good in Pokémon GO, the answer is an absolute yes.

Do not use Walrein if you are playing a fast-paced competitive format like VGC doubles. It is too slow to exert immediate pressure, and its weaknesses to common spread moves like Rock Slide or Discharge make it a liability. Furthermore, avoid Walrein in singles if your team lacks a dedicated hazard remover; it will simply die to entry hazard chip damage.

If you need an offensive Water-type to sweep the opponent's team, look elsewhere. Walrein is a tank, not a sweeper. Trying to force it into a fast offensive role will result in immediate disappointment.

Better Alternatives

If you need a bulky Water-type, several options outclass Walrein depending on your specific needs:

• Lapras: Offers identical typing but possesses Water Absorb to completely negate Water-type attacks, and has access to Freeze-Dry to hit opposing Water-types super-effectively.
• Milotic: A vastly superior pure Water-type wall. It lacks the Ice weakness, has access to reliable instant recovery in Recover, and deters stat drops with the Competitive ability.
• Cloyster: If you want an Ice/Water type to actually deal damage, Cloyster's Shell Smash setup makes it a terrifying sweeper, a role Walrein cannot fill.