Walrein

Introduced in generation three, with the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games, Walrein is a dual type ice and water Pokemon. It is the final evolution of Spheal, and will evolve from Sealeo once it reaches the level threshold. Walrein is classified by the Pokedex as the “Ice Break Pokemon” which indicates its general behavior. This guide will showcase Walrein’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Walrein.

About Walrein

As a generation three Pokemon, Walrein first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire season of the anime with the episode Fight for the Meteorite!. It was used by the criminal organization Team Aqua against Team Magma in this episode. The Pokedex mentions how Walrein’s tusks can shatter over 10 tons of ice with one blow.

Walrein Base Stats

Appearance

Walrein is a large, blue, walrus-like Pokemon and almost its entire body is blue with a mane of white fur around its head and neck. There are two large yellow tusks protruding from Walrein’s mouth and it wobbles around on its two legs and two flippers. It also has a large fan-like tail fin at its base with a large mouth alongside a blue nose, yellow eyes with black pupils, and a round snout. Walrein is an average sized Pokemon at 4 feet and 7 inches, or 1.4 meters, tall.

Behavior

Walrein can have the ability Thick Fat which comes from its thick layers of blubber. It needs to survive harsh cold in icy seas and its thick layer of blubber can protect it from enemy’s attacks. Walrein can also fend off opponents by covering itself in ice and charging at its attackers. Its impressive tusks can sometimes fall out, but Walrein grows them back every year. The Pokedex mentions Walrein’s raw strength as it can shatter a ten ton block of ice with one strike.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Walrein is a defensive Pokemon with decent defensive stats and a large health pool to keep it going. Its offensive stats were decent as well, but it suffers from a slow speed stat. Regardless, it can function as a powerful defensive Pokemon with the right build and can prolong battles easily. As a dual type water and ice Pokemon, Walrein takes 2x damage from fighting, rock, grass, and electric type moves. It is immune to no types, but is resistant against water and ice type moves.

Best Moveset

Walrein was best in the generation it was introduced in, and it became less and less viable as newer generations were released. During generation three, it was one of the stronger Pokemon near the top of competitive brackets thanks to its strong defensive stats. With a Leftovers held item, Walrein was a sticky Pokemon and it was difficult to remove it from the battlefield. Consider running Rest, Sleep Talk, Ice Beam, and Toxic/Hidden Power Grass. Rest and Sleep Talk synergize with each other well and complement Walrein’s high health pool, Ice Beam was a solid Sleep Talk target, and Toxic/Hidden Power Grass follow suit.

How to Catch Walrein in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain a Walrein in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Spheal and eventually evolve it into Walrein. Like most final evolutions, its base evolution is a more common spawn to encounter in the wild than its final stage. You can find Spheal spawning in the wild, at a boosted rate, near harbors, lakes, oceans, rivers, and other watery areas. Spheal can also be hatched from 2 and 5 km eggs but while Spheal has not appeared as a raid boss, Walrein can be found in tier three raids at Pokemon Gyms. In order to evolve Spheal into Sealeo you will need 25 candies and another 100 to evolve into Walrein.

Trivia

1. The inspiration for Walrein’s design is based on a walrus.
2. The name Walrein is a combination of the words walrus and rain/reign.
3. There were so few ice types introduced in generation three that the Elite Four member Glacia had two Sealeo, two Glalie, and a Walrein to represent the ice type.

Explainer Video

FAQ

Is Walrein good?

Walrein was best in generation three when it had less competition to go up against. In its prime, its high health pool, decent offensive and defensive stats, and synergistic moveset allowed it to function as a mixed offensive and defensive Pokemon. Unfortunately, the strategy has fallen off with newer generations and stronger Pokemon.

What is Walrein good against?

As a dual type ice and water Pokemon with the Thick Fat ability, it can serve as a powerful counter to water and fire type Pokemon. Since Walrein is one of the only bulky ice type Pokemon, it could also stand up to popular dragon type Pokemon without concern. Walrein functions best by outlasting its opponents, so leading with it implies a prolonged battle.

How strong is Walrein?

Walrein is more of a defensive Pokemon with some offensive capabilities. It prefers to fight in longer battles, relying on moves like Toxic to deal most of the damage and moves like Rest and Protect to keep it alive in battle. It is not a powerful Pokemon through its offensive capabilities, it is a powerful Pokemon through its defensive capabilities.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Ice Break Pokemon”. While Walrein’s impact on competitive play was somewhat limited, it is by no means a weak Pokemon. It is difficult to find a Pokemon with such high defensive capability along with a strong offensive potential. Especially for ice type Pokemon which are known to be frail Pokemon. Reserve a slot on your team for Walrein if you want a defensive dual type ice and water Pokemon.