RELATED: Pokemon VGC: How To Build The Best Sun Team

While online Pokemon battles are available for players at any time, there are official competitive tournaments they can also enter called the Pokemon Video Game Championships (VGC). Particular Water-type Pokemon battle well in these matches, especially in the Double Battle format. These are a few of the best Water-type Pokemon used in the VGC.

Primarina

Primarina is a later addition to the Pokedex first introduced in Gen VII. Its Water/Fairy-typing gives it a unique moveset, and its stats make it a powerful Special Attacker. It’s got two excellent Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) moves to choose from, Sparkling Aria and Moonblast. Its ability Torrent activates whenever its HP is low and boosts Water-type moves by 50%, so if players can get off one more move before all HP has depleted, its potential to OHKO is high.

Being a Fairy-type Pokemon means that it has an added weakness to Poison-types. Therefore, players will benefit from ensuring that it gets defensive support from somewhere. It can also try and gain passive damage from moves like Scald and Ice Beam depending on the circumstances.

Vaporeon

Vaporeon is an excellent support Pokemon due to its massive HP and excellent selection of recovery moves. It’s considered a rather bulky Pokemon, even with a lower Defense stat, so it manages to hold its own on the field. Vaporeon’s most vital asset is the move Wish, and it also has the stall move Protect in its support arsenal.

Offensively, Vaporeon has Ice Beam to choose from or even Surf for a STAB move. Top these off with the ability Water Absorb, and it’s a borderline tank. Water Absorb restores HP to the user every time a Water-type move is used against them. As a result, it’s very hard to take out, and its Special Attack should not be underestimated either.

Pelipper

Pelipper is a good Rain setter. Rain on the field boosts Water-type moves and cuts Fire’s power. Pelipper has access to the move Rain Dance and the ability Drizzle and so getting it to Rain is easy. Its dual Water/Flying-typing means that Grass-types are no longer an issue, but players will still need to watch out for speedy Electric-types.

With Rain active, Pelipper’s STAB moves hit a lot harder, and it also has access to Hurricane, which is one of the best Flying-type moves. Because of the move Roost, recovery isn’t an issue either, so players will generally have a lot more time with Pelipper in battle.

Gyarados

Gyarados has been around since the first generation of Pokemon games. It’s seen a lot in competitive battles because of its impressive Attack stat, and its Mega form makes it an undeniable offensive bulldozer. Its STAB moves include things like Waterfall, Hydro Pump, and Hurricane. In addition, its Mega form introduces a Dark-typing, so Crunch joins the STAB roster.

Still, players will still need to prepare for the Electric-type weakness that knocks out Water/Flying types with minimal effort. A Ground-type ally would therefore be an excellent way to work around this, so players should keep this in mind when they are choosing which Pokemon to pair with their Gyarados.

Kyogre

Kyogre’s stats are why this Pokemon makes such an outstanding ally. Kyogre is very popular in VGC Meta and a front-runner for Rain teams. It is the Water-type counterpart to Groudon and one of the many great Gen 3 Legendary Pokemon. Its stats are well-balanced, and its 100/90/140 defensive bulk can take hit after hit against its opponents.

This is doubled down with its impressive Attack and Special Attack stats, which effectively turn it into a water cannon that’s capable of tearing through its targets with ease. It is best known for its STAB moves, Water Spout and Origin Pulse, but it also has the recovery option of Aqua Ring. Removing it from the field takes dedication that only bulkier Grass-types might be able to pull off.

MORE: Pokemon: The Best Physical Attackers For Competitive Play