Squirtle Squad
Most Squirtle-line fan guides live in the world of cardboard and plush, but the little turtle has a second home that plays very differently: your phone. Pokémon GO treats Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise as a reliable, budget-friendly Water attacker with one genuinely elite trick up its shell — Mega Evolution. This guide covers the best movesets, how to both beat and use Mega Blastoise in raids, shiny hunting, and exactly where the line fits in the competitive PvP leagues as of 2026.
None of this requires spending a cent, which is part of the charm. Squirtle is a common spawn, its candy is easy to farm, and a maxed Blastoise stays useful for years. Here is how to get the most out of it.
Best Blastoise Moveset in Pokémon GO
Blastoise learns its signature Water-type charged attack, Hydro Cannon, only during specific Community Day windows or by using an Elite Charged TM. That move is the single most important upgrade you can make. According to the community data tracked at [Pokémon GO Hub's Mega Blastoise page](https://db.pokemongohub.net/pokemon/9-Mega), Hydro Cannon delivers high damage with a very short cooldown, which is what makes the whole line worth building.
The optimal build in most situations:
- **Fast move:** Water Gun — high energy generation that fuels Hydro Cannon quickly.
- **Charged move:** Hydro Cannon — the low-energy, high-damage payoff move.
- **Second charged move:** Ice Beam or Flash Cannon for coverage, depending on what you are fighting.
If you did not catch a Squirtle during a Hydro Cannon event, an Elite Charged TM is the only reliable way to unlock the move. Save one for Blastoise if you plan to use it as a raid attacker — it is one of the better targets for that scarce resource. For a refresher on how the Water typing performs against the rest of the roster, the breakdown in our [Squirtle line type matchups guide](/blog/squirtle-line-type-matchups-complete-water-type-battle-strategy-guide-tcg-games) carries over cleanly to GO's rock-paper-scissors combat.
Mega Blastoise: The Line's Real Superpower
Regular Blastoise is fine. Mega Blastoise is where the line becomes special. Mega Evolution temporarily transforms your Blastoise into a much stronger form, boosts its stats for the duration, and — importantly — raises the catch candy and XP bonuses for every trainer in a raid lobby while it is active on your team.
As a Water-type attacker, Mega Blastoise sits in the upper tier of non-Legendary options. It will not out-damage a maxed Mega Gyarados or a Primal Kyogre, but it is far cheaper to obtain and maintain, and for most casual-to-mid players it does the job against Fire, Ground, and Rock raid bosses without complaint. Pair a Hydro Cannon Mega Blastoise with a few well-built teammates and you can trim a Water-weak raid quickly.
To Mega Evolve, you need Mega Energy, earned by completing Mega Blastoise raids or walking it as your buddy. The first Mega Evolution of a species costs the most; after that the cost drops substantially, and a cooldown timer lets you re-Mega for free once it resets. Mega Evolution itself is separate from the permanent Mega Evolution mechanic in the trading card game — if you want that contrast, our explainer on [Blastoise Mega Evolution mechanics](/blog/blastoise-mega-evolution-mechanics-explained) covers how the two versions of the concept differ.
How to Beat Mega Blastoise Raids
When Mega Blastoise is the boss instead of your ally, the counter list is short and punishing. Mega Blastoise is a pure Water-type, so it takes double damage from just two categories: Grass and Electric. Stack your team accordingly.
Top counters as of 2026:
- **Grass-types:** Mega Sceptile and Shadow Sceptile with Fury Cutter and Frenzy Plant, Kartana with Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade, and Shadow Torterra.
- **Electric-types:** Shadow Raikou with Thunder Shock and Wild Charge, Mega Manectric, Xurkitree, and Zekrom.
A group of three or four trainers with strong Grass or Electric leads can clear a Mega Blastoise raid comfortably. Solo attempts are possible with a top-tier Grass roster but are tight, so bring friends if you can. Grass leads are usually the safer pick because they resist Blastoise's Water attacks while dealing super-effective damage back.
Shiny odds. Shiny rates for raid bosses are generally boosted compared to wild encounters. Niantic does not publish exact numbers, and community estimates hover around a rough one-in-a-few-dozen range for raid Pokémon, so treat any figure you see as an approximation rather than a guarantee. If you want a shiny Blastoise, raid days and Community Days are your best shot.
Shiny Squirtle: Worth the Hunt
Shiny Squirtle swaps the classic blue for a soft green-teal shell that carries through to a striking shiny Blastoise. It is one of the more sought-after Water shinies precisely because the color shift is obvious and clean rather than subtle.
Shiny Squirtle is not available from standard wild spawns most of the year; it typically appears during Squirtle Community Day, Water Festival events, or special raid rotations. During those windows the shiny rate jumps dramatically, which is why dedicated hunters plan around them. If you are chasing the full family in shiny form, our [shiny Squirtle evolution line guide](/blog/shiny-squirtle-evolution-line-guide) breaks down each stage's color palette so you know what you are looking for before you tap.
A quick reminder that catch rates, event timing, and shiny availability change with every season, so always confirm the current event calendar in the game before you commit a day to hunting.
PvP: Where the Squirtle Line Fits
Blastoise is a respectable, if not dominant, PvP pick. Its bulk and Water typing give it real utility, but it competes in a crowded Water pool.
Great League. Blastoise can hold its own with Water Gun plus Hydro Cannon and a coverage move like Ice Beam or Skull Bash. It punishes Fire, Ground, and Rock leads and provides steady, predictable damage. It is not a top-five meta pick, but it is affordable to build and forgiving to pilot, which makes it a solid choice for newer PvP players.
Ultra League. Blastoise scales acceptably here thanks to its stat spread, though it starts running into higher-CP specialists that outclass it. It works best as a safe swap or as a Water option when you do not have access to the premium Legendary choices.
Little Cup. Squirtle itself can appear in some Little Cup formats and performs decently as a bulky Water attacker at low CP, where Hydro Cannon's fast, cheap damage is hard to answer.
The honest summary: the Squirtle line is a value pick in PvP. It will rarely win you a tournament outright, but a well-built Blastoise wins games it has no business losing simply because so many players underestimate it.
Bringing the Digital Turtle Off-Screen
Half the fun of maining a Pokémon in GO is celebrating it away from the app, and the Squirtle line has no shortage of merchandise for that. A soft companion for your desk is the easy starting point — you can [shop Squirtle plush on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=squirtle+plush&tag=squirtlesquad0d-20) in dozens of sizes and poses. Collectors who prefer detailed sculpts should look at a proper [Blastoise figure on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blastoise+figure&tag=squirtlesquad0d-20), which pairs nicely with a display shelf of your best catches.
If you find yourself grinding a lot of raids and spins, an auto-catch accessory saves your thumb; you can [shop a Pokémon GO Plus device on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pokemon+go+plus&tag=squirtlesquad0d-20) to farm Squirtle candy while you walk. And for fans who want to bridge the digital and paper hobbies, a [Blastoise ex card on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blastoise+ex+pokemon+card&tag=squirtlesquad0d-20) makes a satisfying trophy for anyone who has finally maxed their Mega.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links, and purchases made through them may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the fan site running.
The Bottom Line
Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise reward patience in Pokémon GO the same way they always have across the franchise. Build a Hydro Cannon Blastoise, farm enough Mega Energy to run Mega Blastoise on Water-weak raids, and keep a shiny hunt on your calendar for the next Community Day. It is a cheap, durable, genuinely fun line to main — and when you are done tapping, there is a whole shelf of plush and cards waiting to represent your favorite Water starter in the real world.