Araquanid

The bubble of water covering its head is Araquanid’s most obvious physical feature. It does not use it as a simple ornament: it traps prey inside, drowns them and then savours them at its leisure. It also stores whatever it considers valuable there, to the point of trying to trap its Trainer if they let their guard down.

Its behaviour combines aggression and care. It delivers headbutts with the bubble and can finish off small Pokémon, but it protects members of its species that it finds weak or vulnerable. It even shelters small Dewpider, which feed on the remains of its prey inside the water chamber.

The design is based on a water spider, with a reinterpretation of the diving bell spider’s air bubble: here, it contains water and is carried outside the surface. Its long legs also resemble those of sea spiders. It is Dewpider’s evolution and retains its Water and Bug types. It evolves when it reaches level 22.

Araquanid is not a general-purpose competitive choice, but it has a clear niche as a bulky physical attacker and Sticky Web setter. Its stats are heavily skewed towards Special Defense, with 68 HP, 70 Attack, 92 Defense, 50 Special Attack, 132 Special Defense and 42 Speed. It handles special attacks well, although its low Speed and merely decent physical Defense mean that many physical attackers can force it out.

Water Bubble defines how it plays: it reduces the damage it takes from Fire-type moves and prevents burns. It also boosts its Water-type attacks, so Liquidation and Surf have more offensive presence than their Attack or Special Attack stats would suggest. Water Absorb grants immunity to Water-type attacks and restores HP, but Water Bubble usually makes better use of its offensive role.

Water and Bug give it useful resistances to Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Ground and Steel. In return, it is exposed to Electric, Flying and Rock; Rock-type attacks and entry hazards are especially punishing when it switches in. Leech Life provides recovery when it hits, while Crunch covers targets that resist Water. In Scarlet and Violet, it appears in NU, where its usefulness depends on setting Sticky Web, applying pressure with Water-type attacks and switching into special attackers that cannot take advantage of its low Speed.

Araquanid belongs to the Water 1 and Bug Egg Groups, so it can breed with compatible species from either group. Its gender ratio is 50% female and 50% male. Hatching requires 15 cycles, equivalent to approximately 4080 steps.

Its notable Egg Moves include Stockpile, Spit Up, Power Split and Sticky Web. The last is the most relevant option for teams that want to slow down foes switching into battle, although breeding has to be planned before taking it into a competitive match.

Its evolution is straightforward: Dewpider evolves into Araquanid when it reaches level 22. Its catch rate is 100, making it an intermediate difficulty: it is not an effortless catch, but it does not require the persistence demanded by species with very low catch rates either. It can be found holding Mystic Water as a wild held item.