Wingull is found in tall grass in on Routes 103, 104, 110, 115, 118, 121, 123, and the outside of Mt. Pyre. It can also be found by Surfing on almost all Routes where Surfing is possible, as well as Dewford Town, Slateport City, Lilycove City, Mossdeep City, Pacifidlog Town, and Ever Grande City. Pelipper is also available in Surfing locations where Wingull appears.
Aside from its species being the catalyst for one of the immortal lines of Generation III (WRRRRROOOOOOAAARRRR!), the Wingull line has been part of Nuzlocking since the original comic; Ruby: Hard Mode featured a Pelipper named Gulliver who played a key role in defeating Norman and valiantly went toe-to-toe with Groudon until an unlucky break with Protect cost him his life. Since then, many Nuzlockers have discovered the virtues of using this Pokemon. Wingull is found in several places in the early going and is nearly as ubiquitous as Tentacool once you start Surfing, so it's highly likely that you'll end up catching one in any given third-generation Hoenn Nuzlocke (especially if you play with a Dupes Clause). The Water/Flying type combination on top of moderate-to-above-average bulk and Special Attack as a Pelipper make Wingull's family rather well-suited for Nuzlockes in that they can usually take a hit and respond with solid damage. Wingull also gets good super-effective coverage on some key early-game bosses if you're lucky enough to get one before the second Badge. It retains a lot of usefulness through the middle game, with its type and a huge jump in movepool quality between the Mauville and Petalburg Gyms allowing it to stay relevant for several Gyms and key battles up until about Sootopolis City, where it hits a plateau of sorts due to its super effective coverage petering out and lack of really powerful end-game moves. All in all, Wingull and its evolved form make for very solid game-long teammates for Nuzlockers.
Gym #1 - Roxanne (Rustboro City, Rock-type): Wingull does have STAB super-effective coverage on the entire building here, but caution is warranted because it is also weak to Rock moves thanks to its secondary Flying Type and pitiful Defense. Geodude should fall very quickly to a sufficiently leveled Wingull's Water Gun, but Nosepass will almost certainly survive the first hit due to its very high bulk for that point in the game. It can then easily knock your avian partner out of the sky with Rock Tomb, so keep Wingull on the sidelines for that matchup. Overall, Wingull can be a good choice for this Gym battle, but with a bolded asterisk thanks to that Nosepass.
Gym #2 - Brawly (Dewford Town, Fighting-type): Wingull is an excellent candidate to solo this, the Fighting Gym. Its Flying-type gifts it with a resistance to the opponents' Fighting STAB and super effective STAB against all of them, with Wing Attack definitely in its arsenal by now. Be sure to keep your Wingull's health up and it will serve you well.
Rival (Route 110): Your choice of starter influences Wingull/Pelipper's success in this battle. It should be noted that only significant overgrinding will let you have a Pelipper at this point, but it will be that much easier if you do. Assuming you haven't evolved Wingull yet, the matchup against Combusken is particularly favorable, with both STABs super-effective now, but do note its increased offensive power. Grovyle can still be defeated comfortably with Wing Attack, and Marshtomp has no advantage over the 'gull, but is particularly bulky for this point in the game and so may be a tougher nut to crack. You must also defeat the rival's starter and the two of the following that complete the Fire-Water-Grass core: Numel (USE WATER GUN), Wailmer (don't fight, it has Rollout), and Shroomish (weak to Wing Attack).
Wally (Mauville City): You should outlevel his Ralts by at least two at this point, and you have physical STAB with which to work. Pummel it and move on.
Gym #3 - Wattson (Mauville City, Electric-type): You're not serious, are you? This Pokémon is 4x weak to Electric. Please look elsewhere for something to use in this battle. Even when you evolve your bro/sis into Pelipper, Wattson's team is just too powerful for this poor bird to be used as anything but an emergency sacrifice, a necessity you will hopefully avoid.
Tabitha/Matt (Mt. Chimney): In Ruby, Pelipper has a significantly easier time. Tabitha's two Numel are easily dispatched by Water Gun, especially if you went the extra mile grinding and evolved your Wingull into Pelipper. Tabitha's Poochyena is as frail as any other one you've faced and can be beaten down easily with either STAB. Your opponent in Sapphire is Aqua's admin Matt. His two Carvanha are pretty frail, so you could try to dispatch them with Wing Attack. That's easier said than done, though, if you're still using Wingull; they pack STAB Bite with which to pound the gull's low defenses and cause chip damage for using Wing Attack with Rough Skin. Evolving your avian into Pelipper makes this particular matchup significantly less worrisome. Matt's Poochyena is as frail as any other one you've faced and can be beaten down easily with either STAB.
Maxie/Archie (Mt. Chimney): In Ruby, you'll face off against Maxie. He'll be packing a Camerupt, which is 4x weak to Water. The problem is, Water Gun's underpowered for this point in the game and it probably won't one-shot without significant overleveling, leaving you open to a counterattack; that shouldn't be so bad with Pelipper's immunity to Magnitude. He'll also have a Mightyena, which has Intimidate for nerfing your best level-up move to this point (Wing Attack), so working around that will be annoying. He, like his Sapphire counterpart, will be packing a Golbat. While an appropriately leveled Pelipper could probably win a Wing Attack spamfest against Golbat, it could turn ugly if the enemy crits, so you might want a backup plan for that. It's interesting to note that if you teach Pelipper Shock Wave with the Mauville Gym TM, this battle becomes significantly easier for it. In Sapphire, the same statements for Mightyena and Golbat apply, but Camerupt is replaced with a Sharpedo, which resists Pelipper's Water STAB and has Rough Skin, which punishes you with chip damage for hitting it with Wing Attack. An alternative method of dealing with that Pokémon is recommended, but you could do worse, especially if healing is allowed and/or you taught your bird Shock Wave.
Gym #4 - Flannery (Lavaridge Town, Fire-type): Pelipper does have a type advantage here, but its effectiveness is severely limited by how underpowered Water Gun (its only Water move to this point) is at this point. It could be sufficient to deal with the two Slugmas, but the low power may lead to a missed OHKO, which permits Sunny Day setup (essentially a death toll for at least one of your teammates). Be careful of the second one packing Rock Slide in any event, even if Pelipper can most likely tank it on raw stats. DO NOT, under any non-emergency circumstances, attempt to defeat Torkoal with just Pelipper; it doesn't have the power to crack Torkoal's defenses safely. Attract shenanigans are possible as well, so those warnings apply to male Pelipper as well. Protect could come in handy in a pinch, but don't rely on it to save your skin.
Gym #5 - Norman (Petalburg City, Normal-type): This is the last major battle Pelipper has to suffer through using Water Gun as a STAB move; there's finally light at the end of the tunnel! Its high Defense along with Protect can really make this battle much easier by abusing Truant on his two Slaking. The other Pokémon on Norman's team is a Vigoroth - a powerful opponent without Truant holding it back. Pelipper can tank its physical attacks without too much of an issue barring crits thanks to its raw Defense; it even has a raw-stat advantage on Faint Attack (which is special this generation). Protect will also help here, and Wing Attack/Water Gun is decent enough to whittle all three down. However, other Pokemon will do a more efficient job against Vigoroth.
Courtney/Shelly (Weather Institute): Numel is 4x-weak to Surf. Do the math. Mightyena is, as mentioned before in, a little trickier thanks to Intimidate nerfing Pelipper's Flying STAB; Surf is unaffected, though. Plow through it and move on. In Sapphire, Shelly's Carvanha poses the same problems it always has for Pelipper, except that now it's upgraded its Dark STAB to Crunch. Shock Wave can help in that matchup if you gave it to your pelican. Proceed with caution, per usual. Thanks to Surf, this is isn't a really troubling battle.
Rival (Route 119): Pelipper can have a natural advantage in this battle because of the high chance of auto-rain on this route; it isn't a guarantee, though, so pay attention! You'll face your rival's starter once again; Combusken and Grovyle can be dispatched with STAB moves (although caution is highly advised with Grovyle because neutral Leaf Blade hurts), while Marshtomp is a little tougher; STAB Surf, especially in the rain, should suffice for a 2 or 3HKO. The other opponents are as follows: Numel and Wailmer if you chose Mudkip (Numel can be dealt with handily by Surf and Wailmer's defenses are low enough that Wing Attack - or super-effective Shock Wave - should do the job), Wailmer (see before) and Shroomish (can be beaten using Wing Attack with little danger) if you chose Treecko, and Numel/Shroomish if you chose Torchic (both are covered previously).
Gym #6 - Winona (Fortree City, Flying-type): Surf is valuable neutral coverage on Skarmory, immediately granting Pelipper a potential niche for this battle. Granted, you probably have a Fire- or Electric-type that can deal with Skarmory better, but Pelipper is serviceable in that matchup if you need it or want to be hipster. She'll also have an Altaria and a Pelipper; it's possible to take on Altaria with your own Pelipper if you've spent the time (and/or quite a lot of in-game money) to grab the Ice Beam TM from the Mauville Game Corner so you can exploit that glaring Ice weakness. STAB Dragonbreath will hurt, though, as it targets your weaker Special Defense. The mirror match is doable with STAB Flying attacks (or Shock Wave if you used that TM on Pelipper), but remember that it can use Protect and neutral moves on you, too. Winona's only other Pokémon is a Swellow, which Pelipper isn't overly scared of thanks to its high Defense and can KO fairly swiftly with Surf (just don't expect to strike first, even if you're overleveled).
Rival (Lilycove City): Nothing about your rival's team has changed since battling him/her on Route 119. Pelipper's capabilities in this battle do change, however, because it won't be raining (not that Surf isn't powerful enough to handle most of these Pokémon anyway) and might have Aerial Ace or Fly (assuming you beat Winona before coming), which are more of a cosmetic/utilitarian change from Wing Attack than anything groundbreaking like Surf was.
Tabitha/Matt (Lilycove Hideout): This battle, like most of those with Team Magma, is pretty easy for Pelipper. He'll have a Numel (Surf should be a OHKO), Mightyena (wash it away like usual), and Camerupt (Surf will take care of it easily). In Sapphire, this battle is actually harder than its Emerald counterpart. Go figure. He has a Carvanha and a Sharpedo, which carry the same risks for Pelipper as always. Shock Wave can help a bit, but its effectiveness is much lower here than it was earlier in the game. Mightyena, as always, is pretty much Surf fodder.
Gym #7 - Tate and Liza (Mossdeep City, Psychic-type): Your double-battle opponents will have only a Solrock and a Lunatone. Pelipper's STAB Surf is useful against them due to their partial Rock typing, but its power is weakened by dint of its striking both opponents at once (but not your ally this generation!) and will be further nerfed if Solrock sets up Sunny Day. Lunatone likes to set up Calm Mind, which also lowers the effectiveness of non-critical Surfs and allows it to fire off boosted Psychics, which will sting even if you overgrind. Make sure you have an ally for Pelipper that can follow up and finish one or both of them the same turn to avoid problems. Notable data about those two is their lack of Rock STAB, making Pelipper an even better Pokémon for this battle.
Courtney/Shelly (Seafloor Cavern): Surf makes this battle a cinch in Ruby, since your opponents are (once again) Camerupt and Mightyena. Wash the admin out and move on to the big bad. In Sapphire, Sharpedo's attacking capabilities are unchanged from the last time you faced one. It now packs Taunt, which can be annoying. Really, all you should be doing is spamming Shock Wave if you're using Pelipper against it anyways. Mightyena is Surf bait, as always. Next, please.
Maxie/Archie (Seafloor Cavern): As far as Maxie goes, you're first faced with a Mightyena and a Crobat; Mightyena is easily dispatched by Surf. Be careful not to rely much on Pelipper's Flying STAB while Intimidate is in effect. Crobat is fast, so be prepared to take a hit or two (and heal your Pelipper up if necessary) as you blast away with Ice Beam (which should by now be your pelican's weapon of choice instead of Shock Wave for Flying-types). Pelipper should be able to win here because of its good physical bulk and super effective move. Maxie will also be packing a Camerupt, which is a cinch for Pelipper thanks to Surf. For Archie: Mightyena and Crobat are identical to Maxie's, therefore the same principles apply. Archie, however, has a Sharpedo as his ace. This is a tough nut for Pelipper to crack because it resists both Surf and Ice Beam while punishing the use of Flying STAB with its Rough Skin ability. A previously damaged Pelipper might not be able to finish Sharpedo off, especially since Crunch is special this generation (targeting our avian friend's weaker defensive stat). If you gave Pelipper Shock Wave and kept it this long, it sees okay mileage here. In any other case, it's more advisable to let another teammate handle Archie's shark.
Groudon (Cave of Origin, Ruby only): Groudon comes at Level 45, packing Fire Blast, Slash, Bulk Up, and Earthquake. Pelipper is immune to Earthquake and can tank Slash fairly comfortably as long as Groudon doesn't get too many Bulk Up boosts. The issue is Fire Blast; its power is even higher than normal thanks to Drought bringing out the sun and Pelipper's weaker Special Defense stat. This is very bad news for Pelipper, especially since its best attack, Surf, is weakened by the sun. It can't even freeze Groudon with Ice Beam thanks to the weather. Changing the weather with Rain Dance could prove to be a useful tactic, as could the use of Protect to drain its PP. Even with these stratagems on your side, you can expect a nail-biter of a battle between Groudon and Pelipper thanks to the wide gap in stats and the danger of Bulk Up.
Kyogre (Cave of Origin, Sapphire only): Kyogre comes packing Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Calm Mind, and Body Slam. Pelipper does resist Hydro Pump, but the Drizzle boost in conjunction with the pelican's low Special Defense makes it a very uncomfortable tank, if it's successful at all. As if that wasn't enough, Ice Beam is neutral on that same low stat. None of Pelipper's power moves will even hit Kyogre neutrally, given its resistance to Water/Ice coverage. Shock Wave will do rather minute amounts of damage, given the legend's super-high Special Defense and capability to boost with Calm Mind. All in all, a Pelipper won't be too useful in this fight.
Gym #8 - Wallace (Sootopolis City, Water-type): Pelipper's most powerful moves, Surf and Ice Beam, are largely useless here because the Leader's Water-types will resist them both. Whiscash is the notable exception, being neutral to both of the aforementioned moves (and immune to Shock Wave) because of its secondary Ground typing. Pelipper's Flying STAB is serviceable alongside Shock Wave against some of the less bulky opponents, like Luvdisc. Sealeo can be attacked with Flying STAB and Shock Wave to some effect, but you probably have better options for breaking through its decent bulk at this point. Pelipper can handle Seaking with relative ease thanks to its physical bulk and resistance to Water allowing it to pound away with Flying Attacks and/or Shock Wave until the opponent drops. Milotic is incredibly bulky and outmatches Pelipper with Ice Beam and Recover. All in all, you probably have better options than Pelipper for this Gym, but it can be helpful when used judiciously.
Wally (Victory Road): Altaria and Roselia both fall victim to Ice Beam here; note that Ice Beam avoids the risk of triggering Poison Point that Flying STAB carries. Delcatty's defenses are laughable, so Surf should do the trick there. When Gardevoir comes out, you could pound away at it with Surf (against its stronger Special Defense) and/or your Flying STAB; these can both dispatch the Psychic-type in time, but you probably have a more effective answer elsewhere on your team, especially considering the possibility of STAB Psychic to Pelipper's weaker defensive stat, not to mention Calm Mind setup. Lastly, a Captain Obvious moment: Magneton is an Electric-type. Do not use Pelipper against it.
Elite Four Sidney (Ever Grande City, Dark-type): He'll lead with a Mightyena, which Pelipper can sweep aside with few problems (as has been mentioned several times before); Intimidate is not a factor here because Surf is special. Sidney also has a Shiftry and Cacturne on his team; both are frail and weak to both Ice Beam and Pelipper's Flying STAB. The pelican can dispose of these two with relative ease as long as care is taken not to let it take too many hits on its weaker Special Defense (both Grass and Dark hit it neutrally). He will be packing a Sharpedo as his fourth Pokémon, which resists both Surf and Ice Beam; in addition, Sharpedo punishes the use of Flying moves with Rough Skin. While it is frail enough that Pelipper can probably dispose of it with little danger, be sure to keep your Pelipper healthy, as Crunch will sting. Sidney's ace in this battle is an Absol, which is as frail as the rest of his team and doesn't have anything particularly threatening to Pelipper (barring Swords Dance boosts). Surf it away and move on.
Elite Four Phoebe (Ever Grande City, Ghost-type): Phoebe will be packing two Dusclops, two Banette, and a Sableye. The Dusclops are both bulky with Pressure, but low on offensive power. Be wary of Curse and PP stalling and you should be fine pummeling them with Surf. The Banette have much more punch, but Pelipper's Defense can stand up to them and let it exploit their low defenses with Surf. Sableye has no weaknesses and can be annoyingly tanky, but it should go down to a few Surfs.
Elite Four Glacia (Ever Grande City, Ice-type): Pelipper has little advantage against Glacia's two Sealeo and one Walrein, thanks to their resistance to its power moves (Surf and Ice Beam) and bulk (meaning it'll take a while to whittle them down with Flying moves and even Shock Wave). You probably have better options for those fights, but Pelipper can be somewhat effective as a stopgap for healing or something. Against her two Glalie, which are neutral to Water, Surf can be a powerful weapon. Beware of STAB Ice Beam and/or Blizzard in all cases, though, especially in Hail; those will sting a lot hitting Pelipper's weaker defensive stat. Pelipper isn't the greatest option but can contribute something to this battle.
Elite Four Drake (Ever Grande City, Dragon-type): Pelipper with Ice Beam can really shine in this battle; it's super effective against all of his Pokémon. It won't be all fun and games for your pelican, though, because Shelgon carries Rock Tomb and Salamence carries Rock Slide. Keep Pelipper out of those matchups entirely if you can. You can certainly try to exploit the quad-weaknesses of the two Flygon, and Altaria (Salamence only with EXTREME caution, if at all); your success isn't guaranteed, though, because all of them pack STAB Dragon moves, which target Pelipper's weaker Special Defense. Also keep in mind that Ice Beam may miss the OHKO on Altaria (and possibly Salamence) due to lack of STAB. One of the Flygon packs Flamethrower, though, so Pelipper does have at least one potential opportunity to enter battle in relative safety.
Champion Steven (Ever Grande City, Steel-type): Pelipper has pretty great utility against Steven's team, given that STAB Surf is super effective against half his team and neutral to the rest. It also has a defensive advantage thanks to its immunity to Earthquake and resistance to Steel. Going opponent by opponent, Skarmory can be dealt with by Surf without too much trouble, as it can't do anything appreciable back despite probably needing a 2HKO. It should also be noted that Pelipper can switch into Spikes unharmed thanks to its Flying type; that advantage could be a turning point. Even though Aggron packs Thunderbolt, its damage won't be a major threat thanks to cruddy Special Attack- and the fact that Surf will likely OHKO it anyway. Armaldo, while weak to Surf, packs Ancientpower. That'll hurt even through Pelipper's not-inconsiderable Defense (again, personal experience). Probably best to let another teammate handle that if possible, but Surf is probably a 2HKO if you feel like taking a risk (i.e. praying for no crits and spamming Full Restores). Cradily also packs Ancietpower and is only weak to Ice Beam out of any likely move for Pelipper. Even that move likely won't 2HKO, thanks to Cradily's excellent special bulk. Again, you'd probably do better with another Pokemon here. Claydol's main weapon, Earthquake, is completely useless against Pelipper; Ancientpower is somewhat less threatening here thanks to a less potent Attack stat. Feel free to use Surf until this one goes down, but you may need healing items. Metagross, Steven's ace, has a moveset of Psychic, Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and Hyper Beam. Pelipper is well-positioned to deal with this threat thanks to its EQ immunity, Meteor Mash resistance, and Protect. Psychic won't do terribly much damage, but a crit will most likely kill, so be careful. If you can bait or otherwise force it to use Hyper Beam, switching in will be easy and Protect will be useful. Surf will strike its weaker defensive stat. In a straight fight, meds will be necessary, but Pelipper can prevail without inordinate levels of luck.
Post-Game: To be honest, there isn't much of a postgame to RSE. If you're going to fight Rayquaza, be warned that Outrage will probably one-shot poor Pelipper.
Gym #1 - Roxanne (Rustboro City, Rock-type): Wingull does have STAB super-effective coverage on the entire building here, but caution is warranted because it is also weak to Rock moves thanks to its secondary Flying Type and pitiful Defense. The two Geodude should fall very quickly to a sufficiently leveled Wingull's Water Gun exploiting its 4x weakness, but Nosepass will almost certainly survive the first hit due to its very high bulk for that point in the game. It can then easily knock your avian partner out of the sky with Rock Tomb, so keep Wingull on the sidelines for that matchup. Overall, Wingull can be a good choice for this Gym battle, but with a bolded asterisk thanks to that Nosepass.
Rival (Rustboro City, optional): Wingull's success in this battle is dependent on your choice of starter. If you chose Mudkip, Wingull really shines against Lotad (with Wing Attack); Wingull would need a level advantage to beat its opposite number in complete safety if you chose Treecko. Slugma, however, is quite vulnerable to Water Gun (for Torchic choosers). It could beat Treecko fairly cleanly with Wing Attack (if you chose Mudkip), but Mudkip (for Torchic choosers) is bulky enough that Wing Attack might not be sufficient to win. Torchic is beatable with Water Gun. Use common sense, and you should be fine here.
Gym #2 - Brawly (Dewford Town, Fighting-type): Wingull is an excellent candidate to solo this, the Fighting Gym. Its Flying-type gifts it with a resistance to the opponents' Fighting STAB and super effective STAB against all of them, with Wing Attack definitely in its arsenal by now. Be sure to keep your Wingull's health up and it will serve you well.
Rival (Route 110): Once again, your choice of starter influences Wingull/Pelipper's success. It should be noted that only significant overgrinding will let you have a Pelipper for this battle, but it will be that much easier if you do. Assuming you haven't evolved Wingull yet, the matchup against Combusken is particularly favorable, with both STABs super-effective now, but do note its increased offensive power. Grovyle can still be defeated comfortably with Wing Attack, and Marshtomp has no advantage over the 'gull, but is particularly bulky for this point in the game and so may be a tougher nut to crack. The player must defeat the rival's starter and the two of the following that complete the Fire-Water-Grass core: Slugma (USE WATER GUN), Wingull (mirror match, should be easy), and Lombre (weak to Wing Attack).
Wally (Mauville City): You should outlevel his Ralts by at least two at this point, and you have physical STAB with which to work. Pummel it and move on.
Gym #3 - Wattson (Mauville City, Electric-type): You're not serious, are you? This Pokémon is 4x weak to Electric. Please look elsewhere for something to use in this battle. Even when you evolve your bro/sis into Pelipper, Wattson's team is just too powerful for this poor bird to be used as anything but an emergency sacrifice, a necessity you will hopefully avoid.
Tabitha (Mt. Chimney): The two Numel are easily dispatched by Water Gun, especially if you went the extra mile grinding and evolved your Wingull into Pelipper. Tabitha's Poochyena is as frail as any other one you've faced and can be beaten down easily with either STAB. He'll also have a Zubat, which can be annoying with Supersonic et al. You'll still outgun it with your STAB moves, so go for it.
Maxie (Mt. Chimney): He'll be packing a Camerupt, which is 4x weak to Water. The problem is, Water Gun's underpowered for this point in the game and it probably won't one-shot without significant overleveling, leaving you open to a counterattack; still, the latter should not be so bad with Pelipper's immunity to Magnitude. He'll also have a Mightyena, which has Intimidate for nerfing your best level-up move to this point (Wing Attack), so working around that will be annoying. Zubat, rather intuitively, will fall much more easily to your Wing Attacks, just be careful of Supersonic and such as you normally would. It's interesting to note that if you teach Pelipper Shock Wave with the Mauville Gym TM, this battle becomes significantly easier.
Gym #4 - Flannery (Lavaridge Town, Fire-type): Pelipper does have a natural advantage here, being a Water-type against Fire-types. However, its effectiveness is severely limited by how underpowered Water Gun (its only Water move to this point) is during this part of the game. It could be sufficient to deal with Slugma and Numel, but the low power may lead to a missed OHKO, which permits Sunny Day setup (essentially a death toll for at least one of your teammates). Do NOT, under any circumstances other than emergencies, attempt to defeat Torkoal with Pelipper and no backup plan; Pelipper just doesn't have the power to crack Torkoal's defenses on its own, safely. Attract shenanigans are in play here as well, so those warnings apply to male Pelipper as well. Pelipper is slightly more useful against Camerupt though, which is quad-weak to Water; Overheat will still leave a mark on Pelipper's rather unimpressive Special Defense, so act with caution. Protect could be helpful in this battle, but don't rely on it to save your skin.
Gym #5 - Norman (Petalburg City, Normal-type): This is the last major battle Pelipper has to suffer through using Water Gun as a STAB move; there's finally light at the end of the tunnel! Its high Defense along with Protect can really make this battle much easier by abusing Truant on his Slaking. Norman's Vigoroth is a powerful opponent without Truant holding it back. Pelipper can tank its physical attacks without too much of an issue barring crits thanks to its raw Defense; it even has a raw-stat advantage on Faint Attack (which is special this generation). Protect will also help here, and Wing Attack/Water Gun are decent enough to whittle it down. You're also faced with a Spinda (which can be taken down easily due to its subpar stats) and a Belly Drum Linoone (which Pelipper probably can't OHKO, leading to incredible levels of danger if you don't outspeed or have a more reliable answer).
Shelly (Weather Institute): Carvanha poses the same problems it always has for Pelipper, except that now it's upgraded its Dark STAB to Crunch. Shock Wave can help in that matchup if you gave it to your pelican. Proceed with caution, per usual. Mightyena can now be smacked around with Surf regardless of Intimidate. This isn't a really troubling battle.
Rival (Route 119): Pelipper can have a natural advantage in this battle because of the high chance of auto-rain on this route; it isn't a guarantee, though, so pay attention! You'll face your rival's starter (in its second form); Combusken and Grovyle can be dispatched with STAB moves (although caution is highly advised with Grovyle because neutral Leaf Blade hurts), while Marshtomp is a little tougher; STAB Surf, especially in the rain, should suffice for a 2 or 3HKO. The other opponents are as follows: Slugma and Pelipper if you chose Mudkip (Slugma can be dealt with handily by Surf and Pelipper should be easy to mirror), Pelipper (see before) and Lombre (can be beaten using Wing Attack with little danger) if you chose Treecko, and Slugma/Lombre if you chose Torchic (both covered previously).
Gym #6 - Winona (Fortree City, Flying-type): Surf is valuable neutral coverage on Skarmory, setting up a potential niche for Pelipper. Granted, you probably have a Fire- or Electric-type that can deal with it better at this point, but Pelipper is serviceable in that matchup if you need it or want to be hipster. She'll also have an Altaria and a Pelipper; it's possible to take on Altaria with your Pelipper if you've spent the time (and/or quite a lot of in-game money) to grab the Ice Beam TM from the Mauville Game Corner so you can exploit that glaring Ice weakness. STAB Dragonbreath will hurt, though, as it targets your weaker Special Defense. The mirror match is doable with STAB Flying attacks (or Shock Wave if you used that TM on Pelipper), but remember that it can use Protect and neutral moves on you, too. Her other Pokémon are a Swablu and a Tropius. Swablu can be Surfed away like Swellow, but Tropius will necessitate the Ice Beam treatment due to its Grass type. It can SunnyBeam and use Synthesis, so be prepared for a variety of scenarios here.
Rival (Lilycove City): Nothing about your rival's team has changed since battling him/her on Route 119. Pelipper's capabilities against it do change, however, because it won't be raining (not that Surf isn't powerful enough to handle most of those Pokémon anyway) and might have Aerial Ace or Fly (assuming you beat Winona before coming), which are more of a cosmetic/utilitarian change from Wing Attack than anything groundbreaking like Surf was.
Tabitha (Jagged Pass Magma Hideout): Here, you get to take advantage of NPCs not evolving their whole teams. Numel and Zubat should be one-shotted by Surf and Ice Beam respectively, and Camerupt shouldn't last much longer than a turn or two against Surf either. Like every other Mightyena this gen, Tabitha's can't do much to avoid being Surf'd into oblivion.
Maxie (Jagged Pass Magma Hideout): You're first faced with a Mightyena and a Crobat; Mightyena is easily dispatched by Surf. Be careful not to rely much on Pelipper's Flying STAB while Intimidate is in effect. Crobat is fast, so be prepared to take a hit or two (and heal your Pelipper up if necessary) as you blast away with Ice Beam (which should by now be your pelican's weapon of choice instead of Shock Wave for Flying-types). Pelipper should be able to win here because of its good physical bulk and super effective move. Maxie will also be packing a Camerupt, which is a cinch for Pelipper thanks to Surf.
Matt (Lilycove Hideout): He only has a Mightyena and a Golbat here, both of which can be pounded into submission. Mightyena can't really stand up to Surf, and Golbat can be beaten comfortably with Ice Beam.
Gym #7 - Tate and Liza (Mossdeep City, Psychic-type): The twins start off with a Claydol and a Xatu at their disposal; Pelipper is a good answer to that combination because it's immune to the Earthquakes that Claydol likes to throw around and has just enough bulk to take the Psychics (possibly boosted by Calm Mind) that Xatu can deal out, in addition to Shock Wave/Ice Beam access if for some reason you're not spamming Surf in this battle. Their other two Pokémon are Solrock and Lunatone. Pelipper's STAB Surf is pretty useful against them due to their partial Rock typing, but its power is weakened by dint of its striking both opponents at once (but not your ally this generation!) and will be further nerfed if Solrock sets up Sunny Day. Lunatone likes to set up Calm Mind, which also lowers the effectiveness of non-critical Surfs and allows it to fire off boosted Psychics, which will sting even if you overgrind (personal experience). Make sure you have an ally for Pelipper that can follow up and finish one or both of them the same turn to avoid problems. Notable data about those two is their lack of Rock STAB, making Pelipper an even better choice for this battle. With the right double battle partner, Pelipper can set you up with smooth sailing.
Maxie and Tabitha (Mossdeep Space Center, tag battle with Steven): Pelipper does well here, as in nearly every Team Magma scenario, thanks to having Water STAB. Surf absolutely wrecks their Camerupt (each opponent has one), is unaffected by Mightyena's Intimidate, and doesn't even hit Steven's Pokémon this generation if that's a concern for you. The Golbat/Crobat duo can be Ice Beam'd into submission provided you keep you Pelipper in good condition, but you may want a backup plan in case of critical hits and/or low healing supplies.
Shelly (Seafloor Cavern): Sharpedo's attacking capabilities are unchanged from the last time you faced one. It now packs Taunt, which can be annoying, but all you should really be doing is spamming Shock Wave if you're using Pelipper against it anyways. Mightyena is Surf bait, as always. Next, please.
Archie (Seafloor Cavern): Mightyena and Crobat are exactly identical to Maxie's from the Jagged Pass fight, therefore the same principles apply. Archie, however, will be packing a Sharpedo as his ace. This is a tough nut for Pelipper to crack because it resists both Surf and Ice Beam while punishing the use of Flying STAB with its Rough Skin ability. A previously damaged Pelipper might not be able to finish Sharpedo off, especially since Crunch is special this generation (targeting our avian friend's weaker defensive stat). If you gave Pelipper Shock Wave and kept it this long, it sees decent mileage here. In any other case, it's more advisable to let another teammate handle Archie's shark.
Gym #8 - Juan (Sootopolis City, Water-type): Pelipper's most powerful moves, Surf and Ice Beam, are largely useless here because the Leader's Water-types will resist them both. Whiscash is the notable exception, being neutral to both of the aforementioned moves (and immune to Shock Wave) because of its secondary Ground typing. Pelipper's Flying STAB is serviceable alongside Shock Wave against some of the less bulky opponents, like Luvdisc. Both of the Pokémon I've mentioned are on the Leader's team regardless of version. The other constant opponent is a Sealeo; it can be attacked with Flying STAB and Shock Wave to some effect, but you probably have better options for breaking through its decent bulk at this point. Crawdaunt is frail, but can strike at Pelipper's weaker defensive stat with its Dark STAB, so don't be reckless. Kingdra is only weak to Dragon and no slouch at neutral-hit-taking; Pelipper is outmatched by it, though with heal-stalling and Shock Wave it might actually neutralize Kingdra's annoying Double Team "strategy." All in all, you probably have better options than Pelipper for this Gym, but it can be helpful when used judiciously.
Wally (Victory Road): Altaria and Roselia both fall victim to Ice Beam here; note that Ice Beam avoids the risk of triggering Poison Point that Flying STAB carries. Delcatty's defenses are laughable, so Surf should do the trick there. When Gardevoir comes out, you may pound away at it with Surf (against its stronger Special Defense) and/or your Flying STAB; these can both dispatch the Psychic-type in time, but you probably have a more effective answer elsewhere on your team, especially considering the real possibility of STAB Psychic to Pelipper's weaker defensive stat, not to mention Calm Mind setups, especially in the case of Fly. Lastly, a Captain Obvious moment: Magneton is an Electric-type. Do not use Pelipper against it.
Elite Four Sidney (Ever Grande City, Dark-type): He'll lead with a Mightyena, which Pelipper can sweep aside with Surf with few problems (as has been mentioned a couple times in this analysis); Intimidate is not a factor here because Surf is special. Sidney also has a Shiftry and Cacturne on his team; both are frail and weak to both Ice Beam and Pelipper's Flying STAB. The pelican can dispose of these two with relative ease as long as care is taken not to let it take too many hits on its weaker Special Defense (both Grass and Dark hit it neutrally). He will be packing a Crawdaunt, which does resist Pelipper's best moves, but also does not have scary attacks itself, so it should be dispatched relatively easily. Sidney's ace in this battle is an Absol, which is as frail as the rest of his team, but also has Rock Slide; avoid if possible.
Elite Four Phoebe (Ever Grande City, Ghost-type): Phoebe will be packing two Dusclops, two Banette, and a Sableye. The Dusclops are both bulky with Pressure, but low on offensive power. Be wary of Curse and PP stalling and you should be fine pummeling them with Surf. The Banette have much more punch, but Pelipper's Defense can stand up to them and let it exploit their low defenses with Surf. Sableye has no weaknesses and can be annoyingly bulky at times, but it should go down to a few Surfs.
Elite Four Glacia (Ever Grande City, Ice-type): Pelipper has little advantage against Glacia's two Sealeo and one Walrein, thanks to their resistance to its power moves (Surf and Ice Beam) and bulk (meaning it'll take a while to whittle them down with Flying moves and even Shock Wave). You probably have better options for those fights, but Pelipper can be somewhat effective as a stopgap for healing or something. Against her two Glalie, which are neutral to Water, Surf can be a powerful weapon. Beware of STAB Ice Beam and/or Blizzard in all cases, though, especially in Hail; those will sting a lot hitting Pelipper's weaker defensive stat. Pelipper isn't the greatest option but can contribute something to this battle.
Elite Four Drake (Ever Grande City, Dragon-type): Pelipper with Ice Beam can really shine in this battle; it's super effective against all of his Pokémon. It won't be all fun and games for your pelican, though, because Shelgon carries Rock Tomb and Salamence carries Rock Slide. Keep Pelipper out of kill range or out of those matchups entirely. You can certainly try to exploit the quad-weaknesses of Flygon and Altaria (Salamence only with EXTREME caution, if at all); your success isn't guaranteed, though, because all of them pack STAB Dragon moves, which target Pelipper's weaker Special Defense. Also keep in mind that Ice Beam may miss the OHKO on Altaria (and possibly Salamence) due to lack of STAB. Flygon packs Flamethrower, though, so Pelipper does have at least one potential opportunity to enter battle in relative safety. Drake is armed with a Kingdra too; that opponent is every bit as tough for Pelipper as Juan's, except with Smokescreen and Dragon Dance, and should be treated similarly.
Champion Wallace (Ever Grande City, Water-type): This is it; you're so close to taking your Pelipper to the pinnacle of Hoennese glory! ... Except that this team is a really difficult nut to crack for it. Tentacruel, Milotic, and Whiscash are all tough opponents for Pelipper to deal big damage to, and this applies to a lesser extent to the other half of his team: Wailord, Ludicolo, and Gyarados. Even super-effective Shock Wave isn't that useful here (except possibly against Gyara, but even then it's an uphill battle). Whiscash is neutral to both of the pelican's power moves, but has a pretty big HP stat to compensate; expect to trigger meds there. Gyarados is neutral to Ice Beam and quad-weak to Shock Wave, but can tank Pelipper fairly comfortably thanks to its large Special Defense and set up Dragon Dances. That's something you don't want to have happening. Milotic walls Surf and Ice Beam for days, and mitigates the nuisance of Shock Wave with Recover; whittling it down will take time, even with Flying STAB (thanks to its good overall bulk). Pelipper should be able to help out against Ludicolo's annoyingly good defensive typing by using Flying STAB against its weaker defensive stat; the only caveat is that using Fly could allow it to spam Double Team and make the battle quite frustrating. Wailord will take a couple hits to bring down thanks to its gargantuan HP, but Pelipper can easily provide those hits with Flying STAB or Shock Wave. Lastly, Tentacruel's Special Defense will allow it to take even Shock Wave comfortably, so Flying STAB is the best choice if you're adamant about using Pelipper.
Post-Game: If you're going to fight Rayquaza, be warned that Outrage will probably one-shot poor Pelipper. Also, please see the RS tab for information about Steven Stone, since the only change to his team is the levels. Another note is that Hydro Pump becomes a feasible option in the post-game.
Moves[]
By level-up, the most important moves in Wingull's arsenal are Water Gun and Wing Attack, which will carry it through the first half of the game. The moves it misses out on by evolving are Pursuit (really not worth waiting until Level 43 for) and Agility (not that useful of a setup move in-game). Pelipper, on the other hand, will learn Protect upon evolution (if you evolve as soon as possible). Its level-up movepool beyond the few mentioned here is rather sparse, but does feature Hydro Pump for the overgrinders who feel daring (comes at Level 61 for Pelipper) and Mist (a team support move of questionable merit learned at Level 21). Pelipper also gets the Stockpile, Swallow and Spit Up combination, but three moveslots is too high a price for that gimmick, especially when Stockpile doesn't boost anything in this generation.
TMs and HMs really serve Pelipper well; Surf is an indispensable component of any latter-half moveset for the pelican and should be used on it the second the machine is received. Fly is an option for those who wish to make an HM mule of Pelipper, or who prefer the added power on Pelipper's STAB. Ice Beam can be gotten as early as the third Gym and gets excellent coverage alongside Surf. The other major move to note here is Shock Wave, which grants our friend near-perfect type coverage, even if the power leaves something to be desired. The competition for that one-off TM will also be relatively high, so it's good that Pelipper can function without it (just adjust your approach accordingly). Other options include Return (probably better given to a better physical attacker), Steel Wing (see previous statement), Toxic (forms a good combo with Protect, but Pelipper's not the best-suited 'mon to stall), Aerial Ace (does nothing Wing Attack can't except has perfect accuracy), Blizzard (less PP and low accuracy make it a judgment call, really), and Water Pulse (totally obsolete by the time you get it).
Powerful Attackers: Pelipper has the exceptional Water/Ice coverage combination from before the game's midpoint, but doesn't have the raw stats to make best use of it. As such, Pokemon that have such stats are welcome teammates; they can break through the bulky Pokemon Pelipper struggles with.
Pokemon that fit this description include, but are not limited to: Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Gardevoir, Breloom, Slaking, Alakazam, Gyarados, Heracross, Salamence
Specially Bulky Pokemon: Pelipper can struggle against some Pokemon, like Archie's Sharpedo, thanks to its lackluster Special Defense. Therefore, a Pokemon that can take those kinds of hits has great synergy with it, especially if the two have few weaknesses in common.
Pokemon that fit this description include, but are not limited to: Bellossom, Swalot, Muk, Grumpig, Altaria, Claydol, Cradily, Milotic
Ground types: Although Pelipper can deal with its Rock weakness fairly effectively once it gets Surf, it has nothing on Electric types and needs earlygame help with Rock type opponents. Thus, Ground types are crucial teammates for bringing out Pelipper's maximum effectiveness.
Pokemon that fit this description include, but are not limited to: Swampert, Golem, Camerupt, Whiscash, Donphan
Other[]
Wingull's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
40
100 - 147
190 - 284
Attack:
30
31 - 90
58 - 174
Defense:
30
31 - 90
58 - 174
Sp.Atk:
55
54 - 117
103 - 229
Sp.Def:
30
31 - 90
58 - 174
Speed:
85
81 - 150
157 - 295
Total:
270
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Pelipper's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
60
120 - 167
230 - 324
Attack:
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
Defense:
100
94 - 167
184 - 328
Sp.Atk:
85
81 - 150
157 - 295
Sp.Def:
70
67 - 134
130 - 262
Speed:
65
63 - 128
121 - 251
Total:
430
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Wingull Line Ratings
Availability
Matchups
Movepool
Survivability
Type Usefulness
Team Role
Offensive Utility
Defensive Utility
Tankiness
Fun Factor
Overall
What Nature do I want? Pelipper likes to use both of its attacking stats, so ideally your nature won't lower either. It doesn't care much about Speed, but does want to preserve its defensive stats. Thus, any -Speed nature will probably serve you well, with upping Special Attack as a bonus (making the ideal nature Quiet). Pelipper can work through even -Special Attack natures, though of course they are not ideal.
At what point in the game should I be evolved? Any time between reaching Mauville City (will necessitate overgrinding) and facing Flannery (mandatory at this point, if not before) would be appropriate for evolving your Wingull, depending on circumstance.
How good is the Wingull line in a Nuzlocke? Pelipper makes a great addition to a Nuzlocker's team, with solid bulk and access to some of the best moves in the game (Surf and Ice Beam). It can also make a handy transport-HM user, depending on your needs. It has good matchups with many opponents throughout the game, right up to the end in R/S.
Weaknesses: Rock, Electric (x4)
Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Steel, Fire, Water
Immunities: Ground
Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Dark
