What it does
Water Pulse is a Water-type special move with 100% accuracy and a roughly 20% chance to inflict confusion on the target. It hits a single opponent, not both — so in doubles, you choose your mark carefully.
The confusion chance reads like a secondary gimmick, but in practice it creates uncertainty at key moments: a confused target has roughly a 50% shot of hitting itself instead of attacking, which can waste an opponent's action in the turn you need breathing room most. It won't win games on its own, but it's not nothing.
The real story is Mega Launcher. That ability boosts pulse and aura moves by 50%, and Water Pulse is explicitly in that category. On Clawitzer, a Pokémon built entirely around Mega Launcher, this move stops being a modest Water STAB and becomes a seriously threatening special attack.
Who runs it
Clawitzer runs Water Pulse at an 87% rate — that's the closest thing to a universal slot in competitive building. The reason is mechanical: Clawitzer has high Special Attack, its entire kit is designed around Mega Launcher, and Water Pulse benefits directly from that ability. The 100% accuracy and confusion chance make it more reliable than Hydro Pump while the Mega Launcher boost compensates for raw base power. Pair it with Choice Specs and the damage output becomes genuinely scary on a single target.
Empoleon uses it at 34% — meaningful but not dominant. Without Mega Launcher, it's a consistent Water STAB with the confusion bonus. Empoleon's value comes from its Steel/Water typing and bulk; Water Pulse gives it a reliable offensive option where Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy would be a liability in high-stakes situations.
How to use it
Clawitzer in doubles: Its Speed is low, so it often moves last. That's fine — use the turn to pick a target the opponent can't protect. If a support Pokémon used Follow Me or Rage Powder to redirect attacks, Water Pulse still hits the target directly since it's not a spread move and redirection applies to single-target moves. Watch the field and aim at the one the opponent is protecting less.
Using confusion as a turn gamble: Late in a game, when one opponent Pokémon is the last obstacle and you can't KO it immediately, Water Pulse's confusion chance gives you a shot at a free turn — the confused target might hit itself and hand you the win. This is a real edge case, not a game plan, but it's worth remembering when you're choosing between two roughly equal moves.
Empoleon's framing: When Empoleon brings Water Pulse, it's choosing consistency. A missed Hydro Pump in a key turn can cost a game; Water Pulse never misses. The confusion is marginal upside. This is the 'I need to actually land my Water STAB' version of the slot.
Tips & strategy
Don't plan around the confusion: 20% is one proc in five uses. Treat confusion like a bonus you sometimes get, not a strategy you rely on. If your plan requires the target to hurt itself, you need a different plan.
Type coverage check: Water Pulse is resisted by Water, Grass, and Dragon targets. Ferrothorn, Amoonguss, and similar Grass-types will laugh at it. Scout the opponent's team before the turn; switching Clawitzer out against a Grass-type switch-in is better than wasting an action on a resisted hit.
Choice Specs vs Life Orb on Clawitzer: Choice Specs maximizes the burst damage on Water Pulse and is worth it when you expect to fire it repeatedly at one target. Life Orb gives flexibility at the cost of chip damage each turn. Both are viable; the choice comes down to whether your team needs Clawitzer to pivot between moves or stay locked on the main threat.