RELATED: Every Pokemon Based On Frogs
The Pokémon that made this list did so due to horrible designs (at least compared to some of the best), mediocre stats, their inability to cause real damage, or their lack of utility even in specific competitive builds.
Updated January 28th, 2023 by Jacob Buchalter: Sadly, not all Pokemon can be winners. There are now (as of the release of Scarlet and Violet) over 1000 Pokemon, and some among those hundreds of creatures are going to be duds.
With this list, the attempt was to select Pokemon who are at the end of their evolutionary tree (if they have one) but still aren’t worth using in any circumstance. Yes, a lot of Trainers use pre-evolutions in their teams’ thanks to items like Eviolites, but that isn’t the standard. This includes regular play in the standard ‘run’ of any Pokemon mainline game, but it also includes competitive play in the online PvP scene. So, let’s take a look at some of the most useless Pokemon out there.
18 Sudowoodo
Sudowoodo is one of those Pokemon that seems designed as a ’trickster’ type who is ‘intended’ to be stronger than what they’re masquerading as but is somehow actually worse. While Sudowoodo is more of a rock than a plant, it likes to disguise itself as a tree, the only problem is that it’s absurdly weak to Water-type damage. Not only that, but it’s also weak to the same Grass-type Pokemon it’s pretending to be a part of, as well as Fighting, Ground, and Steel Pokemon. Even outside of its large amount of type disadvantages, Sudowoodo is relatively weak in just about every other department as well.
All of its abilities are lackluster, its stat total is a mediocre 410, and there aren’t really any ‘builds’ that it excels in over other Pokemon. Sure, using a Grass Tera Orb to make a Terrastallized Sudowoodo (one of Scarlet and Violet’s many gimmicks) can get rid of its normal weaknesses. But, it’s not like Sudowoodo has many ‘amazing’ Grass-type moves to use and pure Grass types also have a lot of type disadvantages as well. This is one of those Pokemon that has desperately needed an evolution for generations now.
17 Dudunsparce
Moving on to one of the only Pokemon on here that actually has some usage in competitive, but is useless because it tends to be ignored anyway. Dunsparce is a Pokemon that was first seen in the second generation and, since then, fans have been asking for Dunsparce to get the same new evolution treatment that Pokemon like Lickitung, Tangela, Electabuzz, Magmar, and Rhydon all got in the fourth generation.
Well, after more than two decades, Game Freak has finally done it, and the result is…Dudunsparce. It’s just such a cheeky move on Game Freak’s part, and the sheer absurdity of Dudunsparce (whether the two or three-segment version) just being a longer Dunsparce is almost worth using it for that reason alone.
And, as far as builds go, Dudunsparce is pretty decent. It has good bulky stats, access to Roost, Serene Grace as a potential ability, and can also learn powerful Normal-type moves like Hyper Drill and Boomburst. But, it’s still on the lower end in terms of powerful Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet and Dudunsparce is almost equally ignored as its pre-evolution always was.
16 Castform
Castform is a gimmick Pokemon designed with a single purpose in mind: to show off the variety of weather effects that Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire’s new tech put on display. Its ability, Forecast, allows it to change forms and types depending on the weather in the current battle or even the weather in the area the battle is taking place. It has three forms, a Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy form, each of which changes its single type to the associated element (Fire, Water, and Ice).
However, despite an interesting gimmick and a wide movepool, Castform just doesn’t stack up either in terms of its stats or as a general weather-based Pokemon. If a person wants a fantastic weather-centric Pokemon on their team, there are much better options such as Tyranitar or Hippowdon.
15 Sunflora
Sunflora. the sentient sunflower Pokemon, is another one that actually has some builds that work for it and would (in the right circumstances) have a decent amount of potential. The only problem is, sadly, that every role Sunflora could possibly fill is exponentially better to use a different Pokemon in. Every other Chlorophyll user is a better choice than Sunflora, its pure Grass typing is a rough sell (it should really be Grass/Fire), and even the unique ability it has, Solar Power, can be used by Charizard.
People do like Sunflora, both in design and concept, but Game Freak really needs to buff it somehow whether thats through another evolution, a regional variant, or some other method.
14 Delibird
Now here’s the start of the awkwardness of talking about ‘useless’ Pokemon after the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. One of the mechanics introduced in these games is Paradox Pokemon, off-shoot versions of well-known Pokemon that are either incredibly futuristic or prehistoric (think dinosaur-esque) in nature. And, Delibird actually has a Paradox Pokemon based on it called Iron Bundle. Now Iron Bundle is actually one of the best Pokemon that players can use in Scarlet and Violet, and that includes the competitive scene. But Delibird, the Pokemon its ‘based’ on, is still as useless as ever.
RELATED: All Pokemon Based on Horses
Just to immediately make it clear why Delibird is laughably weak compared to its Paradox counterpart, just look at their stat totals. Iron Bundle has an absurd 570 total stat points while Delibird has a measly 330. Delibird’s highest stat is its Speed, which is mediocre at best, and all the rest of its stats are relatively evenly spread, making them all weak in comparison to most other Pokemon. It’s cute, sure, and the joke of its name being close to ‘delivered’ is creatively adorable, but Delibird is not going to be the anchor of any team.
13 Ledian
Ledian, the evolution of one of Pokemon Gold and Silver’s bug-type Pokemon that can be found early on, is a one-stat wonder. Normally, this could be useful if the stat was something like Speed, HP, Attack, or Special Attack. Unfortunately, that stat is Special Defense, which might as well not even be a factor with its low HP and crippling weakness to the (primarily physical) Rock-type. It learns a lot of punch-based and multi-hit attacks but those hits are about as hard as a tumbleweed in a gentle breeze.
Ledian is likely a forgotten Pokemon because despite a cool design it has nothing to offer to any trainer. It’s depressing when its equally terrible pre-evolution, Ledyba, has more niche case uses than it. Ladybug fans will be disappointed to find that Ledian just can’t cut it in either competitive or casual play. Though, with its design, it’s easy to imagine this Pokemon getting some sort of new variant, form, or something in-between in future games.
12 Spidops
Sadly one of the more visually interesting new inclusions of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Spidops, is on here for many of the same reasons Ledian is. These two Bug-type Pokemon just don’t have the stats they deserve, and are one of the primary examples fans point to when asking for better early-game Bug Pokemon.
Not only that, but Spidop’s ability, Stakeout, sounds great in certain situations at first, but because of its truly horrendous Speed, and general movepool, Spidops is a hard sell for anyone to use over something like Lokix.
11 Vespiquien
Next up is an inclusion that’s a bit of a tragedy, purely because Vespiquien has such an incredible design. But, unfortunately, this Pokemon is on here mostly because Bug/Flying-type Pokemon are almost at as much of a disadvantage as the infamous Grass/Flying combination, but they’re just a bit better against Ice-types.
Still, Vespiquien ’s high Defense and Special Defense stats as well as its absurdly low Speed (especially for a flying type) make it seem like it should work as a ‘damage sponge’. But, if someone were to use it that way, they would have so many better options to choose from. Ultimately, Vespiquien suffers from a lack of identity in terms of its utility. It has all these signature moves such as Attack Order, Defend Order, and (sometimes) Heal Order but none of them are really worth using given its mediocre Attack and HP stats.
10 Luvdisc
When thinking of useless Pokemon, few come to mind as quickly as Luvdisc does. Luvdisc has a unique situation where it has a memorable design (at least more memorable than all the other aquatic Pokemon that are basically just fish) but is unmemorable just about everywhere else.
The pink, heart-shaped fish is certainly adorable, and the Pokedex says that sharing it with people is a sign of affection. However, most trainers, upon receiving this Pokemon, will likely just toss it in their box after grabbing the Heart Scale from it.
Swift Swim is an ability that increases its one not-terrible stat to levels that are decent enough. However, with no offensive stats and wafer-thin defense, this heart gets broken by everything and everyone. The only thing it’s useful for is fighting it to steal its Heart Scales, and even then that’s a mechanic that was primarily only useful in older games like Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald.
9 Jumpluff
Out of all the type combinations out there, Grass/Flying-type Pokemon like Tropius, Shaymin, or even Jumpluff have it the hardest. This type combination means that the Pokemon in question have 5 different types of weaknesses to worry about, with one of those weaknesses (Ice) being 4 times as powerful against them. Take that innate disadvantage, put it on top of a forgettable Pokemon design with decent base stats but a poor stat spread, and the result is a primarily useless Pokemon named Jumpluff.
Jumpluff isn’t all bad, however, as the Pokemon does have a pretty impressive Speed stat as well as a Special Defense stat. But, their move pool, ability pool, and both their Attack and Special Attack stats are so lackluster. Granted, if the lightest fully-evolved Pokemon out there was actually a powerhouse in disguise, it wouldn’t make much sense anyway.
8 Wugtrio
Here’s the thing, Wugtrio is probably one of the funniest Pokemon introduced into the franchise in quite a while. The fact that it looks like a regional variant of Dugtrio, yet somehow isn’t, and the fact that it’s highly aggressive with such a dopey appearance makes Wugtrio so immediately likable. The only problem is, it’s not a great Pokemon to use overall. Dugtrio is already not a great Pokemon either, even including its Alolan regional variant, but it at least has Arena Trap going for it.
Meanwhile, Wugtrio has the exact same stat spread but without the support move options Dugtrio has, a poor offensive move pool due to its mono Water-typing, and is bulky in terms of Defense and Special Defense but not nearly bulky enough to justify using it over other Pokemon in the same role.
7 Toedscruel
Toedscruel and its pre-evolution Toedscool, despite looking absurdly similar to Tentacool and Tentacruel, are apparently entirely different Pokemon. That does make sense, considering that Tentacruel has some usage in the competitive scene while Toedscruel seems to be pretty weak overall.
This Pokemon has one ability, Mycelium Might, which basically means that status-affecting moves will always go last, despite the speed difference between Toedscruel and their opponent, but the moves will ignore any abilities that would otherwise cause the status effect to miss or be ignored.
Sadly, priority is everything in Pokemon, so this ability actually hinders a Spore or Toxic build for Toedscruel rather than improves it. Combine that with the fact that Ground/Grass is just a bad type combination (another one that’s 4 times weak to Ice) and it should be clear why this new Pokemon is sadly lackluster.
6 Unown
Gimmick Pokemon are fun to observe, and may even be neat to mess with for a while, depending on the gimmick and game they’re introduced in. Castform, for example, does have a wide movepool and can adapt to any of the forms it takes on, making it fun to at least use for a bit. However, one of the original gimmick Pokemon is only fun in the sense it was cool in a movie unrelated to the games. That would, of course, be all the different variants of the alphabetic Unown.
RELATED: Pokemon Who Could Beat Mewtwo In A Battle
In its appearances, its only move is Hidden Power, which can only be a single type. This limitation, combined with embarrassingly low base stats for such a mythical Pokemon, means it’s worthwhile to use in virtually zero situations. It only served as a unique living gimmick for the puzzles in the ruins of Pokemon Gold and Silver, and is almost always ignored otherwise.
5 Spinda
Spinda may be one of the worst Pokemon Game Freak has ever put into the games. Its stats are terrible — an even 60 across the board (equaling 360 total). Spinda does have a wide selection of moves to use poorly, but having too many options when none of the choices actually matter doesn’t amount to much.
Despite being introduced all the way back in the third generation, Spinda still hasn’t received an evolution, variant, or even a new form to make the Pokemon relevant again. And, worst of all, Spinda looks like it should be a pre-evolution to a larger Pokemon, such as how Teddiursa is with Ursaring, but a new evolution never came.
4 Kricketune
When a Pokémon is modeled after a cricket but the only additions to it are giving it a mustache, chances are it’s not going to be great in a fight. Kricketot has 384 total stat points, which is a decent amount more than some other Pokemon on this list, but that’s about all it has going for it.
Kricketune’s design is only memorable for the mustache, its stat spread is abysmal, it’s weak to Fire, Rock, and Flying, three of the more common types to see in Pokemon, and its movepool isn’t great either. For a Pokemon introduced in the fourth generation, it really feels like Kricketune should have a more memorable design and a bit more impact in a fight.
3 Magikarp
Now this list has tried to keep just about all pre-evolutions of any type off of it, as it feels a bit ‘unfair’ to call a Pokemon useless when it isn’t even complete yet as a fighter. But, considering Magikarp is sort of the poster child for all useless Pokemon, even in the modern games, it would be absurd not to at least mention it.
Magikarp, at least in some generations, is actually a bit stronger than usual, as some Trainers even have it using Bounce to deal actual damage to other Pokemon. But, the ability to learn moves such as Bounce or Hydro Pump isn’t consistent across generations, and more often than not it only shows up to use its iconic Splash attack or as a gimmick Pokemon used by some overconfident Fishing Trainer.
2 Stunfisk
Ah, Stunfisk, known for being one of those hilariously dumb-looking Pokemon that people always use in joke posts or to make fun of the extremely range in quality of Pokemon designs. Other Pokemon in this tier alongside Stunfisk are Dunsparce, Shuckle, Garbodor, Klefki, Bidoof, and Relicanth. But, Stunfisk, even though it looks like an off-brand Fossil Pokemon, actually does have the potential to go the distance. It has decent stats, is relatively bulky, and has access to the Static ability (which is incredibly good). There are only two problems that explain why no one seems to use this Pokemon:
It has bad typing and a poor move pool, swap its typing around or add more moves to its pool and Stunfisk has a fighting chance. It’s one of the ugliest and silliest-looking Pokemon in existence.
If those two reasons were countered just a bit through some new form, an evolution, or something similar, Stunfisk could actually become relatively popular.
1 Wishiwashi
And last up is Wishiwashi, a bit of an unfair inclusion. Wishiwashi is one of the Pokemon introduced in to Alola Region of Pokemon Sun and Moon that has a pretty unique gimmick. At the start of battle or at the end of each turn, if Wishiwashi’s HP is higher than 25 percent of its max, it will transform into its School Form (or stay in it if already transformed). If its lower than 25 percent, Wishiwashi goes back into its Solo Form.
In its Solo Form, Wishiwashi is one of the weakest Pokemon of all time with a stat total of 175. Seriously, it’s even weaker than Magikarp. But, in its School Form, Wishiwashi has an absurd 620 stat total, putting it on even footing with some Psuedo-Legendaries. So, it’s all about keeping this fish above 25 percent and switching out if it goes below. There are other Pokemon in this generation that have unique gimmicks similar to this, such as Golisopod and its Emergency Exit ability, but Wishiwashi is technically one of (if not the top) most useless Pokemon alive when in its Solo Form.
MORE: Pokemon: Things The Manga Does Better Than The Anime
