by RootSec
A Pokémon game’s pseudo legendary is often one of the most loved and most used of that particular game, with many players seeing it as a just reward for fighting through many tough battles, and a powerful ally for taking on the Pokémon League and any post-game content. Their designs often invoke a feeling of power, they seem monstrous when compared to many other Pokemon and are usually intimidating to see on the other side of the battlefield.
However, not all pseudo legendary Pokémon are created equal, and there are as many that are left by the wayside as there are beloved companions that remain on a player’s list of favorites for years. From unfortunate type combinations to disappointing movepools, some of these powerhouses just don’t live up to their namesake. Only one can be crowned the best pseudo legendary.
Updated April 5, 2021 by Callum Archer: With the release of the Crown Tundra expansion, several previously unobtainable pseudo legendary Pokemon have been made available to the player once again, with Sword & Shield now allowing Pokemon fans to use all of the pseudo legendary Pokemon that have appeared in the series so far.
9 Kommo-O
Introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, this strange-looking Dragon/Fighting-type, unfortunately, falls victim to its mediocre speed and four times weakness to Fairy-type attacks. While originally it had an incredibly powerful signature Z-Move in Clanglorous Soulblaze, a spread Dragon-type move that also provided a boost to all its stats, this power has now been replaced by the much worse Clanglorous Soul, which provides the same boost without causing damage, but also costs some of its health on top of that. Considering Falinks got a significantly better version of this in No Retreat, it has cemented Kommo-O’s place as the worst of the pseudo legendaries available.
8 Goodra
For a pseudo legendary, Goodra is downright weird. It is the only one that is mono-type, the only one that requires a special condition to fully evolve, and focuses more on defense than offense. While its abilities are interesting and its movepool isn’t terrible, it’s nowhere near as diverse as other Dragon-types. It is also let down by its less than stellar speed and offense, although it can make up that difference with the abilities Gooey and Sap Sipper, they just aren’t as reliable options when more powerful Pokémon have better stats on top of their ability.
7 Hydreigon
This nightmare fuel was once a god among Pokémon. With its great speed and offense, as well as unique typing and diverse movepool, it had a lot going for it during Pokémon Black and White, but that all changed when the Fairy-type was introduced. As a Dark/Dragon-type, it suffers from the same four times weakness to Fairy-types as Kommo-O, but unlike generation seven’s pseudo legendary, that didn’t immediately take out of the picture in terms of viability.
As of Sword and Shield, Dragapult, Duraludon, and Dracovish are all used significantly more often than Hydeigeon despite their heavy weakness to both of its types, but they are simply a better option for a Dragon-type on a trainer’s team in Generation 8.
6 Dragonite
With Ash recently catching the original Dragon-type, Dragonite has had a surge of popularity among Pokémon fans, even if players weren’t able to use one in Sword and Shield until the Crown Tundra DLC. As one of the more balanced in terms of stat spread, with no real standouts aside from its attack, its usage is much more diverse than many other pseudo legendary Pokémon, which is both a blessing and a hindrance. With access to Thunder Wave, Roost, Swagger, and Substitute, it can be an annoying staller with its Multiscale ability, which halves all damage when its health is full, but also a scary sweeper with Dragon Dance, Agility, and access to Max Airstream. Unfortunately, with no defined strength in any one area, it falls short of its fellow Dragon-types.
5 Tyrantitar
One of only two non-Dragon-type pseudo legendary Pokémon, Tyranitar is unique in many ways. As a Dark/Rock-type, a type combination unique to itself, as well as the Sand Stream ability, it is easy to see why it is one of the more popular pseudo legendaries to be used. It may be slow, but what it lacks in speed it more than makes up for with its defensive and offensive abilities. Couple this with the Special Defense boost it gets when in a Sandstorm, and Tyranitar is truly a force to be reckoned with. It is also wildly popular for its pairing with the equally terrifying Excadrill, who can abuse the weather Tyranitar sets up to give itself a massive speed boost. Although there is one other Pokémon that players are looking forward to pairing with this rocky dinosaur.
4 Garchomp
As the signature partner of Cynthia, one of the hardest in-game trainers players have had to face, Garchomp gets a lot of love from players for a good reason. Its amazing offensive presence makes it a horrifying opponent to face, even when it’s not played in a Sandstorm, but when paired with any partner that can set up the weather to its liking, it becomes near impossible to defend against.
The Sand Veil ability boosts its evasion when in a Sandstorm, but its Mega form’s Sand Force ability also boosts the power of its already hard-hitting Ground-type moves. As Mega Evolution has been scrapped entirely from Sword & Shield, it will be unlikely that fans will get to use Mega-Garchomp unless it returns for the upcoming Legends: Arceus title, but that won’t stop player from tearing through teams with its base form instead.
3 Metagross
The second non-Dragon-type pseudo legendary, and the only one not weak to either Ice or Fairy-type attacks, Metagross has a lot going for it. Its ability, Clear Body, stops its impressive stats from being lowered by an opponent, making it a clear target to get rid of quickly whenever it appears on the field. This could theoretically be managed with any significantly fast Pokémon, as Metagross’ speed is its weakest link, except that it gets Agility and future access to Max Airstream with Aerial Ace. Because of its Steel/Psychic-typing causing it to take moves that would otherwise be effective as neutral attacks, Metagross was largely responsible for the Steel-type losing its resistances to Dark and Ghost-type attacks, just so it was easier to take down.
2 Salamence
The second pseudo legendary of Hoenn scrapes by for the runner-up prize by the skin of its teeth, as the only thing stopping this monster from taking the number one spot is its current lack of available Mega Evolution. During Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire’s prime, Mega-Salamence’s use was only trumped by Mega-Kangaskhan, and even that was a nearly even split between the two. Even in its base form, Salamence has two great abilities, Intimidate and Moxie, that make it a terrifying opponent to face in battle. However, the stat boost it gains from Mega Evolution puts it on a whole other level that even other Mega Evolved Pokmon struggled to take down on their best days.
1 Dragapult
The newest pseudo legendary is also arguably the best by quite a large margin. With its astronomical speed, impressive offensive stats, and decent defensive stats, Dragapult is the quintessential set-up sweeper. With access to Max Airstream and Dragon Dance, coupled with two amazing abilities, Clear Body and Infiltrator, the last thing a player should do is leave Dragapult alone and think they can take care of it later. There is no later when it comes to this Dragon-type. Dragapult is also unique as it is one of only two dual-type pseudo legendaries without a four times weakness to any attacking move, the other being Metagross. Dragapult is so powerful and popular among competitive battlers that it was even banned from use in online battles for some time.
