Almost every Trainer has at least two or three monsters that they use in every Pokémon game they can find them in, no matter how terrible their stats are. There are many reasons why a Pokémon might be a player's favorite that they keep around no matter what, whether it's because they look cool or cute, or are fun to have around. The upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet releasing on November 18 is reported to have over 105 new monsters and plenty of returning ones, including one not seen in decades, so Pokémon SV's region, Paldea, should have no shortage of new favorites for players to bring along on their journeys regardless of their viability in battle.
In Pokémon, there are a number of factors that play into how strong a Pocket Monster's moves are and how effective they are in battle. The most prominent of these are the six stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, all of which have different values depending on the Pokémon and their level. There are also others, such as their movesets, natures, abilities, and what items they're holding. All of these things can allow Pokémon to cover their weaknesses and fill niches in players' teams. However, none of them change the fact that many Pokémon are simply bad, and are hard or practically impossible to use in a competitive battle.
A good base stat total is approximately 500, with most of the disappointing Pokémon that struggle in battle falling below this threshold. Gimmicks like Dynamax, Z-Moves, and even the upcoming Terastallization can help improve them, however, and as long as players remember their Type matchups and level up their partners sufficiently, they shouldn't have too much trouble using their favorite Pokémon in casual gameplay regardless of their stats. Competitive matches against other players are the only place where they may have to be careful of what Pokémon they use, and even then, almost any team can triumph given the right combination of factors and a healthy dose of luck.
Palossand Is A Fun Pokémon With Odd Stat Combinations
Palossand is a Ghost/Ground-Type Pokémon from Gen 7's Alola region. It's designed after a sand castle, and is a fun Pokémon to use in battle and bring on a Pokémon Journey. Its backstory may be somewhat creepy, and it's certainly not for everyone, but it's still whimsical and doesn't deserve its reputation as one of Pokémon's scariest Ghost-types. Its shiny form with volcanic black sand is especially cool, and makes it feel like a literal part of Alola.
Palossand is sadly not a great Pokémon to use in battle, with a base stat total of 480. Its Defense and Special Attack are high, but its Speed is abysmal, and everything else is average to poor. Its type resistances also match up poorly with its stats; Palossand is weak against the special-focused Water, Grass, Ice, Ghost, and Dark types, making its below-average Special Defense hit it especially hard. It also resists the physical-focused Bug and Rock-Types, and is completely immune to Normal and Fighting, all of which its high Defense would have countered regardless. Palossand's slowness most certainly doesn't help, but it's its lack of balance that truly dooms it.
Fearow Is A Cool-Looking Pokémon That Can't Take A Hit
Fearow is a Normal/Flying-Type from the very first region, Kanto, and is a good-looking Gen 1 Pokémon that deserves a regional variant in a future game. It's a cool bird that looks both fearsome and powerful, and is typically portrayed as a fierce hunter. Fans of the anime will remember well how one attacked Ash's Pidgeotto and forced it to evolve into Pidgeot. Its pre-evolution, Spearow, is fairly easy to catch early on in most of the games it's present in, and is quick to evolve at level 20.
As cool as Fearow looks and as strong as it's portrayed in the anime, it's a very underpowered Pokémon with a stat total of only 442. It has good Speed and decent Attack, but all of its other stats are poor. It also has a mediocre moveset with few good STAB moves and an unhelpful ability, Keen Eye. Simply put, Fearow is a glass cannon, and not even a very good one at that, requiring careful EV stat training to be viable in Pokémon battles.
Meowstic Is A Slightly Speedy Cute Pokémon, But Nothing Else
Meowstic is a pure Psychic-type Pokémon from Gen 6's Kalos region, and evolves from Espurr. It has two different forms depending on what gender it is, and both are adorable. The male form is cool but cute at the same time with its accented fur and fluffy tail, and the female's fur makes it looks like it's wearing a beret, scarf, gloves, and dress, fitting in well with Kalos' France inspiration and representing the fashion that that country is known for. Gender differences for Pokémon are always cool, but Meowstic's stands out for the dramatic difference between males and females as well as the aesthetic quality of both.
However, Meowstic isn't a very effective battler, with a base stat total of 466. Its only notable stat is Speed, with all the others being average to poor, and it has an especially horrible Attack stat. In a rare gender difference for a Pokémon, males and females also have different movesets, which is especially problematic for males since they have few good Special Attack moves. Neither Meowstic's Speed nor its appearance is of help if it can't take or give a hit.
Granbull Looks Like A Tough Pokémon, But Can't Back It Up
Granbull is a pure Fairy-Type Pokémon that was introduced in Gen 2's Johto and was Normal-Type up until Gen 6. It's a good combination of cute and tough-looking, and a good Pokémon for players who like to imagine their character as a punk. Its giant fangs and studded collar contrast nicely with its pink fur and otherwise cute appearance, and it's arguably even cuter than its pre-evolution, Snubbul. Its Pokédex entries also mostly paint it as timid, giving it a gentleness that makes it an even cuter Pokémon for Fairy Trainers' teams.
As cute and tough as Granbull's appearance is, however, its base stat total is only 450. It has a good Attack stat and fair HP, but all of its other stats are awful. Its poor defense and high offense could make it a glass cannon if not for its particularly bad Speed, which may lead to it getting one-shot before it can even get a hit in. Granbull's Intimidate Ability isn't bad, but its second, Quick Feet, is too situational, and it may faint before it's even able to use it; even its Hidden Ability, Rattled, is far too niche to be of much use. Even the resistances Granbull gained when becoming one of Pokémon's overpowered Fairy-Types aren't of much help. Among Pokémon's poor battlers that are good-looking enough to use regardless, Granbull stands out as one that could be just good enough to work, but can fail very easily.
Source: Pokémon DB