As Pokémon competitive play becomes more accessible around the world, it’s important for players to know which Pokémon to put time into training. Many times, one's favorite Pokémon may not be the best choice for competitive battles. Adorable Pokémon can end up having low overall stats, while cool-looking Pokémon may have three or four different type weaknesses.
To keep it fair and interesting, Legendary Pokémon will not be considered for the "most powerful" category here. While there are plenty of amazing and sort of terrible Pokémon out there, these are some of the weakest and most powerful Pokémon in the franchise.
Weakest: Unown
Rumored in the franchise to be what the ancient Pokémon alphabet is based on, Unown was introduced in Generation II. They were featured prominently in Pokémon 3: The Movie as antagonists where Unown held the power to turn humans into Pokémon and grant wishes. In the games, it’s an entirely different story.
When caught in the wild, Unown only knows one move: Hidden Power. And that’s it. Unown will never learn another move. With a low base stat total and typical Psychic-type weaknesses, Unown is wholly useless in battle scenarios. However, it is fun to collect all 28 Unown forms and the games will reward the effort.
Powerful: Aegislash
Introduced in the Kalos region, Aegislash is the final evolution of Honedge. As the only Ghost/Steel-type Pokémon, it provides players with a unique opportunity as to how they train Aegislash and how to integrate it into a battle party. While Aegislash takes super effective damage from four types - Ground, Ghost, Fire, and Dark - it is immune to and resistant to 12 out of the 18 total types.
Aegislash also has the advantage of its signature ability, Stance Change. This allows Aegislash to swap between Blade Forme and Shield Forme. Changing forms also changes Aegislash’s stat distribution, with Blade Forme focusing on attack stats while Shield Forme focuses on defense. Mastering Stance Change makes Aegislash a flexible addition to the team, allowing a player to adapt to the battle as they see fit.
Weakest: Luvdisc
While adorable, unfortunately, Luvdisc does not have a lot to offer when it comes to battle prowess. Many players frantically caught Luvdisc to build up a supply of Heart Scales - originally used in the Hoenn region to give to the Move Reminder.
The biggest aspect working against Luvdisc is the fact that it’s a Water-type Pokémon with very low stats. It doesn’t evolve either, which means Luvdisc will never experience a major stat boost. Even when compared to other Water-type Pokémon that don’t evolve, a Pokémon like Relicanth swims laps around Luvdisc in terms of stats.
Powerful: Slaking
Difficult to master, but worth it in the end, Slaking packs a powerful punch. With high stats in HP and Attack, Slaking is best used for physical moves. As a completely Normal-type Pokémon, Slaking’s only weakness is in Fighting-type moves. To get around Ghost-type Pokémon’s immunity to Normal-type moves, Slaking can learn a handful of physical, Dark-type moves.
However, the biggest drawback to Slaking is its signature ability: Truant. Truant makes it so Slaking can’t attack every second turn that it’s in battle for. This mechanic provides a big learning curve to any competitive player willing to try it out.
Weakest: Abomasnow
Despite having a really cool Mega Evolution design, Abomasnow is probably the weakest Pokémon out of the Mega Evolution lineup. On its own, Abomasnow’s base stats are decent and it’s really fun to play the game with a Grass/Ice-type Pokémon. However, Abomasnow’s greatest weaknesses lie in its terrible type matchup.
Abomasnow is affected by a whopping seven different move types, with Fire-type moves dealing quadruple damage due to being super effective against both Grass and Ice-types. Considering the other bad type matchups and the variety of both physical and special moves within them, it’s very easy to quickly knock out Abomasnow.
Powerful: Garchomp
Adding to the endless arsenal of amazing Dragon-type Pokémon, Garchomp is a top pick among many players. Also gifted with the ability of Mega Evolution, Garchomp can go from good to absolutely overpowered. On top of that, Garchomp has an awesome design.
Trainers should take caution against Ice-type Pokémon since Garchomp takes quadruple damage due to being a Dragon/Ground-type. But considering the relatively small number of Ice-type Pokémon, the biggest challenge to overcome most likely would be against other Dragon-type Pokémon or Fairy-types.
Weakest: Wobuffet
Probably one of the stranger Pokémon in the series, Wobuffet, unfortunately, does not have much to show for its notoriety. Its highest stat lies in HP, but that doesn’t mean much when every other stat is so low.
Overall, there are unfortunately better choices, especially considering the amazing Psychic-type Pokémon in the games. And unfortunately, Destiny Bond is not enough to overcome these weaknesses.
Powerful: Alakazam
On the other end of the Psychic-type Pokémon scale is Alakazam. As a classic Generation 1 Pokémon, Alakazam continues to retain its standing as one of the strongest Pokémon in the game. Its highest stats lie in Sp. Atk. and Speed, making it a great choice for outpacing opponents and getting quick hits in.
With newer generations, Alakazam’s potential moveset opens up to include the ability to learn Electric, Fire, Ice, and even Grass-type moves. Alakazam is a fun Pokémon to play around with and great for surprising even the most seasoned Pokémon players.
Weakest: Kricketune
It’s a common fact among Pokémon fans that Bug-type is notorious for being the weakest Pokémon type. Though all Bug-type Pokémon have comparatively low stats, the lowest of the low is probably Kricketune.
Introduced in Generation IV, Kricketune takes visual cues from a symphony conductor and, as the name suggests, crickets. While it can learn some great Bug-type moves and is best used for physical attacks, Kricketune has the lowest stat total of all evolved Pokémon. The only rival to this title is Shedinja, but Shedinja has a bit of an edge over Kricketune, considering it only has 1 HP.
Powerful: Metagross
Big, intimidating, and apparently based on the oldest analog computer, Metagross is one of the best offensive and defensive Pokémon to use in battle. Introduced with the Hoenn region, Metagross retains its place as an absolute tank. Its high Attack and Defense lends itself well to deal out and take physical attacks, though it may have trouble rebounding from special attacks.
As a Steel/Psychic-type, Metagross takes double damage from Ground, Ghost, Fire, and Dark-type moves. However, it is completely immune to Poison-type moves and can be a great asset when taking on Fairy-type Pokémon.