Just compare Tepig to Emboar… But maybe you’re not into that. Maybe you just want a Pokémon that’s already good and you don’t have to worry about evolving. Well my friend, then this list is for you! Here are some of the best Pokémon across all generations that simply don’t evolve! Legendaries excluded, of course.
15. Shuckle
Shuckle is an adorable worm/fungus that has captured the hearts of many, despite its derpy appearance. Shuckle is an incredible stalling Pokémon. It has the highest defenses in all of Pokémon and has access to moves like Toxic, Infestation, Encore, and Sticky Web. But that’s not why Shuckle made this list. No, it’s here because even though Shuckle has the lowest attacking stats, it can deal the most damage in a single move in the entire series. Hypothetically. There’s a ton of really specific and weird set up to do, check that link above to get the details, but just know it can total anywhere between 480 and 722 million damage depending on which version of Pokémon you’re playing. They say that surprises come in small packages. And Shuckle is a perfect example of that.
14. Tauros
It might be a surprise for some people to see Tauros on this list. Currently, it’s a pretty fast hard-hitting Pokémon that can barely hold itself in today’s metagame. But to see what made Tauros so great, we have to go back to the beginning. Tauros was the champion of competitive Pokémon in the first generation. It easily ran through almost every other Pokémon with its decent bulk and massive attack. It would most frequently use STAB Body Slam and Hyper Beam combined with Blizzard and Earthquake. Almost every battle was decided by whether or not you had Tauros at the end of the match. Tauros may just be some bull now, but at one point he was the king.
13. Falinks
For this entry, you get 6 Pokémon for the price of one! Falinks is an interesting Pokémon representing a phalanx of Spartan soldiers. However, the thing that really sets it apart is its signature move No Retreat. No Retreat, besides looking freaking awesome, is one of the best boosting moves in the game. It increases every stat by a single stage at the cost of not being able to switch out (worth it). This pairs great with Falinks’ decent coverage. Close Combat, Throat Chop, Poison Jab, and Zen Headbutt are all great moves. And this makes Falinks a fantastic late game sweeper, especially in the Battle Tower if you want to grind for BP. If you feel like you’re failing, give Falinks a shot instead!
12. Sigilyph
As a child who loved dream catchers, I love Sigilyph. It’s one of the most unique looking Pokémon of all time, and also has a potentially unique playstyle. This is mostly due to its ability Magic Guard. Magic Guard makes it so that Sigilyph can only be damaged by direct attacks. This means you could pair it with a Flame or Toxic Orb and pass on those statuses with Psycho Shift. You could also use Cosmic Power to boost up your defenses and Stored Power to take advantage of those boosts. This can make Sigilyph a bulky tank that could destroy most Pokémon. But this is just how I like to do it. You could also teach Sigilyph Tailwind to speed up your whole team, Air Slash to take advantage of that speed, or any variety of special moves to take advantage of a decent 97 base speed. Sigilyph is cool not just because of its awesome design and ability, but because there’s so much you could do with it! Because of that, it more than deserves to be on this list.
11. Klefki
Klefki is an adorable steel/fairy type that loves to collect keys from all over. But it doesn’t steal them. Klefki will hold onto your keys and protect them with all of its might. This kind of support and protection can be seen in battle as well. What makes Klefki so great in battle is its Prankster ability. This makes any move that isn’t an attacking move have increased priority. This pairs great with its vast support move pool. Spike, Lightscreen, Reflect, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Magnet Rise, the list goes on! A lot of Pokémon may be stronger than Klefki, but I bet you won’t find anything that’s nearly as helpful.
10. Minior
Minior might just be the cutest rock in all of Pokémon. Sure it might look like a creepy meteor, but once it loses its shell, it’s the cutest star in the entire galaxy. But this isn’t just an aesthetic change. This is Minior’s ability Shields Down. This switches it from a defensive beast into a fast sweeper. And this ability is completely taken advantage of by the move Shell Smash. While you’re on the defensive, boost up that Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, and get ready to take out as many Pokémon as possible. All of this, combined with some great coverage moves in Stone Edge, Earthquake, and Acrobatics, makes for super effective coverage against 648 Pokémon and no resistances. Minior is no minor Pokémon.
9. Pachirisu
While there are a ton of single evolution Pikachu clones, Pachirisu is the only one who made it on this list. Yes, it is the cutest out of all of them.But that’s not why it’s here. Pachirisu is here because of one man: Park Se-Jun. Park Se-Jun is one of the best competitive Pokémon players of all time, most famous for his unique teams. He took Pachirisu and made it extra bulky. He then taught it Nuzzle, Follow Me, Super Fang, and Protect. This made Pachirisu the perfect sidekick for the rest of Se-Jun’s team, redirecting attacks and slowing down his opponents. It is because of this Pokémon that Se-Jun became the world champion in 2014. Park Se-Jun proved that day what Karen said in the Elite 4 way back in the second generation of Pokémon: “Truly skilled trainers try to win with their favorites.” And it was this moment that made Pachirisu a favorite for fans around the world.
8. Hawlucha
As a fan of wrestling, I have always been a fan of Hawlucha. Its awesome look and awesome typing make for a Pokémon that will always hit fast and hard. And this was boosted even more in Sword and Shield with the addition of Dynamaxing. When dynamaxed, Hawlucha’s fighting and flying moves not only deal incredible damage, but increase its attack and speed as well. This allows Hawlucha to become an even more threatening sweeper than before! All these boosts combined with Close Combat and Acrobatics make Hawlucha one of the most threatening Dynamax sweepers in Sword and Shield.
7. Indeedee
I’m not gonna lie: I wasn’t that impressed with Indeedee when I first saw it. It looked like a psychic Audino to me, and the stats weren’t that impressive. Boy was I wrong! Indeedee has one of the best abilities in the game with Psychic Surge. This summons Psychic Terrain giving a boost to psychic-type moves and a negation of priority moves like Quick Attack. But what lets Indeedee take advantage of this is Expanding Force, a move whose base power increases 1.5x on Psychic Terrain. Add STAB onto that and you have a massive 160 base power! Indeedee also has some great coverage moves with Mystical Fire and Dazzling Gleam. So it might look inoffensive, but this thing can catch you off guard and take you out. Don’t underestimate it.
6. Torkoal
For everyone who played Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, Flannery’s Torkoal was one of the most difficult challenges you would face. With Sunny Day and Overheat, this thing hits like a truck. But it would be the later generations where Torkoal really began to shine. Recently, Torkoal has gained the ability Drought. This summons sunny weather, improving the strength of fire type attacks and decreasing the strength of water type attacks. And Torkoal takes full advantage of this with moves like Eruption, Lava Plume, and Solar Beam. Plus, Torkoal can back up your other team members with Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Oh, and did I mention Shell Smash? This thing gets Shell Smash. Torkoal went from a scary in game opponent to an incredibly useful competitive Pokémon. Truly a colossal tortoise.
5. Smeargle
I’d say Smeargle belongs on this list because it can literally learn any move in the game. Wanna teach it Sacred Fire? You can do that. What about Geomancy? Go for it! Splash? Um… sure. However, with its awful overall stats, Smeargle does most of its work as a support Pokémon. Since you can teach it anything, it can back up your team in whatever way you need. Some of the most common moves we see are Spore, Sticky Web, Stealth Rocks, and a lot more. Like I said, Smeargle can learn literally any move in the game. This has allowed Smeargle to be effective in every competitive tier in Pokémon. Also, it has a beret. That doesn’t really affect anything, but I like to point out fashion when I see it.
4. Dracovish
While Smeargle is on this list for its infinite versatility, Dracovish is here for the exact opposite reason. Dracovish flat out has the strongest move in all of Pokémon. (except for Shuckle) Fishious Rend is an 85 base power move. Doesn’t seem that impressive, right? Well, boost it 1.5x with Dracovish’s ability Strong Jaw. Then boost that strength even more with a Choice Band. Then make Dracovish so fast that it can take advantage of Fishious Rend’s secondary effect, doubling its base power. You’re now looking at a move with 255 base power. And that’s without even having to set up! This move alone has caused some people to ban Dracovish from competitive play. It may look goofy as all get out, but it deserves your respect.
3. Skarmory
Skarmory is not only one of the coolest looking Pokémon ever, but it’s one of the best defensive Pokémon of all time. Its massive 140 defense stat is outstanding. And combining this with its Steel and Flying typing means it can take a ton of hits. Because of its defense, Skarmory makes great use as a support and stall Pokémon. It can set up Spikes, poison opponents with toxic, clear hazards with Defog, and heal itself back up with Roost. Not to mention that it gets a great STAB move in Brave Bird. Skarmory has consistently been one of the most-used Pokémon in the series and it’s no surprise to see why.
2. Mimikyu
Mimikyu is a Pokémon that’s so scary looking that when a scholar looked at it, they died from either shock or a mysterious disease (depending on which Pokedex entry you read). But all that Mimikyu wants to do is be popular! So it made a costume to try and look like the most important thing on earth: Pikachu. This is so sad and adorable that I couldn’t help but be drawn to this little ‘mon. Fortunately, Mimikyu is just as effective in battle as it is adorable. Its ability Disguise gives it a single turn where it won’t take any damage. This is the perfect opportunity to set up Sword Dance and boost its attack. And Mimikyu can take advantage of this boost to use moves such as Shadow Claw, Play Rough, Shadow Sneak, and Wood Hammer. Mimikyu is my personal favorite Pokémon that doesn’t evolve. But for the all-time best, we have to go to another mimicking Pokémon…
1. Ditto
It had to be Ditto. While Ditto was just a fun gimmick with Transform in gen 1, it became much more useful when breeding became a thing. It could breed with literally any other Pokémon! But it became competitively viable with its hidden ability Impostor. This causes Ditto to transform as soon as it enters the battle. Combine this with a Choice Scarf and you have the best revenge killer in the game. Then everything changed with Dynamaxing. When a Pokémon Dynamaxes, they get a ton of really powerful moves that can also boost the Pokémon’s stats. So when the Dynamax ends, you swap in Ditto, take those stat boosts, and then Dynamax yourself. Suddenly you have a Pokémon that can get a total of 6 stat boosts! None of this even mentions all of the adorable Ditto merch, or that awesome episode in the anime with Duplica. Ditto is absolutely deserving of being named the best non-evolving Pokémon of all time.
