Every generation ofPokemonintroduces new and exciting Pokemon for Trainers to discover. Of course, with so many characters, specific archetypes begin to form. For example, there’s the regional bird - a basic bird-like Pokemon, usually having a three-stage evolution line, that can be encountered early and ranges from being suited only to the early game to an all-around powerful party member (Talonflame and Staraptor are examples). However, there’s one archetype that stands out: the Pseudo-Legendary.
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This is a fan-term coined to describe a Pokemon with the following qualities: First, a three-stage evolution line. Second, the Pseudo-Legendary’s final evolution must have a base stat total of 600. Pseudo-Legends are typically found late-game, are very powerful, and tend to be Dragon-types. Here’s how they all stack up.
Goodra is very defensively oriented, having the highest Special Defense out of all the Pseudo-Legends. Like its brethren, Goodra has a wide movepool, featuring Dragon, Water, Poison, Fire, Ice, and Electric-type moves. Its stats leave little to be desired, being surprisingly fast for a defensive Pokemon and having the one weakness of a low Defense stat.
Its only viable healing option is Rest. While Goodra can run Hydration to remove sleep while Raining, other Pokemon will be vying for control over the weather and running Hydration just isn’t reliable without proper teambuilding. As of writing, Goodra’s Hisuian Form is still unavailable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet; Hisuian Goodra may have a leg up on its standard variant thanks to its new Steel-typing and Defense boost, giving it heightened defensive capabilities and a way to hit Fairy-types.
Kommo-o is a Dragon- and Fighting-type with a slight defensive focus, with its highest stat being its Defense at base 125. While Kommo-o is somewhat slow, It has access to powerful boosting moves. Clangorous Soul, Kommo-o’s signature move, gives it a blanket stat boost in exchange for a third of its HP, which can be easily restored with Drain Punch. If you’re playing Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Kommo-o’s signature Z-Move, Clangorous Soulblaze, grants the same effect alongside an incredibly powerful Dragon-type attack.
Clangorous Soul(blaze) was the sole reason Kommo-o became viable, as Kommo-o’s even stats and typing hold it back from truly shining. As a Dragon- and Fighting-type, Kommo-o has a devastating weakness todangerous Fairy-types.
8Metagross
Metagross is one of the two non-Dragon Pseudo-Legendaries, being a Steel- and Psychic-type and the ace of Champion Steven Stone. Metagross has incredible Attack and Defense, compounded by its Steel typing; a fantastic Pokemon that can fill both an Offensive and Defensive role. Despite its meager Speed, Metagross can be deceptively quick through the use of STAB Bullet Punch or Agility.
Meteor Mash is a powerful STAB Steel-type attack that can boost Metagross’s base 135 attack even further. Even without these tools, Metagross has access to a wide variety of coverage options.
7Salamence
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire made the unique move of introducing twoPseudo-Legendary Pokemon. Salamence is a mixed attacker, having a good Speed stat that lets it hit foes with powerful Draco Meteors, Dragon Claws, Hurricanes, and more. It works very well as a sweeper, having the Hidden Ability Moxie that boosts its attack whenever it knocks out a Pokemon.
Salamence can easily run away with the game with a well-timed KO. It can also fill a defensive role fairly well with its natural ability Intimidate, which lowers opponents' Attack stats when switching in. While Salamence’s defensive stats aren’t spectacular, Intimidate and its natural resistances afforded by its Dragon- and Flying-typing allow it to take hits that Pokemon of similar offensive presence couldn’t. Just watch out for Ice- or Fairy-type attacks.
6Baxcalibur
Pokemon’s latest Pseudo-Legendary is Baxcalibur, the Ice/Dragon Pokemon. It packs the highest Attack stat of all the Psuedo-Legends at a stunning 145. Combined with its great offensive STAB combination of Dragon and Ice, it’s a great threat. It also has some decent bulk that lets it take a few hits despite its lackluster defensive typing. Its unique move, Glaive Rush, is a tricky one. It’s a powerful Dragon-type move with a devastating drawback: after use, Baxcalibur will take double damage.
Baxcalibur’s ability, Thermal Exchange, boosts its Attack stat whenever it’s hit by a Fire-type move. The real kicker is that it’s also immune to burns, the bane of physical attackers.
5Hydreigon
Hydreigon, much like Kommo-o, is a jack-of-all-stats, not really lacking in any particular area. However, Hydreigon’s stats are distributed better, with none of them dipping below base 90. Hydreigon’s greatest stat is its base 125 Special Attack, which is compounded by a stellar movepool. Hydreigon’s Draco Meteor is formidable, and it can even recover its Special Attack with a Nasty Plot.
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Despite Dark and Dragon giving Hydreigon a 4x weakness to Fairy, it’s otherwise a solid defensive type, granting a resistance to key offensive types like Ghost, Dark, and Fire. And despite its Fairy weakness, Hydreigon can hit them back where it hurts witha powerful Flash Cannon. It’s unfortunate, though, that Hydreigon was introduced right before Fairy-types were added. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet allows it to surprise foes with a sneaky Tera Steel, however.
4Dragapult
Galar’s Dragapult stands out thanks to its blistering base 142 speed and Ghost and Dragon typing, a type combination only shared with the Legendary Giratina. Much like Salamence, it’s a mixed attacker, but its biggest weakness is its lack of reliable Ghost-type moves. Dragapult’s best offensive stat is its Attack at a base 120, compared to its base 100 Special Attack. However, Dragapult’s strongest physical Ghost move is Phantom Force, which requires a turn to charge before attacking.
Dragapult’s movepool offers plenty of special options, including Draco Meteor, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and Hydro Pump. Despite this, Dragapult has to rely on its weaker Special Attack if it wants to make the most of its STABs. Dragapult can still hit quite hard, though, andhas one of the highest Speed stats in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Combined with its utility options like U-Turn, Will-O-Wisp, and Thunder Wave, Dragapult proves itself to be a threat.
3Dragonite
Dragonite has great stats all around, with the exception of its middling Speed. However, this isn’t much of a problem, as Dragonite has access to the rare Extreme Speed, as well as tools like Dragon Dance, Agility, and other priority moves. Dragonite’s other tool is its hidden ability, Multiscale, which halves the damage it takes while it’s at full health.
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Dragonite’s defensive utility and incredible offensive capability combine to form a formidable Pokemon. Even after taking a hit, Dragonite can restore its health with Roost, which also (temporarily) patches the weaknesses afforded by its Flying-type.
Garchomp is fast (the benchmark for a Pokemon’s speed in competitive circles), hits like a truck, and can take a hit. Ground and Dragon is a great offensive combination, and Garchomp makes great use of it with Swords Dance-boosted Earthquakes and Outrages. Garchomp performs well even with non-offensive roles, being able to set up Stealth Rock and Spikes and completely shut down Maushold’s Population Bomb with its Rough Skin ability and a Rocky Helmet.
Garchomp can also run special moves to limited success, having access to the powerful Draco Meteor and moves like Fire Blast, Earth Power, and Surf. Garchomp is a fantastic Pokemon that has dominated competitive circles for years - though among Pseudo-Legendaries, only one can be called the king of competitive.
1Tyranitar
Tyranitar has been one of the best Pokemon around ever since its introduction in Pokemon Gold and Silver, more than 20 years ago. While Rock and Dark isn’t a great defensive combination, Tyranitar makes it work thanks to its stats and ability, Sand Stream. Tyranitar’s defenses are impeccable, not dipping below base 100, and Sand Stream only makes it harder to overcome. Sandstorms have the hidden effect of boosting Rock-type Pokemons' Special Defense by 50%.
Only a Fighting-type attack can instantly fell a Tyranitar in sand. Any other attack will bounce off Tyranitar’s armored hide as it prepares to demolish you with powerful moves like Earthquake, Stone Edge, Crunch, and Outrage. Or, perhaps, Tyranitar is playing more of a support role with Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail. Tyranitar can fulfill any role you need it to.
