Underwhelming Single-Staged Pokémon

[Codraroll]

It appears I've posted in this thread several times without mentioning a bit of a strange affinity for me: I actually think there's something positive to the underwhelming Pokémon.

Namely, that they make an excellent foundation for cross-generation evolutions. I have a soft spot for those. There's something about seeing a Pokémon as a complete joke since forever, then suddenly it gets an evolved form with a significant power boost. The original Pokémon then becomes a coveted teammate, since it comes with the promise of eventually becoming good. Just think of how much of a failure Tangela used to be, or Porygon, or Yanma, or Togetic, or ... uhh, like half of Gen II, I guess. But they were redeemed in the end. Not all of them became top-tier battlers, but at least they got the ability to prod some buttocks in-game instead of being an underwhelming millstone for trainers to drag around by the late stages of their adventure.

I was saddened by the absence of cross-generation evolutions for so long, but I've become cautiously optimistic after Legends Arceus started playing around with them again. Ursaluna and Wyrdeer are straight-up, no-nonsense evolutions of Ursaring and Stantler, no silly "regional form" conditionals wherein the original 'mon remains underwhelming while only its newly discovered cousin gets to evolve into greatness (here's looking at you, Sirfetch'd and Obstagoon). It could be that cross-generation evolutions are back for real.

And underwhelming Pokémon have the greatest potential for getting in on the action. For the time being, the great store of crapmons from the first four generations is far from depleted. However, it would eventually become a boring sort of favouritism if only 'mons from Gen I-IV got a second lease of life, while Gen V+ 'mons were relegated to stagnation. That's why it's somewhat refreshing that there are some weak and underwhelming Pokémon from the recent generations as well. Stonjourner being bad means leaving some room for a future Stonenge or whatever. I can take the mediocrity of Pincurchin if it means getting a Spearcurchin later.

That being said, the longer the crapmons go without an evolution, the less favourably we consider them compared to their compatriots that received one. Nowadays Stantler comes across like a neat catch, while Girafarig sobs quietly in the corner. I wouldn't really go hunting for an Eiscue or Carnivine either. But of course, that period of contempt is what makes the redemption so sweet. It's more fun with a cross-generation evolution when it makes you think "man, remember how this Pokémon used to be useless?"

I hope the future has more cross-generation evolutions in store. And more underwhelming single-staged 'mons, so the dance can go on.

 

[Samtendo09]

It appears I've posted in this thread several times without mentioning a bit of a strange affinity for me: I actually think there's something positive to the underwhelming Pokémon.

Namely, that they make an excellent foundation for cross-generation evolutions. I have a soft spot for those. There's something about seeing a Pokémon as a complete joke since forever, then suddenly it gets an evolved form with a significant power boost. The original Pokémon then becomes a coveted teammate, since it comes with the promise of eventually becoming good. Just think of how much of a failure Tangela used to be, or Porygon, or Yanma, or Togetic, or ... uhh, like half of Gen II, I guess. But they were redeemed in the end. Not all of them became top-tier battlers, but at least they got the ability to prod some buttocks in-game instead of being an underwhelming millstone for trainers to drag around by the late stages of their adventure.

I was saddened by the absence of cross-generation evolutions for so long, but I've become cautiously optimistic after Legends Arceus started playing around with them again. Ursaluna and Wyrdeer are straight-up, no-nonsense evolutions of Ursaring and Stantler, no silly "regional form" conditionals wherein the original 'mon remains underwhelming while only its newly discovered cousin gets to evolve into greatness (here's looking at you, Sirfetch'd and Obstagoon). It could be that cross-generation evolutions are back for real.

And underwhelming Pokémon have the greatest potential for getting in on the action. For the time being, the great store of crapmons from the first four generations is far from depleted. However, it would eventually become a boring sort of favouritism if only 'mons from Gen I-IV got a second lease of life, while Gen V+ 'mons were relegated to stagnation. That's why it's somewhat refreshing that there are some weak and underwhelming Pokémon from the recent generations as well. Stonjourner being bad means leaving some room for a future Stonenge or whatever. I can take the mediocrity of Pincurchin if it means getting a Spearcurchin later.

That being said, the longer the crapmons go without an evolution, the less favourably we consider them compared to their compatriots that received one. Nowadays Stantler comes across like a neat catch, while Girafarig sobs quietly in the corner. I wouldn't really go hunting for an Eiscue or Carnivine either. But of course, that period of contempt is what makes the redemption so sweet. It's more fun with a cross-generation evolution when it makes you think "man, remember how this Pokémon used to be useless?"

I hope the future has more cross-generation evolutions in store. And more underwhelming single-staged 'mons, so the dance can go on.

Truth be told, Gen III didn’t get that much traditional cross-gen evos and Gen IV got none so far. But giving traditional cross-gen evos for Gen V+ would be very nice.

Until Legends: Arceus introduces a few new traditional evos, though, I was rather frustrated when I discover something that turned out underwhelming and can’t evolve or comes off as too basic. That’s likely because of the fact that we didn’t got multiple traditional cross-gen evos or other important improvements since Gen IV, where the only one traditional cross-gen evo since then, until Legends: Arceus, was Sylveon. I would give Mega Evolution some slack if it were executed a lot better or improved over time. Z-Moves, and by extension Alola Forms, are not good excuses in hindsight.

And that lack of cross-gen evolutuons or similar significant improvements is definitely why I got increasing contempt for underwhelming or dud Pokémon the longer this goes for years. This is especially bad for single-stage Pokémon that turned out too underwhelming even as pre-promotion, that turned out to be hated by a very large portion of the fanbase, or that turned out way too gimmicky to be efficient for in-game playthrough.

It doesn’t help that a majority of least used Pokémon in each bottom ten lists are single-staged Pokémon. Which means either the “pre-promotion” intention had severely backfired, or that generally, people just don’t want to waste time for a rare Pokémon that cannot evolve except those that found great in-game success or are actually easily accessable. Pokémon intended for early game get a pass, but since a few aren’t even good at all in early game, that there is a big fat problem regardless if they are single-staged or not.

I can only hope the concept of new traditional cross-generational evolutions will stay for at least a while if SV would introduce some more. The generally very good reception towards the regional evolutions did opened doors for that to happen, as seen with Legends: Arceus.

 

[Hugin]

I think, as a rule, there's 3 ways a pokemon can be considered good. Note, this is in general, every mon is someone's favorite, but talking about fandom-wide trends here.
Fanbase success: The fandom likes it. Mimikyu is a good example. Basically random. The devs/marketing can try to make this a thing, but it's not guaranteed to work(Lucario). Gimmicks are a positive, a good design helps, but if there were any rules to making this happen we'd never see anything else.
Good in the meta: Good for VGC, BSS, or Smogon. Needs some combination of good stats/abilities/movepool. Will vary from gen to gen what qualifies, but if something's good on occasion that's probably enough. Note that there's a limited number of slots for this any given generation, due to the nature of power creep and optimal play, so most mons will never qualify for this.
Good in-game: What it says on the tin. Some combo of available early, good stats/ability/learnset*, not too slow**. The problem is things 1 and 2 there. You want the mon available early, because if you catch it post-Gym 6 then you already have it's slot filled on the team. But single-stages with good stats can't be available that early because they break everything.

So there's single-stages that are popular because cute/fun/whatever. And ones that are good in the meta in various circumstances(legends, Snorlax, Hawlucha, etc). But in-game is tough. Either they break everything, they come too late, or they're only good for ~10 levels before they start getting outclassed.

On that note, Falinks is my choice. There's just no excuse. 470 BST, which is really too low to do anything with, especially with that distribution. Pure-fighting, in a gen with too many of those(and too many fighters in general). It shows up at lvl 40, when you should have your team mostly filled up. The gimmick move would be fun, but low PP makes it hard to use in most fights, and in big fights you have to know what's coming to click it(and Falinks still isn't good enough to benefit from it in the endgame).

*Specifically not the same as a meta ability/learnset. Breed moves and a broken HA matter in the meta, useless in-game
**activate on send-out abilities, weird gimmicks, or needing setup are all a drag in-game

 

[Codraroll]

Fanbase success: The fandom likes it. Mimikyu is a good example. Basically random. The devs/marketing can try to make this a thing, but it's not guaranteed to work(Lucario).

Lucario is an example where it did work, though. I think the movie it got to promote itself was planned way before the games it debuted in, where it became popular and sought-after for its rarity and great stats. If you want a dud, Zoroark is the one you're looking for. It was heavily promoted in Gen V, got a movie and an in-game event and everything, but failed to make the same splash Lucario did.

Until Legends: Arceus introduces a few new traditional evos, though, I was rather frustrated when I discover something that turned out underwhelming and can’t evolve or comes off as too basic.

Yeah, that's an important caveat I forgot to mention. For a while it looked as if cross-generation evolutions were gone forever, with the possible exceptions of new Eeveelutions. In those circumstances, underwhelming Pokémon would stay underwhelming, with no prospect of ever improving through evolution. I guess one would view them with more contempt in that case.

Speaking of "underwhelming" Pokémon, by the way: these don't necessarily fit the bill as underwhelming per se, but from a pure mechanics standpoint it's interesting to notice how few Pokémon are "truly standalone". A recent Reddit post showcased that there are only 12 single-stage Pokémon without any "relatives" or a gimmick, and I think it bears quoting here:

Big image

 

[R_N]

I'm more optimistic about it these days but until I see an Ursaring, Stantler or Scyther evolve into Ursaluna, Wydeer or Kleavor in a game with no caveats I'm still not gonna say definitively they're not gonna weasel their way out of it. Their descriptions going out of their way to explain why they can evolve in Hisui still has me on edge.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

On that note, Falinks is my choice. There's just no excuse. 470 BST, which is really too low to do anything with, especially with that distribution. Pure-fighting, in a gen with too many of those(and too many fighters in general). It shows up at lvl 40, when you should have your team mostly filled up. The gimmick move would be fun, but low PP makes it hard to use in most fights, and in big fights you have to know what's coming to click it(and Falinks still isn't good enough to benefit from it in the endgame).

Idk I used Falinks in my Shield run and it was honestly my MVP, mostly because of how opposing trainers use Dynamax. Being able to go omniboost -> Max Knuckle (with no fear of the opponent Dynamaxing defensively) gives you absurd sweeping potential, even when your base stats are pretty bad, and you have juuust enough coverage to hit everything you need to. It definitely could've been made stronger without being anywhere near broken, but for my in-game purposes it worked just fine, notably sweeping most of Leon's team.

I also tend not to fill out my team until lategame anyway, so the availability wasn't an issue for me either.

Speaking of "underwhelming" Pokémon, by the way: these don't necessarily fit the bill as underwhelming per se, but from a pure mechanics standpoint it's interesting to notice how few Pokémon are "truly standalone". A recent Reddit post showcased that there are only 12 single-stage Pokémon without any "relatives" or a gimmick, and I think it bears quoting here:

Big image

Maractus is a good example of a single-stage Pokemon that was practically designed to be overlooked.

In its debut gen it's only found in the Desert Resort, which is initially optional. The permanent Sandstorm and your slow movement in deep sand both discourage you from spending any more time there than you have to, despite the free heals from the Doctor by the entrance, and the wild Pokemon are pretty strong for that point in the game. Wild Sigilyph in particular are scary because their high Speed can make running away difficult and they hit hard with Psybeam.

Maractus itself is tied for being the rarest encounter (10%) in both the entrance area and the Desert Resort proper. You also likely already have a Grass Pokemon on your team between your starter choice, the monkey that's forced on you (ugh), and Pinwheel Forest. Additionally, every other Pokemon found there (e.g. Sandile, Darumaka, Dwebble, Scraggy) overshadows Maractus as a potential pickup from Route 4 and the Desert Resort.

None of this even touches how Maractus actually fares as a Pokemon. Its design is fine, but obviously you immediately think of Cacturne, a unfavourable comparison for Maarctus imo that isn't helped by looking at its stats. Maractus has a very similar statline to Cacturne, with marginally higher Speed and overall bulk, but much less power. Its movepool has some fun stuff like natural SunnyBeam, Acupressure, Cotton Guard, and Sucker Punch, but it doesn't really excel at any of those strategies. It's just kinda stranded. You can make it work in the same way you can make most Pokemon work, but the whole process of getting to it, catching it, and raising it continually confronts you with the better options you're giving up to do so.

 

[Hugin]

Lucario is an example where it did work, though. I think the movie it got to promote itself was planned way before the games it debuted in, where it became popular and sought-after for its rarity and great stats. If you want a dud, Zoroark is the one you're looking for. It was heavily promoted in Gen V, got a movie and an in-game event and everything, but failed to make the same splash Lucario did.

That's the other thing, fandom depends on where you hang out. I rarely see Lucario discussed, despite getting significant promotion everywhere. I checked, it apparently came in second in the official popularity poll, so clearly some people like it, but it's a mon in Smash, on Ash's team, got a Mega, etc, and yet in the current favorite mons thread on this site it's showing up very rarely. I assume there's a national aspect to things, it's big in Japan or similar.

Speaking of "underwhelming" Pokémon, by the way: these don't necessarily fit the bill as underwhelming per se, but from a pure mechanics standpoint it's interesting to notice how few Pokémon are "truly standalone". A recent Reddit post showcased that there are only 12 single-stage Pokémon without any "relatives" or a gimmick, and I think it bears quoting here:

Big image

I disagree with his metrics, so I pulled up the list on Bulbapedia and did some sorting. Namely, I don't think Signature Abilities or being part of a pair/group are disqualifying(Galar Fossils, Pikaclones, Durant/Heatmor, etc). I agree legendaries are special, and it's hard to consider Farfetch'd a single-stage mon given it's got a regional variant who evolves.

Pure single stage mons

Tauros
Ditto

Unown
Girafarig
Dunsparce
Shuckle
Delibird
Skarmory
Smeargle
Miltank

Plusle
Minun
Volbeat
Illumise
Torkoal
Spinda
Zangoose
Seviper
Lunatone
Solrock
Castform
Kecleon
Tropius
Relicanth
Luvdisc

Pachirisu
Chatot
Spiritomb
Carnivine
Rotom

Throh
Sawk
Maractus
Sigilyph
Emolga
Alomomola
Cryogonal
Druddigon
Bouffalant
Heatmor
Durant

Furfrou
Hawlucha
Dedenne
Carbink
Klefki

Oricorio
Wishiwashi
Comfey
Oranguru
Passimian
Pyukumuku
Minior
Komala
Turtonator
Togedemaru
Mimikyu
Bruxish
Drampa
Dhelmise

Cramorant
Falinks
Pincurchin
Stonjourner
Eiscue
Indeedee
Morpeko
Dracozolt
Arctozolt
Dracovish
Arctovish

Mons with a Gmax/Mega form

Kangaskhan
Pinsir
Lapras
Aerodactyl
Heracross
Sableye
Mawile
Absol
Audino
Duraludon

Mons with a regional alternate

Farfetch'd
Qwilfish
Corsola
Basculin
Stunfisk

Legendaries/Mythicals/Ultrabeasts

Articuno
Zapdos
Moltres
Mewtwo
Mew

Raikou
Entei
Suicune
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi

Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Latias
Latios
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
Deoxys

Uxie
Mesprit
Azelf
Dialga
Palkia
Heatran
Regigigas
Giratina
Cresselia
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Arceus

Victini
Cobalion
Terrakion
Virizion
Tornadus
Thundurus
Reshiram
Zekrom
Landorus
Kyurem
Keldeo
Meloetta
Genesect

Xerneas
Yveltal
Zygarde
Diancie
Hoopa
Volcanion

Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Nihilego
Buzzwole
Pheromosa
Xurkitree
Celesteela
Kartana
Guzzlord
Necrozma
Magearna
Marshadow
Stakataka
Blacephalon

Zeraora
Zacian
Zamazenta
Eternatus
Zarude
Regieleki
Regidrago
Glastrier
Spectrier
Calyrex
Enamorus

I may have missed something, especially with GMax forms that I don't know that well. I deliberately did not care about unique Z moves, alternate forms/abilities(Rotom/Wishiwashi/etc), close relatives(Galar Fossils), or plenty of other stuff.

So, thoughts. For all the regional and super forms introduced, most of those have gone to Pokemon that evolve already. There's really not many that fix the underwhelming single-stage mons out there. I assume that's a case of GF not wanting to throw good money after bad. If no one cares about Maractus now, why give it a new form when you can give that to Gardevoir and make an already decently popular mon have a shot at the big time? Note how what superforms have done is eliminated nearly all the Gen 1 single stage mons(I assume Tauros is getting something this upcoming gen, which would just leave Ditto), because GF assumes fans love those mons more than anything.

A lot of the remaining single-stage mons are pairs(Sawk/Throh etc) or have a gimmick(someone else can break those out, it was too much of a judgement call for me), which makes sense. The gimmicks are hard to find evolutions for, because can you imagine coming up with an evo for Rotom or Spinda that doesn't wreck their gimmick? That's way too much work. I assume the pairs are similar, you might be able to think of a Heatmor evo, but if you can't think of a Durant one as well, it turns into a Scyther/Pinsir situation and they probably regret that.

That's not all of them, for sure, there's plenty of Carnivines and Torkoals out there they can add on to, but I do think most of the mons on my first list are stuck with their basic design for the foreseeable future. And for plenty of them, I'm not complaining. Even for ones with issues, Torkoal proves they can make them useful without needing an evolution. But there's definitely some on this list where they need more than just a minor change, and an evolution could do that.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

I may have missed something, especially with GMax forms that I don't know that well. I deliberately did not care about unique Z moves, alternate forms/abilities(Rotom/Wishiwashi/etc), close relatives(Galar Fossils), or plenty of other stuff.

I think the point of the 12-species list is that they are Pokemon that have never been "tinkered with". Never revised or altered or given an addition in any way.*

Sure, we could quibble whether mons with unique signature abilities should be excluded based on that, but I would say that Pokemon with unique signature abilities are generally designed as gimmick Pokemon, thus they do not qualify as the "ordinary dex filler" some would classify the Pokemon of this list as.

A single-staged Pokemon that is part of a pair may be single-staged, but it is designed in relation to another Pokemon. It is meant to be viewed as part of a larger unit. Throh's design exists in reference to Sawk's; it is squat where Sawk is slender, it is short where Sawk is tall, etc. And while Pokemon like Passimian and Oranguru do not share an evolutionary link, the Pokedex groups them together the same way it groups members of the same evolutionary family. This goes against the idea that they are standalone Pokemon.

I would also add that it's striking that, of that 12-mon list, none of them are from Kanto (though I think many people would have predicted that) or Kalos or Alola, and that Unova makes up the largest percentage.


*Of those 12, Cryogonal is the only one to have had its stats tweaked between games. How much that disqualifies it from the list is up for interpretation.

 

[Hugin]

My reasoning is that something being a gimmick or a counterpart is too much of a debate. Is Tauros a counterpart to Miltank? The OP of the chart says yes, but I don't think that's actually proven. Unown doesn't have a signature move or ability(pre-Dexit), but was absolutely a gimmick for that whole time. Torkoal isn't on the list, presumably because it had White Smoke as a signature ability until it was added to Heatmor, but that's not a gimmick, it's just a rare ability. Is Comfey a gimmick or are GF just paranoid about priority Giga Drain?

Basically, I think trying to figure out what qualifies as a Gimmick Mon is a debate that could go on for 10 pages in it's own thread and end with everyone chasing their tails, and counterparts are only slightly more clear(Carbink/Diancie? Sableye/Mawile? Turtonator/Drampa?) It's easier to list everything and let individuals decide what else is worth trimming. And that way it's easier for others to spot errors, since I made my rules completely clear. If I exclude Shuckle, it's clearly because I forgot it, not any weird interpretation of what "gimmick" means.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

That's the other thing, fandom depends on where you hang out. I rarely see Lucario discussed, despite getting significant promotion everywhere. I checked, it apparently came in second in the official popularity poll, so clearly some people like it, but it's a mon in Smash, on Ash's team, got a Mega, etc, and yet in the current favorite mons thread on this site it's showing up very rarely. I assume there's a national aspect to things, it's big in Japan or similar.

Among more casual players Lucario has always been super popular. I'd argue that all of those post-Gen 4 appearances you listed are a result of its popularity, not an attempt to engineer it.

People discussing favorite mons on forums are inevitably a little biased towards discussing less conventional picks, because it's not especially interesting to talk about why you really like a Pokemon like Pikachu or Charizard. From what I've seen, more dedicated fans also tend to bump Pokemon down their list of favourites if they're seen as oversaturated in Pokemon media (unless it's one of their absolute favorite Pokemon of all time), so among hardcore Pokemon fans I think Lucario has been a victim of its own success. When it comes to the Favorite Pokemon Picker, I know that when I did it a while back I subconsciously penalised mons that I knew were widely loved and ended up with a much quirkier list than was likely accurate.

 

[Samtendo09]

Weeks passed, and SV introduced nine single-staged Pokémon, not counting Paradox Pokémon because of their nature too close to Legendary Pokémon like Ultra Beast to count as ordinary Pokémon.


Squawkabilly, the parrot Pokémon coming with four colors, and the one who are doing the Taxi Service after an army of Tinkaton’s shenanigans against Corviknight. The problems with those “colorful boids”?

It’s a repeat of Unova’s Basculin. The only difference between the four is different Hidden Ability, and Green and Blue shares Guts, while Yellow and White have Sheer Force. All also share the exact same base stats, just to let you know. If all four have different Abilities altogether, it wouldn’t be so bad because at least it allows for technically twelve whopping Ability the player can choose from. Won’t show an example of what each Squawkabilly could get due to no-wishlisting rule.

Difficult to justify using any one of them over Staraptor, the prime Normal / Flying mon.

 

[R_N]

Not going to hold the colors against Squawkabilly; I guess it'd have been cute if all of them had different abiltiies, but honestly I'm just surprised they did that at all. The series is nothing new to purely visual forms, even within the same generation.

if it's a "failure" its just because it has an okay statline for what it is and an okay movepool for that statline. It's basically Physical Chatot. And Intimidate on greaser birds is really funny. But it's otherwise just, yep. Bird.
And even then it'd still be something I probably wouldn't regret using, you know?

e: Not sure why I threw out failure wording in the underwhelming thread. I think we've got too many of these on the brain

 

[QuentinQuonce]

It’s a repeat of Unova’s Basculin

I'd go so far as to say it's Oricorio done far worse.

 

[shadowpea]

spidops is, like, missing an entire evolution competitively

i do love how they did farigiraf and dudunsparce tho. they aint great, but theyre at least not massive jokes anymore, and i do kinda like dudunsparce (the obvious laziness aside).

 

[spookysocialist]

I don't think dudunsparce is lazy. It's such an incredibly simple design I like that they just left that intact and just said "what if dunsparce but more?" He is already perfect.

 

[Samtendo09]

spidops is, like, missing an entire evolution competitively

i do love how they did farigiraf and dudunsparce tho. they aint great, but theyre at least not massive jokes anymore, and i do kinda like dudunsparce (the obvious laziness aside).

I don't think dudunsparce is lazy. It's such an incredibly simple design I like that they just left that intact and just said "what if dunsparce but more?" He is already perfect.

We’re not talking about evolutions or anything in this thread, we’re talking about single-staged Pokémon (mostly regular ones).

Please be respectful to the thread names and topics.

 

[Hugin]

Lists updated for Gen 9:

Pure single stage mons

Ditto

Unown
Shuckle
Skarmory
Smeargle
Miltank

Plusle
Minun
Volbeat
Illumise
Torkoal
Spinda
Zangoose
Seviper
Lunatone
Solrock
Castform
Kecleon
Tropius
Relicanth
Luvdisc

Pachirisu
Chatot
Spiritomb
Carnivine
Rotom

Throh
Sawk
Maractus
Sigilyph
Emolga
Alomomola
Cryogonal
Druddigon
Bouffalant
Heatmor
Durant

Furfrou
Hawlucha
Dedenne
Carbink
Klefki

Oricorio
Wishiwashi
Comfey
Oranguru
Passimian
Pyukumuku
Minior
Komala
Turtonator
Togedemaru
Mimikyu
Bruxish
Drampa
Dhelmise

Cramorant
Falinks
Pincurchin
Stonjourner
Eiscue
Indeedee
Morpeko
Dracozolt
Arctozolt
Dracovish
Arctovish

Squakabilly
Klawf
Bombirdier
Cyclizar
Orthworm
Flamigo
Veluza
Dondozo
Tatsugiri

Mons with a Gmax/Mega form

Kangaskhan
Pinsir
Lapras
Aerodactyl
Heracross
Sableye
Mawile
Absol
Audino
Duraludon

Mons with a regional alternate

Farfetch'd
Tauros
Qwilfish
Corsola
Delibird(?)
Basculin
Stunfisk

Legendaries/Mythicals/Ultrabeasts

Articuno
Zapdos
Moltres
Mewtwo
Mew

Raikou
Entei
Suicune
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi

Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Latias
Latios
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
Deoxys

Uxie
Mesprit
Azelf
Dialga
Palkia
Heatran
Regigigas
Giratina
Cresselia
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Arceus

Victini
Cobalion
Terrakion
Virizion
Tornadus
Thundurus
Reshiram
Zekrom
Landorus
Kyurem
Keldeo
Meloetta
Genesect

Xerneas
Yveltal
Zygarde
Diancie
Hoopa
Volcanion

Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Nihilego
Buzzwole
Pheromosa
Xurkitree
Celesteela
Kartana
Guzzlord
Necrozma
Magearna
Marshadow
Stakataka
Blacephalon

Zeraora
Zacian
Zamazenta
Eternatus
Zarude
Regieleki
Regidrago
Glastrier
Spectrier
Calyrex
Enamorus

Wo-Chien
Chien-Pao
Ting-Lu
Chi-Yu
Koriadon
Miraidon

I may have missed something, especially with GMax forms that I don't know that well. I deliberately did not care about unique Z moves, alternate forms/abilities(Rotom/Wishiwashi/etc), close relatives(Galar Fossils), or plenty of other stuff. I also excluded the Paradox mons, except to move Delibird to the 'regional forms' section, since they're all claimed to be alternate forms of mons with evolutions and also basically legendaries and I didn't want to type that much out.

This generation moved very few mons(Delibird, Tauros, Dunsparce, Girafarig) and introduced only a handful of single-stage mons. And I think most of those single-stage mons will avoid this thread. The exceptions are the birds. Flamigo is excellent, which makes Squawkabilly and Bombirdier stand out as so blah. Flying/Normal with 400 BST is just asking to be replaced as soon as you find anything else, and Bombirdier has a cool concept locked to it's hidden ability and a mediocre stat spread. When every other single-stage this gen has either a cool design or a useful gimmick, I have to wonder why they missed on that one.

 

[shadowpea]

We’re not talking about evolutions or anything in this thread, we’re talking about single-staged Pokémon (mostly regular ones).

Please be respectful to the thread names and topics.

first one is my bad

for the second one i just liked how they redid shitty 1-stagers. i guess theyre not single stage anymore.

 

[Samtendo09]

Lists updated for Gen 9:

Pure single stage mons

Ditto

Unown
Shuckle
Skarmory
Smeargle
Miltank

Plusle
Minun
Volbeat
Illumise
Torkoal
Spinda
Zangoose
Seviper
Lunatone
Solrock
Castform
Kecleon
Tropius
Relicanth
Luvdisc

Pachirisu
Chatot
Spiritomb
Carnivine
Rotom

Throh
Sawk
Maractus
Sigilyph
Emolga
Alomomola
Cryogonal
Druddigon
Bouffalant
Heatmor
Durant

Furfrou
Hawlucha
Dedenne
Carbink
Klefki

Oricorio
Wishiwashi
Comfey
Oranguru
Passimian
Pyukumuku
Minior
Komala
Turtonator
Togedemaru
Mimikyu
Bruxish
Drampa
Dhelmise

Cramorant
Falinks
Pincurchin
Stonjourner
Eiscue
Indeedee
Morpeko
Dracozolt
Arctozolt
Dracovish
Arctovish

Squakabilly
Klawf
Bombirdier
Cyclizar
Orthworm
Flamigo
Veluza
Dondozo
Tatsugiri

Mons with a Gmax/Mega form

Kangaskhan
Pinsir
Lapras
Aerodactyl
Heracross
Sableye
Mawile
Absol
Audino
Duraludon

Mons with a regional alternate

Farfetch'd
Tauros
Qwilfish
Corsola
Delibird(?)
Basculin
Stunfisk

Legendaries/Mythicals/Ultrabeasts

Articuno
Zapdos
Moltres
Mewtwo
Mew

Raikou
Entei
Suicune
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi

Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Latias
Latios
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
Deoxys

Uxie
Mesprit
Azelf
Dialga
Palkia
Heatran
Regigigas
Giratina
Cresselia
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Arceus

Victini
Cobalion
Terrakion
Virizion
Tornadus
Thundurus
Reshiram
Zekrom
Landorus
Kyurem
Keldeo
Meloetta
Genesect

Xerneas
Yveltal
Zygarde
Diancie
Hoopa
Volcanion

Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Nihilego
Buzzwole
Pheromosa
Xurkitree
Celesteela
Kartana
Guzzlord
Necrozma
Magearna
Marshadow
Stakataka
Blacephalon

Zeraora
Zacian
Zamazenta
Eternatus
Zarude
Regieleki
Regidrago
Glastrier
Spectrier
Calyrex
Enamorus

Wo-Chien
Chien-Pao
Ting-Lu
Chi-Yu
Koriadon
Miraidon

I may have missed something, especially with GMax forms that I don't know that well. I deliberately did not care about unique Z moves, alternate forms/abilities(Rotom/Wishiwashi/etc), close relatives(Galar Fossils), or plenty of other stuff. I also excluded the Paradox mons, except to move Delibird to the 'regional forms' section, since they're all claimed to be alternate forms of mons with evolutions and also basically legendaries and I didn't want to type that much out.

This generation moved very few mons(Delibird, Tauros, Dunsparce, Girafarig) and introduced only a handful of single-stage mons. And I think most of those single-stage mons will avoid this thread. The exceptions are the birds. Flamigo is excellent, which makes Squawkabilly and Bombirdier stand out as so blah. Flying/Normal with 400 BST is just asking to be replaced as soon as you find anything else, and Bombirdier has a cool concept locked to it's hidden ability and a mediocre stat spread. When every other single-stage this gen has either a cool design or a useful gimmick, I have to wonder why they missed on that one.

I’ll say they are doing a step in the right direction when it comes to Single-Staged Pokémon this time which I am impressed, which is why I nominated only Squawkabilly, though Bombirdier is dangerously close to underwhelming even with Rocky Payload.

 

[R_N]

Bombirdier wound up better, statistically, than I thought it would

like that's a nice all around statline
fun movepool
cool signature ability

Honestly I was tempted to use one in my playthrough, even without Rocky Payload, but I was full up.


Tatsugiri is one I look at and, having not used one, does seem a bit underhwelming. Lopsided stats aren't bad but it's not really bulky on the special side either and it's got a limited move pool. But also the moves go well with its special attack stat so it's not like it's unusable. And the whole "commander" aspect is probably why; it's a pokemon designed to go into another Pokemon and turn it into a super boss.
But if you wanted to just one on its own, its a little....well you might want more. Maybe because it's a dragon type? Or maybe how unlike the other single stages it's a fairly late acquisition, so I suppose I'm harsher on it than, say, Klawf or Squawkabilly.

Did anyone happen to use one towards the end? Was it better than I give credit for? It's very cute if nothing else.

 

[Sonikku A]

Tatsugiri is one I look at and, having not used one, does seem a bit underhwelming. Lopsided stats aren't bad but it's not really bulky on the special side either and it's got a limited move pool. But also the moves go well with its special attack stat so it's not like it's unusable. And the whole "commander" aspect is probably why; it's a pokemon designed to go into another Pokemon and turn it into a super boss.
But if you wanted to just one on its own, its a little....well you might want more. Maybe because it's a dragon type? Or maybe how unlike the other single stages it's a fairly late acquisition, so I suppose I'm harsher on it than, say, Klawf or Squawkabilly.

Did anyone happen to use one towards the end? Was it better than I give credit for? It's very cute if nothing else.

Suicide leads for it are WAY too common in Doubles on Showdown due to Commander. It makes me feel bad for Dodonzo, since that actually has physical bulk. The sad thing is with team preview, you can immediately predict the Commander strategy. Golduck can take a hit, then debuff with Clear Smog, then have a partner mon just brute force it with special moves

For Tat, maybe it can be used on an anti rain team given water absorb, but its other stats are too low to work with that