A Pokemon game's pseudo-Legendary often ends up being one of its most loved and most used. A lot of players see it as a just reward for fighting through many tough battles, and a powerful ally for taking on the Pokemon League and any post-game content that lies beyond. Their designs often invoke a feeling of power, they seem monstrous when compared to other Pokemon and are usually intimidating to see on the other side of the battlefield.

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However, not all pseudo-Legendaries are created equal, and there are just as many that are left by the wayside as there are beloved companions that remain on a player's list of favorites for years. From unfortunate type combinations to disappointing move pools, some of these powerhouses just don't live up to their pseudo-Legendary status. When all's said and done though, only one can be crowned the best pseudo-Legendary Pokemon.

Updated June 14, 2024, by Tom Bowen: All pseudo-Legendaries have their strengths and weaknesses, but there are one or two that manage to stand out among the rest. Whether due to their unique type combinations or their versatile base stat distributions, these powerful pseudo-Legendary Pokemon really are in a league of their own. As is standard for each new generation of Pokemon games, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced a brand-new pseudo-Legendary, bringing the total number available up to ten (eleven, if Goodra's Hisuian form is included). As a result, those looking for the best pseudo-Legendary Pokemon now have one more powerful Pokemon to consider.

10 Goodra

Gen 6 Dragon-Type | Smogon Tier: RU (RarelyUsed)

For a pseudo-Legendary, Goodra is downright weird. It is the only one that is mono-type, the only one that requires a special condition to fully evolve, and one of very few which focuses more on defense than offense. While its abilities are interesting and its move pool isn't terrible, it's also nowhere near as diverse as other Dragon-types.

In addition to this lack of versatility, Goodra is let down by its less-than-stellar speed and offense. Although it can, to some extent, make up for this with the Gooey and Sap Sipper abilities, these options just aren't as reliable when more powerful Pokemon have better stats on top of their ability.

However, Pokemon Legends: Arceus did provide Goodra with something of a reprieve in the form of its Hisuian form. Not only does this make Goodra the only Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon to have a regional form, but its Steel/Dragon-typing also opens up a few more possibilities that just weren't there before. It's still a little lackluster, but not quite as bad as it once was.

Notable Goodra Users

Goodra is one of several Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon to feature in a Champion's team, serving as Diantha's penultimate Pokemon in Pokemon X & Y. Players can also come up against Goodra while battling Raihan in Pokemon Sword & Shield, with the Pokemon appearing in both his Champion Cup Rematch and Galarian Star Tournament teams.

9 Salamence

Gen 3 Dragon/Flying-Type | Smogon Tier: RU (RarelyUsed)

The Hoenn's second pseudo-Legendary scrapes by for the runner-up prize by the skin of its teeth, as the only thing stopping this monster from taking the number one spot is its current lack of available Mega Evolution. During Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire's prime, Mega-Salamence's use was only trumped by Mega-Kangaskhan, and even that was a nearly even split between the two.

Even in its base form, Salamence has two great abilities, Intimidate and Moxie, that make it a terrifying opponent to face in battle. However, the stat boost it gains from Mega Evolution puts it on a whole other level that even other Mega Evolved Pokemon struggled to take down on their best days.

Notable Salamence Users

Being one of the best Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, Salamence has found a place on numerous high-level teams. Drake uses one in the gen 3 games, while Lance also has one on his team in Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver and in Pokemon Black 2 & White 2. It's in those latter games that players will also meet and battle Iris, who once again has a Salamence on her team.

8 Kommo-o

Gen 7 Dragon/Fighting-Type | Smogon Tier: OU (OverUsed)

First introduced in Pokemon Sun & Moon, this strange-looking Dragon/Fighting-type, unfortunately, falls victim to its mediocre speed and four times weakness to Fairy-type attacks. While originally it had an incredibly powerful signature Z-Move in Clanglorous Soulblaze, this has since been replaced by the much worse Clanglorous Soul.

The former was a spread Dragon-type move that also provided a boost to all its stats. Its replacement does still provide the same boost, but does so at the expense of some of the Pokemon's health and without dealing any damage to the enemy. Considering Falinks got a significantly better version of this in No Retreat, it has cemented Kommo-o's place as the worst of the pseudo-Legendaries available to date.

Notable Kommo-o Users

When compared to some of the other Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, Kommo-o doesn't tend to get quite as much use. Of course, a big part of this is down to the fact that it wasn't introduced until the gen 7 Pokemon games, but its poor versatility and lack of utility certainly don't help either. That's not to say that nobody uses Kommo-o though, with the Pokemon being one of three Pseudo-Legendaries in Ryuki's title defense team in PokemonSun & Moon and former champion Mustard owning one in Pokemon Sword & Shield.

7 Metagross

Gen 3 Steel/Psychic-Type | Smogon Tier: UU (UnderUsed)

The second non-Dragon-type Pseudo-Legendary, and the only one not weak to either ice or Fairy-type attacks, Metagross has a lot going for it. Its ability, Clear Body, stops its impressive stats from being lowered by an opponent, making it a clear target to get rid of quickly whenever it appears on the field.

This could theoretically be managed with any significantly fast Pokemon, as Metagross' speed is its weakest link, except that it gets Agility and future access to Max Airstream with Aerial Ace. Due to its Steel/Psychic-typing causing it to make moves that would otherwise be effective as neutral attacks, Metagross was largely responsible for the Steel-type losing its resistances to dark and Ghost-type attacks, just to make it easier to take down.

Notable Metagross Users

Metagross is used by Steven, the Champion of the Gen 3 Pokemon games and their subsequent remakes. It then shows up again in gen 7 thanks to Molayne, who is one of several trainers that players come up against during their Title Defense battles in Pokemon Sun & Moon and a member of the Elite Four in the games' sequels, Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon.

6 Hydreigon

Gen 5 Dark/Dragon-Type | Smogon Tier: UU (UnderUsed)

This nightmare fuel was once a god among Pokemon. With its great speed and offense, as well as its unique typing and diverse move pool, Hydreigon had a lot going for it during the Pokemon Black & White era. That all changed, however, with the introduction of the Fairy-type in the sixth generation of Pokemon games.

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As a Dark/Dragon-type, Hydreigon suffers from the same four times weakness to Fairy-types as Kommo-o, but, unlike generation seven's Pseudo-Legendary, that didn't immediately take it out of the picture in terms of viability. As of Sword & Shield though, Dragapult, Duraludon, and Dracovish are all used significantly more often than Hydeigeon.

Notable Hydreigon Users

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Hydreigon plays a big role in the gen 5 Pokemon games, showing up prominently in Pokemon Black & White and their direct sequels. Ghetsis uses one in the former two titles, while both Iris and Lance use Hydreigon in Pokemon Black 2 & White 2, doing so in the Champion match and the Pokemon World Tournament respectively.

5 Dragonite

Gen 1 Dragon/Flying-Type | Smogon Tier: UUBL (UnderUsed Ban List)

After Ash finally caught the original Dragon-type in the Pokemon anime, Dragonite experienced a huge surge in popularity among Pokemon fans, despite players being able to use one in Sword & Shield until the Crown Tundra DLC. As one of the more balanced in terms of stat spread, its usage is much more diverse than many other pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, which is both a blessing and a curse.

With access to Thunder Wave, Roost, Swagger, and Substitute, Dragonite can be an annoying staller with its Multiscale ability, which halves all damage when its health is full, as well as a scary sweeper with Dragon Dance, Agility, and access to Max Airstream. Unfortunately, however, with no defined strength in any one area, it at times falls a little short of its fellow Dragon-types.

Notable Dragonite Users

Having been around since the gen 1 days of Pokemon, it should come as little surprise to learn that Dragonite has featured prominently in a lot of the Pokemon games. It was first used by Lance in the gen 1 games (as well as all of their subsequent remakes), with the Dragon-type trainer also using Dragonite in the gen 2 titles as well. Lance's most recent appearance came at the Pokemon World Tournament in Pokemon Black 2 & White 2, where he once again has a Dragonite on his team.

4 Tyranitar

Gen 2 Rock/Dark-Type | Smogon Tier: OU (OverUsed)

One of only two non-Dragon-type pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, Tyranitar is unique in many ways. As a Dark/Rock-type, a type combination unique to itself, with access to the Sand Stream ability, it is easy to see why Tyranitar is one of the more popular pseudo-Legendaries to be used in both casual and competitive play.

What Tyranitar lacks in speed it more than makes up for with its defensive and offensive abilities. Couple this with the Special Defense boost it gets when in a Sandstorm, and Tyranitar is truly a force to be reckoned with. It's also wildly popular for its pairing with the equally terrifying Excadrill, who can abuse the weather Tyranitar sets up to give itself a massive speed boost.

Notable Tyranitar Users

Like Dragonite, Tyranitar is first used by Lance, though only in Pokemon Stadium 2. The first notable trainer to use Tyranitar in the mainline games was actually Blue, who has a Tyranitar on his team in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen. Blue returns in the gen 2 remakes as well, where he once again has a Tyranitar on his team when players battle him at the Fighting Dojo.

3 Garchomp

Gen 4 Dragon/Ground-Type | Smogon Tier: OU (OverUsed)

As the signature partner of Cynthia, one of the hardest in-game trainers players have had to face, Garchomp gets a lot of love from players; and for a good reason. Its amazing offensive presence makes it a horrifying opponent to face, even when it's not played in a Sandstorm, but when paired with any partner that can set up the weather to its liking, it becomes near impossible to defend against.

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The Sand Veil ability boosts its evasion when in a Sandstorm, but its Mega form's Sand Force ability also boosts the power of its already hard-hitting Ground-type moves. As Mega Evolution has been omitted entirely from Sword & Shield, it seems unlikely that fans will get to use Mega-Garchomp unless it returns in Legends: Arceus, but that won't stop players from tearing through teams with its base form instead.

Notable Garchomp Users

Arguably one of the more frustrating Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon to come up against, Garchomp has seen a lot of use since its introduction in gen 4. The games' Champion Cynthia famously uses one in her team and does so again in the gen 4 remakes, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Cynthia's Garchomp also features at the Pokemon World Tournament in the gen 5 sequels. She's not the only one with a Garchomp at her disposal though, with Lance also having one when rematched in Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver.

2 Baxcalibur

Gen 9 Dragon/Ice-Type | Smogon Tier: Uber

Being a Dragon/Ice-type Pokemon, Baxcalibur has no weakness against Ice-type attacks like most of the other pseudo-Legendaries. This makes the Gen 9 Pokemon an excellent option for those looking to incorporate a Dragon-type Pokemon into their team as it can hold its own against most of the more common Dragon-type counters thanks to its impressive base stats.

Baxcalibur is one of the strongest pseudo-Legendaries around, with its 145 base attack stat being higher than all of its peers. It also boasts the highest HP stat of all pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, helping to make it a bit more durable when it does come up against weakness. This is balanced out somewhat by its low Special Attack stat (which, conversely, is the worst out of every pseudo-Legendary).

Notable Baxcalibur Users

Given that it is the most recently introduced pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, it should perhaps come as no surprise to learn that Baxcalibur hasn't appeared in too many places at the time of writing. It is used by Hassel, however, who serves as the final member of the Elite Four in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It shows up in both his Elite Four team as well as the one that he uses in the Academy Ace tournament.

1 Dragapult

Gen 8 Dragon/Ghost-Type | Smogon Tier: OU (OverUsed)

Dragapult is arguably the best pseudo-Legendary Pokemon by quite a healthy margin. With its astronomical speed, impressive offensive stats, and decent defensive stats, Dragapult is the quintessential set-up sweeper. With access to Max Airstream and Dragon Dance, coupled with two amazing abilities, Clear Body and Infiltrator, the last thing a player should do is leave Dragapult alone and think they can take care of it later. In most cases, however, there is no "later" when this Dragon-type is involved.

Dragapult is also unique as it is one of only two dual-type pseudo-Legendaries without a four times weakness to any attacking move, the other being Metagross. Dragapult is so powerful and popular among competitive battlers that it was even banned from use in online battles for some time to help even the playing field. All pseudo-Legendaries have their strengths, but none have quite as many as Dragapult.

Notable Dragapult Users

Having only been introduced in 2019's Sword & Shield, Dragapult hasn't really seen that much use. In keeping with the series' long-standing tradition of either the Champion or one of the Elite Four using their respective generation's Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon though, Leon does use one in the Champion battle in the Gen 8 Pokemon games.

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