Pokemon Scarlet And Violet: Best Pokemon Not Included

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has continued one of the most controversial trends that the franchise introduced with Pokemon Sword & Shield: not including every Pokemon. This decision was met with plenty of fan backlash when it was first announced in 2019, but it was clear from the start that it was a permanent change to the franchise. That was reiterated with Pokemon Legends Arceus when the Hisui pokedex was limited to 240 Pokemon & the Paldea pokedex in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet only contains a total of 400 Pokemon, with more than a quarter of them being new in generation nine.

Related: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Things They Should Keep From Pokemon Legends Arceus

Every mainline Pokemon game introduces new starter & legendary pokemon, so it’s unlikely that they would include those from previous generations moving forward. With over a thous& Pokemon capturing fan’s hearts over more than twenty years of Pokemon games, this means that there are bound to be some notable omissions regardless.

10/10 Wimpod And Golisopod

The bug/water type-combination is a relatively rare one & Golisopod is a popular choice among players looking for that. It was only introduced in Pokemon Sword & Shield, but the design is one of the better ones from generation 8, drawing inspiration from an isopod.

As a result of the bug-type, Golisopod is not weak to grass-type Pokemon. It would have been a good choice for Kofu, the water gym leader in Cascaraffa, to use him in battle in order to increase the difficulty level slightly for players.

9/10 Geodude, Graveler, And Golem

Geodude was a popular Pokemon from the early season of the anime, while Golem held a place as one of the strongest Pokemon from the first generation. When the Alolan region was introduced, new life was breathed into Golem as it was given a dual rock & electric-type regional variant.

The ability to evolve a Pokemon by trading is always a nice option that Graveler includes, & the fact that there is no rock/electric-type options in Pokemon: Scarlet & Violet means that there is a hole it could fill.

8/10 Abra, Kadabra, And Alakazam

Abra & the evolution line that follows after it are among the most iconic Pokemon of the entire franchise. Looking at the Paldea pokedex, their inclusion was unlikely given that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet already includes several pure psychic types. There is an easy way around this however, as the franchise has been using regional variants with dual-types with increasing regularity.

Related: Pokemon: Best Type Combinations, Ranked

Not only would that allow for the inclusion of Abra, Kadabra, & Alakazam, but it would allow them to make use of less common dual-types like electric/psychic, poison/psychic, or ground/psychic.

7/10 Onix And Steelix

Onix & Steelix are both very popular among fans of the Pokemon franchise & together they’re two of the largest Pokemon ever designed. Onix was a permanent figure in the early seasons of the anime as one of Brock’s Pokemon & Steelix is one of the best steel-type choices for any team with much higher defense than most.

Although Pokemon Scarlet & Violet does include other popular steel-type Pokemon like Scizor & Copperajah, but Steelix still seems like a great option to add to the roster.

6/10 Tyrogue, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, And Hitmontop

Tyrogue has one of the most complex evolution lines in the franchise & fans often debate which of it’s three successors are the best option. Hitmonchan & Hitmonlee were introduced in the first generation & were quickly followed by Hitmontop in Pokemon Gold & Silver.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet does have several fighting-type Pokemon already, & it’s possible that the introduction of Annihilape took priority. It’s still a shame that Tyrogue & its evolution line have been overlooked as they’re exactly the type of Pokemon that could benefit from a new evolutionary option.

5/10 Smoochum And Jynx

Smoochum & Jynx were the original ice/psychic-type Pokemon, but now share that stage with the Galarian variant of Mr. Mime, Mr. Rime, & the legendary Calyrex. Given that none of the others are available in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Smoochum & Jynx would be a great addition to help exp& the in-game options for players.

Because this evolution line has been left untouched since the second generation of Pokemon games, it’s also ripe new for a new evolution in order to increase its usefulness in battling.

4/10 Togepi, Togetic, And Togekiss

There are very few Pokemon from the Johto region that are more instantly recognizable than Togepi. The cute Pokemon was one of the first from the second generation introduced in the anime & even became a regular in the series long before it was ever introduced in the games.

Related: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Cutest Pokemon In The Game

Togetic & Togekiss are the only fairy/flying-type options in the entire franchise other than legendary Pokemon, & although they do have several weaknesses; their immunity to both dragon & ground-types makes them a valuable option for any team.

3/10 Munchlax And Snorlax

Snorlax is a classic Pokemon that originally had a unique position in Pokemon, being used in the overworld as an obstacle. This all started with Pokemon Red & Blue, where Snorlax would block the player from progressing until it was woken with Poke Flute & then defeated or caught.

This function hasn’t been used much in mainline Pokemon games since then, even though the use of more open world areas make Snorlax the ideal Pokemon. It’s an easy way to block progress until a condition is met & can be a useful addition to a team when caught.

2/10 Honedge, Doublade, And Aegislash

Honedge & its evolution line were great additions to the franchise in the sixth generation thanks to their use of the steel & ghost dual-type. This remains the type combination with the joint-most resistances, & the only logical reason for their exclusion is the fact that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced a different option in the incredibly strong Gholdengo.

After being fully evolved, Honedge becomes Aegislash & turns into a great option for any team. It’s a shame that it has been missed from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, even if players might prefer to use Gholdengo.

1/10 Golett And Golurk

Golett & its evolution, Golurk, are some of the best ghost-type Pokemon in the franchise. This is thanks to their additional ground-type that is only available in a h&ful of Pokemon. It seems as though Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has gone with S&ygast & Paloss& instead, but the design behind Golett & Golurk is arguably superior.

In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the sixth gym leader Ryme & the first Elite Four member Rika use ghost & ground-type Pokemon respectively; meaning that Golett & Golurk could’ve fit in to either team well.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.

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