Pokemon Diamond/Pearl are infamous for their regional Pokemon. The Generation IV games are often seen as the worst for new Pokemon. So today, we are going to take a look at the worst of the worst. The Pokemon that makes you wonder why they were designed and added to the game in the first place.
Generation IV games are great for many reasons, but their Pokemon is not one of them. So, let’s explore Sinnoh together and see which Pokemon we find lurking in the tall grass.
Unown
Unown is one of the most famous gimmick Pokemon in the franchise, used more as letters than for fighting, making them one of the worst Pokemon in the game. Usually, Pokemon can have multiple moves that will be situational-based. Raising and lowering attack or defense, putting enemies to sleep, etc. A well-rounded moveset is featured on every great Pokemon.
On the other hand, Unown only knows one move, Hidden Power, which is “A unique attack that varies in type and intensity depending on the Pokemon using it.” There can be some interesting interactions and effects, but no player will use this on their team. One move isn’t enough to win battles if they aren’t strong.
However, in the lore, Unown is said to be powerful and helped Arceus create the world. So, bonus points for that, but we aren’t talking about power in the lore, only gameplay.
Wormadam
The worst feature of Wormadam is that its fully evolved form has a base speed of 36, making it one of the slowest Pokemon. This is the ultimate killer and why most players will opt not to use them. There are also three versions of Wormadam, some being better than others. Plant Cloak Wormadam is weak to six types, taking four times the damage from Flying and Fire-Types.
Couple this with a low base speed, and Wormadam will die before they attack. Even going to their unevolved form, Burmy, who can also evolve into Mothim, neither of them is good. There are slightly better stats on Mothim, the male version of Wormadam, but it still isn’t enough to help this Pokemon.
Carnivine
Carnivine has a trifecta of bad traits. It has a lousy design, low stats, and no evolutions. Resembling a Venus flytrap, Carnivine looks too goofy and ridiculous, even by Pokemon standards. Its large white eyes have only a spec of black for a pupil, making it look creepier.
Design isn’t everything, but no evolution means it cannot get stronger, and it is one of the weakest for a final form. Only slightly better than Wormadam, with a base speed of 46 and relatively low health, means that the battle will be over before it’s begun.
Cherrim
Cherrim has a very basic and boring design that seems lazy. In fairness, the Sunshine and unevolved Forms look better, but that doesn’t help Cherrim. Its base stats are okay for a final evolution, but it doesn’t excel in one area or another.
Each stat is middle of the range but on the lower end, making Cherrim one of the worst. The best thing to be said is that catching Cherrim means one more entry in your Pokedex, but that’s about it.
Drifblim
Lore-wise, Drifblim is terrifying, grabbing onto Pokemon and people and carrying them away to an unknown fate. It’s also said to release a scream of the souls it’s captured if it ever explodes. But like Unown, we aren’t talking about its lore regarding how good a Pokemon is. Even in the lore, Drifblim is fairly weak.
As the final evolution, Drifblim has fairly high health but nothing else. Its defense, speed, and attack are laughable and weak to five other types. Many other Ghost-Types are better and have more unique designs and stats.
Turtwig
It may surprise some that a starter Pokemon is one of the worst in the game. Turtwig isn’t terrible like many Pokemon on this list, but it is the worst starter. They will be weak in many Gym Battles, get bad moves during leveling, and won’t do much in the early game.
A base speed of 31 means that Turtwig will always go second and lose. While Chimcahr and Piplup have three and two weaknesses, Turtwig has five type weaknesses. An insane amount for a starter Pokemon, and most of them are very common in the early game. Poison, Flying, and Bug-Types, are all early-game wild Pokemon and will make leveling and winning battles much harder.
Mime Jr.
Mime Jr. and its evolved form, Mr. Mime, have some of the worst designs in the franchise. There’s not much to say about how it looks other than it’s a very niche creative choice. Some players can find the appeal, but the big red nose and swirly hair look ridiculous. Mime Jr. also has a base HP of 20, among the lowest of the low.
Regigigas
Regigigas is like Turtwig in the sense that they aren’t bad; they are just weak compared to their counterparts. When going into a battle, players need to focus on resistance, weaknesses, speed, and more to win the match-up. But what if, in every battle, your Pokemon nerfed itself and just sat there? That’s basically what Regigias does.
Regigigas will halve their speed and damage for five turns, making it useless. This is also a legendary Pokemon, supposed to be stronger than all others. But it’s the weakest of the legendary Pokemon and doesn’t see as much play. This one ability turned a potentially great Pokemon with a cool design into a terrible one.
Nosepass
Nosepass has great defensive stats and is one of the best options for a tanky Pokemon. However, that’s also the problem with them. Good defense and health are fine, but Nosepass cannot do much damage. They will sit there the entire time as the opposing Pokemon slowly reduces their health, bit by bit.
In Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, offense is the best defense, so there is no point in outliving your opponent if you can’t knock them out. Nosepass does have a comical design, looking like an Easter Island statue, but that’s about it.
Conclusion
There you have it, the worst of the worst in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl. While some of these Pokemon have bad designs, others are awful in battles and make the game much harder than it should be. That being said, some excellent Pokemon are also introduced in Generation IV. After all, this is the Generation that gave use Platinum, a fan-favorite entry in the franchise. But for every bad Pokemon out there, some fans love and cherish them for their niche designs or unique moves.