Pokémon Heartgold & Soulsilver are two of the most popular and beloved Pokémon games in the franchise. These games reimagined Generation II’s Pokémon Gold & Silver and introduced a whole new generation of gamers to the series. These games were released on September 12, 2009, and greatly improved almost everything about the original games.
Although Pokémon Heartgold & Soulsilver were major upgrades to the originals, not everything got better. Some of those things are the bottom-of-the-barrel Pokémon from Gold & Silver. Many of the worst Pokemon in the original Generation II games are still terrible in the remakes. Today we’ll be going over the nine Pokémon in Heartgold & Soulsilver that you should avoid at all costs.
Qwilfish
Qwilfish will likely be the strongest Pokémon on this list, but that doesn’t make it strong by any means. Qwilfish has painfully average stats that won’t wow anyone in battle. Being a Poison-type Pokémon doesn’t help matters either. Ever since Generation I, Poison-type Pokémon have struggled in the competitive scene.
On top of the unfortunate typing, Qwilfish has a disappointing list of moves that it can learn. There’s very little in its arsenal that can do serious damage. Its strongest move is Hydro Pump, but that move has a high chance of missing, and it doesn’t learn it until level 57. Without an evolution, Qwilfish has no way to be a serious threat in battle.
Sentret
Sentret is a Pokémon that is unimpressive in both design and abilities. It really shouldn’t be too surprising though, since Sentret is one of the first Pokémon you’ll encounter in the game. Because it’s such an early game Pokémon, Sentret has mediocre stats and learnable moves. These limited moves make it struggle to train Sentret or use it in battle Sentret.
The only good thing about Sentret is that it evolves relatively early at level 15. Its evolution into Furret almost doubles its overall stats, which is useful, but they’re still only average. The list of available moves doesn’t improve much either. Overall, Sentret just isn’t that useful as a Pokémon.
Dunsparce
Dunsparce has infamously been considered a dud of a Pokémon for years now. Its stats are average at best, and has some pretty lackluster moves during its early levels. Dunsparce’s strange worm-like body is a hint to its poor quality as a Pokémon. There’s not much that this Pokémon does well, and even then you can find a different Pokémon that does it better.
For years now, fans have been hoping for an evolution for Dunsparce that’ll take it from zero to hero. There have been dozens of popular theories about what evolution could be. Many fans imagined that Dunsparce would transform into a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon that would dominate in battle.
Well, players got their wish in Generation IX when Dunsparce finally evolved in Dudunsparce. Instead of an intimidating Dragon-type, players just got more of the same Pokémon with a longer body. Dunsparce has established itself as a dud Pokémon permanently now.
Smeargle
Smeargle is another Pokémon that has awful stats that will make any battle a struggle. To make things worse, Smeargle doesn’t have an evolution that could improve its poor stat total. If you decide to catch Smearlge, then you’re stuck with a weak Pokemon that’ll be outclassed by most other Pokémon in the game.
The problems with Smeargle don’t stop there, though. Instead of learning moves as it levels up like most Pokémon, Smeargle only knows the move Sketch. This move allows Smeargle to permanently learn the last move that its opponent used. Although Smeargle can technically learn almost every move in the game, it’ll be a time-consuming process to make sure it only learns powerful moves. That time is better spent catching stronger Pokémon in the first place.
Delibird
At first glance, Delibird seems like a perfectly fine Pokémon. It has an interesting design and decent stats for an average Pokémon. The problems start becoming apparent when you peek under the hood. Delibrid lacks an evolution that could improve its unimpressive stats. Although Delibird is an Ice/Flying-type Pokémon, it is unable to naturally learn any Ice/Flying-type moves.
Delibird actually is only able to learn its signature move, Present. Present is probably one of the all-time worst moves in Pokémon. When you use the move, it has a random chance of healing or dealing an inconsistent amount of damage. That means you could be making your opponent stronger by using Delibird instead of weaker.
Your best course of action when using Delibird is to never use Present and instead have it learn some useful TMs. An even better option is to just not use Delibird in the first place. Delibird is just a gimmick Pokémon with an awful gimmick.
Unown
Speaking of gimmick Pokémon, Unown is the king of useless gimmick Pokémon. It would be surprising if anyone even liked Unown very much. This Pokémon only exists to create a mysterious alphabet and pad out the Pokedex with 26 unique forms.
Unown is even less useful when in battle. This Pokémon only has one move available to it and it can’t even TMs. Although the move does do damage, it has problems of its own. The move Hidden Power does a random type of damage when it lands. This makes Unown completely unreliable because you never know what you’re getting with it. Unown adds a level of intrigue and mystery to the game but is completely useless in battle.
Wobbuffet
Wobbuffet’s only real claim to fame is its main appearance in the anime. Wobbuffet became an iconic member of Team Rocket, but just like in the anime, this Pokémon is not useful in battle. Wobbufet has a strange stat disruption. The majority of its stat total goes to HP, with everything else being very low.
Wobbuffet’s greatest weakness is in its move list. There are only a total of four moves that Wobbuffet can learn, and none of them do direct damage. Wobbuffet is a completely defensive Pokémon that can only do damage if the opponent attacks them first. To use Wobbuffect effectively, you have to predict whether your opponent is going to use a physical, special, or status move.
The thing that makes Wobbuffet one of the worst Pokémon is that it can’t learn any other moves besides those four defensive moves. TMs are completely useless to this Pokémon. Wobbuffet turns every Pokémon battle into a guessing game, which can be fun, but you’re not likely to win many battles.
Shuckle
Shuckle has one of the most bizarre designs in Pokémon. With such a strange look, many players hoped that Shuckle would be something really special or evolve into something amazing. Sadly, that is not the case. Shuckle has only two stand-out stats. This Pokémon’s Sp. Def and Defense are both a crazy 230, but everything else about it is abysmal.
By no means is Shuckle a powerhouse. None of its learnable moves are very powerful or do a lot of damage. The only purpose that Shuckle serves in battle is to tank attacks and heal itself. If you use Shuckle in a Pokémon battle, all you’re really doing is wasting both your time and your opponent’s.
Pineco
Fans often say that Pokémon designs got lazy in the later generations, but Generation II also had some stinkers in its roster. Pineco is literally just a pinecone and is probably one of the most forgettable Pokémon in the franchise. Pineco’s stats are just as forgettable as its design.
Pineco’s best course of action in battle is to use Self-Destruct and hope that it can take the opponent down with them. Although Pineco can evolve into the much stronger Forretress, you have to wait all the way until level 31. Having Pineco on your team is like going into battle with a live grenade. You’re likely to hurt yourself just as badly.