Pokémon games have introduced a vast array of captivating creatures over the years, each with unique charm and abilities. Not all Pokémon are created equal, though, and some leave trainers scratching their heads or looking for better alternatives. In Pokémon: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, two beloved remakes of the Hoenn region classics, fans encountered both old and new Pokémon. However, some of them don’t quite live up to the hype. Here’s our list of the ten worst Pokémon in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, ranging from weak to downright peculiar:
Luvdisc
Luvdisc catches heat for its shallow moveset, lackluster stats, and uninspiring design. It’s a Water-type Pokémon with minimal offensive capabilities, making it less than practical for battles. Even its cute appearance couldn’t salvage Luvdisc’s reputation as a forgettable Pokémon.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Luvdisc is weak to Electric and Grass-type moves, which are prevalent in virtually all Pokémon games. Its only strength lies in its Water typing, which is strong against Fire and Ground-types – but there are much better Water-type Pokémon available.
Fun Fact: Luvdisc’s existence is somewhat redeemed by its heart-shaped appearance and association with the Heart Scale item, which teaches valuable moves to other Pokémon.
Sunkern
Sunkern’s status as one of the weakest Pokémon is well-deserved. It has abysmal stats across the board, making it a poor choice for combat. Its evolution, Sunflora, is hardly an improvement, and both Pokémon suffer from a lack of versatility in moves.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Sunkern is a Grass-type Pokémon, so it’s weak to Fire, Ice, Bug, and Poison-type moves. Its only notable strength is against Water and Ground-types.
Fun Fact: Sunkern holds the dubious distinction of having the lowest base stats of any fully evolved Pokémon, tied with Wishiwashi in its Solo Form.
Delibird
Delibird earns a spot on our list for its mediocre stats and a gimmicky move, “Present,” which has a random chance of healing or damaging the target. This unpredictability makes Delibird a risky choice in battle. Its Ice/Flying typing also leaves it vulnerable to common Fire, Electric, and Rock-type moves.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Delibird’s Ice/Flying typing weakens it to Fire, Electric, Rock, and Steel-type moves. It’s strong against Grass and Bug-types.
Fun Fact: Delibird carries a sack resembling Santa Claus’ gift bag. It even delivers presents to trainers in the Pokémon games during special events.
Dunsparce
Trainers often give Dunsparce a hard pass due to its unimpressive stats and limited move pool. Despite having potential, it lacks a significant evolution (until Generation IX, anyway) or unique abilities, which makes it an unappealing choice for most teams.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Dunsparce is a Normal-type Pokémon, which means it doesn’t have significant type advantages or disadvantages. It’s immune to Ghost-type moves but is highly vulnerable to Fighting-type attacks.
Fun Fact: Dunsparce’s design is based on the mythical Tsuchinoko, a snake-like creature with a plump body and a horn on its head.
Ledian
Ledian’s poor stats and shallow move pool have left it overshadowed by other Bug/Flying-type Pokémon. Its design, while intriguing, doesn’t make up for its lackluster performance in battles.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Ledian’s Bug/Flying typing makes it weak to Rock, Electric, Ice, and Flying-type moves. It’s strong against Grass and Bug-types.
Fun Fact: Despite its shortcomings, Ledian (as well as its pre-evolutionary form, Ledyba) has a distinctive, ladybug-like design with a red color scheme and markings on its back. Collectors may certainly find its cuteness appealing.
Plusle and Minun
Plusle and Minun, while undeniably adorable, suffer from low base stats and a limited moveset. Their unique abilities, Plus and Minus, are underwhelming and don’t provide enough of an advantage in battles to make them viable choices over the other Electric-types that are available.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Plusle and Minun share the same Electric typing, making them vulnerable to Ground-type moves. On the other hand, they’re strong against Water and Flying-types.
Fun Facts: Plusle and Minun make frequent appearances in the Pokémon anime. They often accompany Ash Ketchum on his adventures in the Hoenn region. Despite their visual similarity to Pikachu (especially its pre-evolutionary form, Pichu), Plusle and Minun do not evolve from or into any other Pokémon.
Unown
Unown’s claim to fame is its alphabet-themed forms, but beyond that novelty, it offers little utility or battle prowess. Its stats are exceptionally low, and it has only one move, “Hidden Power,” which varies in type and strength.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Unown’s Psychic typing leaves it weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost-type moves. It’s effective against Fighting and Poison-types.
Fun Facts: Unown’s mysterious and enigmatic appearance has led to various fan theories about its connection to the Pokémon world’s lore. As of Generation III, there are 28 different forms of Unown.
Castform
Castform’s gimmick revolves around its ability to change forms based on the weather. This can be situational and annoyingly unpredictable in battles. It has mediocre stats and a limited move pool, making it a less-than-desirable choice for competitive play.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Castform’s typing changes with the weather, which can leave it weak to a wide variety of moves. Its forms include Normal, Fire, Water, and Ice, each with strengths and weaknesses particular to that type.
Fun Fact: Castform is an “artificial” Pokémon, meaning that it was originally created by humans. More specifically, it was created at the Hoenn Weather Institute to help meteorologists predict weather changes.
Farfetch’d
Despite gaining a regional evolution in later generations, Farfetch’d has a reputation as one of the weakest (although not entirely forgettable) Pokémon from the Generation I games. Its stats and moveset are unimpressive, and it lacks the versatility needed for competitive battles.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Farfetch’d is a Normal/Flying-type Pokémon, making it weak to Electric, Ice, and Rock-type moves. It’s strong against Grass and Bug-types.
Fun Facts: Farfetch’d’s design concept comes from the Japanese saying, “A duck comes bearing green onions.” This signifies something surprising or fortuitous. It gained a regional evolution, Sirfetch’d, in Generation VIII. Sirfetch’d gains a significant stat boost and is a Fighting-type Pokémon, but loses its Flying typing.
Relicanth
The fish Pokémon Relicanth has lackluster stats and Water/Rock typing, making it a suboptimal choice for fighting. It has limited move options and struggles to find a niche in competitive play. It’s also rather ugly (sorry, Relicanth) and has no evolutions.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Relicanth’s Water/Rock typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and other Water-type moves, which are all very common throughout the game. It’s strong against Fire, Flying, Bug, and Ice-types, however.
Fun Fact: Relicanth’s name is a portmanteau of “relic” and “coelacanth.” The coelacanth is a prehistoric fish that still exists today, making it one of the oldest living lineages of vertebrates.
In the world of Pokémon, not every creature can be a legendary or fan-favorite. These ten worst Pokémon from Pokémon: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire serve as a reminder that even in a universe filled with fantastic creatures, some fall short in terms of strength, versatility, or design. Nonetheless, every Pokémon has its unique charm and can find its place in the hearts of certain trainers – even if they don’t make it to the top-tier competitive battles.