Highlights

  • Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduces rare and hard-to-find Pokemon forms, making them challenging to capture.
  • Baxcalibur and Blaze/Aqua Breed Tauros are among the hardest Pokemon to track down in the game.
  • Gholdengo and Antique Sinistea/Polteageist are also extremely rare and difficult to obtain.

While it has been de-emphasized in recent years, Pokemon is still well known for the “Gotta catch 'em all” slogan. Each of the main series games still tasks trainers with completing their respective Pokedexes, even though they no longer contain the entire Pokemon roster.

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The real challenge of this task is created by the existence of very rare Pokemon. While most of the dex is fairly easy to obtain, certain members can prove very hard to track down. Some trainers even go after rare Pokemon forms, which can be even harder to obtain. For Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, these are the hardest Pokemon to track down.

Updated January 12, 2024, by Ben Painter: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has been received well both critically and commercially as Pokemon fans explored the new world of Paldea. Capturing certain Pokemon throughout the series can be quite difficult, and the latest entry is no exception. There are even harder challenges that await fans in the DLC 'The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero,' which is split into two parts, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. It takes a lot of hard work for a trainer to capture some Pokemon that have been released in these new DLCs, but some are much rarer and more difficult to find than others.

13 Baxcalibur

Location: Glaseado Mountain

Baxcalibur Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex
  • Capture Requirements: None

As the resident ‘pseudo legendary’ of the Paldea region, Baxcalibur is a powerful Pokemon that is easily missable in a first playthrough. It can’t be found in the wild, so trainers looking for a Baxcalibur will have to find either a Frigibax or an Arctibax first.

Both can be found on the snowy Glaseado Mountain but are very rare spawns. Considering the sheer size of the mountain, finding them can take some time. Once they’ve been caught, though, Arctibax still needs to reach level 54 to evolve into Baxcalibur.

Baxcalibur's Base Stats

HP:

115

Attack:

145

Defense:

92

Sp. Atk:

75

Sp. Def:

86

Speed:

87

Total:

600

12 Blaze / Aqua Breed Tauros

Location: East Province (Area Two, Three), West Province (Area Two, Asado Desert), Tera Raid Battles

pokemon-scarlet-violet-paldean-tauros
  • Capture Requirements: None

Despite being one of the original 151 Pokemon, Tauros has gone a long time without much focus, being outshined by newer, stronger Pokemon. However, Scarlet and Violet changed this by introducing a regional variant for Tauros, which comes in 3 different breeds.

While the combat breed is found abundantly in certain areas, the blaze and aqua breed Tauros are quite rare and are exclusive to Scarlet and Violet respectively. These breeds only appear in a maximum of 20% of Tauros spawns, so they can be hard to find, but sandwich powers can make them much more common.

Paldean Tauros' Base Stats

HP:

75

Attack:

110

Defense:

105

Sp. Atk:

30

Sp. Def:

70

Speed:

100

Total:

490

11 Sprigatito / Fuecoco / Quaxly

Location: Cabo Poco

Paldea starter Pokemon Sprigatito, Quaxley, and Fuecoco in front of a set of stone steps.
  • Capture Requirements: None

Every Pokemon game features 3 starter Pokemon that players get to pick from at the start of the game. In Scarlet and Violet, this role is filled by the trio of Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Just like any starters, each save file only gets one of the 3, with none available anywhere in the game.

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Whatever starter a trainer picks can be bred to create more, but without trading with other players or owning multiple Switches, there is no way to obtain the other two starters.

Base Stats (Sprigatito/Fuecoco/Quaxly)

HP:

40/67/55

Attack:

61/45/65

Defense:

54/59/45

Sp. Atk:

45/63/50

Sp. Def:

45/40/45

Speed:

65/36/50

Total:

310/310/310

10 Roaring Moon / Iron Valiant

Location: Area Zero

Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant
  • Capture Requirements: Must complete the main story

Following concepts like regional variants and convergent evolutions, Scarlet and Violet introduced ‘paradox’ Pokemon. In Scarlet, they are ancient versions of current Pokemon, while in Violet, they are futuristic robot versions.

Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant are the strongest of each version’s paradox Pokemon and are fittingly hard to find. They only spawn in a secret cave that is hidden inside some rocks near the 3rd research base in Area Zero. Since paradoxes can’t breed, catching them is the only way to obtain them.

Base Stats (Roaring Moon / Iron Valiant)

HP:

105/74

Attack:

139/130

Defense:

71/90

Sp. Atk:

55/120

Sp. Def:

101/60

Speed:

119/116

Total:

590/590

9 Gholdengo

Game Location: N/A

Gholdengo Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex
  • Capture Requirements: Collect 999x Gimmighoul coins

The Pokemon series has had a lot of different evolution methods over the years. Newer games, especially, have introduced some Pokemon that are really hard to evolve. Gimmighoul is one such Pokemon, requiring 999 Gimmighoul coins to evolve into Gholdengo.

Gimmighoul coins are obtained when interacting with Wandering and Chest Form Gimmighoul, which are scattered around the open world. Even trainers who are paying attention to this task the whole game likely won't have that many coins by the end, making Gholdengo extremely hard to obtain.

Gholdengo's Base Stats

HP:

87

Attack:

60

Defense:

95

Sp. Atk:

133

Sp. Def:

91

Speed:

84

Total:

550

8 Family Of 4 Maushold / 3 Segment Dudunsparce

Location: Tera Raid Battles / Evolve Tandemaus (Maushold) & Evolve Dunsparce (Dudunsparce)

Family of 3 Maushold and 3 segment Dudunsparce in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
  • Capture Requirements: None

There are Pokemon like Spinda that have different forms that don’t change anything besides appearance. It’s quite uncommon for evolved Pokemon to have these forms, but Maushold and Dudunsparce do.

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Upon evolving from Tandemaus and Dunsparce, these Pokemon will most likely become their ‘family of 4’ and ‘2 segment’ forms respectively. However, there is a 1% chance they will instead evolve into the ‘family of 3’ or ‘3 segment forms. These low odds make these special forms some of the rarest in the series, especially since they only appear post-evolution.

Base Stats (Maushold/Dudunsparce)

HP:

74/125

Attack:

75/100

Defense:

70/80

Sp. Atk:

65/85

Sp. Def:

75/75

Speed:

111/55

Total:

470/520

7 Antique Sinistea / Polteageist

Location: South Province (Area Six), East Province: (Area Three), Porto Marinada Auction (Chipped Pot item)

sinistea in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
  • Capture Requirements: Requires the Chipped Pot item to evolve.

Sinistea and Polteageist were introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. They, too, have a special form similar to Maushold and Dudunsparce that doesn’t affect their abilities in battle but has a small chance of being found in the wild.

Whereas Tandemaus and Dunsparce can be found quite commonly, Sinistea is already quite rare, only appearing in two areas on the map. Antique Sinistea only has a 1% chance of appearing, and the only indicator of it is a small stamp on the bottom of its cup. And only Antique Sinistea can evolve into Antique Polteageist.

Polteageist's Base Stats

HP:

60

Attack:

65

Defense:

65

Sp. Atk:

134

Sp. Def:

114

Speed:

70

Total:

508

6 Iron Boulder / Iron Crown / Raging Bolt / Gouging Fire

Location: Area Zero

Iron Boulder, Iron Crown, Raging Bolt, Gouging Fire In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
  • Capture Requirements: Must register 200 Pokemon in the Blueberry Academy Pokedex and start the quest with Perrin.

Much like Iron Leaves and Walking Wake, the other Legendary Pokemon of their respective trios were given a Paradox Form that can be obtained in The Indigo Disc part of the DLC. Gouging Fire and Raging Bolt are exclusive to Pokemon Scarlet, as they are Ancient Pokemon; Iron Boulder and Iron Crown can only be obtained in Violet, being Future Pokemon.

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To catch these Pokemon, gamers must first register 200 Pokemon in the Blueberry Academy Pokedex, which is no easy feat as some are difficult to obtain and will take a lot of hours in the game to register. Trade evolution will cause some gamers, who have no one else to play with, issues. Even if that job is done, players must approach the daunting task of finding the Paradox Pokemon in Area Zero and catching them, too.

Base Stats (Iron Boulder/Iron Crown/Raging Bolt/Gouging Fire)

HP:

90/90/125/105

Attack:

120/72/73/115

Defense:

80/100/91/121

Sp. Atk:

68/122/137/65

Sp. Def:

108/108/89/93

Speed:

124/98/75/91

Total:

590

5 All DLC Starter Pokemon

Game Location: Blueberry Academy Terrarium

Starter Pokemon
  • Capture Requirements: Collect 3000 BP points from completing BBQs.

Starter Pokemon are some of the rarest to obtain in the Pokemon franchise, as they are usually not able to be captured; only one Pokemon is given to the player at the start of the game. But in the DLC of Scarlet and Violet, this was switched up. A random Sinnoh Starter (Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup) is available from Jacq in Kitakami in the first part, The Teal Mask.

The Indigo Disk was even more rewarding; however, it will require some work. Every single starter Pokemon can be obtained in the Blueberry Academy, but gamers must spend 2000 BP points which are obtained from completing BBQs, short tasks that can be done in the Terrarium. Once players have 3000 BP points, they can activate the Starter Pokemon in the BB dorm room for one biome at a time. This means that 12000 BP points are needed for all four of the biomes in the Terrarium, and then the trainer must find each one and catch them.

4 Kyurem

Location: Dalizapa Passage

Kyurem In Pokemon
  • Capture Requirements: Complete Group BBQs and earn the treat from Snackworth.

Another Pokemon that are tied to completing BBQs in the Terrarium are the legacy Legendary Pokemon found in previous games. For every 10 quests that have been completed, Snackworth will reward the player with a random treat that will summon said Legendary Pokemon in a location in Paldea.

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However, Kyurem is different; players need to complete group quests, which are given to those who are playing together in the Union Circle, so gamers need to find someone else to play the game with for this to work. Kyurem must then be located and captured. It is level 70, so players should prepare for a tough battle.

Kyurem's Base Stats

HP:

125

Attack:

130

Defense:

90

Sp. Atk:

130

Sp. Def:

90

Speed:

95

Total:

660

3 Necrozma

Location: Socarrat Trail

Necrozma In Pokemon
  • Capture Requirements: Complete Group BBQs and earn the treat from Snackworth

Just like Kyurem, Necrozma is only available by obtaining a treat from Snackworth after completing a group BBQ while playing in the Union Circle. The Generation 7 Legendary Pokemon is one of the harder 'mons to capture as it requires someone else to play with, which can be difficult for some gamers.

After obtaining the Necrozma Treat, the Psychic-type will show up beside a waterfall coming from a mountain in Socarrat Trail. Players should make sure they are prepared with plenty of Ultra Balls.

Necrozma's Base Stats

HP:

97

Attack:

107

Defense:

101

Sp. Atk:

127

Sp. Def:

89

Speed:

79

Total:

600

2 Rayquaza

Location: Great Crater Of Paldea, South Province (Area Three)

Rayquaza In Pokemon
  • Capture Requirements: Complete Group BBQs and earn the treat from Snackworth.

A fan favorite among the Pokemon community, Rayquaza was first introduced in Generation 3 and was the star of Pokemon Emerald. Since then, it has been most people's favorite Legendary.

Players must have another person to play with in Blueberry Academy, and then they must complete group quests to unlock all the exclusive Pokemon, but it is all down to chance, as it will be random each time. Gamers will head to the Great Crater of Paldea, and there, they will be able to catch Rayquaza. Noted for having one of the best shinies in the whole franchise, this version of Rayquaza is, unfortunately, shiny-locked.

Rayquaza's Base Stats

HP:

105

Attack:

150

Defense:

90

Sp. Atk:

150

Sp. Def:

90

Speed:

95

Total:

680

1 Walking Wake / Iron Leaves

Location: Poke Portal News

pokemon scarlet and violet - new paradox pokemon walking wake and iron leaves
  • Capture Requirements: Event-exclusive Tera Raid Battle

Just like Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant, Walking Wake and Iron Leaves are a pair of paradox Pokemon that are exclusive to Scarlet and Violet respectively. Instead of being found in a secluded location, though, they are only found in 7-star Tera Raid Battles.

While these raids are easy to gain access to, they are extremely difficult to beat. Strong trainers online might be able to carry their weaker teammates to victory, but that would require a lot of luck. NPC raid trainers also will likely not be enough. Even after beating the raid, each player only gets one, no matter how many raids they beat.

Base Stats (Walking Wake/Iron Leaves)

HP:

99/90

Attack:

83/130

Defense:

91/88

Sp. Atk:

125/70

Sp. Def:

83/108

Speed:

109/104

Total:

590

pokemon scarlet and violet games
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Platform(s)
Switch
Released
November 18, 2022
Developer(s)
Game Freak
Genre(s)
RPG