The Pokémon Sword and Shield game was a huge title for Game Freak. The series’ big mainline debut on a handheld console, and it was the game that fans had been waiting for (Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee being somewhat of a placeholder). So, how has it fared?

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No game is perfect, and fans certainly have their gripes. The National Pokédex cuts were particularly controversial, and opinions have been mixed about the Galar roster we do have. Which Sword and Shield Pokémon (both old and new) are the weakest? Let’s take a look.

10 Boltund

Via: YouTube (RielPlaysGames)

Now, don’t get us wrong here. We can appreciate Boltund, we really can. After all, its pre-evolved form Yamper is one of the most adorable puppy Pokémon in series history. We can all get on board with a good doggie, right?

While it does have Electric-typing to at least make it a little interesting, Boltund is just so average, stats-wise. Its Speed is high, its offenses are equal and reasonably good, its defenses are rather terrible. But as our first pick, it’s the best of the worst Galar Pokémon, so that’s got to count for something.

9 Applin

Quite possibly the least-likely Dragon-type of all time, Applin is one of the most interesting curveballs in the Sword and Shield roster. This adorable little thing is a Grass/Dragon Pokémon that evolves into one of two (equally cute) final forms. It becomes Flapple when a Tart Apple is used on it (found in Pokémon Sword) and Appletun when exposed to a Sweet Apple (available In Pokémon Shield).

Flapple is more of a standard physical attacker, while Appletun is a special attacking tank (with terrible Speed). Both are quirky, unusual picks, so Applin gets some kudos for that. It doesn’t have much to offer itself, but it is worth the effort to raise.

8 Galarian Farfetch’d

Farfetch’d is trying, it really is. After generations of being an unfortunate meme and running joke of the series, this battling bird kicked things up a notch for Sword and Shield. It was given a Fighting-type Galarian form, a bit of a stat buff and, most importantly, an evolution.

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Sirfetch’d boasts some quite impressive Attack power, but it’s still frail. It’s also tough to make the best use of it with its low Speed. Ultimately, Farfetch’d has been buffed quite nicely, but it’s still Farfetch’d.

7 Galarian Corsola

All in all, Corsola is in a very similar boat to Farfetch’d. It’s a Pokémon that has largely been completely ignored since its introduction, a Water/Rock critter with no real assets worth boasting about. Its Galarian form and evolution have really mixed things up, though.

Galarian Corsola is a Ghost-type with slightly different stats to the regular Corsola. It also has an evolved form, Cursola, which boasts formidable Special Attack and Special Defense. Its Speed is super low, though, necessitating Trick Room. These virtues don’t quite make up for the shortcomings of Galarian Corsola itself.

6 Galarian Meowth

Continuing our series of Galar Pokémon with new forms that are slightly better than their sub-standard regular base forms, we have Galarian Meowth. It differs from vanilla Meowth in that it’s a little stronger and bulkier, a good deal slower and much, much furrier. It’s also a Steel-type, so that’s nice too.

To be fair to Galarian Meowth, its evolved form can be a force to be reckoned with in the right situations. Perrserker, like Cursola and Sirfetch’d, is quite powerful and has some nifty tricks up its hairy sleeves. It’s just too slow to be very viable. Of the three, it probably has the least potential.

5 Bounsweet

Via: YouTube (Madao Joestar)

Next up, we have one of the most innocuous-looking Pokémon in all of Galar: Bounsweet. This super cute little critter returns from the previous generation of Pokémon. It looks absolutely harmless, but it isn’t… quite. Bounsweet eventually evolves into quite a potent Pokémon (as far as this list goes, anyway): Tsareena.

The Fruit Pokémon is quite a powerful attacker, with access to great moves like High Jump Kick and its own Trop Kick. It also boasts a useful signature Ability, Queenly Majesty, which prevents priority moves from being used against it. All of this is nice, but you’re not exactly going to see Tsareena tearing up the competitive scene.

4 Shedinja

Shedinja Pokemon

Shedinja, as fans know, is a darn tough Pokémon to judge. Is it good? Is it terrible? That entirely depends on the battle situation at hand  which is why we’ve placed it right around the middle spot of the list. It can perform super well, but it’s often a huge liability.

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Another returning Pokémon, Shedinja’s gimmick revolves around its two unique traits: its maximum HP of a single point and its exclusive Ability, Wonder Guard. This Ability renders Shedinja immune to all direct attacks except those it’s weak to. As a result, lots of offensive Pokémon are powerless against it, but it also has a lot of weaknesses as a Bug/Ghost Pokémon. Indirect damage like weather, hazards and status also take it out instantly, making it very difficult to get the best out of.

3 Arrokuda

There are certain things that a new generation of Pokémon games just wouldn’t be complete without. One of them, of course, is a fairly generic new Water-type. Poor old Arrokuda stepped up to the plate for Sword and Shield.

It’s just the sort of Pokémon you’d catch for the Pokédex’s sake, then quickly consign to a PC Box and entirely forget about. If you give it a chance, you’ll find that it becomes a real speedy powerhouse when it evolves into Barraskewda (though its defenses are beyond abysmal), but many players probably didn’t get that far with it.

2 Blipbug

Blipbug

Along with generic-looking fish Pokémon, each new generation of games also tends to feature a feeble Bug-type. Along with Ice, Bug is often regarded as the worst typing in the series, and that reputation’s got to be maintained. Which is why, when you came across the pathetic-looking Blipbug very early in your adventure, you might well have disregarded it entirely (see also: Arrokuda).

As its evolution line progresses from Blipbug to Dottler to Orbeetle, it does become a little better. As a Bug/Psychic Pokémon with access to great supportive moves, Orbeetle isn’t all that bad; it just has far too many weaknesses to really work as the defensive Pokémon it desperately wants to be.

1 Magikarp

That’s right, friends. When it comes to terrible-yet-iconic Pokémon, Magikarp is always going to take the number one spot. As snarky as the community has been about the likes of Farfetch’d throughout the generations, that’s nothing compared to the cruel treatment Magikarp has suffered.

When even Game Freak themselves are writing official Pokédex entries like, “It is virtually worthless in terms of both power and speed. It is the most weak and pathetic Pokémon in the world,” (Pokémon Sword) that’s a whole new level of mean. It still evolves into the mighty and super-popular Gyarados (and its Intimidate Ability is as potent as ever), but Magikarp will always be… Magikarp.

NEXT: Pokémon: The 10 Best Water Moves, Ranked