Highlights

• Key takeaways:
• Azumarill is a Water/Fairy-type Pokemon with low stats but strong offensive and defensive capabilities.
• Gumshoos is a Normal-type Pokemon with high HP and Attack stats, and notable Abilities that enhance its moves.
• Furret is a passable Normal-type Pokemon with good HP and Speed, but limited Abilities and movepool.

With each new generation of Pokemon games comes a new batch of monsters to tame, befriend, and battle. As one would expect, many of these creatures boast incredible powers the likes of which could wreak havoc were they to exist in real life.

However, some remain incredibly weak even by Pokemon standards, having incredibly low base stats and being practically forgotten by the competitive meta. Even after having reached their fully-evolved form, these monsters barely do the name any justice. Trainers may want to avoid them altogether to save themselves the hassle. (Disclaimer: since this list looks at evolved forms, single-stage Pokemon are excluded.)

Updated October 19, 2023, by Ashely Claudino: Not all Pokemon can be strong simply because of their stats; some of them are valuable due to specific abilities or move combinations, and that might just be enough for a trainer to want to bring them along on their journey or even to a competitive Pokemon battle.

This list contains some of the weakest fully-evolved Pokemon in the franchise, and it includes also some tips on how players can take advantage of them in other ways. It has been updated, and now features a table following each entry so that players can take a look at each Pokemon's individual stats.

19 Azumarill (Base Stat Total: 420)

Azumarill actually has a lot of good things going for it despite its low stat total. It's a Water/Fairy-type, an excellent combination that is very strong both offensively and defensively. It hits 6 unique types super effectively, and no single type is capable of resisting both Water and Fairy at once. Additionally, it only has three weaknesses: Poison, Electric, and Grass. And, to top it all off, it has six resistances and an immunity. There's absolutely nothing to complain about here - this pairing kind of does it all.

Believe it or not, it gets even better. Azumarill has the incredible Ability that is Huge Power. This Ability has a very simple effect, it doubles Azumarill's Attack stat. This turns what would otherwise be a bad offensive Pokemon into something very usable. It also compliments Azumarill's natural stat distribution very well, as it already has high defensive stats, so giving it something to make it a better attacker is just perfect.

18 Gumshoos (Base Stat Total: 418)

The first of many "early game Normal-types" on this list, Gumshoos is a rather basic Pokemon. It's a pure Normal-type with high HP and Attack stats, and access to 3 very strong Abilities, Stakeout, Strong Jaw, and Adaptability. The Abilities, of course, are the highlight.

Stakeout makes it so that Pokemon that just switched into the battle take double the damage they usually would from Gumshoos' moves. Strong Jaw boosts the power of biting moves by 50 percent (Crunch, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, and Fire Fang being the noteworthy ones). Adaptability increases STAB's multiplier from 1.5x to 2x, making all of Gumshoos' Normal-type moves somewhat potent. There really isn't much else to talk about, as Gumshoos is very much defined by its Abilities.

17 Furret (Base Stat Total: 415)

Furret is a passable Pokemon, though it does struggle in several ways. It's a pure Normal-type with good HP and Speed and acceptable Attack.

However, Its Abilities aren't that impressive. Run Away is completely useless competitively and really doesn't have much of a point even in single-player. Keen Eye prevents Furret's Accuracy from being lowered and also ignores the opponent's Evasion boosts. Frisk is actually a good Ability, it reveals what items the opponent's Pokemon are holding upon switching it in, which is very useful for getting information.

It has a very wide movepool, though this sadly also comes with a big downside. A decent chunk of the good moves Furret learns are Special, and it is very much a Physical attacker (Its base Special Attack is 45, a laughably low number).

Furret's biggest draw is that it has access to the powerful boosting move that is Coil. Coil increases Furret's Attack, Defense, and Accuracy all in one turn, and this has very good synergy with Iron Tail and Baton Pass. Iron Tail is a move that normally suffers from lacking Accuracy, something that Coil fixes and Baton Pass allows Furret to give the boosts from Coil to the player's other Pokemon, letting them take advantage of their lower Accuracy moves as well. Furret is overall a very underwhelming Pokemon, but this combo does legitimately give it something to work with.

16 Raticate (Base Stat Total: 413)

This Normal-type began the tradition of the staple "first-route rodent", and it continues to fill that niche with its lackluster stats. It regained a small bit of relevance in the Gen 7 games with an Alolan form, but that unfortunately wasn't enough to bring it into the competitive scene. Kanto Raticate has decent Attack and Speed stats, but poor defenses. It has access to the wonderful ability Guts, which doubles one's attack stat if they are infected with a status condition. This combines excellently with the item Flame Orb, as that is a guaranteed Burn after the first turn in a battle. It also can learn Swords Dance, further bolstering its attacking prowess.

Alolan Raticate has more even stats, and as such, is a lot better defensively, minus the new weaknesses it gets from its new Normal/Dark typing. Its ability, Thick Fat, which reduces damage from Fire and Ice moves, complements this perfectly. However, as good as these points are, it does not prevent either version of Raticate from being rather mediocre.

15 Vivillon (Base Stat Total: 411)

Vivillon's main gimmick is that it has many color patterns. The color of the creature depends on where in the real world it was caught or evolved. A Vivillon from North America will look completely different from one found in Europe. Much like Raticate before it, this is a weak/mediocre Pokemon with some strong tools it can use.

Vivillon has a great ability in Compound Eyes, boosting the accuracy of all moves by 30% just inherently. This is important, as Vivillon can learn a very powerful Special Flying-type move, Hurricane. This move has 110 base power but only 70% accuracy. However, with the Compound Eyes Ability, this stat gets boosted to 91%, making it far more reliable.

The player can further strengthen Vivillon with Quiver Dance, a move most Bug-types can learn that boosts Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, all in the same turn. However, due to Vivillon's frailty, both in terms of its typing of Bug/Flying and its lacking HP and defenses, Vivillon must be sent out at the most opportune time for it to be effective.

14 Medicham (Base Stat Total: 410)

Medicham has rather weak stats, but it's got an incredible signature ability that definitely adds viability to it in battle. This Pokemon is known for its Pure Power ability which doubles its physical attack stat. So, a 60-base Attack stat instantly seems much more threatening when it's 100 percent boosted.

It's also got a versatile move pool; it gets access to attacking moves with all sorts of Types, and most of them are physical which guarantees that they'll hit harder. An alternative way to use this Pokemon is by using its Skill Swag Psychic-Type move and giving its powerful ability to an even stronger Pokemon.

13 Sudowoodo (Base Stat Total: 410)

There actually is not a whole lot that can be said about Sudowoodo. Its base stat total is tied with the likes of Medicham and Bibarel, which potentially outclass the fake tree thanks to their abilities and higher Speed stats.

Sudowoodo does have the amazing combination of Rock Head ability and the move Head Smash. Rock Head prevents any recoil damage from moves, and Head Smash is an extremely powerful Rock-type move, that now no longer has any drawbacks, aside from its Accuracy. However, with all of that said, Sudowoodo suffers a lot from its pure Rock-typing and low Special Defense and Speed stats, so that does make it rather difficult to use.

12 Shiinotic (Base Stat Total: 405)

Just like other mushroom Pokemon, such as Amoonguss, Shiinotic is a Grass-Type Pokemon that gives great support in double battles. So, despite its low offensive stats, opponents might shiver when they see this Pokemon come into battle because they'll most likely be asleep by the end of the turn.

Shiinotic can use great status moves like Spore and Strenght Sap. The Effect Spore ability that it can have makes it so the opponent has a 10 percent chance of getting poisoned, paralyzed, or falling asleep, if they physically hit it.

11 Parasect (Base Stat Total: 405)

Parasect has been part of the Pokemon world since back in Gen I, and, unfortunately, it's still a weak Pokemon. Bug-Type Pokemon are arguably the worst Pokemon in the game, and Parasect is both Bug- and Grass-Type - unfortunately, not that great of a combination.

None of its moves or abilities stand out in any way, and anything that it can do, there will always be a Pokemon that can do it better than them.

10 Wobbuffet (Base Stat Total: 405)

Savvy players know not to let Wobbuffet's low stats fool them. This is one of the best Pokemon players could ever use in a single-player game. Wobbuffet's defining trait is that it cannot attack, it can only counterattack. As such, the Moves Counter and Mirror Coat are Wobbuffet's only attacking options. Here's where things get interesting, though.

Wobbufett has a ridiculously high HP stat at base 190 points, meaning it can survive some really big hits, even with its low defenses. The way Counter and Mirror Coat work is that they take the last Physical or Special hit done to them respectively and hit the opponent with it for double the damage they took - double the damage is an impressive multiplier.

Because of this, Wobbuffet can KO Pokemon significantly stronger than it. Wobbuffet also has the ability Shadow Tag, which prevents non-Ghost Pokemon from escaping, meaning any opponent fighting this thing is forced to until it's KO'ed. What makes this strategy so effective in single-player is that Pokemon AI is very predictable. All the player needs to do is know when to use Counter or Mirror Coat at the right time, and suddenly they'll be getting a bunch of easy KO's left and right.

9 Spidops (Base Stat Total: 404)

Spidops is one of the latest additions to the Pokemon franchise as it only made its debut in the recent entry, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Unfortunately, this Bug-Type Pokemon is yet another disappointing Pokemon of this Type, and it will be very difficult to use competitively.

The only thing that Spidops has going for it is its hidden ability Stakeout which makes it so damage dealt to the target is damaged if they switch out during that turn, but better Pokemon such as Mabosstiff, get access to it and will be a much better addition in nearly any case.

8 Delcatty (Base Stat Total: 400)

This fancy feline lives up to its title as the Prim Pokemon, but its looks don't help when it comes to battle. Before Generation VII, this Pokemon did not have a single stat over 70. Thankfully now, it has at least 90 points in its Speed stat.

Unfortunately, that's all it really has going for it, because Delcatty cannot use its Speed effectively. Its attacking stats are poor. It cannot take hits very well even with its pure Normal typing giving it only one weakness and one immunity, and its Abilities don't really do much for it. The Abilities Normalize and Wonder Skin are nice, but they just are not enough to pull Delcatty out of the dumpster it's in.

7 Butterfree (Base Stat Total: 395)

Many Pokemon fans love Butterfree as it was one of the first Pokemon that Ash added to his journey. Despite this, nostalgia just isn't enough to turn it into a strong Pokemon worth using.

Just like many Pokemon on this list, it is also a frail Bug-Type Pokemon that will not survive too long in battle. All of Butterfree's statistics are average, except for its Attack stat which is below average, and there isn't anything it can do that another Pokemon won't be better at.

6 Beautifly (Base Stat Total: 395)

A big trend for Bug-type Pokemon in the games is that they evolve quickly, but maintain mediocre stats. These next entries showcase this to a painfully obvious degree, as all entries from here on out are bugs. Our bug line-up begins with Beautifly.

Beautifly is essentially just a poorer version of Vivillon. It has the same Bug/Flying typing and lacks defenses, but it's missing a lot of the tools that made Vivillon interesting. Unfortunately, the tools it does have are not very impressive. Its only good Ability is Swarm. While it does have Quiver Dance (see above), it does not have a very strong Move to annihilate opponents with the boosted stats. Additionally, unlike most Bug-types, Beautifly doesn't even learn most of the power Moves that inflict statuses on the opponent. This is a Pokemon that really has no strong points.

5 Beedrill (Base Stat Total: 395)

Beedrill is a Pokemon that looks threatening and mean, but without access to its Mega Stone, Beedrillite, there's not much that players can do with it. Mega Beedrill increases Beedrill's base stats from 395 to 495, nearly doubling its speed and decreasing its average Special Attack to improve its Attack from 90 to 150.

It can survive a couple of hits, but it's not exactly bulky, and without its Mega Stone, its offensive capabilities simply aren't enough to make it worth adding to a competitive party.

4 Ledian (Base Stat Total: 390)

Ledian is a ladybug that most players forget even exists. There's a good reason for that. It has really high Special Defense and Speed, and that's about it. This rather bizarre combination of high stats makes Ledian extremely difficult for most players to use. Its attacking stats are absolutely terrible.

Ledian's Bug/Flying typing gives it a lot of weaknesses. Its only good Ability is Iron Fist, which boosts the power of punching moves by 20 percent. It learns a lot of status and support moves, so very experienced players could maybe use it as a supportive Pokemon, but that will be the extent of its services.

3 Dustox (Base Stat Total: 385)

Though this moth tries to serve as a counterpart to Beautifly, it proves itself worse by having fewer stat points. Many players find it actually kind of astounding how bad Dustox is.

Its individual stats are atrocious. It has a low attacking stat as it tries to be more defensive but even fails at that. The Bug/Poison typing does give it some nice resistance. However, because it's so slow, it'll be taking more hits than it deals. Shield Dust and Compound Eyes are both good Abilities, but Dustox learns basically nothing that Compound Eyes can take advantage of, making players wonder why it even has it to begin with, and Shield Dust is only useful some of the time.

2 Kricketune (Base Stat Total: 384)

Oddly enough, Kricketune has higher attack and HP stats than Raticate from before. As indicated by the lower base stat total, though, it falls incredibly short in terms of speed and defenses.

Kricketune's pure Bug typing is both a good and a bad thing, as the lack of dual typing means it has fewer weaknesses, but that also means it has one less STAB type. Kricketune does have access to a solid Ability in Technician, which increases the strength of moves that have 60 base power or less by 50 percent, so that's something. Otherwise, expect this Pokemon to faint on the same turn it enters battle: a shame, considering the cricket's cult following surrounding its battle cry.

1 Shedinja (Base Stat Total: 236)

Shedinja is one of the most interesting Pokemon in the game, though not entirely in good ways. It is a purely gimmick Pokemon much like Wobbuffet. Shedinja is the epitome of easy-to-understand, hard-to-master. Shedinja only ever has 1 HP, meaning it dies after one hit no matter what. It also cannot take any damage from status effects, entry hazards, or weather effects, as that will also KO it. Additionally, due to its unique Bug/Ghost typing, it's weak to Flying, Ghost, Rock, Fire, and Dark moves. Its Ability, Wonder Guard, tries to circumvent this, as it makes Shedinja completely immune to any move that does not deal super-effective damage.

So, using Shedinja is more about knowledge and experience than anything else, as having a good feel for what moves Pokemon generally learn and will use makes using Shedinja a lot easier. Players can give it the item Focus Sash to always give Shedinja an extra hit, as that item prevents Pokemon from being KOed at full HP. The bottom line is, Shedinja can be a great Pokemon for a guaranteed win, but only if the player sends it in at the absolute best time.

MORE: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Best Features From Arceus It Should've Kept