Spanning cards, games, movies, comics, and other miscellaneous forms of media, Pokémon is a cross-platform powerhouse that’s made an indelible impact upon pop culture. Hundreds of Pokémon have been released over the decades, and it was quite a challenge quantifying the value of each one. Nonetheless, here are the best of the Pokédex, our top 100 Pokémon.
Every generation of Pokémon has some Pikachu clone trying to emulate its profound cuteness, but none of them have gone on to win the World’s Championship like this little riveting rodent. Pachirisu was used in a surprising strategy that allowed Se Jun Park, a professional player from Korea, seal the deal and win the Masters division of 2014. It just goes to show that in the right hands any Pokémon can be a valuable teammate.
The cuddliest Pokémon you ever saw, Altaria is as soft as a pillow to Trainers it’s comfortable with. A Dragon Pokémon with wings made of clouds, it seems like this monster would be the coziest companion to have around. Its Mega Evolution is the only Dragon type immune to other dragon attacks, which makes it a powerful ally in battles against powerful Pokémon like Dragonite.
Magnemite’s final evolution may seem fairly silly with its giant center eye but it’s the perfect bait to trap other Steel types. Magnezone’s ability Magnet Pull makes Steel Pokémon unable to switch out trapping them while its partner deals out damage. It also helps that the unique typing of Electric/Steel gives Magnezone 11 different resistances.
If every school needs a delinquent then Pangoro is definitely late for class. This Pokémon has more in common with an anime anti-hero than a pocket monster with moves consisting of punches and taunts. This tough exterior means it won’t put up with bullying but it’s violent temperament means that saving the victim could get messy.
Role-playing games typically have a treasure mimic that pretends to be an item until the player springs the trap. The Voltorb evolution line duped plenty of players into thinking they were picking up an item rather than an angry orb much to their chagrin. It was a mean trick for Game Freak to pull, but this classic bait-and-switch was one of the first ways that Pokémon felt alive. Electrode has gone on to bring its explosive personality to other games, helping players in Pokémon Snap, Pokkén Tournament and even Super Smash Bros.
Trading has been a giant component of Pokémon since its inception. Many monsters require special conditions to evolve during trading with Escavalier’s being the most specific. A Karrablast must be traded for a Shelmet in order to get this Bug/Steel hybrid. During…