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The best things come in pairs, and that's quite true with Pokemon; they usually release two versions of the same game, after all. The same thing applies with the Pokemon themselves, specifically Legendaries.
Many Legendary and Mythical Pokemon are tied to the hip with another, and it would be interesting to look at how certain Legendary pairs stack up with the others. Are they of equal power and viability? How different are they in terms of what roles they play competitively?
This list will include pairs that may either (1) include Mythical Pokemon or (2) be more commonly seen as part of a bigger collective like a trio. This list will not include Ultra Beasts.
Updated December 19, 2022 by Kyle Laurel: Generation Nine is here with a bunch of new 'mons! As is standard with a newly released pair of mainline games, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have introduced a brand new duo of box-art Legendaries to stack against the previous crop. The list has been updated with a new entry for Koraidon and Miraidon, so stick around to see how they fare against old favorites like Dialga and Palkia and Ho-oh and Lugia.
15 Phione & Manaphy
To a lot of Pokemon fans, this duo shouldn't even exist. Phione is considered by many to be one of the most unnecessary Pokemon ever, basically being a worse carbon copy of Manaphy. There are also disputes on whether or not Phione is even a Mythical.
Manaphy is a strong Pokemon, being one of the generational 600-base stat pixie Mythicals, and it even got some time back in the competitive spotlight after an initial absence from Pokemon Sword and Shield. But pairing it with basically a much worse version of itself doesn't bode well when compared to other Legendary and Mythical pairs.
14 Regidrago & Regieleki
Generation Eight's new additions to the Regi family are known competitively for being statistical marvels. Regidrago has 200 HP, which ranks among the very highest, while Regieleki is the fastest Pokemon alive at 200 Speed. Alongside that, both have good offensive stats at 100 in each attacking stat.
Granted, only Regieleki has really gotten significant competitive usage from its unique statistical makeup; a guaranteed first move can give you a huge advantage. Meanwhile, having high HP is moot when you have bad defensive stats, which Regidrago has to the tune of just 50 each in Defense and Special Defense.
13 Latias & Latios
While they're the worst pair here to be officially recognized as a duo, Latias and Latios are still strong, competitively viable Pokemon when compared to the meta at large. The Eon duo, as they've been called, have been a constant presence in higher competitive tiers since their debuts in Generation Three.
Generally, both boast great special stats and Speed, with Latias leaning into the Special Defense side and Latios on the Special Attack side. Both also boast even more powerful Mega Evolutions, legal for use in Generation Six and Seven competitive metas.
12 Cresselia & Darkrai
Generation Four's Lunar duo shows two sides of a coin when looking at competitive viability.
Cresselia has had a disappointing run in the competitive scene for a Pokemon of Legendary status. It's never been a truly elite Pokemon despite its high base stat total, usually finding itself on the competitive margins as a good defensive option.
Darkrai, meanwhile, has overtaken most Mythicals to the point of being banned from most competitive formats. It outperforms its typically-legal 600 base stat total with the help of its signature move Dark Void and Bad Dreams ability; this was especially true prior to a drastic Generation Seven nerf to Dark Void's accuracy.
11 Tornadus & Thundurus
While there are officially four Forces of Nature, Tornadus and Thundurus are very often paired with each other, with the Ground-type Landorus being the mediator between the two and Fairy-type Enamorus being introduced much later. In fact, their lore usually pits them against each other, with both of them having designs inspired by Fujin and Raijin, two Japanese deities associated with one another.
In terms of competitive viability, neither has been banned from regular competitive play, but both have generated strong traction in their Therian formes as excellent Flying-type options with high Special Attack and Speed stats.
10 Glastrier & Spectrier
Calyrex's two steeds are mighty fine competitive Pokemon on their own. Spectrier in particular, has been banned from most competitive formats, thanks mainly to its blazing Speed and explosive Special Attack being too much to handle for the regular competitive meta.
Glastrier is more difficult to use due to its low Speed and pure Ice-typing, but it still has the Attack stat to pack a huge punch and the defensive stats to make up for its slowness. In fact, it's so slow that it works excellently on Trick Room teams, with its 30 Speed making it blazing fast in that environment.
9 Mewtwo & Mew
These two had joint ownership of Pokemon's early throne, being the strongest Pokemon and the only Pokemon to be banned in Generation One. The stronger of the two, Mewtwo, is still banned from regular competitive play thanks to its huge base stat total (680) and remains an offensively overpowered Psychic-type.
Mew, whose base stat total of 600 is merely great but not overpowered, has since still appeared in elite competitive Singles battles. While it doesn't boast the attacking power of Mewtwo, it offers extreme versatility, having 100 across-the-board stats and access to almost every move in the game.
8 Solgaleo & Lunala
Solgaleo and Lunala aren't even really the best of their kind viability-wise, mainly because Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma already do their job better. Still, in a vacuum, both make for great wall breakers, boasting 137 in either attacking stat alongside solid defensive stats, tons of HP, and reliably powerful signature moves (Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam).
However, moon mascot Lunala gets the edge over Sun mascot Solgaleo in several areas. For one, it has a better offensive typing in Psychic/Ghost, and Shadow Shield is a more useful ability than Full Metal Body.
7 Reshiram & Zekrom
Generation Five's mascots are a similar case to Generation Seven's: Reshiram and Zekrom are excellent, but Kyurem has alternate forms that do their jobs better in the competitive space.
Still, the Black and White mascots pack a lot of power. Also similarly to Solgaleo and Lunala, they specialize in one side of each of the physical-special split, with Reshiram being a special expert and Zekrom a physical one. Both are more or less equal in viability, though for different reasons, as they each carry an elite offensive type alongside the Dragon-type.
6 Koraidon & Miraidon
Generation Nine's box-art Legendaries actually have lower base stat totals than others, boasting 670 each instead of the standard 680. Despite that, both Koraidon and Miraidon prove to be more viable because of better stat distribution, excellent abilities, and solid typing.
Both pack fantastic Speed, very good defenses, and specialize in one attack category, with Koraidon having significantly better Attack and Miraidon Special Attack. Their abilities of Orichalcum Pulse and Hadron Engine, respectively, further boost their respective stats in addition to the field effect. Their signature moves of Collision Course and Electro Drift, respectively, are also great for punishing favorable matchups.
5 Dialga & Palkia
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The "almighty Sinnoh," as they're now called, got new formes in Legends: Arceus. While they can be a bit funky design-wise if you've been used to their original formes for more than a decade, they improve Dialga's and Palkia's potential competitive standing among other box-art Legendaries, with Dialga getting some extra Special Defense and Palkia getting some much-needed Speed.
Either way, both are offensive bombs, packing very high Special Attack. Palkia, in particular, is an excellent Water/Dragon-type, having access to both Hydro Pump and its choice of Dragon-type move (Spacial Rend or Draco Meteor).
4 Ho-Oh & Lugia
It's quite a bit to have the base stat total of a box-art Legendary, but having good movesets and abilities to go alongside it can make a Pokemon truly intimidating. The Tower duo are the first box-art Legendaries to have that privilege, with Ho-Oh running with Regenerator and Lugia, Multiscale.
Their signature moves are also some of the best in the business, having access to Sacred Fire and Aeroblast, respectively. Put all that together in a package that also includes their high stats, and you have a pair of Pokemon that stand out even among their box-art Legendary peers.
3 Xerneas & Yveltal
Not many Legendaries came out in Generation Six, but the ones that did have reigned supreme among their peers, though it's a bit by happenstance. X mascot Xerneas and Y mascot Yveltal have been hailed as some of the most overpowered and difficult-to-defeat Pokemon since their debuts.
Xerneas has its signature move to thank, with Geomancy arguably being the best set-up move of all time, at least when paired with a Power Herb. The Dark/Flying-type Yveltal just manages to match up well against the many banned Legendaries that happen to be Psychic- or Ghost-type.
2 Kyogre & Groudon
Even though they have weather-setting abilities, Kyogre and Groudon are much more than overqualified weather setters. They've been the premier Water and Ground-type options among box-art Legendaries, and they boast massive offensive and defensive stats to boot, with Kyogre being a special beast and Groudon being a physical one.
That's still without mentioning their vastly powerful Primal Forms, which come with even better stats and enhanced versions of their abilities. Primal Groudon in particular, was a monster, with Desolate Land completely eliminating its fatal weakness to the Water-type.
1 Zacian & Zamazenta
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Not many Pokemon can claim they were so overpowered they could match the fabled Mega Rayquaza in terms of power and competitive viability without the use of a Mega Evolution. Sword mascot Zacian can make that claim, Crowned form or not, standing as the strongest non-Mega Pokemon ever. Its excellent typing, offensive stats, and the Intrepid Sword ability make for a Pokemon nigh-impossible to stop.
Shield mascot Zamazenta isn't as overpowered, but it's still a threat in its own right when in its Crowned form, boasting better on-paper defensive prowess with its Dauntless Shield ability and better defensive stats than Zacian's.