Many people regard the third generation of Pokémon as the turning point of the franchise. Because it was set to end after the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Game Freak had to come up with a lot of new ideas to keep the series going. That’s how we ended up with the Hoenn Region and Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.

While the Pokémon were, for the most part, quite original, there was a lot of criticism over many of the designs. Some thought that Game Freak was losing their touch and others said that the franchise was running out of steam. That being said, the games were massively successful and paved the way for Pokémon Emerald to follow soon after.

Now that we’re in the seventh generation of Pokémon, we can look back and see how purely underrated gen 3 was. Sure, it had its useless Pokémon like Luvdisc, but it also had some triumphant moments and featured a great lineup of starters as well. Even the Legendary Pokémon were all well-implemented and designed.

If you’re looking to create a Pokémon team and want to use some Gen 3 Pokémon, there are definitely some you should steer clear of as well as some powerful ones that are criminally underrated.

20 Dusclops You Want To Pick Me? (DON'T)

There aren’t a lot of Ghost Pokémon in Gen 3, but Duskull and Dusclops were easily the most popular. It wasn’t hard to see why; the defensive stats of Dusclops combined with his tendency to cause status ailments was extremely useful in battle. He was the go-to Ghost Pokémon in the metagame at the time.

However, as time went on, Dusclops is no longer as viable as he used to be. In Gen IV, he was given an evolution in the form of Dusknoir, but it's actually worse than Dusclops. Furthermore, other Ghost Pokémon have been created that are much more useful in battle (like the nearly broken Mega Gengar). This was definitely one of the worst generations for all you ghost lovers out there.

19 Hey, Armaldo! (DO)

When it comes to the fossil Pokémon of Gen 3, there isn’t much to write home about, at least not at first glance. Cradily is the lesser of the two for reasons already mentioned and Armaldo, while not fantastic, has some potential in terms of combat. He boasts a Bug and Rock typing as opposed to Grass and Rock, making him a bit more difficult to damage.

However, where Armaldo really shines is his raw Attack stat. With the proper amount of STAB moves, Armaldo can function well in the late game when your opponent is on the defensive. His speed isn’t fantastic, but his regular Defense isn’t anything to sneeze at. Overall, Armaldo could be used to great effect if the right person had one.

18 It's Just Claydol (DON'T)

Claydol is the famous Psychic-type from Gen 3, but it’s not particularly memorable. It and Baltoy are interesting on paper but, in actual battle, they leave a lot to be desired. Being Psychic and Ground, Claydol has more weaknesses across the board that make it an easy target on the battlefield.

There’s only one reason that you’d ever want to use Claydol, and that’s because it can use both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin in combat. However, that’s about as far as the usefulness of this Pokémon goes. Its weakness to Water and Grass-types make it a severe target for OHKO moves, and there are much better Psychic Pokémon that could fit in its place. Some of them are from the very same generation as well.

17 Feeling Pretty Flygon (DO)

There is more than one massive Dragon Pokémon introduced in Gen 3. Unfortunately, one of them would be praised and the other would be left in the dust. Salamence, for his insane potential in battle, clearly got all of the attention while everyone forgot about Flygon. However, another look at this Dragon and Ground-type, and you’ll see that there’s more to this creature than meets the eye.

In its own class, Flygon is one of the best Pokémon to use. While its stats don’t compare to other, more impressive Dragon-types, it’s no pushover. With the Levitate ability, Flygon won’t be targeted by any Ground-type attacks, meaning that it’s a fantastic support Pokémon if you’re using moves like Earthquake, Magnitude, or Sandstorm. Flygon can also deal some heavy blows itself.

16 Masquerain, Every Face A Different Shape (DON'T)

There’s a certain niche involving Bug-type Pokémon. Despite how easy they are to come by, they can actually be fairly dangerous if trained properly. The one exception to this rule is Masquerain. Despite having a unique Bug and Water typing (canceling out its weakness to Fire), Masquerain doesn’t have enough power or stats behind it to make it viable.

Every potential strength that Masquerain has is immediately done better by another Bug Pokémon. You could argue that its tendency to use Water-type moves would make it more useful, but it doesn’t do enough damage. If you see one of these thrown out during a real battle, then you’ll have absolutely nothing to worry about. It will go down in just a few blows.

15 Manectric, I Feel Like A Woman (DO)

When Manectric was first introduced, there wasn’t much to him. He was decent in the early game, but once anyone tried to use him late-game or in competitive matches, he just didn’t make the cut. However, that all changed when Mega Evolutions were introduced in Gen VI. Manectric was given one and his potential in battle improved exponentially.

Nowadays, Manectric is one of the best offensive attackers in the entire metagame, with stellar Speed and Special Attack that can outperform just about any other Pokémon on the battlefield. His Intimidate ability further lowers your opponent’s Attack, making them ripe for the taking. The only problem is that Manectric is a bit of a glass cannon, not being able to take a hit very well.

14 Maybe She's Beautifly/Dustox... (DON'T)

When you arrive in the Hoenn Region, you’ll encounter a little Pokémon called Wurmple. What’s special about this little guy is that he can evolve into two different Pokémon: Beautifly or Dustox. However, options don’t translate well in combat, and these two Bug-types have a lot to improve on before they can be used in battle.

Beautifly is the better of the two, but it doesn’t offer anything that other Bug-types offer. As a matter of fact, similar Pokémon use Beautifly’s moves better than it does. Then there’s the case of Dustox. Not only does it have a poor moveset, but its stats guarantee that it will be taken out by anything that merely sneezes at it. At the end of the day, Wurmple is not a Pokémon you’ll want if you’re just battling.

13 Always Trust A Ludicolo (DO)

Ludicolo is one of the weirder Pokémon to come from Gen 3, which motivated a lot of people to stay away from it. However, that would be a disservice to Ludicolo, as it isn’t a bad Pokémon to use in combat, having access to a useful ability and a useful typing to shake up a match.

Where Ludicolo really shines is one of its abilities: Swift Swim. It seriously increases its Speed during the Rain, meaning that it can function really well if your team plays with Rain Dance a lot. Its combination of Grass and Water typing means that it has a sizable resistance to the Water-type as well as having access to moves that can seriously harm your opponents.

12 We're Plusle/Minun On This One (DON'T)

There are numerous powerful Electric Pokémon that are often seen on the battlefield, like Raichu, Zebstrika, and Eelektross. It comes as no surprise then, that the duo of Plusle and Minun don’t hold a candle to these titans. If there’s one thing we can say about them, it’s that they’re a creative take on the Pikachu clone trope that’s present with each generation.

Plusle is clearly the weakest of the two, with no defining stats or moves that make it rise above its competition. Minun is slightly better, having better stats and moves, but ultimately falls short. Even when the two of them are paired up for deadlier attacks, they can’t compare to the stronger Electric types.

11 I'm Feeling A Bit Sceptile (DO)

Of the starters used in the metagame, Sceptile isn’t talked about a whole lot. That’s because he gets thrown by the wayside in favor of Venusaur, Charizard, or Blaziken. When first introduced, though, it makes a lot of sense. Sceptile had fairly decent stats, but without a great ability or a useful move pool, it wasn’t doing much in battles.

When it got a Mega Evolution to coincide with the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Sceptile became a whole lot better. Gaining the Dragon-type, immunity to Electric attacks, and a much-needed stat boost in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Sceptile is much more viable to use. However, if a cocky Ice-type gets thrown on the field, Sceptile doesn’t stand a chance.

10 A Roselia By Any Other Name (DON'T)

Roselia has never been known as a viable battle Pokémon since its introduction. While it has the Grass and Poison typing, giving it access to a myriad of status-changing moves, its lack of defense and speed makes it an easy target for any Flying type with a higher bout of speed (which isn’t difficult for them either).

In Gen IV, Game Freak attempted to make Roselia a bit more palatable thanks to its evolution in the form of Roserade. Unfortunately, Roserade suffers from a lot of the same problems that Roselia does despite its improved stats. It ends up being knocked out by any top-tier hitters with a higher speed stat, which means that it’ll be taken out before it gets a chance to fight.

9 Grumpig And Ready To Go (DO)

In terms of Pokémon that look cool, Grumpig is definitely not on the top of that list. When trainers first encountered Spoink, they were enamored with cuteness. Unfortunately, their love turned into hate once they evolved it into the bulky Grumpig. Yet, this Psychic pig Pokémon is actually quite good on the battlefield, but no one would know that because it's often avoided.

To be fair, Grumpig won't be making the uber tier in the metagame anytime soon, but there is a lot of potential to it. The big thing to note is that Grumpig is quite beefy and has the capability to take a lot of hits before going down. Couple that with a massive movepool, and Grumpig can be formatted for whatever situation is necessary.

8 Leave This One On Regice (DON'T)

When someone throws out a Legendary Pokémon, it’s typically worth being afraid of. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with the ice golem, Regice. Being one of three Legendary Pokemon who aren’t very viable competitively from Gen 3, Regice will likely be forgotten as time goes on.

What makes it so impractical is solely its typing. Having a solid Ice type, Regice opens itself to a lot of weaknesses from many more common types. This wouldn’t be so bad if its Speed and Defense weren’t so low but, alas, Regice will be taken out with ease. Furthermore, its Attack stat doesn’t give it the boost it needs to take out opponents in one hit. It’ll likely be knocked out before it can do anything.

7 I Have A Good Feeling Aggron This One (DO)

The line of Aron, Lairon, and Aggron were cool when they were introduced, but they weren't a popular pick when Ruby and Sapphire first came out. The double weakness to Fighting-type moves (thanks to its Rock and Steel-type) was a huge crutch, though. In the metagame, Aggron just couldn't keep up.

Then it was given a Mega Evolution in Gen VI. Mega Aggron has one of the highest Defense stats in the entire game and ditches the Rock typing to be pure Steel. Couple that with its Filter ability that reduces damage taken from super effective attacks and Aggron is now a powerful Pokémon that is now viable in the metagame.

6 Exploud This! (DON'T)

Typically, when you capture a Pokémon that has to evolve twice, you expect some sort of excellent result in the end. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Exploud. Despite having to deal with leveling up both the Normal types, Whismur and Loudred, the payoff with the final evolution isn’t big enough to justify having it on your team.

Exploud is capable of learning some useful attacks, but its stats simply don’t support its movepool. Its speed is particularly abysmal, meaning that everyone else in battle is going to go before it. Its defense could also be better, as it stands to be hammered by your opponent’s team. Granted, Normal types are only weak to Fighting, but if there’s a strong enough STAB attacker, Exploud doesn’t stand a chance.

5 The Banette Of Your Opponent's Existence (DO)

When it comes to Ghost Pokémon, Banette is one of the most well-designed. Taking the appearance of a haunted marionette doll, there's a lot of creep factor to his look. Despite a sizable Attack stat, Banette didn't have good enough stats to make it useful in combat. Thankfully, it received a much needed Mega Evolution with Gen VI that changed the game.

Not only does Mega Banette have one of the highest Attack stats in the current metagame, but its ability, Prankster, immediately gives priority to moves that don't damage. By loading Banette with attacks like Will-O-Wisp and Destiny Bond, it is bound to deal out a few significant hits before it's taken out.

4 I'm A Bit Delcatty About This One (DON'T)

Cat Pokémon are often some of the cutest creations in the franchise (minus Purugly) and Delcatty may just be the most adorable. Yet, its cuteness is not backed up by a threatening presence on the battlefield, as its weak movepool and downright awful stats make it one of the worst options available from Gen 3.

None of its stats go past the 70 range, and that’s a crime in and of itself. It does have the Cute Charm ability to cause other Pokémon of the opposite gender to fall in love with it, but there’s no way to punish those that are affected. Anything it can do is done better by other Pokémon, and there are certainly better Normal types you can use.

3 Wailord You Pick Me? (DO)

If there's one thing that Wailord was known for in Ruby and Sapphire, it was being an HM slave. Because Waterfall, Surf, and Dive were all required moves to explore the world of Hoenn, Wailord was the immediate go-to for traveling. The sad part about this is that this massive Pokémon has a decent amount of potential in battle.

The biggest thing to note about Wailord is its insane HP stat. With the right placement, Pokémon will keep attacking it only to leave them open for another member of your team to take them out. It's possible to make your enemy's PP run out through Wailord's sheer HP alone.

2 You'd Be Cradily To Choose This (DON'T)

Cradily is one of the two fossil Pokémon introduced in Gen 3. Going along with its ancient beginnings is the fact that it’s a sentient plant. These factors combined give it a Grass and Rock-type, which is arguably a bit annoying to deal with if you’re fighting against a player who doesn’t know the game well. Cradily also has a respectable Special Defense stat that can make it last a bit longer on the battlefield.

Where Cradily really falls short, though, is in its awful speed and weaknesses. Having both Grass and Rock typing makes it extremely vulnerable to many different types. Furthermore, all it would take is one STAB physical attack to make sure that it would never get up again.

1 Huntail, Give Us A Chance! (DO)

Huntail and Gorebyss aren't on this list solely for its understated potential in battle, but also for its long-term popularity among the fanbase. Of all the Hoenn Pokémon that have been forgotten, Huntail and Gorebyss are some of the least-deserving.

Like many other Pokémon on this list, they won't be making any waves on the battlefield. However, they have respectable Attack stats that allow them to at least deal a fair amount of damage when given the opportunity. Furthermore, they have some unique moves that work in tandem with each other to maximize their benefits. Unfortunately, Huntail and Gorebyss will likely go down as some of the most underrated Pokémon in history.