The fifth generation of Pokémon was definitely unique and probably the most underrated overall. The story of Black & White and Black 2 & White 2 were deeper compared to the predecessors, the characters were fleshed out and memorable, and Unova was completely out of this world! It was a shame that we had to wait months after Japan got it, but it was definitely worth the wait since games after Black 2 & White 2 were released worldwide.

When it comes to the Pokémon that represented the fifth generation, many of them were amazing and had some interesting designs. Yes, Garbodor is a better designed Pokémon than Muk, but that is the only thing it has going for. It is also mindboggling that Munna was pretty much conceived before it made its debut in the fifth generation! There are also some Pokémon that managed to be great battlers in the competitive scene. Although, there are some that should not be picked due to their effectiveness in battle, counters, or anything else in particular.

While this is not a must do, this is a list of Pokémon that should not be on your team for competitive play (but if they are your favorite, then more power to you), and Pokémon that are really underappreciated, but can be a surprising addition that will benefit you. It can range from their typing, abilities, or even move pool.

Here are ten fifth generation Pokémon that nobody should pick and ten that are underrated!

20 Not That Great For Being A Dragon (DON'T)

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Aesthetically, Druddigon captures the look of a dragon. When it comes to competitive battling, it is probably the last one you should have in mind whenever you set up your team. Why is that you may ask? The answer is rather simple, and that is the fact that there are better Dragon-type Pokémon out there like Hydreigon, to name an example. Even though its attack is very good and its defenses are rather decent, its speed affects this Pokémon’s chances of being able to attack first, since having better speed can eventually help you in the long run. There is really no chance for this poor dragon to attack first unless you put a Quick Claw on it, but it is best just to skip this Pokémon.

19 Interesting Choice (DO)

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Scolipede is a cool Pokémon that can definitely meet your expectations while also having a unique typing combination. It can get Speed Boost as one of its abilities, and it is definitely one of the best, if not broken abilities for your Pokémon to have. Its move pool is also fantastic, being able to learn Megahorn as well as Poison Jab, which can have a chance to poison your opponent’s Pokémon. It is also very fast, making it a great asset to your team when it comes to having a Pokémon that can move first. Scolipede is also a well-designed Bug and Poison-type Pokémon. Give it its STAB moves and maybe some Carbos, and this awesome Pokémon will certainly serve you well on the battlefield.

18 Fails To Deliver (DON'T)

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Now, this one is difficult to put Escavalier on the don’t list, but unfortunately, it under performs in battle compared to other Bug or Steel-type Pokémon. There are some positives, like its amazing attack, defense, and special defense stats. Like with Druddigon, its speed is very underwhelming. You would have to strategize very carefully, especially if your opponent ends up having a Fire-type Pokémon that can hit hard against Pokémon like Escavalier. Since Fire-types are common, Escavalier would be a wasted slot. It may have an amazing design and can only evolve from a Shelmet due to the interesting trading mechanic with another Pokémon, those are the only other things that make this Pokémon look cool. Do not let this knight in shining armor be on your team.

17 Speedy And Reliable (DO)

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That Pokémon you need to trade with in order to get Escavalier? It would be Accelgor, who excels in battle compared to its trading counterpart. Unlike Escavalier, Accelgor is very, very fast. Its special attack is also amazing, helping get rid of special walls while most likely being able to attack first. If its ability happens to be Hydration, then it gives Accelgor a status cure whenever a Rain Dance occurs! That way, if your Accelgor happens to get paralyzed, then its ability will remove the status condition and help get back on its tracks! Not to mention, the fact that its design is pretty much based on an auto racer, or perhaps a ninja definitely backs up its amazing speed. Watch and be amazed at Accelgor’s performance in battle!

16 Use A Fire-Type Move On It Please (DON'T)

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Durant is a very strange Pokémon. It is based off an ant, which is typical knowing that most Pokémon are based on real-life insects or animals. For battling though, this Pokémon is not really interesting. In fact, it is more bad than good. First off, it can have the ability Truant. This is regarded as one of the worst abilities a Pokémon can have. Do you want a Pokémon that attacks every other turn? Its other abilities are Hustle and Swarm, which are also unfortunate choices for this ant Pokémon. Its rival Heatmor can easily use its STAB Fire-type move on it and Durant would faint due to its four times weakness. Just grab another Steel and Bug-type like Scizor instead, since it performs a lot better than Durant.

15 Incredibly Underrated (DO)

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When you look at it, Leavanny seems like a strange choice, but it does get the job done in battling. Its typing of Grass and Bug can be dangerous when it is up against a Fire or Flying-type Pokémon, but it can hit pretty well to the types it has an advantage over. If it has the ability Chlorophyll, then its speed will double, making it incredibly fast and help it go first in battle. Other than its speed and attack stats, Leavanny’s other stats are pretty balanced, so it is a nice Pokémon to have on your team. Even though you have to evolve Swadloon with friendship to turn into Leavanny, it would certainly be worth the time and effort since this unique Pokémon may as well surprise you.

14 Nothing But A Healer (DON'T)

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There is a lot to be said about Alomomola. Firstly, why is it not an evolution to the third generation’s Luvdisc? It looks so similar that when this Pokémon was leaked, a lot of people believed it was Luvdisc’s evolution, but they were unfortunately wrong. Also, this Water-type Pokémon is just not that good for battling. Its main purpose is to mostly be a healer, and it is good for some Pokémon like Manaphy or Vaporeon, but Alomomola does not pack a punch if it were to have to fight. Other than its massive HP stat, its other stats are just plain awful. Like I said, this Pokémon exists to act as a healer. It would need to have better bulk other than its HP stat to make it even viable for your team, so it is recommended to skip this Pokémon.

13 Cute Yet Strong (DO)

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You are probably scratching your heads in confusion. You are seeing this right, Cinccino is actually a great Pokémon. Not the best, but for what it can do, it can do very well. Its hidden ability Skill Link can make it the cutest threat you have ever seen on the battlefield. Skill Link helps make moves that hit more than once more likely to go up to five times! With its decent attack stat, you will be begging for it to stopping attacking when coming across it. Give it the move Tail Slap and you will be amazed at what this Pokémon can do. Normal-type Pokémon are always outclassed in battling since it does not have an advantage for super effective moves, but give this cute Pokémon a shot and watch colors fly!

12 Nothing New Here (DON'T)

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Wow, an extraterrestrial Pokémon that made its way to Earth? We have already seen this before with Deoxys from the third generation, as well as others like Clefairy and Kyurem. Then again, this Pokémon is based on the Area 51 alien conspiracies. While this Pokémon has some interesting lore, it is not the best Psychic-type to go with. It may boast a nice special attack stat and decent special defense, but the rest of its stats are rather underwhelming. Analytic might help power its moves due to its low speed stat, other Pokémon perform better with that ability such as Magnezone and Porygon-Z. For fifth generation Psychic-types, there is a better one on this list that can provide more than this bizarre and questionable Pokémon.

11 Cool Shaolin (DO)

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When it comes to the Fighting-type Pokémon in the fifth generation, there were a lot of great ones. Mienshao is definitely one of them and would be a great Pokémon to add to your team. Its stats have a very cool distribution with its attack stat being insanely high, its special attack and speed being decent, and even though its defenses are a bit lacking, Meinshao is sort of like a glass cannon. Its abilities are also fantastic with either getting Inner Focus or Regenerator, the latter being great in order to recover some HP when it comes out into battle. With its amazing speed, you can give it a Choice Scarf to greatly increase it further and let it learn U-Turn if it is at a disadvantage against your opponent’s Pokémon. This Shaolin inspired Pokémon definitely has its potential.

10 Nothing But A Stall (DON'T)

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Audino is a strange case. It is an adorable Pokémon and is the only fifth generation Pokémon to get a Mega Evolution, but it is definitely not recommended to put on your team. Like Alomomola, it can only serve well as a healer. Other than its HP stat, the rest really lack in anything particular. If you were to use it in a competitive team and it happened to have the ability Klutz, then the item it holds will have no effect whatsoever. It is overall useless in battle and will leave you disappointed. Do not bother bringing this Pokémon on your team at all costs. But hey, at least when you encounter Audino in the wild, you will get a lot of experience points out of it.

9 Amazing Ability (DO)

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There is no other way to say it, but Bisharp is an incredibly awesome Pokémon. Not only does it have a great design, it can definitely do well in battling. Its attack stat is its best one, and it is also physically bulky. Its other stats are pretty balanced at best, which helps it become not too overpowered. What else makes this incredible Pokémon valuable in battle? The answer is easy: its ability Defiant. Every time one of its stats is reduced, its attack stat goes up two stages. Even if you lower its attack, it will get its attack stat boosted either way. If that convinces you to have Bisharp on your team, then you are certainly welcome! Watch this Pokémon battle and let it blow your mind.

8 Does Not Swoon Us (DON'T)

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This bat is definitely not doing you any favors. Swoobat is the fifth generation’s version of Golbat, and like both of their pre-evolutions, they are very annoying to encounter in the wild. Its speed is the only good stat it has going for it and while that is great, it does not hit hard unless it relies heavily on stat boosts. Do not get me started on one of its abilities Klutz. Simple or Unaware might be better choices, but its stats and move pool do not help this psychic bat. At least it can emit sound waves so strong it can destroy rocks? Sadly, most Psychic-types in this generation were inferior, but the next entry on this list helps make Psychic-type Pokémon strong and proud.

7 Quite Dangerous (DO)

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Gothitelle is a Pokémon that made the Psychic-type proud (a quick honorable mention to Reuniclus). Gothitelle makes it on the list due to how underrated it is compared to its Psychic counterpart. As of the seventh generation, Gothitelle is not used that much, but regardless, it is still very useful. Its ability Shadow Tag is terrifying. Wobbuffet also had this ability too, but Gothitelle has more options regarding its move pool compared to the second generation Pokémon. With its incredible bulk in both defense and special defense, it can take some hits pretty well. It may get outclassed by other Psychic-type Pokémon now, but this Gothic Lolita inspired Pokémon can leave your opponent’s shaking in their boots knowing they cannot switch out, especially if they happen to be at a type disadvantage.

6 Weak Snowflake (DON'T)

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Well, this Pokémon is certainly a special snowflake. Ice-types are usually cursed when it comes to competitive battling. Some can make it work like Mamoswine and Kyurem-Black. However, Cryogonal fails to deliver in battle. It does have Levitate, giving it an immunity to Ground-type moves. But it still has weaknesses to common types like Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel, so it has a lot of counters to deal with in battle. It is a fantastic special wall, but its defense is criminally low. A Close Combat, Flare Blitz, Iron Head, or Stone Edge can definitely take it out without any effort. Like a normal snowflake, Cryogonal is pretty by design, but very fragile when touched physically. There are better choices than this Pokémon to have on your team.

5 Unique Typing (DO)

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This chandelier inspired Pokémon is the perfect definition of a special wall breaker. Chandelure has a huge special attack stat, while its other stats like special defense, defense, and speed are average. Its HP is rather low as well as its attack, but the latter is definitely not needed since it is so much better as a special attacker. Flame Body or Flash Fire are great abilities that can be used for this Pokémon. The former can make its opponent burn from contact, while the latter is immune to Fire-type moves and when it gets hit by them, its own Fire-type moves get more powerful. Not to mention, its typing is incredibly unique, being the only one to possess a Fire and Ghost-typing. If you lack any of those types, then go ahead and snag this awesome looking Pokémon!

4 Just... Please Don't (DON'T)

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In the words of Nintendo YouTuber TheJWittz, “Hands down, ugliest Pokémon!” He is certainly correct on that part, but what is also known about Stunfisk is that it is pretty bad in battle. Its typing is rather weird, since it is weak to its own typing, Ground, as well as being weak to Water, Grass, and Ice-types. One of its abilities, Limber, is also counterproductive. Even though Electric-types were able to get paralyzed in the fifth generation, starting in the sixth generation, Electric-types are no longer affected by paralysis. Also to point out, it is so slow that it is pretty laughable. Is anyone even a fan of this Pokémon? If you manage to overlook the appearance and lack of reliability in battle, then that is a big shock.

3 Blossoming Fighter (DO)

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Not only is Lilligant a very beautiful Pokémon, but its usefulness in battle is outstanding. There are many ways to use Lilligant that will leave you breathless. You can use it revolving around its ability Own Tempo, which prevents it from getting confused. Because of that, Petal Dance is a must for its move pool. Give it Quiver Dance and it will blow its opponents away. There is also another that can be used based on its other ability Chlorophyll. Bring along a Pokémon with either Drought like Ninetales or have Sunny Day and Lilligant can sweep thanks to its speed being doubled. It may not be the most popular Grass-type to go for. But for the potential it has, Lilligant is definitely a hidden gem.

2 Inferior Fire-Fighting Type (DON'T)

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They say the third time is the charm, but for Emboar, it is not the case. Its design looks ferocious and its shiny is absolutely awesome, but that is all Emboar has going for it. First off, who asked for a third Fire and Fighting starter? Pretty much no one. Second, the other two Fire and Fighting starters are much better in battle compared to this pig. Is Emboar a bad Pokémon? Obviously not, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Its ability Reckless is incredibly risky. It powers recoil moves by twenty percent, but depending on how hard it hits, its HP can go down very fast. Not to mention, it is a pretty slow Pokémon. It could get hit by a move and if it uses Flare Blitz and knocks out its opponent, then it is likely to go down too.

1 Great Hidden Potential (DO)

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Yes, Serperior is actually the superior starter in Unova. Well, if you happen to have the ability Contrary on it. That ability is pretty much the reverse of stat reducing or boosting moves. For example, if Serperior uses Leaf Storm, its Special Attack goes up to two stages instead of going down! This tall snake not only becomes a bigger threat with that move but with its already great speed, you will be having a blast with this Grass-type Pokémon at your side with an ability that can be beneficial for powerful moves. Just make sure you do not give it moves like Calm Mind. It will lower its special attack and special defense instead. Other than that, have fun with this regal looking snake!