As with any long-running franchise, you tend to have a totally different experience depending on where you hopped in. Have you been around since the very first release? Did the latest game pique your interest instead?

Take Monster Hunter, for instance. What if you’re one of many gamers who have only played this year’s blockbuster Monster Hunter World? You liked it, you were hungry for more, so you snapped up the next release, which was Nintendo Switch’s Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. That’s going to be one heckola of a wake-up call, let me tell you. There’s no hand-holding, spiffy visuals or scoutflies here, friends.

The Pokémon series is another great example. I’m one of those ancient gamers (I’ve just celebrated my thirtieth birthday, and I’m considering dying my hair jet black and buying a Harley Davidson at the very thought of it) who remembers Pokémon as it used to be. Questionable sprites, those infernal slidey ice puzzles, the lack of the physical/special split… It was rough at times, friends, that’s for sure.

Each successive generation of Pokémon has brought its own additions and improvements to what came before. That’s been the goal, anyway. Pokémon Gold and Silver certainly did, bringing all kinds of mechanics that would become series staples. We have Johto to thank for the Steel and Dark types, breeding and much more.

More importantly, though, Johto brought us a great glut of new Pokémon. In this rundown, we’re going to look at some of the most downright questionable (and some of the most underrated) monsters that generation two has to offer.

30 DON’T PICK: The Slightly Shonky Starter

Back in my day, TMs were only single-use, and it was just beyond horrifying. How did we ever live like that? It’s almost as bad as the days before remote controls, when we had to actually get off of our saggy cheeks and change the channel manually, like cavepeople. Shudder.

I’ve been with the series the whole way, is what I’m getting at. My least-liked starter of all times? Meganium. It’s just a super-boring, generic bulky Grass-type. Statistically average across the board, it doesn’t really excel at anything.

29 STRONG: A Much Tastier Starter

Meganium may be all kinds of mediocre in my eyes, but Feraligatr? Feraligatr, you do not mess with. See those fangs? It’s likely to clamp them around your soft parts that don’t appreciate fangs at any moment, because Feraligatr just does not care. It has no bedtime, fears nothing and no-one, and only calls its mama eight times a day.

What really made this Johto starter was its hidden ability, Sheer Force. Combine this with its access to Dragon Dance (and a recoil-less Life Orb), and it only needs a moment to set up and sweep a team.

28 DON’T PICK: Too-Weak-Too-Woo

Yes, that was my attempt at making a pun out of a child’s rendition of the sound an owl makes. Don’t judge me, I’m quite proud of that one.

Hurrying right on, Noctowl is another mediocre Johto ‘mon. We’ve learned not to expect much from Normal/Flying types, and Noctowl gives us absolutely zero reason to rethink that rule of thumb. It’s quite bulky on the special side, and its Special Attack is somewhat usable, but Toxic stalling and Defog support way down in the lower tiers are about the best this thing can offer.

27 STRONG: Volcanic Power

Now, I’ve tried to avoid the obvious power of legendary Pokémon for this one, but I’ve got to make an exception for Entei.

The sad fact is, this thing has always been slept on. Don’t you people know that volcanos erupt whenever it barks?

That sounds like some darn power to me, friends, so why is Entei never invited to the party?

It’s usually overshadowed by the super-similar Arcanine, that’s why. Intimidate is just that good. Entei does edge it out in terms of Attack, though, and it also now has access to the very powerful Sacred Fire.

26 DON’T PICK: Bliss? I Don’t Think So

Long-time competitive Pokémon players will surely remember the dreaded SkarmBliss combo. The concept’s simple. Throw Blissey and Skarmory onto a team together as a defensive core, and watch as they proceed to effortlessly take every dang hit ever, like Arnold Schwarzenegger being pumped full of bullets in the Terminator movies.

Blissey is just one of those Pokémon that are absolutely zero fun, to use or to play against. It’s not that it shouldn’t be used because it’s bad, you understand, it just shouldn’t be used because… it just shouldn’t be used. That goes thrice for its pre-evolved form, Chansey, which is even harder to crack with an Eviolite in hand.

25 STRONG: Representing Powerful Bug-Types Everywhere

Historically, the Bug-type has always been a little… well, let’s say sub-par. Back in Red and Blue, it had very little going for it at all. Not even decent moves. When the best representation you have is a Beedrill using Twin Needle, you’ve really got to rethink every single one of your life decisions to date.

Bug is still totally underrated. Powerhouses are few are far between, but they do exist. Heracross, for instance, is often completely forgotten in favor of its own Mega form, but never mind that. With a simple Choice Scarf Moxie set, you’ll be claiming souls.

24 DON’T PICK: Doom? Don’t Make Me Laugh

Don’t get me wrong here, friends. I can appreciate Houndoom. Its design and concept are one of my favorites from the Johto generation, there’s no doubt about that. The Dark and Fire combination is neat too, and was totally novel at the time.

It’s just… lacking something. There are lots of offensive Pokémon who are frail because they’re offensive, but don’t quite have the power to compensate. They usually fail to take their opponent out, and then get utterly mollywopped when the foe retaliates. Houndoom is a founding member of that club, in my eyes, even as a Mega.

23 STRONG: The Other Half Of The Super-Fun Trio

Ah, yes. Remember the SkarmBliss strategy? Hold on to your pants, because here comes the Skarm.

Like Blissey, Skarmory is a real beast defensively. It’s usually built physically defensively, and has an excellent typing for doing so.

A top tier physical wall, Skarmory is a huge nuisance.

Outside of those duties, it can both remove hazards with Defog and set its own, making for an excellent utility Pokémon.

Some brave souls even run an offensive Skarmory, utilizing Swords Dance and its other ability (Weak Armor) to boost its speed.

22 DON’T PICK: What’s Up, Man(tine)?

Again, I don’t mean to be snarky here. I have a real soft spot for Mantine, with its adorable new ‘gliding through the water’ animation Game Freak gave it in recent generations. It can work darn well, too, because I’ve used it myself.

It’s just… it’s Mantine. As of right now, it’s a popular competitive pick, able to wall huge threats like Mega Charizard Y and Ash-Greninja. Speaking strictly in terms of Johto and earlier generations, though, you very rarely saw this thing. It’s going to be good in about a decade, honest wasn’t the greatest selling point, was it?

21 STRONG: Volcanic Power 2: This Time, It’s Fiery

So, we’ve already seen one totally underrated Johto Fire-type in this rundown. Here’s another.

Typhlosion is an interesting case. Statistically, it’s nothing too remarkable, but it’s got just what it needs in all the right places. It’s built for Speed and Special Attack, and it can handle that job quite well (outside of the higher tiers of competitive play, where it’s rather outclassed).

Typhlosion’s specialty, just now, is dropping powerful Eruptions (with its Flash Fire boost, if it can get it) with a Choice Scarf around its next. Not the most complex strategy, but it can certainly work wonders.

20 DON’T PICK: Is It The Holidays Already?

As we all know, all Pokémon are not created equally. That’s just an impossible feat to consider. Instead, Game Freak have decided to embrace the imbalance, with ridiculousness like Mega Kangaskhan running wild in recent years.

As a counterpoint to that kind of powerhouse, we’ve got Delibird and its ilk. One of the worst Flying-types of all, Delibird’s stats are all dismal. An unexpected Destiny Bond double-KO is about the best this thing can hope to pull off.

If it’s not 4x weak to Ice, it doesn’t care about Delibird. Even if it is, it’s probably faster and will horribly savage it anyway.

19 STRONG: Just Ask Hannibal

Now, if there’s one thing you don’t mess with, it’s a fully armored and angry elephant. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a good rule of thumb to live life by to me.

An Earthquake from this thing is going to smart in the morning, let me tell you.

Donphan also hit the scene in generation two, and it’s not a bad pick by any means. Very physically defensive, it’s more of a tank than a wall, boasting all the Attack it needs to dish out some real retaliatory damage.

18 DON’T USE: My, Grandma, What A Long Tongue You Have

With Gold and Silver, several Pokémon got themselves an evolution for the first time. Seadra and Chansey were among these, but one of the more obscure examples was Lickitung.

I’m not sure who in the wide world of sanity asked for a Lickitung evolution, but here it is. Lickilicky’s stats are decent-to-good across the board, leaving it a little unsure what to do with itself. Is it offensive? Is it defensive? Whatever it’s doing, you can usually be sure that something else will be better at it.

17 STRONG: Like Donphan, But Bigger And Hairier

Ah, yes. Now we’re talking. When it comes to straight-up power from generation two, Mamoswine is where it’s at. This thing does not mess around.

With a stellar Attack stat of base 130 and excellent STABs, Mamoswine is a real threat. It’s one of a short list of viable Ice-types, which says a whole heckola of a lot about the damage this thing can do. If you can manage its weaknesses and compensate for its lackluster Speed, it’ll happily crush your opponents into soggy hunks of spam in a trice.

16 DON’T USE: Why Does It Even Exist?

As I say, then, I’ve been playing Pokémon for over two decades now. I’ve found just about every secret in the main games, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours honing my skills as a competitive battler. Over that time, I’ve tried all sorts of odd and unique teams and sets.

One Pokémon I’ve never quite found a role for is Corsola. Rock and Water gives some awful weaknesses, and its stats leave it without a particular niche. Sure, you can make it work like anything else, but that shouldn’t be such a chore.

15 STRONG: When It Starts Raining, Beware

So, yes. Along the course of this rundown, I’ve used stats as a primary factor in determining a Pokémon’s use. They’re hugely important in battle, of course, but they’re also not the be-all-and-end-all.

Take Kingdra, for instance. Its attacking stats are decidedly average, and its speed a little less so. What this doesn’t take into account, however, is its absolute dominance in rain.

Doubling its Speed and powering up its Water STAB, rain is Kingdra’s natural partner.

As with the wider rain archetype itself, it’s a simple but brutally effective combination.

14 DON’T USE: You Call Yourself An Artist?

Now, we’ve already debated whether Delibird may be the worst Pokémon introduced in generation two. In terms of viability, that’s a tough one (freaking Unown also first appeared in Johto, after all), but it’s all relative.

Bad in what way, exactly? In terms of power, here comes another ‘mon that’s certainly in the running: Smeargle.

We all know Smeargle’s gimmick: it can learn just about any move in the game, thanks to its unique move Sketch. Generally, though, it’s limited to support moves, because it’s useless offensively without major boosts.

13 STRONG: Just What Is That Thing, Exactly?

Speaking of the original 150 Pokémon getting evolutions out of nowhere, I’ve always felt a little conflicted about Tangrowth. That design is all kinds of shonky, whichever way you slice it. I just can’t make out where they were going with this, or what it was based on.

Let’s not be superficial, though. Looks aside, Tangrowth can be a physically defensive monster. In the same way as Donphan, it struggles with recovery, but with its respectable offenses, it’s more of a tank than a wall.

12 DON’T USE: It’s A Tree, Jim, But Not As We Know Them

As with Ice, Rock is quite an unfortunate typing. Offensively, they’re both great, but they have so many weaknesses that they’re hard to use effectively. The best Rock-types are the ones that are good despite their typing (such as Terrakion and Tyranitar), not because of it.

Sudowoodo is not one of those Pokémon. It has usable Attack and Defense, but beyond that, there’s not really much you can salvage here. Cuteness is a point in its favor, for sure, but if that was a factor in battles, Luvdisc would be overpowered. That is not a world we live in.

11 STRONG: Never Underestimate A Moody Octopus

Speaking of stats, sometimes a Pokémon has all the firepower it needs, but is let down by its lackluster defenses or Speed. If the first case, you’ve just got to take care when to bring it in. in the second case, Trick Room can make all kinds of things viable that would never usually be.

Take our old buddy Octillery here. It’s as slow as a one-legged kitten in a happy, full, contented sleep, but it’s actually quite powerful.

It’s got excellent coverage, too. Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Fire Blast… that’s a dang strong set, right there.