Ranked: The Most Versatile Pokemon To Have On Your Roster

When it comes to Pokémon, competitive players always want to prepare their team for any situation. While planning out every fight ahead of time works, often, you don't want to have seventy-four Pokémon on standby to switch out for the right scenario. A core team of six that can tackle any adversity is ideal.

While there are countless Pokémon that can be used in any situation, there are certain pocket monsters who are equipped by nature for any dangerous confrontation. Versatile Pokémon are incredibly useful in order to keep a core team of six that you can use in any fight. But which ones are most versatile? And is versatility a good thing?

None of the following Pokémon are banned in competitive play. Otherwise, we'd just put in Mega Rayquaza and call it a day.

10 10. Ditto

An obvious example of a versatile Pokémon, Ditto has one core move: transform. When it uses transform, it can take on the move set of whatever Pokémon opposes it. This makes this particular pocket monster incredibly versatile...

In theory.

Ditto might take on the moves of its opponents, but its stats don't really change. Additionally, it only gets 5 PP per move. This makes Ditto a particularly good revenge Pokémon with lots of versatility, but it isn't very usable.

9 9. Smeargle

Smeargle can learn any Pokémon move. It's one of the few Pokémon outside of the banned list that can learn this vast number of moves. This means that you can assign a whole bunch of powerful moves to Smeargle depending on the situation you're dealing with.

But, like Ditto, is Smeargle good in the competitive scene? While they're better than Ditto, players who use them will struggle.

So what versatile Pokémon are usable in combat? Well...

8 8. Volcarona

Volcarona is a fire-bug type -- two types often in conflict with one another. This makes Volcarona unique among Pokémon. In the right team formations (usually when supported by either Firium or Psychium), it can power through the most burly and mighty adversaries that it can come across.

But there are conditions.

Volcarona is incredibly vulnerable to entry hazards like Stealth Rock, so, when using Volcarona, have moves that can erase entry hazards. But if Volcarona enters battle without losing a chunk of HP, the other team is toast.

7 7. Mega Charizard X

Charizard is a fan favorite Pokémon, but it's never been a great Pokémon in competitive battling. Any water type can take it down and moves like Stealth Rock really hurt it due to being a flying type.

However, with Mega Charizard X, it gets a huge stat boost while also losing that pesky vulnerability. This Pokémon can be used in various team formations. Given the right team formation, many Pokémon that can take on Mega Charizard X (Azumarill being a huge one) can be taken down without difficulty. Only problem? A little slow. But with power like this, it can take a hit and keep on pushing on.

6 6. Chansey

Blissy is a defensive wall when it comes to competitive battling, but Chansey, having stats that are a bit more balanced, is more versatile. As a Normal Type, its only main weaknesses come with Fighting Types, while its attacks are all but useless against Ghost Pokémon -- though Ghost Pokémon like Gengar can attack it back.

With the shifting tier lists, though, more Ghosts are being moved onto the banned list, which gives Chansey more usability. Furthermore, as a support, it can use healing moves to help boost other Pokémon, making it a terrific support. With its high defense, it is also great for teams wanting to stall.

But many people are still asking "Why not use Blissy? It has higher stats?"

Well, give Chansey the hold-item Eviolite, and Chansey's defensive stats go way up -- beyond even Blissy's.

5 5. Mega Scizor

Scizor is one of the coolest bugs on the block, but, for a while, it was no longer a viable option due to the presence of Primal Groudon. Now that the Primals are banned, however, Scizor is looking way sharper.

Able to bounce between setting up a sweep to defense to revenge killing, Mega Scizor is an incredibly useful battle thanks to moves like Defog and Knock Off to help weaken opponents before going in for the kill. Just be wary of fire. That's a big weakness for a steel-bug type.

4 4. Garchomp

Garchomp and its Mega Evolution are both very viable options in competitive Pokémon fights. Due to its high attack and speed, it can occupy various roles in various teams, making it one of the more versatile Pokémon in the game.

But if you give it a boosted attack, you can wreck house with powerful, intense Fire Fang attacks.

Oh, and don't forget: you can always just Mega Evolve Garchomp, and use its boosted stats to cause even more destruction.

3 3. Mew

Yeah! I know! Mew isn't banned! There are a few legendaries who linger off the banned list, and Mew, despite being able to learn any move, somehow didn't make the cut.

Due to its massive move pool, Mew is definitely a versatile Pokémon. It's a solid defensive Pokémon, but what you do with that defense is entirely up to you. Want to use Toxic and slowly poison your adversaries down? Remove environmental hazards? Trade hits with powerful attackers? Use support moves to aid your attackers? Mew can do it all and then some.

2 2. Clefable

Clefable & Gengar

There are a lot of soft, pink Pokémon on this list, huh?

Of all of them, Clefable is arguably one of the most useful Pokémon around. Versatile in any situation, Clefable is most useful when confronting Dragons. This chubby little thing can destroy dragons! So guys like Mega Charizard X and Garchomp will have a hard time with this one.

But that's just the start of it. With its terrific HP, defense, and healing moves like Soft-Boiled, Clefable is a verifiable wall. It can set up Stealth Rock, which is super useful -- but oh, we didn't get to its two best defensive moves yet: Magic Guard (eliminates residual damage from attacks) and Unaware (stops sweepers from sweepers). Clefable is perfect at taking your adversary's strategies and nullifying them before they can even start! How do you top that? Well...

1 1. Tyranitar

Usable in its ordinary state and Mega Evolution, Tyranitar is a bulky attacker whose typing is perfectly suited to counter some very popular Pokémon in the top-tier competitive scene. That's all well and good, but its massive move pool allows it to be very versatile. It can set up sweeps by striking down adversaries before Roaring them out, Paralyze Pokémon with Thunder Wave, and more.

But with Mega Tyranitar, the power is boosted up to maximum. It can plow through just about anything. The only downside is its slow speed, but try to find a speedy Pokémon in the game who can take down this mountain of a monster in one turn. We dare you.