It’s been a month since its debut, but players are still enjoying Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. The long-awaited remakes follow the same progression as the originals did, and veteran players already have an idea of which Pokémon to use and which to avoid.
New players might be unsure of which creatures to include in their team, considering the vast options available in the Sinnoh region. Indeed, there are plenty of worthy Pokémon that any player would want in their party; however, a few aren’t that great. And while they aren’t bad Pokémon necessarily, they’ll be less than ideal for a BDSP playthrough.
Golem
As one of the most iconic Pokémon from Generation I, Golem and its pre-evolutions, Geodude and Graveler, have a special place in the franchise. These dual Rock/Ground-types are staples in almost every generation, lurking inside dark caves.
The Geoudude family is by no means weak; indeed, Golem boasts a decent 495 base stat total, including massive Physical Attack and Defense. However, its inconvenient dual-typing makes them vulnerable to six types, all of which have specialists in Sinnoh. Golem is immune to Electric, but that’s not enough to make up for its many other weaknesses.
Bibarel
In the original Gen IV games, Bibarel was the ally thanks to its ability to learn seven of the eight HMs necessary to completely traverse the Sinnoh region. In fact, Bibarel might be the all-time best HM mule in Pokémon, and almost all players had one in their teams, although not by choice.
Things changed in BDSP, and HMs are no longer a thing; instead, players can access “Hidden Moves” from an app in the Pokétch. This change was a heavy blow for Bibarel; its pitiful 410 base stat total doesn’t do it any favors, and with HMs gone, players have no use for it anymore.
Carnivine
Poor Carnivine. It’s not enough that it is one of the ugliest Grass-type Pokémon in the franchise, but it’s also one of the weakest. It features average stats all around, but its Speed is its true curse; at an abysmal 46, Carnivine won’t outspeed anything, meaning foes will take advantage of its many weaknesses to OHKO it. Carnivine’s Speed is so awful that even Pokémon like Dustox and Beautifly are faster.
Sinnoh has several amazing Grass-types, from Roserade to Torterra, and few, if any, players will bother to include a Carnivine on their team.
Beautifly
Speaking of Beautifly, the dual Bug/Flying-type might be faster than Carnivine, but that doesn’t mean it’s any better. In fact, it’s considerably weaker, with a shameful base stat total of only 385. A decent Special Attack can’t make up for lousy Defenses and HP, not to mention the parade of vulnerabilities that result from its typing, including a quad weakness to Rock.
Flying is a player’s best friend in the Sinnoh games, and Bug can come in handy for certain opponents. However, the region offers plenty of better options for both types, rendering Beautifly essentially pointless.
Vespiquen
Vespiquen’s concept is very cool. Its design is both alluring and terrifying, and its stats, while not perfect, are far from abysmal. Well, most of them, anyway. Indeed, Vespiquen’s Speed is so bad, it’s lower than Carnivine’s. Like Beautifly, Vespiquen is also four times weak to the incredibly common Rock-type, adding yet another layer to this cake of disappointment.
To make matters worse, Vespiquen can only evolve from a female Combee, a species that’s 87.5% male. If that wasn’t bad enough, Combee only spawns in Honey Trees, meaning it’s even harder to secure a female. Gen VIII also included wild Combee in the Grand Underground, so at least that’s something.
Wormadam
Wormadam has three different forms, and they’re all equally bad. Bug is arguably the lamest type in Pokémon, and it remains underwhelming in BDSP. As such, having a Bug-type in the team means it should come with a secondary type to make up for its weaknesses or have above-average stats. Two of Wormadam’s forms have strong secondary types, but all three have awful stats that render them all but useless.
However, what truly makes Wormadam awful is how difficult it is to acquire in the Sinnoh games. Players can only find its pre-evolution, Mothim, in Honey Trees. Like Vespiquen, Wormadam can only evolve from a female Mothim, making it even more challenging to get. And considering how bad it is, it’s not worth the effort.
Abomasnow
Ice is a tricky type to use. Ice Pokémon can be very frail, and their multiple weaknesses don’t make things any easier. Being paired with another type can make up for their vulnerabilities; unfortunately for Abomasnow, Grass actually enhances them.
Abomasnow’s inconvenient Grass/Ice typing results in a staggering seven weaknesses, including a quad vulnerability to Fire. It’s pitiful 60 Speed means it won’t outspeed anything, and chances are it’ll be OHKO’d right away. As if that wasn’t bad enough, wild Abomasnow are exclusive to Mt. Coronet’s Peak, a late-game location, and its pre-evolution, Snover, is only obtainable after the sixth Gym badge.
Pachirisu
Pikachu clones are a staple of every Pokémon generation, and the Sinnoh games have Pachirisu. This fluffy squirrel ranks as one of the cutest Electric-type Pokémon but is less than convenient in a playthrough.
For starters, Pachirisu has no evolution, meaning that its 405 base stat total is as good as it’ll ever get. Secondly, its Attack stats, both Physical and Special, are laughable, sitting at a pathetic 45. Pachirisu is very fast, but that becomes moot when the punches it throws are too weak to even harm a Wurmple.
Chimecho
When Chimecho arrived in Generation III, players wondered if it might be the most forgettable Pokémon to that point. Generation IV paid some attention to it, but instead of giving it a worthy evolution, they gave it a Baby Pokémon. The franchise literally created a weaker version of an already weak Pokémon, and that’s almost insulting.
Chimecho’s pure Psychic-type can come in handy against Fantina, but that’s pretty much it. And considering Fantina is one of the best Ghost-type specialists in Pokémon, any of her mons would eat Chimecho alive. In short, there’s no reason to waste valuable space in a Pokémon as plain as Chimecho.
Kricketune
Kricketune is the embodiment of averageness. This pure Bug-type is weak in every sense of the word, with a lamentable base stat total of only 384. That’s weaker than Beautifly. Kricketune’s best stat would still be considered below-average for any fully-evolved Pokémon, placing it firmly near the bottom of the region and the franchise.
Despite its lack of usefulness in a playthrough, Kricketune is somewhat memorable, mainly thanks to its infamously long cry that goes on for almost four seconds. At least it has something in its favor, which is more than a lot other Pokémon can say.
