Many Pokémon are thought to be pseudo-legendaries though they don't actually qualify. Just because a Pokémon has its own movie or special event, that doesn't mean it counts as a pseudo-legendary. To earn the title, a Pokémon has to have a base stat total of at least 600 while not already being classed as a Legendary.
This excludes popular picks such as Lucario, Zoroark, and Volcarona, which don't have the stats to back them up. It also excludes Pokémon such as Type: Null and Silvallay, as they're both technically Legendaries. There's also the assumption that all Dragon-types are pseudo-legendaries, but in reality, most of them just don't have high enough base stats.
10 Best: Metagross Is Built As Tough As It Looks
Metagross is an absolute powerhouse of a pseudo-legendary. Its Steel typing gives it impressive defenses as-is, so its high base stats are just icing on the cake. It has a massive move pool that can make it a useful tank, special attacker, or even a hazard, so it's no shock that Metagross is an extremely popular pick for competitive play. This Pokémon can take a hit and dish it back tenfold, so it's well worth its pseudo-legendary title.
9 Worst: Dragapult Doesn't Have The Best Movesets
It was exciting to discover that a Dragon/Ghost dual-type would be included in the Galar region, and even more exciting to find out that the final evolution, Dragapult, was entering the ranks of the established pseudo-legendaries.
However, Dragapult has an embarrassingly small move pool and doesn't make for a lot of useful fights. Even the one owned by Leon isn't too difficult to take down, as it has five separate weaknesses. Two even include its own typing combination, with the addition of Ice, Fairy, and Dark, all of which are really easy to obtain.
8 Best: Tyranitar Is Just As Dangerous As It Looks
Just because a Pokémon looks dangerous or tough doesn't mean it's going to be. That's not the case with Tyranitar, a Pokémon that looks every bit as dangerous as it is. This massive Dark/Rock dual-type makes careful use of its Sand Stream ability, which kicks up a sandstorm that's not limited to the same round-based restriction of the Sandstorm move.
Tyranitar is capable of packing a serious punch with its high Attack stat, all while it whittles down opponents that aren't lucky enough to be either Ground, Rock, or Steel. It's exceptional in combination with a hazard-placing Metagross and makes for an amazing teammate inside and outside of competitions.
7 Worst: Hydreigon Has The Bark But Not Enough Bite
Hydreigon is a major disappointment as far as pseudo-legendaries go. It has a cool type, multiple heads, and an interesting origin story, but it's not all that useful in combat.
The worst part about Hydreigon is that despite the fact it has a stellar Special Attack, most of the moves it learns are physical, so it hardly gets to use that skill at all. It's nice that it has two immunities, but that 4x weakness to Fairy is a death sentence.
6 Best: Garchomp Is The King Of The Field
Garchomp is a favorite for a good reason. It has extremely high stats which it actually makes use of, immunity to Electric-type attacks, and resistance to Fire, Poison, and Rock. Its only real downfall is that it has a 4x weakness to Ice.
These Pokémon are fast and hit hard with access to a wide move pool that backs up their incredible stats. A Garchomp isn't going to mess around with a lot of status effects; the Mach Pokémon is typically sent in for the heavy hits after the rest of its team has prepped the field.
5 Worst: Kommo-o Debuted Too Late
Kommo-o has a unique dual-typing of Dragon/Fighting, which grants it some serious resistance to Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Bug, Rock, and Dark. Sounds great, but it also has a 4x weakness to Fairy, which dominates the playing fields of recent generations.
It's typically only useful in double battles with tricky sorts of creatures, since it can hold out as a wall-like tank, but it just can't stand on its own. It doesn't have a good move set to combat that pesky Fairy-type, and its Soundproof ability only helps so much.
4 Best: Dragonite Is The Original Pseudo-Legendary
While it might be slow, clunky, and funny-looking, Dragonite was the first pseudo-legendary and the biggest obstacle to beating the original two generations. It shares its typing with Salamence, but has a much more impressive move pool to select from.
Dragonite can lean heavily into its exceptionally high attack stat, which makes its huge list of physical moves actually useful. It also can make use of powerful special attacks such as Thunder, Blizzard, and Fire Blast with its respectable Special Attack stat, even though it has a better base Attack.
3 Worst: Salamence Is A Pale Imitation Of Dragonite
Salamence is so close to Dragonite but with the added bonus of not looking like a stuffed animal. It also gets a Mega Evolution, which helps it out, but not by much. It still has a pitiful collection of defenses and a smaller move pool at its disposal, making it far less versatile.
This Dragon/Flying dual-type relies far too heavily on biting moves such as Crunch, Thunder Fang, and Fire Fang, which don't do much good when compared to some other heavier-hitting moves.
2 Best: Goodra Proves Single-Typed Cuteness Can Be Extremely Powerful
Goodra only has one type despite it looking like it should have multiple. It relies heavily on its Water-type moves and its outrageously high Special Defense to plow its way through the battlefield.
Additionally, one of its normal abilities, Sap Sipper, grants it complete immunity to the Grass type. A Sap Sipper-powered Goodra has resistance to Fire, Water, and Electric attacks while also being completely immune to Grass.
1 Worst: Slaking's Truant Ability Strips It Of Proper Status
Slaking is a Pokémon that by all means should be a pseudo-legendary. It has the stats to rival even some full-fledged Legendaries and is a monster of a creature. However, due to its Truant ability, it's usually excluded from the pseudo-legendary conversation.
It's a bit unfair because a well-placed Skill Swap can negate that underwhelming ability entirely. Slaking becomes especially useful when Truant is swapped with a Spinda's Contrary or a Kecleon's Protean, making it a force to be reckoned with. However, since it needs some setup to be used, Slaking is definitely the worst of the bunch — if it even counts as a pseudo-legendary at all.
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