Most OP Pokemon – Investment Policy

Summary

Some Pokemon are so overpowered that they repeatedly break the competitive meta across generations.
Typing, moves, abilities, stats, and forms can make legendaries and Megas near-unstoppable.
Mewtwo to Flutter Mane: many remain banned or are stuck in the Uber Tier despite repeated nerfs and new tools.

Pokémon vary greatly in strength – some are weak, while others are incredibly powerful. Certain Pokémon are so dominant that they’ve repeatedly disrupted competitive battling. With each new generation of Pokémon, one or two creatures usually appear that are nearly unbeatable due to their unique combination of type, moves, abilities, and stats.

Despite being weakened in later games, many Pokémon have remained popular and effective. While there are a lot of incredibly strong Pokémon, here are some of the most well-known examples throughout the series’ history.

Mewtwo

The Original Uber-Tier Legendary Pokemon

Introduced in: Generation One
Type: Psychic
Pokedex Number: 150

Each Pokémon generation introduces powerful legendary creatures, but the first generation had a limited number. Mewtwo was the strongest of them all, easily defeating even its predecessor, Mew. What made Mewtwo so formidable in the original games was the way stats worked – Special Attack and Special Defense were combined into a single ‘Special’ stat. With a total stat value of 154, Mewtwo could deal massive damage and withstand a lot of attacks.

Man, I remember when Mewtwo first came out – it was *insane*. With a blistering 130 Speed, it could just sweep through teams. What’s really weird is that even though they toned it down a little bit over the years, they also kept giving it new moves and forms. In Gen 5, it got Psystrike, which was awesome, but then Gen 6 happened and they gave it *two* Mega Evolutions! Mega Mewtwo Y was especially crazy – super fast and a total special attack monster. It really lived up to being the original overpowered Pokémon, honestly.

Landorus (Therian Forme)

The Undisputed King Of Competitive Pokemon

Introduced in: Generation Five
Type: Ground/Flying
Pokedex Number: 645

Experienced Pokemon competitors will tell you that Landorus in its Therian Form has been a top-tier threat since it first appeared in the fifth generation of games, and very few Pokemon can effectively counter it. This isn’t really true for Landorus’s Incarnate Form; it’s the Therian Form’s unique combination of stats and abilities that make it so powerful in battle.

Landorus-Therian is a powerful Pokémon with a unique combination of strengths. Its Ground/Flying typing gives it key defenses, including complete immunity to Ground-type attacks. It’s also very durable and hits hard. Its Intimidate ability weakens opposing physical attackers whenever it enters battle, and it can set up Stealth Rock, a move that can dramatically shift a battle in its user’s favor. Landorus-Therian is so strong that players have built entire teams and strategies just to counter it.

Xerneas

The Fairy-Type Really Excelled In Its Debut Generation

Introduced in: Generation Six
Type: Fairy
Pokedex Number: 716

The introduction of the Fairy-type in Generation Six dramatically changed competitive battling. Several strong Fairy-type Pokémon appeared, but Xerneas, the legendary Pokémon featured on the cover of *Pokémon X*, was particularly impactful. Its special ability, Fairy Aura, boosts the power of all Fairy-type moves used by either player, making it a significant advantage in battle.

Xerneas is famous for its move, Geomancy, which dramatically boosts its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. While Geomancy usually takes two turns to work, giving Xerneas time to charge, this delay can be avoided by giving it a Power Herb. This allows Xerneas, already a powerful Legendary Pokémon, to double its key stats in a single turn, making it incredibly formidable.

Mega Kangaskhan

Two Pokemon For The Price Of One

Introduced in: Generation Six
Type: Normal
Pokedex Number: 115

Mega Evolution created some incredibly strong Pokémon, but only a few are truly game-breaking. Surprisingly, one of the most notorious is Mega Kangaskhan – a powerful form of a Pokémon from the very first generation that wasn’t particularly remarkable before.

Okay, so everyone knows Mega Evolutions boost your stats, but Mega Kangaskhan was just… different. It got this ability called Parental Bond, and it basically made every attack hit *twice*. Its little baby Pokémon would jump in for a second attack right after its mom, dealing half damage. Seriously, half! What made it even crazier was that this second hit could still crit, and Power-Up Punch would boost Kangaskhan’s Attack by *two* stages instead of just one. It was insane! Game Freak realized they’d messed up, so they toned Parental Bond down in later games, making the second hit do less damage. Even after that, Mega Kangaskhan was still a huge threat in competitive battles until they removed Mega Evolutions completely. It was a beast!

Mega Rayquaza

The Most Overpowered Mega Evolution In The Series

Introduced in: Generation Six
Type: Dragon/Flying
Pokedex Number: 384

Rayquaza is a naturally strong Legendary Pokémon, designed to be able to stop the powerful battles between Kyogre and Groudon. When Kyogre and Groudon received even stronger Primal Reversions in *Omega Ruby* and *Alpha Sapphire*, the developers at Game Freak knew Rayquaza needed a similar upgrade to remain balanced. However, some feel that Rayquaza’s new form might be a bit *too* powerful.

Mega Rayquaza is well-known as one of the most overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon in the entire series. It was so strong that it was banned from the highest competitive tier (Uber) on the Smogon format, which is reserved for exceptionally powerful legendary Pokémon. Mega Rayquaza boasts an impressive stat total of 780, and its special move, Dragon Ascent, is incredibly strong – surprisingly, it’s a Flying-type move, making it immune to Fairy-type defenses. Adding to its strength, its ability, Delta Stream, removes its weaknesses to common Flying-type attacks. Plus, it doesn’t need to hold a Mega Stone to transform, letting it equip another item, like a Life Orb, to boost its attack power even more.

Urshifu

This Skilled Fighter Can Break Through Protective Barriers

Introduced in: Generation Eight
Type: Fighting/Dark (Single Strike Style) Fighting/Water (Rapid Strike Style)
Pokedex Number: 892

The *Isle of Armor* expansion for *Pokemon Sword and Shield* centers on the legendary Pokemon Kubfu and its powerful evolution, Urshifu. Urshifu is unique because it has two different forms – Single Strike Style and Rapid Strike Style – determined by the training scroll the player selects for Kubfu.

Both Single Strike and Rapid Strike Urshifu are incredibly strong Pokémon, largely due to their unique moves – Wicked Blow and Surging Strikes. These moves almost always land as critical hits, dealing massive damage. What really makes Urshifu so powerful, though, is its ability, Unseen Fist. This ability bypasses any protection, like Protect or Detect, and allows Urshifu to hit its opponent as long as the attack makes physical contact. This is especially frightening because it means opponents can’t reliably defend against Urshifu.

Calyrex

A Legendary Pokemon That Can Use Two Abilities At The Same Time

Introduced in: Generation Eight
Type: Psychic/Ice (Ice Rider) Psychic/Ghost (Shadow Rider)
Pokedex Number: 898

Just like the first expansion, *The Crown Tundra* for *Pokemon Sword and Shield* added a new legendary Pokemon that quickly frustrated competitive players. This Pokemon was Calyrex, which isn’t very strong on its own, but becomes incredibly powerful when it combines with either Glastrier or Spectrier, transforming into Ice Rider Calyrex or Shadow Rider Calyrex.

Both forms of Calyrex are incredibly strong, boasting high stats and powerful signature moves – Glacial Lance and Astral Barrage – which each hit all adjacent opponents for a significant 120 damage with no downsides. What really makes Calyrex stand out – and feel unbalanced – is its unique ability, As One. This ability combines Calyrex’s own Unnerve with the abilities of its partner Pokémon, Gastrier or Spectrier, effectively letting Calyrex use two abilities simultaneously – a feat no other Pokémon can achieve.

Flutter Mane

An Ancient Paradox That Can Compete Against Legendaries

Introduced in: Generation Nine
Type: Ghost/Fairy
Pokedex Number: 987

The newest generation of *Pokemon*, the ninth one, quickly saw one Pokemon become incredibly dominant in competitive battles. Flutter Mane, an ancient form of Misdreavus, is surprisingly powerful – almost unbelievably so – despite looking harmless.

Flutter Mane is an incredibly strong, fast, and resilient Pokémon, boasting a perfect 135 in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. It also has access to a wide range of effective moves. Its Ghost/Fairy typing gives it few weaknesses, and its Protosynthesis ability makes it even more powerful in sunny weather. Flutter Mane was immediately banned from standard competitive battles after the release of *Pokémon Scarlet and Violet*, and now only competes in the Uber tier – a division for the most powerful legendary Pokémon, many of which Flutter Mane can still easily defeat.

2025-09-25 10:36