The Pokémon franchise may have eight generations of games, but only Pokémon Black & White introduced 150 new creatures into a region. Most of the regions after Kanto would see the introduction of anywhere from 40 to 100 new pocket monsters, but only the Unova region managed to match the output of the original titles.
With that many new pokémon, there was bound to be a number of them that became overlooked by the masses. Let’s now take the time to rank the 10 most underrated pokémon from the Unova region in Pokémon Black & White.
10 Zoroark
Zoroark falls in this weird place as it’s semi-popular but still happens to be a creature that’s rarely brought up in natural conversation. In many ways, Zoroark is like the Pokémon equivalent of a C-list or D-list celebrity. This mysterious fox deserves a giant fanbase when considering what it’s capable of.
They are very good at creating illusions and will do anything in their power to protect the group they call family. What makes it even cooler is that only the best trainers should attempt to catch it as those who aren’t prepared can get trapped in an illusion and punished.
9 Zebstrika
Is Zebstrika just an electric-type that you encounter during the early parts of the game? Yes, that would be a factual truth. That being said, this pokémon obtains natural speed and can quickly outclass slower opponents as they struggle to get moves off.
If you manage to get your hands on one that has the ability Motor Drive and the hidden ability Sap Sipper, you’ll have a Zebstrika who is unaffected by both grass and electric-type moves and will gain attack power from the latter, and a speed boost from the former. It’s also a zebra, which is pretty neat.
8 Crustle
When kids first learn about hermit crabs, one of the first places their imagination takes them is to the idea of what a giant hermit crab would tuck itself away in. Crustle takes that idea and runs with it as it trades out a common seashell in favor of a block of Earth comprised of several layers, each with distinct colors and patterns.
It’s an effective combatant in battle and also happens to have a shiny form worth pursuing. Its only real weakness is if the mound on its back is shattered, which is rare and takes an incredible amount of strength.
7 Galvantula
To the average human, what’s scarier than a spider? Well, if it happens to be over two feet tall and can produce electricity within itself, that may do the trick. Despite Galvantula’s base form named Joltik being so adorable, it never receives any love at large from the fandom.
It’s amazing that even a digital spider will get the best of people and will have them avoided it at all costs. Galvantula is a solid battler and along with its dual-typing of electric and bug, it can come with a nifty ability called Compoundeyes which raises its accuracy by 30%.
6 Reuniclus
Reuniclus is a psychic-type pokémon that’s the final form of a 3-part evolutionary line beginning with Solosis. It should come as no surprise that this creature uses psychic power and telekinesis to move its appendages that resemble arms.
They’re made up of a special liquid that’s housed inside of a protective barrier that lines its entire body. Psychic-type pokémon tend to have above-average intelligence and Reuniclus is no different. Despite its arms being made of mostly liquid, it has the crushing power to obliterate giant boulders.
5 Excadrill
Excadrill is a well-designed pokémon that has a solid dual-typing and fits into a team of six. It just so happens to be part ground-type, which is the typing in the world of Pokémon that most often gets overlooked in favor of a colorfully typed creature.
It can tunnel through the Earth at speeds of up to 90 mph, which is insane. Many of the tunnels people find in Unova that they assume formed naturally are likely abandoned digging sites of Excadrill. It also doesn’t have a large glaring weakness to any other type of pokémon out there.
4 Seismitoad
For better or worse, Seismitoad is the Swampert of the Unova region. It’s not a starter pokémon, but having the exact dual-typing of ground and water as Swampert does allows this thing to stand its ground as a defensive powerhouse.
It’s a hard creature to take down if you’re not prepared, and since most trainers don’t choose the grass-type starter, Seismitoad can be quite a force to reckon with. The bumps on its body make its overall design a bit of an eyesore, but they serve a functional purpose for it in battle according to the pokédex.
3 Chandelure
Chandelure has often been the punchline of jokes related to the notion that the designers tasked with creating new creatures for Pokémon have run out of ideas. It may be a haunted chandelier, but the type mixing of ghost and fire is pretty unique and can offer some great tactical advantages.
Even if you don’t want to battle with it, you can acquire one with the ability Flame Body, which comes in handy if you’re trying to breed for a shiny as the heat its body produces weakens the eggs in your party and reduces the number of steps needed for them to hatch.
2 Volcarona
Very rarely in the world of Pokémon do you see a bug-type that isn’t relegated to the beginning area of a region, and on top of that have an evolution that takes some time and investment. To get your hands on a Volcarona you either have to catch one late in the games, or acquire a Larvesta and train it up to level 59 where it will evolve into Volcarona, the bug, and fire dual-type.
It can also have the ability Flame Body, which can burn their opponents when they make contact, but more importantly can reduce the hatching time of eggs when breeding pokémon.
1 Serperior
Like with most generations, Serperior, the grass-type starter is often overlooked in favor of the other two starters, that being the water and fire-types respectively. This is a real shame considering how well-designed the evolutionary line going from Snivy up to Serperior is.
Often it seems that the grass-type starters receive the goofiest final evolution, but with Serperior it has the most regal and refined design of the three. It may just be a grass-type, but it is capable of learning a variety of different typed moves, from dragon to flying and even fighting.
NEXT: Pokémon: Ranking The 10 Most Underrated Kanto Pokémon
