With over one thousandPokemonwith multiple forms across the franchise, some eventually became rarer than others. Beyond the obviously rare and valuable creatures, there’s a small group of Pokemon that have wound up as valuable even if most players don’t even think about them. Some Pokemon aresporadically available inPokemon Go, but for the most part, finding them reliably is difficult.
While Shiny, Mythical, and Legendary Pokemon are intentionally hard to obtain in the franchise, with the Indigo Disk DLC inScarlet and Violetbringing some Legendaries back for new players to find, a select few, typically normal Pokemon, have found themselves as valuable for collectors. These Pokemon are difficult to obtain, for reasons ranging from restricted Pokedexes to specifically special forms, and often have players wanting to catch ‘em all offering everything for one.
The Importance Of Size
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Pumpkaboo, as well as Gourgeist, are readily available inPokemon Sword and Shieldand are always found around Halloween time inPokemon Go. But while the Pokemon is generally available, the many forms it comes in are slightly trickier to completely collect.
Being a haunted gourd, Pumpkaboo can come in four different sizes, ranging from small to super-sized. These sizes cannot be changed in any way, and when it evolves into Gourgeist, the size carries over. While telling super from small is obvious, especially since the pitch of its cry deepens, making sure each of Pumpkaboo’s different sizes has been collected can be tricky.
9Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour
Stuck Behind The Switch
Often referred to as the Elemental Monkeys, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour, along with their evolutions, are one of the few Pokemon not available in any of the SwitchPokemongames. Last available inPokemon X and Y, these six Pokemon are an oft-forgotten part of the Pokedex.
Thankfully, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour are found in a forest immediately after picking a starter Pokemon, making them a fast catch for those needing the monkeys to complete the Pokedex. And even though these supplemental starter Pokemon are often hated, they manage to end up as valuable anyway.
8Patrat
A Rare Regional Rodent
Players familiar withPokemon Black and Whitewould not even remotely say that Patrat, or its evolution Watchog, are hard to find or especially wanted. But ever since that introduction four generations ago, finding this regional rodent is impossible on the Nintendo Switch.
The last time Patrat or Watchog was available was inPokemon X and Y, and only Watchog could be caught in the wild, with Patrat needing to be bred from it. While it can be found inPokemon Go, the only reliable way of finding either Unovan rodent is on the 3DS.
7Pikachu
The Rarity Of The Series’ Mascot
In almost every single game, Pikachu is readily available. EveryPokemonplayer is aware of Pikachu, and most people in general are vaguely aware of Pikachu. Being the series' mascot, Pikachu is practically everywhere, and yet, it manages to be rare at the exact same time.
The Partner Cap Pikachu forms, featuring Pikachu wearing Ash’s signature caps from various seasons of the anime, are usually obtainable only as limited-time distributions. This elusive variant of the electric mouse was last available in 2020, and while it’s almost guaranteed to return as a distribution, this group of eight Pikachu is quite the collector’s piece for now.
6Greninja
A Gimmick Left Behind
Like all starters from previous generations,Greninja is readily available to playersinScarlet and Violetthanks to theIndigo Disk. Most starters are often passed around over Surprise Trade as well, making them somewhat difficult to obtain, but certainly not rare or especially valuable. Ash Greninja, a special form based on the anime, is a different case entirely.
Greninja with the Battle Bond ability, also called Ash Greninja, was only available for players who have access to the demo ofPokemon Sun and Moonon the 3DS. Since the demo is no longer downloadable, it is not obtainable for most players.
5Spinda
A Unique Oddity
Found inPokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Spinda isn’t particularly hard to find as a swarm Pokemon. And since no player seriously considers obtaining every Spinda pattern, of which there are roughly four billion, catching Spinda is usually a one-and-done.Given the nature of the Generation Four remakes,adding a Spinda to aPokemon Homecollection isn’t that easy.
Thanks to a coding error, Spinda caught inBDSPcannot leaveBDSP. For players in search of Spinda that actually counts as part of the National Pokedex, the treasure hunt has only begun.
4Sinistea and Poltchageist
Rare Special Teas
Perhaps the most well-known detail about both the Sinistea line andits convergent version in Poltchageistis the far rarer form, the authentic and artisan variants, respectively. Since this form can only be caught, and cannot be bred down, as the whole point with the true forms is that they aren’t reproductions, finding the properly stamped tea cups can be difficult.
WhileScarlet and Violetoffers outbreaks specific to the true forms, the difficulty of finding authentic Sinisteas and artisan Poltchageists does drop considerably, making it rare enough for most players.
3Alcremie
The Value Of Sprinkles
Now available inPokemon Scarlet and Violetin the Terrarium, finding Milcery to turn into Alcremieisn’t especially hard. But for players searching for specific Alcremie with certain sweets, or players even hunting down every possible variant of Alcremie, two forms are decidedly more difficult.
The Ribbon Sweet and Star Sweet are only obtainable inScarlet and Violetthrough the Item Printer at the Blueberry Academy. Since the other sweets can be obtained in the wild, the 18 Alcremie variants that need these sweets certainly have to get lucky, and after that, are a pretty solid trade offer.
2Furfrou
Unobtainable French Poodle Fashion
A Pokemon that most players don’t even think about, Furfrou is perhaps one of the most sought-after Normal-types directly after its introduction in Generation Six. The gimmick for Furfrou is to dress it up with different haircuts and, while that doesn’t sound especially exciting or notable, the key distinction with this cosmetic is how it retains its form inPokemon Home.
Because only Furfrou found inPokemon Gokeep their fancy haircuts, that is the only way to obtain every variant of Furfrou. The major point about all of Fufrou’s fashion is that most of these forms are only obtainable in certain locations in real life, such as the Pharaoh trim in Egypt. As such, collectors searching for every Pokemon, in every form, are more than willing to trade Legendaries and Shinies for something so common.
