The Pokémon franchise has come a long way in the last 20 years. From the original 151 Pokémon, the franchise now has over 800 different Pokémon to catch and train. In the old days, following the success of the first generation, fans of the franchise were excited to see what new Pokémon the creators of the series would come up with next.

Our prayers were answered in 1999 with the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and later in 2001 with Pokémon Crystal. In Gen II, Pokémon introduced 100 new species, including the pre-evolved forms of several Gen I favorites such as Pichu and Magby.

However, while Gen II features some of the most powerful Pokémon in the franchise, it also includes some that are practically useless and not at all worth catching. These Pokémon are not only horrible in of design, but they perform poorly in battle, possess below average stats, and have poor movesets.

However, despite the many worthless Pokémon introduced in Gen II, there are those who possess untapped potential. However, due to certain factors, most players have forgotten just how useful and powerful they can be. As a result, several Gen II Pokémon are overlooked, and deemed underrated.

Thankfully, there are some players that recognize the power behind these unassuming Pokémon, which helps to make up for some of the weaker ones from the second generation.

In this list we will take a look at 10 Gen II Pokémon No One Should Catch, As Well As 10 That Are Underrated.

Don’t Catch: Qwilfish

While it certainly stands out in of design, that’s one of the few things really going for a Pokémon like Qwilfish.

As far as typing goes, Qwilfish suffers from a weakness that most Water types don’t have. Due to also being a Poison type, Qwilfish possesses a weakness to Ground types, leaving it vulnerable to attacks that would normally be harmless.

When compared to the other Gen II Water types, Qwilfish falls short in of stats.

Despite having decent speed, Qwilfish is weak in of its special attack and defense, leaving it vulnerable to attacks of the special category, such as Thunderbolt and Psychic.

Even with its speed, most of Qwilfish’s attacks either do not inflict much damage or require multiple turns to generate enough power to cause significant damage.

Underrated: Mareep

In its initial form, Mareep’s stats do not look like much, especially its speed stat. Despite this, Mareep makes up for it with its latent potential. As it evolves, its stats increase, and its move set becomes more diverse. It even gains the ability to Mega Evolve after evolving into Ampharos.

Despite the negative criticism surrounding Mega Ampahros, it is still considered a powerful Mega Evolution. Not only does it have the highest base special defense stat of any electric-type, it can also learn the move Cotton Guard. Not only does this move drastically increase its defense, but it will also considerably lessen the damage from ground-type attacks like Earthquake.

Its potential to become a heavy hitting tank, makes catching Mareep worth the time and effort.

Don’t Catch: Delibird

Even though this Pokémon may look like Santa Clause, it is not all that special.

In addition to its very low stats, Delibird also suffers from a poor move set.

Prior to Gen VII, the only move Delibird could learn by leveling up was Present. Present is somewhat of a gamble as it has a 20% chance of healing opponents. It does have an 80% chance of dealing damage, but half the time the damage inflicted has a base power of 40. Furthermore, the odds of the move’s base power being 120 is only 10%.

As of Gen VII, the only other move it can learn by leveling up is Drill Peck. Outside of this, Delibird requires a TM to learn new moves. Due to its poor stats, most of the moves it can learn would not inflict much damage.

Underrated: Lanturn

With so many new and powerful Water types appearing after Gen II, it is easy to forget about Pokémon like Lanturn. It is even more of a shame as Lanturn is one of the more unique Water types in the game.

Including its pre-evolved state, Chinchou, Lanturn is one of only three Pokémon to have both the Water and Electric types. Additionally, depending on its ability, Lanturn can be immune to either Water or Electric type attacks thanks to either Volt Absorb or Water Absorb.

If that was not enough, Lanturn also happens to be a Pokémon with lots of HP to spare. In fact, out of all the Electric types in the game, Lanturn possesses the most HP. This includes the likes of legendary Pokémon such as Zapdos and Zekrom.

Don’t Catch: Corsola

At first glance, Corsola’s adorable appearance makes it seem like a worthwhile Pokémon to catch. Furthermore, like most rock types, Corsola also has the benefit of high defense stats. As of generation VII, these same stats have also received a significant boost, increasing Corsola’s original base state from 380 to 410.

While its defensive stats are high, the same cannot be said for Corsola’s attack.

Corsola is nothing more than a defensive wall that lacks proper fighting strength.

When Corsola first came out in Pokémon Gold and Silver, the few offensive moves it knew were not all that strong. Although its move pool may have increased, it is still not enough to make Corsola a proper fighter.

Underrated: Quagsire

At first glance, a Pokémon like Quagsire does not look like it would be much of a threat. However, underneath its goofy exterior is a hidden secret that can turn the tide of a battle.

Along with its immunity to Electric types, Quagsire also boasts incredible HP, attack, and defense stats. However, its true potential lies with one of its abilities.

Among the three possible abilities Quagsire can know is Unaware. This ability allows Quagsire to ignore stat changes during damage and accuracy calculation when either attacking or being attacked.

Thus, the opponent’s strategy to increase their attack and defense or to lower Quagsire's would be rendered useless. With such an advantageous ability, it is worth taking the time to catch a Quagsire that knows it.

Don’t Catch: Sunkern

Sunkern is without a doubt one of the cutest Pokémon ever created. Sadly, it is not one of the strongest. In fact, prior to Gen VII, it was recognized as the weakest.

In of base stats, its total comes out to 180.

Not only does it have the lowest base stat total out of any grass type Pokémon, it also has the second lowest base stat total of any other Pokémon in the franchise (sured only by Wishiwashi).

Using a sun stone, it is possible to evolve it into the much stronger Sunflora. However, Sunflora’s stats are average compared to some of the other Grass types of the second generation.

Thus, evolving Sunkern only serves to waste a good sun stone that can be used to evolve another Pokémon.

Underrated: Noctowl

At first glance, it is easy to dismiss Noctowl as a weak Pokémon. Fortunately, Noctowl manages to set itself apart from weaker flying types like Pidgeot. Despite being a Normal and Flying type, the majority of Noctowl’s moveset consists of mostly Psychic type moves.

Even though, it may not benefit from the STAB bonus, Noctowl does have the power to inflict some major damage. Stat wise, Noctowl excels with its high HP and special defense. As of Gen VII, Noctowl’s special attack stat has also increased, making attacks like Extrasensory and Air Slash even more dangerous.

With the right combination of moves and the correct item, Noctowl can make up for the lack of a STAB bonus and inflict massive damage.

Don’t Catch: Dunsparce

For years, Dunsparce’s unusual appearance has been the source of major criticism by fans.

In addition to its appearance, Dunsparce was criticized in the early days for its poor stats and weak moveset.

Following its initial release in Gen II, many hoped that overtime, Dunsparce would undergo its own set of improvements. As of Gen VII, Dunsparce has learned a few new and more powerful moves like Air Slash and Dragon Rush. Unfortunately, moves aside, Dunsparce has not really undergone any noteworthy changes.

Perhaps if it had received a new evolution like so many other Pokémon, fans would appreciate it more. Especially if it finally got a Dragon type to complement its serpent-like appearance.

Until that day comes, it will just have to endure the criticism.

Underrated: Smeargle

As far as most Pokémon go, Smeargle knows how to make itself stand out. This is especially true when it comes to it learning new moves.

Due to certain restrictions, most Pokémon are limited when it comes to the moves they can learn. However, Smeargle is not bound by such restrictions. While it cannot learn moves by TM or by tutoring, Smeargle can learn thanks to its only known move, Sketch.

After an opponent attacks and Smeargle uses Sketch, the move will be replaced with the targeted move. Of course, after it's used, Sketch will disappear, but this gives Smeargle the advantage of learning any move in the game.

This advantage allows Smeargle to sur even Mew, who can learn all known TM moves.