In one of the most significant events in the Pokémon community as of late, the mythical Pokémon Meltan unexpectedly appeared in the Pokémon GO mobile game. The Hex Nut monster spawned in the game without any kind of formal announcement and it was left to players to report the discovery of the new monster. Although any captured Meltan would transform into a Ditto upon capture, this discovery still sent ripples through the longstanding fandom. This development reminded many longtime Pokémon fans of the early days of the franchise when you’d learn how to catch a rare Pokémon or defeat a difficult stretch of the game from your friends on the playground.
In the days following Meltan’s appearance, the Pokémon Company did clarify that the new Pokémon was an official monster and that players could transfer the mythical creature to the Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu! And Let’s Go Eevee games. Catching the new pocket monster may prove a bit difficult, though. Trainers will first have to send a monster to a Let’s Go game and then use a special Mystery Box item to make Meltan spawn in the mobile game. Although the Mystery Box will only make Meltan appear in Pokémon GO for a limited time before entering a cooldown period, once captured a trainer can easily send it to a copy of the Nintendo Switch games. Of course, this struggle to find and capture a rare and powerful monster is pretty common in Pokémon games. These are the 20 Rare And Strong Pokémon (And How Trainers Can Find Them).
Mew
The original mythical Pokémon inspired more rumors and generated more interest in the games than perhaps any other creature. Supposedly the genetic origin of all other Pokémon, Mew wasn’t even supposed to be in the original series and was only added when the development team realized they had just enough space to fit one more monster into the first games. In the original games, a player could only obtain a Mew by attending an official give away event or by utilizing glitches. As the series went on, Mew would remain an event only Pokémon, and there still isn’t any way to natively find the mythical monster in any mainline game. Today the best chance you have at catching this adorable monster is to keep an eye on Pokémon related news and capitalize on the next online distribution of the creature.
Volcarona
The fifth generation of Pokémon games consisted of some experimental entries in the series. Pokémon Black and White contained only new monsters during the main game and experimented with different ways to catch these never before seen pocket monsters. Volcarona is one of the most difficult to find and capture monsters in these odd games.
To obtain a Volcarona in Black and White, you either need to hatch and raise a Larvesta to level 59 – the latest evolution level of any Pokémon – or catch Volcarona in the Relic Castle. This post-game dungeon is extremely tough to navigate and contains numerous high level, wild encounters. If a trainer does manage to navigate the maze-like castle and its hazards and then battle and capture Volcarona, they will earn the power of the holy Sun Pokémon.
Zoroark
The Illusion Fox Pokémon is as tricky to capture as it is deceptive in battle. Both Zoroark and its pre-evolution Zorua only appear in Pokémon Black and White if a player transfers an event monster to their copy of the game. Using the unique Relocator feature, players can transfer legendary Pokémon given away as part of a promotion for the thirteenth Pokémon movie to their game and use them to make the fox monsters appear.
These monsters are definitely worth the hassle, though, as their one of a kind Illusion ability makes them a massive threat in battle. This ability allows the fox Pokémon to disguise themselves as a different creature when they first appear in battle. Between this ability and Zoroark’s impressive offensive stats, it’s easily one of the strongest Dark type monsters in the games.
Tyranitar
Premiering in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Tyranitar is so powerful that some players refer to it as a pseudo-legendary monster. Considering how difficult it is to actually capture a Tyranitar, the creature certainly deserves this moniker.
To obtain a Tyranitar, a player needs to catch its pre-evolution Larvitar at Mt. Silver, the absolute last area in these games. A trainer then needs to grind it to level 55, where the creature will finally evolve into its final form. Of course, by this point in the game, most players already have a thoughtfully composed team that will only marginally improve if Tyranitar subs in. It takes plenty of dedication to catch Tyranitar, and even more planning to build a team involving the rare monster.
Jirachi
The mythical Pokémon Jirachi is extremely rare because it’s only available through special events or through purchasing other games. The wish Pokémon is obtainable in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, but only if a player bought the Pokémon Colosseum GameCube game and transferred the monster to the Game Boy Advance games. In later games, though, the only way to catch this monster is through online distributions or other promotions.
The focus of the sixth Pokémon movie, Jirachi is said to grant the deepest wish of whomever it befriends. While this magical ability only appears in side-games like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Jirachi’s well-rounded stats and signature move, Doom Desire, make it a powerful addition to any team. Too bad it can’t be used in most competitive or post-game challenges, however.
Deoxys
Previously, you could only catch the DNA Pokémon Deoxys through special events or distributions. There used to be no way of obtaining the alien pocket monster natively in any mainline Pokémon game. That all changed, though, with the introduction of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s Delta Chapter. In this stretch of the game, players could ride the legendary dragon Rayquaza into space to destroy a meteor, and then battle and capture a Deoxys that emerges from the space debris.
This was genuinely one of the coolest events in these remakes and catching Deoxys is well worth the hard-fought battle. Deoxys’ ability to change between different forms with different stat distributions makes it incredibly versatile and able to fill just about any shortcoming in any party combination.
Manaphy
There are a lot of odd, and surprisingly good, spin-off titles in the Pokémon franchise. However, the original Pokémon Ranger game stands out from the other ancillary titles, as it allowed players to transfer the mythical Manaphy to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. To do this, players would have to beat Pokémon Ranger, get the Manaphy egg in the post-game, borrow another Nintendo DS, transfer the egg, and then hatch it in a mainline game.
While this process was a phenomenal pain for a young Pokémon player to complete, the payout was exceptional. Manaphy is one of the few legendary Pokémon that’s able to breed, so placing it in a daycare with a Ditto also grants the legendary Pokémon Phione. It’s hard to complain about getting two mythical monsters for the price of one.
Mewtwo
The original post-game challenge, Mewtwo was nearly impossible to catch back in Pokémon Red and Blue. After defeating the Elite Four players could enter the Cerulean Cave if they thought to backtrack to the early area and check out a previously inaccessible part of the map. Trainers would then have to battle against the strongest wild monsters in the game before facing off against a level 70 Mewtwo.
If this journey were not already enough of a trial for a child, Mewtwo is a powerhouse. Only the relatively weak Bug-type moves inflicted super effective damage, and Mewtwo’s Special stat dwarfed most other monsters’. Unless you saved your Master Ball for what was literally the last major encounter in the game, a trainer could easily spend hours trying to nab the Genetic Pokémon.
Vespiquen
The fourth generation of Pokémon games introduced a new method of catching wild monsters. By slathering honey on certain trees, a pocket monster would appear on the tree after a bit of time. One of the Pokémon that could be drawn in by the honey was Combee; which evolved into one of the most powerful Bug-type monsters in the game, Vespiquen. However, only female Combee can evolve and there’s only a 12.5 percent chance that any given Combee will be female.
Depending on the game and tree, a Combee has either a 22 or 32 percent chance of appearing on a honey tree and then only a 1 in 8 chance of being able to evolve into a Vespiquen. While those are still better odds than finding a shiny Pokémon, they still aren’t great.
Salamence
Like other pseudo-legendary Pokémon, it’s incredibly difficult to obtain a Salamence but well worth the effort. Salamence’s first form, Bargon, is only found in the deepest cavern within Meteor Falls, in the third generation Pokémon games. Once you manage to catch this little dragon, you’ll have to raise it all the way up to level 55 before it becomes one of the strongest monsters to soar through the skies.
Salamence’s power is magnified by its mega-evolution that focuses on its aerial superiority, by increasing the power of Flying-type attacks and giving the dragon a more aerodynamic design. To those that invest the time in finding, leveling up, and equipping Salamence with a variety of powerful physical attacks, will have a versatile monster with boundless potential.