10 Non-Legendary Pokémon Banned On Pokémon Showdown

Pokémon can be played in many ways competitively, but one of the most popular ways is 6v6 singles on the popular simulator Pokémon Showdown. The simulator has different tiers that allow players to use their favorite Pokémon at a proper power level.

Related: 20 Rarest  Pokémon In The Games (& How To Catch Them)

The most popular of these tiers by far is OU, or Overused, and any Pokémon banned from OU is usually considered game-breaking. Among the Pokémon banned from OU throughout the years are monsters like Arceus and Kyogre, but a few non-Legendaries have found themselves banned as well.

Gen 8 - Cinderace

Cinderace is the final evolution of one of the best Fire-type starter Pokémon, Scorbunny. The type-changing rabbit hadn't been out for very long at all before players began to realize how overpowered it was.

Cinderace was banned in generation 8 OU due to its ability Libero combined with remarkable attack and speed. Cinderace's signature move Court Change is another threatening aspect of the Pokémon that allows it to swap the player's hazards like Spikes and Stealth Rock over to the opponent's field.

Gen 8 - Galarian Darmanitan

Galarian Darmanitan is one of gen 8's best Pokémon, a new ice version of the old Fire-type Darmanitan. The abominable snow monster has the strength to back up his cryptid appearance.

The strange snowman benefits from the ability Gorilla Tactics, increasing its attack by 1.5x in exchange for only letting Galarian Darmanitan select the first move it used each combat. It's the same condition as the powerful item Choice Scarf, letting the Pokémon essentially have access to a powerful item in exchange for a condition it was already going to be afflicted with.

Gen 8 - Dracovish

Dracovish is one of Sword & Shields's unique fossil Pokémon that are mixes and matches of different body parts. This Pokémon combines the fish head and dragon body for a threatening Water/Dragon-type.

Dracovish's stats are mediocre and its ability Strong Jaw is just above average. What got the Pokémon banned was access to arguably the best signature move in the entire game: Fishous Rend. The move's power of 85 is doubled if the user moves first, meaning Dracovish hits slower Pokémon with a STAB (same type attack bonus) 190 power move every turn.

Gen 7  - Naganadel

To the surprise of some, ultra beasts are neither classified among the impressive legendary nor strong mythical Pokémon. They're simply common Pokémon from another dimension, and Naganadel is the strongest of them.

Naganadel's massive special attack and speed stats combine with one of the best dual typings in the game for special attackers: Dragon/Poison. The access to a STAB Sludge Wave ensures Naganadel beats any opposing Fairy types, and access to Fire Blast means Naganadel can hit every Pokémon type in the game for at least neutral damage. Its strong move pool and amazing stats made Naganadel a no-brainer to be banned from Gen 7.

Gen 6 - Aegislash

Aegislash wasn't immediately banned upon its introduction in generation 6, but eventually, the Pokémon turned out to be too strong for the metagame and it was banished to be with the likes of Lunala and Solgaleo.

Related: 10 Best Pokémon Doubles Partners, Ranked

Aegislash's ability Stance Change allowed it to become a hyper offensive Pokémon with poor defenses when using an attacking move or a defensive tank with little attack after using a defensive move. If players played their cards right, Aegislash would always be attacking in sword form and defending in shield form. Its potent Steel/Ghost typing and an overpowered version of Protect in King's Shield make Aegislash a monster.

Gen 6 - Greninja

Greninja is one of the top-ranked Water-type starter Pokémon, a powerhouse offensive threat with one of the best abilities in the game: Protean. It also later gained the Battle Bond ability that let it transform into Ash Greninja, an alternate form the frog ninja received in the anime.

Abilities like Protean and Libero that allow the Pokémon to change their typing when attacking are already overpowered, but Greninja's diverse move pool and speed made it as versatile as it was powerful, and the Pokémon had to eventually be removed from generation 6 gameplay.

Gen 5 - Blaziken

Blaziken trailblazed a line of overpowered starter Pokémon that Greninja and Cinderace kept alive. It also began a line of anthropomorphic fire starters that has lasted all the way to Sword & Shield. 

In generation 5, the fighting chicken got access to the ability Speed Boost. With constantly rising speed and access to Swords Dance, Blaziken could easily take out entire teams of six by itself with little effort, out speeding all Pokémon and taking them out in one hit.

Gen 4 - Garchomp

Champion Cynthia's ace Garchomp was every bit the threat fans remember in generation 4. Pseudo-Legendaries have always been an important part of every game, and Garchomp is perhaps the strongest of the bunch.

Garchomp didn't rely on an overpowered ability or signature move to reach banned status, it simply terrorized the metagame with incredible stats and a strong typing both offensively and defensively in Ground/Dragon. The land shark was simply too fast and powerful for its time, and even after balancing out in later generations remained a massive threat in OU.

Gen 4 OU - Salamence

In its original generation of Sapphire and Ruby, Salamence was still one of the top threats to look out for. but it wasn't until generation 4 that Salamence was determined to be too powerful for OU.

Screen Rant Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters

Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Related: 10 Biggest Pokémon, Ranked By Size

Salamence's ability Intimidate allowed it to shrink the attack of any opponent it switched into, adding extra defensive power to the already bulky Dragon/Flying Pokémon. Salamence's bulk allowed it to easily use Dragon Dance without fear of being knocked out, and the damage the Pokémon could deal to teams after setting up those stat buffs made it almost impossible to deal with at the time.

Gen 3 OU - Wobbufett

It may be a shock to many that the first non-Legendary ever banned from OU occurred in generation 3 when Wobbufett was forbidden for two straight generations.

Wobbufett's ability, Shadow Tag, prevents the opponent from switching out, and Wobbufett's move pool abused Shadow Tag perfectly. If the opponent used a special move, Wobbufett could reflect it with Mirror Coat, physical moves were met with Counter, and non-attacking moves could be countered with Encore. Wobbufett often put teams in an unwinnable and unfun position, and for that reason, it was the first non-Legendary ever banned.

Next:  Pokémon's Box Art Legendaries, Ranked