Let's be real for a second. We’ve all been there—scrolling through the Pokédex, hitting a favorite from Gen 2 or Gen 3, and realizing their stats are basically garbage by modern standards. It’s painful. You want to use them. You love the design. But in a world of Paradox Pokémon and Power Creep, they’re just... stuck. They’re sitting in PC boxes gathering digital dust because they lack that one final push into a higher tier.
Game Freak has this weird habit of giving massive buffs to Pokémon that already rule the meta (looking at you, Charizard) while leaving the underdogs to rot. We’ve seen regional forms and Mega Evolutions try to patch the holes, but nothing beats a permanent, honest-to-goodness evolution. It’s about more than just stats. It’s about completing a story that feels unfinished. Honestly, there are a handful of Pokémon that need evolutions so badly it’s starting to feel like a personal snub from the developers.
Take a look at Dunsparce. For decades, fans begged for a massive, majestic dragon evolution. What did we get in Scarlet and Violet? Dudunsparce. Basically just a longer Dunsparce. While the "troll" aspect of that design is kind of hilarious in a meta-commentary sort of way, it didn't really satisfy the itch for a powerhouse evolution. We need more than just jokes; we need viability.
Why Some Pokémon Are Still Stuck in Limbo
Design philosophy shifted somewhere around Gen 4. Back then, Game Freak went on a tear, giving evolutions to everything from Electabuzz to Roselia. It was a golden age for the "forgotten" tier. But then, they pivoted to temporary gimmicks. Megas, Z-Moves, Dynamax—these were band-aids. When the gimmick of the generation disappears, the Pokémon goes right back to being mediocre.
Mawile and Sableye are the poster children for this tragedy. For a brief window in Gen 6, they were absolute terrors on the battlefield. Mega Mawile with Huge Power? Terrifying. Then the Mega Stones vanished. Now? They’re back to having base stat totals (BST) that barely crack 380. That's lower than some middle-stage starters. It's frankly insulting. A permanent evolution provides a lasting foundation that doesn't rely on a specific game mechanic to exist.
The Case for the Single-Stage Struggles
Lapras is a weird one. It’s iconic. It was the "poster mon" for surfing for years. It even got a Gigantamax form. But why doesn't it have a baby form or a climax evolution? It has a BST of 535, which is actually quite high, but its stat distribution is a mess for the current competitive landscape. It’s a "jack of all trades, master of none" that usually ends up being mastered by everything else.
Then you have the true bottom-tier residents.
Luvdisc.
Delibird.
Spinda.
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These aren't just weak; they’re structurally incomplete. Luvdisc was seemingly meant to evolve into Alomomola—the resemblance is uncanny—but they remain unrelated. It's one of the most baffling decisions in the franchise's history. When people talk about Pokémon that need evolutions, Luvdisc is usually the punchline, but the potential for a sleek, high-speed Water/Fairy type is right there for the taking.
The Gen 2 Curse: Leftovers of Johto
Johto has a serious problem with "Small Mon Syndrome." A lot of the designs from the 1999 sequels were intended to be cute additions rather than competitive powerhouses. But 25 years later, "cute" isn't enough to keep a Pokémon relevant in a 1000+ roster.
Sunflora is perhaps the most desperate. It is a pure Grass-type with a speed stat so low it might as well be moving backward (Base 30). In a sun team, it can do some damage with Solar Beam, but literally any other Fire or Grass type does it better. Giving Sunflora a Grass/Fire evolution—perhaps themed around a "Solar Eclipse" or a "Wilting" mechanic—would immediately make it a cult favorite.
And don't even get me started on Skarmory's counterpart, Mantine. While Skarmory held its own for years as a physical wall, Mantine has always felt like it’s missing a final, oceanic leviathan form. It’s a great special wall, sure. But it needs something to make it stand out against the likes of Pelipper or Toxapex.
Shuckle and the Fear of Eviolite
There is a mechanical reason Game Freak is scared to evolve certain Pokémon. It’s called Eviolite. Introduced in Gen 5, this item boosts the Defense and Special Defense of any Pokémon that can still evolve by 50%.
If you give Shuckle an evolution, you have to deal with an Eviolite Shuckle.
Think about that. Shuckle already has Base 230 in both defenses. Giving it a 1.5x multiplier would make it mathematically unbreakable. It would ruin the game. This is likely why we haven't seen an evolution for Mons like Sableye or Pyukumuku. They are balanced around their current stats, and a buff—even an indirect one through Eviolite—would snap the competitive meta in half.
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However, there are ways around this. You can make an evolution that changes the typing or the ability in a way that makes the base form less viable with Eviolite. Or, you know, just let the meta be chaotic for once. We’ve survived worse.
Radical Redesigns: The Candidates for Gen 10
As we look toward the future, especially with the rumors surrounding the next major entries, a few names keep popping up in the "desperately needs help" category.
- Pinsir: Its rival, Scythe, got Scizor and Kleavor. Pinsir got a Mega, and then... nothing. It’s a pure Bug type in a world that hates pure Bug types. It needs a Bug/Ground or Bug/Dark evolution to reclaim its throne as the king of the forest.
- Sudowoodo: It's a rock mimicking a tree. That’s a top-tier concept. But it hits like a wet noodle and dies to a gentle breeze. Imagine a massive, petrified forest titan evolution. A Rock/Ghost type? Yes, please.
- Carnivine: James from the anime made us love this thing, but it’s objectively terrible. No evolution, no pre-evolution, just a floating Venus Flytrap with mediocre stats. It’s the definition of a filler Pokémon.
The Regional Fake-Out
We have to talk about how regional forms are sometimes a "monkey's paw" wish. You wanted a Farfetch'd evolution? You got Sirfetch'd. But wait! You can only get it if you use a Galarian Farfetch'd. The original Kanto Farfetch'd is still stuck in the 90s with no hope of evolving.
This creates a weird split in the canon. It feels like the original versions are being treated as "legacy" content that Game Freak doesn't want to touch, while the new versions get all the cool toys. This is why fans keep pushing the keyword Pokémon that need evolutions—they want the original designs they grew up with to be brought into the modern era, not just a regional variant that feels like a separate entity.
Druddigon and the "Middle Child" Energy
Druddigon is a weirdly cool Dragon type that looks like it was made of LEGO bricks. It has no evolution and no pre-evolution. It’s just... there. In the games where it appears, it’s usually a mid-game bridge that you replace as soon as you find a pseudo-legendary like Garchomp or Baxcalibur.
Giving Druddigon a hulking, gargoyle-inspired evolution would fix its speed issues. It doesn't need to be fast if it’s bulky enough to survive a nuke. Currently, it’s just not quite tanky enough to justify its sluggishness. It’s a design that feels like it’s waiting for a "Stage 2" that never came.
What Needs to Happen Next
If Game Freak wants to keep the veteran player base engaged, they need to stop looking forward for five minutes and look back. The success of Legends: Arceus proved that giving old, "boring" Pokémon like Stantler or Ursaring a new lease on life works. Kleavor and Ursaluna are absolute fan favorites now.
That’s the blueprint.
Instead of another 100 new designs that might not land, take 10 of the most ignored creatures and give them the "Cross-Gen Evolution" treatment. It breathes life into old routes, makes the world feel more interconnected, and solves the power creep problem without relying on glowing hats or giant transformations.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough:
- Check the BST: Before committing to a single-stage Pokémon for your team, check its Base Stat Total. If it's under 450 and doesn't have a broken ability like Huge Power or Prankster, you’re going to struggle in the late game.
- The Eviolite Test: If you're playing a game with regional forms (like Legends: Arceus or Sword/Shield), check if the base form can hold an Eviolite. Sometimes the "un-evolved" form with an Eviolite is actually bulkier than the new evolution.
- Support the Underdogs: Use the "weak" ones in casual playthroughs. The more data Game Freak sees of people actually using these forgotten Mons, the more likely they are to see them as "worthy" of a new form or evolution in the next generation.
The reality is that the list of Pokémon that need evolutions is only getting longer as the years go by. We’re over a thousand entries deep now. If Game Freak doesn't start filling in the gaps, a huge chunk of the Pokédex is going to become nothing more than background noise. And for Pokémon like Sunflora or Druddigon, that would be a genuine shame.