Some of the most powerful Pokémon of all time are Psychic-types. Alakazam. Metagross. Gardevoir. Freaking Mewtwo! All of these have proven multiple times that brains are better than brawn. But that doesn’t mean they’re the only Psychic-types you should use. There are a ton of great Psychic Pokémon that are a blast, but also just lesser-known (or possibly overlooked for others). So here are my picks for the most underrated Psychic Pokémon that are worth a shot.
15. Galarian Articuno
One of my favorite parts of the Crowned Tundra DLC is the Galarian forms of the Legendary Birds. Both Galarian Zapdos and Moltres have become pretty popular, but Articuno has been left by the wayside. And I don’t think that’s fair. Galarian Articuno has an incredibly high base Special Attack at 125 and a decent 95 Speed. It has an awesome signature move with Freezing Glare, that’s essentially a Psychic Ice Beam. And it also gets a great ability in Competitive, which increases its Special Attack whenever an opponent lowers your stats. All of this makes for a really great special sweeper! I think this bird is forgotten because its design is much more reserved than Galarian Zapdos and Moltres, which I have to admit, those both look incredible. So then why isn’t Galarian Articuno any higher on my list? Well, the fact of the matter is that Galarian Articuno is still an awesome Legendary Bird, so it’s not totally underrated as a whole. It’s incredibly powerful, and you have to catch it to beat the DLC anyway. So I just think you should use it if you get the chance.
14. Oranguru
I love a gorilla. The stereotype of a big, strong physical attacker has existed for as long as I can remember. And I’ve always been a fan! But one of the subsets you rarely see is the wise gorilla. This is where Oranguru comes in. Oranguru has a great Special Defense at 110 and has decent bulk otherwise. Its Speed is lackluster, but that’s what makes it a perfect Trick Room setter. Trick Room reverses the turn order of all Pokémon, meaning slower Pokémon will go first. But what makes Oranguru great is its effectiveness in doubles. Its ability Telepathy prevents it from getting hurt by spread moves used by your teammate, and it’s the only Pokémon that can learn the move Instruct. This move allows another Pokemon to use their move during Oranguru’s turn. So your teammate gets two attacks in, meaning you can land 2 Earthquakes or Surfs in a single turn! Add on a Normal-typing to make Oranguru immune to Ghost moves, and you have a truly unique support Pokemon.
13. Jynx
Jynx was an absolute terror in Red, Blue, and Yellow. But it’s kinda fallen out of favor since then. It has two of the best offensive typings with Psychic and Ice, and had great Speed and Special at 95 each, making it a critting machine. And after the Special stat was split into Attack and Defense, Jynx’s Special Attack was increased to 115! Jynx also gets access to an awesome status move in Lovely Kiss, which can put an opponent to sleep. And when it comes to abilities, Jynx gets access to Dry Skin, giving it an immunity to Water moves. So why is Jynx so easily forgotten? Well, it has awful Defense and HP stats, at 35 and 65 respectively. Also, there’s a ton of controversy behind the design of Jynx that Game Freak has been trying to avoid for a long time. But if you’re willing to look past these issues, you’ll get access to a great glass cannon.
12. Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf
Some of the most popular legendary Pokémon are trios. The Legendary Birds are all-time favorites! And the Forces of Nature are arguably the most competitively viable Pokémon ever. Heck, I even know some nerds out there who love the Legendary Titans (even though they aren’t technically a trio anymore…) But how often do you think of the Lake Guardians? Seriously. While they’re all awesome Pokémon that serve different roles, how many times have you seen someone use one of these Pokémon? Would you have even known their names if they weren’t mentioned in the title? Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are all just as useful and interesting as every other legendary Pokémon. If you get the chance, you should really do some research into them. Their mythology and origin are all fascinating.
11. Galarian Mr. Mime
In Sword and Shield, I was immediately drawn to Mr. Rime. A Pokémon that looks like Charlie Chaplin? Sign me up! Little did I know that its pre-evolution would be much stronger. Mr. Rime may have a slightly higher Special Attack, but Mr. Mime is better in every other way. It’s much faster with a base 100 Speed, and is much bulkier with Eviolite. But you don’t even need to have Eviloite for Galarian Mr. Mime to execute its job better. With its high Speed. Galarian Mr. Mime is able to clear hazards away easily with Rapid Spin, while also getting rid of screens with its ability Screen Cleaner. And if you really want to increase that Special Attack, teach it Nasty Plot! This is one of those rare moments where no matter which way you look at it, the pre-evolution is just flat out better. Looks like Mr. Rime is going to have to tap out of this one.
10. Beheeyem
Black and White introduced a ton of interesting Psychic Pokémon. While some remain popular in niche ways, like Gothitelle, it seems that most of them have been forgotten. This is really unfair, especially since there’s a few awesome ones – especially Beheeyem. Like most of the Psychic-types on this list, Beheeyem has a phenomenal Special Attack at 125. But when you look at its Speed, it’s very disappointing, at a paltry 40. But this works to Beheeyem’s advantage. While most people will scream out about Trick Room, I think it’s best to take advantage of the ability Analytic. This means that if Beheeyem moves last, then its attack power increases by 30%. And when Beheeyem is already hitting incredibly hard, that can be devastating! But you know what? Maybe Beheeyem wants to be forgotten. After all, it says in its Pokedex entry that it can alter memories. It’s possible that – wait, what was I writing about again? Ah yes, Raichu!
9. Alolan Raichu
Alolan Raichu is one of my favorite regional variants. Not only is it based on the surfing Pikachu game from Pokémon Yellow, but it’s also darn cute! And it gets the added Psychic typing, too. Fortunately, Alolan Raichu is as good in battle as it is adorable. It has a great Speed stat with 110 and a decent Special Attack at 95, 5 points higher than regular Raichu. It also gets access to great moves like Thunderbolt and Psychic, and can even use Fake Out if you need to get some flinches off. What makes Alolan Raichu really great is its ability Surge Surfer, which doubles its speed in Electric Terrain. This means Raichu is moving at a blistering 220 Speed, and can outrun everything in the game. Combine this with Rising Voltage, which also gets a 2x boost in Electric terrain, and you just might shock your opponents.
8. Kadabra
Wait, what’s Kadabra doing here? Isn’t Alakazam one of the quintessential Psychic-types?
Yes, this is true.
But if you’re playing any of the games by yourself there’s no way to get Alakazam, since you can’t trade Kadabra.
And that’s also why this spoon-bending Psychic type often gets overlooked.
But don’t worry, because Kadabra is still an awesome choice!
Even though Kadabra is not the final evolution, it still has a solid Special Attack stat at 120. That’s even better than popular fully-evolved Psychic Pokémon like Starmie, Slowbro, and Gothitelle.
Heck, Kadabra can technically be just as strong as Arceus!
Add on a decent Speed stat and Kadabra remains to be a really great choice.
7. Bronzong
Bronzong is an incredible defensive Pokémon. Both its Defense and Special Defense are at 116, and its typing gives it a whopping 9 resistances and an immunity to Poison. Unfortunately, it’s typing gives it two common weaknesses in Ground and Fire. At least this would be unfortunate, if it didn’t have two great abilities to back it up. The first is Levitate, which makes Bronzong immune to all Ground-type attacks. This prevents Bronzong from getting destroyed by Earthquakes. The other ability is Heatproof. This decreases the damage done by Fire-type moves. And not just that, but it also halves burn damage, which players might try to do since Bronzong can’t be poisoned. While Levitate is technically better, Heatproof could be a great way to catch your opponent off guard. All of this gives Bronzong a great opportunity to support your team with Stealth Rocks, Reflect, Light Screen, or Trick room. If you want your team to succeed with a truly underrated choice, you should give this bell a ring.
6. Espeon
Espeon, like almost all of the Eeveelotuions, has been the victim of power creep. Over the years, every single one of them has become less and less viable. However, I still firmly believe that Espeon is still worth using. First of all, it has great Speed and Special Attack at 110 and 130. This means it’ll hit hard and fast, taking advantage of moves like Psychic and Dazzling Gleam. However, Espeon is mostly used as a defensive utility Pokémon. While it has a decent 95 Special Defense, what really makes it great is its hidden ability Magic Bounce. This blocks status and entry hazard moves, and bounces them back at the opponent. Espeon also has access to Reflect and Light Screen, which boosts the Defense and Special Defense of your whole team. Since Espeon is so fast, it can utilize these quickly. It’s an incredibly useful Pokémon both in game and competitively, and looks great to boot! It’s a shame that all of these Eeveelutions have fallen so far from grace.
5. Malamar
Malamar is a truly unique Pokémon. It looks completely evil, and is based off of things being upside down. You even evolve Inkay by leveling up while holding your 3DS upside down! But what makes Malamar really cool is Contrary. This is an ability that makes any stat drop become a stat gain, and vice versa. So Malamar can continuously spam Super Power and consistently boost its Attack and Defense. This makes Malamar an incredibly beefy and strong physical attacker that gets hard to take down. And honestly, that’s all there is to it. Combine this with Knock Off, Rest, and Sleep Talk, and you’ll have a strong attacker that’ll stick around for a long time. And honestly? It’d be nice to see a bulky physical Psychic-type get more use.
4. Claydol
Ground is probably my favorite typing in all of Pokémon. But even if it wasn’t, I’d have to show some love for Claydol. As a clay figurine that was brought to life by a mysterious ray (really, look up its Pokedex entry), this is easily the best supporting Psychic-type that shouldn’t be so underrated. First of all, it has great bulk with a 105 Defense and a 120 Special Defense. Claydol is also immune to two common attacking types: Electric and Ground. Plus it resists Fighting, Psychic, and Rock. This allows it to, well, do just about anything. Wanna set up entry hazards? It has Stealth Rocks. Get rid of them? Rapid Spin. Defend your teammates? Light Screen and Reflect. Whittle away the enemy? It can use Toxic for poison, or Scorching Sands to try for a burn. Claydol is solid if you need something to really boost up your teammates. I can’t recommend it enough.
3. Orbeetle
Now Orbeetle is one of the best new additions from Pokémon Sword and Shield. It starts off as a caterpillar that looks a lot like Alton Brown, but eventually it turns into a mixture of a lady bug and a UFO. But even without considering its cool design, this thing is out of this world! Orbeetle has great defensive stats, a decent 80 base Special Attack, and a great 90 Speed. This makes for an awesome Psychic support Pokémon that can deal some great damage, too. And Orbeetle gets access to Sticky Webs, an entry hazard move that lowers the speed of any Pokemon that enters the field. It also has access to other great supporting moves like Light Screen and Reflect. And when it comes to offense, Orbeetle has great coverage with Psychic and Bug Buzz. But the real surprise comes with Body Press: a Fighting-type move that uses the Defense stat instead of Attack. So why is it ranked higher than Claydol? Its Gigantamax form. Orbeetle has the unique move Max Gravitas, which activates Gravity. This means that every Pokémon that’s partly Flying-type (or has Levitate) can now be hit by Ground moves. So you can start taking out opponents with Earthquake while Orbeetle remains safe, because of its ability Telepathy. Even though Orbeetle is a great Pokémon based off of aliens, it can be exactly what your team needs to stay grounded. If you can give it a chance.
2. Reuniclus
The assumption surrounding almost all Psychic-type Pokémon is that they’re either glass cannons or beefy support. There’s none that are a beefy tank, right? For all those doubters, let me introduce you to Reuniclus. Reuniclus has a massive 110 HP stat, and an even higher 125 Special Attack. It has the usual coverage of a Psychic-type and decent defenses. And with its low 30 base Speed, Reuniclus is built to be on Trick Room teams. But what really sets it apart is access to two incredible abilities: Magic Guard and Regenerator. Both of these support Reuniclus’ bulky tank status, too. Regenerator restores a third of the Pokémon’s HP whenever it switches out. This means Reuniclus can be around for a long time if you keep switching it out. And Magic Guard prevents the Pokémon from receiving passive damage, so you’ll only get hurt by direct attacks. This is perfect for Reuniclus’ natural bulk. But what really seals the deal is Reuniclus’ design. It just looks so friendly. And I don’t know about you, but I really want to hug this thing! Plus, its name in German is Zytomega. Why has this thing be so overlooked?
1. Sigilyph
I’ll admit that Sigilyph is easily my favorite Pokémon introduced in Black and White. It’s based off of a dream catcher or wind chime, and actually leans more into the mystical side of the Psychic-type. It even has a third eye on top of its head! Yes, those are eyes on its body. But what makes Sigilyph stand out is its access to a wide movepool and fantastic abilities. It can support with Defog and Tailwind, while also having great coverage with Psychic/Psyshock, Air Slash, Energy Ball, and Heat Wave. Sigilyph’s abilities also make it very interesting. Tinted Lens doubles the power of Not Very effective moves, and is pretty good – but the stand out is Magic Guard (as mentioned before). Take all this and couple it with decent bulk, and this makes Sigilyph a terror. My favorite strategy with Sigilyph is to equip it with a Flame Orb to burn it, and teach it Cosmic Power, Roost, Stored Power, and Psycho Shift. Cosmic Power raises both defensive stats, while Stored Power increases strength based on how many stat boosts it has received. So Cosmic Power then improves offense and defense. Roost gives reliable recovery, and Psycho Shift combined with the Flame Orb allows you to pass around burns to share the fun. And finally, Sigilyph is perfect for Dynamaxing. Its access to Max Airstream and Max Mindstorm allow it to increase speed while eliminating priority attacks. This makes Sigilyph an ungodly sweeper that’s hard to take down. Really, there’s a lot you can do with this lesser-used Psychic ‘mon. It has a ton of versatility in-game, and it’s an absolute blast to play with.
