As with any long-running franchise, you tend to have a t🌱otally different experience depending on where you hopped in. Have you been aroun💎d since the very first release? Did the latest game pique your interest instead?

Take Monster Hunter, for instance. What if you’re one of many gamers who have only played this year’s blockbuster Monster Hunter World? You liked it, you were hungry for more, so you snapped up the next release, which was Nintendo Switch’s Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. That’s going to be one heckola of a wake-up call, let m🍌e tell you. There’s no hand-holding, spiffy visuals or scoutflies here, friends.

The Pokémon series is another great example. I’m one of those ancient gamers (I’ve just celebrated my thirtieth birthday, and I’m considering dying my hair jet black and buying a Harley Davidson at the very thought of it) who remembers Pokémon as it used to be. Questionable sprites, those infernal slidey ice puzzles, the lack of the physical/special split… It was rough at times, friends, ꦦthat’s for sure.

Each successive generation of Pokémon has brought its own additions and improvements to what came before. That’s been the goal, anyway. Pokémon Gold and Silver certainly d✨id, bringing all kinds of mechanics that would become series staples. We have Johtꦉo to thank for the Steel and Dark types, breeding and much more.

More importantly, though, Johto brought us a great glut of new Pokémon. In this rundoꦛwn, we’re going to look at some of the most downright questionable (and some of the most underrated) monsters that generation two has to offer.

30 DON’T PICK: The Slightly Shonky Starter

Back in my day, TMs were only single-use, and it was just beyond horrifying. How did we ever live like that? It’s almost as bad as the days before remote controls, when we had to actually get o🐼ff of our saggy cheeks and change the channel manually, like cavepeople. Shudder.

I’ve been with the series the w꧑hole way, is what I’m getting at. My least-liked starter of all times? Meganium. It’s just a super-boring, generic bulky Grass-type. Statistically average across the board, it doesn’t really excel at anything.

29 STRONG: A Much Tastier Starter

Meganium may be all kinds of mediocre in my eyes, but Feraligatr? Feraligatr, you do not mess with. See those fangs? It’s likely to clamp them around your soft parts that don’t appreciate fangs at any moment, because Feraligatr just does not care. It has no bedtime, fears nothing and no-one, and only calls itsജ mama eight times a day.

What really made this Johto starter was its hidden ability, Sheer Force. Combine this with its access to Dragဣon Dance (and a recoil-less Life Orb), and i🐎t only needs a moment to set up and sweep a team.

28 DON’T PICK: Too-Weak-Too-Woo

Yes, that was my attempt at making a pun out of a child’s renditi🦹on of the sound an owl makes. Don’t judge me, I’m quite proud of that one.

Hurrying right on, Noctowl is another mediocre Johto ‘mon. We’ve learned not to expect much from Normal/Flying types, and Noctowl gives us absolutely zero reason to rethink that rule of thumb. It’s quite bulky on the special side, andও its Special Attack is som🌳ewhat usable, but Toxic stalling and Defog support way down in the lower tiers are about the best this thing can offer.

27 STRONG: Volcanic Power

Now, I’ve tried to avoid the obvious power of legendary Pokémon for this one, but I’ve got to make an exception for Ent๊ei.

The sad fact is, thi♐s thing has always been slept on. Don’t you people know that volcanos erupt whenever it barks?

That sounds like some darn power to me, friends, so why is Entei never invited to the party?

It’s usually overshadowed by the super-similar Arcanine, that’s why. Intimidate is just that good. Entei does edge it out in terms 𝐆of Attack, though, and it also now has access to the very powerful Sacred Fire.

26 DON’T PICK: Bliss? I Don’t Think So

Long-time competitive Pokémon players will surely remember the dreaded SkarmBliss combo. The concept’s simple. Throw Blissey and Skarmory onto a team together as a defensive core, and watch as they proceed to effortlessly take every dang hit ever, like Arnold Schwarzenegger being pumped full of bullets in the Terminator movies.

Blissey is just one of those Pokémon that are absolutely zero fun, to use or to play against. 𒐪It’s not that it shouldn’t be used because it’s bad, you understand, it just shouldn’t be used because… it just shouldn’t be used. That goes thrice for its pre-evolved form, Chansey, which is even harder to c🌊rack with an Eviolite in hand.

25 STRONG: Representing Powerful Bug-Types Everywhere

Historically, the Bug-type has always been a little… well, let’s say sub-par. Back in Red and Blue, it had very little going for it at all. Not even decent moves. When the best representation you have is a Beedrill using Twin Needle, you𝓰’ve really got to rethink 🔯every single one of your life decisions to date.

Bug is still totally underrated. Powerhouses are few are far between, but they do exist. Heracross, for instance, is often completely forgotten in favor of its own Mega form, but never mind that. With a simple Choice Scarf Moxie set, you’ll be claim🤡ing souls.

24 DON’T PICK: Doom? Don’t Make Me Laugh

Don’t get me wrong here, friends. I can appreciate Houndoom. Its design and concept are one of my favorites from the Johto generation, there’s no doubt abo😼ut that. The Dark and Fire combination is neat too, and was totally novel at the time.

It’s just… lacking something. There are lots of offensive Pokémon who are frail because they’re offensiv🤪e, but don’t quite have the power to compensate. They usually fail to take their opponent out, and then get utterly mollywopped when the foe retaliates. Houndoom is a founding member of that club, 🦹in my eyes, even as a Mega.

23 STRONG: The Other Half Of The Super-Fun Trio

Ah, yes. Remember the SkarꩵmBliss strategy? Hold on to your pants, because here comes 💛the Skarm.

Like Blissey, Skarmory is a r𒀰eal beast defensively. It’s usually built physically defensively, and has an excel🌃lent typing for doing so.

A top tier physical wall, Skarmory is a huge nuisance.

Outside of those duties, it can both remove hazards with Defog and set its own, making fo𒅌r an excellent utility Pokémon.

Some 𓄧brave souls even run an offensive Skarmory, utilizing Swords Dance and itsꦍ other ability (Weak Armor) to boost its speed.

22 DON’T PICK: What’s Up, Man(tine)?

Again, I don’t mean to be snarky here. I have a real soft spot for Mantine, with its adorable new ‘gliding through the water’ animation Game Freak gave it in recent generations. It can work darn well🍨, too𒀰, because I’ve used it myself.

It’s just… it’s Man🗹tine. As of right now, it’s a popular competitive pick, able to wall huge threats like Mega Charizard Y and Ash-Greninja. Speaking strictly in terms of Johto and earlier generations, though, you very rarely saw this thing. It’s going to be good in about a decade, honest wasn’t the greate𓄧st selling point, was it?

21 STRONG: Volcanic Power 2: This Time, It’s Fiery

So, we’ve already seen one totally unde🐭rrated Johto Fire-type in this rundown. Here’s another.

Typhlosion is an interesting case. Statistically, it’s nothing too remarkable, but it’s got just what it needs in all the right places. It’sඣ built for Speed and Special Attack, and it can handle that job quite well (outside of the higher tiers of competitive play, where it’s rather outclassed).

Typhlosion’s specialty, just now, is d✱ropping powerful Eruptions (with its Flash Fire booꦓst, if it can get it) with a Choice Scarf around its next. Not the most complex strategy, but it can certainly work wonders.