Summary
- When it comes to evolving Pokemon, some species have incredibly bizarre and obscure methods that are nearly impossible to figure out alone.
- From having a Dark-type Pokemon in your party to leveling up under specific weather conditions, evolution requirements can be very unconventional.
- Understanding these unique evolution methods adds depth and complexity to the Pokemon games, making each species have a special and distinct evolution process.
Pokemon is a fun franchise with plenty of amazing characters and moments, but at the end of the day, it's the Pokemon themselves that matter the most. Most of the creatures you catch during your adventures can evolve into stronger forms, but some of them use unconventional methods to transform into a new Pokemon.
While most Pokemon evolve after reaching a certain level, others 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:require certain items or moves to reach their next stage. Some Pokemon have incredibly ludicrous and obscure evolution methods that woul🐻d be nearly impossible to figure out ℱon your own, and these may be some of the strangest ones so far.
Updated on June 3, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard. Some Pokemon use extremely weird methods to evolve, and that trend doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. We've decided to revisit this list to include even more creatures that need unconventional requirements to grow stronger, and to add more information about every Pokemon on the list.
18 Pancham
Playful Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
67 |
Attack |
82 |
Defense |
62 |
Special Attack |
46 |
Special Defense |
48 |
Speed |
43 |
Pancham was introduced in Pokemon X and Y as a new Fighting-type that's as tough as it is adorable. You can usually catch one during the opening hours of your adventure, but you won't be able to evolve it into a Pangoro until it reaches level 32. Even then, you'll have to meet one more condition before Pancham can grow into its final form.
Unlike other Pokemon❀ on this list, evolving Pancham is quite simple. All you need to do is make sure you have a Dark-type Pokemon in your party when it reaches level 32 or higher, and Pancham will evolve into the Fighting and Dark-type, Pangoro.
17 Dunsparce
Land Snake Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
100 |
Attack |
70 |
Defense |
70 |
Special Attack |
65 |
Special Defense |
65 |
Speed |
45 |
Dunsparce is a Normal-type that was introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver. Despite some decent stats, Dunsparce was often forgotten by casual and competitive players due to its limited potential. After many generations of being a single-form Pokemon, Dunsparce finally received an evolution in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that made it much more compelling.
To evolve Dunsparce, all you need to do is catch one and level it up after it learns to move Hyper Drill. It will then turn into Dundunsparce, but there are two different forms of this Pokemon to look out for. It's most common to receive the Two-Segment form of the creature, but there is a 1/100 chance that Dunsparce will evolve into a Three-Segment Dundunsparce.
16 Burmy
Bagworm Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
40 |
Attack |
29 |
Defense |
45 |
Special Attack |
29 |
Special Defense |
45 |
Speed |
36 |
It's not a Pokemon game without an outrageous number of Bug-types to catch at the beginning of the journey, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Diamond and Pearl con👍tinue that tradition by filling its opening routes with Kricketot, Co♓mbee, and Burmy. Most of them are fairly straightforward when it comes to evolving them, but Burmy is unique in many ways.
First of all, male and female Burmy evolve into different creatures entirely.🗹 The males evolve into Mothim at level 20, and the females evolve into Wormadam at the same level. Now, the appearance of Wormadam comes in three different colors, and the one you receive is based on the environment where you evolved the Burmy. All three Wormadam forms are Bug-type, but they each have a different secondary type, so plan carefully to get the one that works best with your party.
15 Mantyke
Kite Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
45 |
Attack |
20 |
Defense |
50 |
Special Attack |
60 |
Special Defense |
120 |
Speed |
50 |
Mantyke was introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl as the pre-evolution to Mantine. This adorable Water and Flying-type Pokemon is incredibly common to find, but you might think it's strange when it reaches level 50 and still hasn't evolved into its final form.

16 Cute Pokemon That Are Stronger 🗹Than They𝓡 Look
These Pokemon not only look adorable but they are also stronger🐭 than you'd expect. Don't💯 underestimate these cute critters.
If you look closely enough at a Mantine, you'll notice that it has another Pokemon attached to it under its wing. To evolve your Mantyke into a Mantine, you need to level it up while also having a Remoraid in your party. Despite your new Mantine having a Remoraid attached to it, you won't lose the fish Pokemon from your party and can still raise it to be an Octillery one day.
14 Basculin
Mellow Pokemon (White-Striped Form)
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
70 |
Attack |
92 |
Defense |
65 |
Special Attack |
80 |
Special Defense |
55 |
Speed |
98 |
Nearly every generation of Pokemon games introduces a new fish-like Pokemon that can evolve into something more majestic, but 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Black and White decided to subvert that expectation. Basculin has two forms - Red-Striped and Blue-Striped - and is incredibly common, but it wouldn't receive an evolution until 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Legends: Arceus introduced a Hisuian variant.
A White-Striped Basculin exists in the Hisui region and can evolve into the Water and Ghost-type Basculegion after losing 249 HP from recoil damage without knocking itself out. It's strange watching a Pokemon hit itself this often but having a Basculegion on your team makes it worth your time.
13 Stantler
Big Horn Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
73 |
Attack |
95 |
Defense |
62 |
Special Attack |
85 |
Special Defense |
65 |
Speed |
85 |
Stantler is one of many Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver without an evolution initially, but it would finally receive one in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:reindeer-like Pokemon was never a viable option for competitive trainers, but evolving Stantler into Wyrdeer gives it 🎃much more pot♏ential when battling against others.
Wyrdeer is a rare Normal and Psychic-type Pokemon that you can get by using one of Pokemon Legends' unique mechanics. Every move can be used in either an agile or strong style, and Stantler needs to use Psyshield Bash at least twenty times in the agile style before it eventually becomes a Wyrdeer.
12 Nincada
Trainee Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
31 |
Attack |
45 |
Defense |
90 |
Special Attack |
30 |
Special Defense |
30 |
Speed |
40 |
Nincada is one of the first Pokemon to have an evolution that you could easily miss if you didn't know what to do. This Bug and Ground-type Pokemon was introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and evolves into Ninjask at level 20, but it also evolves into another Pokemon at the same time if you meet the requirements.
To add Nincada's other evolution to your team, you must leave an open space in your party when it evolves at level 20. This allows Nincada to also evolve into Shedinja, which is essentially the hollow shell it leaves behind after becoming Ninjask. You'll also need to make sure you have at least one Pokeball in your inventory for this Bug and Ghost-type Pokemon to dwell in.
11 Sliggoo
Soft Tissue Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
68 |
Attack |
75 |
Defense |
53 |
Special Attack |
83 |
Special Defense |
113 |
Speed |
60 |
Many of the Pokemon with bizarre evolution me🦩thods only have two forms, but Sliggoo is the exception to the rule. This Dragon-type Pokemon (Hisuian Sliggoo are Dragon and Steel-type) was first introduced in Pokemon X and Y and evolves from Goomy after it reaches level 40.

Pokemon Scarlet & Viol𒈔et: Best Dragon-Types
These Dragon-type 🥀Pokemon will prove🥀 why they're some of the strongest in Scarlet & Violet.
After raising Sliggoo to level 50, you'll need to wait for the weather to become rainy or foggy before it can evolve into Goodra. Once it gains a level under these conditions, both versions of Sliggoo will reach their final forms, but you can't use moves like Rain Dance to trigger the weather change.
10 Meltan
Hex Nut Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
46 |
Attack |
65 |
Defense |
65 |
Special Attack |
55 |
Special Defense |
35 |
Speed |
34 |
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Go was first released for mobile devices in 2016 and continues to be one of the mos🐬t successful and consistently fun ga✨mes on the market. Due to its popularity, it wasn't that big of a surprise when Meltan made its debut on the platform before appearing in any of the mainline games.
Not only did Meltan make its first appearance in Pokemon Go, but the Steel-type can only evolve in the mobile game. You can evolve it by feeding it 400 Meltan Candy, which is only obtainable in Pokemon Go. You can transfer the Pokemon into your other games, but it's impossible to evolve it without having the popular app on your phone.
9 Tyrogue
Scuffle Pokemon
Statistic |
Base Value |
---|---|
HP |
35 |
Attack |
35 |
Defense |
35 |
Special Attack |
35 |
Special Defense |
35 |
Speed |
35 |
Some Pokemon trainers don't look at their Pokemon's stats as often as others, but you'll need to keep an eye on Tyrogue's if you want it to evolve into a specific Pokemon. This Fighting-type has a ton of ambition and potential and can become one of three different Pokemon based on which stats it has once it reaches level 20.
If Tyrogue's attack is higher than its defense at level 20, it becomes Hitmonlee. If the opposite is true, it evolves into Hitmonchan. Finally, if both stats are equal, then it becomes Hitmontop. You may need to catch or breed a bunch of Tyrogue to obtain all three evolutions, but certain items can help you build its stats up the way you like.