The Most Difficult Pokemon to Evolve: A Ranking of Elusive Evolution Paths

Voting rules: Choose the Pokémon you think is the most difficult!

Jun 16, 2023 10:18 (Updated on Dec 5, 2023 06:35)

Welcome to StrawPoll, where your opinion matters! Are you a die-hard Pokémon fan looking to test your knowledge on the most challenging evolutions? Look no further! We've compiled a ranking of the most difficult Pokémon to evolve, and now we need YOUR votes to settle the debate. From trade evolutions to friendship levels, we've got it all covered. But if you think we've missed out on a tricky Pokémon, don't hesitate to suggest it! Dive into the world of Pokémon, explore the complexities of the evolutions, and help us uncover the ultimate challenge in the Pokémon universe. The power to shape this ranking is in your hands, so vote now and let your voice be heard!

What Is the Most Difficult Pokemon to Evolve?

1

77
votes
Feebas

Feebas is widely considered as the most difficult Pokémon to evolve. It requires a lot of effort and patience to evolve Feebas into Milotic. Its evolution is dependent on its Beauty stat, which can only be increased by feeding it specific berries or using Pokeblock. It also has a low spawn rate, making it difficult to find in the game.
Description

Feebas is a Water-type Pokémon known for its unremarkable appearance and limited availability. It was first introduced in Generation III of the Pokémon series.

Pokédex Number: 349

Type: Water

Evolutionary Stage: Basic

Height: 0.6 m (2'00")

Weight: 7.4 kg (16.3 lbs)
2

36
votes
Eevee

Eevee is a unique Pokémon that can evolve into several different forms, depending on various factors such as friendship level, location, and use of specific items. It requires a lot of planning and strategy to evolve Eevee into the desired form.
Description

Eevee is a highly popular Evolution Pokémon known for its ability to evolve into multiple different forms based on various factors. It is a small, fox-like creature with bushy fur, large ears, and a fluffy, collar-like ruff around its neck. Its fur is usually brown, but it can also be found in other colors such as black, white, and pink.

Type: Normal

Height: 0.3 meters

Weight: 6.5 kilograms

Ability: Adaptability

Evolutionary Forms: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Sylveon
3

23
votes
Tyrogue

Tyrogue is a relatively difficult Pokémon to evolve as its evolution is dependent on its stats. It can evolve into one of three different forms - Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop - depending on which stat is the highest.
Description

Tyrogue is a Fighting type Pokémon that made its debut in Generation II. It is known for its unique evolutionary mechanics, where the specific stats of Tyrogue determine its evolution into one of three different Pokémon: Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop.

Type: Fighting

Generation: II

Evolutionary Mechanics: Dependent on Tyrogue's stats

Possible Evolutions: Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop

Attack Stat Requirement for Hitmonlee: Tyrogue must have a higher Attack stat
4

32
votes
Porygon - Porygon is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Up-Grade

Porygon - Porygon is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Up-Grade - to evolve into Porygon2. The Up-Grade can only be obtained through specific means, such as winning it at the Game Corner or finding it in the wild.
Description

Porygon is a Pokémon known for its unique and artificial design. It consists of geometric shapes and is characterized by its smooth, pink body color. Porygon is highly advanced and has the ability to move freely in cyberspace. However, it requires a specific item called the Up-Grade to evolve.

Type: Normal

Height: 0.8 m (2'07")

Weight: 36.5 kg (80.5 lbs)

Abilities: Trace, Download

Weaknesses: Fighting
5

18
votes
Munchlax - Munchlax is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Full Incense

Junichi Masuda

Munchlax - Munchlax is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Full Incense - to evolve into Snorlax. The Full Incense can only be obtained through specific means, such as finding it in the wild or winning it at the Battle Frontier.
Description

Munchlax is a Pokémon known for its insatiable appetite. It is a Normal-type Pokémon that resembles a small blue bear cub. Munchlax always carries around a bag of leftovers, which it can eat at any time to satisfy its immense hunger. Despite its lazy nature, Munchlax possesses impressive strength and endurance. The evolution of Munchlax into Snorlax is triggered by its friendship level with its trainer and requires the use of the Full Incense item.

Pokédex Number: #446

Type: Normal

Height: 2'00" (0.6 m)

Weight: 231.5 lbs (105.0 kg)

Ability: Pickup or Thick Fat
6

8
votes
Clamperl - Clamperl is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Deep Sea Tooth or Deep Sea Scale

Satoshi Tajiri

Clamperl - Clamperl is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Deep Sea Tooth or Deep Sea Scale - to evolve into Huntail or Gorebyss, respectively. The items can only be obtained through specific means, such as finding them in the wild or winning them at the Battle Frontier.
Description

Clamperl is a Water type Pokémon that resembles a bivalve mollusk, primarily living in shallow ocean waters. It has a pale, blue-colored body with a pink, spiral shell on its back. Its two round eyes are located on the shell's hinge, and it has a small, puckered mouth. Clamperl is a Pokémon known for its ability to evolve into two different forms depending on its exposure to specific items: Deep Sea Tooth or Deep Sea Scale.

Type: Water

Evolutionary Line: Clamperl -> Huntail (Deep Sea Tooth) / Clamperl -> Gorebyss (Deep Sea Scale)

Height: 1' 4" (0.4 m)

Weight: 115.7 lbs (52.5 kg)

Ability: Shell Armor (prevents critical hits)
7

15
votes
Inkay - Inkay is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition

Game Freak

Inkay - Inkay is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition is flipping the Nintendo 3DS upside down while leveling up - to evolve into Malamar. It is a unique evolution method that is not found in any other Pokémon.
Description

Inkay is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition to evolve. It is a Psychic/Dark type Pokémon introduced in the sixth generation. Inkay evolves into Malamar when certain conditions are met.

Pokédex Number: #686

Type: Psychic/Dark

Abilities: Contrary, Suction Cups (Hidden)

Height: 0.4 m (1'04")

Weight: 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs)
8

5
votes
Onix - Onix is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Metal Coat

Ken Sugimori

Onix - Onix is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Metal Coat - to evolve into Steelix. The Metal Coat can only be obtained through specific means, such as finding it in the wild or winning it at the Battle Frontier.
Description

Onix is a Rock/Ground-type Pokémon known for its massive size and rigid body structure. It resembles a giant snake made of grayish-blue boulders, with a rocky spine along its back. Its intimidating appearance often strikes fear in the hearts of its opponents.

Type: Rock/Ground

Evolutionary Line: Onix

Evolution Method: Trade while holding Metal Coat

Height: 8.8 meters

Weight: 210.0 kilograms
9

11
votes
Seadra - Seadra is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Dragon Scale

Game Freak

Seadra - Seadra is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Dragon Scale - to evolve into Kingdra. The Dragon Scale can only be obtained through specific means, such as finding it in the wild or winning it at the Battle Frontier.
Description

Seadra is a Water-type Pokémon that evolves from Horsea and requires a specific evolutionary item called Dragon Scale to evolve further into Kingdra.

Pokédex Number: Seadra - #117

Type: Water

Evolutionary Chain: Horsea (Lv. 32) -> Seadra (using Dragon Scale) -> Kingdra

Height: 1.2 m (3' 11")

Weight: 25.0 kg (55.1 lbs)
10

11
votes

Nosepass - Nosepass is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition

Nosepass - Nosepass is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition is leveling up in a magnetic field - to evolve into Probopass. It is a unique evolution method that is not found in any other Pokémon.

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Discussion

Ranking factors for difficult Pokemon

Evolution method

Some Pokemon require specific methods to evolve, such as using a particular item, trading with another player, or leveling up with a certain move. Unusual or difficult-to-obtain evolution methods can make a Pokemon harder to evolve.
Evolution level

Many Pokemon evolve when they reach a certain level. A higher required level makes the Pokemon more challenging to evolve, as it requires more time and effort to level up.
Rarity of the Pokemon

If the base Pokemon itself is rare (e.g., found in a specific location or has a low encounter rate), it can make evolving the Pokemon more difficult, as players must first obtain the base Pokemon before they can even attempt to evolve it.
Item availability

Some Pokemon require specific items to evolve, such as an evolution stone or held item. The rarity and difficulty of obtaining these items can affect the ease of evolving the Pokemon. Additionally, some items may only be available through events or trading with other players, adding further difficulty.
In-game events or conditions

Certain Pokemon evolve only under specific in-game conditions, such as evolving during daytime or nighttime, leveling up with high friendship, or having a specific Pokemon in the player's party. Fulfilling these conditions can make the evolution process more challenging.
Version exclusivity

If a Pokemon is exclusive to a specific version of the game, players may need to trade with someone who has the other version to evolve their Pokemon. This can make the process more difficult, especially if you do not have access to other players or compatible games.
Trade evolution

Some Pokemon only evolve when traded with another player. This can make it more difficult to evolve these Pokemon, especially for solo players or those with limited access to trading partners.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most difficult Pokemon to evolve. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or Pokémon is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

1420 views
236 votes
10 ranked items

Movers & Shakers

Feebas
Eevee
Clamperl - Clamperl is a Pokémon that requires a specific item - Deep Sea Tooth or Deep Sea Scale
Nosepass - Nosepass is a Pokémon that requires a specific condition

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each Pokémon once every 24 hours. The rank of each Pokémon is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most difficult pokemon to evolve

Background Information: Pokemon is a popular franchise that has been around for over two decades. The game involves collecting and battling different creatures, known as Pokemon. One of the key aspects of the game is evolving your Pokemon, which often leads to stronger and more powerful creatures. However, not all Pokemon are easy to evolve. Some require specific conditions or items, while others simply have a low evolution rate. In this article, we will explore the most difficult Pokemon to evolve and the challenges that trainers face when trying to level up their beloved creatures.