Pokemon GO: 10 Best Regional Pokemon, Ranked (2024)

Pokemon trainers are driven to travel across the land, searching far and wide for strong Pokemon. In the mainline games, this quest involves hunting down version-exclusive Pokemon, encouraging players to trade with others to catch 'em all. Pokemon GO's regional Pokemon takes this premise to a whole new level.

There are over 50 region-specific Pokemon, including their evolutions. Some of these Pokemon boast impressive Combat Power (CP) and skills, making them highly sought after. However, the only legitimate ways to catch them are through traveling to their specific regions, trading with someone who has, or waiting for special events that temporarily make them available in other areas.

10 Tropius

Tropius, a Grass/Flying-type Pokemon, can only be found in the wild in Africa and the Middle East. Its Grass/Flying type combination makes it particularly effective against other Grass-type Pokemon.

Though Tropius has relatively low DPS and total damage output (TDO) compared to other Pokemon, it shines in Little Cup PvP battles. When equipped with Air Slash and Aerial Ace, Tropius becomes a formidable contender. Since the Little Cup has a CP cut-off of 500, you can only use Tropius up to level nine, meaning it must be caught in the wild. Tropius’s unique typing and decent bulk make it a valuable niche Pokemon.

9 Tauros

Tauros, native to the United States and Canada, is a sturdy Pokemon with well-rounded base stats. Its best move set, Tackle and Earthquake, provides it with a DPS of 11.51 and a TDO of 310.0. However, Tauros's true strength lies in its versatility, as it can learn a variety of moves from different types, allowing you to tailor it to specific team needs.

• Tackle + Trailblaze (grass) = 11.26 DPS, 303.3 TDO
• Tackle + Iron Head (steel) = 11.01 DPS, 296.5 TDO
• Tackle + Horn Attack (normal) = 10.70 DPS, 288.1 TDO

Tauros excels in PvP and Rocket Grunt battles, particularly as a second Pokemon, entering the fray after your opponent’s shields are down. Given that most of Tauros’s charged attacks take longer to charge, it’s best to use them strategically, ensuring you can maximize their impact.

8 Carnivine

Carnivine thrives in the humid, insect-rich environments of Florida and South Carolina, making these regions its exclusive home in the Pokemon world. In PvP battles, Carnivine shines due to its fast-charging attacks, allowing it to deal significant damage in a short amount of time.

To truly maximize Carnivine's potential in PvP, it's worth investing Stardust to unlock a second Charged move and teach it Crunch. This addition not only makes it effective against Ground and Water types but also gives it an edge against Psychic and Ghost-type Pokemon, making Carnivine a versatile and formidable opponent.

7 Bouffalant

Bouffalant, which can only be caught in and around New York City, has one of the smallest territories of all regional Pokemon. Despite its impressive base stats for attack and defense, Bouffalant's offensive potential is tempered by its available move sets. When equipped with its optimal move set (Mud Shot and Skull Bash), Bouffalant achieves 11.44 DPS and a TDO of 361.2.

However, its higher defense makes Bouffalant a solid choice for defending gyms or as a lead Pokemon in PvP battles. With a quick cooldown and reliable damage, it can effectively clear your opponent's shields, setting the stage for a stronger Pokemon to defeat the remaining team.

6 Lunatone And Solrock

Lunatone and Solrock are two sides of the same coin, sharing identical base stats and a dual Rock/Psychic typing. The primary difference between them lies in their unique charged attacks: Lunatone can learn Moonblast, while Solrock can learn Solar Beam. Lunatone is primarily found in the Western hemisphere, while Solrock is found in the Eastern hemisphere. These Pokemon periodically migrate, switching territories between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, making them among the easiest regional Pokemon to track down.

When defending gyms, the optimal move set for both Lunatone and Solrock is Psywave paired with Psychic, providing a strong and consistent defense. However, if you're planning to use them in PvP battles, it's advisable to swap their move sets to Confusion and their respective unique moves—Moonblast for Lunatone and Solar Beam for Solrock. This setup reduces cooldown times, allowing you to deal damage more quickly and efficiently in battle.

5 Kangaskhan

At first glance, Kangaskhan appears to be a middle-tier Pokemon with balanced base stats that hover around the median. Its recommended move set offers a modest DPS of 10.22 and a respectable TDO of 316.5.

However, Kangaskhan's potential skyrockets when it Mega Evolves. This transformation boosts its base attack to 246 and its defense to 210, with the real difference emerging when equipped with Mud-Slap and Outrage. This combination increases Kangaskhan's DPS to 13.27 and TDO to 513. The significant power boost makes Mega Kangaskhan an excellent choice for taking on gyms and raids, where its enhanced strength can be fully utilized.

4 Sawk

Sawk, a Fighting-type Pokemon found in the wild in the Eastern Hemisphere, is known for its strong offensive abilities. When equipped with Low Kick and Focus Blast, Sawk delivers the second-highest DPS of all regional Pokemon at 14.13, along with a TDO of 323. Its balanced attack and defensive stats make Sawk a versatile addition to any team.

If you manage to catch a Shadow Sawk, you'll notice an increase in DPS to 16.70, though this comes at the cost of a slightly lower TDO of 318.0. Having both Sawk and Shadow Sawk in your roster provides flexibility, allowing you to choose the best option for various battles, whether you're focusing on sustained damage or quick, powerful strikes.

3 Throh

Throh, a Fighting-type Pokemon from the Unova region, is a regional exclusive that can be caught in the wild in the Western Hemisphere. This Pokemon is a valuable addition to your team, known for its quick strikes and solid stats. With a DPS of 11.25 and a TDO of 375.8 when using Low Kick and Focus Blast, Throh balances speed and power effectively. If you manage to catch a Shadow Throh, its DPS increases to 13.24, making it even faster in battle, though its TDO slightly decreases to 368.6.

Shadow Throh shines in PvP battles, where its enhanced DPS allows you to rapidly chip away at your opponent’s health. On the other hand, the standard Throh, with its higher total damage output, is more suited for Gyms and Raids, where you can leverage its charged attacks to take down powerful opponents.

2 Relicanth

Relicanth, an ancient Water/Rock-type Pokemon, is found exclusively in Fiji and New Zealand. With a maximum CP of 2858 and a TDO of 390.3, it ranks as the second-strongest regional Pokemon. Despite its strength in this category, Relicanth is outclassed by other Water-types like Vaporeon (470.3 TDO) and Gyarados (462.4 TDO), placing it at number 68 among Water Pokemon based on meta statistics.

Relicanth's true value lies in its impressive defense, making it a strong choice for tanking in PvP battles or holding down Gyms. While its attack might be underwhelming, swapping Hydro Pump for a charged attack with a shorter cooldown, such as Aqua Tail, can enhance its effectiveness. In PvP, Relicanth can be strategically used to force opponents to burn through their shields, allowing you to bring in a stronger Pokemon to dominate the battle.

1 Heracross

Heracross, a Bug/Fighting-type Pokemon, is a regional exclusive that can be found in the wild only in Central and South America. It's the most powerful regional Pokemon, especially since it's one of two regional Pokemon with a Mega Evolution. With its strongest move set of Counter and Megahorn, Heracross boasts an impressive TDO of 419.28. However, when Mega Evolved, that damage output will skyrocket to 705.15, making it a formidable force in battles.

Heracross is vulnerable to Flying-type attacks, taking 256 percent extra damage, but it's highly effective against Dark, Normal, and Grass-type Pokemon, making it a versatile and strategic choice for many trainers.