Push is a one-and-done underseen gem

Guy Ritchie has become the master of the franchise non-starter

Evolution has been a staple of Pokémon since the franchise’s beginnings. From raising your little Charmander into a Charizard to using a team of all different Eeveelutions, evolving Pokémon goes hand-in-hand with the series’ other gameplay pillars, like catching wild Pokémon and battling trainers. Because of that, you’d think every Pokémon would belong to an evolution line, but plenty don’t.

30 years in, dozens of Pokémon are mere one-off Pokémon who don’t evolve. Few things are more fun than pitting Pokémon against one another, so let’s sit back and rank the 10 best one-and-done Pokémon. This ranking is, of course, the product of one Poké Fan’s mind — unlike Polygon’s ranking of the top 100 Pokémon that dared to be democratic and capture the wide-ranging opinions of our team.

A few caveats: No Legendaries or Mythical Pokémon were considered, because their inclusions would be too obvious. No Paradox Pokémon either, because I love them too much and they’d claim nearly every spot. Mega Evolutions don’t count as a disqualifying mark; they’re more of a battle gimmick than wholly new evolution. (If anything, Mega Evolutions enforce the idea that these are one and done Pokémon as only the final ‘mon of an evolution line can Mega Evolve.)

Without further ado, here are the 10 best Pokémon who don’t evolve.

Plenty of people would deride Klefki for being an object Pokémon. I am not one of those people — object Pokémon rock (especially when they’re ghosts). Klefki is adorable; a sentient........

© Polygon