Novelty Pokémon: Difference between revisions

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A novelty Pokémon, also referred to as a gimmick Pokémon, is a fan term for a Pokémon that usually possesses at least one (or usually more) of the following characteristics:

• Has a movepool limited to very few moves
• Is considered by some to have been made to introduce a game mechanic
• Has a unique feature

These Pokémon are often hard to come by, and may be simply given to the player once per game.

Some of these Pokémon are difficult to use in competitive battling, but became viable participants in Pokémon Contests after they were introduced in Generation III. Generation IV introduced the Pokéathlon which allows any Pokémon to compete by giving each Pokémon its own special set of stats.

List of novelty Pokémon

Pokémon			Reason
063		Abra	Abra is a novelty Pokémon because it cannot learn any moves except Teleport by level-up, which makes capturing wild Abra quite difficult.
132		Ditto	Ditto only has one move—Transform—which lets it copy the appearance, types, moves, and stats (excluding HP) of its target. From Generation II onwards Ditto is able to breed with any Pokémon outside of the Undiscovered Egg Group.
133		Eevee	Eevee is the only Pokémon to have more than two branched evolutions, and is also the Pokémon with the most evolutions.
151		Mew	Mew has the unique capability to learn every TM, HM and Move Tutor move (except those exclusive to a particular Pokémon or group of Pokémon, such as Draco Meteor and Secret Sword), and as such, Mew has the largest movepool of all Pokémon.
172		Spiky-eared Pichu	While Pichu are not considered to be novelty Pokémon, the Spiky-eared variant found only in HeartGold and SoulSilver can be considered to be a novelty form. Spiky-eared Pichu cannot evolve, cannot be traded to any other game and has the same base stats as normal Pichu. However, it does have different Pokéathlon stats. Spiky-eared Pichu is also the only form difference not to be carried over into later games in the main series, as it cannot be transferred to Generation V games.
201		Unown	Unown’s main purpose in the games is to be collected, a sidequest that consists of finding its 28 forms. It is capable of learning only one move.
213		Shuckle	Shuckle was capable of creating Berry Juice in Generation II if it held a Berry.
225		Delibird	Delibird is capable of naturally learning only a single move and is the only Pokémon who can learn it naturally. Unlike Unown, it can learn other moves via TMs and breeding.
235		Smeargle	Smeargle learns only one move repeatedly, but this move has the ability to permanently duplicate the moves of other Pokémon. With the capability to learn every move, it is very useful in breeding egg moves to Pokémon.
236		Tyrogue	Tyrogue is the only Pokémon that evolves based on its stats.
292		Shedinja	Shedinja is protected from most attacks due to Wonder Guard, but it is also the only Pokémon to have 1 HP, the lowest base stat of any known Pokémon. In addition, it has a unique evolution method.
327		Spinda	Spinda’s main gimmick is the variable designs on its body.
349		Feebas	Feebas is the only Pokémon capable of evolving based on its Contest condition. In Generation V, Feebas can now also evolve by trading it while holding the Prism Scale.
386		Deoxys	Deoxys was the first Pokémon whose base stats and move compatibility differed between forms. Deoxys is also the only Pokémon whose forms were ever game-specific (in Generation III).
412		Cherrim	Cherrim has two forms which change during intense sunlight, the Overcast Form and the Sunny Form.
441		Chatot	Chatot can use Chatter to repeat back messages recorded on the DS microphone. This move is also the only move unable to be Sketched by Smeargle.
442		Spiritomb	Spiritomb is considered a novelty due to the unique way it is captured, by taking the Odd Keystone to the Hallowed Tower, and then talking to people in the Underground 32 times, then returning to the tower to battle a wild Spiritomb. It is also the second Pokémon with no weaknesses, after Sableye.
479		Rotom	Rotom has the greatest number of different forms — six — of any Pokémon that can change forms at will. Until Generation V, all forms of Rotom were Electric/Ghost-type. Rotom is the only Pokémon that was dual-typed and then had its type changed in a later generation.
489 490		Phione and Manaphy	Phione can only be obtained by breeding the event Pokémon Manaphy, with Manaphy being the only legendary Pokémon capable of breeding. Although Manaphy produces Phione eggs when bred with Ditto, Phione cannot evolve into Manaphy.
550		Basculin	Basculin is the only Pokémon that has four different abilities.
585 586		Deerling and Sawsbuck	Deerling and Sawsbuck are the only Pokémon with forms that vary depending on the current in-game season.

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