Best Pokemon in Hoenn: from Earth, Sea, and Sky [Ranked]

Rayquaza

Rayquaza is a super easy pick for first place because it's quite simply the best Hoenn Pokemon by a longshot. It's the strongest Pokemon available in the Hoenn region, and one of the strongest Pokemon - period.

A seriously powerful Legendary Pokemon, Rayquaza even gets a special Mega Evolution into Mega Rayquaza, making it even more powerful and giving it a swish new design.

I liked the original design for Rayquaza, but the Mega Form gives it a whole load of new flair which adds a lot to the overall feel of the Pokemon.

And as the box art Legendary for Pokemon Emerald, Rayquaza already had a super strong design theme.

Rayquaza is one of the best Pokemon of all time too thanks to its truly superb stats and amazing design theme. This Pokemon deserves its top spot as the best Hoenn Pokemon.

Kyogre

A gargantuan prehistoric mythical whale Pokemon, Kygore has a super unique design and major utility that sees it catapulted through this ranking to second place. Kyogre is an awesome Pokemon with a design befitting its status as an ancient defender of the seas.

One of the mascots for the Hoenn games, Kygore has legions of fans. With its super high Special Attack and its powerful moves like Hydro Pump and Origin Pulse Kyogre is great to use in battle.

It gets even better in its Primal Form, which is my personal favorite form of Kyogre due to its sleek look and glowing details. And Primal Kyogre gets a uniquely powerful Ability that sets heavy Rain and completely prevents Fire type attacks from working.

Definitely a good reason to pick Pokemon Sapphire!

Groudon

One of a pair of warring Legendaries, Groudon has legions of adoring fans and it's really easy to see why. As the mascot Pokemon for Pokémon Ruby, Groudon had to be awesome.

But it didn't have to be that awesome.

I love its spiky design, and its sheer power makes it a menace in battles too. Groudon has the distinction of being one of the heaviest Pokemon of all time, so heavy it made the list twice thanks to its awesome Primal Groudon form.

And Primal Groudon is just amazing, from its winning mysterious design to its truly phenomenal offensive stats. I liked Groudon, but I love Primal Groudon because it takes everything good about Groudon and kicks it up a notch.

From its awesome Ability to its Signature Move, Primal Groudon slaps hard and reigns as one of the best Hoenn Pokemon, beaten out only by Kyogre's insane utility on Rain Teams.

Salamence

A powerful and popular pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, Salamence is a pretty standard Dragon Pokemon. I like it because it has the look and feel of a typical Western dragon, but it doesn't have the most stand out of designs, even compared with other Hoenn Pokemon.

But that's okay, because Salamence is powerful and even has a Mega Evolved form - Mega Salamence - which gives it a fresh new look. And damn, is Salamence is a strong Pokemon. It's one of the strongest non-Legendaries in the Hoenn region and gets a great spread of attacks.

Its defensive stats lag behind its attacking stats just a little, but its good Speed and great typing means that's not really an issue.

Salamence is such a popular Pokemon that there's even a special past Paradox Pokemon inspired by its Mega Form!

Metagross

The Hoenn region introduced not one but two different pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, and I love that about it because Metagross is such a bold choice. I mean, it's a metallic crystalline crab. And it's awesome.

A Psychic and Steel type Pokemon, Metagross is a powerful physical attacker with awesome moves like Meteor Mash and Zen Headass. It's fantastic in battle and is always a relevant choice, even in games with more options.

Not only is it a powerful Pokémon, it gets a Mega Evolution into the even more powerful Mega Metagross! Mega Metagross doesn't get quite as much of a glow up as some other Mega Forms, the design being pretty similar to the original, but it's a super powerful Pokémon and great fun to use.

All this makes Metagross an easy choice for one of the top 5 Hoenn Pokemon.

Gardevoir

No list of the best Hoenn Pokemon would ever be complete without Gardevoir. Super popular since its introduction, Gardevoir was originally a pure Psychic type Pokemon but became a Fairy type in Generation VI, giving it a whole new niche.

Gardevoir was quite rare in Gen 3, being found as its pre-evolved form Ralts on only one single route at the very beginning of the game. But Gardevoir was absolutely worth hunting for as one of the best Psychic Pokémon available in the Hoenn region - and being one of the best Psychic Pokémon overall!

With its great Special Attack Gardevoir makes a fantastic special attacker, a very viable choice in many scenarios. And it even gets an elegant and sophisticated Mega Evolution into Mega Gardevoir.

Blaziken

Blaziken is many fans' favorite starter Pokemon, and it's easy to see why with its fantastic design and strong stats. With its high Attack and Special Attack Blaziken can excel in many roles, but it's better used as a physical attacker thanks to its higher Attack stat and its movepool with many great physical Fighting type moves.

As Hoenn Pokemon go, Blaziken is awesome. It can knock opponents out with ease, and its Hidden Ability Speed Boost makes it a real terror in combat. It can Mega Evolve into Mega Blaziken, which gets a huge power up and a swish new look.

I really like Blaziken, and it was my favorite starter back when I first played Pokemon Ruby.

Milotic

All the way back in Gen 3 Milotic was one of the most difficult and frustrating Hoenn Pokemon to obtain. Not only was its pre-evolved form, Feebas, present on only six random tiles on one route, but to get a Feebas to evolve required maxing out its Beauty stat.

But Milotic is full of good points as it's a strong Pokémon with a good movepool and it looks pretty awesome. Milotic has one of the best shiny forms, being a personal favorite of mine, and its high Special Attack makes it a real monster with attacks like Surf.

Milotic is also one of the best snake Pokemon!

Swampert

Swampert is an all around fantastic Pokemon. Its pre-evolved form Mudkip featured in a popular meme, but Swampert itself is a powerful Pokémon with a whole lot at its disposal.

I loved Swampert thanks to its great design, but also its really useful dual typing of Water and Ground types. This combination is great because it eliminates one of its biggest weaknesses, making Swampert immune to Electric type attacks.

I had tons of fun sweeping Hoenn's Electric type gym with my Marshtomp, secure in the knowledge that despite being a Water type, everything was totally fine.

And Swampert even has a super awesome Mega Evolved form, Mega Swampert. I love Mega Swampert because it's just got that primal, brutish look, and the utility isn't bad either.

Altaria

Altaria isn't the strongest of fully evolved Pokémon, but it's an adorable Dragon type Pokemon with some hidden depths. It's easily one of the cutest Hoenn Pokemon, but it can also be fun to use in battle and has a whole lot of charm.

But not only that, Altaria can Mega Evolve into Mega Altaria. Mega Altaria has the unique dual typing of Dragon and Fairy type, giving it a little something extra.

Altaria's strong design theme gets it a spot on this ranking of the best Hoenn Pokemon, and also wins it legions of fans!