Rarest Pokemon In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Highlights

• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl offers a chance to catch every Pokemon from Generation 4 National Pokedex.
• Legendary Pokemon like Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai require specific items or events to catch in the game.
• Completing the Pokedex involves finding rare Pokemon like Munchlax and Manaphy through unique methods.

With Sinnoh renewed and remade for Nintendo Switch, players old and new are going to be looking for Pokedex completion once again. A unique quality of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is that just about every Pokemon in the Generation 4 National Pokedex is catchable across the two games.

As with any Pokedex, though, some Pokemon will be a real pain to get hold of. Legendary Pokemon have their own challenge, but finding them often isn’t too tricky. It’s other random Pokemon that are seemingly impossible to find.

Updated March 24, 2024 by Ben Painter: The latest entry in the franchise, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and its DLC: The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero and its three parts; The Teal Mask, The Indigo Disc & Epilogue: Mochi Mayhem have been out for some time now. With that game done and dusted, Pokemon fans look ahead to the upcoming entry into the franchise, Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

But while that comes out, gamers may want to go back to previous Pokemon games, and why not choose Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl? The remakes of the Sinnoh games are readily available on the Nintendo Switch. One thing that players could do is go back and try and complete the Pokedex, which includes the hardest Pokemon to catch across the two games.

1 Scyther/Pinsir

Bug/Flying-type, Bug-type

• Game Location:Scyther (Brilliant Diamond only) Route 229, Grand Underground – Grassland Cave, Sunlit Cavern, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Big Bluff Cavern, Pinsir (Shining Pearl only) Route 229, Grand Underground – Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern, Big Bluff Cavern

These Bug-types made their debuts way back in Pokemon Red & Blue in Generation 1 and have been mainstays of the franchise ever since. But gamers may want to think twice before wanting to use these ‘mons in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

They can only be caught after acquiring the National Dex on Route 229, which leads up to the Battle Resort and in the Grand Underground as rare spawns in select locations. It is also worth noting that Scyther is exclusive to Brilliant Diamond and Pinsir can only be caught in Shining Pearl. To get both bugs in one copy of the game will require some trading.

Scyther/Pinsir’s Base Stats:

2 Magby/Elekid

Fire-type, Electric-type

• Game Location:Elekid (Brilliant Diamond only) Grand Underground – Dazzling Cave, Whiteout Cave, Stargleam Cavern, Glacial Cavern, Magby (Shining Pearl only) Grand Underground – Volcanic Cave, Sandsear Cave, Typhlo Cavern

Similar to the aforementioned Bug-types, Elekid and Magby are counterparts. In fact, they only appear in one game; Elekid the Electric Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond and Magby the Live Coal Pokemon in Shining Pearl.

However, they can only be found as rare spawns in specific locations in the Grand Underground. Gamers will want to search high and low (mainly low) to add the baby Pokemon to their Pokedex. But if found, they can be evolved into the powerful Electivire and Magmortar, which are very useful to take on the various gyms and other powerful trainers across the Sinnoh region.​​​​​​​

Elekid/Magby’s Base Stats:

3 Togepi

Fairy-type

• Game Location: Route 230 (Poke Radar), Grand Underground – Fountainspring Cave, Dazzling Cave, Stargleam Cavern

Previously a Normal-type Pokemon before Generation 6, the now Fairy-type ‘mon is difficult to locate in BD&SP. It is available in specific locations in the Grand Underground as a rare spawn.

It is also found only on Route 230 while using the Poke Radar, an item that is available from Professor Rowan in Sandgem Town after acquiring the National Dex. Togepi eventually evolves into the powerful Togekiss, which is one of the best Flying-type Pokemon in the game with high Special Attack and Defense.

Togepi’s Base Stats:

4 Dialga/Palkia

Steel/Dragon-type, Water/Dragon-type

• Game Location: Spear Pillar

The mascots of either game, Dialga for Brilliant Diamond and Palkia for Shining Pearl are caught as part of the storyline, but that doesn’t take away from their rare nature.

Gamers can only catch one of each Pokemon and will need both copies of the game to complete the full Pokedex, and it will require some trading. Catching them is no easy feat without the use of a Master Ball and players will need to pull out all the tricks to make Dialga or Palkia a member of their party.

Dialga/Palkia’s Base Stats:

5 Cresselia/Giratina/Heatran/Uxie/Azelf/Mesprit

Psychic-type, Ghost/Dragon-type, Fire/Steel-type, Psychic-type

• Game Location: Cresselia (Roaming), Giratina (Turnback Cave), Heatran (Stark Mountain), Uxie (Lake Acuity), Mespirit (Roaming), Azelf (Lake Valor)

There are a lot of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and a select few are only available through events and other means, but these ‘mons can be found in regular gameplay. The Lake Trio can be found after catching Dialga or Palkia in their specific lakes. Mesprit is found in Lake Verity but becomes a roaming Pokemon and is found in a random location across the Sinnoh region.

The other three Legendaries can be encountered in their specific locations, but it will take a lot to catch these ‘mons. With only one Master Ball in the game, it can be tricky to figure out the best ‘mon to use it on, so gamers will need to be careful to not knock out these Pokemon as there is only one in each copy of the game.

Cresselia/Giratina/Heatran/Uxie/Azelf/Mesprit’s Base Stats:

6 Kecleon

Normal-type

• Game Location: Route 210 (Poke Radar), Grand Underground – Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern (After obtaining the National Pokedex)

A Pokemon often neglected by Game Freak, still unobtainable in Pokemon GO, and rarely featured in regional Pokedexes, Kecleon is kept camouflaged in these games. The bright side is that there are two ways to get hold of Kecleon, but both can be troublesome.

Firstly, it is exclusive to Brilliant Diamond. From there, it can be found in the Grassland, Riverbank, Still-Water, and Sunlit Caverns of the Grand Underground. However, only after the player has obtained their National Pokedex. The other way to get it is to use the Poke Radar on the Northern part of Route 210, with a 12% encounter rate. But again, the Poke Radar is only obtained after getting the National Pokedex.

Kecleon isn’t anything special from a competitive perspective, but it has a few unique traits that make it fun to play with. Its ability, Color Change, means that it changes type to that of the move it last got hit by. In most cases, that makes it resistant to that move, but there are some unique cases, like Dragon, where it will actually give it some trouble.

Kecleon’s Base Stats:

7 Castform

Normal-type

• Game Location: Trophy Garden

A Pokemon that changes with the weather, Castform has been somewhat rare in every game it’s appeared in. It often requires the right weather effects to spawn or is simply given away as a gift to the player. Thankfully, pinning down its location in this game isn’t too difficult, but getting hold of it is.

For Castform, players will need to use the Trophy Garden at the back of the Pokemon Mansion on Route 212. Each day, the owner, Mr. Backlot, will mention a rare Pokemon he’s seen in the garden that day. This is random and can be one of 16 Pokemon, of which Castform is one. Once Mr. Backlot mentions Castform, it will have a 5% encounter rate in the Trophy Garden’s grass for that day.

Castform is unique in the Pokemon world, as it is one of the only non-Legendary Pokemon not to have a Hidden Ability. Castform’s stats are downright average, with 70s across the board. Its different forms give it some range, although it does require players to have weather-changing abilities elsewhere on their team to get the most out of Castform’s ability to change type.

Castform’s Base Stats:

8 Rotom

Electric/Ghost-type

• Game Location: TV in Old Chateau (Night) (Only one)

Those who played the original Diamond & Pearl will remember the creepy event that surrounded the capturing of Rotom. It was presented almost like a Mythical Pokemon, with the circumstances surrounding the encounter. These players will be pleased to know that it remains intact in these remakes.

After getting the National dex, players must head to the Old Chateaux next to the Eterna City exit of Eterna Forest. Venturing around in here will lead players to a TV showing static and creepy imagery. Interacting with it will cause Rotom to attack. Once it’s caught, players will get the Secret Key, which they can take to the Veilstone Galactic HQ to get Rotom’s various forms.

Once players have captured Rotom, they’ll be given the Secret Key item. Taking this to the Eterna City Galactic Building will grant access to a secret room with appliances that Rotom can possess. This gives Rotom a wide range of uses, some of which are occasionally seen in the competitive battling scene thanks to the boost it gives Rotom’s stats and alterations to its type.

Rotom’s Base Stats:

9 Ditto

Normal-type

• Game Location: Route 218 (Poke Radar), Grand Underground – Dazzling Cave, Stargleam Cavern (After obtaining the National Pokedex)

Friend to Pokemon breeders and members alike, Ditto is a hot commodity whenever a new Pokemon game comes out. While Ditto is available in the game, players will need to wait until after they’ve got their National dex before venturing out to find it.

The first place Ditto can be found is in the Stargleam Cavern in the Grand Underground. This is the giant cavern in the center of the Underground map, which can only be reached by entering the underground from Celestic Town. The other way is to use the Poke Radar on Route 218 to get it at a 12% encounter rate.

Ditto’s transforming ability isn’t so great under normal circumstances. The fact that it has to use a whole turn to change puts it at a severe disadvantage. That’s why players should get an Ability Patch on it as soon as possible, to give it the Impostor ability, which causes it to change immediately. It’s sadly below-average stat-wise, but single players can have fun with it.

Ditto’s Base Stats:

10 Porygon

Normal-type

• Game Location: Trophy Garden

In the original games, the best way to get Porygon was via the Veilstone Game Corner. However, due to a change in ESRB rating policies since then, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl weren’t allowed to include this due to it being gambling. To avoid having their kid-friendly game rated a 12 by ESRB, ILCA replaced the Game Corner with a clothing shop.

This meant that Porygon had to be moved somewhere else, though, and their place of choice was the Trophy Garden. Porygon is among the 16 Pokemon that Mr. Backlot may tell the player about each day. This makes getting hold of it relatively simple, although it will require some patience.

Porygon’s evolved forms are pretty powerful Pokemon for players who are willing to get the items and do the trade evolutions. Porygon2 is preferred in the competitive scene due to a slightly wider movepool and the use of Eviolite. However, Porygon-Z is just as good for single players, it has some great stats, and depending on its ability, the way players train those stats can affect what role it fills in a team.

Porygon’s Base Stats:

11 Eevee

Normal-type

• Game Location: Received from Bebe in Hearthome City, Trophy Garden

A Pokemon that has surged in popularity since the original games, Eevee was a big part of Generation 4, as it got new evolutions in Leafeon and Glaceon. That said, it isn’t actually part of the Sinnoh Pokedex and may be a bit harder than expected to track down.

The first way to get it is as yet another Trophy Garden Pokemon, which means more talking to Mr Backlot. However, there is another way, but it requires getting the National dex. Once this is done, simply talk to Bebe, whose house is next to the Pokemon Center in Hearthome City, and she will gift one to the player.

Eevee is undoubtedly one of the most versatile Pokemon in the game. Players can make an Eevee on their team into almost anything they want. If they want simple attacking power, then Flareon, Vaporeon, and Espeon will be great. Jolteon can strike ludicrously fast, whilst Umbreon takes a few good hits whilst chipping away at opponents. Ultimately, players can make their Eevee into whatever suits them best.

Eevee’s Base Stats:

12 All Starter Pokemon

• Game Locations:
• Grass Types – Grassland, Riverbank, Still-Water & Sunlit Cavern
• Fire Types – Volcanic, Sandsear & Typhlo Cavern
• Water Types – Fountainspring, Riverbank & Still-Water Cavern
• (Bulbasaur can also be found in the Swampy & Bogsunk Cavern)

Starter Pokemon are usually a rare commodity in Pokemon games, especially those of the region where the game is set. However, the designers were nice this time around, and players can get every starter Pokemon in a single save file without the need for trading.

Players must obtain their National dex, and then navigate the Grand Underground to find them all. Each type can be found in different caverns and are all fairly rare encounters.

Starter Pokemon are always going to have solid stats. These Pokemon are designed to be the player’s primary companion, after all. These early Generation Starters aren’t seen in competitive all that much, although Venusuar has some interesting niches thanks to the Chlorophyll Hidden Ability. Given the Pokedex is restricted to just Generation 4, though, Pokemon like Infernape could make a substantial impact on almost any battlefield.

13 Spiritomb

Ghost/Dark-type

• Game Location: Hallowed Tower on Route 209

A Pokemon famously annoying to get ahold of whenever it appears, Spiritomb is a strong Pokemon that has found its way home to the Sinnoh Region and the Hallowed Tower once again. The first thing players must do is get the Odd Keystone, which is handed out by a Blackbelt on Route 208, just before reaching Hearthome City.

With this item in their bag, players must then interact with a pile of rocks in the Southeast of Route 209. It will then become the Hallowed Tower. The next step is a bit of a pain, but players must go into the Grand Underground and talk to 32 different people. These remakes make it easier than the originals, though, as NPCs now count towards this total, and the online mode makes finding other people very easy. Getting this Pokemon as early as possible will be great to help with the game’s biggest challenges.

Spiritomb is one of the few Pokemon in the game that enjoys having just a single weakness. The addition of Fairy-type has since thrown a wrench into things. Spiritomb still has a lot to offer, though. It has great defensive stats, and while its attacking power is nothing special, it’s enough to put Pokemon weak to it on notice.

Spiritomb’s Base Stats:

14 Feebas

Water-type

• Game Location: Mount Coronet (four fishing spots)

While later Generations would cool their jets about Feebas, it is a tremendous pain in both Generations 3 and 4. The Generation 3 remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire gave players a break by changing Feebas’ encounter mechanics. However, these Generation 4 remakes did not.

The first step is to go into Mount Coronet and find a foggy cavern. Using Defog here will reveal a large lake. In this lake, 4 of the water tiles contain Feebas. These tiles are decided at random and change every day. What’s more is that the tiles where Feebas appears only give a 50% encounter rate, meaning players will need to check every tile in the lake multiple times to know for sure that they didn’t accidentally miss it.

Whilst Feebas is in the Magikarp class of joke Pokemon, Milotic is a powerful ally that players should be desperate to get their hands on. It has a couple of useful abilities. Marvel Scale increases its defense whenever it has a status condition, and Competitive raises its Special Attack whenever a stat is dropped. It has access to an incredibly wide movepool and enjoys the luxury of 100 in Special Attack and 125 in Special Defense.

Feebas’ Base Stats:

15 Honey Tree Munchlax

Normal-type

• Game Location: Routes 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 218, 221, 222, Eterna Forest, Floaroma Meadow, Fuego Ironworks, Valley Windworks (Honey Trees), Grand Underground – Grassland Cave, Spacious Cave, Whiteout Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern (after obtaining TM97 (Defog))

This, the rarest Pokemon, arguably in the entire franchise, is still very much a feature in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. While Munchlax is now available in the Grand Underground, players of the originals will remember the pain of trying to get one purely by using Honey Trees, something they can still do in the remakes.

The way honey trees work is simple, slather honey on a tree, wait for 6 hours, and encounter a Pokemon from a random pool. Munchlax is extra horrible, though, because only a random four trees out of the twenty-one in the game can spawn it. What’s more, two of these trees are determined by the save file’s Secret ID, which the player can never know without hacking. The cherry on the cake, though, is that even when players do locate the right trees, Munchlax’s encounter rate is a pitiful 1% meaning it will take days or potentially months to find.

Munchlax is surprisingly strong for a baby Pokemon, but players are going to want to evolve it into a Snorlax as soon as possible. The absolute walling capabilities of Snorlax are well documented, as it has 160 in HP and 110 in Special Defense. This can be enhanced with a move like Curse, which lowers Speed but raises Attack and Defense. Snorlax is undoubtedly slow, but it can hit like a truck when used by a player who knows its strengths.

Munchlax’s Base Stats:

16 Manaphy

Water-type

The only way to obtain the Water mythical Pokemon Manaphy in the Nintendo Switch titles was through an event that was distributed to fans from November 19, 2021, to February 21, 2022. What makes this ‘mon unique is that it came via an egg, which is rare for a legendary or Mythical.

If players were lucky enough to get a Manaphy a second mythical Pokemon follows, which is a Phione, only obtainable from breeding a Manaphy. Another unique thing that this Generation 4 Pokemon can do. The Seafaring Pokemon has 100 base stats all across the board, so in battle, it is perfect to be used as a jack of all trades, and with its varied moveset it can be a great ‘mon to use in the game.

Manaphy’s Base Stats:

17 Regigigas

Normal-type

• Game Location: Snowpoint Temple (requires Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in the player’s party) (Only one)

The leader of the Regis, to obtain this beast of a Pokemon, gamers will need RegiRock, Regice, and Registeel in their party and head to Snowpoint temple, which will allow players to enter.

To get the Generation 3 legendaries in BD&SP, players must first unlock the National Pokedex, this will allow Mysterious Shards to be found in the Grand Underground. These items can be traded for slates at Ramanas Park, which look a lot like Game Boy and Game Boy Advance cartridges.

The Discovery Slate is what is required to get the Regis, so three of these will be needed and then be inserted into the specific pedestal. Once all three are obtained, they need to be in the party and then gamers can finally unlock the ability to capture Regigigas and make use of its powerful Normal-type STAB attacks.

Regigigas’ Base Stats:

18 Shaymin

Grass-type/Flying-type

• Game Location: Flower Paradise (requires Oak’s Letter) (Only one)

Shaymin is another really rare find in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl as it is only available with the Oak’s Letter item, which was distributed through an event from February 27 to March 27, 2022.

If players were lucky enough to receive this item they will be told to head to Route 224, and they will be greeted by the one and only Professor Oak. Upon doing this, the Seabreak Path will be opened up which will lead to Flower Paradise, where the little green hedgehog awaits to be captured at level 30.

Naturally, Shaymin appears in its Land Forme, but if the player takes it to a blonde-haired lady in Floaroma Town, they can receive the Gracidea Flower, which can be used to change it to its Sky Forme giving it the Flying secondary typing.

Shaymin’s Base Stats:

19 Darkrai

Dark-type

• Game Location: Newmoon Island (requires Member Card) (Only one)

Darkrai is up there with Giratina’s Origin Forme in being the most evil-looking Pokemon, suiting its Dark-type status very well. To pick up Darkrai in the Diamond & Pearl remakes is tricky. Gamers will need an event-exclusive item, the Member Card, which was only available from April 1 to April 30, 2022.

Players will head to the Harbor Inn in Canalave City, which will spawn a quest involving a nightmare and let the player battle and then capture the Pokemon.

But before even doing that, the player must first meet Cresselia, obtain the Lunar Wing, and use it to dispel the nightmares Darkrai inflicts on the character’s son. With a staggering 135 attack and 125 speed, Darkai is worth all the trouble to have a ‘mon capable of mass destruction.​​​​​​​

Darkrai’s Base Stats:

20 Arceus

Normal-type

• Game Location: Hall of Origin (Only one)

The god of all Pokemon, the all-mighty Arceus, how could anyone not want this Pokemon in their party? It has the unique ability to change its type depending on what plate it is holding as a held item. This means he can be useful for a whole host of different scenarios in battle, perfect for the Elite Four.

But to get this ‘mon is no easy task, first gamers will need to have save data from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and have completed all the missions in that game. Then, the player will need to enter the Hall of Fame and receive the National Dex in BD&SP. Doing both of these things will make the Azure Flute appear in the player’s room in Twinleaf Town.

Playing the flute at Spear Pillar will open up the Hall of Origin and then comes the not-so-easy task of actually capturing the god of all Pokemon. With 120 base stats across the board, it has 720 total base stats, making it the most powerful Pokemon without a Mega or other form.

Arceus’ Base Stats: