Generally speaking, Game Freak has done well with not leaving any stone unturned when it comes to the evolution lines that it designs. It hasn’t covered everything, though. And I think the team there knows it. The Pokémon that got mega evolutions were not picked at random. I think Game Freak was trying to compensate for the fact that a lot of those species needed an evolution, and that got me thinking… What other Pokémon are long overdue for some growth? I didn’t think that I would dig up many viable options, but I actually managed to find a bunch of one and two-stage evolution species that deserve to be built upon (whenever Gen IX hits the design room).
15. Druddigon
Druddigon is one ugly Pokémon, and that’s coming from me. It looks like it was 3D printed in a lab somewhere. Which, now that I’m writing it, doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea for a villain. It’s at the bottom of the dragon pile, but it should probably get more love. The fact that I hate it so much makes me dispassionate, hence the number 15 slot, but there is a lot that you could do with this design. Turn it into a massive spikey bipedal dragon, and I mean make it huge. If you combine that size factor with all of the, well, spikiness… I think you could come up with a pretty badass-looking design.
14. Sudowoodo
Has Game Freak just forgotten about Sudowoodo? Because it hasn’t gotten any attention since Bonsley. This is weird, given that Brock has one in the anime. You would think that the higher than average fanfare would translate into an evolution, but it hasn’t. There’s some serious potential here, too. The line already has the bonsai tree design working for it. So give it a fighting type third evolution and call it something like “Miyagido.” I get that Nintendo would probably catch a lawsuit if they did that. But tell me that the homage doesn’t write itself there.
13. Heracross
It’s a big ass beetle, so why not make it a bigger ass beetle? Get rid of that goofy smile, make it seven feet tall, and give it some more insect-y features. You could turn this Pokémon into the stuff of nightmares if you wanted to. Well you could do that with any Pokémon, given that they’re animals that literally fight to the near-death… but Game Freak has an excuse with this design. Even get rid of the fighting type and give it flying. Beetles with wings are terrifying. At least they are to me. Maybe don’t do that, actually.
12. Malamar
Calamalmari. That is my pitch for the next entry into the Malamar evolution line. I’ll admit that this entry is a bit of bias from me, but I adore Malamar’s design. It’s a sleeper pick for my favorite, and the more I look at it, the more I appreciate it. It just looks so badass, so turn it into a Kraken. We don’t have a Kraken Pokémon, and while that idea must be saved for a legendary, this is an excuse for the GF designers to make one without dedicating an entry generation around it.
11. Drampa / Turtonator
These are Pokémon that more so need revolutions than evolutions, but I’m arguing that there should be both. Whether you want to make their current forms, the end of the generation line is fine by me, but there needs to be more done with these designs. They’re great looking, and they’re dragons. So why the hell did Gamefreak put so little effort into them? Those guys love their dragons. Look at Haxorus and Hydreigon.
10. Absol
Absol has a mega evolution, and Jesus Christ does it look unbelievable. I’m not saying I have a crush on it because that would be weird, but you get what I’m going for. It’s just a beautiful-looking Pokémon. It blends an angel and demon design flawlessly, so why not take that inspiration and translate it into an evolution? An angel/demon hybrid is a great idea. And it’s already been done with the mega, so don’t let that inspiration go to waste.
9. Dragalge
Dragalge is the most underrated dragon type Pokémon of all time. In fact, I’m arguing it’s one of the most underrated Pokémon in general. You hear nothing about it, thanks in part to its mediocre stats, but the design is nothing short of inspired. A dragon type based on algae, whose idea was that? And how does it work so well? There needs to be one final introduction to the evolutionary line. Make the Pokémon competitively viable. I’m not even asking for some crazy design change because that’s unnecessary. Keep the style that Dragalge already has, but make it more menacing.
8. Mawile
Here’s another Pokémon that doesn’t have any evolution, but did get a mega. The fact that Game Freak gave both Mawile and Absol mega evolutions tells me that the team knows they need evolutions, so why haven’t they done them yet? Mawile is popular in the competitive world. You see it popping up far more than the majority of the Pokédex. The fact that it gets used more than 95% of the Pokémon population alone is enough justification for an evolution. Plus, it just looks like a stage two. You can’t tell me that Mawile doesn’t have any more growing to do.
7. Raticate
I don’t care for your regional species. I want a full-fledged third evolution for Raticate. It’s one of the OGs of Pokémon, so put some respect on its god damn name. Raticate has been popping up in titles since day 1. So the fact that it’s over 20 years old and it hasn’t gotten any more love is shocking.
6. Eelektross
Hear me out. Make it an electric/dragon type. I know there’s nothing in the design to imply that it should be, it’s only an eel… but it would look so badass. I don’t even know where Game Freak could go with the design. I only know it would look awesome. Make it super long and an apex predator. We’re overdue a solid water-based dragon anyway.
5. Spiritomb
Every time I see Spiritomb, I’m reminded of Cynthia. And that’s a very good thing. Up until recently, the Pokémon had no weaknesses. So the fact that Sinnoh’s champion led with it is a big of tactical programming that I wish Game Freak kept up for the rest of the series. It’s long overdue that this green ball of torment got an evolution. I mean, its species is “forbidden Pokémon,” for crying out loud. Turn it into some Cthulhu-inspired monstrosity, and I’ll be one very happy camper.
4. Torkoal
Camerupt exists. That’s all. That’s my argument. The two of them are mirroring species, so why does one have an evolution and the other doesn’t?
3. Houndoom
Houndoom is edgy Arcanine, and it needs to get away from that image. It’s one of the most menacing Pokémon ever conceived. I mean, if something gets burned by it, then the pain never goes away. Ever. It’s the type of Pokémon that’s just waiting for a third evolution, and I think it’s only a matter of time before it gets it. It even designs itself. It’s based on a reaper, so take that idea to the max. Maybe give it a hood or something; I don’t know, I’m not a designer.
2. Falinks
Falinks boggles my mind. It shouldn’t because it’s in the same boat as Exeggcute, but it does. Is Falinks just the single little yellow guy? Or is it all of the Falinks when they come together? In that case, what is only one of them called? Falinks should have been like magnetite, but I have an even better idea for an evolution rather than a pre-evolution. It’s clearly Spartan-inspired. So make one of the Falinks evolve into a Leonidas-type figure that’s surrounded by the rest of the unevolved Falinks. Call me crazy, but I think that’s an ingenious idea.
1. Dugtrio
If you gave any thought to what Pokémon needs an evolution and didn’t come up with this answer, c’mon. It’s long overdue. We all need to know what the bottom half of this Pokémon looks like, so Game Freak should bite the bullet and unearth the thing. I get that might get rid of the mystery, but I’m fine with that. I just need a canon answer. We’ve all seen too many fanart pieces of what Diglett looks like under the ground, and chances are we’ve all been scarred by that. So we need a definitive answer once and for all so that everyone affected by the horrors of R34 can finally sleep at night.
