Now more than ever, breeding plays an incredibly important role in competitive Pokemon battles. It allows players to get their hands on Pokemon with the perfect stats and nature for their ideal build and can even grant access to some otherwise unlearnable moves. It's not quite as simple as selecting two Pokemon at random though, with players only able to breed Pokemon pairs that are of opposite genders and part of the same egg group.
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There are 15 egg groups in total, although not every Pokemon's egg group has been discovered just yet meaning that some Pokemon are unable to breed. Conversely, many Pokemon belong to more than one egg group, which helps to provide a few more options for those hoping to breed a hard to find Pokemon. Of the 15 groups, the monster egg group is arguable the most interesting as it contains some of the series' very strongest Pokemon.
10 Nidoking
Nidoking's 505 base stats are distributed fairly evenly amongst the five main categories making it a very well balanced Pokemon and a great all-rounder in general. It does lean slightly towards physical attacks though, which bodes well given its strong and varied learnset.
It's able to use moves of numerous different elemental types, which together with the its normal typing makes it a useful Pokemon to have in the party. This can be seen in the speed running scene, with many of the world record attempts for Pokemon Red and Blue centering around the use of Nidoking.
9 Lapras
There aren't too many great ice-type Pokemon in the series and so Lapras' water/ice-typing makes it incredibly useful in certain situations. Its stats aren't too bad either, with its total of 535 putting it ahead of the likes of Blastoise and Charizard.
When it comes to the Pokemon's learnset, not only does it have access to powerful water moves like Hydro Pump and Liquidation, but also some great ground and psychic-type attacks as well. This allows it to exploit the weaknesses of any Pokemon that can exploit its own and ensures that it's able to at least puts up a fight if and when it is mis-matched.
8 Snorlax
The sleeping giant may look harmless while snoozing, but when awake, Snorlax is able to dish out some pretty hefty damage. Its base stats total 540, which is more than any of the final evolutions of the series' many starter Pokemon. It's worth noting though, that unlike many of them, Snorlax does not have a Mega Evolution form just yet.
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Even so, its 110 physical attack stat is more than enough to deal with most Pokemon, especially when paired with moves like Giga Impact and Last Resort. Thanks to its high special defense, it can outlast a lot of inferior Pokemon and can even replenish its health using Rest should it ever need to.
7 Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan may seem like a fairly underwhelming Pokemon at first glance, but there's actually a lot to love about this Gen 1 normal-type. It's relatively speedy, has a very useful ability and has some solid physical stats as well. It also boasts a decent special defense stat and can learn a lot of very powerful moves.
Of the 18 different types in the series, Kangaskhan can learn moves covering 15, making its learnset one of the most versatile in the series. What's more, it also has a Mega Evolution which boosts its base stat total from 490 to 590 and provides a decent increase to its physical attack stat. There are definitely better Pokemon out there, but Kangaskhan remains a solid and reliable choice when picking a party.
6 Sceptile
While some may favor Venusaur due to its dual typing and Gigantamax form, Sceptile is arguably the stronger of the two grass-type starter Pokemon. Its 530 base stats are the same as Venusaur, although Sceptile is significantly faster and also has slightly higher physical and special attack stats. These allow it to strike early and - hopefully - wipe out its foes without taking a single hit.
Through Mega Evolution, Sceptile's base stats rise by 100 with a quarter of these new points going to its speed making it faster still. It's the special attack stat that gets the biggest gain though, which - together with moves like Hyper Beam and Leaf Storm - make it an incredibly deadly grass-type Pokemon.
5 Blastoise
When it comes to non-legendary pure water-type Pokemon, there aren't too many better than Blastoise. First introduced in Gen 1, its base stats total an impressive 530 with its high physical and special defense stats making it something of a tank. Its attacking stats may be a little lackluster, but it makes up for this with its fantastic learnset which includes devastating moves like Focus Blast and Giga Impact.
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In its Mega Evolution form, its base stats soar to an impressive 630 with a strong emphasis on special attack. Its defensive stats also receive a slight bump too, giving it everything it needs to outlast even the toughest of opponents by slowly chipping away at their HP as it tanks hit after hit.
4 Aggron
Aggron is an absolute beast of a Pokemon that's able to withstand a ridiculous amount of punishment thanks to its insane 180 physical defense stat. This bodes well, as its low speed ensures that it will almost always be attacking second. When it does strike though, its high physical attack stat ensures that it packs quite the punch.
Things get even more ridiculous once Aggron Mega Evolves, with its physical defense stat rising to 230; thus allowing for a 614 total with the right EVs. Its physical attack also jumps to 140, although its low special defense and dual typing do serve as something of an Achilles' heel for the steel/rock-type behemoth.
3 Garchomp
With base stats totaling 600 and a devastating learnset to compliment them, the dragon/ground-type Pokemon Garchomp is one of the strongest non-legendary Pokemon in the series. It specializes in physical attacks and has access to powerful moves like Dragon Rush and Giga Impact to make the most of its physical prowess.
Like several of the other Pokemon in the monster egg group, Garchamp also has the ability to Mega Evolve. In this new form, its physical attack stat soars to an incredible 170, as part of an overall total rise of 100. Mega Garchamp may not be the best Mega Evolution in the series, but when it comes to those in the monster egg group, few are better.
2 Tyranitar
There are quite a few similarities between Tyranitar and Garchamp; although where they differ is that the former is a rock/dark-type Pokemon. This gives Tyranitar the advantage, as while there are plenty of powerful dragon-type Pokemon, few rock or dark-types can boast better base stats than Tyranitar.
Like Garchamp, its base stats total 600 and it also specializes in physical attacks. It can learn both Giga Impact and Hyper Beam through leveling and can also be taught powerful TMs and TRs like Focus Blast and Mega Kick. Through Mega Evolution, it's able raise its base stats to 700 with high physical attack stats and great defensive numbers making it a tough Pokemon to topple.
1 Charizard
Although its combined base stats of 534 are a little lower than some of the other Pokemon in the monster egg group, Charizard is the fire-type Pokemon of choice for a lot of people due to its high special attack and speed stats. As well as devastating fire moves like Flare Blitz, it's also able to use powerful dragon and flying-type attacks effectively and can learn moves from 13 of the 18 available types.
Charizard is also one of only two Pokemon that has multiple Mega Evolution forms (the other being Mewtwo) which, together with its excellent learnset, makes it a very versatile Pokemon in battle. In its X form, it offers a good balance of physical and special attack stats while while in its Y form it specializes only in special attacks.