Rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, and how to get them

William Davis Published 08/01/2023

With the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the National Pokedex has surpassed 1,000 entries. Four hundred of these Pokémon inhabit Paldea, but some are harder to find than others. The list of rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet includes some familiar Pokémon that you wouldn’t expect to be on this list.

Paldea is home to the ninth generation of Pokémon. This region has plenty of original Pokémon, as well as variants from other regions. A regional variant doesn’t differ from the original besides the design and sometimes the type.

For example, Paldean Wooper is Poison and Ground type, while the regular version is Water and Ground type. In terms of strength, both Pokémon are the same and the National Pokedex count them as simply Wooper. The regional variants are not considered new Pokémon in the eyes of the almighty Pokedex.

How to get Tauros in Scarlet and Violet

Tauros is a Normal type Pokemon from Kanto. It travels in herds and doesn’t have an evolution. In Paldea, Tauros has three different variants. Paldean Tauros Combat Breed is a Fighting type and the most common in the game.

The second version is Paldean Tauros Blaze Brood, a Fighting and Fire dual type, and can only be found in Pokemon Scarlet. Similarly, the Paldean Tauros Aqua Breed, which is Fighting and Water type, can only be found in Pokemon Violet.

Because the design is similar between the three variants, it is difficult to differentiate them when they’re in a herd. The easiest way to find them is using a sandwich recipe that makes Fire or Water type Pokemon appear more often.

Slakoth

Slakoth is a Normal type from Hoenn, introduced in the third generation. In Hoenn, this is a common Pokémon with a high spawn rate. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, however, Slakoth is hard to find.

The reports of Slakoth rarity change from player to player. Some say they encounter it all the time, others say that they couldn’t find a single one after playing for hours.

Slakoth is commonly found in the South Province, in Area One, Two, and Five. Slakoth evolves into Vigoroth and then into Slaking, which can endure a lot in battle.

Is Sinistea Antique Form the rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet?

Sinistea is a Ghost type from Galar, introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield that evolves into Polteageist. It has two forms, Phony and Antique — and is one of the rarest Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet.

Sinistea Antique form is one of the rarest Pokémon in the game, with less than a 1% chance of encountering it. There are no visible differences between the Phony and Antique forms, except for a small stamp of authenticity at the bottom. The only way to see the stamp is by moving the camera at the perfect angle, and even there, it’s not guaranteed.

The best way to test if a Sinistea is Antique form or not is by using a Chipped Pot item to evolve it. If it evolves, then you have an Antique, if it doesn’t, tough luck, it’s a Phony.

Maushold

Maushold is the evolution of Tandemaus, a pair of little rodents originally from Paldea. Maushold has two possible versions, Family of Four and Family of Three. Family of Four is the most common version, while there’s a chance 1 in 100 to get a Family of Three.

There are no tricks that will help get the Family of Three. This is one of those Pokémon that you must evolve to find out if you got it.