5 Rarest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet and where to find them

Out of all 400 Pokemon in the Scarlet & Violet Regional Dex, here are the five rarest Pokemon in Paldea and where you can find them.

With each entry in the Pokemon franchise, close to a hundred or more creatures are added to the National Dex. And with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introducing Gen 9, that number has grown to over 1,000 unique species of Pokemon.

As expected with a series of this size, some Pokemon are much harder to obtain than others, and each game offers its challenging encounters. Legendary Pokemon can only be caught once per save files, Mythical Pokemon are locked behind events, and players need a lot of luck to encounter Shiny Pokemon.

But beyond the signature challenging encounters of the Pokemon franchise, Scarlet & Violet offer a few incredibly rare Pokemon. Here are the top 5 rarest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet for players itching for a challenge.

Top 5 rarest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet

5. Slakoff – the Slacker Pokemon

Coming in at number five is a bit of a sleeper choice. Slakoff, while very prevalent in Gen 3, is one of the rarest encounters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It only appears in trees or around their roots in South Province (Area One, Two, & Five).

This sounds pretty common, but several players have reported only seeing one Slakoth in 100+ hours of play, while others claim they’ve never encountered a wild Slakoth. However, Slakoth can appear in Mass Outbreaks for players lucky enough to have one spawn making them much easier to encounter.

4. Aqua Breed & Blaze Breed Paldean Tauros

Paldean Tauros is a new regional variant of the Gen 1 Wild Bull Pokemon. And in Paldea, Tauros has three different forms: Combat Breed, Blaze Breed, and Aqua Breed. Combat Breed is relatively common, spawning in packs and running through the fields of the East and West Provinces.

However, its version exclusive Aqua and Blaze breed forms are slightly harder to find. They usually spawn as a single Aqua/Blaze breed among a pack of Combat Breed. The catch is that they won’t appear in Mass Outbreaks. Even if Pokemon Scarlet & Violet explicitly shows the icon for Aqua or Blaze Breed Tauros in an outbreak, it will always be the normal Combat Breed.

And with a Shiny form nearly identical to its regular colors, the Blaze and Aqua Breed Tauros are among the hardest Pokemon to Shiny Hunt.

The Pokemon Company

Blaze Breed Tauros like strikingly similar to Combat Tauros, save for a few distinct markings.

3. Maushold Family of Three

Tandemaus is a new Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet that is actually two Pokemon holding hands. And it evolves into Maushold, which features one or two smaller mice joining the duo. However, one of these forms is much rarer than the other.

When Tandemaus evolves, there is a 1/100 chance that it will evolve into the Family of Three variant. Players could have to evolve 100 or more Tandemaus just to get the Family of Three form.

But there is an easier way to find this mouse family. It was discovered that every four-star Maushold Tera Raid will be the rare Family of Three variant. But for Shiny Hunters, this makes the three-mouse family a pain to hunt, either using Sandwiches or trying to luck out on Tera Raids.

Maushold family of four is pictured above, while the rare variant will have one less mouse.

2. Dudunsparce Three Segment Form

Dudunsparce is perhaps one of the silliest Pokemon introduced in Gen 9. For years, players have asked for an evolution to Gen 2’s Dunsparce, and it’s finally arrived in Gen 9. However, this evolution felt like more of a troll as it just added a new segment to the Dunsparce’s body along with a few more ornaments.

But, like Tandemaus, there are two variants of Dudunsparce evolutions, and one is much rarer than the other. The two-segment Dudunsparce is very common, but the three-segment Dudunsparce is the 1/100 variant. And unlike Maushold, the two-segment Dudunsparce is the one that appears in Raids, not the rare variant.

To make matters worse, Dudunsparce can spawn in the wild in the caves of Area Zero, and it can spawn as the three-segment version. However, Sandwich powers will only draw out the two-segment version and spawn regular Dunsparce more often than Dudunspare.

So, to get the three-segment version, players are better off catching Dunsparce, teaching it Drill Horn, and evolving them until they get the rare evolution. And yes… this also goes for shiny hunters.

This Dudunsparce only has two segments. The rare variant will have three.

1. Sinistea Antique Form

You may not have expected a Gen 8 Pokemon to be on this list, but for two games in a row now, Sinistea’s Antique Form takes the crown as the rarest Pokemon. This little teacup floats around the fields outside of Alfornada. But, its Antique Form is very rarely seen.

There is a 1% chance for Sinistea to spawn as an Antique, the rest are Phony. And similar to Dudunsparce, there is no way to increase these odds. Outbreaks? They will all be Phony Form. Sandwich Power? Again, all Phony.

But here is the kicker, unlike Maushold and Dudunsparce, it’s very difficult to tell Sinistea’s Antique Form apart from its Phony Form. That’s because the only thing that separates the two is a small stamp on the underside of the Pokemon’s cup. This means players must stop next to each Sinistea and angle their camera to check the bottom side of the Pokemon before moving on to the next.

The alternative method is catching every Sinistea and seeing if you can use the Chipped Pot item. Phony Sinistea evolve using the Cracked Pot, but Antique Forms can only be evolved with the Chipped Pot.

The Authentic Sinistea (left) has a blue marking on its cup, while the Phony Sinistea (right) does not.

So, there you have it. The five rarest Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet and how you can get them all. And for an even harder challenge, brave players can try to Shiny hunt these beasts with the help of our Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Shiny hunting guide and the Best shiny sandwich recipes in Pokemon. For more Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides, check some of the articles linked below:

Best starter Pokemon to choose | How to get Marks in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Are Pokemon Scarlet & Violet compatible with Pokemon Home? | Unlocking 5 & 6-star Tera Raids in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | How to unlock Rotom Phone cases in Scarlet & Violet | How to change clothes in Scarlet & Violet | How to co-op with friends in Scarlet & Violet | All Shiny forms in Scarlet & Violet | Sandwich recipes in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet egg breeding guide | How to get Rare Candy in Scarlet & Violet