All 20 Paradox Pokémon, Ranked

Published Jul 29, 2026, 4:05 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. From Generation VI on, every new Pokémon game has a new gimmick for gameplay and the actual creatures themselves. For X & Y, it was Mega Evolution; Sun & Moon have Z-Moves and Ultra Beasts; all the newer games have regional variants; and Sword & Shield have Gigantimax. However, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had some of the best gimmicks, with Terastalization and fascinating creatures known as Paradox Pokémon. Meant to be alternate versions of existing Pokémon based on the past and future, these upgraded pocket monsters are powerful and wildly creative, which is why this list will rank them all. Based on aspects such as design, stats, competitive value, how much better they are compared to the original, fan opinion, popularity, and overall quality, these remixed Pokémon are some of the best in the entire franchise. 20 Iron Jugulis Image via The Pokémon Company While all the Paradox Pokémon have good stats, there had to be someone at the bottom, and that dishonor goes to Iron Jugulis. This futuristic or alternate version of Hydreigon is described in the Pokédex as having been created when a Hydreigon fell in love with a robot — yes, seriously — spawning this new creature. Wacky origin story aside, Iron Jugulis is rather underwhelming. Hydreigon may be one of the coolest pseudo-legendary Pokémon in terms of design and stats, but it is exactly because of that high bar that Iron Jugulis places so low. It loses most of the original's best moves, and the design just isn't special at all, especially compared to the other Paradox Pokémon. In short, Iron Jugulus is a clear downgrade from the original. 19 Iron Thorns Image via The Pokémon Company It is quite surprising that the bottom two Paradox Pokémon on this list are variants of pseudo-legendaries, considering their original prestige. However, Iron Thorns could have been greatly improved upon. This heavily armored version of Tyranitar gave up its organic material in order to become a perfect mechanical life form. Like Iron Jugulis, Iron Thorns is a futuristic (or alternate version; it's unclear) paradox form, but its similarities don't stop there, since they are the two worst Paradox Pokémon. Tyranitar is one of the best pseudo-legendary Pokémon, and while the mecha Godzilla design is cool, it loses its defining ability, Sand Stream, and becomes 4x weak to Ground-type due to its Rock/Electric-typing, making it a combat liability. 18 Brute Bonnet Image via The Pokémon Company After a couple of futuristic paradox Pokémon, the first ancient one is Brute Bonnet, which was the past version of the Generation V Amoonguss. The prehistoric age wasn't just about dinosaurs; there were plenty of ancient plants and fungi, such as this one, which adopts a much fiercer personality. Amoonguss is a fun Pokémon, and a new form is a great idea, especially because it's not particularly strong or memorable; unfortunately, Brute Bonnet isn't good in execution. It is a heavier hitter than before, but its new typing (Grass/Dark) makes it weaker to more Pokémon and removes its defensive utility, making it the worst of the ancient Paradox versions. 17 Iron Leaves Image via The Pokémon Company Normal Pokémon and pseudo-legendaries weren't the only creatures to get Paradox forms; A handful of legendaries also got an upgrade, including Virizion, the underappreciated Grass member of the Swords of Justice. With a sleek iron-plated design and a new coat of paint, Iron Leaves stores pure energy in the pink parts of its design and is always ready for a fight. Virizion might not be the best legendary Pokémon of its generation, but it is still a standout creature, which is why it is sad to see it downgraded in Scarlet and Violet. Iron Leaves features a nearly identical design, just more robotic, meaning it has hardly any creativity to its appearance or lore. While it does hit hard, its awful Grass/Psychic-typing will get it KO'd in no time: it's weak to a whopping seven types, including being four-times weak to Poison. 16 Sandy Shocks Image via The Pokémon Company There are plenty of polarizing Paradox Pokémon designs, with some fans loving them, and others loathing them; Sandy Shocks is one such example. This distant relative of Magneton is a collection of ancient magnets that are held together by iron sand, which would later evolve into Magneton. Magneton is one of the most surprising Pokémon to get a Paradox form, mainly because it is a second evolution rather than a final one. Some fans love its weirdness and the quirky, almost silly design, which is why it isn't last. However, as is the case with many other Paradox mons, the typing (Electric/Ground) holds it back. The stats are nothing special, but they aren't anything bad, making it an average Paradox Pokémon that suits players just wanting to have fun. 15 Iron Treads Image via The Pokémon Company A couple of lucky Pokémon didn't just get one Paradox form, but two: one for the past and one for the future. Donphan was one of the select few, and its future form is up first. Now known as Iron Treads, this Pokémon is essentially a sphere that can flatten its opponents with ease while also being able to travel much more easily compared to its ancient and present forms. A lot of fans were happy that Donphan got not one, but two new forms, and while one of them is excellent, the other is just okay. There is nothing inherently wrong with Iron Treads, but it is just a lesser version of the original and is absolutely mogged by its past counterpart. Not to mention, its design is one of the worst and most uninspired out of the future Paradox Pokémon. 14 Scream Tail Image via The Pokémon Company Jigglypuff is one of the cutest and most innocent Pokémon of all time, even if it has haters because of its creepy look and annoying song. However, its ancient form is even more terrifying, as Scream Tail is now a vampiric puff ball of pure terror. It isn't just ancient; Scream Tail is apparently over a billion years old, making it one of the oldest Pokémon ever. Scream Tail is surprisingly endearing for a vampire, making it one of the cutest Pokémon on this list. While extremely fast, it can't generate enough offense to be competitively viable. Design-wise, there's not much thought into it, but fan love is doing the heavy lifting, with countless players adoring the eccentric and scary form of an already eccentric and creepy mon. 13 Slither Wing Image via The Pokémon Company Like Donphan, Volcarona was also one of the few Pokémon to get an ancient and future Paradox form, and while both are excellent, Slither Wing is arguably the lesser of the two. In the distant past, it couldn't fly, hence the name slither, but this Pokémon was still quite terrifying because of its immense physical strength. Paradox forms are one of the best things about this Pokémon generation, and Slither Wing is a perfect example of one done right. This remarkable past variant is beloved because of its design and truly ancient appearance; it looks like something out of a History Channel documentary, a truly primal creature. Alas, and while it does hit hard, Slither Wing can't sweep as well as Volcarona, making it a slight downgrade. 12 Iron Boulder Image via The Pokémon Company Another futuristic legendary Pokémon is Iron Boulder, which is the second part of the original Unova Swords of Justice. Originally Terrakion, Iron Boulder evolved and was built into a hulking piece of machinery. Now extremely bulky, it can tank pretty much any attack that is thrown its way. From this point on, every single Paradox Pokémon is competitively viable, which isn't to say the others aren't — most Pokémon can work with the right strategy — it's just that these ones are a step above. Iron Boulder is deceptively fast, and its signature move, Mighty Cleave, can even bypass Protect. Yes, it is a glass cannon that has weak defences, but as previously stated, it can excel in the right circumstances. 11 Iron Moth Image via The Pokémon Company Placing not too far ahead of its ancient counterpart, the other Volcarona Paradox Pokémon is the future version, Iron Moth. From slithering on the ground to flying above it to soaring in the sky, Iron Moth has UFO-like satellite wings, which is why many people believe it to be of alien origin. Slither Wing is great, but Iron Moth has an incredible design that is among the best that future variants have to offer. Not only that, but it substitutes Volcarona's setup potential with pure wallbreaker prowess, making it a physical attacking machine that is perfect against defensive creatures. Moreover, its Fire/Posion-typing is pretty great, proving it is one of the most underrated Pokémon ever.