Ranking Pokemon Sun and Moon Alola Forms from Worst to Best

Alola forms are more or less a mystery in Pokemon Sun and Moon. The only thing we really know about them is that they evolved from their old forms after time adapting to the Alolan environment. It's a lot more like a natural evolution in the way Darwin is famous for exploring, rather than what we're used to with Pokemon.

For better or for worse, these Alola Forms have dramatically transformed from their original counterparts and may as well be considered new Pokemon for all intents and purposes. Their types are different, their stats are different, their moves are different, and -- most notable of all -- they straight up look different.

We went through all 18 of the new Alola Form Pokemon and ranked them from worst to best. To keep from being redundant -- and to save your time so you can get back to Sun and Moon -- we only included the 10 final evolution Alola Forms on this list. (We don't need to spend the first half of this list bashing on pre-evolutions, after all.)

If your opinion on Alola Forms differs from ours, feel free to comment. We'd love to discuss Sun and Moon's unique regional variants with you down below.

10) Sandslash

Yes, I know I said yesterday that Sandslash is arguably the best Alola Form in Pokemon Sun and Moon -- but it's also arguably the worst. That's not to say Sandslash is a bad Pokemon, it just doesn't have as solid of a role compared to the rest of the Alola Forms introduced in Generation 7.

Alolan Sandslash's Hidden Ability is Slush Rush, which increases its speed in a Blizzard. With this Ability, this is still a powerful Physical sweeper, but it relies too much on a raging Blizzard.

The problem with Sandslash is that it doesn't have the HP or Defense to survive against its abysmal weaknesses. Ice and Steel may resist most Pokemon types, but it's dead the second a Fighting or Fire move touches it, which a lot of Pokemon have access to.

9) Golem

Golem is an oddball for an Alola Form. It's a Rock and Electric type physical powerhouse with plenty of physical Normal and Rock moves, but not many physical Electric moves.

This can be augmented, however, by Golem's Hidden Ability: Galvanize. The Ability makes all Normal moves into Electric moves, greatly expanding the Pokemon's STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) damage potential.

If you've ever experienced the wrath of an exploding Golem, you should know enough to fear an Explosion with STAB. Even with that advantage, though, Alolan Golem becomes completely trivial when pit against a strong Ground type.

8) Raticate

Raticate is an overall mediocre Alola Form, but it has a few things going for it. It's shocking design aside, it has a great movepool. It can learn buffs like Swords Dance or Focus Energy and pair them with the strong Physical moves it learns.

However, it's held back by a low stat total that's spread incredibly thin. Pair that with its incredible weakness to Fighting -- thanks to the Normal and Dark typing -- and it's almost not even worth using. Almost.

It gets the Ability Hustle, which powers up Physical moves at the cost of 20% accuracy. Pair this with Sucker Punch -- a move that never misses -- and Raticate commands a presence that causes Psychic and Ghost types to tremble in their boots.

7) Dugtrio

The Alola Form of Dugtrio is really interesting. It has plenty of resistances and even two immunities thanks to its Ground and Steel typing. On top of that, its Hidden Ability, Sand Force, makes all Rock, Ground, and Steel type moves more powerful in a Sandstorm.

This swift Pokemon has a high Attack and Speed stat, but remains relatively frail. It has little chance when faced against Fire, Fighting, Ground, or Water types.

Alolan Dugtrio has access to many good Ground moves and a few decent Steel moves. It can handle itself in a fight, but it feels lacking compared to the original Dugtrio. This is likely because GameFreak took away the Arena Trap ability Dugtrio is so infamous for. But it's still a decent Pokemon.

6) Exeggutor

This Alola Form is a powerful Sp. Attacker with good Attack to back it up. Exeggutor as a Grass and Dragon type is a novel idea, but in the end, it doesn't have access to very many Dragon moves, let alone any Special ones.

However, this Pokemon comes with the Frisk Ability, making it a great and easy candidate for when you need to figure out what items your opponents are holding. It can even use the move Thief to steal their items.

Trick Room is also available to Exeggutor, making it a good start for a team centered around flipped stats. It has the potential to be quite good, but it doesn't stand up to the remaining Alola Forms on this list.

5) Raichu

Raichu got an excellent Alola Form in Sun and Moon. It's a swift Pokemon with decent Attack stats and a pretty excellent selection of Electric and Psychic moves to suit its new typing.

Alolan Raichu's new Ability, Surge Surfer, doubles its speed on Electric Terrain. It's possible to breed a female Raichu with a male Luxray, Manectric, or Togedemaru that has Electric Terrain to get it as an Egg Move.

Pair that with Electro Ball and Raichu is a force to be reckoned with. It even gets its own Z-move. What's not to love?

4) Muk

Muk's Alola Form is another great Minimize Pokemon, this time with all the advantages of the added Dark type. It has high HP, Attack, and Sp. Defense, which makes it a good option to mop the floor with strong Special-aligned Pokemon.

It gets the Ability Poison Touch, which nicely complements its high attack stats. It gives all Physical moves a chance to poison your opponent. To top it off, Muk has solid access to Poison and Dark type moves. It was always a great Pokemon, but now it's just that much better.

3) Ninetales

Ninetales has a beautiful new Alola Form, and the new Ice Fairy typing provides an entirely new role for your team. It has good Speed and Sp. Defense stats, and a decent Sp Attack stat.

Alolan Ninetales Hidden Ability is Snow Warning, a move that starts a Blizzard as soon as the Pokemon appears in the field of battle. It has overall decent access to Ice and Fairy type moves. Ninetales can even learn Moonblast through an Egg Move. The only issue is it's relatively frail to physical attacks.

2) Marowak

Marowak's Alola Form completely reworked the Pokemon, which now resembles how many would think of Cubone's mother from Red and Blue. Marowak is a Fire and Ghost type and it plays the game incredibly well. It's easily the best Alola Form for single battles.

Marowak's Hidden Ability is Rock Head, which prevents recoil damage from moves. The best Fire type move that Alolan Marowak learns is Flare Blitz, which frankly does a lot of recoil damage, so the Hidden Ability is worth seeking out.

It has good access to Physical Fire and Ghost type moves, and even comes with its own signature move -- though you'll have to seek out the Move Tutor to learn it.

1) Persian

Persian got a silly looking Alola Form, but don't let its looks deceive you. This royal cat is a predator to be reckoned with, particularly in double battles. It has mediocre stat but a high Speed, good Ability, and great movepool that more than make up for it.

Alolan Persian gets the Fur Coat Ability, which halves damage taken from physical attacks. It gets essential interruption moves like Fake Out and Quash, which really makes it shine when it has a strong partner by its side. It may not look the part, but Persian is the best Alola Form in Sun and Moon.

Disagree with how we ranked Sun and Moon's Alola Forms from worst to best? Share your own lists with us in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this piece, check out the top 10 underrated Pokemon from Sun and Moon. Still playing through? Check out the best teams for Pokemon Sun and Moon. We even added details on how to catch the Pokemon.