Black and White did something no other Pokemon game has done: the entire main game uses only new Unova Pokemon. No Pikachu, no Gyarados, no Alakazam until the postgame. That means this tier list only includes Gen 5 Pokemon. Excadrill at 135 Attack with Steel/Ground typing is the standout pick. Darmanitan hits 140 Attack with Sheer Force, and Volcarona at 135 Sp. Atk is the best special attacker available. Every pick on this list is Unova-only — old favorites don't factor in until postgame.

How to read this tier list
Elite Pokemon
Base Stat Total of 600+
Legendary
Story-central, catchable in-game
Mythical
Rare, event-exclusive
BST
Base Stat Total (sum of all 6 stats)
Fast with strong offense
Bulky with good offense
Very high offense, slow
Extremely bulky, low offense
High offense but fragile
Bulky support, low offense
Fast utility, momentum control

  • Excadrill. Steel/Ground typing, 135 Attack, and access to Earthquake and Rock Slide make it one of the strongest picks in Unova. You get Drilbur early in Wellspring Cave, and it evolves at Level 31. Darmanitan with 140 Attack and Sheer Force is the other S-Tier pick — raw power that few Unova Pokemon can match.

  • Oshawott. Samurott has the most balanced stats of the three and Water typing gives good gym coverage. Tepig evolves into Emboar (Fire/Fighting — the third Fire/Fighting starter in a row), which hits hard but is slow. Snivy into Serperior has decent Speed but low offensive stats unless you get Contrary, which isn't available in normal BW play.

  • Black and White only includes new Gen 5 Pokemon in the regional Pokedex. Every encounter from Nuvema Town to the Elite Four is Unova-original. It's the only mainline game to do this. You unlock the National Dex after beating the Champion, which opens older Pokemon in new areas. Game Freak wanted players to experience Unova's 156 new Pokemon without defaulting to old favorites.

  • Black gets Reshiram (Dragon/Fire) and White gets Zekrom (Dragon/Electric). Zekrom's Electric STAB is slightly more useful since Water types are common throughout the game. For regular exclusives, Black has Braviary (great physical attacker) while White has Mandibuzz (defensive). Black also gets Black City while White gets White Forest with more wild Pokemon.

  • Samurott (starter), Excadrill from Drilbur in Wellspring Cave, Darmanitan from Darumaka on Route 4, Archeops from the Plume Fossil, Reuniclus from Solosis on Route 5, and Haxorus from Axew in Mistralton Cave. Strong coverage with no major type gaps.

  • Hydreigon has 600 BST and Dark/Dragon typing — it's Unova's pseudo-legendary. The problem: Deino doesn't evolve into Zweilous until Level 50, and Zweilous doesn't become Hydreigon until Level 64. That's the latest final evolution in the series. You won't have it for most of the game. Haxorus at 540 BST evolves much earlier and hits nearly as hard with 147 Attack.

  • Volcarona is one of the best Pokemon in the entire game. 135 Sp. Atk, Bug/Fire typing, and Quiver Dance (boosts Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed in one move). You can find a Level 70 one in Relic Castle postgame, or raise a Larvesta from the egg on Route 18. Larvesta doesn't evolve until Level 59 though, so it's a commitment. The payoff is worth it.