Top 5 Pokemon that were banned in competitive play

The typical competitive Pokemon format sees a large list of legendaries and mythical creatures banned, but that sometimes spins off into other everyday Pokemon.

A Pokemon has to be incredibly powerful or incredibly annoying to receive a ban from competitive play. It's not often that this occurs.

Most recently, though, competitive battling saw a massive ban in Sword and Shield. Some of the most popular choices were removed from the rulebook of usable Pokemon.

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No. 1 is the most overpowered starter Pokemon ever

#5 - Incineroar

Image via The Pokemon Company

Series 5 saw the rise of Incineroar in competitive Pokemon once again. Pokemon decided to do something crazy at the end of the series. Once Series 6 began, 16 of the most popular Pokemon from the summer were banned.

It only lasted a short while, but it is still strange to think about. Incineroar is a saving grace for some players and a nightmare for others. It was a very divisive move.

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#4 - Mewtwo

Image via Game Freak

At first, some bans came as a surprise to many Pokemon players. When Pokemon was new, players wanted to take the most powerful Pokemon in their arsenals to battle against others.

Unfortunately, that would be shut down without a second thought. Mewtwo and various other legendary and mythical icons were banned in competitive before they even got a chance. Their power is just too much.

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#3 - Cinderace

Image via Game Freak

Much like Incineroar, Cinderace is among the most popular Pokemon used in Series 5. While it is no longer intact, the ban to Cinderace was just as shocking. It is a starter Pokemon.

It was the most popular starter in the game in which the current competitive Pokemon landscape is played on. It is a speedy attacker that can easily put teams ahead. For a short period, it was unavailable to enter the fray.

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#2 - Rillaboom

Image via Game Freak

Rillaboom is another that falls in the Series 5 popularity category, then banned in Series 6. Never has two starter Pokemon from the same game receive a ban.

It was a short experiment, but the impact lasted. Rillaboom saw an incredible amount of competitive usage, especially as the Gigantamax 'mon on most teams. The Series 6 ban, with so many other Pokemon, was downright frustrating for some.

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#1 - Blaziken

Image via The Pokemon Company

Blaziken may be the most overpowered starter Pokemon ever. Originally, there was no issue. Speed Boost's hidden ability is what saw it receive a ban. Speed Boost did exactly what it says.

At the end of every turn, it would gain a point to its speed stat. One Protect could easily see it outspeed every opposing Pokemon. It was deemed utterly ridiculous, and only special, unofficial tournaments allowed Blaziken.