You could certainly call the Dark-type a…dark horse.
There aren’t a lot of pure Dark-type Pokemon out there. It makes sense, as what defines a Dark-type Pokemon can be kind of vague, often needing a more concrete concept to cling onto. Hence, most Dark-type Pokemon being dual-typed. A lot of them are great in competitive play too, like Hydreigon and Tyranitar, thanks to the extra offensive type.
The few pure Dark-types certainly vary in quality from a competitive standpoint, ranging from laughably weak and unviable to overpowered, and the typing does play a part in that. This list will look at both ends of the spectrum: those pure-blooded Dark-types that give it shame and those that give it pride.
8 Mightyena
With all due respect, Mightyena is one of the most pathetic fully-evolved Pokemon out there. The Generation III canine boasts one of the lowest base stat totals for a final evolution stage at 420, and it doesn’t specialize in any one skill, which is essential in competitive battling.
Its highest stat is its 90 Attack, so on paper, it should be best in that role. However, it doesn’t have the Speed to hit first nor the defenses to take damage, and other Pokemon can simply do it way better. It doesn’t have a great movepool either, mostly hanging its hat on the elemental Fang moves for coverage. Not even its good abilities in Intimidate and Moxie can help Mightyena be completely unviable.
7 Thievul
Thievul is almost just as bad for competitive battling as Mightyena, but its marginally better stats prevent it from getting thrown into the basement. Not only is the 455 base stat total just enough to avoid last place, but the better spread gives it a bit more practical use in battle.
Its stats tell you to put its eggs into being a fast offensive Pokemon, with a little extra help from a learnset with decent coverage. The 90 Speed can even be improved upon with Unburden, a move that gives it a burst of Speed upon losing an item. While using it in a serious battle still isn’t a great idea, Thievul at least has a semblance of a competitive niche.
6 Liepard
While it doesn’t have the raw base stat total to be good in high-level competitive battling, Liepard can fit the mold needed to play certain roles. It’s like Thievul in that it specializes in Speed and attacking power, but it fares even better in those ranks at 106 Speed and 88 in both attacking stats, at the cost of good Special Defense.
It also fares much better in the movepool and ability department. In terms of moves, it has a ton of STAB and coverage options. More importantly, it has a ton of options for set-up and playing a utility role such as Nasty Plot, Substitute, Encore, and the like. It has three solid-to-excellent abilities: Unburden, Limber, and Prankster.
5 Alolan Persian
Alolan Persian rounds out the foursome of basic, low base stat total, pure Dark-type quadrupeds that make out to be a surprising conceptual prototype. While its stats aren’t necessarily better than Liepard’s, it has just enough going for it to put it above its feline friend.
For one, it has two good abilities to make use of. Fur Coat helps it out on the defensive end by softening opponents’ physical blows, while Technician boosts the sub-60 base power moves that make up its movepool like Fake Out, Shock Wave, and Water Pulse. Among those moves however, Parting Shot stands out as its most useful, temporarily depowering its opponents by dropping both attacking stats a stage each before switching.
4 Absol
Absol is a sleeper hit among Pokemon fans, and the same can kind of be said for its competitive usage. Among other things, it had one of the most interesting Mega Evolutions.
Mega Absol had an interesting mix of good attacking stats and the Magic Bounce ability, which is usually reserved for more utility or support Pokemon. While its stats are a bit underwhelming without the Mega Evolution, it has an arguably more fitting arsenal of abilities, namely Pressure, Super Luck, and Justified. Whatever form it conveys, it has access to some of the best physical Dark-type moves in the game, like Sucker Punch, Knock Off, and Throat Chop, to make use of its great 130 Attack stat.
3 Zoroark
Of course, Zoroark’s claim to fame among all kinds of Pokemon fans is its ability to shapeshift into other Pokemon, thanks to its Illusion ability. While that’s certainly cool to most fans, its reception in the competitive scene has been mixed.
When getting into specifics, the Illusion ability takes on the image of the last Pokemon in the party. The ability allows Zoroark users to kind of switch things up when necessary, but since players get team previews, seeing a Zoroark indicates the possibility of said switch-up. In terms of actual battling capability, it can stand on its own decently well as a fast special attacker with 120 Special Attack, 105 Speed, and a wide array of attacking and set-up moves.
2 Umbreon
Of all the Eeveelutions, Umbreon has the staunchest followers claiming it to be the best of the pack. There’s a strong case for it, as it’s had the steadiest presence in the competitive scene compared to the others.
It’s certainly been one of the best glue guys in the metagame for a long time now. That’s thanks to its access to multiple support moves like Toxic, Yawn, and Taunt, and especially healing moves like Wish, Heal Bell, and Moonlight. It’s also decidedly the best defensive Pokemon among the Eeveelutions with excellent HP, Defense, and Special Defense stats, and while that might leave some room to be desired for its offensive stats, it can use Foul Play to rely on its opponents’ Attack stats instead.
1 Darkrai
Darkrai has a niche that is quite literally unmatched. No other Pokemon can weaponize sleep as much as Darkrai, from the signature ability Bad Dreams down to its access to moves like Dark Void and Dream Eater. Of course, there’s more to it than that; it’s also insanely powerful at a 600 base stat total.
It specializes mainly in Special Attack and Speed, at 135 and 125 respectively, which allows it to be a more straightforward attacker, should you choose to build Darkrai that way. That’s what happens more often than not, as the strategies and movesets built around putting its opponents to sleep rely a bit on chance. Relying on inaccurate sleep-inflicting moves like Hypnosis and Dream Eater can be quite inconsistent.
