10 Items Every Pokémon Fan Wishes They Had (2024)

Held items have played a pivotal role in the Pokémon series since Pokémon Gold & Silver. Each Pokémon can receive a myriad of benefits while holding one — stat boosts, damage reduction, status cures, and even negative effects that can be forced on an opponent's Pokémon. Many held items have the potential to dramatically alter a battle's outcome from a single use, while others are necessary for a Pokémon to function in a competitive setting. Players are expected to scrutinize any held item to optimize a Pokémon's potential and devise effective strategies for facing diverse opponents.

Each new generation adds a new slew of held items for players to utilize, which shakes strategic potential. Despite Game Freak's continued success in reinventing the franchise every three years or so, some amazing held items have yet to exist. There comes a time in a Pokémon player's life when they conquer the latest generation and have nothing to do but ponder about the next — like these hypothetical held items that could be real game changers.

10 An Inversion Seed Switches Its Holder’s Weaknesses and Resistances

Pokémon X & Y Introduced Inverse Battles

Inverts holder's weaknesses and resistances. Immunities become weaknesses.

Pokémon X & Y's Inverse Battles are a unique twist on the traditional battle system that has yet to appear in future generations. In an Inverse Battle, type effectiveness is reversed. For example, Fire-type moves are normally super-effective against Grass-type Pokémon, but they are not very effective in an Inverse Battle. Any immunities applied by types become weaknesses, but any immunities applied by abilities are not.

An Inversion Seed applies this twist to its holder, which can grant many Pokémon with a poor typing combination a chance to shine. Cetitan and Avalugg are two bulky Pokémon that particularly benefit from an Inversion Seed, as they're only weak to Ice-type attacks with it. Since an Inversion Seed won't change an ability, a Lapras with Water Absorb will only have a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, but resist Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock-type attacks, and still be immune to Water-type attacks.

9 A Suppressor Clamp Makes Slaking and Regigigas Usable

Truant and Slow Start Made Them Useless

Holder's ability has no effect.

The Suppressor Clamp is simple — it negates its holder's ability. For most Pokémon, this is a hard pass. Two Pokémon — Slaking and Regigigas — have impressive stats, but get held back by their abilities. This may have been necessary for game balance in the earlier generations, but today's meta has a higher power level with ability/item combos — Sheer Force/Life Orb is a good example. A Slaking or Regigigas with a Suppressor Clamp essentially fights without an ability or an item.

This is also a good item to swap with an opponent. It's not as debilitating as a Choice item, but it doesn't have the risk of strengthening a sweeping Pokémon's Attack or Sp. Attack. This tactic is a more permanent solution than Gastro Acid or Skill Swap, as the Suppressor Clamp remains stuck to that Pokémon after a switch.

8 A Transposal Shard Rewards Decreasing an Opponent’s Stat

Intimidate Can Raise Its User’s Special Attack

Raises a corresponding physical/special stat by 1 when an opponent's special/physical stat is decreased. Single use.

The Transposal Shard's description is difficult to decipher, but there are no typos. "Physical/special" is listed first, and "special/physical" is listed second. If an opponent's Sp. Defense drops, the holder's Defense rises. If an opponent's Attack drops, the holder's Sp. Attack rises. The latter is easily applied to an Intimidate user, though most of them are physical attackers. A special sweeper can hold this if partnered with an Intimidate user in a Double Battle, though.

A Transposal Shard doesn't do anything if an opponent's Speed, accuracy, or evasion drops. A Transposal Shard will only raise one stat if two or more stats drop simultaneously. It follows a sequence of Attack → Defense → Sp. Attack → Sp. Defense, in which an opponent's Attack has the most priority and an opponent's Sp. Defense has the least. If the holder survives an opponent's Close Combat, their Sp. Defense will rise.

Like an Air Balloon, It Breaks When the Holder Gets Hit

Holder is immune to Poison-type attacks/status and gains Steel-type resistances. Shatters when holder is hit.

Granting Steel-type resistances to any Pokémon sounds overpowered, but Metallic Alloy breaks after the first direct hit. This is like an Air Balloon since it doesn't come back after a switch-in. It also alerts the opponent with a "The opposing Pokémon is coated in liquid armor with its Metallic Alloy" message. Players can still switch to anything holding Metallic Alloy against a predicted Poison-type attack without losing it.

Metallic Alloy only applies Steel-type resistances and its immunity to Poison-type attacks, not its weaknesses. Its holder won't be any weaker to Fire, Fighting, and Ground-type attacks, and any weaknesses to a resisted type won't count against it. For example, a Dragonite holding Metallic Alloy will resist an Ice-type attack before it shatters, even though it would have a 4x weakness to it otherwise. Anything that isn't resistant to Rock-type attacks will take 6.25% of its maximum HP in Stealth Rock damage with a Metallic Alloy.

6 A Static Orb Can Be Flung To Paralyze the Opponent

Electric-Types Are Naturally Immune to This

At the end of every turn, this item attempts to paralyze the holder.

A Static Orb is one of those items that should have existed alongside the Toxic and Flame Orb. It paralyzes its holder the same way that the other two poisons and burns them. Guts and Quick Feet users can utilize a Static Orb the same way, only to contend with potential missed turns in place of residual damage. The Quick Feet effect also ignores the Speed drop that comes from paralysis.

A Static Orb can be flung at an opponent to paralyze them, and any Rotom form can trick a Static Orb on an opponent without becoming paralyzed itself. Alternatively, a Static Orb can force a bulky Pokémon into paralysis, so it can't be afflicted with another non-volatile status effect. Gyro Ball users like Forretress aren't very inconvenienced by paralysis, compared to falling asleep or getting frozen.

5 The Berserk Gene Should Return From the Second Generation

Future Pokémon Games Exclude This Item

On switch-in, raises holder's Attack by 2 and confuses it. Single use.

The Berserk Gene is infamous for applying a Swagger-like effect on its holder, yet only exists in the second generation. It raises the holder's Attack by 2 stages but confuses it for 256 turns. The only real strategy for this is to play the odds and try to Baton Pass the Attack stages to another Pokémon holding a Bitter or Miracle Berry. Now there are Pokémon with the Own Tempo ability, among others, that can nullify the confusion, yet the Berserk Gene is nowhere to be found.

This strategy is an alternative to Choice Band sweepers — it makes its holder's physical attacks even stronger and doesn't lock them to a single move, but forces its holder to have a mostly-useless ability and the effect goes away if it gets switched out. Tinkaton, with its Gigaton Hammer, is a good candidate for a Berserk Gene that could have Own Tempo.

4 A Splintered Stone Leaves Spikes on the Opponent’s Field Once

This Combos Well With Glimmora’s Toxic Debris

If holder is hit, Spikes are set on the opposing side. Single use.

A Splintered Stone is useful for anything expected to take a hit. Even though it only applies a single layer of Spikes, it works no matter what attack hits the holder. This differs from Toxic Debris, which only applies Toxic Spikes upon getting hit by a physical attack. Spikes users can hold this to set up an opponent's board faster, but even a single layer can break Focus Sashes.

Flinging a Splintered Stone will also apply a layer of Spikes if the opponent knows not to directly attack the holder. A Splintered Stone will likely be more useful in Double Battles compared to other applications of entry hazards since it doesn't require the player to use up turns. Speaking of Double Battles, an allied Pokémon can attack its holder to apply Spikes with an attack that hits all three targets, like Earthquake.

3 A Blitz Lens Guarantees Its Holder’s First Move Will Critically Hit

It’s Like a Focus Sash for the Scope Lens

On switch-in, holder's first move will be a critical hit.

Critical hits are too clunky to strategize around. Players have to get lucky or use up a turn with Focus Energy to get consistent critical hits, but it's usually better to use Dragon Dance or Nasty Plot to sweep. A Blitz Lens could fix this problem by making its holder's first move always critically hit. It's far more consistent than a Scope Lens in the same way that a Focus Sash is more consistent than a Focus Band.

Inteleon especially benefits from a Blitz Lens, due to its high Sp. Attack and Speed and its Sniper ability. Any Pokémon with switching attacks like U-Turn or Volt Switch can capitalize on a Blitz Lens repeatedly to bypass increased defensive stat stages. In a Double Battle, a weak ally can use a priority attack on a Pokémon with Anger Point to maximize their Attack more safely than with Belly Drum.

2 A Noble Helm Halves Speed To Increase Physical Defense

Tanks Don’t Need Speed Anyway, so It’s an Alternative to Leftovers

Holder's Def is 1.5x, but Speed is halved.

A Noble Helm is the Assault Vest's counterpart — it increases a defensive stat at a cost. In this case, it halves its holder's Speed like a Macho Brace to increase its Defense. While an Assault Vest should only be held by a purely offensive Pokémon, a Noble Helm should usually be held by a defensive one. Trick Room teams may also find a Noble Helm's downside useful, and a Pokémon with the Analytic ability will be able to gain the increased damage with less risk.

Just like with a Static Orb, a Gyro Ball user can use a Noble Helm effectively. There's no risk of skipping turns this way, but the holder isn't immune to non-volatile status effects. A Body Press user applies its Defense to attack, so a Noble Helm supports this strategy as well.

1 The Champion’s Sigil Gives Weaker Pokémon a Chance to Excel

Maybe Smeargle Can Finally Win a Championship

Holder's stats (not HP/acc/eva) increase by 50% for every 100 base stat total below opponent (up to 150% for 300 base stat total).

The Champion's Sigil is a new concept of item that should exist to make weaker Pokémon competitively useful. The Light Ball and Thick Club tried this with Pikachu and Marowak, respectively, to varying degrees of success. Instead of checking its holder's species, a Champion's Sigil compares its holder's base stat total with its opponent's. Only base stat totals are counted, so outliers like EVs, IVs, and natures don't matter.

Smeargle can learn virtually any move with Sketch but only has a base stat total of 250. To clarify, all Paradox Pokémon have at least 570 in total base stats. That's enough for a Smeargle with a Champion's Sigil to gain a 150% boost to all its stats. Unlike the Light Ball and Thick Club, the opponent is alerted with a "The opposing Pokémon has the might of a true champion!" message when it's switched on. It also applies after abilities do, so a Wishiwashi can't gain boosts first, and then use its Schooling to change its base stat total.

Pokemon

Expanding across a multitude of media, including TCGs, video games, manga, live-action movies and anime, the Pokémon franchise is set in a shared world of humans and creatures with a wide variety of special abilities.

Created by

Satoshi Tajiri

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie

Latest Film

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

First TV Show

Pokémon (1997)

Latest TV Show

Pokémon Horizons (2023)

First Episode Air Date

April 1, 1997

Video Game(s)

Pokémon GO , Pokemon X and Y , Pokémon Legends: Arceus , Pokémon Scarlet and Violet , Pokémon Sword and Shield , Pokémon Diamond & Pearl , Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl , Pokemon Red and Blue , Detective Pikachu , Detective Pikachu Returns , Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! , Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!