Summary
With Sinnoh renewed and remade for Nintendo Switch, players old and new will be looking for Pokedex completion once again. A unique quality ofPokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlis that just about every Pokemon in the Generation 4 National Pokedex is catchable across the two games.
As with any Pokedex, though, some Pokemon will be a real pain to get hold of.Legendary Pokemon have their own challenge, but finding them often isn’t too tricky. It’s other random Pokemon that are seemingly impossible to find.
Updated June 05, 2025 by Ben Painter:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have been out for some time now and gamers may be looking for a new challenge to take on before the release ofPokemon Legends Z-A. Players could fire up their copy of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Shinning Pearl and try to complete the Pokedex. However, this will be no easy task as some Pokemon are really hard to find. This update adds five more of therarest Pokemon to find In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shinning Pearl.
35Teddiursa
Normal-type
The Grand Underground opens up to players once they reach Eterna City. Expanded upon from the original games, this new look underground has places where gamers can catch some rare Pokemon.
Rocky Cave, Sunlit Cavern, Whiteout Cave, and Glacial Cavern are the places where players can find the Little Bear Pokemon from the start. The others require the National Dex. There are certainly rarer Pokemon on this list, but Teddiursa is certainly one to pick up as it evolves intothe beastly Ursaringand, thankfully, this is just at level 30.
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34Gligar
Ground/Flying-type
Gligar is a tricky Pokemon to acquire in the game; it can only be located in certain areas of the Grand Underground. From the original games, Diamond & Pearl, the Underground has been expanded, and gamerscan now find Pokemon in special areas.
The Ground/Flying type is an awesome Pokemon to use. It can learn various Flying, Ground, Poison, and Bug moves and the Elemental Fang moves, too! Gligar is necessary if gamers want to use its evolved form, Gliscor, as this Pokemon cannot be caught. It must be evolved by holding a Razor Fang at night, which can be purchased at the Battle Park.
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33Duskull
Ghost-type
Originally introduced in Generation 3, the small little Ghost Pokemon made the jump onto the Nintendo Switch withBrilliant Diamond & Shinning Pearl. To capture the Requiem Pokemon, players must first obtain the National Dex, as it will only spawn in the Grand Underground with it.
Another way to find Duskull is to use the Poke Radar, but this can be tricky as it isn’t always available. Gamers must wait for the Duskull outbreak to become available and then race to Route 224 to add a Duskull to their party. Duskull eventually evolves into the Generation 4 Pokemon Dusknoir when traded using a Reaper Cloth.
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32Smoochum
Ice/Psychic-type
Smoochum may have a controversial evolution in Jynx,but the baby Pokemon, Smoochum, is fairly inoffensive. It isone of the rarest Pokemon inBrilliant Diamond & Shiny Pearlas it is another Pokemon that can only be located in the Grand Underground in just a few areas.
Smoochum can be found in a swarm also in Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City. Keep an eye on the pause menu for information on Smoochum’s arrival. Gamers will have a decent Pokemon, too, as Jynx has very good Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed and great typing to boot.
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31Swinub
Ice/Ground-type
Another Ice-type, which is also rare, is Swinub. The Pig Pokemon can be found in swarms on Route 17 and in select areas in the Grand Underground, albeit at a rare spawn rate.
Gamers will need Swinub to complete their Pokedex. In its final stage, it becomes the mammoth, Mamoswine, who is an awesome Pokemon in-game with hulking Attack and HP stats. It will leave Electric types in ruins with a powerful Earthquake attack. Players will need to search high and low to find this cute little Ice/Ground Pokemon.
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30Riolu
Fighting-Type
The Fighting-type Pokemonis one of the most popular Pokemon in the game due to the fact it evolves into the awesome Lucario, a go-to ‘mon for Sinnoh playthroughs. But to get Lucario, players must get Riolu, which can only be found from an egg received from Riley on Iron Island.
This area is accessible once players reach Canalave City, and trainers must battle their way through the area to receive the Riolu egg. Although it is not hard to acquire, as players are guaranteed one Riolu in each playthrough, it is still considered rare as there is only one per save.
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29Absol
Dark-Type
First introduced in Generation 3 in thePokemon Ruby & Sapphiregames, the Disaster Pokemon, Absol, leaped over to Generation 4 and, in turn, the remakes. To locate an Absol in Sinnoh is no easy task, however, as it can only be found through swarms on Route 213.
Swarms are available as mass outbreaks throughout the region once the player has obtained the National Dex after defeating the Elite Four and Champion. If gamers can’t wait until then to get their hands on an Absol, then they can attempt to find one in the Grand Underground in specific locations. However, it is a rare spawn. In some areas, it appears with a spawn rate as low as 5%.
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28Magnemite
Electric/Steel-Type
One of the original 151 Pokemon, Magnemite, appears inBrilliant Diamond & Shinning Pearlas a swarm encounter at Fuego Ironworks. This area is accessed by surfing west in the stream on Route 205, north of Floroma Town. These swarms will appear to the player at random from the start menu.
The Magnet Pokemon is a great pick-up in this game, asa new evolution was releasedfor this ‘mon in the form of Magnezone. Magnemite evolves at level 30, and when gamers take the evolved Magneton to Mt. Cornet and level it up, it will reach its final form of Magnezone. Alternately, Magnemite can also be found as a rare spawn in select areas of the Grand Underground, but locating this Pokemon can still take a great deal of effort.
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27Lickitung
Normal-Type
A very divisive Pokemon due to its appearance, Lickitung is required to complete the Pokedex, and doing so is the only way to acquire its Generation 4 evolution, Lickilicky. Lickitung reaches this final form once it is leveled up while knowing the Rollout move.
Exclusive to swarms on Lake Valor and as rare spawns in the Grand Underground, it will take some effort to find the Kanto Pokemon on the Nintendo Switch. Lickilicky is a decent Pokemon with solid HP and rounded stats. It is worth putting in the extra effort to find it, as having a solid Normal-type is a great strategy for tough bosses in this game.
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Bug/Flying-Type, Bug-Type
These Bug-typesmade their debuts way back inPokemon Red & Bluein Generation 1 and have been mainstays of the franchise ever since. But gamers may want to think twice before wanting to use these ‘mons inBrilliant Diamond&Shining Pearl.
They can only be caught as rare spawns in select locations after acquiring the National Dex on Route 229. It is also worth noting that Scyther is exclusive toBrilliant Diamond, and Pinsir can only be caught inShining Pearl. Getting both bugs in one copy of the game will require some trading.
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