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Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green - Pokemon Guide
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Author - Volke
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Introduction
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Building a good Pokemon team is the key to success in the Pokemon series. This guide will help you in building up a
good team in Fire Red or Leaf Green. It will contain all 151 pokemon that appear on the PokeDex and I will
personally review each one. I am very experienced in this field and my opinions are completely reliable. In regards
to pokemon that evolve, I will go into detail with their final evolution rather than basic forms, as you obviously
want to evolve pokemon.
Befire any elitists start complaining, the movesets I am providing are intended for in-game use only.
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Bulbasaur > Ivysaur > Venusaur (001 > 002 > 003)
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Type - Grass/Poison (all stages)
Important note - Bulbasaur is a starter pokemon
Venusaur is the best Grass-type pokemon you can obtain in the game. It has better stats and a larger movepool than
its only competitor, Vileplume. Venusaur has access to status inflicting moves such as Sleep Powder (but sadly not
Spore) and a decent amount of offensive moves, although most are of types that would use Attack, rather than
Special Attack, to determine damage.
Ideally, you want to be aiming for a moveset like this:
Sleep Powder
Razor Leaf
Sludge Bomb
Earthquake
Razor Leaf is listed because there aren't a great deal of 'good' offensive Grass moves. Solarbeam does have 100 %
accuracy and 120 base power, as well as STAB bonus, but it takes two turns to use once without sunlight support,
and giving up Earthquake for Sunny Day isn't really worth it. Sleep Powder is there because putting opposing
pokemon to sleep makes things a lot easier, especially if they're tough. Sludge Bomb because of STAB, and
Earthquake because it delivers a hard hit to most things that have type advantages over Grass and Poison-type
moves.
Verdict - Whilst Venusaur can only be obtained as a starter pokemon, you can't go wrong with choosing him. Out of
the two starter pokemon that are useful against the first gym, he's the better pick. He's also very useful in the
long run, and you won't want to replace him.
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Charmander > Charmeleon > Charizard (004 > 005 > 006)
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Type - Fire (Charmander, Charmeleon), Fire/Flying (Charizard)
Important note - Charmander is a starter pokemon
Charizard is the best Fire-type you can obtain in the game. He has great overall stats and a very diverse physical
movepool (although sadly a rather shallow special movepool, considering his Special Attack is the higher of his
attacking stats). Whilst his dual Fire/Flying typing results in him taking quadruple damage from Rock Attacks, it's
rather unlikely that you would use him against Rock-type pokemon anyway.
Try a moveset like this:
Flamethrower
Wing Attack/Aerial Ace
Earthquake/Rock Slide/Dragon Claw
Earthquake/Rock Slide/Dragon Claw
Choose two of the three listed for the third and fourth moves. Earthquake and Rock Slide provide the best type
coverage, but Dragon Claw is stronger than Rock Slide and will probably cause the same amount of neutral damage as
Earthquake due to Charizard's higher Special Attack than Attack. Wing Attack is better than Aerial Ace as it has
the same base power but more PP. However, if you hate trainers that use moves like Double Team and Sand Attack (who
doesn't hate the cheating bastards?), then Aerial Ace is probably the better option. You might want to give the TM
to another pokemon, though.
Verdict - Like Venusaur, you can only get one unless you trade. Whilst quite rubbish against the first two gyms,
Charizard will really shine later on in the game. In my opinion, he's the best of the three starter pokemon, and
definately the best Fire-type pokemon in the game (seeing as he has better stats than most and he actually has a
decent movepool).
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Squirtle > Wartortle > Blastoise (007 > 008 > 009)
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Type - Water
Important note - Squirtle is a starter pokemon
Unfortunately, Blastoise (and I hate to say it) is definately not the best pokemon of its type that is available in
this game. It's quite good, but is outclassed by other Water types such as Vaporeon and Poliwrath. It has a shallow
movepool and was built for defensive battling rather than offensive, and you probably won't use much defensive
battling in-game outside of moves like Sleep Powder and Thunder Wave.
The best moveset you'll get out of Blastoise is:
Surf
Ice Beam
Earthquake
Return
Surf and Ice Beam because they're good moves, and it seems to be some kind of poke-land law that ALL Water types
MUST learn these two moves (I dare you to find one that doesn't). Earthquake hits Electric pokemon hard, which is
good since Blastoise is weak to Electric attacks. Return because it doesn't really learn anything better. It does
learn Light Screen and Reflect, but they're moves best left to competitive battling only.
Verdict - Like I said, outclassed by better Water type pokemon. The least useful of the three starters, I don't
recommend you choose Blastoise unless you either love it or dislike the other two. It's not a bad pokemon by any
means, but there are better options. Blastoise can take hits very well, but can't hit back hard enough.
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Caterpie > Metapod > Butterfree (010 > 011 > 012)
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Type - Bug (Caterpie, Metapod), Bug/Flying (Butterfree)
In the word of pokemon, you will ALWAYS be bombarded by a bunch of rubbish Bug pokemon you find at the start of the
game. It's the same in all of the games. Of all those rubbish Bug pokemon, Butterfree is probably the best of the
bunch (sadly, nothing to brag about). A very bad combination of types (4x weakness to Rock!) and a lackluster
movepool leaves a lot to be desired.
Use this moveset, because it ain't getting any better:
Sleep Powder
Psychic
Wing Attack/Aerial Ace
Silver Wind/Giga Drain/Solarbeam
It's easy: put something to sleep, then keep hitting it with Psychic. Wing Attack/Aerial Ace is your STAB backup.
Silver Wind is also STAB, but Giga Drain is there because they both have 5 PP and Butterfree's higher Special
Attack than Attack means Giga Drain will probably do a larger amount of damage and can heal the fragile butterfly.
Solarbeam is powerful, and Butterfree welcomes more power. However, the two turn waiting is no fun.
Verdict - If you want to use a Bug/Flying type, try Venomoth, who's a bit better than Butterfree. You could also
ignore both and use Pinsir, who, unlike most other Bug types, is actually good. Butterfree won't be doing much to
help your team. Depsite its pretty good Special Attack, the only special move you'll be using often is Psychic. He
also has average Speed and terrible defences, so he won't be killing anything that's faster than him and can
attack. Just use something else.
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Weedle > Kakuna > Beedrill (013 > 014 > 015)
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Type - Bug/Poison
Like Butterfree, another rubbish Bug pokemon you find at the start of the game. Although it's different with
Beedrill, because he's even worse! Again, he has rubbish stats (bar Attack, which is quite good, Speed which is
slightly above average, and good Special Defence which is screwed over by its crap HP) and a very poor movepool.
This is about the only moveset he can use:
Swords Dance
Sludge Bomb
Brick Break
Return
Swords Dance to raise his Attack to a high level. Sludge Bomb because it's STAB. Break Break because it provides
decent coverage when paired with Sludge Bomb, and because it's another good mveo he learns. Return because, well,
what else is Beedrill going to use? Poison Sting?
Verdict - I might even go as far as to call Beedrill the worst fully evolved pokemon out of Kanto's grand 151. The
moveset I provided does look good at first glance, but Beedrill probably won't live to actually set it up due to
his crap defences and HP. With Butterfree, I said use something else. With Beedrill, I'm saying use ANYTHING else,
except Farfetch'd, of course.
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Pidgey > Pidgeotto > Pidgeot (016 > 017 > 018)
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Type - Normal/Flying
The first of the Normal/Flying types encountered in the pokemon series, and you typically find Pidgey at the start
of the game. Pidgeot's stats are quite balanced, ranging from good (Speed) to mediocre (Special Defence). His
movepool is typical of Normal/Flying types: it sucks, but it just about learns what it needs to. Or not,
considering that Pidgeot doesn't learn Drill Peck.
Here is Pidgeot's best possible moveset:
Aerial Ace/Wing Attack
Return
Steel Wing
Mirror Move
Aerial Ace and Wing Attack are the most poweful Flying-type moves that Pidgeot learns. Return is great, especially
due to Pidgeot's STAB bonus on the move. Steel Wing to hurt Rock types. Mirror Move because it's fun and Pidgeot
doesn't learn anything better anyway.
Verdict - Pidgeot sucks. Out of the three Normal/Flying types, it's definately the worst. The main things that set
it apart from the others is that it's less powerful, slower and doesn't learn Drill Peck. Don't be fooled by the
fact that it evolves twice and is conveniently found at the very beginning of the game. Use Dodrio or Fearow
instead.
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Rattata > Raticate (019 > 020)
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Type - Normal
Your typical rodent-based rubbish Normal type found at the start of the game. Movepool is limited. Only decent
stats are Attack and Speed.
Best moveset:
Return
Iron Tail
Shadow Ball
Super Fang
Return for STAB. Iron Tail and Shadow Ball because it learns them. Super Fang because it's fun and can be useful
when Raticate won't be dealing more than 50% damage to an opponent (likely to be quite often late in the game).
Things like Toxic and Thunder Wave are wasted on Raticate because he needs to use a kill or be killed strategy in
order to be of any use.
Verdict - Don't bother with it, unless you want the game to be more challenging.
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Spearow > Fearow (021 > 022)
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Type - Normal/Flying
The first good Normal/Flying type you encounter. You can get a Spearow just after the first gym, so you really have
no excuse to be using Pidgey. Again, like Pidgeot, Fearow's movepool is limited, but at least it gets Drill Peck.
Best moveset:
Drill Peck
Return
Steel Wing
Mirror Move/Aerial Ace
Looks similar to Pidgeot's best moveset, but with Drill Peck as the prominent Flying-type move. Drill Peck and
Return are both very powerful, especially since Fearow gets STAB on both. Steel Wing hurts Rock-types, should he
ever find himself facing off against them. Mirror Move is there if you want some fun, but Aerial Ace is also listed
as it always hits pokemon using retarded moves like Double Team or Sand Attack.
Verdict - Fearow and Dodrio are very similar as both rely on Attack and Speed, which are their only good stats.
Dodrio's Attack and Speed are slightly higher than Fearow's, so Dodrio is better in the long run. However, Spearow
is found much earlier in the game than Doduo, so if you don't want to wait, Fearow is for you. It's not a bad
pokemon by any means, and is much better than Pidgeot.
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Ekans > Arbok (023 > 024)
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Type - Poison
Interesting note - Try saying the words Ekans and Arbok backwards
Typical or pokemon commonly found early on, Arbok has mediocre stats barring Attack and Speed (Special Defence is
also okay, but low HP kills it). However, Arbok's movepool is actually quite good, so it is actually quite usable.
Try this set:
Sludge Bomb
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Return/Toxic
Sludge Bomb is STAB. Earthquake and Rock Slide provide excellent type coverage when put together, and surprisingly
Arbok learns both. Return is there if you want another attack, Toxic is you want to wear down things. It's highly
unlikely you'll be using either very often, anyway.
Verdict - Despite the fact that its defences don't exactly shine in a rainbow of appeal, Arbok is actually quite
good. Poison typing resists a lot, and it learns some great moves. It is outclassed by other pokemon, but it's
still usable. Plus, it looks cool.
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Pikachu > Raichu (025 > 026)
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Type - Electric
Important note - A Thunderstone is required to evolve Pikachu
It's an absolute pain using Pikachu until you can get a Thunderstone, but Raichu is a great pokemon. Probably the
best Electric-type you can obtain in the game (bar Zapdos, of course). Despite crap Defence, Raich can take hits
quite well and dish out some great damage in return, although rather high Speed means he'll probably attack first
most of the time too.
A very good moveset would be:
Thunderbolt
Brick Break/Iron Tail/Return
Attract
Thunder Wave
Thunderbolt is obvious: Raichu gets STAB on it and it's powerful anyway. Any of the three physical moves listed are
there to hurt things that Thunderbolt doesn't fare well against. Attract works best if you have a female Raichu as
most pokemon that trainers have tend to be male. Thunder Wave works brilliantly with Attract, giving the opponent
about a one in five chance of actually being able to use a move. If you don't want to use Attract and Thunder Wave,
you can use all three of the attacks listsed in the second moveslot, although you'll probably just be attacking
with Thunderbolt more often than not.
Verdict - Great pokemon. You can find it early in the game, and it learns some cool moves. The only Electric
pokemon that's better than it is Zapdos, which is found a lot later in the game and grows slowly. Raichu works well
in a team if you choose Charmander as your starter, as it helps a lot against Misty. Recommended if you want to use
an Elecric type.
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Sandshrew > Sandslash (027 > 028)
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Type - Ground
Sandslash has an advantage over things like Golem and Rhydon: it isn't 4x weak to Water and Grass attacks. However,
it won't be taking attacks from those types very well due to its crap Special Defence. It has great Attack and
Defence though, and has a good movepool to compliment them.
I recommend this set:
Swords Dance
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Brick Break/Iron Tail/Aerial Ace
Swords Dance to boost Attack to sky-high levels. Then attack using your STAB Earthquake, with Rock Slide to hit
Flying-types or things with Levitate. For the last move, Aerial Ace is probably the best option as it hurts Grass
types, but since most of them are Grass/Poison, Earthquake will hit them harder anyway. To be honest, it's unlikely
you'll ever need to use the fourth move.
Verdict - Great pokemon, but outclassed by Thick Club wielding Marowak, which is more powerful and a bit better
defensively. However, if you don't want to spend forever looking for a Cubone holding a Thick Club, then go for
Sandslash, as it's better on the whole than Marowak otherwise.
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Nidoran (F) > Nidorina > Nidoqueen (029 > 030 > 031)
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Type - Poison (Nidoran, Nidorina), Poison/Ground (Nidoqueen)
Important note - A Moon Stone is required to evolve Nidorina
Nidoqueen has slightly better defenses and slightly weaker offenses than Nidoking. It's up to you which of the two
you'd prefer to use. Both are relatively good. Not on the same team, though.
This is the best moveset I could come up with:
Sludge Bomb
Earthquake
Brick Break
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb and Earthquake are STAB attacks. Brick Break and Shadow Ball provide perfect type coverage.
Verdict - Nidoqueen is good. Not brilliant, but good. She's definately worth using in-game.
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Nidoran (M) > Nidorino > Nidoking (032 > 033 > 034)
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Type - Poison (Nidoran, Nidorino), Poison/Ground (Nidoqueen)
Important note - A Moon Stone is required to evolve Nidorino
Nidoking has slightly better offenses and slightly weaker defenses than Nidoqueen. You can use either, as both are
relatively good. Not on the same team, though.
Best moveset:
Sludge Bomb
Earthquake
Brick Break
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb and Earthquake are STAB attacks. Brick Break and Shadow Ball provide perfect type coverage. Another
possible option is Megahorn, the only good Bug-type move in the game. Nidoking learns it by level up, but either
has to forego a STAB attack or perfect type coverage. If you want to use Megahorn, use it instead of Sludge Bomb as
Sludge Bomb offers poor type coverage. Very few pokemon learn Megahorn, and even fewer, one of which is Nidoking,
are actually good.
Verdict - Nidoking is good. Not brilliant, but good. He's definately worth using in-game, and is one of the few
good pokemon that learns Megahorn.
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Clefairy > Clefable (035 > 036)
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Type - Normal
Important note - A Moon Stone is required to evolve Clefairy
Clefable is more of a defensive pokemon than an offensive pokemon. Still, it has good Special Attack, and can make
use of it. Clefable can be surprisingly effective, as it can take both physical and special hits whilst dishing out
some decent damage with special attacks.
Try this set:
Calm Mind
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Flamethrower
The only pokemon which all three of these moves combined are not very effective on are Chinchou and Lanturn, and
only one trainer in the entire game has these pokemon. Calm Mind boosts Special Attack and Special Defence. Ice
Beam and Thunderbolt provide excellent type coverage, and Flamethrower is the best move to use after that.
Verdict - In-game, it's the best out of the 'pink, cute and cuddly' Normal-types. Not my first choice to add into a
team, but it's still good.
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Vulpix > Ninetales (037 > 038)
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Type - Fire
Important note - A Fire Stone is required to evolve Vulpix
Pure Fire types are weak to Water, Rock and Ground attacks, which isn't all that great, and also have crap
movepools, and Ninetales is no exception. Okay, so you didn't choose Charmander as your starter and you want a Fire
type. Ninetales isn't a bad bet, considering the others really aren't any better.
About the best moveset you'll get out of it is:
Flamethrower
Return
Confuse Ray
Will'o'Wisp
Flamethrower for STAB. Return because it's about the only good attacking move except for other Fire moves (and Body
Slam, which shouldn't go with Return) that Ninetales actually learns. Confuse Ray and Will'o'Wisp can be fun to
use, and sometimes useful too.
Verdict - I'm not keen on Ninetales. I don't like pure Fire types and I hate things with rubbish movepools. Still,
it's either this or Arcanine, and Ninetales grows faster.
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Jigglypuff > Wigglytuff (039 > 040)
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Type - Normal
Important note - A Moon Stone is required to evolve Jigglypuff
I don't know what Wigglytuff intends to do with those mediocre stats (barring its excellent HP), but you won't want
anything to do with them. It's a shame, really, since Wigglytuff's movepool is brilliant.
You can try out this moveset:
Return
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Shadow Ball
That covers just about everything for at least neutral damage. Return is for STAB, obviously. Thunderbolt and Ice
Beam cover a lot of things. Shadow Ball adds even more coverage. Wiggly's Special Attack and Attack stats are very
very average, but it can still hurt things. You can try some more defensive sets if you like, but attacking sets
are better in-game, and Wiggly's defenses are something that only a mother could love.
Verdict - It's a shame that that fantastic HP stat goes to waste with those rubbish defenses. Wiggly's attacking
stats are acceptable, but will be hit hard and will usually attack last due to rubbish Speed, only being able to
deal moderate damage in return. Just use Clefable.
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Zubat > Golbat (041 > 042)
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Type - Poison/Flying
Despite your initial opinion that Golbat probably sucks just because a bunch of Team Rocket Grunts love to use it,
Golbat really isn't all that bad. Not to mention if you use this throughout the game you can eventually evolve it
into Crobat after beating the Elite Four the first time and obtaining the National Dex (which is about 2/3 of the
way through the game). Look at his stats: respectable base 90 Speed and base 80 Attack, with decent-ish base
75/70/75 defenses. He also has a good enough movepool to be used effectively.
This set is easily his best:
Sludge Bomb
Aerial Ace/Wing Attack
Shadow Ball
Return/Steel Wing
Sludge Bomb and Wing Attack/Aerial Ace are his STAB attacks. Shadow Ball is a great move, and he learns it. Steel
Wing and Return are the only other two options he really has. Return is definately better, as it's more powerful
and has more coverage, as Steel type moves have rather poor coverage. However, Steel Wing can hit Rock-types harder
than Shadow Ball. Either way, you won't find yourself using the last move too much anyway, so pick your favourite.
Verdict - One of the most underestimated pokemon there is. Those stats are quite good, and about 2/3 of the way
through the game you can evolve it again into Crobat, which is a great pokemon. Golbat is quite, quite worth it.
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Oddish > Gloom > Vileplume (043 > 044 > 045)
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Type - Grass/Poison
Your best bet if you want a Grass-type and didn't pick Bulbasaur as your starter. Vileplume has good stats (barring
Speed), including a great base 100 Special Attack. His movepool is rather lacking, though.
This is the best set I can come up with:
Sleep Powder
Sludge Bomb
Petal Dance
Return
Sleep Powder to put things to sleep if they're giving you problems. Sludge Bomb is STAB, and is one of the few good
attacking moves that Vileplume learns. Petal Dance is your best bet for an attacking STAB Grass move, but be
careful using it. It beats Sunny Day + Solarbeam, which is usually a waste of time setting up. Return is a filler
as Vileplume doesn't learn anything better.
Verdict - Overall a good pokemon. Superior to Victreebel, Tangela and friends, and your best bet for a Grass type
if you didn't pick Bulbasaur as your starter. Very limited movepool, but learns just about enough to be useful.
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Paras > Parasect (046 > 047)
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Type - Bug/Grass
Parasect is one of the worst pokemon in his game. His problem is his awful typing. Bug/Grass typing leaves poor
Parasect 4x weak to Flying and Fire moves, and 2x weak to a bunch of other types too. His decent defenses are let
down by this. Also, his physical movepool is very limited, and Attack is his only good attacking stat.
Use this set:
Spore
Aerial Ace
Sludge Bomb/Solarbeam/Giga Drain
Return/Solarbeam/Giga Drain
Spore to put something to sleep so it can't take advantage of Parasect's huge amount of weaknesses. Sludge Bomb,
Aerial Ace and Return are the three good physical moves that Parasect learns. Solarbeam is an alternative as,
although his Special Attack is poor, it's powerful and he gets STAB with it, although the two turn waiting is no
fun. Giga Drain is an alternative that I don't recommend, but it's not too bad. I would just use the physical moves
though.
Verdict - Crap typing, crap movepool and stats that don't make up for anything leaves you one of the worst pokemon
in the game. Avoid.
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Venonat > Venomoth (048 > 049)
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Type - Bug/Flying
Calling Venomoth a "better Butterfree" is probably the best way to describe it. It has better overall stats that
its butterfly cousin, and can actually take a hit. It isn't a good pokemon, but it's one of the better Bug-types in
the game. It has great Special Attack and Speed, and average to mediocre stats everywhere else. Its movepool sucks.
The best set you'll get is:
Sleep Powder
Psychic
Silver Wind/Signal Beam
Aerial Ace/Return
Looks very similar to Butterfree, but is actually usable on Venomoth. Sleep Powder so you don't get countered.
Psychic is Venomoth's best Special Attack option, and you'll be using it the most. Silver Wind is STAB. Signal Beam
is much better than Silver Wind, but the only way you can get it is by breeding. Aerial Ace is STAB. Venomoth also
learns Solarbeam and Sunny Day, but you're better off just using Psychic as it hits most things for at least
neutral damage. Return is more powerful than Aerial Ace even with the STAB bonus AA gets.
Verdict - If you REALLY want to use a Bug-type and don't want to wait around forever to get Scyther or Pinsir,
Venomoth is the one to use. Still, it's not that great, and I wouldn't recommend it over the large choice of better
pokemon you can obtain.
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Diglett > Dugtrio (050 > 051)
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Type - Ground
The ever-popular Ground type in competitive play, Dugtrio isn't as great as you would think in-game. Base 120 Speed
is fantastic, but base 80 Attack is merely good. Considering the fact that Dugtrio really can't take hits unless
they are very weak (or Electric attacks), his Attack could have been higher. It's basically a very fast and very
frail Marowak without a Thick Club. Still, STAB Earthquake should not be ignored, and the Speed is definately a
plus.
Use this set:
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Aerial Ace/Return/Sludge Bomb
Aerial Ace/Return/Sludge Bomb
Earthquake is an absolute must: if you're using a Dugtrio without Earthquake, you're an idiot. Rock Slide hits
Flying-types and all Gastly evolutions. The last two moves are just fillers that you probably won't use much.
Aerial Ace is super effective on all Grass-type pokemon, but since most are Grass/Poison neutral STAB Earthquake
will still do much more. Return hits most things in the game for neutral damage and it's good if you're running low
on PP for Earthquake and Rock Slide. Sludge Bomb is the only other good physical move Dugtrio learns, and is more
powerful against pure Grass types than STAB Earthquake, but won't be used much otherwise. Pure Grass types are
rare, anyway.
Verdict - Just use Marowak holding a Thick Club, or Sandslash. Dugtrio simply cannot take hits. If you want to use
him, make sure he has an Attack boosting nature (other than Brave, which will lower his Speed). Most of Dugtrio's
benefits are only useful in competitive play. In-game, most of them are wasted. Still a pretty good pokemon, but
there are better Ground-types.
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Meowth > Persian (052 > 053)
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Type - Normal
Persian's Speed is an excellent base 115, so it's faster than most pookemon you'll come across. His other stats are
all average at very best (his highest stat after Speed is Attack, which is only base 70), so he'll be attacking
first but not dealing a great amount of damage, and taking quite a lot in return. His movepool is good, though.
Try using this set:
Return
Shadow Ball
Iron Tail
Thunderbolt/Faint Attack/Bite
Return gets STAB, so it will be Persian's best move against most pokemon. Shadow Ball and Iron Tail will provide
good coverage when combined with Return. Shadow Ball hits Ghost types. Iron Tail, although it has only 75%
accuracy, is powerful (and Persian could do with some power) and hits anything that's part Rock quite hard, and it
has a decent amount of PP the make up for the poor accuracy. Thunderbolt is the best bet for the last move, since
it's the most powerful of the three and Dark moves are rather pointless when you have Shadow Ball (which has more
base power than Bite and Faint Attack, and also runs of Persian's slightly higher Attack stat), which covers
everything that Dark moves cover.
Verdict - I used Persian in my team once before when I played through the game. I found him good enough to keep in
my team throughout the entire game, but there are better choices. Clefable is probably better, but Persian is still
good.
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Psyduck > Golduck (054 > 055)
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Type - Water
Interesting note - Golduck learns Confusion by level, but can't learn Psychic even by TM, which is strange
Golduck is quite a good Water type. Its stats range from average to good, save for its great Special Attack (base
95). It also has quite a good movepool.
This is the best set he can use:
Surf
Ice Beam
Brick Break
Return
Surf is STAB. Ice Beam also works off his great Special Attack. Brick Break is a decent move with good coverage, as
is Return. Other moves he can use are Aerial Ace, Iron Tail and Psychic. Aerial is is rather pointless when you
have the more powerful Ice Beam coming off Golduck's more poewrful attackin stat. Iron Tail has poor accuracy and
you'll never use it as it's only really good against Rock-types, which Surf and Ice Beam both handle. Psychic is a
better option than Brick Break and Return because it runs off Golduck's Special Attack, but Golduck only learns it
through breeding (which is odd, since it learns Confusion by level), which is something that nobody can ever be
bothered to do.
Verdict - Golduck is a good pokemon, and is on of the better Water-types in the game. He's probably even preferable
to Blastoise, but I still wouldn't consider him a first choice Water-type when pokemon like Starmie are around.
Worth using though.
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Mankey > Primeape (056 > 057)
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Type - Fighting
I never thought Fighting types were among the most useful in the Kanto games. They always shone the most in the
Johto games. Nevertheless, if you want one, Primeape is a good choice. He has an ideal movepool, and great Attack
and Speed. He's quite frail, but not a 'one-shot down' pokemon. Seriously underrated due to Machamp's overshadowing
presence.
This set is the one to go with:
Brick Break
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Return/Aerial Ace/Iron Tail
Brick Break is STAB, and the most reliable Fighting move in the game. Pity it's not a little more powerful, but
it's still good. Rock Slide hits Flying types hard. Earthquake hits hard and is great when combined with a Fight
move and a Rock move. The last move is filler: whichever you choose from you probably won't use much if at all.
Return is the best option, in my opinion.
Verdict - Good pokemon. People make the mistake of comparing it to Machamp, who has higher Attack. However,
Primeape is different to Machamp, as Primeape is a fast attacker. If you want a Fighting type, you can't go wrong
with Primeape.
--------------------------------
Growlithe > Arcanine (058 > 059)
--------------------------------
Type - Fire
Uh-oh. Pure Fire type alert. Great stats, but no movepool to make good use of them? You bet. That sums up Arcanine.
This is the only set you can actually use with him:
Flamethrower
Return
Iron Tail
Aerial Ace
Those are about the only good moves he learns, with other Normal-type moves on the side. Flamethrower = STAB and
good move. Return = powerful with good coverage. Iron Tail = good damage on Rock types. Aerial Ace is the only
other good mvoe he learns of a different type to the above three. You'll probably never use it, except against
Fighting types. He also learns Crunch, which is more fun to use on Ghosts and Psychics than anything else, but can
only obtain the move through breeding.
Verdict - Another potentially great pokemon wasted by a crap movepool and being a pure Fire type (which would be
acceptable if it wasn't for the movepool) makes things worse. If you didn't choose Charmander as your starter, then
it's either Arcanine or Ninetales. Arcanine grows slowly, so go with Ninetales, unless you love Arcanine.
-------------------------------------------------
Poliwag > Poliwhirl > Poliwrath (060 > 061 > 062)
-------------------------------------------------
Type - Water/Fighting
Poliwrath has a unique typing, which is cool. His defensive stats are great, and he has good Attack too. His Speed
and Special Attack are slightly sub-par, but it doesn't really matter in-game. His movepool is pretty good, too.
Try this set:
Brick Break
Earthquake
Surf
Ice Beam
Brick Break is his best STAB move. Earthquake is a great physical move. Surf is secondary STAB, which compensates
for his Special Attack. Ice Beam hurts Flying types and Grass types hard, but you probably won't use it if it's not
super effective on the opposing pokemon. He also learns Return, but the above moveset covers everything, so it
isn't needed. Strangely, he doesn't learn Rock Slide despite being able to learn Rock Tomb.
Verdict - One of my favourite choices for a Water type. He a great all-arounder, and will serve you well. Highly
recommended.
-------------------------------------------
Abra > Kadabra > Alakazam (063 > 064 > 065)
-------------------------------------------
Type - Psychic
Important note - You have to trade Kadabra for him to evolve
Alakazam is a very popular pokemon for reasons I simply cannot grasp. Take a look at him: his special movepool
sucks! He can only get the elemental punches either really late in Emerald (a game which this guide doesn't cover)
via move tutor, or by breeding. You probably won't want to do either. After that, Alakzam's movepool is very
limited. Don't even CONSIDER giving him physical attacks: his Attack stat is a crap base 50.
This is the only moveset he can utilise:
Calm Mind
Psychic
Shock Wave
Thunder Wave/Toxic
Calm Mind to boost his Special stats, although his inability to take hits can make this difficult at time. Psychic
because it's STAB and the best move he learns. Shock Wave, Thunder Wave and Toxic are the only other good moves he
learns. If you're really willing to breed, replace the last two moves with Thunder Punch and Ice Punch, and if you
don't like Calm Mind, Fire Punch is also your friend.
Verdict - Alakazam was great in first gen and second gen, and will redeem himself in fourth gen. However, third gen
is really Alakazam's 'bad day'. Great pokemon, but accessing all the great moves he learns is a nightmare.
--------------------------------------------
Machop > Machoke > Machamp (066 > 067 > 068)
--------------------------------------------
Type - Fighting
Important note - You have to trade Machoke for him to evolve
Behold the best Fighting type in the game. Machamp is awesome. He's slow, but his defenses are good and he can take
hits well. His brilliant base 130 Attack will mean that nobody will laugh after he delivers a hit, except Machamp
and his trainer.
Use this set, as it's his best:
Brick Break
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Body Slam/Return
Brick Break is STAB, Rock Slide hits Flying-types harder, Earthquake is powerful. Body Slam is listed because it
has a chance to paralyse, meaning Machamp will attack first if it does. That and I'm bored of listing Return, but
Return is also listed because it is more powerful than Body Slam. Machamp learns Flamethrower, but it should be
avoided as his Special Attack isn't very good.
Verdict - The best Fighting-type in the game. You can't go wrong with Machamp. Pity you have to trade to evolve
Machoke.
------------------------------------------------------
Bellsprout > Weepinbell > Victreebel (069 > 070 > 071)
------------------------------------------------------
Type - Grass/Poison
Victreebel is a decent Grass/Poison type. His attacking stats are good, but his defensive stats and Speed could
have been better. His movepool is decent, but inaccessible throughout the majority of the game.
Try this set:
Swords Dance
Sludge Bomb
Body Slam/Return/Sunny Day
Razor Leaf/Solarbeam
Despite sub-par defenses, Victreebel can get in a Swords Dance or two. Then start hitting everything with boosted
STAB Sludge Bombs. Body Slam/Return (man, am I sick of listing Return) and Razor Leaf cover the majority of things
that resist Sludge Bomb. Body Slam has the paralysis chance, so I listed that too. Razor Leaf has poor base 55
power, but Victreebel gets STAB on it and has great Special Attack, so it's fine. Sleep Powder replace anything
except Sludge Bomb, which is definately Victreebel's best move. You can run Sunny Day and Solarbeam in the last two
slots if you wish, which is good this time around because Victreebel's Speed doubles to a great base 140 in the
sunlight.
Verdict - I personally prefer Venusaur and Vileplume, but Victreebel looks cooler than both, and is still usable.
Not a bad pokemon, by any means, and will serve you well if you use it.
----------------------------------
Tentacool > Tentacruel (072 > 073)
----------------------------------
Type - Water/Poison
Tentacruel grows slowly, but he's still a great Water type. He also has unique typing. His Special Defence is a
brilliant 120, and his attacking stats are quite decent. Works well as more of a defensive sort. He has a good
movepool.
Try this set:
Surf
Ice Beam
Sludge Bomb
Swords Dance
This set covers a lot of things. Surf for STAB, Ice Beam is useful on things that Surf is not very effective on.
Sludge Bomb is STAB, and you can boost its power with Swords Dance. That about covers it, actually. There's not
much else he can replace those moves with.
Verdict - I'd place Tentacruel on the same level as Blastoise. Tentacruel has two STAB attacks, but has more
weaknesses and grows slowly. There are better choices, but if you want to use Tentacruel, there's nothing stopping
you, as it's still a good pokemon. The Special Defence cannot be overlooked.
---------------------------------------------
Geodude > Graveller > Golem (074 > 075 > 076)
---------------------------------------------
Type - Rock/Ground
Important note - Graveller must be traded to evolve
Golem is a good pokemon. Whilst Rock/Ground typing means that he takes 4x damage from Water and Grass attacks (and
won't survive them with his mediocre Special Defence), he is very poewrful and can take physical hits like a demon.
Geodude is easily found, too.
Try this set:
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Double Edge/Return
Brick Break/Substitute
Earthquake and Rock Slide are both STAB moves, and we love Ground-Rock combos. Use Double Edge only if Golem has
the Rock Head ability (which is preferable to Sturdy). Otherwise, use Return. Brick Break is filler and you
probably won't ever use it, in which case you could throw Substitute in instead, as Substitute is fun to play with.
Verdict - Great pokemon, but so is Rhydon. Golem grows at a medium pace though, so he might be preferable, if you
can trade. Overall, a very useful and underrated pokemon. Steer clear of Grass and Water moves, though.
-----------------------------
Ponyta > Rapidash (077 > 078)
-----------------------------
Type - Fire
Pure Fire type no. 3. If you've read my information on Ninetales and Arcanine, you probably know what to expect.
Rapidash is another pokemon with good stats but a crap movepool. He's even worse than Arcanine and Ninetales
because his Special Attack is even lower, meaning he takes less advntage of his STAB attacks.
Wow, Rapidash has a moveset:
Sunny Day
Flamethrower
Solarbeam
Return
Sunny Day powers up Flamethrower and turns Solarbeam into a one-turn attack, which is great against Water types,
especially considering the fact that Rapidash is faster tham most of them. Return because, like every other
pokemon in the game, Rapidash learns it, and it's the only move he learns, other than Iron Tail, that takes
advantage is his high Attack stat, which is 20 base points higher than his Special Attack stat. He doesn't learn
anything better anyway. What else can he use? Stomp? Ember? Fire Spin?
Verdict - Pure Fire type with crap movepool. That should say it all. Ponyta evolves at a ridiculously late level
40, and you won't want to train it up for that long. The result isn't worth it, anyway. Arcanine and Ninetales are
better. Poor Rapidash. If only you had a good movepool, eh?
------------------------------
Slowpoke > Slowbro (079 > 080)
------------------------------
Type - Water/Psychic
Important note - Slowpoke will evolve into Slowking if you trade him to a game with the National Dex while he's
holding a King's Rock, although Slowking is no better than Slowbro, to be honest
Interesting note - Slowbro learns Flamethrower, Fire Blast and Thunder Wave, which is strange
Slowbro is actually a good pokemon. It grows slowly, but it has great stats (bar Speed) and a great movepool.
Try this set:
Calm Mind
Surf
Psychic
Ice Beam
That set covers most things in the game. Calm Mind boosts his already high Special Attack and boosts his Special
Defence, which is merely good (in comparison to his great Defence). Surf and Psychic are STAB whilst Ice Beam is a
great move anyway. You can also use a Curse set instead of Calm Mind, and use all physical moves instead (since
Slowbro learns plenty of physical moves). However, his Attack stat is quite a bit lower than his Special Attack,
and he won't get any STAB moves that way either.
Verdict - Great pokemon. He's slow, but he can take hits. He grows slowly, but he's worth it. Trade him over so
he can get boosted growth (which will make up for it) and you will have a great pokemon at your disposal with none
of the downsides.
--------------------------------
Magnemite > Magneton (081 > 082)
--------------------------------
Type - Electric/Steel
Magneton has wasted potential, just like so many others. Just look at that beautiful base 120 Special Attack, which
is almost wasted as he can use naught but Electric moves to take advantage of it. He learns very few attacking
moves whatsoever, actually, and all are either Electric or Normal. His Steel typing gives him loads of resistances,
though.
This is his only set:
Metal Sound
Thunderbolt
Thunder Wave
Return
Metal Sounds weakens things so his Thunderbolts can do even more damage. Thunder Wave paralyses things, which is
quite good on Magneton as his Speed is average. Return because, even though it runs off his poor base 60 Attack, he
doesn't learn anything else at all, bar weaker Normal and Electric moves.
Verdict - Use Raichu.
----------------
Farfetch'd (083)
----------------
Type - Normal/Flying
Ah, Farfetch'd. The Normal/Flying type that is often forgotten, and with good reason. Farfetch'd's stats are
absolutely terrible: his base 65 Attack stat is his best! His movepool is typical of Normal/Flying types, too. His
Stick item does double his Attack to a base 130, though, which would be excellent if he was fast.
Farfetch'd tries to take things down with it:
Swords Dance
Return
Aerial Ace
Steel Wing
Expect Farfetch'd to die very very quickly. Use his really high Attack to kill as much as you can before he does.
Return and Aerial Ace are STAB, and Steel Wing hurts Rock-types. Swords Dance can boost his Attack even higher, and
he has the luxury of learning it by level. However, only use it when your opponent uses something pointless like
Sweet Scent, or a really weak attacking move. Chance are he'll always kill something, but never two things unless
at least one is slower than him.
Verdict - Poor Farfetch'd spilled the Game Freak director's coffee when Game Freak were making the game. The
director never forgave him, and year after year he told his staff to make Farfetch'd crap in every game he appeared
in. They gave him a Stick which double his mediocre Attack, but made him slow and ridiculously frail in return.
Farfetch'd is one of the worst pokemon in the game.
--------------------------
Doduo > Dodrio (084 > 085)
--------------------------
Type - Normal/Flying
Dodrio is the last and best of the Normal/Flying types encountered in the game. He, like his brethren Pidgeot,
Fearow and Farfetch'd, has a poor movepool but learns just enough moves to get a set going. His stats are perfectly
suited to what he does best: pure speedy offence.
Use this moveset:
Drill Peck
Return
Steel Wing
Aerial Ace
Drill Peck is the best Flying type move in the game and Dodrio's gets STAB. Return is also STAB. Steel Wing hurts
Rock types. Aerial Ace is complete filler, as he doesn't learn anything else that would be useful, except things
like Toxic. Use Aerial Ace on Double Team users, or just as a finishing move to save wasting PP elsewhere. It's
STAB with Dodrio, so it's pretty powerful.
Verdict - Dodrio is basically Fearow with a little more Attack and Speed, which makes all the difference. He's
better than Fearow, but is found later in the game and learns Drill Peck at a higher level. Even so, if you want a
Normal/Flying type, Dodrio is your best bet.
--------------------------
Seel > Dewgong (086 > 087)
--------------------------
Type - Water/Ice
Dewgong has very good HP and Special Defence, with good Defence, but the rest of his stats are average. He can take
hits well, but won't be delivering any particularly powerful ones in return. His movepool is also quite shallow,
although he does gain access to Signal Beam, a Bug type move that is actually good but often forgotten because
almost nothing learns it.
Try this set:
Surf
Ice Beam
Signal Beam
Toxic/Return
Surf and Ice Beam are his STAB attacks. Signal Beam is the best move he learns after those two. The last move is
your choice. You can use Toxic for some fun, or Return as a powerful attacking move that you probably don't need
because the first three moves cover just about everything in the game. It's your choice.
Verdict - Dewgong hasn't been spilling coffee on the director like Farfect'd, but tha doesn't make him a good
pokemon. He's simply okay, and outclassed by many other Water types. STAB Ice Beam doesn't help him much.
------------------------
Grimer > Muk (088 > 089)
------------------------
Type - Poison
Muk is slow, but he can take hits fairly well with his high HP and Special Defence. His Attack is also high, so
he's good on the offensive. Like Weezing, he grows slowly, but Poison types are quite handy despite offensive
Poison moves having crap coverage. He has a huge special movepool, but his Special Attack is a mediocre base 65, so
special mvoes aren't recommended.
Try out the set:
Sludge Bomb
Toxic
Brick Break
Return
Sludge Bomb is his STAB attack. Toxic is fun to use, and it's signature on Poison types. Brick Break and Return are
two of the best physical moves he learns after Focus Punch, but Sub-Punching isn't great in-game. I'm sick of
putting Return on everything, though.
Verdict - Muk's major difference from Weezing is that he takes hits better on the special side, but doesn't have
the Levitate ability which means he's also weak to Ground-type moves. I'd say Weezing's probably slightly better,
but Muk is still a good pokemon.
-------------------------------
Shellder > Cloyster (090 > 091)
-------------------------------
Type - Water/Ice
Another bad Water pokemon, Cloyster has a huge 180 base Defence, but base 50 HP ruins it and base 45 Special
Defence means that he'll even take huge amounts of special damage from not very effective special attacks. His
attacking stats are good, but as for his movepool to make use of them......what movepool?
Set?:
Surf
Ice Beam
Return
Toxic/Spikes
Your typical rubbish Water type set: Surf, Ice Beam and Return. Surf and Ice Beam are STAB, Return is the best of
the moves he gets that make use of his higher Attack stat (all of the others are also Normal-type). Toxic is about
the only other decent move he learns, which isn't surprising because EVERYTHING in the game learns it bar Magikarp.
Spikes can be fun when fighting tougher opponents with lots of pokemon (gym leaders, Elite Four, your rival etc).
Verdict - The worst Water-type in the game? I'm inclined to say it, but we haven't got to the likes of Seaking and
Seadra yet. Still, don't use this thing.
-------------------------------------------
Gastly > Haunter > Gengar (092 > 093 > 094)
-------------------------------------------
Type - Ghost/Poison
Important note - Haunter needs to be traded to evolve
Gengar is the best of the trade evolution pokemon, and one of the best pokemon in the game. He has a huge movepool,
brilliant Special Attack and Speed, and a great ability.
Use this moveset:
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb/Toxic/Confuse Ray
Two slight problems with Gengar are that he has no special STAB and the majority of his great movepool consist of
physical attacks that have to work off a mediocre base 65 Attack. Even so, Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb are STAB, so
they are fairly powerful on Gengar even if they are physical moves. Psychic and Thunderbolt are the best special
moves he learns. You can use Toxic or Confuse Ray instead of Sludge Bomb as Sludge Bomb has crap type coverage and
status-inflicting mvoes are fun to use in tougher battles. If you want to quickly trade to Emerald for him to learn
Ice Punch from the move tutor, then put it in the fourth moveslot. It also learns Fire Punch in the same manner, so
you can replace Shadow Ball with it if you really want to. Even with STAB, Gengar's Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb
won't be as neutrally powerful has any of his special attacks.
Verdict - Brilliant pokemon that you should try using at least once. Wreaks absolute havoc with the right set. He
can't take hits very well, but delivers them faster and painfully, so the opponent will need to survive a hit to
hit Gengar. Also, for the record, Gengar is my favourite out of all 487 pokemon currently in existance.
----------
Onix (095)
----------
Type - Rock/Ground
Onix is a poor excuse for a pokemon. Despite his decent base 70 Speed, and excellent base 160 Defence, Onix's base
Attack is a pathetic 45: the same as Butterfree's! You'd think a giant snake made of rock would be able to hit
physically harder than a butterfly, right? Well, apparently not. Onix's physical movepool is great, but he's not
hurting very much, even with his STAB Earthquake. You can evolve into Steelix at a very late point in the game, but
Steelix isn't particularly brilliant, and definately not worth it.
Here's the set you use if you're stupid enough to use him, or like the game to be challenging:
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Iron Tail
Double Edge
Rock Slide is STAB, but he won't hurt much with it. Earthquake is STAB and he might manage to do some damage to
something with low defence. Iron Tail is powerful and if you evolve it into Steelix it becomes STAB. Double Edge
should always be used even if he doesn't have the Rock Head ability because he absolutely NEEDS the extra power,
not that he'll hurt anything much more with it anyway.
Verdict - Crap. Use Golem or Rhydon.
---------------------------
Drowzee > Hypno (096 > 097)
---------------------------
Type - Psychic
Ah, Hypno. Always ignored in favourite of Alakazam. What should be noted is that Hypno is actually BETTER in Fire
Red and Leaf Green. Hypno is actually a great pokemon. His attacking stats are both equal, and are slightly above
average. His Defence is quite good, especially for a Psychic type. His Special Defence is brilliant, and his HP is
good, which compliments it.
Try this set:
Calm Mind/Meditate
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Brick Break
Calm Mind to boost Hypno's Special Defence to sky-high levels, whilst making his Psychics more powerful. Shadow
Ball and Brick Break give us the Ghost/Fight dual typing which hits every pokemon in the game for neutral damage.
You can use Meditate instead of Calm Mind as it will boost the power of Brick Break and Shadow Ball, and his
Psychic gets STAB anyway. He learns the three elemental punches, but it's either trade to Emerald at a really late
point int he game or start breeding, and you probably want to do neither. Use the set above.
Verdict - The best pure-Psychic type in the game. He outclasses Alakazam in this generation, for sure. Hypno is
awesome, and one of my personal recommendations to any team/
----------------------------
Krabby > Kingler (098 > 099)
----------------------------
Type - Water
Poor, poor Kingler with that base 130 Attack and no good moves (bar boring ol' Return) to make good use of it. Like
Cloyster, he has high Defence, but terrible HP and Special Defence. Add to that terrible Special Attack and only
decent Speed and you have a problem on your hands.
Set?:
Swords Dance
Return
Mud Shot
Rock Tomb
Doesn't that look crap? Well, even without Swords Dance boosts, his Mud Shots and Rock Tombs do more damage than
his STAB Surf, which is completely understandable when you compare his base 130 Attack to his base 50 Special
Attack. And why the hell can't he learn Rock Slide when he can learn Rock Tomb? Swords Dance to boost that Attack,
although he can only learn it from a move tutor later in the game. Return will be your primary move, with the other
two offering perfect coverage combined with it.
Verdict - When Farfecth'd spilled coffee over the director's shirt during the making of Red and Blue, Kingler was
cheering from the sideline. Thus, Game Freak's director then decided to give him a base 130 Attack with virtually
nothing to make use of it. Unlike with Farfetch'd, the Game Freak director forgave Kingler in Diamond and Pearl and
gave him some new physical moves, but in these games Kingler is a pretty poor choice to add to your team.
-------------------------------
Voltorb > Electrode (100 > 101)
-------------------------------
Type - Electric
Electrode is the worst of the Electric types in the game, and one of the worst pokemon in the game. Think a very
fast Magneton with weaker attacking stats. Seriously, Game Freak is just trolling us with Electrode. In several
pokemon games, you're forced to encounter and defeat a few Electrode (thankfully not in these games), in which case
they do it for you themselves by using Explosion, usually fainting your pokemon too despite Electrode's crap base
50 Attack. And he does all that whilst wearing that cheesy grin.
Electrode has no possible good set, so take a look and laugh:
Thunderbolt
Thunder Wave/Toxic
Return
Explosion
Use Thunderbolt to try and hurt things. Electrode paralysing stuff is pointless since he's faster than just about
everything in the game anyway, which is why Toxic is also listed despite not being 'Electric signature'. Return
because Electrode learns it (because like Magneton, all Electrode learns will either be an Electric or Normal type
move, unless you count things like Thief). Explosion may seem like a waste of a move, but seriously, what else is
going to go there? Sonicboom? Explosion is Electrode's signature move, and his best chance at killing anything.
Make sure that, if it's going to be Exploding, another pokemon in your party was previously battling the pokemon
you'll be taking out, so someone will be getting experience.
Verdict - If you even consider using this piece of crap, you deserve to be blown up with it.
---------------------------------
Exeggcute > Exeggutor (102 > 103)
---------------------------------
Type - Grass/Psychic
Back in the good ol' days of Red, Blue and Yellow, Exeggutor was the best Grass type in the game. Unfortunately, he
seems to keep on taking heavy blows every time a new generation is released. Gen II introduced Dark type moves, and
Gen III added a hell of a lot more moves into the system, many of which hit Exeguttor hard. For the record, he gets
hit hard once more in Gen IV where powerful Bug type moves that more than three pokemon can learn are introduced.
His stats, however, are good, and his movepool is decent. Pity his typing gives him so many weaknesses.
Try this set:
Sunny Day
Solarbeam
Psychic
Return/Toxic
Sunny Day will double Exeguttor's crappy base 55 Speed to a brilliant 110, and will also make his STAB Solarbeam a
one tunr attack. Psychic is secondary STAB, and the last move is filler you won't use much. Return for reasons I
have explained a thousand times, Toxic for longer battles.
Verdict - A mere shadow of its' former self, but still good. It grows slowly, but is one of the better choices for
a Grass type pokemon if you didn't choose Bulbasaur as your starter.
----------------------------
Cubone > Marowak (104 > 105)
----------------------------
Type - Ground
Marowak is a hit or miss pokemon. Wild Cubone have a 5% chance of carrying the Thick Club item, which will double
the Attack of both Cubone and Marowak. However, with only a 5% chance that you'll find a Cubone with one, it'll
take a while to find the item unless you're lucky. Marowak's base Attack goes from an only good 80 to an absolutely
fantastic 160, making him the most physically powerful pokemon in the entire game. He has a great base 110 Defence,
but his low HP brings it down a little. He's slow, but has the attacking power of a nuke.
USE this set:
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Double Edge/Return
Swords Dance
Whilst Bonemerang is Marowak's signature move, it's literally Earthquake with a 10% chance of missing, so use
Earthquake. Rock Slide covers most things when combined with Earthquake. Double Edge covers things that it doesn't,
and has the benefit of hitting really hard, although you should use Return if your Marowak has the Lightning Rod
ability rather than the Rock Head ability. Swords Dance boosts that Attack, but unless the opposing pokemon is
either several levels higher or takes not very effective damage from all of his attacks (of which there are none
that do so), they'll be killed in one hit without any Swords Dances anyway, although it's good to have it against
the Elite Four.
Verdict - The best Ground type in the game, and physically the most powerful pokemon in the game. He's brilliant,
but if only if he's holding the Thick Club item. If you don't want to go through the trouble of obtaining one, use
Sandslash instead.
---------------
Hitmonlee (106)
---------------
Type - Fighting
Hitmonlee is by far the better of the Hitmon twins. You can only choose one, so go for Hitmonlee unless you need
Hitmonchan for the PokeDex. Hitmonlee's Attack is monstrous, and he's somewhat faster than Machamp, albeit more
fragile. Think of him as similar to Primeape. His movepool is a little limited, but he can just about pull off a
moveset.
Use this set:
Bulk Up
Hi-Jump Kick/Brick Break
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Bulk Up will increase that already sky-high Attack and also boost that useless base 53 Defence of his. Hi-Jump Kick
is his best STAB move, but the damage taken if it misses (10% chance) is a bit off-putting, so you can
alternatively use the weaker but more reliable Brick Break. Rock Slide and Earthquake are his best two physical
moves after the Fighting moves, and the Fight/Rock/Ground combo hits just about everything in the game for at least
neutral damage.
Verdict - Great pokemon. His HP sucks, so even with that great Special Defence he won't be taking hits very well,
but his Speed is decent and his Attack is excellent, although Primeape is probably a little better as it has
enough Speed to make up for its fragility, with the expense of slightly lower Attack and no Hi-Jump Kick. Hitmonlee
is still worth using, though.
----------------
Hitmonchan (107)
----------------
Type - Fighting
Hitmonchan is a poor man's Hitmonlee. His Defence is 26 base points higher than Hitmonlee's, but the drop in Speed
and Attack is certainly not worth it. His Attack is great, but lower than Machamp's and Hitmonlee's, and equal to
Primeape's, who is a faster pokemon
You're using him? Oh well...:
Bulk Up
Sky Uppercut/Brick Break
Rock Slide
Earthquake
Bulk up to boost Attack and Defence to better levels. His Attack is already great, but his Defence boosts won't be
complimented by that crap base 50 HP. Sky Uppercut is his best STAB move, which is weaker than Hitmonlee's Hi-Jump
Kick, with the same accuracy, but it doesn't hurt the user if it misses. Brick Break is weaker, but more reliable
as it always hits. Rock Slide and Earthquake both kick ass and cover everything in the game for at least neutral
damage when combined with a Fighting move. Hitmonchan learns the elemental punches, but his Special Attack is so
horribly bad that you must only ever use them as a joke in a battle with a friend or something.
Verdict - The worst fully evolved Fighting type in the game. Even Machoke gives him a good run for his money. Use
Machamp, Primeape or Hitmonlee, as they are all better than Hitmonchan.
---------------
Lickitung (108)
---------------
Type - Normal
There's only one way to sum up Lickitung: brilliant movepool, useless stats. His 90/75/75 defences are good at
best, and his attacking stats are base 55 Attack and base 60 Special Attack. Top off a base 30 Speed and you've got
one rubbish pokemon at your disposal.
Lickitung tries to deal some damage:
Swords Dance
Return
Brick Break
Shadow Ball
Swords Dance to boost that shit Attack. Return is your STAB move. Nothing in the game takes reduced damage from
both Brick Break and Shadow Ball, so they provide excellent coverage together. Return will be used the most though,
as it's far more powerful than either thanks to higher base power and STAB.
Verdict - Some sort of bad Clefable. Swords Dancing works quite well, and Lickitung will probably live to get in a
few (and you can use Potions and the like to heal him anyway) and then take out plenty of things, but other pokemon
do this much better, such as Marowak. Overall, there's no good reason to use Lickitung except for fun or something
new.
-----------------------------
Koffing > Weezing (109 > 110)
-----------------------------
Type - Poison
The second of the pure Poisons, Weezing is probably the better option over Muk. Weezing excels in Defence, whilst
Muk excels in Special Defence. Weezing's Special Attack is good, so he can use the large amount of special moves he
can learn quite well.
I would go for:
Sludge Bomb
Toxic
Flamethrower
Thunderbolt
Sludge Bomb is STAB, whilst Toxic is his best option for status damage. Flamethrower and Thunderbolt are the two
best special moves he learns. Althoguh his Attack is slightly higher than his Special Attack, his physical movepool
is very poor outside of the usual STAB move and Return.
Verdict - Like Muk, it grows slowly. However, Weezing is a fun pokemon to use, and thanks to his Levitate ability
he's not weak to Ground type moves, which puts him a cut above Muk. Overall, I'd say Weezing gains the edge out of
the two, but Muk's still worth using if you prefer piles of sludgy turds over floating fart gas emmitting balls.
----------------------------
Rhyhorn > Rhydon (111 > 112)
----------------------------
Type - Ground/Rock
4x weakness to Grass and Water attacks and crap Speed and Special Defence means he should stay the hell away from
anything with a Grass or Water move. However, that monster base 130 Attack and great base 120 Defence coupled with
great HP means he can take physical hits exceptionally well, even Fighting type ones.
You'll want this set:
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Megahorn
Swords Dance
Those three moves will cover most everything. Earthquake and Rock Slide are STAB whilst Megahorn is a very powerful
and handy move, although you probably won't be using it as much as the other two. Swords Dance to boost that Attack
if necessary. One thing I've always wondered, though, is why the hell Rhydon learns moves like Thunderbolt and
friends with that god-awful Special Attack. Why do Game Freak even bother?
Verdict - Personally, I prefer Golem. He can take special hits a bit better and he doesn't have a slow growth rate.
Rhydon is still worth using, though, and he's stronger than Golem offensively.
-------------
Chansey (113)
-------------
Type - Normal
Important note - When you obtain the National Dex, Chansey can evolve into Blissey
Umm, where to begin. Huge base 250 HP, great base 105 Special Defence, but words simply cannot describe how bad the
base 5 Attack and base 5 Defence are. The HP helps to nullify the damage given by physical attacks a little, but on
the whole it's unlikely Chansey will survive a physical hit. Speed is a poor base 50, whilst Special Attack is a
crap base 35.
Hmmm...:
Calm Mind
Seismic Toss
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Calm Mind will boost that great Special Defence even higher, and that awful Special Attack to decent levels. Even
so, Seismic Toss is your best way of hurting things with those useless attacking capabilities. Don't expect Ice
Beam and Thunderbolt to be doing much damage until you've got in a few Calm Minds.
Verdict - Chansey, and its evolution Blissey, are two pokemon that exist solely for competitive play. In-game, they
suck, and you should not use them.
-------------
Tangela (114)
-------------
Type - Grass
Tangela is the worst Grass type in the game. That awful base 40 Special Defence is the first proof. Great Defence
and Special Attack won't be saving it, as it has a really horrid movepool.
Uhhh...:
Sunny Day
Sleep Powder
Solarbeam
Return
Sunny Day to make your Solarbeams one-turn and also double Tangela's base 60 Speed to a brilliant base 120,
outspeeding pretty much everything expect pieces of shit like Electrode who can't kill Tangela anyway. Return is
the best option for the last move, despite running off Tangela's mediocre base 55 Attack, as it is the best
non-Grass type move he learns. He can Swords Dance to boost the power of Return and Sludge Bomb, the other good
non-Grass attack he learns, but you're better off making the most of Chlorophyll and STAB one-turn Solarbeams.
Put any special attackers to sleep with Sleep Powder, s they won't completely destroy you.
Verdict - The best user of Chlorophyll + Sunny Day + Solarbeam support, but unlike the others, it really can't do
anything else. If you like Chloro SunnyBeaming, use Exeggutor or Victreebel, as both have something to use
otherwise.
----------------
Kangaskhan (115)
----------------
Type - Normal
Interesting note - All Kangaskhan are female, so how on earth do they reproduce?
Nice movepool. The crap Special Attack stops it from ever being good with special moves, but it has a great
physical movepool too, with good all around stats outside of Special Attack, which you thankfully don't need. It
also grows at a medium rate, too, which is quite a nice surprise considering you'd initially think it's a slow
grower.
I'd go for this set:
Return
Brick Break
Shadow Ball
Rock Slide/Earthquake
Return is very powerful with STAB. Brick Break and Shadow Ball provide that Ghost/Fight combo that we all love.
Either of the last moves are good choices. Rock Slide is probably more useful than Earthquake as Earthquake doesn't
really hit much for super effective damage that Brick Break doesn't, except Electric types which all tend to have
useless Defence anyway.
Verdict - Good pokemon. Pain in the ass to get, but if you do catch one, it's worth training.
---------------------------
Horsea - Seadra (116 > 117)
---------------------------
Type - Water
Important note - When you obtain the National Dex, Seadra will evolve into Kingdra if it's holding a Dragon Scale
Terrible movepool. If this didn't evolve into Kingdra, it would be the worst Water type in the game. Even so, you
ahve to wait until you get the National Dex to evolve it, and Kingdra really isn't worth training up this piece of
crap. Terrible Special Defence means it won't be taking many special hits. Kingdra is also a very overrated pokemon
who doesn't really get good until Diamond and Pearl.
Set?:
Surf
Ice Beam
Return
Toxic
Surf for STAB, Ice Beam because it's good, Return because it's the only other decent attack Seadra actually learns, and Toxic is a good filler. Pretty straightforward...
Verdict - Rubbish. There are so many Water types in the game, most of which are better options. Avoid.
-----------------------------
Goldeen > Seaking (118 > 119)
-----------------------------
Type - Water
You thought I gave Seadra a bad review? Well, Seaking's will be even worse. Seaking is the worst Water type in the
game without doubt, even surpassing Seadra and Cloyster. It has useless (and rather odd) stats, and a rubbish
movepool, with Megahorn being the only move that seperates it from other Water types.
Seaking's set:
Surf
Ice Beam
Return
Megahorn
Surf = STAB, Ice Beam is good despite Seaking's sub-average Special Attack. Return is filler and runs off Seaking's
best stat, Attack. Megahorn is Seaking's most powerful move, but he learns it at level 69, by which point you will
probably have finished the entire storyline.
Verdict - Awful, useless and a complete waste of a Poke Ball. Use ANY other Water type, because they are all better
than Seaking. Seaking learns Megahorn, though.
----------------------------
Staryu > Starmie (120 > 121)
----------------------------
Type - Water/Psychic
Starmie is a brilliant pokemon, and the best of all the Water types in the game. It grows slowly, but it has a
brilliant movepool with great Special Attack and even better Speed. Its good defenses means it can also take non-
super effective hits well too.
Try out this set:
Surf
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Surf is STAB and Starmie's most powerful reliable move. Psychic is also STAB, but you won't be using it too much.
Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provide BoltBeam coverage, and yes Starmie does learn Thunderbolt, making Starmie even
more unique. Starmie learns a variety of other moves too, but in-game this set is the best.
Verdict - Water/Psychic typing leaves Starmie with quite a few weaknesses, but its brilliant special movepool and
great stats more than make up for it. The slow growth rate is seriously worth it (and if you can trade it over,
then problem solved).
--------------
Mr. Mime (122)
--------------
Type - Psychic
Mr. Mime is often quite underrated because of his creepy Michael Jackson-like appearance. Don't let this bother
you, because in Fire Red and Leaf Green he's better than Alakazam. His HP is worse, but his Defence is a little
better and Special Defence magnificent (although it's let down by his HP). His Speed and Special Attack are good,
but lower than Alakazam's. However, his movepool doesn't suck, and he has access to a few good moves.
Try out this set:
Calm Mind
Psychic
Thunderbolt
Magical Leaf
Calm Mind to boost those great Special stats, then fire away with STAB Psychic, Thunderbolt and Magical Leaf. If
you get the chance to teach him Ice Punch by trading him to Emerald, then do so and replace Magical Leaf with it as
Electric/Ice has better coverage than Electric/Grass, and Ice Punch is additionally stronger than Magical Leaf.
Verdict - Good pokemon, and is better than Alakazam unless you can get the elemental punches on Alakazam, in which
case he's the better choice. However, you can't do that until late in the game as you need the ability to trade
with Emerald. Don't let his appearance put you off: he's a good pokemon, and worth using.
-------------
Scyther (123)
-------------
Type - Bug/Flying
Important note - Scyther will evolve into Scizor if traded whilst holding a Metal Coat after obtaining the National
Dex
Great Attack and Speed, good defences, but rubbish typing and poor movepool let it down. Scyther is decent but
overrated, as is Scizor (until Diamond and Pearl, anyway). Bug/Flying typing gives Scyther no powerful STAB attacks
and a myriad of weaknesses.
Use this set:
Swords Dance
Wing Attack/Aerial Ace
Steel Wing
Return
That's as good as it gets. Wing Attack/Aerial Ace will be your only STAB move as Scyther learns no good Bug moves
outside of breeding (and even then, it's only Silver Wind). Steel Wing is a physical move that Scyther learns, and
has the bonus of being a STAB move if you evolve it into Scizor. Return is Scyther's most powerful move, even
including STAB moves. Swords Dance to boost the power of moves, and Scyther has the benefit of learning it by
level, so you can save the Swords Dance tutor for something scary like Marowak.
Verdict - Scyther's good points and bad points completely balance it out. It looks badass, but its movepool doesn't
compliment its stats, sadly. As we find out in Diamond and Pearl, Scyther and Scizor can be brilliant pokemon when
they have good movepools, but when Return is the most powerful move that a physical non-Normal type gets, then
we're going to have problems. Usable, but there are better choices.
----------
Jynx (124)
----------
Type - Ice/Psychic
Not brilliant typing at all, and a movepool that doesn't move past STAB attacks and *yawn* Return. Base 35 Defence
combine with base 65 HP means that physical attackers are going to have a blast. Still, great Special Attack and
good Speed and Special Defence means that Jynx is usable.
This is as good as it gets:
Calm Mind
Ice Beam
Psychic
Water Pulse/Toxic
Only ever use Calm Mind when you're facing off against special attackers, as physical attackers will always kill
Jynx. Ice Beam and Psychic are your STAB moves of choice, and Water Pulse is a decent move that adds more coverage
to your arsenal, and is also about the only other special move Jynx learns outside of STAB moves. Jynx learns some
great moves like Brick Break, Shadow Ball and Return, but that rubbish Attack means it won't be hurting much with
them.
Verdict - Use it if you want, but there are much better choices. Its typing means it only takes not very effective
damage from Ice moves (which are rare on opposing pokemon), and it doesn't have what I'd call a brilliant movepool.
Usable, but there are betetr choices. And what the fuck is Jynx actually supposed to be anyway?
----------------
Electabuzz (125)
----------------
Type - Electric
Your typical Electric type that's fast, rather strong, but has poor Defence. Electabuzz is probably about as good
as Raichu, if not a little better, but you can obtain Piakchu much earlier in the game. Electabuzz overall has
quite similar stats to Raichu, albeit slightly lower Attack, and slightly higher Speed.
Use this set:
Thunderbolt
Psychic
Brick Break
Thunder Wave/Return
Electabuzz has a slightly better movepool than Raichu so you can do a little more. Thunderbolt is your STAB of
choice, Psychic is a good special move that he learns, Brick Break is a good move and Thunder Wave/Return is just
what you'd prefer to use. Pity he doesn't learn Shadow Ball. As usual, he can only get the elemental punches
(except Thunder Punch) by Emerald tutor.
Verdict - Alongside Raichu, the only Electric type in the game worth using (bar Zapdos, of course). Electabuzz is
slightly better, but Pikachu is found a lot earlier, so just choose who you'd prefer to use.
------------
Magmar (126)
------------
Type - Fire
Another pure Fire type. His stats are actually all very good, with the exception of that mediocre base 57 Defence,
a stat in which all Fire types could do with an improvement. Even so, his movepool exceeds that of all other pure
Fire types. Even though it's not that great, he has great attacking stats - 95/100, and can thus use moves from
both sides of the spectrum. The downside? You find him a little too late in the game.
Try out this set:
Flamethrower
Psychic
Brick Break
Return/Iron Tail
About as good as it gets, but it certainly looks better than the movesets of Ninetales, Rapidash and Arcanine.
Flamethrower is your STAB move, and he conveniently learns it by level. Psychic, Brick Break and Return are the
best three moves to use after that, although Iron Tail is listed incase you've used up your Return TM. He also
learns Thunder Punch, but only by breeding or the Emerald Move Tutor. Even so, if you want to breed it into his
moveset, replace the fourth move with it.
Verdict - The best of the pure Fire types, but the fact that he can't be found until late in the game to obtain him
is a pain in the ass. Still, he's quite worth the wait.
------------
Pinsir (127)
------------
Type - Bug
Pinsir is the best Bug type in the game, because (a) he doesn't have crap stats, (b) his movepool is slightly more
powerful than Scyther's, and (c) his single-typing doesn't give him a plethora of weaknesses, unlike Scyther's.
Still, his movepool is very limited, and it doesn't help that he gets no Bug type moves outside of Fury Cutter.
This is the set to use:
Swords Dance
Brick Break
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Thankfully, this is a good set, especially considering the fact that Pinsir can learn little else outside of the
usual Return. Swords Dance is learned by level, and will boost his huge base 125 Attack to sky-high levels. Brick
Break, Earthquake and Rock Slide provide perfect coverage and they're also the best moves that he learns. Pity he
doesn't learn any good Bug moves, but then again, there are only two good Bug moves (Megahorn and Signal Beam), and
very few pokemon learn them.
Verdict - Slightly inferior to Heracross, but since Heracross isn't appearing until nearly the end of the game we
can forget about that comparison. Pinsir doesn't learn any good Bug moves, but he's the best Bug type in the game,
so he's the one to go with if you want one. Overall, a great pokemon. He grows slowly, though.
------------
Tauros (128)
------------
Type - Normal
Tauros is quite similar to Kangaskhan, except that it has higher Speed and lower Special Defence. He learns very
few decent moves via level up, but can be a great pokemon if you have the right TMs. Like Kangaskhan, he has an
excellent movepool, but has useless Special Attack and can thus only make use of the small amount of physical moves
he has in his arsenal.
Use this set:
Return/Body Slam
Earthquake
Iron Tail
Toxic
That's about it for his physical movepool, with the exception of a vast range of crappy Normal type moves like Take
Down and Horn Attack. Return/Body Slam is your STAB move. Earthquake is a great move, and he learns it. Iron Tail
is another physical move that he learns, not that it's great or anything. Toxic is fun to use, and he doesn't learn
anything better, anyway. He learns the likes of Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and such, but like I said, his
Special Attack is a horrible base 40, and using them would be like using the Elemental Punches on Hitmonchan - a
pure joke.
Verdict - Great special movepool, useless Special Attack. Poor physical movepool, great base 100 Attack. He's a
good pokemon, but rather boring as there are very few options as to what moveset he'll be utilising. Also grows
slowly.
-------------------------------
Magikarp - Gyarados (129 > 130)
-------------------------------
Type - Water (Magikarp), Water/Flying (Gyarados)
After evolving Magikarp, you finally obtain the monster that is Gyarados, and find out that he learns very little
in the way of physical moves that he can abuse that monstrous base 125 Attack with. And, like Tauros, he has a huge
amount of special moves that just don't agree with his paltry (but just about usable for STAB) base 60 Special
Attack.
Take a loom at his best moveset and see what I mean:
Dragon Dance
Return/Body Slam
Earthquake
Surf
Giving him any special moves other than Water moves is a bad idea as they won't hurt much. Dragon Dance to make his
Return and Earthquake so powerful that everything barring Gengar will get killed by him. Surf for STAB, and because
Return, Body Slam and Earthquake are the only good physical moves he learns. Despite being part Flying type, he
can't even learn Aerial Ace when things like Heracross can learn it.
Verdict - He grows slowly, and doesn't learn much in the physical department at all. Personally, I've always
thought that Gyarados was never much good until Diamond and Pearl. Dragon Dancing to destroy things with Return and
Earthquake is still nothing to pass over, though. Decent, but his time has yet to come.
------------
Lapras (131)
------------
Type - Water/Ice
Water/Ice typing leaves loads of weaknesses, but Lapras has the defences to do it. His offensive stats are also
good, 85/85, so he can make the most of his great movepool. Keep in mind that he does grow slowly, though, and if
you want to use him you may want to consider trading him over so he grows faster.
Try this set out:
Surf
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Body Slam/Return/Psychic
First two are obvious - great STAB moves. Thunderbolt is also a great move that Lapras somehow learns. The last
move is your choice, but I like to use Body Slam as it's Lapras' signature move...I think. Having a 30% chance to
paralyse the opponent is quite good for something slow like Lapras.
Verdict - Great pokemon, but trade him over so he grows as fast as your other pokemon, if you can. I still prefer
Starmie, though.
-----------
Ditto (132)
-----------
Type - Normal
Ditto can Transform into any pokemon and copy their movesets (although each move only has 5 PP), but
his crap base 48 stats in EVERYTHING prevent him from being any good.
Use this magnificent moveset, which has been crafted through the ages through the most powerful of trainers:
Transform
-------
-------
-------
Let's go over what this moveset does. You use the ultra-powerful move Transform to turn into anything you want, and
fire off moves with those oh-so-Godly base 48 attacking stats.
Verdict - Hahaha.
----------------------------
Eevee (133) > Vaporeon (134)
----------------------------
Type - Normal (Eevee), Water (Vaporeon)
Vaporeon, despite having the piss-poor movepool that all of the Eeveelutions are equipped with, is probably the best of the bunch. it has excellent HP (base 130) and great Special Attack (base 110). Special Defence is also good, but Defence, Attack and Speed are low.
Try this set:
Surf
Ice Beam
Bite
Acid Armour
Surf is STAB, and Ice Beam is another great move he learns (oh come on, you know the drill with Water types by now).
Bite is a decent Special move. Acid Armour improves his Defence so he can be a great tank.
Verdict - The best of the Eeveelutions and a good choice for a Water type.
---------------------------
Eevee (133) > Jolteon (135)
---------------------------
Type - Normal (Eevee), Electric (Jolteon)
Jolteon's movepool is poorer than his fellow pure Electric types, Raichu and Electabuzz. However, he packs brilliant
Speed, great Special Attack and good Special Defence, whilst his other stats are lacking.
Jolteon's best set:
Thunderbolt
Thunder Wave
Attract
Shadow Ball
Look similar to Raichu's set? Well, that's pretty much what Jolteon is - a faster Raichu with poor Attack. Thunderbolt
is STAB, Thunder Wave and Attract are a great combo (but make sure Jolteon is female) and Shadow Ball is the best move
he learns otherwise, not that it'll be doing much damage.
Verdict - Use Raichu or Electabuzz.
---------------------------
Eevee (133) > Flareon (136)
---------------------------
Type - Normal (Eevee), Fire (Flareon)
Flareon is a bit of a cliche, but he is actually quite. He's similar to Arcanine in that he has higher Attack than
Special Attack. In fact, his base 130 Attack cannot be ignored. His Defence is poor and he's quite slow, but he's one of
the better pure Fire types, on the whole.
Try this set:
Shadow Ball
Return/Body Slam
Flamethrower
Toxic/Iron Tail
Flareon is unique in that it learns Shadow Ball, and you should definately equip him with it. Return/Body Slam for
obvious reasons - his movepool doesn't get much better. Flamethrower for STAB. Toxic is fun, but you can also use Iron
Tail, a move that offers little extra coverage over what is already available in the moveset. Pity he doesn't learn a
Fight type move.
Verdict - Probably the best choice for a Fire type if you haven't chosen Charizard as your starter. Flareon is limited
in terms of possible movesets, but is better than Arcanine on the whole, as Flareon learns Shadow Ball, has higher
Attack and grows at a medium rate. Not a bad pokemon at all.
-------------
Porygon (137)
-------------
Type - Normal
Note - Porygon can evolve into Porygon2 if you trade it holding an Upgrade after you have obtained the National Dex
Porygon, like Electrode, is a prime example of Game Freak trying to troll us. Give a pokemon an awesome movepool but
mediocre stats, with only the base 85 Special Attack falling into the 'good' range, all whilst having only one in the
game that you have to pay a ridiculous amount of Game Coins for.
This is your best bet for a moveset:
Ice Beam
Thunderbolt
Return
Conversion/Conversion 2
Return might suck coming from Porygon's piss-poor Attack, but at least he gets STAB. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt come off
his good Special Attack and are a great combo. Conversion and Conversaion 2 can be fun to mess around with. If you don't
want to use them, go for Psychic or something.
Opinion - Don't bother using him as there are too many better pokemon out there.
-----------------------------
Omanyte > Omastar (138 > 139)
-----------------------------
Type - Rock/Water
Note - Omanyte is obtained once you revive the Helix Fossil
Despite a bad typing duo that leaves many weaknesses, Omastar is a good pokemon. I slightly prefer Kabutops, but they
each have different pros and cons. Both have rather poor movepools, but Kabutops has a little more to work with. Omastar
has killer Defence and Special Attack, though, and shouldn't be passed up.
Try this set:
Surf
Ice Beam
Bite
Rock Slide/Toxic
Surf and Ice Beam are two great Special moves learned by Omastar. Bite is decent as Omastar doesn't really get anything
better. Rock Slide is STAB, but won't be much good coming from 60 base Attack. You could use Toxic as an alternative.
Opinion - There are better Water types out there, but Omastar is still worth using. If you feel up for it, give him a
go. Kabutops is probably the better fossil option, though.
-----------------------------
Kabuto > Kabutops (140 > 141)
-----------------------------
Type - Rock/Water
Note - Kabuto is obtained once you revive the Dome Fossil
Like Omastar, the typing leaves Kabutops with several weaknesses. However, Kabutops is still a great pokemon. Like
Omastar, his movepool is pretty limited, but he has Swords Dance to play with. Kabutops has awesome Attack and great
Defence.
Try this set:
Swords Dance
Rock Slide
Brick Break
Return/Body Slam/Aerial Ace/Surf
Swords Dance is self-explanitory. Rock Slide is your STAB of choice, Brick Break is a great move. The last move is your
choice. Depends on whether you want a powerful Normal type move, a decent Flying type move, or a STAB Water move coming
off a mediocre base 65 Special Attack.
Opinion - A great pokemon that's worth using. It has a limited movepool, but it can work well with what it gets.
----------------
Aerodactyl (142)
----------------
Type - Rock/Flying
Note - Revive the Old Amber to obtain Aerodactyl
Aerodactyl is very fast and has great Attack, but low stats elsewhere bar average Special Defence. His movepool is good, but he grows slowly. HP is also decent, but he's not one for taking too many hits.
Try this set:
Rock Slide
Aerial Ace/Wing Attack
Earthquake
Return/Double Edge/Steel Wing
Rock Slide and the Flying move are both STAB moves, and Earthquake is a powerful move that's useful on Aerodactyl. The
last move is up to you, but you probably won't use it much. If you want to use Double Edge, only do so if your
Aerodactyl has the Rock Head trait.
Opinion - Even if it grows slowly and is obtained late, it's a great pokemon. You might want to consider trading it over
from another game earlier on if you want to use him, though.
-------------
Snorlax (143)
-------------
Type - Normal
Note - You can only ever encounter Snorlax twice in the entire game.
A slow moving, slow growing beast of a pokemon. You might want to trade him over due to his slow growth, but he can
certainly kick some ass. He can take hits very well on both sides of the spectrum, as his enormous base 160 HP helps his
poor base 65 Defence, and his base 110 Special Defence is brilliant anyway. His Attack certainly isn't lagging, either,
with it being base 110. His Speed is a very poor base 30, so he's going to be attacking last most of the time, and his
Special Attack is only a mere base 65, so he can't really use Special moves too well.
Try this set:
Body Slam/Return
Shadow Ball
Brick Break
Earthquake/Rock Slide
Body Slam is Snorlax's signature move, but you might prefer Return's higher power over Body Slam's chance of paralysis.
Snorelax learns Shadow Ball and Brick Break, and he should use both so that he gets the Ghost-Fight dual. The last move
is filler, as despite the fact that both are great moves, you'll be using the first three more often than not.
Verdict - Excellent pokemon. Pity it grows slowly, but that shouldn't put you off, and you can trade one over to boost
its growth rate anyway. The best pure Normal type in the game. He's certainly worth using, and definately should be a
consideration.
--------------
Articuno (144)
--------------
Type - Ice/Flying
Note - Only one Articuno can be found in the entire game.
Articuno has great Defences which are left redundant by the large amount of weaknesses he has due to his bad typing. His
movepool is also crap.
Use this set:
Ice Beam
Return
Aerial Ace
Steel Wing
Articuno's Special Attack is slightly better than his Attack, but his Special movepool consists of nothing but Ice
moves. The other three moves displayed are the only good offensive moves he learns, pretty much. He learns a coulple of
decent defensive moves, but using them in-game is boring.
Verdict - Good stats, but bad typing, shit movepool, typical sluggish legendary growth rate. The stat total is high
overall, but there's little reason to use him unless you love teams of legendaries. A good pokemon, but you can't obtain
it until a late point in the game, and numerous other reasons mean you probably won't want to replace anyone for
Articuno.
------------
Zapdos (145)
------------
Type - Electric/Flying
Note - Only one Zapdos can be found in the entire game.
Zapdos' movepool isn't much better than Articuno's, but with better typing and great overall stats (especially that base
125 Special Attack), he's the only Legendary Bird worth using.
Use this set:
Thunderbolt
Drill Peck
Return
Steel Wing
It's not too impressive, but you'll be taking advantage of the STAB moves for the most part. The last two are mostly
fillers for use against things that Thunderbolt and Drill Peck won't take care of (although such pokemon are the ones
that Zapdos shouldn't really be staying in against).
Verdict - Zapdos is the best Electric-type in the game. He grows slowly and can't be obtained until late-ish, but unlike
the other two Legendary Birds, he's worth adding to your team. If you're using Raichu or Electbuzz, though, you probably
won't want to replace them.
-------------
Moltres (146)
-------------
Type - Fire/Flying
Note - Only one Moltres can be found in the entire game.
Like the other two Legendary Birds, Moltres has a poor movepool. Despite having superior attacking stats to Charizard,
Moltres isn't as good overall, as Charizard has (slightly) better defenses and Speed, and a better movepool.
Use this set:
Flamethrower
Wing Attack/Aerial Ace
Return
Steel Wing
Despite excellent base 125 Special Attack and great base 100 Attack, this set proves to be rather uninteresting. Two
STAB moves that don't provide the best of type coverage, and your basic two 'filler' moves for the birdies. Not a bad
set, but outclassed by Charizard's superior movepool.
Verdict - If you want a Fire/Flying type, pick Charizard as your starter. Moltres' slightly superior attacking stats
don't make up for the fact that it isn't really as good. A good pokemon, but outclassed. That, and you can't obtain him
for ages.
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Dratini > Dragonair > Dragonite (147 > 148 > 149)
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Type - Dragon (Dratini, Dragonair), Dragon/Flying (Dragonite)
This set of evolutions are the only Dragon-types in the Kanto PokeDex. As you might have guessed, Dragonite has
excellent stats and an excellent movepool, with lots of resistances and little in the way of weaknesses (although the
quadruple weakness to Ice moves makes short work of him). He grows slowly, and you'll probably have finished nearly all
of the main quest by the time you evolve Dragonair into Dragonite, so you might not think he's worth it. But even so,
he's an awesome pokemon.
Try this set:
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Ice Beam/Thunderbolt/Rock Slide
Brick Break/Wing Attack/Rock Slide
Dragon Claw is an excellent STAB move. Earthquake is an excellent move. The last two moves are your choice. I recommend
you at least have one of Brick Break or Rock Slide, so Ice types are taken care of quickly. Dragonite has plenty of
moves to choose from, but I find the ones listed above are the best options. You don't necessarily have to use
Earthquake, either.
Verdict - If you don't mind the fact that it takes forever to actually GET Dragonite, then you have an awesome pokemon
in your hands.
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Mewtwo (150)
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Type - Psychic
All hail the best of the original 151 pokemon! Excellent stats, excellent movepool. Has the typical slow growth of
legendaries, and you can't obtain him until ridiculously late in the game, but he's well worth the trouble. 154 base
Special Attack and 130 base Speed simply cannot be overlooked.
Try this set:
Calm Mind
Thunderbolt
Ice Beam
Psychic/Recover
Calm Mind + BoltBeam = chaos. Psychic is Mewtwo's only STAB move that's overall classified as 'good', but Psychic
certainly isn't the best attacking type and Recover helps Mewtwo stay alive longer in competitive play. Mewtwo's base
110 Attack allows him to use Physical moves to a powerful extent, but his 154 Special Attack makes it seem rather
redundant, despite how great moves like Shadow Ball are.
Verdict - The best pokemon in the game. Pity you get him so late, though.
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Mew (151)
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Type - Psychic
Poor Mew's never had it easy, only being available for download in Nintendo Events which are held quite rarely and only
in major cities. A such a pity that hacked in Mews from cheating devices won't obey you. Mew is a great pokemon, though.
All of his stats are base 100, which is both a pro and a con, and his movepool is the best in the game - he learns every
single move that can be taught to him via a TM, HM or move tutor. So if you can get one that'll work properly, do so!
He's only available to catch (after Nintendo Event download) in Emerald, though.
Mew can be used differently to Mewtwo, so instead of making him similar, try this:
Swords Dance/Bulk Up
Shadow Ball
Brick Break
Psychic/Earthquake/Rock Slide
I like making Mew Physical, so he isn't a worse Mewtwo. Otherwise, there's little point in using him. Basically, boost
your Attack and attack with the unresisted Ghost/Fight combo. The last move is filler. You can use another Physical move
to benefit from the Attack boosts, or you can use STAB Psychic. Whatever the fourth move you choose, you probably won't
use it much.
Verdict - Yeah, if you're going to use a Special set, use Mewtwo, as it has better stats. On the whole, Mew is a damn
fun pokemon to use, so if you can get one LEGALLY, it'll function fine and you can and should use him. Thank heavens,
I'm finally done with this thing.
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Legal + Copyright info
----------------------
This guide is owned by Volke Fredrik Lindstrom and cannot be used or published without the
author's permission. Any violators can be reported to the law and immediate action will
ensue.
The only site that is currently permitted to host this walkthrough is www.supercheats.com.
Hosting this walkthrough on any other than the above mentioned site is illegal.
This walkthrough can be printed out for personal use, but selling it off as your own for
profit is strictly prohibited.
------
Thanks
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This will be short:
Myself, for kindly writing this guide, just for you. Thank me in the forums if you see me,
but I am not giving out my e-mail address as I do not like having any online contacts, only
offline friends.
Supercheats.com, for hosting this guide.
Sweden, for being a damn awesome country. I am very proud of my homeland, and of my Finnish
heritage also.
(Want your name here? Then tell me something important that I have not included. If it is
worthy, then I will add it to the guide and gladly add your name to the thanks list, although
I hope I never have to come back to this guide, as it just became so boring and reptitive after
I got about halfway).