Pokémon Red and Blue/Species strategies

Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur
Bulbasaur is both Grass- and Poison-type, but it really doesn't show much of its Poison side. Almost every decent Grass-type in the game has this type pairing, so it's not a matter of much concern. It specializes in the Special stat, which is ironic given that it has a lot of support-type moves like Leech Seed and Poison Powder. Bulbasaur, unfortunately, has few damaging attacks that aren't Grass-type, meaning that it can't really fight Flying-, Bug-, Fire-,Ice-,Poison, or other Grass-types effectively. It makes up for this by being effective against Water- and Rock-types, two types that are quite common and tend to be very annoying without super-effective moves. Probably the best choice for the beginning player, as it has an immunity to the Poison status (helpful in Viridian Forest), an advantage against the first few gyms, and is probably the best of the many Grass/Poison Pokemon in the game. Even Yellow players should consider adding one to the team in Cerulean City, if only to fight Misty with another super effective party member.

Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard
Charmander has the highest Speed of the starters, and it learns the powerful Fire-type attack Ember as early as Level 9. The problem with it is that it doesn't get a better Fire-type move until Level 46 as a Charizard, so Charmander hits a rut in the middle of the game where it loses its effectiveness. It also has a disadvantage against the first two gyms. Charmander is the only Fire-type until right before your fourth badge, so it may be worth choosing just for that reason. And a word of advice to you if you do pick Charmander - don't use a Flying-type. It will steal experience from your lizard because it has advantages against the same opponents.

Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise
Water-type Squirtle specializes in the Defense stat, but isn't really that low in the others. Its moves are a little on the weak side (and strangely not very defensive) until later in the game, but it's still more reliable than Charmander. The important thing to keep in mind before choosing Squirtle is that, unfortunately, there are better Water-types later in the game, whereas Charmander and Bulbasaur are among the best in theirs. This doesn't mean that you can't choose Squirtle, it just means that you're giving up something like or.

Caterpie, Metapod, and Butterfree
If you invest enough time in Caterpie, it will end up as a Bug- and Flying-type that can gain status causing moves such as Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, as well as a basic Psychic attack in Confusion (this is a damage attack). Butterfree can be extremely helpful in the early portion of the game. However, Butterfree is quickly out-classed by other Pokémon such as Bellsprout and Oddish as a status-inflicter, and Kadabra and Hypno in terms of Psychic power. It gets its moves earlier in Yellow, and even learns a new one, but it's still not much of a late-game Pokémon.

Weedle, Kakuna, and Beedrill
Weedle doesn't start out much differently than Caterpie. It's pretty weak when you get it, and evolving it into Kakuna doesn't make things much better. But Weedle's evolution continues at a lightning pace, and at level 10 you'll have a very useful (at least for the early part of the game). Beedrill learns the best Bug-type attack, Twineedle, at level 20, but Beedrill's Poison-type and low stats make it pointless as an anti-Psychic Pokémon. That said, it should do well fighting Grass types. Good until around Rock Tunnel, where you may want to consider finding a replacement.

Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot
Pidgey is probably the single most common Pokémon at this point in the game, so it's not like you'll be looking for opportunities to catch one. They're not exceptional, but their Flying-type status has an advantage over Grass- and Bug-types. Also, Ground-type moves will not affect Flying-types. Unfortunately, Pidgey doesn't learn much in the way of flying attacks, learning only a single weak one by level-up, so you'll have to just think of it as a Normal-type for now. Spearow is likely a better choice for a Flying-type. But there is one decent strategy you can use with Pidgey: Sand-Attack, which Pidgey learns at Level 5, will decrease enemy accuracy enough after a few uses to completely prevent your opponent from attacking! Just keep in mind that Pidgey still needs to be properly leveled to execute this or it will be knocked out before it can finish. Pidgey's okay for the beginning of the game, and it gets better towards the end. Bear in mind though, that other Pokemon can perform a similar role.

Rattata and Ratticate
Not the sturdiest of Pokémon, but Rattata can learn the awesome 80 base power Hyper Fang at a mere level 14, which is enhanced by the type-matching bonus. At level 20, Rattata evolves into the stronger. Much later on, it can learn Super Fang to help in efforts to weaken a target Pokémon for capture; it will cut the target's current HP in half with each use. Rattata makes a great choice for the early portion of the game, learning a couple of good TMs and being able to handle almost any Pokémon once it learns Hyper Fang. Even so, Rattata is not a good team member for getting through the entire game: You may want to leave it in the PC around the time you defeat Erika, later in the game.

Spearow and Fearow
Spearow may not have a third stage of evolution like Pidgey do, but they're actually a bit stronger, and a bit rarer early on. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow begins with a Flying attack in Peck, and is destined to learn what is probably the best one: Drill Peck. Spearow has an immunity to Ground-type attacks, as well as dealing increased damage to Grass-, Bug-, and Fighting-type opponents. The increased damage against Bug-types will help a lot as you make your way through Viridian Forest.

Ekans and Arbok

 * [[Image:Pokemon_023Ekans.png|thumb]]Ekans is interesting, because it comes with Wrap. Use it repeatedly against slower enemies to choke the life out of them while preventing them from ever getting an attack in.  On the downside, it doesn't really learn anything particularly interesting as it grows and evolves into.

Pikachu and Raichu
Instead of having a choice, Yellow players are always given a Pikachu by Prof. Oak. This is a bit disappointing from a statistical standpoint, as Pikachu's only good stat is Speed. It makes up for it by being Electric-type, one of the best all-around types in the game. While it makes Pikachu weak against Ground-types, Electric attacks absolutely shred the game's plentiful Flying- and Water-types. You can see this at work as Pikachu's Thundershock fries the Pidgeys hanging around Route #1. Unfortunately, Pikachu can't evolve in Yellow, so it's really only useful during the first half of the game.

Pikachu is quite different in Red and Blue than in Yellow. It lacks Thunderbolt by level-up, so you'll have to use a TM in Vermilion City. It gets Swift, but at the expense of Double Team, Slam, and even Light Screen later on. The big advantage is that Pikachu can evolve, giving it good stats and making it much stronger in the long run. Definitely a good Pokémon to pick up, particularly if you chose and need a Flying-type counter.

Sandshrew and Sandslash
This Ground-type Pokémon doesn't learn anything particularly exciting on its own (Although it does get the powerful Slash attack at a fairly low level), but it has good Attack and Defense (especially in its final form), although it doesn't have much Special or Speed. The lack of a Rock-type means that it can potentially survive a medium power Grass- or Water-type attack if it must take one. While it must use a TM to give it a Ground attack (Like Dig, which you'll get at the next town), Sandshrew is a great Pokémon that is pretty useful throughout the game.

Nidoran, Nidorina, and Nidoqueen
Female Nidoran are everywhere in Blue, and males abound in Red, but both appear with equal frequency in Yellow. Yellow gives them both Double-Kick at level 12, useful in an upcoming battle with Rock-types in the near future. While the female form is Poison-types, they don't get a lot of Poison techniques - Poison Sting is about it. They make up for it by learning practically every good TM in its final forms. Both Nidoran can reach their final forms through the use of a Moon Stone.

Nidoran, Nidorino, and Nidoking
Female Nidoran are everywhere in Blue, and males abound in Red, but both appear with equal frequency in Yellow. The sharper horned males have a slight edge, since they learn better offensive attacks in this and the next phase of their evolution, but both are solid all-around fighters early in the game. Yellow gives them both Double-Kick at level 12, useful in an upcoming battle with Rock-types in the near future. While both are Poison-types, they don't get a lot of Poison techniques - Poison Sting is about it. They make up for it by learning practically every good TM in their final forms. Both Nidoran can reach their final forms through the use of a Moon Stone.

Clefairy and Clefable
and are very similar; both are pink, puffy Pokémon that evolve with a Moon Stone, have a ton of HP, and can use just about any TM. However, Clefairy has much better stats overall. Clefairy isn't very useful for adventuring, but can become fairly useful in link battles with the help of TMs. Clefairy is definitely better than Jigglypuff, and it can learn Water Gun from a TM in Mt. Moon, making it useful for dealing with Geodudes in that part of the game.

Vulpix and Ninetales

 * Pokemon 037Vulpix.png many-tailed firefox Vulpix, like, evolves into its final form with the aid of a Fire Stone. Vulpixes may not be as tough as Growlithes, but they are a bit quicker, and they learn their best skill (Fire Spin, the Fire version of Wrap) as soon as level 42.  Use the Stone then and you'll have a tough and versatile, good all around.

Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff
Jigglypuff, even more ridiculously cute in Yellow, have a ton of HP, but are mediocre in all their other stats. Their Sing attack is annoying to be put to sleep by, but is nearly a coin-flip in accuracy. Pound works well enough early on, but Jigglypuff will be starved for good attacks until it learns Body Slam at level 34. Jigglypuff can use a wide variety of powerful TMs, but it probably isn't worthy of these precious TMs, as the result isn't spectacular. Jigglypuff can evolve right away with a Moon Stone, found in Mt. Moon, but this will keep it from learning moves through leveling up.

Zubat and Golbat
Zubat isn't that good. It's a Poison and Flying-type (although it doesn't learn any Poison attacks), so it's weak to many types. Leech Life's draining ability is useful, but is extremely weak at 15 power. It's hard to damage most things with it. Even when it eventually learns more attacks, such as Bite and Wing Attack, they simply aren't very powerful. This family's chief redeeming feature is Confuse Ray, which has a 100% chance of confusing a target Pokemon. However, this is not even a signature move, as several other Pokemon in the game can learn it.

Oddish, Gloom, and Vileplume
Don't worry if you're playing Red: there may not be any s, but you can still get a decent Grass-type by catching an. Oddish's initial Absorb skill puts Leech Life to shame, and since it's Grass-type, one Oddish can take down dozens of Water, Rock or Ground-type Pokémon, healing as it goes. You'll need a Leaf Stone to reach the final stage of evolution, but keep in mind that it learns powerful moves like Petal Dance and Solarbeam later on.

Paras and Parasect
A unique Bug/Grass combo, is very weak in general. Many claim it's a "Psychic stopper", given its Bug-type, lack of a Poison-type, and its Leech Life Bug-type attack. Unfortunately, this just isn't the case. Leech Life is extremely weak no matter what, and Paras' stats are mediocre. Paras' only saving grace is Spore, a Sleep-inducing attack with a nearly perfect accuracy that is great for catching Pokémon. Unfortunately, since Paras (more likely ) is so slow, it will likely lose most of its HP before hitting anything with it.

Venonat and Venomoth
Available early in the game in Yellow only, s are quite rare, but are hardly worth the trouble. It's just another Bug/Poison thing, albeit one that can learn good Psychic moves later in the game.

Diglett and Dugtrio
Diglett and its evolved form Dugtrio are among the best Pokémon in the game. They're fast, get both Dig and Earthquake by level-up, and have the offensive stats to use them. Plus, they can learn other useful moves like Cut and Slash, in case you come across something Ground-type moves alone can't deal with. Probably the best Ground-type choice in the game (particularly in Red, where there are no Sandshrew.)

Meowth and Persian
Meowths are similar to (but not quite as good as) Rattatas: speedy with lots of Normal-type attacking moves. But there's one twist: at level 17, Meowth learns Pay Day, a solid attack that pays you back money equal to double Meowth's level each time it's used. If you find yourself frequently short on cash, it could come in handy. Meowth's evolved form is a common competitive choice, so you may want to raise one. It has little use in-game, however.

Mankey and Primeape
Only available early on in Yellow, you'll find Mankey's Low Kick to be very useful against Normal- and Rock-types. In Yellow, it learns Low Kick at an easy level 9. It's first available on Route 5 in Red and Blue, but it isn't really worth it in those games: it can't learn Low Kick, so its only Fighting-type attack is the fixed damage Seismic Toss.

Growlithe and Arcanine
Growlithe's a tough fighter with decent Fire attacks, who turns into one of Red's toughest brawlers when you power him up (into ) with a Fire Stone. But you may want to wait on that until he learns his best technique, Flamethrower, at level 50.

Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam
can be difficult to catch. The only move they know is Teleport, which removes them from battle instantly. So if you're lucky enough to see one in the wild, you've got one turn to snag it. You have a few options: one is to have a or  Sing it to sleep, or Sleep Powder if you have, which makes it easier to catch and also gives you an opportunity to knock it around a bit while it's dozing. The next is to use Wrap to squeeze it until it's weak enough to catch, while keeping it from Teleporting away. The last option is to use 's Thunder Wave to paralyze it and capture it right away with a Pokéball (though this option isn'y very reliable).

But are they worth it? Definitely, since Psychic Pokémon are the best in the game, and Abra evolves into the best one you can get (before the game ends, that is.) At level 16, Abra will turn into a, which you can (and should) immediately trade to a friend to evolve it into a powerful. Even if you don't, however, the Confusion attack Kadabra learns, combined with the Same-Type Attack Bonus it gives, grants even a level 16 Kadabra the ability to knock out almost any Pokémon of comparable level in one hit, even without type advantage.

Machop, Machoke, and Machamp
They're not a common sight in any version, but anyone can track down and capture a Machop with a bit of effort. Machops are strong in Attack and HP and only get stronger as they evolve: into at level 26, and then into  once they're traded. Hitmonlee is probably a better option, especially if you can't trade, but Machop is available earlier.

Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel
Bellsprout can thoroughly thrash your opponents early in the game, since they get the Wrap skill at level 13 and have the -beating Grass skill Vine Whip built right in.

Their next couple of skills are all Poison, Sleep, and Stun moves. Sleep Power and Stun Spore are both useful for helping you catch and battle Pokémon, so Bellsprout are a good choice if you didn't pick a early on and you need a Grass-type.

Geodude, Graveler, and Golem

 * Pokemon 074Geodude.pngde is painfully slow, and its double weaknesses to Grass and Water can be devastating. However, its Attack and Defense can grow to high levels, and it can gain Rock and Ground attacks without the use of TMs.  Geodude's strength against Electric, Flying, Fire and Normal attacks is also very useful throughout the game.

Ponyta and Rapidash
Ponyta doesn't get the greatest skills... For Fire, it's just Ember for starters and Fire Spin at level 39. But the saving grace of Ponyta and its evolved form,, is their incredible Speed, making them easily the fastest of the Fire Pokémon.

Magnemite and Magneton
The Magnemites available early on in Yellow aren't as fast as their cousins in Red/Blue, but their mix of strong Electric moves and Normal attacks is more versatile than Voltorb's Normal ones. They would be a good option, but you've already got Pikachu. If, however, you wish to not use Pikachu for some reason, then this is a good second choice.

Farfetch'd
Farfetch'd, a ninja duck that beats its enemies with a giant leek, is pretty pathetic in battle. Farfetch'd has access to Swords Dance and the 100% critical hit Slash, as well as boosted experience due to being traded. None of those strengths overcome its terrible stats. More importantly, Farfetch'd learns both Cut and Fly, making it extremely useful in moving around the map. Considering how it merely costs a Spearow, this makes collecting one an easy choice.

Doduo and Dodrio

 * [[Image:Pokemon_084Doduo.png|right]]Doduo, which can be caught in any version, is by no means terrible. In fact, it is probably the best of the Normal/Flying Pokemon. Drill Peck is a strong attack that's great against Fighting-type Pokémon (as well as more seldom-seen Grass and Bug Pokémon), but there's not a whole lot else to get excited about. The evolved form,, which can be caught in Route #17 in Yellow only (or raised at level 31 in any version) is a fairly speedy, strong attacker that can do good damage with Normal skills like Tri Attack.

Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar

 * [[Image:Pokemon_092Gastly.png|thumb]]Gastlys are incredible! Not only are they immune to Normal and Fighting attacks, but they can learn both parts of the Hypnosis/Dream Eater combo by level 35. They're weak to Psychic and Ground attacks, but their immunities more than make up for that minor inconvenience.  Built-in attack Night Shade does damage equal to Gastly's level regardless of type, and Lick paralyzes foes. And as they evolve, first by leveling up and then by trading, they gain some powerful stats. A full-fledged Gengar is a match to all but powerful Ground and Psychic Pokemon.

Onix
Onix is a decent Rock-type Pokémon to have. It has exceptional Defense and decent Speed, but rather poor HP, Attack, and Special Defense, making it rather susceptible to Water attacks. It suffers from a lack of good move choices, but it takes physical hits well. Keep in mind, however, that despite its less impressive stature, Geodude's fully evolved stats and movepool are superior.

Drowzee and Hypno
Drowzees are great. They're reasonably sturdy and their Special is very high. They get Psychic (the game's best Psychic-type attack) naturally, along with a couple of status moves, and they really don't need much else. And even if you do want something else, they have Headbutt to inflict moderate physical damage with. The problem is that Kadabra (or Alakazam) has even better Special and has much better Speed. The choice is yours - fast striker or sturdy support Pokémon?

Voltorb and Electrode
Voltorb look bizarrely similar to Poké Balls. Despite being Electric-type Pokémon, they learn no Electric attacks without the aid of TMs. Instead, they learn Normal attacks, including the self-sacrificing Selfdestruct. Once learned, this move should only be used in an emergency. Probably the worst Electric-type in the game, although its evolved form is the fastest of any Pokémon.

Cubone and Marowak
As adorable as they are rare, Cubones are seen infrequently in Red and Blue and almost never in Yellow (although in that version only, they're also found in the Safari Zone). The decent Ground-type skill Bone Club comes built in, but better attacks like Bonemerang and Thrash (which does heavy damage, but confuses Cubone) don't come until higher levels. Cubone is better in Yellow, since he learns Headbutt at level 18!

Hitmonlee
Hitmonlee has an impressive repertoire of Fighting-type kicks. The Jump Kicks do solid damage (although misses occasionally backfire to damage him), and the Rolling Kick, while not as strong, can stop enemy attacks before they begin. Speedy and powerful, he's among the best of the Fighting Pokémon, if not the best in the game.

Hitmonchan
In addition to the multiple-hit Comet Punch, Hitmonchan learns Fire, Ice and Thunder Punch skills, which do damage of the appropriate type and, 10% of the time, Burn, Freeze or Paralyze your foes. While this versatility is nice, these skills rely on Hitmonchan's dismally low Special, seriously hampering their effectiveness. Worse, Hitmonchan learns no regular Fighting moves, meaning he lacks any attacks with STAB. Hitmonlee is probably the better choice.

Lickitung
Lickitung is a hearty fellow, but his array of Normal attacks are poor.

Mr. Mime
Since it's an easy trade, you should definitely pick up a Mr. Mime. It doesn't have many good moves and it can't evolve, but its trademark attack, Substitute, in which it creates a clone that fights for it, is pretty cool. As far as actual combat goes, Mr. Mime is pretty useless; if you're looking for an attacking Psychic-type, you might as well keep the Abra you would trade for Mr. Mime.

Jynx
Jynx, possibly the strangest of Pokémon, has a unique combination of types: Ice and Psychic. It has good Speed and Special, but its Attack and Defense are mediocre. It's the only Ice-type until fairly late in the fame, and it has more Ice-type attacks then some of its brethren, but there are better options later on and it gets no Psychic-type moves at all (unless you use a TM.) A good choice, but you could do better. Try and make sure that the you trade is under level 39, or else your Jynx will lack the sleep-inducing Lovely Kiss attack.

Magikarp and Gyarados
The thing about Magikarp is that they're completely horrible. They come with only one move, Splash, and it does literally nothing. Magikarp can't learn any TMs or HMs and they don't even learn a real attack, Tackle, until level 15!

BUT if you can get one to level 20, it will evolve into, a Water/Flying-type with great stats and a small but useful move pool that includes the powerful Hydro Pump (and several more great moves by TM.)

If you want, you can buy it to begin leveling it early in the game. However, this will devour many experience points that would have (and should have) gone to other Pokémon at this early stage. You can fish for a Magikarp anywhere some other time once you get the Old Rod, and it's probably a good idea to do so.

Lapras
Lapras comes at a very low level of 15, making it very impractical to incorporate into your main team. In-game, you will be better served by picking up a Dewgong from Cinnabar or Cloyster from the Seafoam Islands. However, competitively, Lapras's excellent offensive power, ability to learn Thunderbolt, and absolutely incredible overall bulk put it in a class all its own above its fellow Ice/Water brethren. Even if you do not put it in your line up, carefully stash this gem in your box.

Eevee
As Yellow players have learned from their many confrontations with their rival, Eevee, in its basic configuration, is not especially powerful. It's just another pure-Normal type in a game with plenty of them. Their most notable trait is the ability to evolve into one of three much more powerful forms.

Vaporeon
Water-type Pokémon are extremely valuable in the late game, and Vaporeon has one of the best Special stats of any Water-type. If you saved the Bubblebeam TM, Vaporeon will be immediately useful, and even more powerful soon after when you get the Surf HM. Celadon City even lets you access the Ice Beam TM, which will make Vaporeon a lethal threat, even to Erika's Grass-types that normally have an advantage against Water-types. With its impressive mix of defense and offense, Vaporeon is sure to make a huge splash!

Jolteon
The Thunderstone creates Jolteon, one of the game's fastest Pokemon. Jolteon's impressive Special and awesome critical hit rate (thanks to its Speed) make its Electric-attacks truly terrifying. Make sure you saved the Thunderbolt TM if you plan on using it. It has a few interesting coverage moves like Double-Kick and Pin Missle, but its Attack is so pitiful... just stick to blasting things with Thunderbolt.

Flareon
Flareon is the red-headed step child of the Eevee evolutions, ever disowned by Gamefreak. Flareon comes with an incredible Attack stat, but all it can use it with are Normal-type attacks, and without STAB it only hits about as hard as Raticate or Pidgeot. Meanwhile, on the special side, it only gets the very weak Ember, and no better Fire-type moves until much later in the game. Defensively, poor overall bulk and low Speed gives it real problems both against strong opponents and over long routes. By the time it learns Fire Blast or Flamethrower, there are almost no opponents Fire is good against. Unless you need the Pokedex entry or just feel sorry for it, you're best off passing up on Flareon.

Porygon
Porygon, who can only be acquired through coin redemption, isn't the toughest Pokémon, but his trademark skill Conversion (which makes Porygon the same type as his opponent) has some interesting possibilities. He can learn a few decent attacks and use a variety of TMs.

Snorlax

 * [[Image:Pokemon_143Snorlax.png|left]]There's only two Snorlaxes in the game. He'll learn some okay attacks at level 35 and beyond, but for now he's mainly defensive. He has a ton of Hit Points, comes with Rest, and wakes from it quickly.