add remove conjecture
GP 2/2 for the C tier!
C-Tier
Reserved for Pokémon having efficiency in terms of completing the game that is considered to be moderately high moderately high efficiency at completing the game. Pokémon in this tier are able to OHKO or 2HKO a reasonable portion of foes, but they are matchup based enough to need some item assistance in sweeping some opponents' teams. These Pokémon are useful; however, they either have several flaws holding them back or barely make up for their late arrivals.
Reserved for Pokémon having efficiency in terms of completing the game that is considered to be moderately high moderately high efficiency at completing the game. Pokémon in this tier are able to OHKO or 2HKO a reasonable portion of foes, but they are matchup based enough to need some item assistance in sweeping some opponents' teams. These Pokémon are useful; however, they either have several flaws holding them back or barely make up for their late arrivals.
Caterpie
Availability: Early-game (Route 31, level 3 or 4, 50% (morning) or 35% (daytime) (HG); National Park (Bug Contest), levels 7-18, 20% (SS)).
Typing: Bug / Flying isn't great, as, offensively, (commas) it's only good against Bugsy, Chuck, and Bruno, and it doesn't provide a lot of defensive utility and instead worsens the matchup against Falkner and Pryce.
Stats: Butterfree's stats are relatively high for the early game, but they fall off as the game progresses and the opponents start using Pokemon with much higher stats.
Movepool: Butterfree learns Confusion at level 10, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 24, and Sleep Powder and Stun Spore at level 12, with Gust at level 16 being its only Flying-type STAB move. Silver Wind and Bug Buzz at levels 28 and 40 are its only good Bug-type STAB moves.
Major Battles: Butterfree can see use against any opponent that doesn't resist its moves, as it can outspeed most foes, put them to sleep with a near-perfectly accurate Sleep Powder, and slowly take them down. Butterfree is particularly useful for the first two Gym Leaders if playing HG, though it also sees use against Morty, Chuck, and some of the Team Rocket Executives, although it struggles to sweep the former two.
Additional Comments: Butterfree can beat a lot of foes one-on-one as long as it can outspeed them and hit them neutrally, though this method tends to be slow. Compound Eyes gives Butterfree a lot of utility, as it makes Sleep Powder near-perfectly accurate and also makes Butterfree great for item hunting, boosting the chances of wild Pokemon holding an item, which is further helped by its ability to learn Thief through TMs.
Chikorita
Availability: Early-game (New Bark Town, level 5).
Typing: Grass is a terrible type for Johto, being resisted in most matchups aside from Whitney, Chuck, Pryce, and Bruno.
Stats: Chikorita's stats are balanced save for above average Defense and Special Defense.
Movepool: Razor Leaf upgrades to Petal Dance at level 32, with Strength providing Normal-type coverage. Otherwise, Chikorita gets both Reflect and Light Screen naturally or via TMs from the Goldenrod Department Store.
Major Battles: Chikorita loses to Falkner, Bugsy, Morty, and Jasmine's Magnemite by virtue of being resisted. However, it is good for Whitney, Chuck, Pryce, and Clair's Kingdra. Most of Team Rocket and the Pokemon League aside from Bruno are unfavorable, as the foes tend to resist Grass.
Additional Comments: The Chikorita line with Choice Specs and Petal Dance is decent, but this is not enough to save a Pokemon with middling offensive stats and lackluster typing.
Drowzee
Availability: Early-game (Route 34, levels 10-12, 50%).
Typing: Psychic is useful against Bruno, Koga, and Chuck and also resists Will's type, but it makes Drowzee weak to Morty, along with Karen's Dark-types.
Stats: The line is plagued by a below-average Speed and has mostly average stats aside from its excellent Special Defense.
Movepool: Drowzee starts out with Confusion, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 26. Hypno also learns Shadow Ball and Focus Blast through TMs for coverage. Meditate at level 21 can be combined with the Drain Punch TM, from the Goldenrod Department Store raffle on Thursday, and Headbutt to improve the Whitney matchup.
Major Battles: Drowzee can potentially sweep Whitney with Drain Punch if it sets up Meditate to the maximum against Clefairy. It sees some success against Chuck, Koga, Bruno, and Team Rocket with Choice Specs + Psybeam and Jasmine and Pryce with Focus Blast, though it tends to be mediocre elsewhere. However, it may struggle to OHKO even with super effective hits due to its unimpressive Special Attack.
Additional Comments: While Drowzee is handy against a few matchups, its reliance on super effective hits and lack of raw power hold it back. Insomnia is the preferred ability.
Dunsparce
Availability: Early-game (Dark Cave, Rock Smash, levels 4-8, 90%).
Typing: Pure Normal typing leaves Dunsparce neutral to most everything save for unfavorable matchups against Morty, Chuck, and Bruno.
Stats: forgot to bold Stats here Dunsparce has great HP, but average other stats aside from a dismal base 45 Speed.
Movepool: Dunsparce starts with Rage and picks up Defense Curl at level 5 with Rollout to complement it at level 17, getting Yawn and Glare in the interim levels. Dunsparce also gets Roost at level 33 or via TM. Dunsparce has a wide variety of offensive TMs at its disposal like Fire Blast and Dig, but they only hit a few targets. Headbutt via the Ilex Forest tutor and Return via TM can serve as STAB options.
Major Battles: Dunsparce can use Defense Curl and use Rollout until it wins against Bugsy and Whitney, but it will lose to Morty due to Curse wearing it down. Dunsparce flops against Chuck but can handle Jasmine with Choice Specs + Fire Blast if it outspeeds. Defense Curl and Rollout work against the remaining opponents, but by then Dunsparce's stats won't hold up anymore.
Additional Comments: Dunsparce is useful early-game, but its thoroughly average stats hold it back later on despite Rollout access. If you're willing to find the 1% variant before Rock Smash, Dunsparce can get past Falkner with Rage, though this is inefficient. Serene Grace is the preferred ability, as it pairs particularly well with Glare and Headbutt.
Eevee (Espeon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Psychic typing gives Espeon advantages against Morty, Chuck, Koga, and Bruno, though it is bad for Jasmine and Karen.
Stats: Espeon has high Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, but its other stats are poor.
Movepool: Espeon picks up Confusion at level 15, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 36. Shadow Ball via TM is its only relevant coverage option, though Swift at level 29 can help on routes.
Major Battles: Espeon fares well against Morty, but it will not sweep due to losing to Gengar. Espeon is great for Chuck, Koga, and Bruno with Psychic-type STAB moves, though it is ineffective for Jasmine and Karen and average elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Eevee has to be evolved by level 15 so that Espeon can learn Confusion. The required friendship is very difficult to achieve in just ten levels, and as a result, evolving Eevee takes a lot of time and effort. Haircuts via the Goldenrod Tunnel and the Soothe Bell from the National Park expedite this process.
Eevee (Flareon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Fire typing leaves Flareon good for Jasmine and Koga, but average for everything else aside from Clair and Lance.
Stats: Flareon has great Attack and good special stats, though its Speed is slightly below average.
Movepool: Flareon's natural learnset is mostly irrelevant, as it uses Fire Blast via the Goldenrod Department Store TM for almost all battles, with Dig and Return through TMs serving as other options. Fire Fang at level 43 is outclassed by Choice Specs + Fire Blast.
Major Battles: Flareon OHKOes most of Morty's team save Gengar with Charcoal-boosted Fire Blast, though it is slower. Flareon can OHKO Chuck's Primeape, Pryce's Piloswine, and all of Jasmine's team with Charcoal- or Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast. It can pick off a few targets at the Pokemon League with Choice Specs + Fire Blast.
Additional Comments: Flareon is decent but the inefficiency of getting a Fire Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Tuesday for 2,500 Points, alongside its relatively average performance, hold it back.
Eevee (Jolteon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Electric typing means Jolteon is good for Chuck and Pryce aside from Piloswine, though it is bad for Jasmine and average elsewhere.
Stats: Jolteon is exceptionally fast with good special stats, but its other stats are low.
Movepool: Jolteon's main attack is the Charge Beam TM, though it also gets Thundershock at level 15. Otherwise, Jolteon tends to use the Rain Dance TM in combination with the Thunder TM for high damage. Shadow Ball via TM can serve as coverage if need be.
Major Battles: Jolteon doesn't stand out in major battles until it gets Rain Dance and Thunder, which destroy Chuck and help against Pryce save for Piloswine. Jolteon is also moderately effective with this strategy at the Pokemon League in general.
Additional Comments: Combined with the inefficiency of getting a Thunder Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Thursday for 2,500 Points, Jolteon requires too many TMs to be called truly efficient.
Entei
Availability: Mid-game (roaming Johto, after going to the lower floor of Burned Tower, level 40).
Typing: Fire is only resisted by Clair and Lance and is neutral at worst elsewhere.
Stats: Most of Entei's stats are excellent and are further enhanced by a high join level. Its defenses are somewhat average, though.
Movepool: Entei mostly uses Flamethrower, which is a starting move, and Fire Blast and Sunny Day through TMs. Strength and Dig through TMs provide coverage if using it as early as possible.
Major Battles: If caught as early as possible, Entei can destroy most fights bar Clair. At the Elite Four, it can handle Will and Koga well with Choice Specs + Flamethrower while nabbing a few KOs against Karen. It's not great against Bruno and Lance, though.
Additional Comments: Entei's great performance before the endgame is counterbalanced by the extreme difficulty of catching it. This catching difficulty can be circumvented by catching it with a Master Ball, which you get after obtaining the Rising Badge, at the cost of skipping those matchups Entei's Elite Four performance is acceptable, but its two bad matchups and the extremely late arrival if you go the Master Ball route prevent it from ranking higher.
Goldeen
Availability: Mid-game (Route 42, Surf, 10% for Seaking, levels 15-25).
Typing: Pure Water means Goldeen is average in most matchups save for Clair and Lance.
Stats: Goldeen and Seaking have mostly average stats aside from good Attack.
Movepool: Most of Seaking's movepool is irrelevant aside from Choice Specs-boosted Surf early on, but Seaking can get Poison Jab from the move relearner and Blizzard from the TM. Later on, Seaking uses Rain Dance via TM and Waterfall via HM for fast rain-boosted damage with Swift Swim. Goldeen gets Water Pulse at level 17 if you use the earlier variant.
Major Battles: Seaking beats Chuck's Primeape and Pryce's Piloswine with Choice Specs + Surf and OHKOes all of Jasmine's team. In addition, it is relatively good for most Team Rocket battles. At the Pokemon League, Seaking tends to use Mystic Water alongside rain-boosted Waterfall to 2HKO or OHKO most foes.
Additional Comments: Goldeen can also be caught in Union Cave via Old Rod at level 10, though its early matchups aren't good, so it is better to get Seaking directly post-Surf to skip the late evolution level. Swift Swim is the preferred ability for greater sweeping potential.
Growlithe
Availability: Early-game (Route 36, 10% (morning and night, level 13), 15% (day, levels 13-15)) (HG).
Typing: Pure Fire is great for Jasmine and Koga, bad for Clair and Lance, and neutral elsewhere.
Stats: Arcanine has decent offenses and Speed and is relatively bulky with base 90 HP and 80 defenses. Growlithe's stats aren't particularly great, though, which affects its performance if you hold off evolving it until it learns Flamethrower.
Movepool: Ember upgrades to Flame Wheel at level 20 and Flamethrower at level 34 if Growlithe is left unevolved until then. It can also be taught Dig, Fire Blast, and Sunny Day through TMs.
Major Battles: Growlithe's performance depends on whenever it's evolved immediately or not. If evolved immediately, Arcanine is better against most Gym Leaders (particularly Morty), but it requires Fire Blast to do anything against the Elite Four. If waiting until Flamethrower, Growlithe is worse against most Gym Leaders, but Arcanine's performance against the endgame opponents is much more consistent with Flamethrower, allowing it to be useful against every single Elite Four member bar Bruno.
Additional Comments: Growlithe requires you to spend time getting the Fire Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Tuesday and is also hard to train due to a Slow growth rate. It is generally better to evolve it after getting Flamethrower, since the Elite Four matchups are much more valuable and Growlithe can cover some of the earlier matchups reasonably well. Ultimately, being a stone evolution with a somewhat shaky performance until the Pokemon League, as well as leveling up slowly, greatly impact Growlithe's usefulness.
Hoothoot
Availability: Early-game (Route 29, levels 2-4, 85% (nighttime)).
Typing: Hoothoot and Noctowl's Normal / Flying typing gives them advantages against Morty, Chuck, Koga, and Bruno, though it is weak versus Pryce and Jasmine.
Stats: Hoothoot and Noctowl have good HP, special stats, and Speed, but their physical stats are lacking.
Movepool: Hoothoot will be relying on Tackle and Peck for low physical damage until it gets Uproar at level 13 and Confusion when it evolves. Noctowl gets its main attack in Air Slash at level 32. Hoothoot also naturally gets Hypnosis and Reflect early on for support and can be taught Roost and Shadow Ball from TMs. The only other relevant moves Noctowl gets are Extrasensory at level 42 and Hyper Beam via TM.
Major Battles: Hoothoot is mediocre for both Falkner and Bugsy, as it fails to take on their ace Pokemon effectively; however, Noctowl 2HKOes Whitney's Miltank with Hyper Beam (though Noctowl is slower). Confusion makes Noctowl good for Morty and Chuck. Noctowl is good for Will with Choice Specs and Shadow Ball and the rest of the Pokemon League is handled by Choice Specs + Air Slash.
Additional Comments: Hoothoot's unimpressive start and slightly unwieldy movepool make it difficult to use until later in the game, making it a thoroughly average Pokemon in spite of its early availability. Insomnia is the preferred ability.
Machop (No Trade)
Availability: Early-game (Goldenrod Department Store (5F), in-game trade for Drowzee).
Typing: Fighting is incredibly helpful against Whitney and also sees some use against Jasmine, Pryce, and Karen. It is bad against Morty, Will, Koga, and Team Rocket, though.
Stats: Machoke has a decent Attack, but it is pretty slow and its special stats aren't great. Its HP and Defense are also somewhat average.
Movepool: Machop starts out with Low Kick and Karate Chop and learns Revenge and Vital Throw at levels 22 and 25. Payback, Dig, and Earthquake through TMs provide coverage, and Cross Chop at level 37 is its strongest STAB level-up move.
Major Battles: Machop is great against Whitney and can get a few KOs against Morty and Pryce. It also takes out Jasmine's Magnemite. Its performance becomes pretty bad after this, though it can cover Karen's Umbreon reliably with Vital Throw and OHKO Karen's Houndoom with Cross Chop.
Additional Comments: Machoke is useful for a few key matchups, but its somewhat poor stats and movepool prevent it from sweeping most fights. The traded Machop, Muscle, comes with an IV spread of 15/25/20/15/15/20, Guts, and a Lonely nature. It is also female, which helps it greatly against Whitney, and holds Macho Brace, which can be used to help it gain EVs, since it will often be outsped anyways.
Mantine
Availability: Mid-game (Route 41, levels 15-25, 10%).
Typing: Water is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and Lance. Flying gives it a resistance for Chuck and Bruno, though it sees little use offensively.
Stats: Save for the incredibly high Special Defense, most of Mantine's stats aren't particularly high. Its low Attack stat prevents it from using its Flying-type STAB moves effectively and its HP can make it easy to wear down, although it can hit relatively hard when equipped with Choice Specs.
Movepool: Mantine relies on Surf most of the time to take down foes, with Rain Dance through TMs increasing its power and activating Swift Swim. The other moveslots can be dedicated to the other Water-type HMs or to Wing Attack, Bounce, Signal Beam, and Psybeam, though these either come off its low Attack stat or are only available through the move relearner. Blizzard through TMs is also an option for coverage.
Major Battles: Mantine tends to perform well against opponents' teams it can hit neutrally with Choice Specs and Surf, such as Jasmine and most of the Team Rocket executives. It can claim a few KOs against the Elite Four, but it won't sweep any of them. It can also KO some of Clair's and Lance's Pokemon if it gets lucky with Blizzard.
Additional Comments: Mantine as a whole is mostly a useful Pokemon but falls off at the end of the game due to unremarkable stats, and it struggles against most Water-resistant Pokemon due to lacking strong and reliable coverage moves. It is recommended to catch it at a high level (such as through the Repel trick), as the Slow growth rate can make it a chore to catch up if caught underleveled.
Mankey
Availability: Mid-game (Route 42, levels 15-17, 10%) (HG).
Typing: Fighting makes Primeape favorable for Jasmine, Pryce, and Karen, but it is average elsewhere aside from Will, Koga, and Lance, who are negative matchups.
Stats: Primeape has good Attack and Speed, but slightly below average defenses.
Movepool: Mankey starts with Karate Chop and picks up Seismic Toss at level 17, with Cross Chop at level 41 as Primeape being powerful, yet inaccurate. Primeape gets Dig, Shadow Claw, Focus Punch, Payback and U-turn via TMs if necessary.
Major Battles: Morty is a decent matchup for Mankey if you give it Payback by TM, as it beats everything but Gengar (Vital Spirit blocks Hypnosis). Despite the type advantage, Primeape is mediocre for Pryce, as it only 3HKOes his Pokemon with Karate Chop unless it gets a Focus Punch off. Likewise, Primeape can only reliably beat Jasmine's Magnemite with Dig. In most other matchups, Primeape is mediocre due to having unreliable moves, aside from Karen's Umbreon and Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Mankey's main niche is its ability to OHKO a few otherwise problematic targets with a well-timed Focus Punch or Cross Chop. It has minor utility mid-game and end-game due to this, but it is otherwise hard to justify using.
Oddish (Vileplume)
Availability: Early-game (Ilex Forest, level 5 or 6, 60% (nighttime)).
Typing: Grass / Poison is all-around unhelpful, being a double-edged sword against Pryce and being resisted against a lot of major opponents, though Poison removes its weakness to Team Rocket's Poison-type attacks.
Stats: Vileplume can hit pretty hard with base 100 Special Attack combined with Choice Specs, but it's rather slow and its other stats are somewhat average.
Movepool: Oddish starts out with Absorb, which upgrades to Solar Beam through TMs, and learns Acid at level 9, which upgrades to Sludge Bomb through TMs. Sunny Day through TMs combines well with Solar Beam and Chlorophyll. Sleep Powder at level 17 can assist Oddish against more difficult opponents.
Major Battles: Vileplume is useful for Chuck and can get a few KOs against Pryce. It can typically survive many of Team Rocket's hits and take their Pokemon out with Choice Specs + Sludge Bomb, even if it's resisted. Its Elite Four performance is mostly bad, with Bruno being the only matchup where it isn't outright bad.
Additional Comments: Vileplume's typing and somewhat poor movepool cause it problems against many of the Johto major opponents. Nevertheless, it is one of the best Grass-type Pokemon available in the main game due to its ability to get past some Pokemon that wall other Grass-types. Evolve it with Leaf Stone from Pokeathlon Dome immediately, as Gloom doesn't learn any useful moves by level.
Poliwag (Politoed)
Availability: Mid-game (Ecruteak City (Good Rod), level 20, 60%).
Typing: Water is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and Lance.
Stats: Politoed's stats are all-around average or above average, save for a good base 100 Special Defense.
Movepool: Level 20 Poliwag come comes with Rain Dance and can be taught Surf and Blizzard immediately. Focus Blast can also be taught through TMs for coverage. Perish Song can be retaught to bring down a difficult last Pokemon, most notably Clair's Kingdra.
Major Battles: Poliwhirl can get a few KOs against Morty and Pryce and sweeps Jasmine. The line can KO most of Team Rocket's Pokemon and then from then on stops contributing much due to its stats falling off, though Politoed can beat Karen's Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Politoed's mostly bad endgame and the extensive backtrack for King's Rock hold it back greatly. Poliwag can be caught as early as Violet City via the Old Rod, but it doesn't do much before you can obtain the Good Rod, so it is generally better to catch the Good Rod one to skip the awkward period.
Poliwag (Poliwrath)
Availability: Mid-game (Ecruteak City (Good Rod), level 20, 60%).
Typing: Water / Fighting is all-around neutral, except for being particularly good against Jasmine and Pryce and bad against Will.
Stats: Poliwrath's stats are all average or above average, with the highest one being base 95 Defense.
Movepool: Level 20 Poliwag come with Rain Dance and can be taught Surf and Blizzard immediately. Poliwrath's only Fighting-type STAB move for most of the game is Focus Blast through TMs.
Major Battles: Poliwrath can get a few KOs against Morty and sweeps Jasmine and Pryce. It can KO most of Team Rocket's Pokemon and then from then on stops contributing much due to its stats falling off, though it can beat Karen's Houndoom and Umbreon if it can land Focus Blast twice.
Additional Comments: Poliwrath's mostly bad endgame and the time spent getting the Water Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Wednesday hold it back greatly. Poliwag can be caught as early as Violet City via the Old Rod, but it doesn't do much before you can obtain the Good Rod, so it is generally better to catch the Good Rod one to skip the awkward period. Evolve Poliwhirl with Water Stone immediately.
Psyduck
Availability: Mid-game (Route 35, Surf, 90% for Psyduck at levels 10-25, 10% for Golduck at levels 15-31).
Typing: Pure Water leaves Psyduck resisted against Clair and Lance, but neutral in most other matchups.
Stats: Golduck has decent stats all around, with its highest being base 95 Special Attack.
Movepool: Concise, but effective. Surf, Focus Blast, and Blizzard via TMs are all Golduck needs, though it does get a few Psychic-type moves like Confusion and Zen Headbutt naturally. The Rain Dance TM is an option when combined with Mystic Water, if desired.
Major Battles: Golduck mainly sees success in major battles via Choice Specs + Surf, though Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast can OHKO Pryce's Dewgong and Piloswine, while Choice Specs-boosted Blizzard can OHKO Clair's Dragonair and Lance's Dragonite (though the latter are faster and may potentially OHKO Golduck).
Additional Comments: Golduck's main draw is that it can potentially be caught at a high level with little hassle. The Repel trick with a Pokemon level 26 or higher is useful for this. Damp is the preferred ability because Cloud Nine interferes with Rain Dance strategies.
Sandshrew
Availability: Early-game (Union Cave, level 6, 30% (HG); Goldenrod Game Corner, 700 Coins (SS)).
Typing: Ground typing is neutral for most matchups save Morty, Pryce, Clair, and Lance, which are negative.
Stats: Sandslash has great physical stats and average HP, though its special stats and Speed are below average.
Movepool: Sandshrew starts with Defense Curl and picks up Rollout at level 21. The only other notable moves it gets are Dig and Earthquake via TM for STAB moves, as well as Rock Tomb and Shadow Claw via TMs.
Major Battles: If playing HG, Bugsy's Scyther can be 2HKOed by Rock Tomb, but Scyther 3HKOes it with U-turn and is faster even after a Speed drop. Whitney can be swept with Defense Curl + Rollout, and Sandslash is good for Jasmine with Dig. It can take on a few Elite Four Pokemon with a Ground-type STAB move, like Koga's Muk and Karen's Houndoom, but is generally average elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Sandshrew's main problems stem from having an unimpressive movepool and set of matchups despite decent stats.
Scyther (Trade)
Availability: Early-game (National Park (Bug-Catching Contest), level 13 or 14, 5%).
Typing: Bug / Steel provides Scizor with a plethora of useful resistances, including against Morty, Pryce, Team Rocket, Will, and Koga. However, it has little use offensively.
Stats: Scizor has a high Attack and great physical bulk, but it is rather slow at times.
Movepool: If evolved at level 21, Scizor can have both Wing Attack (from Scyther) and Metal Claw. X-Scissor at level 41 provides a Bug-type STAB move. Agility at level 17 can mitigate the Speed issues and Iron Defense at level 37 can help with sweeping.
Major Battles: It performs well as a Scyther against Whitney. As a Scizor, it can sweep Pryce and is useful against Morty, Will, Koga, and Karen, though its low Speed will make it hard to sweep them.
Additional Comments: While Scizor is useful against many opponents, it is incredibly difficult to obtain one, as Scyther is hard to catch, has a low encounter rate, and requires Technician for it and Scizor to perform well. Furthermore, you need to grind at the Pokeathlon for Metal Coat in order to evolve Scyther. Due to this, keeping Scyther unevolved is generally preferred, as, with few exceptions, Scyther generally either performs very similarly to or outright outperforms Scizor in major battles.
Sentret
Availability: Early-game (Route 29, levels 2-4, 40% (morning and daytime)).
Typing: Pure Normal is neutral for most matchups aside from Chuck, Jasmine, and Bruno, which are unfavorable.
Stats: The line's best stat is its good Speed. Furret has average physical stats and HP, but dismal special stats.
Movepool: Sentret starts with Scratch and picks up Quick Attack at level 7. Strength and the Return TM around mid-game are its most reliable STAB moves later. Furret learns a variety of decent physical TMs, including Dig, Shadow Claw, and U-turn, among others. It gets a wide variety of HMs for utility (Cut, Surf, Strength, Waterfall, and Rock Smash), but most of its natural learnset and special options are irrelevant.
Major Battles: The line is average for the first three Gym Leaders, but it can be great for Morty with Shadow Claw and Jasmine with Dig. It also fares decently against Chuck (if the AI repeatedly goes for Focus Punch) and Pryce. In general, Furret's stats fall off late-game, at which point it can be converted entirely into an HM slave.
Additional Comments: Sentret and Furret are mostly underwhelming Pokemon that consolidate a few niche matchups and HMs into one teamslot. Keen Eye is the preferred ability.
Slowpoke (Slowbro)
Availability: Mid-game (Slowpoke Well (B2F), requires Surf and Strength, levels 15-30, 10% as Slowbro).
Typing: Water typing is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and much of Lance's and Pryce's teams. The Psychic typing helps out with Pryce, Will, Bruno, and Koga while hindering Slowbro against Karen.
Stats: Slowbro is a special attacker with very good bulk, oriented more towards taking physical hits. Its Speed is abysmal, however.
Movepool: bold Slowbro comes in fairly high leveled for when it's caught if you opt to search for a Slowbro directly. It can be given Shadow Ball and Surf for immediate power upgrades. Slack Off comes in at level 41, which will come right before the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, you will not have access to Psychic, as it is learned at level 54.
Major Battles: Slowbro deals with Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, Will, Koga, and Bruno. Due to how slow it is, it might require additional healing.
Additional Comments: The easiest way to get a Slowbro is to use the Repel trick with a level 26-30 Pokemon in the lead. Slowpoke can be obtained earlier (just before Bugsy) but, due to its horrendous stats and late evolution level, you are better off waiting and getting Slowbro directly.
Slowpoke (Slowking)
Availability: Mid-game (Azalea Town, Slowpoke Well (B2F), requires Surf, levels 10-25, 90% as Slowpoke).
Typing: Water typing is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and much of Lance's and Pryce's teams. The Psychic typing helps out with Pryce, Will, Bruno, and Koga while hindering Slowking against Karen.
Stats: Slowking is a special attacker with very good bulk, oriented more towards taking special hits. Its Speed is abysmal, however.
Movepool: Slowking can come in fairly high leveled if you opt to search for a high-level Slowpoke. It can be given Shadow Ball and Surf for immediate power upgrades. Nasty Plot comes in at level 39, just in time for the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, you will not have access to Psychic, as it is learned at level 48.
Major Battles: Slowking deals with Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, Will, Koga, and Bruno. Due to how slow it is, it might require additional healing.
Additional Comments: Slowking can put in a decent amount of work, but it's fairly middling due to the low Speed holding it back. The easiest way to obtain a high-leveled Slowpoke is through the Repel Trick. King's Rock to evolve Slowpoke can conveniently be obtained from a man on Slowpoke Well B2F.
Spearow
Availability: Early-game (gate between Route 35 and Goldenrod City, from Webster, level 20) (Kenya). be more clear in here that Kenya is an in-game trade Spearow, this was confusing for a bit
Typing: Normal / Flying is all-around neutral, save for giving Fearow a bad matchup against Jasmine and Pryce and giving it a type advantage against Chuck and Bruno. If caught as early as possible instead of getting Kenya, the typing can also help out against Bugsy.
Stats: Fearow has decent Attack and Speed, but its other stats are below average.
Movepool: Kenya starts out with Aerial Ace, Pursuit, Fury Attack, and Leer. Return replaces Fury Attack once it becomes powerful enough and Fly can provide an alternative Flying-type STAB move.
Major Battles: Kenya can help against Whitney's Miltank with Leer and weakening it, though it may struggle to beat it. It sweeps Morty easily and is great against Chuck due to Aerial Ace ignoring Primeape's Double Team. After this point, Kenya struggles to do much against most major opponents, either because of a type disadvantage or because its stats simply do not cut it, though it sees some use against Koga and Bruno.
Additional Comments: Due to Kenya's stats, poor movepool, and somewhat unhelpful typing, it struggles to shine outside of a few good matchups. Kenya comes with an IV spread of 15/20/15/20/20/20, a Hasty nature, and the trade experience boost. Spearow can also be caught as early as Route 46, but it isn't very good for the first two Gym Leaders, and the only thing catching it early provides is a stronger Return upon getting the TM.
Stantler
Availability: Mid-game (Route 36, level 13, 5%).
Typing: Pure Normal is average against everything bar Chuck and Bruno.
Stats: Stantler has decent offensive stats and Speed, but below-average other stats.
Movepool: Stantler starts with Astonish, Hypnosis, and Stomp and picks up Take Down at level 21, though Return via TM is its best STAB move. The only other notable move it gets is Zen Headbutt at level 38. The only decent physical coverage it gets is the Earthquake TM. Natural Calm Mind is practically useless for it outside of the Shadow Ball and Charge Beam TMs.
Major Battles: Stantler is mediocre for Morty because Astonish is weak. Stantler is decent with Return for most major battles, but it will generally only take out one or two Pokemon before being KOed.
Additional Comments: Stantler has interesting attributes but fails to utilize them effectively due to roughly average stats and a limited movepool. Try to catch Stantler in a Friend Ball to have a stronger Return immediately. Intimidate is the preferred ability.
Voltorb
Availability: Mid-game (Olivine City, in-game trade for Krabby).
Typing: Pure Electric typing is average against most major opponents aside from Jasmine, who it has a bad matchup against.
Stats: Electrode has a blistering 140 Speed but its other stats, save for low Attack, are average.
Movepool: Voltorb picks up Charge Beam at level 26, which is its only relevant level-up move aside from Light Screen at level 22 and Screech at level 19 for fast buffing and debuffing. Other than that, Voltorb can use the Rain Dance and Thunder TMs.
Major Battles: Electrode needs the power of Choice Specs + Thunder against most Gym Leaders save for Pryce, but it tends to be unreliable as a result, which is not helped by its lacking bulk. At the Pokemon League, it mostly shifts to using Rain Dance + Thunder.
Additional Comments: Voltorb and Electrode's severe lack of power and unreliable moves make the line risky to use. You can catch a Krabby just outside Olivine City on Route 40 via the Good Rod at level 20. Alternatively, you can catch level 23 Electrode in Team Rocket HQ, but these do not get the boosted experience the traded one does and are thus inferior.
Wooper
Availability: Early-game (Route 32, level 6, 35% (nighttime)).
Typing: Water / Ground gives Wooper and Quagsire neutral matchups against everyone aside from Jasmine, whom the line excels against.
Stats: Wooper and Quagsire have good physical stats and great HP, but their special stats are below average and their Speed is terrible.
Movepool: Wooper gets Water Gun, Mud Shot, and Mud Bomb before evolution, but it is unable to use them effectively due to base 25 Special Attack. These moves are ultimately supplanted by the Dig TM and the Surf HM as Quagsire, but it only becomes moderately strong when it picks up Earthquake at level 36 and Waterfall via HM around the same time.
Major Battles: Wooper is unable to fight Falkner's Pidgeotto or Bugsy's Scyther due to lacking stats, though Quagsire can hold its own against Whitney's Miltank, particularly if it is female. Quagsire isn't particularly effective against the other Gyms aside from Jasmine's, and its Elite Four performance is abysmal due to having few targets to hit super effectively with STAB moves, the most notable being Karen's Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Wooper's early availability is offset by its unwieldy stats and movepool until it becomes Quagsire, which also fails to be impressive in several major battles. Unless you really need something that can take on Whitney's Miltank, consider catching a level 10-25 Quagsire at the Ruins of Alph or Union Cave via Surf, remove extra space here which skips the underwhelming Wooper period. Water Absorb is the preferred ability.
Zubat
Availability: Early-game (Dark Cave (Route 31 side), levels 2-4, 39%).
Typing: Poison / Flying is excellent against Bugsy, Chuck, and Bruno while also providing a useful resistance for Koga and Team Rocket, but it is bad against Jasmine, Pryce, and Will.
Stats: Crobat is an incredibly fast Pokemon with mostly average stats elsewhere.
Movepool: Zubat is stuck with Leech Life and Astonish until Bite and Wing Attack at levels 13 and 17. Fly provides a stronger Flying-type STAB move, while Sludge Bomb through TMs and Cross Poison through the relearner provide Poison-type STAB options, though Crobat will rarely need Poison-type moves. Return through TMs also provides some neutral coverage.
Major Battles: Zubat helps out against Bugsy's Scyther if it knows Wing Attack and performs well against Morty and Chuck. The line has little difficulty against Team Rocket as a whole and can KO most of Koga's and Bruno's teams, but Crobat tends to be bad elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Crobat is useful in a few matchups, but it starting rough and being hard wall by multiple major opponents prevent it from being a great Pokemon. Zubat can also be caught slightly later with a Friend Ball to circumvent the happiness evolution difficulties and make Return powerful from the get-go, but this skips the Bugsy matchup and Zubat typically doesn't need to fully evolve until after Whitney. Furthermore, Zubat will be underleveled this way, so it will have to catch up in level.
Availability: Early-game (Route 31, level 3 or 4, 50% (morning) or 35% (daytime) (HG); National Park (Bug Contest), levels 7-18, 20% (SS)).
Typing: Bug / Flying isn't great, as, offensively, (commas) it's only good against Bugsy, Chuck, and Bruno, and it doesn't provide a lot of defensive utility and instead worsens the matchup against Falkner and Pryce.
Stats: Butterfree's stats are relatively high for the early game, but they fall off as the game progresses and the opponents start using Pokemon with much higher stats.
Movepool: Butterfree learns Confusion at level 10, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 24, and Sleep Powder and Stun Spore at level 12, with Gust at level 16 being its only Flying-type STAB move. Silver Wind and Bug Buzz at levels 28 and 40 are its only good Bug-type STAB moves.
Major Battles: Butterfree can see use against any opponent that doesn't resist its moves, as it can outspeed most foes, put them to sleep with a near-perfectly accurate Sleep Powder, and slowly take them down. Butterfree is particularly useful for the first two Gym Leaders if playing HG, though it also sees use against Morty, Chuck, and some of the Team Rocket Executives, although it struggles to sweep the former two.
Additional Comments: Butterfree can beat a lot of foes one-on-one as long as it can outspeed them and hit them neutrally, though this method tends to be slow. Compound Eyes gives Butterfree a lot of utility, as it makes Sleep Powder near-perfectly accurate and also makes Butterfree great for item hunting, boosting the chances of wild Pokemon holding an item, which is further helped by its ability to learn Thief through TMs.
Chikorita
Availability: Early-game (New Bark Town, level 5).
Typing: Grass is a terrible type for Johto, being resisted in most matchups aside from Whitney, Chuck, Pryce, and Bruno.
Stats: Chikorita's stats are balanced save for above average Defense and Special Defense.
Movepool: Razor Leaf upgrades to Petal Dance at level 32, with Strength providing Normal-type coverage. Otherwise, Chikorita gets both Reflect and Light Screen naturally or via TMs from the Goldenrod Department Store.
Major Battles: Chikorita loses to Falkner, Bugsy, Morty, and Jasmine's Magnemite by virtue of being resisted. However, it is good for Whitney, Chuck, Pryce, and Clair's Kingdra. Most of Team Rocket and the Pokemon League aside from Bruno are unfavorable, as the foes tend to resist Grass.
Additional Comments: The Chikorita line with Choice Specs and Petal Dance is decent, but this is not enough to save a Pokemon with middling offensive stats and lackluster typing.
Drowzee
Availability: Early-game (Route 34, levels 10-12, 50%).
Typing: Psychic is useful against Bruno, Koga, and Chuck and also resists Will's type, but it makes Drowzee weak to Morty, along with Karen's Dark-types.
Stats: The line is plagued by a below-average Speed and has mostly average stats aside from its excellent Special Defense.
Movepool: Drowzee starts out with Confusion, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 26. Hypno also learns Shadow Ball and Focus Blast through TMs for coverage. Meditate at level 21 can be combined with the Drain Punch TM, from the Goldenrod Department Store raffle on Thursday, and Headbutt to improve the Whitney matchup.
Major Battles: Drowzee can potentially sweep Whitney with Drain Punch if it sets up Meditate to the maximum against Clefairy. It sees some success against Chuck, Koga, Bruno, and Team Rocket with Choice Specs + Psybeam and Jasmine and Pryce with Focus Blast, though it tends to be mediocre elsewhere. However, it may struggle to OHKO even with super effective hits due to its unimpressive Special Attack.
Additional Comments: While Drowzee is handy against a few matchups, its reliance on super effective hits and lack of raw power hold it back. Insomnia is the preferred ability.
Dunsparce
Availability: Early-game (Dark Cave, Rock Smash, levels 4-8, 90%).
Typing: Pure Normal typing leaves Dunsparce neutral to most everything save for unfavorable matchups against Morty, Chuck, and Bruno.
Stats: forgot to bold Stats here Dunsparce has great HP, but average other stats aside from a dismal base 45 Speed.
Movepool: Dunsparce starts with Rage and picks up Defense Curl at level 5 with Rollout to complement it at level 17, getting Yawn and Glare in the interim levels. Dunsparce also gets Roost at level 33 or via TM. Dunsparce has a wide variety of offensive TMs at its disposal like Fire Blast and Dig, but they only hit a few targets. Headbutt via the Ilex Forest tutor and Return via TM can serve as STAB options.
Major Battles: Dunsparce can use Defense Curl and use Rollout until it wins against Bugsy and Whitney, but it will lose to Morty due to Curse wearing it down. Dunsparce flops against Chuck but can handle Jasmine with Choice Specs + Fire Blast if it outspeeds. Defense Curl and Rollout work against the remaining opponents, but by then Dunsparce's stats won't hold up anymore.
Additional Comments: Dunsparce is useful early-game, but its thoroughly average stats hold it back later on despite Rollout access. If you're willing to find the 1% variant before Rock Smash, Dunsparce can get past Falkner with Rage, though this is inefficient. Serene Grace is the preferred ability, as it pairs particularly well with Glare and Headbutt.
Eevee (Espeon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Psychic typing gives Espeon advantages against Morty, Chuck, Koga, and Bruno, though it is bad for Jasmine and Karen.
Stats: Espeon has high Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, but its other stats are poor.
Movepool: Espeon picks up Confusion at level 15, which upgrades to Psybeam at level 36. Shadow Ball via TM is its only relevant coverage option, though Swift at level 29 can help on routes.
Major Battles: Espeon fares well against Morty, but it will not sweep due to losing to Gengar. Espeon is great for Chuck, Koga, and Bruno with Psychic-type STAB moves, though it is ineffective for Jasmine and Karen and average elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Eevee has to be evolved by level 15 so that Espeon can learn Confusion. The required friendship is very difficult to achieve in just ten levels, and as a result, evolving Eevee takes a lot of time and effort. Haircuts via the Goldenrod Tunnel and the Soothe Bell from the National Park expedite this process.
Eevee (Flareon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Fire typing leaves Flareon good for Jasmine and Koga, but average for everything else aside from Clair and Lance.
Stats: Flareon has great Attack and good special stats, though its Speed is slightly below average.
Movepool: Flareon's natural learnset is mostly irrelevant, as it uses Fire Blast via the Goldenrod Department Store TM for almost all battles, with Dig and Return through TMs serving as other options. Fire Fang at level 43 is outclassed by Choice Specs + Fire Blast.
Major Battles: Flareon OHKOes most of Morty's team save Gengar with Charcoal-boosted Fire Blast, though it is slower. Flareon can OHKO Chuck's Primeape, Pryce's Piloswine, and all of Jasmine's team with Charcoal- or Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast. It can pick off a few targets at the Pokemon League with Choice Specs + Fire Blast.
Additional Comments: Flareon is decent but the inefficiency of getting a Fire Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Tuesday for 2,500 Points, alongside its relatively average performance, hold it back.
Eevee (Jolteon)
Availability: Mid-game (Goldenrod City after talking to Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokemon Center, level 5).
Typing: Electric typing means Jolteon is good for Chuck and Pryce aside from Piloswine, though it is bad for Jasmine and average elsewhere.
Stats: Jolteon is exceptionally fast with good special stats, but its other stats are low.
Movepool: Jolteon's main attack is the Charge Beam TM, though it also gets Thundershock at level 15. Otherwise, Jolteon tends to use the Rain Dance TM in combination with the Thunder TM for high damage. Shadow Ball via TM can serve as coverage if need be.
Major Battles: Jolteon doesn't stand out in major battles until it gets Rain Dance and Thunder, which destroy Chuck and help against Pryce save for Piloswine. Jolteon is also moderately effective with this strategy at the Pokemon League in general.
Additional Comments: Combined with the inefficiency of getting a Thunder Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Thursday for 2,500 Points, Jolteon requires too many TMs to be called truly efficient.
Entei
Availability: Mid-game (roaming Johto, after going to the lower floor of Burned Tower, level 40).
Typing: Fire is only resisted by Clair and Lance and is neutral at worst elsewhere.
Stats: Most of Entei's stats are excellent and are further enhanced by a high join level. Its defenses are somewhat average, though.
Movepool: Entei mostly uses Flamethrower, which is a starting move, and Fire Blast and Sunny Day through TMs. Strength and Dig through TMs provide coverage if using it as early as possible.
Major Battles: If caught as early as possible, Entei can destroy most fights bar Clair. At the Elite Four, it can handle Will and Koga well with Choice Specs + Flamethrower while nabbing a few KOs against Karen. It's not great against Bruno and Lance, though.
Additional Comments: Entei's great performance before the endgame is counterbalanced by the extreme difficulty of catching it. This catching difficulty can be circumvented by catching it with a Master Ball, which you get after obtaining the Rising Badge, at the cost of skipping those matchups Entei's Elite Four performance is acceptable, but its two bad matchups and the extremely late arrival if you go the Master Ball route prevent it from ranking higher.
Goldeen
Availability: Mid-game (Route 42, Surf, 10% for Seaking, levels 15-25).
Typing: Pure Water means Goldeen is average in most matchups save for Clair and Lance.
Stats: Goldeen and Seaking have mostly average stats aside from good Attack.
Movepool: Most of Seaking's movepool is irrelevant aside from Choice Specs-boosted Surf early on, but Seaking can get Poison Jab from the move relearner and Blizzard from the TM. Later on, Seaking uses Rain Dance via TM and Waterfall via HM for fast rain-boosted damage with Swift Swim. Goldeen gets Water Pulse at level 17 if you use the earlier variant.
Major Battles: Seaking beats Chuck's Primeape and Pryce's Piloswine with Choice Specs + Surf and OHKOes all of Jasmine's team. In addition, it is relatively good for most Team Rocket battles. At the Pokemon League, Seaking tends to use Mystic Water alongside rain-boosted Waterfall to 2HKO or OHKO most foes.
Additional Comments: Goldeen can also be caught in Union Cave via Old Rod at level 10, though its early matchups aren't good, so it is better to get Seaking directly post-Surf to skip the late evolution level. Swift Swim is the preferred ability for greater sweeping potential.
Growlithe
Availability: Early-game (Route 36, 10% (morning and night, level 13), 15% (day, levels 13-15)) (HG).
Typing: Pure Fire is great for Jasmine and Koga, bad for Clair and Lance, and neutral elsewhere.
Stats: Arcanine has decent offenses and Speed and is relatively bulky with base 90 HP and 80 defenses. Growlithe's stats aren't particularly great, though, which affects its performance if you hold off evolving it until it learns Flamethrower.
Movepool: Ember upgrades to Flame Wheel at level 20 and Flamethrower at level 34 if Growlithe is left unevolved until then. It can also be taught Dig, Fire Blast, and Sunny Day through TMs.
Major Battles: Growlithe's performance depends on whenever it's evolved immediately or not. If evolved immediately, Arcanine is better against most Gym Leaders (particularly Morty), but it requires Fire Blast to do anything against the Elite Four. If waiting until Flamethrower, Growlithe is worse against most Gym Leaders, but Arcanine's performance against the endgame opponents is much more consistent with Flamethrower, allowing it to be useful against every single Elite Four member bar Bruno.
Additional Comments: Growlithe requires you to spend time getting the Fire Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Tuesday and is also hard to train due to a Slow growth rate. It is generally better to evolve it after getting Flamethrower, since the Elite Four matchups are much more valuable and Growlithe can cover some of the earlier matchups reasonably well. Ultimately, being a stone evolution with a somewhat shaky performance until the Pokemon League, as well as leveling up slowly, greatly impact Growlithe's usefulness.
Hoothoot
Availability: Early-game (Route 29, levels 2-4, 85% (nighttime)).
Typing: Hoothoot and Noctowl's Normal / Flying typing gives them advantages against Morty, Chuck, Koga, and Bruno, though it is weak versus Pryce and Jasmine.
Stats: Hoothoot and Noctowl have good HP, special stats, and Speed, but their physical stats are lacking.
Movepool: Hoothoot will be relying on Tackle and Peck for low physical damage until it gets Uproar at level 13 and Confusion when it evolves. Noctowl gets its main attack in Air Slash at level 32. Hoothoot also naturally gets Hypnosis and Reflect early on for support and can be taught Roost and Shadow Ball from TMs. The only other relevant moves Noctowl gets are Extrasensory at level 42 and Hyper Beam via TM.
Major Battles: Hoothoot is mediocre for both Falkner and Bugsy, as it fails to take on their ace Pokemon effectively; however, Noctowl 2HKOes Whitney's Miltank with Hyper Beam (though Noctowl is slower). Confusion makes Noctowl good for Morty and Chuck. Noctowl is good for Will with Choice Specs and Shadow Ball and the rest of the Pokemon League is handled by Choice Specs + Air Slash.
Additional Comments: Hoothoot's unimpressive start and slightly unwieldy movepool make it difficult to use until later in the game, making it a thoroughly average Pokemon in spite of its early availability. Insomnia is the preferred ability.
Machop (No Trade)
Availability: Early-game (Goldenrod Department Store (5F), in-game trade for Drowzee).
Typing: Fighting is incredibly helpful against Whitney and also sees some use against Jasmine, Pryce, and Karen. It is bad against Morty, Will, Koga, and Team Rocket, though.
Stats: Machoke has a decent Attack, but it is pretty slow and its special stats aren't great. Its HP and Defense are also somewhat average.
Movepool: Machop starts out with Low Kick and Karate Chop and learns Revenge and Vital Throw at levels 22 and 25. Payback, Dig, and Earthquake through TMs provide coverage, and Cross Chop at level 37 is its strongest STAB level-up move.
Major Battles: Machop is great against Whitney and can get a few KOs against Morty and Pryce. It also takes out Jasmine's Magnemite. Its performance becomes pretty bad after this, though it can cover Karen's Umbreon reliably with Vital Throw and OHKO Karen's Houndoom with Cross Chop.
Additional Comments: Machoke is useful for a few key matchups, but its somewhat poor stats and movepool prevent it from sweeping most fights. The traded Machop, Muscle, comes with an IV spread of 15/25/20/15/15/20, Guts, and a Lonely nature. It is also female, which helps it greatly against Whitney, and holds Macho Brace, which can be used to help it gain EVs, since it will often be outsped anyways.
Mantine
Availability: Mid-game (Route 41, levels 15-25, 10%).
Typing: Water is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and Lance. Flying gives it a resistance for Chuck and Bruno, though it sees little use offensively.
Stats: Save for the incredibly high Special Defense, most of Mantine's stats aren't particularly high. Its low Attack stat prevents it from using its Flying-type STAB moves effectively and its HP can make it easy to wear down, although it can hit relatively hard when equipped with Choice Specs.
Movepool: Mantine relies on Surf most of the time to take down foes, with Rain Dance through TMs increasing its power and activating Swift Swim. The other moveslots can be dedicated to the other Water-type HMs or to Wing Attack, Bounce, Signal Beam, and Psybeam, though these either come off its low Attack stat or are only available through the move relearner. Blizzard through TMs is also an option for coverage.
Major Battles: Mantine tends to perform well against opponents' teams it can hit neutrally with Choice Specs and Surf, such as Jasmine and most of the Team Rocket executives. It can claim a few KOs against the Elite Four, but it won't sweep any of them. It can also KO some of Clair's and Lance's Pokemon if it gets lucky with Blizzard.
Additional Comments: Mantine as a whole is mostly a useful Pokemon but falls off at the end of the game due to unremarkable stats, and it struggles against most Water-resistant Pokemon due to lacking strong and reliable coverage moves. It is recommended to catch it at a high level (such as through the Repel trick), as the Slow growth rate can make it a chore to catch up if caught underleveled.
Mankey
Availability: Mid-game (Route 42, levels 15-17, 10%) (HG).
Typing: Fighting makes Primeape favorable for Jasmine, Pryce, and Karen, but it is average elsewhere aside from Will, Koga, and Lance, who are negative matchups.
Stats: Primeape has good Attack and Speed, but slightly below average defenses.
Movepool: Mankey starts with Karate Chop and picks up Seismic Toss at level 17, with Cross Chop at level 41 as Primeape being powerful, yet inaccurate. Primeape gets Dig, Shadow Claw, Focus Punch, Payback and U-turn via TMs if necessary.
Major Battles: Morty is a decent matchup for Mankey if you give it Payback by TM, as it beats everything but Gengar (Vital Spirit blocks Hypnosis). Despite the type advantage, Primeape is mediocre for Pryce, as it only 3HKOes his Pokemon with Karate Chop unless it gets a Focus Punch off. Likewise, Primeape can only reliably beat Jasmine's Magnemite with Dig. In most other matchups, Primeape is mediocre due to having unreliable moves, aside from Karen's Umbreon and Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Mankey's main niche is its ability to OHKO a few otherwise problematic targets with a well-timed Focus Punch or Cross Chop. It has minor utility mid-game and end-game due to this, but it is otherwise hard to justify using.
Oddish (Vileplume)
Availability: Early-game (Ilex Forest, level 5 or 6, 60% (nighttime)).
Typing: Grass / Poison is all-around unhelpful, being a double-edged sword against Pryce and being resisted against a lot of major opponents, though Poison removes its weakness to Team Rocket's Poison-type attacks.
Stats: Vileplume can hit pretty hard with base 100 Special Attack combined with Choice Specs, but it's rather slow and its other stats are somewhat average.
Movepool: Oddish starts out with Absorb, which upgrades to Solar Beam through TMs, and learns Acid at level 9, which upgrades to Sludge Bomb through TMs. Sunny Day through TMs combines well with Solar Beam and Chlorophyll. Sleep Powder at level 17 can assist Oddish against more difficult opponents.
Major Battles: Vileplume is useful for Chuck and can get a few KOs against Pryce. It can typically survive many of Team Rocket's hits and take their Pokemon out with Choice Specs + Sludge Bomb, even if it's resisted. Its Elite Four performance is mostly bad, with Bruno being the only matchup where it isn't outright bad.
Additional Comments: Vileplume's typing and somewhat poor movepool cause it problems against many of the Johto major opponents. Nevertheless, it is one of the best Grass-type Pokemon available in the main game due to its ability to get past some Pokemon that wall other Grass-types. Evolve it with Leaf Stone from Pokeathlon Dome immediately, as Gloom doesn't learn any useful moves by level.
Poliwag (Politoed)
Availability: Mid-game (Ecruteak City (Good Rod), level 20, 60%).
Typing: Water is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and Lance.
Stats: Politoed's stats are all-around average or above average, save for a good base 100 Special Defense.
Movepool: Level 20 Poliwag come comes with Rain Dance and can be taught Surf and Blizzard immediately. Focus Blast can also be taught through TMs for coverage. Perish Song can be retaught to bring down a difficult last Pokemon, most notably Clair's Kingdra.
Major Battles: Poliwhirl can get a few KOs against Morty and Pryce and sweeps Jasmine. The line can KO most of Team Rocket's Pokemon and then from then on stops contributing much due to its stats falling off, though Politoed can beat Karen's Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Politoed's mostly bad endgame and the extensive backtrack for King's Rock hold it back greatly. Poliwag can be caught as early as Violet City via the Old Rod, but it doesn't do much before you can obtain the Good Rod, so it is generally better to catch the Good Rod one to skip the awkward period.
Poliwag (Poliwrath)
Availability: Mid-game (Ecruteak City (Good Rod), level 20, 60%).
Typing: Water / Fighting is all-around neutral, except for being particularly good against Jasmine and Pryce and bad against Will.
Stats: Poliwrath's stats are all average or above average, with the highest one being base 95 Defense.
Movepool: Level 20 Poliwag come with Rain Dance and can be taught Surf and Blizzard immediately. Poliwrath's only Fighting-type STAB move for most of the game is Focus Blast through TMs.
Major Battles: Poliwrath can get a few KOs against Morty and sweeps Jasmine and Pryce. It can KO most of Team Rocket's Pokemon and then from then on stops contributing much due to its stats falling off, though it can beat Karen's Houndoom and Umbreon if it can land Focus Blast twice.
Additional Comments: Poliwrath's mostly bad endgame and the time spent getting the Water Stone from the Pokeathlon Dome on Wednesday hold it back greatly. Poliwag can be caught as early as Violet City via the Old Rod, but it doesn't do much before you can obtain the Good Rod, so it is generally better to catch the Good Rod one to skip the awkward period. Evolve Poliwhirl with Water Stone immediately.
Psyduck
Availability: Mid-game (Route 35, Surf, 90% for Psyduck at levels 10-25, 10% for Golduck at levels 15-31).
Typing: Pure Water leaves Psyduck resisted against Clair and Lance, but neutral in most other matchups.
Stats: Golduck has decent stats all around, with its highest being base 95 Special Attack.
Movepool: Concise, but effective. Surf, Focus Blast, and Blizzard via TMs are all Golduck needs, though it does get a few Psychic-type moves like Confusion and Zen Headbutt naturally. The Rain Dance TM is an option when combined with Mystic Water, if desired.
Major Battles: Golduck mainly sees success in major battles via Choice Specs + Surf, though Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast can OHKO Pryce's Dewgong and Piloswine, while Choice Specs-boosted Blizzard can OHKO Clair's Dragonair and Lance's Dragonite (though the latter are faster and may potentially OHKO Golduck).
Additional Comments: Golduck's main draw is that it can potentially be caught at a high level with little hassle. The Repel trick with a Pokemon level 26 or higher is useful for this. Damp is the preferred ability because Cloud Nine interferes with Rain Dance strategies.
Sandshrew
Availability: Early-game (Union Cave, level 6, 30% (HG); Goldenrod Game Corner, 700 Coins (SS)).
Typing: Ground typing is neutral for most matchups save Morty, Pryce, Clair, and Lance, which are negative.
Stats: Sandslash has great physical stats and average HP, though its special stats and Speed are below average.
Movepool: Sandshrew starts with Defense Curl and picks up Rollout at level 21. The only other notable moves it gets are Dig and Earthquake via TM for STAB moves, as well as Rock Tomb and Shadow Claw via TMs.
Major Battles: If playing HG, Bugsy's Scyther can be 2HKOed by Rock Tomb, but Scyther 3HKOes it with U-turn and is faster even after a Speed drop. Whitney can be swept with Defense Curl + Rollout, and Sandslash is good for Jasmine with Dig. It can take on a few Elite Four Pokemon with a Ground-type STAB move, like Koga's Muk and Karen's Houndoom, but is generally average elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Sandshrew's main problems stem from having an unimpressive movepool and set of matchups despite decent stats.
Scyther (Trade)
Availability: Early-game (National Park (Bug-Catching Contest), level 13 or 14, 5%).
Typing: Bug / Steel provides Scizor with a plethora of useful resistances, including against Morty, Pryce, Team Rocket, Will, and Koga. However, it has little use offensively.
Stats: Scizor has a high Attack and great physical bulk, but it is rather slow at times.
Movepool: If evolved at level 21, Scizor can have both Wing Attack (from Scyther) and Metal Claw. X-Scissor at level 41 provides a Bug-type STAB move. Agility at level 17 can mitigate the Speed issues and Iron Defense at level 37 can help with sweeping.
Major Battles: It performs well as a Scyther against Whitney. As a Scizor, it can sweep Pryce and is useful against Morty, Will, Koga, and Karen, though its low Speed will make it hard to sweep them.
Additional Comments: While Scizor is useful against many opponents, it is incredibly difficult to obtain one, as Scyther is hard to catch, has a low encounter rate, and requires Technician for it and Scizor to perform well. Furthermore, you need to grind at the Pokeathlon for Metal Coat in order to evolve Scyther. Due to this, keeping Scyther unevolved is generally preferred, as, with few exceptions, Scyther generally either performs very similarly to or outright outperforms Scizor in major battles.
Sentret
Availability: Early-game (Route 29, levels 2-4, 40% (morning and daytime)).
Typing: Pure Normal is neutral for most matchups aside from Chuck, Jasmine, and Bruno, which are unfavorable.
Stats: The line's best stat is its good Speed. Furret has average physical stats and HP, but dismal special stats.
Movepool: Sentret starts with Scratch and picks up Quick Attack at level 7. Strength and the Return TM around mid-game are its most reliable STAB moves later. Furret learns a variety of decent physical TMs, including Dig, Shadow Claw, and U-turn, among others. It gets a wide variety of HMs for utility (Cut, Surf, Strength, Waterfall, and Rock Smash), but most of its natural learnset and special options are irrelevant.
Major Battles: The line is average for the first three Gym Leaders, but it can be great for Morty with Shadow Claw and Jasmine with Dig. It also fares decently against Chuck (if the AI repeatedly goes for Focus Punch) and Pryce. In general, Furret's stats fall off late-game, at which point it can be converted entirely into an HM slave.
Additional Comments: Sentret and Furret are mostly underwhelming Pokemon that consolidate a few niche matchups and HMs into one teamslot. Keen Eye is the preferred ability.
Slowpoke (Slowbro)
Availability: Mid-game (Slowpoke Well (B2F), requires Surf and Strength, levels 15-30, 10% as Slowbro).
Typing: Water typing is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and much of Lance's and Pryce's teams. The Psychic typing helps out with Pryce, Will, Bruno, and Koga while hindering Slowbro against Karen.
Stats: Slowbro is a special attacker with very good bulk, oriented more towards taking physical hits. Its Speed is abysmal, however.
Movepool: bold Slowbro comes in fairly high leveled for when it's caught if you opt to search for a Slowbro directly. It can be given Shadow Ball and Surf for immediate power upgrades. Slack Off comes in at level 41, which will come right before the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, you will not have access to Psychic, as it is learned at level 54.
Major Battles: Slowbro deals with Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, Will, Koga, and Bruno. Due to how slow it is, it might require additional healing.
Additional Comments: The easiest way to get a Slowbro is to use the Repel trick with a level 26-30 Pokemon in the lead. Slowpoke can be obtained earlier (just before Bugsy) but, due to its horrendous stats and late evolution level, you are better off waiting and getting Slowbro directly.
Slowpoke (Slowking)
Availability: Mid-game (Azalea Town, Slowpoke Well (B2F), requires Surf, levels 10-25, 90% as Slowpoke).
Typing: Water typing is all-around neutral, save for being resisted against Clair and much of Lance's and Pryce's teams. The Psychic typing helps out with Pryce, Will, Bruno, and Koga while hindering Slowking against Karen.
Stats: Slowking is a special attacker with very good bulk, oriented more towards taking special hits. Its Speed is abysmal, however.
Movepool: Slowking can come in fairly high leveled if you opt to search for a high-level Slowpoke. It can be given Shadow Ball and Surf for immediate power upgrades. Nasty Plot comes in at level 39, just in time for the Pokemon League. Unfortunately, you will not have access to Psychic, as it is learned at level 48.
Major Battles: Slowking deals with Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, Will, Koga, and Bruno. Due to how slow it is, it might require additional healing.
Additional Comments: Slowking can put in a decent amount of work, but it's fairly middling due to the low Speed holding it back. The easiest way to obtain a high-leveled Slowpoke is through the Repel Trick. King's Rock to evolve Slowpoke can conveniently be obtained from a man on Slowpoke Well B2F.
Spearow
Availability: Early-game (gate between Route 35 and Goldenrod City, from Webster, level 20) (Kenya). be more clear in here that Kenya is an in-game trade Spearow, this was confusing for a bit
Typing: Normal / Flying is all-around neutral, save for giving Fearow a bad matchup against Jasmine and Pryce and giving it a type advantage against Chuck and Bruno. If caught as early as possible instead of getting Kenya, the typing can also help out against Bugsy.
Stats: Fearow has decent Attack and Speed, but its other stats are below average.
Movepool: Kenya starts out with Aerial Ace, Pursuit, Fury Attack, and Leer. Return replaces Fury Attack once it becomes powerful enough and Fly can provide an alternative Flying-type STAB move.
Major Battles: Kenya can help against Whitney's Miltank with Leer and weakening it, though it may struggle to beat it. It sweeps Morty easily and is great against Chuck due to Aerial Ace ignoring Primeape's Double Team. After this point, Kenya struggles to do much against most major opponents, either because of a type disadvantage or because its stats simply do not cut it, though it sees some use against Koga and Bruno.
Additional Comments: Due to Kenya's stats, poor movepool, and somewhat unhelpful typing, it struggles to shine outside of a few good matchups. Kenya comes with an IV spread of 15/20/15/20/20/20, a Hasty nature, and the trade experience boost. Spearow can also be caught as early as Route 46, but it isn't very good for the first two Gym Leaders, and the only thing catching it early provides is a stronger Return upon getting the TM.
Stantler
Availability: Mid-game (Route 36, level 13, 5%).
Typing: Pure Normal is average against everything bar Chuck and Bruno.
Stats: Stantler has decent offensive stats and Speed, but below-average other stats.
Movepool: Stantler starts with Astonish, Hypnosis, and Stomp and picks up Take Down at level 21, though Return via TM is its best STAB move. The only other notable move it gets is Zen Headbutt at level 38. The only decent physical coverage it gets is the Earthquake TM. Natural Calm Mind is practically useless for it outside of the Shadow Ball and Charge Beam TMs.
Major Battles: Stantler is mediocre for Morty because Astonish is weak. Stantler is decent with Return for most major battles, but it will generally only take out one or two Pokemon before being KOed.
Additional Comments: Stantler has interesting attributes but fails to utilize them effectively due to roughly average stats and a limited movepool. Try to catch Stantler in a Friend Ball to have a stronger Return immediately. Intimidate is the preferred ability.
Voltorb
Availability: Mid-game (Olivine City, in-game trade for Krabby).
Typing: Pure Electric typing is average against most major opponents aside from Jasmine, who it has a bad matchup against.
Stats: Electrode has a blistering 140 Speed but its other stats, save for low Attack, are average.
Movepool: Voltorb picks up Charge Beam at level 26, which is its only relevant level-up move aside from Light Screen at level 22 and Screech at level 19 for fast buffing and debuffing. Other than that, Voltorb can use the Rain Dance and Thunder TMs.
Major Battles: Electrode needs the power of Choice Specs + Thunder against most Gym Leaders save for Pryce, but it tends to be unreliable as a result, which is not helped by its lacking bulk. At the Pokemon League, it mostly shifts to using Rain Dance + Thunder.
Additional Comments: Voltorb and Electrode's severe lack of power and unreliable moves make the line risky to use. You can catch a Krabby just outside Olivine City on Route 40 via the Good Rod at level 20. Alternatively, you can catch level 23 Electrode in Team Rocket HQ, but these do not get the boosted experience the traded one does and are thus inferior.
Wooper
Availability: Early-game (Route 32, level 6, 35% (nighttime)).
Typing: Water / Ground gives Wooper and Quagsire neutral matchups against everyone aside from Jasmine, whom the line excels against.
Stats: Wooper and Quagsire have good physical stats and great HP, but their special stats are below average and their Speed is terrible.
Movepool: Wooper gets Water Gun, Mud Shot, and Mud Bomb before evolution, but it is unable to use them effectively due to base 25 Special Attack. These moves are ultimately supplanted by the Dig TM and the Surf HM as Quagsire, but it only becomes moderately strong when it picks up Earthquake at level 36 and Waterfall via HM around the same time.
Major Battles: Wooper is unable to fight Falkner's Pidgeotto or Bugsy's Scyther due to lacking stats, though Quagsire can hold its own against Whitney's Miltank, particularly if it is female. Quagsire isn't particularly effective against the other Gyms aside from Jasmine's, and its Elite Four performance is abysmal due to having few targets to hit super effectively with STAB moves, the most notable being Karen's Houndoom.
Additional Comments: Wooper's early availability is offset by its unwieldy stats and movepool until it becomes Quagsire, which also fails to be impressive in several major battles. Unless you really need something that can take on Whitney's Miltank, consider catching a level 10-25 Quagsire at the Ruins of Alph or Union Cave via Surf, remove extra space here which skips the underwhelming Wooper period. Water Absorb is the preferred ability.
Zubat
Availability: Early-game (Dark Cave (Route 31 side), levels 2-4, 39%).
Typing: Poison / Flying is excellent against Bugsy, Chuck, and Bruno while also providing a useful resistance for Koga and Team Rocket, but it is bad against Jasmine, Pryce, and Will.
Stats: Crobat is an incredibly fast Pokemon with mostly average stats elsewhere.
Movepool: Zubat is stuck with Leech Life and Astonish until Bite and Wing Attack at levels 13 and 17. Fly provides a stronger Flying-type STAB move, while Sludge Bomb through TMs and Cross Poison through the relearner provide Poison-type STAB options, though Crobat will rarely need Poison-type moves. Return through TMs also provides some neutral coverage.
Major Battles: Zubat helps out against Bugsy's Scyther if it knows Wing Attack and performs well against Morty and Chuck. The line has little difficulty against Team Rocket as a whole and can KO most of Koga's and Bruno's teams, but Crobat tends to be bad elsewhere.
Additional Comments: Crobat is useful in a few matchups, but it starting rough and being hard wall by multiple major opponents prevent it from being a great Pokemon. Zubat can also be caught slightly later with a Friend Ball to circumvent the happiness evolution difficulties and make Return powerful from the get-go, but this skips the Bugsy matchup and Zubat typically doesn't need to fully evolve until after Whitney. Furthermore, Zubat will be underleveled this way, so it will have to catch up in level.
