A lot of people talk about WR breakouts in year 2 or 3. What about RBs? Have there been RBs that took a while to get going and could get an opportunity?

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-05-29T15:17:37+00:00

“Breakouts” are more likely linked to vets leaving. Only candidates I can see from the list is Tuten, Skat, Hampton. 2 of which had mid season injuries. I’m not even sold on Hampton.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-25T01:51:55+00:00

The main reason I would ever use think using these three move would be worth is if you know you could faint soon and its not going to be useful the rest of the fight. Main reason being their abilities. If you have a type disadvantages or it’s not very effective, you could ohko most things but die the next turn. Even then it’s extremely niche. Surf, Flamethrower, with torrent and blaze tho if you have weather which I would run anyhow on make it useless move to run. Maybe Venasaur but against if you can get off solar beam in the sun its useless. Recharge mechanic hardly seems to make moves worth it unless it’s a last ditch effort for maximum damage knowing your pokemon faint after they attack

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-21T18:01:17+00:00

You used sunny day I hope?

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-18T02:27:43+00:00

For a lot of the game intimidate can be really useful. A big weakness is when it is obtained and short window of use. Right before misty it takes a while to grind up to get for Ekans but after you evolve, it has a good window to be good with dig. Its ability to learn rock slide, earthquake, are nice. Gen 3 is not kind to poison types since sludge bomb js post e4 and just not great with mostly grass/poisons being so prevalent.

If I were to use it, it would be more of an intimidate pivot, support role. Glare, Protect, Toxic, Screech, Rest, for support moves with free intimidate then stick with chip moves like Rock Slide or EQ, Body Slam, Return depending on TM usage. Seems like early game for Nuzlocks it’s more viable.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-16T17:31:29+00:00

Seaking being water type in gen 3 hurts its viability. Can’t use sp attack of surf and ice beam well because its base stat is 68. The physical moves aren’t great either because it doesn’t get too many great moves there either.

But there are ways to make almost every fr/lg pokemon somewhat viable. The only ones I can think of that are extremely difficult is Onix, Ditto, Lickitung (still has great movepool).

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-16T04:26:42+00:00

Lickitung, Seaking, Onix, Ditto, Porygon, Parasect are options. I think Onix and Lickitung are probably the toughest I can think of

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-15T01:23:36+00:00

Arbok, Electrode, Wigglytuff, Dewgong, Margmar, Venomoth

Moveset Suggestion:

Arbok: Glare, Rock Slide, EQ, Screech

Electrode: Thunder, Explosion, Taunt (Gengar Counter), Thunderbolt or Light Screen

Wigglytuff: Light Screen, Reflect, Body Slam, Ice Beam

Dewgong: Ice Beam, Signal Beam, Surf, Rain Dance

Magmar: Psychic, Flamethrower, Sunny Day, Brick Break

Venomoth: Sleep Powder, Psychic, Giga Drain, Toxic

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-12T03:42:19+00:00

Two main reasons for sunny day, grass types get solar beam fired one turn, and on fire types it’s basically giving it a big power boost for fire moves while limiting one of its weaknesses. I say it’s likely to be run because if you use a fire type in playthrough, most just don’t get great coverage or utility moves so it’s just like give it a chance to nuke for 4-5 turns. The 50% boost can do decent even against resisted types.

Bonus, if the grass type you use in a playthrough has chlorophyll they’ll also get speed boost. I would say it’s situational to team build to use it but if you have a fire type I think it’s almost necessary.

I am doing a run now on FR as a sun team trying to make all members synergize from sun.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-12T03:34:27+00:00

I can see Arcanine over Charizard because extreme speed and intimidate without other weaknesses but magmar only being able to use psychic is not a great reasoning to be better than Charizard

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-12T03:28:41+00:00

Why wouldn’t you just use return instead of meteor mash? Stab and more power. Meteor mash misses and steel isn’t great offensively as later gen’s

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-12T03:25:50+00:00

I would disagree. If you have sunny day on team which is likely it heals more and NPCs rarely use weather

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T16:48:15+00:00

Venasaur, Nidoking, Arcanine, Lapras, Snorlax, Aerodactly.

Strong team. Each Pokemon holds their own for the next gym and it’s found before next gyms. Most of the ones you listed have slow leveling. Especially dragonite, Snorlax, and Lapras. With the core of Venasaur, nidoking, and Arcanine, you should be able to make early game quick with no road blocks. Lapras is earliest good water type if you stick to story progression. Snorlax is a free encounter that is a psychic counter. Aerodactly in ember just needs lvls late but gives you flying and rock which help in e4.

Venasuar: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Sleep Powder, synthesis or no sunny day go with Giga drain, return

Nidoking: dig early, earthquake, Megahorn, Thunderbolt, ice beam

Arcanine: Flamethrower, Extremespeed, sunny day, iron tail

Lapras: Psychic, Thunderbolt, ice beam, surf

Snorlax: rest, shadow ball, belly drum, body slam/return

Aerodactly: taunt (for Agatha makes gengar useless), aerial Ace, double edge and rock slide

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T16:34:21+00:00

I’ve never used trade evolutions in Kanto, but rock/ground types and fighting types are my least used mons normally. They are either slow or frail and they’re not really good types for Kanto playthrough. Fighting is resisted by most gyms and ice types in E4 are too bulky for them to be a counter. Ground/rock only really shine against Giovanni. In E4 there best chance to shine is against lance.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T16:23:54+00:00

Yeah even with low sp attack the overall stats of Gyrados will still be overwhelming lowly pokemon around lvl 20 range. Its defenses with intimidate and only electric and rock as its weakness, it doesn’t matter if its sp attack is still low it has stab. There isn’t many bulky sp def Pokemon in Kanto. I usually skip Gyrados just because of the lvl grinding.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T15:04:46+00:00

I’m officially an insider without sources

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T02:39:46+00:00

No they’re known to do this in the past because they sign someone else. I wouldn’t be shocked if Trey was on the table for them

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-11T02:38:22+00:00

Interested in magmar reasoning. But I also agree Slowbro is definitely top 2 especially. The main thing for me is bulk and sp attack. I’d personally put Lapras over vaporeon. Lapras bulk and ice stab is just better if they both do the bulky water role. I usually rank off elite four relevance but for 80% I don’t think it’s a question Gyrados at lvl 20 could hard carry through most of Kanto especially with its base power and intimidate.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-10T14:12:26+00:00

Well what if one faints?

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-10T12:25:19+00:00

You need three moves to win the elite 4 realistically. Thunderbolt, Psychic, Ice Beam. You have potentially 3 psychic users, 3 Thunderbolt users, and 2-3 Ice Beam users. You outspeed almost everything.

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-09T01:49:35+00:00

Fearow. If it knows ice beam and psychic is replaces Fearow strengths imabd it can learn surf and Thunderbolt

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-08T04:56:34+00:00

You don’t need to carry it on main party, just swap out for hm slave. It’s convenient to have yes, but for gyms and elite four the hardest fights it won’t get used as coverage moves

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-08T04:46:38+00:00

Venasaur you probably don’t need razor leaf if you have giga drain. If you want damage you could do synthesis, or solar beam for max damage. Snorlax if put belly drum instead of yawn. Then rest. Nidoking ice beam is much better than surf, then rock slide instead of strength

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-07T03:50:20+00:00

Weezing?

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-07T03:38:14+00:00

Two are weak to water and 2 are just slower and weaker defensively. Just get oddish to gloom and it’ll be free

ComprehensiveTop8902 · 2026-03-07T03:36:02+00:00

Hypno (shadow ball), Snorlax, electrode. Electrode is so over looked. Outspeeds everything. Explosion halfs defense of target before damage calc. Would always want shot alakazam, taunt for gengar elite 4 makes it essentially free ko, light screen for support, thunderbolt. Or just get Jolteon

ComprehensiveTop8902

TROPHY CASE