While it’s easy enough to get through any given Generation with just the starter♛ Pokémon, the appeal of the franchise has always been the inherent team building elements wඣhich drive the core gameplay loop. I𓆏f looked at like any other RPG, are games with 151 party members, eachജ one unique in their own way.
There’s no right or wrong way to play , but it can be argued that the franchise is at i🎃ts best when players are experimenting with their party as much as possible. Generation I even incentivizes this outright by featuring a higher difficulty curve than later games. Pokémon Red & Blue can be surprisingly difficult, but the challenge just pushes players to catch new Pokémon and experi🧔ment with their party.
8 Pewter: Caterpie
Any Trainers who choose a Squirtle as their starter will have a fairly easy time with Brock, as will Bulbasaur fans– albeit on 🎐a smaller scale, especially if they don’t learn Vine Whip in time. Charmander Trainers will outright need to find an alternative, and Caterpie makes a surprisingly great one.
Viridian Forest is littered with Caterpie and it’s more than likely that Trainers will have caught at least one on t𝔉heir way to Pewter City. Caterpie should be trained into Metapod and then grinded to Level 10 where it’ll evolve into Butterfree and learn Confusion, a Psychic-Type Move that’ll make quick work of Brock’s Gym.
7 Cerulean: Oddish
Pikachu is one of the rarer Pokémon nesting in Viridian Forest, so finding one is cause for occasion. Espeไcially since Pikachu will be a Trainer’s only real early-game Electric option. Unfortunately, Pikachu doesn’t come in handy half as well as it should for Misty’s Gym, mostly because they won’t be a high enough level to learn their best STAB♑ Moves.
Oddish can be found aꦏll around Cerulean City and can hold their own against Misty’s Pokémon just fine. Misty’s party i💛s small & powerful, but Oddish’s Mega Drain can keep it alive while doing decent damage. Oddish likewise learns Giga Drain at Level 20, but grinding that much might be overkill.
6 Vermillion: Diglett
With a lackluster puzzle at the center of the Gym followed by a surprisingly tough battle, Vermillion can be something of a wake-up call for Generation I. That said, it’s not particularly difficult to circumvent the Gym’s biggest issues entirel🌞y. In fact, Diglett Tunnel is within walking distance of the Gym.
Ground Type, Diglett will take on Lt. Surge’s Electric-Type team with little to no issue. Diglett also evolved into Dugtrio at Le꧃vel 26, which shouldn’t be impossible to pull off considering all the Routes & Trainers surrounding Vermillion Gym. That said, Dugtrio can also be caught inside the Tunnel for anyone who doesn’t want to grind.
5 Celadon: Growlithe/Vulpix
Growlithe and Vulpix can be found in Routes 7 and 9, but never in the same game. Both Fire-Types, Growli⛄the is version exclusive to Pokémon Red while Vulpix is version exclusive to Pokémon Blue. B𓄧oth have an evol༒ution tied to the Fire Stone, and both lay complete & utter waste to Celadon Gym.
While Erika’s Grass-Type Pokémon are surprisingly sturd💛ier than they may appear, either Growlithe or Vulpix will make short work of Gym. Considering Celadon Mall sells Fire Stones, there’s also no reason to enter the Gym without Arcanine or Ninetails by your side. Both make solid Fire-Types for any Trainers who didn’t pick Charmander as their starter.
4 Fuschia: Paras
Koga’s primary Type is Poison, but his Gym has an alarming amount of Trainers who use Psychic-Type Pokémon . As a result, going in exclusively with a Poison counter in mind isn’t ideal and could lead to dis🔥asteಌr. The good news is that just about any solid party can handle Koga themselves (so long as the player is prepared to deal with Poison,) and Paras makes for a great Bug-based counter.
Located in Mt. Moon and the Safari Zone, catching a Paras for Koga should be incre﷽dibly simple. Better yet, taking the time to grind & evolve Paras into Parasect at Lv 24 can make a big difference when tackling Koga💟’s Gym. The Paras line often goes underused, but they’re by no means useless and can even handle the next Gym with ease.
3 Saffron: Eevee
Truth be told, Paras will do as well against Sabrina as it did against Koga (especially if it’s already evolved into Parasect by this point.) While it’s far more practical to just hold onto Paras/Parasect and challenge S🃏abrina this way, now’s as good a time as any to start making use of one of the game’s many gift Pokémon : Eevee.
Obtained in the Pokémon Mansion in Celadon City, Eevee can evolve into three different Pokémon depending on which Stone is used on it. Of the three Eeveelutꦬions, Jolteon is arguably the best and should make decent work of Sabrina’s Gym even at a lower level. That said, making the most out of any Eeveelution will require grinding to learn Moves.
2 Cinnabar: Aerodactyl
Cinnabar Island migh🐭t quite literally be surrounded by water, but Trainers will be hard-pressed to find a high enough level or strong enough Water-Type in the immediate vicinity to take on Blaine’s surprisingly powerful party of Fire-Types. Ci♊nnabar Mansion won’t yield much in the way of usability, either, but players can finally revive their Fossils here.
Old Amber can be obtained in Pewter Museum once trainers have the HM Cut. Inside, a Scientist will give Trainer🐓s the Fossil which can the꧑n be revived at Cinnabar. The Old Amber becomes Aerodactyl, easily the strongest of Gen I’s Fossil Pokémon, and a great counter to Blaine’s burning challenge.
1 Viridian: Articuno
All things considered, Giovanni makes for an underwhelming final Gym Leader. At this point, Trainers are guaranteed to have at least one Pokémon with Surf in their party, a move which can sweep Giovanni’s team with ease. That sa💜id, leveli🌊ng problems can certainly arise like against Blaine. While catching a new Pokémon isn’t as pressing for Giovanni, Trainers have a few notable options.
As Giovanni’s Gym is faced so late in Generation I, there’s nothing actually stopping Trainers from going after Kanto’s Legendary Birds (other than꧋ potentially Level.) While catching Articuno will almost certainly be more trouble than just fꦜighting Giovanni himself, it’s absolutely worth it to sweep his entire Gym with Ice Beam after Ice Beam. Plus, Articuno’s a great Pokémon to round out a Victory Road team with (especially for anyone looking to hunt down Moltres.)