Pokemon Yellow Ratings

[Zkirsche]

How about something that doesn't have an SE attack against Geodude? Why make Nidoking's effectiveness against Rock/Grounds go from really good to overkill when another Pokemon could go from hopeless to standing a chance? Double Kick is more than good enough until you get Surf, which is free.

Who else do we have that can use it? Mankey can't use it, the bugs can't use it, pikachu can't use it etc. Unless we're just going to hold onto it, but what's the point in that when I can more easily avoid double Kick's not very effectiveness against flying types (and poison types, too) with a move like water gun with may target spec instead of def.

[Colonel M]

The only Pokemon that can learn Water Gun at this point (barring Nidorino and Nidorina) are pretty much... Rattata, Clefairy, Jigglypuff. Granted these Pokemon can't hit Rock-type Pokemon with normal means, but Rattata sucks with its Special (25), Jigglypuff is just as bad, and that leaves Clefairy as the last viable Pokemon. While Clefable is quickly accessible, it is balls slow (base 35 as a Clefairy, base 60 as a Clefable). I don't see the necessary reason to give it to anyone BUT Nidorino / Nidorina.

[dondon151]

There's also Bubblebeam to obsolete Water Gun for most Pokemon.

There are other routes that do have Pokemon that aren't ridiculously low leveled. Route 11 has Pokemon from 17-20, Route 10 has Lv. 22 Magnemites, and Route 16 goes up to Lv. 26. And, of course, Dugtrio exists at a ridiculous level.

Of course, you attempt to refute my point by pointing out exceptions to the rule. When these wild Pokemon are like, Pidgeys, Spearows, and Magnemites, you're not really getting anything good even if they appear in the wild at a reasonable level. They also start off with 0 stat EXP.

10 X Accuracys is $9500, and X Speeds add just a bit more to this. You do get a lot of money, but I wouldn't say the cost is completely negligible, but it does exist.

No, the cost is actually completely, entirely negligible.

This is probably the biggest blow against Nidoking. It's power is drastically reduced without Dig, and it won't get as many OHKOs, meaning that enemies can wear it down in longer dungeons. It is also now not the best option against Lt. Surge, as every other ground type that gets Dig is now better, due to OHKOing.

I don't follow your logic. Dig is a 2 turn attack with the equivalent of base 150 power after STAB. Nidoking only needs a 75 base power nonSTAB physical attack to outdamage Dig. Like, I don't know, Thrash. Or Body Slam. Nidoking actually doesn't really need Dig because it OHKOs every weak enemy Pokemon with a strong normal type attack and has coverage moves to pick on the weaknesses of stronger ones.

We have to go through Diglett's Cave anyways to get Flash, and the HP Up found nearby is essentially a free Nugget. It's not completely unreasonable that we'll encounter a Dugtrio and catch it, especially with your Flying-type nullifying Dig.

Uh, you don't have to get HM05. Read a guide. Hug the walls. You actually do not need to enter Diglett's Cave at all.

The reward is well worth it. I do wonder how good Dugtrio and Nidoking would work together as OHKOers in crime, with Dugtrio getting Fissure and Nidoking getting Horn Drill. Dugtrio does kind of cover Psychics with its high speed and natural EQ, and against certain opponents it doesn't need X Speeds when Nidoking does. In that role, Nidoking would be used when more bulk is necessary or when the opponents are slow/fliers.

I will tell you that it's nowhere near as effective. First, Dugtrio and Nidoking have to share EXP. That necessarily makes both slower, less capable of doing damage with standard attacks, and less bulky. Second, Nidoking gets perfect OHKO coverage while Dugtrio doesn't, so against enemies like Agatha or Lance, Dugtrio can't sweep. Third, you can use one Elixir to restore PP to both Horn Drill and Fissure if they're both on one Pokemon.

Sabrina's Abra can Flash you, lowering your accuracy and putting you in a dangerous spot if you should miss against Kadabra or Alakazam. Dewgong hits Nidoking pretty hard while you set up. Gengar can confuse/paralyze you with Confuse Ray/Lick. On Lance I can see that Nidoking can outspeed, so I'll concede that one.

I'm actually not sure if X Accuracy raises your accuracy to the maximum and subsequent accuracy drops are ineffective. If that's the case, Nidoking easily sets up on Abra and destroys Sabrina.

Lorelei's Dewgong is weak. It threatens you with Aurora Beam... which won't OHKO. As long as Nidoking outspeeds Jynx without X Speed, this is also an easy win.

On Agatha, use a Full Heal. Come on.

[Venusaur]

After much thinking I realized that most of the costs were negated with the amount of help that these two build up over the game, along with massive savings on healing items all throughout the game. I also finally stopped dodging my Nidoking/queen review, and hopefully did them justice this time. Arguing with dondon makes me look like a big idiot... I will tweak the rules a tiny bit to accommodate Diglett's Cave, since Dream Eater is massive at this point in the game, and a free HP up never hurts. Also, I realized the Game Corner can be skipped via a Poke Doll against the Marowak guarding the top floor, so requiring the Rocket Hideout/Silph Scope is now an opportunity cost. And keeping in the style of throwing in Pokemon reviews, here's Sandshrew:

Sandshrew

Your first pure Ground-type, and a good candidate for the Dig TM, Sandshrew is quite weak before it actually gets that TM. It has decent defense, but no good resistances like Geodude, so it’s less noticeable. It does take less damage from its weakness, but due to a low Special it should still avoid Water and Grass types. The chips fall into place at Lv. 17, when it learns Slash. Sandshrew’s speed hampers this move, but when it evolves it has enough Speed (base 65) to get many criticals for a while. An evolution at Lv. 22 keeps it going for a while, but other options do exist, like Geodude and Dugtrio. Swords Dance is also very usable, helping increase its offense even more. Its niche is that it's a faster and more powerful alternative to Geodude that comes slighly earlier, but without any Rock-type moves before the TM for Rock Slide. After your Nido gets EQ, Sandslash's usefulness drops drastically, but it's a good candidate for a second Ground-type.

Sandshrew: 8/10

Edited February 2, 2011 by Venusaur

[dondon151]

You should include that Sandslash has enough base Spe (65) to get a Slash CH 99.6% of the time. It also is probably a better candidate for Dig (since Diglett learns it naturally) and for Swords Dance, and losing EQ doesn't hurt that much if you're running 2 ground types because Dig has the same BP - it's just a turn slower.

Edited February 2, 2011 by dondon151

[Venusaur]

You should include that Sandslash has enough base Spe (65) to get a Slash CH 99.6% of the time. It also is probably a better candidate for Dig (since Diglett learns it naturally) and for Swords Dance, and losing EQ doesn't hurt that much if you're running 2 ground types because Dig has the same BP - it's just a turn slower.

I'd agree with that, especially since the only real major competitor for Dig is Geodude. The Spd has been added in, along with Swords Dance.

[Venusaur]

And I bet everyone thought this was dead.

Magikarp

Oh boy. Magikarp has a good join time, (just before Mt. Moon), but is a deadweight up until Lv. 20. It can't even get any kills until Lv. 15. And I'm sure everyone here knows how difficult it is to level. But for your over 9000 early game EXP (seriously, it is over 9000) and all of those extra hits taken, Gyarados is actually pretty good. It gets Bite automatically (backed up by an insane base 125 Attack), and its 100 Special and Water-typing make it the ideal candidate for Bubblebeam. (Nido is fine with Water Gun.) In addition, Gyara also has access to Thunderbolt, and does even better than either Nido with it. Ice Beam is another option for it, and Surf is quite powerful. Hyper Beam is available at Lv. 52, but it's too late to make much of a difference.

However, Gyara does have its weaknesses. Its base 125 Attack is wasted with only Normal type moves available to it. Magikarp's uselessness delays evolution so long it most likely happens just before Rock Tunnel at the earliest, where it's slightly underleveled. And in the endgame, Gyara has none of the OHKOs that serve Nidoking/queen so well throughout the Elite Four, along with Electric and Rock weaknesses.

In the end, Gyarados is quite versatile, being able to use Special moves across the spectrum, with the Special to back them up. Honestly, its only shortcomings are it's pre-evolution time and the fact that more rare TMs are getting used, but these TMs on one Gyarados make it a top contender. Definitely a Pokemon to consider if you're in need of a good, versatile Special attacker.

Magikarp: 8/10

Edited February 9, 2011 by Venusaur

[Claude C Kenny]

you could probably cut that down to an 8. 4X weakness to electric hurts it (though electric is uncommon IIRC), and its types hurt it during the 3rd and 4th gym, especially if you're just recently evolving to Gdos. it does help against misty if you have a Gdos, though.

and you already pointed out that it takes a good amount of EXP to evolve and is locked to mostly normal moves, save for using TM's.

and from personal experience, even an early evolved Gdos still winds up on par with the E4 anyway.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Claude_C_Kenny

[General Horace]

Gyarados has nothing to fear from Eirika other than status effects.

[Colonel M]

I think you're sort of hand-waving how bad Magikarp's early game is. It's like if you had a Level 4 Caterpie in your party. But, instead of that Level 4 Caterpie simply taking up space, it goes first in battle and forces your Pokemon to take a hit (or stat reduction). Magikarp needs 15 Levels of doing nothing. While I'm not 100% sure of the leveling rate, I'm pretty sure it's somewhere near as pitiful as Magikarp's is in other games, which is a Medium Slow growth. The good news is that it can at least evolve by Rock Tunnel, but it takes a lot of forced inefficiency to do so. I think an 8 is definitely justified, and I'd consider arguing lower.

[Venusaur]

you could probably cut that down to an 8. 4X weakness to electric hurts it (though electric is uncommon IIRC), and its types hurt it during the 3rd and 4th gym, especially if you're just recently evolving to Gdos. it does help against misty if you have a Gdos, though.

and you already pointed out that it takes a good amount of EXP to evolve and is locked to mostly normal moves, save for using TM's.

and from personal experience, even an early evolved Gdos still winds up on par with the E4 anyway.

Like Horace said, Gyara fears only status effects when fighting in Erika's gym, thanks to it's neutral typing, and it can pick up Ice Beam and devastate her in return. In fact, its high Special helps it take more Special hits.

Gyarados has nothing to fear from Eirika other than status effects.

That, and her Rapier and Sieglinde.

I think you're sort of hand-waving how bad Magikarp's early game is. It's like if you had a Level 4 Caterpie in your party. But, instead of that Level 4 Caterpie simply taking up space, it goes first in battle and forces your Pokemon to take a hit (or stat reduction). Magikarp needs 15 Levels of doing nothing. While I'm not 100% sure of the leveling rate, I'm pretty sure it's somewhere near as pitiful as Magikarp's is in other games, which is a Medium Slow growth. The good news is that it can at least evolve by Rock Tunnel, but it takes a lot of forced inefficiency to do so. I think an 8 is definitely justified, and I'd consider arguing lower.

Probably the only reason that it seems like hand-waving is due to the fact that everyone knows how hard Magikarp is to level, and how useless it is during those periods. And a Medium experience group Pokemon requires 10000 exp to be Lv. 20, so it's definitely over 9000. Though sometimes the stat drop is nothing or the attack misses. I'll probably drop it to an 8, due to its Magikarp phase of uselessness.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Venusaur

[Claude C Kenny]

TBH, I haven't actually played 1st gen in a while, so I forgot if Gyarados' flying type negates waters weakness to grass. and yeah, i forgot ice beam.

and now that I think about it, trying to use Gyarados in the 3rd gym is a stupid idea, especially considering you have access to nidos with dig and both members of digletts family, with automatic dig.

god, dig was so overpowered first gen.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Claude_C_Kenny

[Venusaur]

We're entering Mt. Moon here in these reviews.

Zubat

A contender for Most Common Pokemon Ever along with being generally annoying, Zubat isn’t too useful at all. Bite is its only useful attacking move, not even getting Fly upon evolution to Golbat at Lv. 22. Confusion and flinching are probably its only roles if it ever gets used, and its movepool and defense are too horrendous to effectively use its typing. At least Pidgey gets STAB Fly, along with a better early move in Gust.

Zubat: 2.5/10

Geodude

This bad dude is your first Rock/Ground type, and although it needs a bit of work, it comes into its own very quickly. In addition to being another great contender for that Dig TM, Geodude also learns Rock Throw at Lv.16, making it your first non-Pikachu flier killer. Its weaknesses, however, are glaringly large, making it obvious that it can’t rescue the President if there's a single water type.

Its terrible speed and Special, combined with Water/Grass weaknesses make it a situational Pokemon, used only when it can use its defense or its so far unique typing to its fullest. At Lv. 25 it evolves into Graveler, and if you can trade, it evolves again into Golem. Golem can be used up until the end of the game with the Rock Slide TM, but if you cannot trade, you might as well use Sandshrew instead, due to its higher speed and attack.

Overall, Geodude is a more Knightly version of Sandshrew, with a rare and useful attacking type, but this type comes with an even more magnified weakness, much like the debate between Brom and Gatrie in FE9. Either choice is great for the earlygame, but it depends on whether you can trade.

Graveler: 7/10

Golem: 8/10

TBH, I haven't actually played 1st gen in a while, so I forgot if Gyarados' flying type negates waters weakness to grass. and yeah, i forgot ice beam.

and now that I think about it, trying to use Gyarados in the 3rd gym is a stupid idea, especially considering you have access to nidos with dig and both members of digletts family, with automatic dig.

god, dig was so overpowered first gen.

Nidos can't actually learn Dig (a great shame too...), but you can't forget Geodude and Sandshrew, your main two choices when it comes to Dig. Lt. Surge is most likely the easiest gym leader in Yellow, due to the many ways you can completely trivialize him. And the type chart is almost the same as it is in Gen IV/V, except for Ghosts.

[Claude C Kenny]

damn, you're right. they don't learn dig till 3rd gen. that's what I was remembering. that means the 1st gen remakes they can(right?).

alright, time to pull out the old gameboy games again to see what else I (don't) remember.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Claude_C_Kenny

[Venusaur]

*defibrillates topic*

Continuing on...

Paras

It's your first Grass type! It's also completely useless, too. Its only natural attacking move is Scratch, followed by the laughable Leech Life. It learns no Grass type attacking moves except for Mega Drain via TM. It is the only Pokemon to learn Spore, but with the low speed and lolBug/Grasstyping, it probably won't see any use, ever. Stun Spore is early enough for some use, but why bother?

Paras: 3.5/10

Clefairy

This is likely the first Pokemon that gets docked a point simply because it's so hard to find. However, it is decently competent for the time when evolved immediately, thanks to there being a second Moon Stone in Mt. Moon. It's a decent enough Special attacker, with Clefable's 85 Special, but it takes valuable TMs to do so, and isn't very great with them due to its lack of STAB. And base 70 Attack does no favors for it on the STAB side either. Its main use is its immediate bulk, able to use some Special moves while taking a few hits for your weaker party members. However, even this use simply isn't worth searching for Clefairy, and it gets outclassed fairly quickly by other Pokemon, most notably Nidoking, who uses the TMs better.

Clefairy: 6.5/10

Bulbasaur

Here's the first USEFUL Grass type in the game, and a very good one, to boot. It does take 3 levels to get Vine Whip, but this move is effective against the Water types in Misty's Gym, combining nicely with Leech Seed and a natural resistance to Water and Electric. For later usefulness there's also Sleep Powder and Razor Leaf, the latter being one of the, if not the best Grass-type attack in the game, due to its high crit rate. The choice between Oddish and Bulbasaur/Bellsprout is essentially Absorb and an earlier Sleep Powder (Oddish) versus a Grass-type heavy hitter who ends up being more powerful (Bulbasaur/Bellsprout). Both are very usable, so it's your choice on which one to use. Bellsprout may be better in the short-term thanks to Growth, but Bulbasaur is better in the long-run due to its overall better stats, along with getting that same Growth.

Just a little note to add here: Pikachu's happiness still increases when you use a Potion on it, regardless of if it is actually used, therefore allowing for easy maxing of the happiness. Therefore, Bulbasaur is very easy to recruit.

Bulbasaur: 7.5/10

Edited August 5, 2011 by Venusaur

[dondon151]

You might want to point out Body Slam as a viable move on Venusaur against enemies that resist grass.

[Venusaur]

After much procrastination, we finally head north to Route 24 & 25.

Charmander

Charmander, a popular choice among Red version users, is one of the few Pokemon in Yellow that doesn't have to be caught to be used, which is pretty convenient seeing as it's your first Fire-type right when Grass-types start making their appearances. Its joining level is a low 10, but thanks to auto-Ember and the prevalence of wild Oddish/Bellsprout this issue's effect is reduced quite nicely, but it still struggles against the Rock-types of Hikers, and Misty is a no-go thanks to that weakness.

After its evolution into Charmeleon its role stays largely the same, hitting Grass and Bug types for Fire damage, but its continued lack of anything new makes it dwindle a bit until it gets Flamethrower/Fire Blast and its evolution to Charizard, though Slash at Lv. 33 does provide crit damage. It is, however, still effective against Erika and Koga, even with the aging Ember. Flamethrower, however, comes at a late Lv. 46, so picking up Fire Blast might be the better option if you intend to use it through Giovanni's gym.

Charmander's niche is mainly in the Fire-type, which is especially rare in Yellow. However, a lack of Fire attacks other than Ember really nullifies this niche in the mid to late-game, and Flamethrower/Fire Blast only come when the Fire type's time to shine is burnt out. As a side note, Charizard is one of the two Fire types that are invulnerable to Ground type attacks due to the added Flying type, so for what it's worth it still hits hard in Giovanni's gym, though Rock attacks are deadly. Still, it is free, and for what it's worth, it does learn Cut, just in case you couldn't get Bulbasaur, though that's easy enough with the Potion glitch.

Charmander: 6/10

Venonat

Venonat is one of those Pokemon that benefited from actually existing earlier in Yellow, moving from late-game obscurity to actually being able to be obtained before the second gym. However, availability only really matters if you can actually do something during that time, and Venonat arguably isn't doing much until it gets Confusion. The first strike against it is that it's particularly rare compared to all of the other Pokemon on the route, with only a 10% appearance rate, which means it's a pain to find. Finding it, however, only starts its troubles.

It has terrible offense due to a Tackle-lock until Lv. 19, and its only utility is Supersonic. And when it finally does get Confusion, its base 40 Special makes sure that it can't do too much. Admittedly, Venonat is highly outclassed by Butterfree, as Venonat gets only Poisonpowder out of the 3 powders and a terrible Confusion. It does have its utility in Erika's gym, if it ever reaches there, as its x4 resistance to Grass makes it nigh-invincible, though Butterfree outclasses it even here. However, its failings in nearly every other area destine it to remain in Route 24 forevermore.

Venonat: 2/10

Edited April 15, 2011 by Venusaur

[Shameimaru Aya]

Charmander is not good enough in Yellow, I think, especially seeing how you're not really expected to use any of the three easily available RB starters. Trying to train him as soon as you get him against the obvious wild Bellsprouts and Oddishes will show that he can't even 3HKO the two, and even when he gets the levels and the stat experience he won't have any good ways of damaging stuff until he learns Slash which doesn't strike anybody's weakness and gets no STAB on it. You have to wait until Cinnabar Gym / wait until lv. 46 to use something stronger than the silly Ember too. Pretty useless in the 2nd and 3rd gyms and though Ember is super-effective against Erika's Pokemon, they have high Special and Charmeleon does not. He burns bugs which are common earlygame but overall needs too much babying in spite of being the earliest available fire-type. Fire-attacks aren't the best for the elite four either.

[Venusaur]

Charmander is not good enough in Yellow, I think, especially seeing how you're not really expected to use any of the three easily available RB starters. Trying to train him as soon as you get him against the obvious wild Bellsprouts and Oddishes will show that he can't even 3HKO the two, and even when he gets the levels and the stat experience he won't have any good ways of damaging stuff until he learns Slash which doesn't strike anybody's weakness and gets no STAB on it. You have to wait until Cinnabar Gym / wait until lv. 46 to use something stronger than the silly Ember too. Pretty useless in the 2nd and 3rd gyms and though Ember is super-effective against Erika's Pokemon, they have high Special and Charmeleon does not. He burns bugs which are common earlygame but overall needs too much babying in spite of being the earliest available fire-type. Fire-attacks aren't the best for the elite four either.

I apologize for not responding sooner, and thanks for saving the topic!

I most likely overestimated Charmander, being stuck with Ember is no laughing matter. However, Charizard (and maybe Charmeleon) are usually fast enough to get the guaranteed crits with Slash, but aren't the best options. I'll probably lower Charmander to a 6. I might as well add new content while I can, so...

Bellsprout

Another viable choice for a Grass-type, and a worthy substitute for Bulbasaur, if you prefer the immediate utility and the earlier evolution into Victreebel. It starts with Vine Whip and Growth, the latter helping to preserve the lower PP of the former, and Wrap comes at Lv. 13 to lock down anything slower than it. It also, surprisingly enough, benefits from Cut, as its Attack stat is a good 75, giving it an option to hit other Grass types harder than Wrap would. Throughout the rest of its pre-Weepinbell levels it learns the 3 powders, with Sleep Powder coming at Lv. 18. After it evolves into Weepinbell, its attacking stats only rise, but the only notable move it learns as a Weepinbell is the mighty Razor Leaf at Lv. 38, which crits anything slower than a base 70 in Speed.

Victreebel is essentially a slower version of Venusaur, with less defensive stats, but more Attack, which can be boosted with Swords Dance if you really want to give it TMs like Body Slam or Hyper Beam. Bulbasaur may end better, but Bellsprout is the one to go with if you prefer instant utility and a flexible evolution.

Bellsprout: 7.5/10

[Ardan]

Venonat is one of those Pokemon that benefited greatly from Yellow

I love how you say this then proceed to give it a 2. Interesting thread though, keep it up!

[Venusaur]

I love how you say this then proceed to give it a 2. Interesting thread though, keep it up!

Well, at least it's available earlier than in R/B... I'll probably change that particular line to something a bit different and likely more harsh. Since I can...

Oddish

Available on the same route as Bellsprout, Oddish is another option for a Grass-type, and more defensive than Bellsprout could ever hope to be. It starts off with only Absorb, which is pretty weak but heals you a bit. And like Bellsprout, it learns the powders right before it evolves, with Sleep Powder unfortunately being the latest at Lv. 19. After it evolves, it's essentially the same story, with the only difference being the powerful Grass-type move that they learn.

Oddish, unfortunately, got Petal Dance instead of Razor Leaf, a bad tradeoff since you'll be confusing yourself and not getting critical boosts. I feel that Bellsprout is superior to Oddish thanks to Vine Whip over Absorb (Bulbasaur is better than both), but if you prefer taking more hits Oddish isn't the worst choice for Grass-types.

Oddish: 7/10

Abra

The first Psychic-type in the game, and a pain to catch and train. Abra and its evolutions are both fast and have crazy high Special, though Abra itself cannot attack until it evolves at Lv. 16, which is easier to get to compared to Magikarp thanks to Abra's experience group. After evolution into Kadabra, it obtains Confusion and can now shred Poison and Fighting types. As for gyms, it likely won't be evolved by Misty, but its best performances are in Erika and Koga's gyms anyways, it being practically the best choice for the former due to how Special works.

Later on, Psychic becomes a devestating force, and if you can trade, it evolves into Alakazam to get an overall bonus to all stats. Alakazam or no, it isn't the absolute end-all be-all like Nidoking/queen, but it's a powerful glass cannon. In the Elite Four, it isn't the best choice, but is good at taking down Bruno and Agatha, but likely won't contribute too much in the battles against Lorelei and Lance. How effective it is with just the Psychic type as an attacking move is a testament to how great the Psychic-type was in Gen I.

Abra: 8.5/10

Alakazam: 9/10

[Venusaur]

Yay, project!

Jigglypuff

A Pokemon popular enough to get in Super Smash Bros., but if it performed like it does here in SSB, it'd be the worst character ever. The first bad sign is that it ranges from Lv. 3-7. Not only is it underleveled, but it cannot attack until Lv. 9, when it gets Pound. You can evolve it immediately and use it as an odd mixed attacker reliant on TMs, but even this is outclassed by Clefairy. Honestly, its only use in Yellow is to troll you when you grind on Route 5. At least it can use TMs, unlike Venonat.

Jigglypuff: 4/10

Diglett

A fast Ground-type, and quite powerful, with a high starting level. Diglett itself learns Dig at Lv. 19, which results in an insanely powerful attack for Lt. Surge and his cronies, along with many Poison types used by Team Rocket. Even with Dig, Diglett is still incredibly fragile, and if it doesn't KO it usually gets KOed right back, with Flying types being the bane of Diglett. An evolution at Lv. 28 results in a powerful sweeper who can decimate Poison, Rock and Electric types.

You can also find Dugtrio in Diglett's Cave, and while it's rare and hard to catch it can essentially solo Lt. Surge and can decimate for quite a while of the game. Slash is at Lv. 31, and gives it another powerful attack for times when you want to conserve Dig. By the E4, however, Dugtrio's Attack just isn't good enough to take down the bulky Pokemon you find there, and Lance's flying types shut it down. Its availability and utility give it a reason to be caught, though.

Diglett: 8.5/10

Dugtrio: 9.25/10

Edited April 21, 2011 by Venusaur

[Venusaur]

3 COMBO!

Drowzee

An alternative Psychic type, Drowzee's main advantages over Abra are instant utility and bulk. Unlike Abra, if you catch Drowzee above Lv. 17, then it starts with Confusion right out of the gate, which hits pretty hard with its 90 Special. While it's not going to be outspeeding much, Drowzee does have the option of Headbutt, which is learned at Lv. 24, and should mainly be used on other Psychic types. Another advantage it has over Abra is that it does not require a trade to evolve, instead evolving at Lv. 26. Hypno has a nice 115 Special, and has a decent 73 Attack to hit the Abra family with. It learns Psychic on its own at Lv. 37, but it's more likely that you use the TM on it.

Drowzee wins all of the same gyms that Abra does (Erika and Koga), and is one of the better choices to take on Sabrina with, thanks to Hypno's bulk and resistance to Psychic. The choice between Drowzee and Abra mainly depends on whether you want speed or bulk, and whether you want something that's instantly usable or investing for a future win. Drowzee mainly wins early-game, but it might be a better choice during the E4 than Kadabra/Alakazam due to its bulk.

Drowzee: 8/10

Edited May 27, 2011 by Venusaur

[Venusaur]

4 COMBO

Magnemite

The first non-Pikachu Electric-type in the game, with an actual evolution at Lv. 30! With base 95 Special it can take the Thunderbolt TM and instantly start decimating even the bulkiest Slowpokes in Rock Tunnel, though Ground-types are always a problem. Unfortunately, Electric isn't the best type to have for the rest of the Gym Leaders, hitting resistances and high Specials everywhere. Magneton's base 120 Special is one of, if not the highest Special for Electric-types, and Thunderbolt allows it to hit hard right off the bat.

As for the E4, it shines against Lorelei and Lance, and helps out with Gary (especially if he has Vaporeon). If you need an Electric-type, Magnemite is the way to go, with instant power that lasts all the way to the end of the game at the cost of a simple TM, though one that is wanted by Nidoking/queen.

Magnemite: 8/10

Edited May 27, 2011 by Venusaur

[Venusaur]

And then I realized I completely forgot Squirtle...

Squirtle

The Generation I Water type starter, it joins underleveled, but at least Rock Tunnel is up ahead. You get it from Officer Jenny after Vermilion Gym, and it starts at a pitiful Lv. 10. If you plan on using it, the Bubblebeam TM at least gives it a semi-powerful attack instead of getting Water Gun at Lv. 15. Evolution into Wartortle at Lv. 16 gives it more durability, and Blastoise offers even more durability, with 79/100/85 defenses.

All of Squirtle's forms fall flat on non-Water offense without TMs, and to be honest, it's outclassed by Gyarados, which has higher attacking stats and the same moves, along with being available earlier than Blastoise. Squirtle may be a popular choice, but in Yellow it just doesn't cut it. It is, however, a better option than most Water-types due to being available earlier, and it's a solid option if you don't want to deal with Magikarp

Squirtle: 6.5/10

Machop

A Fighting-type that requires a trade to reach its final form, it's actually available just outside Rock Tunnel in Yellow, albeit with a 5% encounter rate. Depending on the level that you find it, it's 2-4 levels to your first Fighting-type move, Low Kick. After Low Kick, there's nothing notable other than Submission, and the evolution to Machoke comes at Lv. 28. In addition, Fighting isn't a good type for any of the remaining gyms, though Rock Slide can be used to give it a win against Blaine and Koga.

But instead of catching a Machop and having to worry about trading for a Machamp, you can simply trade for one with a Cubone. This Machamp, nicknamed RICKY, joins after Pokemon Tower, and its use forces you to go through the Game Corner to get the Silph Scope to catch a Cubone. With Submission available immediately after the trade, it becomes a powerhouse with its giant Base 130 Attack, and Rock Slide allows it the same wins as Machoke. With or without the ability to trade normally, this in-game trade Machamp is a force to be reckoned with, and the boosted experience allows it to grow quickly.

Machoke: 6/10

Machamp: 7/10

RICKY: 7/10

Edited May 27, 2011 by Venusaur