A look back at the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1 for competitive battling

It’s hard to believe it but Pokemon battling has existed for thirty years now, starting all the way back in the first generation of Pokemon – the Red, Blue and Yellow cartridges on Game Boy.

A lot has changed since the early days and although Pokemon battling in its nascency was a bit rough around the edges it was still full of strategy and a lot of fun.

Just like in future generations however, some Pokemon are more suited towards competitive battling than others. In the following piece, I take a look back at the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1 for competitive battling (non-Legendaries).

Alakazam

Psychic Pokemon are the strongest Pokemon type in Gen 1, which makes Alakazam, who possesses the highest Speed (338) and Special (368) stats of all Psychic Pokemon not named Mewtwo, one of the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1 as well.

Alakazam’s ample speed makes it great as a leadoff Pokemon, as it’s faster than any Pokemon with access to a Sleep move and can Thunder Wave any opposing Pokemon who switch into it right off the bat. Its high Special not only makes it a high-pressure special attacker with the strongest Psychic (again, apart from Mewtwo), but also a decent special sponge for whom being put to sleep isn’t as much of an issue against other special attackers like Exeggutor, Gengar and Lapras.

Alakazam’s only true bane in Pokemon Red and Blue isn’t actually Bug-type attacks, which are about as close to useless as they come in the original game – but its low base HP (50) and even lower base Defense stat (45). Because of this, Alakazam is physically fragile enough to be hurt in fairly quick order by strong physical attackers like Tauros, Snorlax and Rhydon. Alakazam can also be walled by Chansey, who has an absolutely colossal 250 base HP and high Special stat.

Suggested moveset:

• Psychic
• Seismic Toss
• Thunder Wave
• Recover

Exeggutor

Remember how I said Psychic-type Pokemon were dominant in the first generation Pokemon games in our Alakazam entry?

Enter Exeggutor, another Psychic type (it’s a Psychic/Grass dual-type to be exact) who is one of the strongest Pokemon in Red and Blue. Exeggutor’s 348 Special stat puts it right behind Alakazam, ties it with the legendary bird trio (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres) and secures it as one of the top five strongest Special attackers in the game.

What makes Exeggutor even more dangerous is its versatility; in addition to its powerful Psychic, which lays substantial damage on anything that’s not a special sponge or another Psychic type, it also has access to Sleep Powder, one of the most threatening moves in the game, which it can use on counters switching into it like Tauros, Lapras or Zapdos.

In its third moveslot, Exeggutor can use Stun Spore to paralyze a Pokemon in addition to the one it slept; Double Edge or Hyper Beam for a hard-hitting physical attack against other Psychics or Chansey; or Mega Drain for opposing Starmie or Slowbro.

And then, if worse comes to worse, Exeggutor can put Explosion in its final slot to ensure that it brings down at least one opponent with it.

Suggested moveset:

• Sleep Powder
• Psychic
• Stun Spore/Mega Drain/Double-Edge/
• Explosion

Chansey

In a meta where special attackers and Psychic-types run rampant, a special wall is needed – and in Gen 1 there are none so spongy as Chansey, the flagrantly adorable, perpetually smiling, pudgy, pink Pokemon (who you might remember as the assistant to Nurse Joy in the anime) that can produce eggs with magical healing powers.

Chansey’s healing eggs, which are evinced in-game by its healing move Soft-Boiled aren’t its only defensive gift; it also has an absolutely mammoth 250 base HP, the highest in the game, which combined with its considerable Special stat make it able to shrug off most Special attacks and deal back decent damage of its own in the form of retaliatory Ice Beams and Thunderbolts.

Chansey can also run a utility set with Thunder Wave, for paralyzing the opposition, and Reflect, which bolsters its weak Defense stat while chipping away with Seismic Toss.

One caveat: Chansey’s frailty in physical Defense (it sports a miniscule 5 base Defense stat) means it has to be careful against the physically strongest Pokemon in Red and Blue, as high Attack-stat brutes like Snorlax or Rhydon can faint it in two hits.

That being said, Chansey is a worthy addition to any competitive battling team in Gen 1 as its vast bulk, healing ability and special-attack soaking Special stat make it one of the strongest Pokemon in Red and Blue.

Suggested moveset:

• Seismic Toss
• Reflect
• Soft-Boiled
• Thunder Wave

Tauros

No bulls—, Tauros is one of the strongest Pokemon in Red and Blue – a notion which might seem crazy to players who grew up on later generations of Pokemon, where the years of accumulated power creep, new moves and new Pokemon types have relegated the raging bull to the lowest tiers of competitive battling.

Tauros’ combination of STAB (same type attack bonus) Body Slam and Hyper Beam make it an absolute nightmare to switch into, as Body Slam not only hits hard but has a high chance to paralyze as well.

Earthquake is useful for taking out Gengar, which is a popular switch-in to Tauros on account of negating Body Slam and Hyper Beam, and can also deal 2x damage to incoming Golem and Rhydon as well, though Blizzard is a viable option as it will deal more damage to the latter two Rock/Ground types.

Suggested moveset:

• Body Slam
• Hyper Beam
• Earthquake
• Blizzard

Rhydon

I wanted to put Golem in this spot out of sheer personal bias. Golem was the first Rock-type I ever caught and I’m fond of both its entire evolutionary design (even if Golem’s final evolution may not be what Game Freak originally intended) and the mythos of the golem in general.

That being said, even I have to admit Rhydon is superior as a competitive battling Pokemon in Gen. 1 in pretty much every scenario unless you want to run Explosion – which Golem has (the strongest Explosion in Gen 1) and Rhydon doesn’t. Otherwise, Rhydon has higher Attack (358, which ties it for the second-highest attack stat in the game), the most powerful Earthquake in the game and higher HP.

This higher HP (413 when maxed) also bolsters its Substitute, making Rhydon able to tank a Seismic Toss before it breaks, ensuring it can wreak havoc against Chansey and teams that have thrown up Reflect. Substitute also causes plenty of problems for Pokemon who directly counter it, such as Starmie and other Water-types.

That being said, Rhydon’s low Special and 4x weaknesses to Water and Grass makes it fragile to special attackers. Its low Speed also makes it hard to switch in, so setting Rhydon up with paralysis support is a near necessity.

Suggested moveset:

• Earthquake
• Rock Slide
• Body Slam
• Substitute

Victreebel

While it might not be as well-known as Gen 1 favorites like [https://www.retbit.com/2020/04/23/the-best-designed-pokemon-of-pokemon-red-and-blue-charizard-blastoise-gen-1/], Charizard and Blastoise or even meta staples like Jolteon and Snorlax but that doesn’t diminish from Victreebel’s deadliness one bit.

With a little setup, Victreebel can pop in, Stun Spore or Sleep Powder his enemy, proceed to boost his attack with Swords Dance and then rip them apart with Razor Leaf and Wrap.

With the following set, Victreebel can be an absolute terror and one of the strongest Pokemon in Red and Blue.

Suggested moveset:

• Sleep Powder
• Razor Leaf
• Wrap
• Hyper Beam/Stun Spore

Unless of course, it runs into the following Pokemon, who counters Victreebel almost entirely.

Gengar

Speaking of terrors, Gengar isn’t just a terror for Victreebel – it lives up to its Ghost-type as a nightmare for nearly every other Pokemon in the highest tier of Gen. 1 competitive battling.

With 318 speed, Gengar is the fastest sleep inducer in the game, making it an amazing lead. It’s also the only Pokemon in the game that’s immune to both Hyper Beam and Body Slam, two of the strongest and most prevalent physical attacks in the meta.

Suggested moveset:

• Hypnosis
• Thunderbolt
• Psychic/Night Shade
• Explosion

Jolteon

With 358 Speed, Jolteon is one of the fastest Pokemon in the game, able to outspeed every other lead Pokemon in the highest competitive battling tier, including Alakazam and Gengar. This celerity, coupled with Jolteon’s high Special stat, make its Thunderbolt with potent voltage and a high critical hit rate.

Because Jolteon is blocked completely from doing damage by Golem and Rhydon, putting Double Kick in its moveset helps it chip away at them on the switch. Double Kick also has a chance to 2HKO Chansey if it crits and Pin Missile can eat away at Exeggutor.

Although Chansey might not feel safe switching into Jolteon, the next Pokemon on our list isn’t quite as hesitant. And hits a whole lot harder.

Suggested moveset:

• Thunder Wave
• Thunderbolt
• Pin Missile
• Double Kick

Snorlax

The mighty Snorlax, a name that has struck fear into the hearts of competitive Pokemon battlers everywhere for the first seven generations of the game.

Snorlax is easily one of the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1, with an impressive 318 Attack that makes its Body Slams crippling and a nightmare to switch into as well as the strongest Selfdestruct in the game. Thanks to its 523 max HP and 228 Special, the lethargic bear-sloth can shrug off most non-crit Special attacks and Reflect can shore up its regular Defense to weather the storm against physical attackers.

Suggested moveset:

• Body Slam
• Reflect
• Self-Destruct/Hyper Beam/Earthquake
• Rest

Cloyster



While Snorlax is certainly one of the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1, one Pokemon who can stare down the indolent (but hard-hitting) bear-sloth and live to tell the tale is one of my personal favorites, the stronghold-shelled clam-oyster, Cloyster.

With the highest Defense stat in the game (458 max), Cloyster can adequately wall against the rampant physical attacking threats of the meta such as Snorlax and Tauros and then snap back with a STAB Blizzard or Clamp, the latter of which the majority of the time will allow for a free switch on whatever poor enemy is caught in its clutches. Explosion is a last resort for opposing Chanseys and Starmies too.

Suggested moveset:

• Clamp
• Blizzard
• Rest
• Explosion

Starmie



Thanks to a superb dual-typing of Psychic/Water, high Speed and both Recover and Thunder Wave in its moveset, Starmie is, much like the starfish it’s based on, a remarkably resilient Pokemon.

It’s also a deadly one, with its choice to run a combo of the most powerful special attacks in the game – Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Psychic and/or Surf – in its final two moveslots.

Suggested moveset:

• Thunder Wave
• Recover
• Blizzard/Thunderbolt
• Psychic/Surf/Thunderbolt

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What did you think of our look back at the strongest Pokemon in Gen 1 (Red/Blue/Yellow)? Which Pokemon from the list is your favorite?Are there any Pokemon you’d add or omit? Let us know in the comments.