****************************** *TREATISE ON POKEMON STRATEGY* ****************************** Copyright 2002-present R. Jones <jolt0135@aol.com> Current version: 1.9955 Started: 2002/01/13 Last update: 2003/02/25 Disclaimer: "Pokemon" and all related names and images are copyright 1995-2001 Nintendo, Inc. and GAMEFREAK. I am not affiliated with either of these corporations, their parent companies, and/or subsidiaries. The statements and opinions given in this guide have not been reviewed or approved by Nintendo, Inc. or GAMEFREAK. Don't do drugs. Thank you for reading this disclaimer. If you have this document in text format, it's recommended that you change it to Word (.doc) format right away (with Courier New 10pt font, and L/R margins of 1"). The references to page numbers are much easier to follow that way. ********** *CONTENTS* ********** 1. Introduction.............................................................1 100. Version History......................................................2 101. Things to Know.......................................................3 102. Contacting Me........................................................4 2. RBY Mechanics and Strategies.............................................5 200. Help for Starters....................................................5 201. Factoids, Mechanics, and Calculations................................5 202. Pokemon Analysis....................................................34 203. Building a Team.....................................................48 204. Reference Chart.....................................................53 205. Variant Play........................................................79 3. GSC Mechanics and Strategies............................................83 300. Help for Starters...................................................83 301. Factoids, Mechanics, and Calculations...............................84 302. Pokemon Analysis...................................................111 303. Building a Team....................................................132 304. Reference Chart....................................................149 305. Variant Play.......................................................200 4. Conclusion.............................................................205 400. The Error Policy...................................................206 401. Glossary...........................................................206 402. References.........................................................207 403. Credits............................................................207 ***************** *1. Introduction* ***************** Seven years ago, a company named GAMEFREAK had a vision. An RPG where your party was six members long, but chosen from a field of 137...and by trading with other players, this number rose to 150 and eventually 151. And each member would have an incredible number of powers, but these were similarly limited to four per member. So many party choices, and so much thought involved in optimizing these choices, that eventually a player could transcend the RPG gameplay of Pokemon and turn it into the #1 designed turn-based strategy game in a long time, possibly since Chess. However, by releasing their game for a Nintendo system, the company had to surrender a Contract of Ownership. GAMEFREAK would get lots of money for the concept, but Nintendo would be in charge of sales and marketing. Obviously, sales weren't a problem. The base Pokemon series would sell over 10,000,000 units, prompting a second, even more vast series. This one would sell as well, and a third series lies just one month away. However, for a game with so much potential, the company in charge sure wasn't seeing it. Their chosen path of marketing was to make Pokemon action figures, a self-contradicting TV show, even-more-contradictory movies, a degenerate card game, and addition to the Pokemon logo to any product which could possibly carry a price tag. It was clear: This company doesn't need to follow the vision of GAMEFREAK. As long as they can sell products and make money, things are good, and what better audience than the highly impulsive 8-year-olds? By opting for this path, the players who do wish to play Pokemon for its game design are left on their own. Eventually, groups of interested players banded together, with the hopes of recruiting players and helping them understand the game. But now, to help reverse the path of inconvenience that those players were forced to take, I have constructed this treatise for all to use. Everything that can help you understand the game, in a single document of 208 pages--as small as Nintendo's official Stadium 1 guide, and much more comprehensive too. Welcome to the document that, depending on your current position, will either help you learn the Pokemon games; solidify your knowledge of their numerous oddities; magnify any interest you may have in complex math; or get you to stop doing drugs. And to reinforce the position this document holds, it's completely open to reader input! If you find an error, or wish to submit an editorial, go right ahead! Part 2 covers RBY, 3 covers GSC, and 4 covers any would-be lawsuits. ********************** *100. Version History* ********************** Note: Updates that do nothing but change move lists, copyright information, or add editorial comments will not be accounted for here. V1.99 - 2002/12/25 - I've had many tries at making an all-encompassing guide to the world of Pokemon. Each time, it's ended in failure--be it computer crash, an apparent lack of interest by the online community as a whole, or the work being packed in a box while I move 1,000 miles away. But now, it has finally materialized. If you're reading this, you're reading the longest- delayed Pokemon guide ever published. Added sections 100, 101, 102, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 400, 401, 402, and 403. By the way, have a merry Christmas if you're reading this right away. V1.9901 - 2002/12/29 - Since this guide has not appeared on any website as of yet (despite all necessary measures on my behalf), I'm changing the copyright information to reflect such a situation. Also expanded section 303. V1.9902 - 2003/01/02 - Made the copyright restraint much more lenient. Added the first inductee to the Editing Hall of Fame. I just remembered the need for a Move Effect Encyclopedia, but after a year of writing, rewriting, and awaiting publication, I think I deserve a break, at least for now. And yes, I AM intentionally putting off a version number of 2 until the RS_ update. V1.994 - 2003/02/02 - Okay, so a month is long enough for a break. This update changes a lot of 202/302 descriptions, adds the aforementioned Move Encyclopedia to 204 and 304, and changes the legal information yet again. And there are also two editorial sections added, one each in 201 and 301. Basically, every section gets a little something extra. Almost to Version 2... V1.995 - 2003/02/16 - Finally, over 200 pages! Section 201 gets a forgotten argument added to the "newbie misconceptions" area, which also gets a name change. 204 and 304 get some errors fixed, and a new data entry is added to each. 303's second section is expanded by 28%. The Introduction is completely gutted and renovated. V1.9955 - 2003/02/25 - Mainly an error-proofing update, where I corrected erroneous information on my own (denying a few people eventual trips to the Hall of Fame). There's a new mode added to 305. Still waiting for March 17, though the Ruby and Sapphire update probably won't be ready until early May. ********************* *101. Things to Know* ********************* 1. Don't break the law. This guide is written by Rusty Jones (aka Jolt135 and/or SadisticMystic). For a text of this magnitude, that's been in development (and deconstruction) for almost a year, it's rather obvious why there's a copyright law protecting it. It's bad enough that I make no money from typing up these 200 pages; the last thing I need is to go chasing after everyone who tries to separate my name from the intellectual credit. You may look at the guide from any non-banned website, and you may download it to your computer for personal use, but plagiarism is a federal (and international) crime. You may NOT upload this FAQ onto a Banned Website (the list of banned sites is currently null), maintain it on a site after that site has been banned, upload a version of the document that differs from any that I've sent you or that has been available online at some time or another, force payment for viewing of this document (though donations are gladly accepted), or print sections of this guide verbatim while changing the supposed source of the information. Just be good, and you won't risk an appearance on a COPS marathon. And just to get the point across, don't do drugs. 2. This is a guide for players who want to advance. If you want a walkthrough, go look somewhere else. There are enough walkthroughs out there that finding and using one is no problem. I devote less than 700 words of this 96,000-word document to the RPG aspect of the game, because quite simply I think that Pokemon is better classified as a strategy game. For example, on my Gold cart, the timer reads 693 hours. That doesn't count experimental restarts, alternate save files, computerized simulations, or gameplay on Stadium, so in reality I've racked about 4,500 hours with that game. Exactly 23.3 of them were spent getting through the RPG element of the game, and I never saw much good in that. Which leaves 4,476.7 for strategy testing, and anything that you spend that long on must require motivation. Case in point. And since the players who have been at the top for a long time should know most of this material (though I've noticed those players are reading it anyway since it's a new piece of literature that's hard to come by in this game), that leaves one market segment left: The players who are trying to play well, and externally depict themselves as good players, but know that somehow, they need to improve. If you fall into that category, prepare to do a lot of reading. 3. Using the Gameshark isn't all bad. This is one of the toughest points to get across to the newbies on their path to Transcendence Point (my term for the crossover to the advanced community). Sure, using a Shark to play an RPG would cheapen the role you're supposedly playing. But, as the above point addresses, it's my position that Pokemon is NOT an RPG, except for the 10-20 hours you spend getting to the end for the first time. Think of those hours as a so-called "driving school", and once you're done, you gain full access to the game. But playing a pure strategy game, at an RPG pace, could easily expend several thousand hours . Enter Gameshark. Yes, some codes (such as 999 stats and quad-Sketch movesets) undermine even a strategy game. But with the proper codes, all you do is speed up the process of team building, and set up the all-around level playing field by setting all stats to (legal) maximums. People will eventually reach the position at which all Pokemon are optimized; what does it matter whether it takes five hours or 5,000? And as for Mew, there's a choice: Access it by modifying your own RAM (2 bytes) or access it by having Nintendo modify your RAM with the same kind of device (36 bytes). And Nintendo still has the audacity to call their own Mews "official", but claim that it's "wrong", "illegal", and "risky" to shark a Mew of your own. Sounds contradictory? Well, it is. Which brings me to... 4. Nintendo is, for the most part, unreliable and antithetical to players. The RBY carts have been out for almost four years (in the U. S.). Yet Nintendo is still highly reluctant to give out the "inside information" about the game. If you were to listen to everything Nintendo gave about the game in the past four years, and nothing else, you'd know about as much as top researchers did after just six months. They don't explain any of the logical reasoning that I often retort to when giving explanations, and they have repeatedly failed to give complete versions of stat calculation and damage formulas. And yet they're supposed to be the "official" authorities for these games. I find them unworthy to hold such a duty. Several researchers, myself included, have urged them to release this information to the general public, to no avail. Meaning they have something to hide, which (in all likelihood) has to do with a financial loss that would be incurred. Doesn't this sound like corporate bias? I thought so. Allowing Nintendo to hold their position as the authorities in charge of all things Pokemon would lead to an incompletely explored game. With your help, this system just might be refined. ******************** *102. Contacting Me* ******************** If you have a point of clarification, a disagreement with the information I present, comments/suggestions, editorials, or even an error (typographical or otherwise) in the guide, send an e-mail message to me at <jolt0135@aol.com>. Messages deemed "foolish" or "time-wasting", or that include an attachment with no text, will be deleted without a response. All other e-mails should be answered within 72 hours. ********************************* *2. RBY Mechanics and Strategies* ********************************* RBY were the games that started it all. While the general stance is that these games are outdated now, RBY still has a small and devoted following. ************************ *200. Help for Starters* ************************ If you just got the game, and are expecting to receive a full walkthrough, let me say now: YOU AREN'T. This is a strategy guide, and is primarily meant for players who have already passed the ten hours of RPG gameplay provided by Pokemon. However, I know there are still some of you out there, so allow me to satiate your appetites with... "The 250-Word Walkthrough!" Get starter (Bulbasaur's best; Yellow must use rat). Level up immediately; go north. Get a box; retrace footsteps; trade for Pokedex. Talk to "Glitch Guy"; navigate buggy place; receive first badge. Now head east for Cave 1. At bottom of mountain, fight for irrelevant fossil. Emerge, then east, heal, and north. Beat 7; get P5000 gold piece. Yellow finds two starters; R/B get Abra. Kill Misty; find Bill; get overhyped ticket. South thru the tunnel, continue to seaside. Board ship. Explore if desired, but end with first HM. Catch Dugtrio (skipping Flash); break into Gym; look for switches. Use said Dugtrio for badge. Find Bike Voucher. Back to Cerulean, score bike, go east to second cave. It's dark; trial-and-error works. Exit cave; west thru tunnel. Get Eevee; evolve (your choice). Buy drink; bribe guard; abandon subsatisfactory tunnel. Man guarding poster? Battle! Defeat Casino Underground, Pokemon Tower, Silph Company in order (level up Lapras big time). Get two more badges. West to Cycling Road (get Fly first). Fun! Beat Safari Zone (2 HMs, Dratini, Chansey), then Koga. Surf to Cinnabar (flying to Pallet cuts out Seafoam; faster but no Articuno). Fun with quizzes and badge 7 (and Missingno.) Finally, Fly to Viridian. Get final badge. Go to Power Plant for Zapdos, level it up (65's good), then back to Viridian. West to Route 23, then north. Solve Victory Road. Five battles away from victory...four...three...two...one...zero. Claim Mewtwo as your prize. Now build a serious team. Done with zero words to spare. Now you can start playing the game like the pros do, and the rest of this guide will help you with that. ******************************************** *201. Factoids, Mechanics, and Calculations* ******************************************** In this section, I explore the facets of the game that you may already know, that Nintendo won't tell you, and that haven't even been explained completely until now. It's almost enough to classify this subject as Ph. D-worthy (yeah, right, like anyone would get paid to play and study this game). Of course, since it's RBY, there's significantly less information than the corresponding section in GSC, and you might even be able to learn it all. Now, come join me as I show the power of researching and/or hacking the game. ---------------- |The Type Chart| ---------------- Okay, so this isn't exactly a secret. But it's necessary for a complete guide, and there might be those one or two matchups you've forgotten. On with the chart: D e f e n d e r T y p e N F F B G R G P F W I E G P D O T L U R C H O I T C L R S R R G Y G D K O I R R E C S Y G NOR 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 A FTG 2 1 1/2 1/2 1 2 0 1/2 1 1 2 1 1 1/2 1 t FLY 1 2 1 2 1 1/2 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 2 1 1 t BUG 1 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1/2 2 1/2 1 1 1 2 2 1 a GRD 1 1 0 1/2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1/2 1 1 c RCK 1 1/2 2 2 1/2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 k GHO 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 e POI 1 1 1 2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 r FIR 1 1 1 2 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1/2 2 1 2 1 1/2 WTR 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 T ICE 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1/2 1/2 1 2 1 2 y ELC 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 p GRS 1 1 1/2 1/2 2 2 1 1/2 1/2 2 1 1 1/2 1 1/2 e PSY 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1/2 1 DRG 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 Ah, the power of the "1/2" symbol. And if you can't understand this, then you're helpless to get the rest of section 201. --------------------------- |The Wonders of Missingno.| --------------------------- This is it--one of the first major achievements I presented on my path to "exalted" status. A thorough explanation of all things related to the Cinnabar Coast Trick, normally abbreviated "Missingno." (pronounced: "missing number") after the most famous by-product of that trick. It'll be in question-and-answer format. On with the show... Q: What is Missingno.? A: For 1-byte variables on Game Boy games, there are 8 bits. This means the number of possibilities for the variable is 256, labeled 0 to 255 (HEX 00 to FF). Most of RBY's variables are 1 byte long, including ones for all the Pokemon lookup slots. However, only 151 Pokemon exist in RBY. So, if there are 256 possibilities, and only 151 slots were defined by the programmers, what do the other 105 slots have? Glitches. And most of them just so happened to be named Missingno. Q: How do I find it? A: You don't know how to find it? Go play some more RBY. But, if you're one of the outcasts who doesn't know how to find it, here goes. Talk to the Old Man at the northern edge of Viridian, and let him catch a Weedle. Then, Fly to Cinnabar (you can also go to Fuchsia and Surf to Seafoam Islands, but that takes a lot longer) and Surf up and down the right edge. After a while, you'll run into some unnatural Pokemon at high levels, and Missingno. (or a Pokemon with a glitched name containing 'M in the middle). NOTE: THIS DOES NOT WORK IN YELLOW. Q: Why does the above trick work? A: There are two things that, when combined, made it possible for this trick to exist. Here they are: 1. When creating the map for what Pokemon appear where, they made a crucial flaw. The 1-square-wide strip of water on the right side of Cinnabar and Seafoam Islands was programmed to be a place where wild Pokemon CAN appear. But (thank the programmers for this one) they forgot to define what Pokemon can appear there. This wouldn't be that big of a deal, except that means the previous settings for "what Pokemon can appear" will remain, and if you read #2, you'll see why that causes the glitch. 2. When the Old Man catches the Weedle, they change the variables that are assigned to "Your Name" to Old Man, so it shows up as "Old Man threw the Poke Ball." Now, in order to do that, it overwrites the variables you gave to "Your Name". Therefore, the game must store the variables that make up your name to another place, so it can recall them later. So the programmers likely thought, "What are some variables that we can overwrite to assign to the character's name for this process?" "I got it! How about the slots that define what Pokemon you can run into?" "That's it! Whenever the character enters a new area, they'll be rewritten, so it won't disturb the game at all!" *points to #1* Umm.....no. As a result, that wonderful glitch can be yours for only <insert whatever price your local retailer charges for R/B>! Another explanation is much more logical. Pokemon Red and Blue were GAMEFREAK's first major projects in quite a while, so the programmers needed to retest their unorthodox programming capability. One way of doing this was to hide an entry to a glitch somewhere in the game, and hope none of the consumers learned about it (and if they intended to fix it later, it was forgotten until Yellow). But alas, the word got out, and now such things as this article become possible. Of course, it's not JUST Missingno. you can run into. There will also be some L100+ Pokemon, whose species and levels are determined by your name. Q: How do I determine the levels? A: First off, look at letters 2, 4, and 6 of your name. (Technically, your name spans 11 variables, so 8 and 10 are also used, but unless you're using a default name, 10 will always be <Null-0>, and 8 will either be <Null-0> or, for a seven-letter name, <End-80>.) Those letters will determine the levels of the Pokemon you can run into. First, take the NUMERICAL equivalent (A=1, B=2, etc.) of those letters, and add 127 for uppercase or 159 for lowercase. In addition, the symbols are as follows: <Null-0> 0 (of course) <End-80> 80 (really!) <Space> 127 ( 154 ) 155 : 156 ; 157 [ 158 ] 159 e 186 ' 224 PK 225 MN 226 - 227 ? 230 ! 231 <Male> 239 <MonetaryP> 240 <TimesSign> 241 . 232 or 24289- / 243 , 244 <Female> 245 <Numbers> 246 + number At the end of every name, the game inserts an 80 (HEX 50) to designate "End of Name". Q: Species determined by name? Cool! I'll get a new name and try that so I can get Mew WITHOUT SHARKING! A: Hold it right there. While it is determined by name, the lowest number assigned to a character (other than <Null-0>, <End-80>, and <Space>) is 128, for a capital A. In EVERY internal RBY variable that designates a Pokemon, Mew is assigned the number 21 (HEX 15). If you can make the connection, that means that NO name you enter will result in Mew being a possibility. The low numbers like 21 represent glitch characters that are not available for naming anything and can only be found with a Shark. For convenience, here is the table of what Pokemon will appear for each letter. Letters 3, 5, and 7 (as well as the usually-null slots 9 and 11) are used to determine this: <Null-0>: Even-more-glitched form of Missingno. with a name including 'M <End-80>: Missingno. A: Golduck B: Hypno C: Golbat D: Mewtwo (BIG OPPORTUNITY HERE!) E: Snorlax F: Magikarp G: Missingno. H: Missingno. I: Muk J: Missingno. K: Kingler L: Cloyster M: Missingno. N: Electrode O: Clefable P: Weezing Q: Persian R: Marowak S: Missingno. T: Haunter U: Abra V: Alakazam W: Pidgeotto X: Pidgeot Y: Starmie Z: Bulbasaur (Get all the starters without trading!) a: Missingno. b: Missingno. c: Missingno. d: Ponyta e: Rapidash f: Rattata g: Raticate h: Nidorino i: Nidorina j: Geodude k: Porygon l: Aerodactyl m: Missingno. n: Magnemite o: Missingno. p: Missingno. q: Charmander (Get all the starters without trading!) r: Squirtle (Get all the starters without trading!) s: Charmeleon t: Wartortle u: Charizard v: Missingno. w: Missingno. x: Missingno. y: Missingno. z: Oddish Note: If you want to try the glitch, DO NOT use one of the special characters in slots 3, 5, or 7. If you do, you might end up facing a Trainer. You can't get out of the match, and eventually one of their Pokemon will be a glitch that can freeze (and possibly erase) your game, one of the few dangerous aspects of this trick. Also, species from 3 goes with level from 2, species from 5 goes with level from 4, and species from 7 goes with level from 6. For the 11-character-long default names, 9 pairs with 8, and 11 with 10 similarly. Catching 'M has been known to crash games, but feel free to catch Missingno., throw some TMs on, and level it up. Missingno. and 'M evolve into Kangaskhan and/or Rhydon (which just so happen to have internal numbers of 02 and 01, respectively) at any level, though the specifics of this remain unknown. Finally, since your name isn't long enough to cover the entire Wild Encounter list, some of your most recent settings will remain. Your final two possibilities are Pokemon from the last area you entered a battle on land, at the level they existed at. Nothing special. Q: How about some examples? A: Okay. Test #1- Name: PIKACHU Letters 2, 4, and 6 (levels): 2: I = 9 + 127 = 136 4: A = 1 + 127 = 128 6: H = 8 + 127 = 135 Letters 3, 5, and 7 (species): 3: K = Kingler on chart 5: C = Golbat on chart 7: U = Abra on chart Combining the numbers, the name "PIKACHU" should yield L136 Kingler, L128 Golbat, and L135 Abra. Test it out; it does. Because it's a seven-character name, slot 8 is <End-80> and all subsequent ones are <Null-0>, which yields the usual 'M at L80 and L0. Test #2- Name: DxDyDzD Letters 2, 4, 6 (levels): x: 24 + 159 = 183 y: 25 + 159 = 184 z: 26 + 159 = 185 Letters 3, 5, and 7 (species): D = Mewtwo on chart Result: Mewtwo at levels 183-185. Name change, anyone? Test #3- Name: BLUE Result: Starmie, Abra, Golduck (????????) The name "BLUE" only has 4 letters, the third of which is a U, yielding Abra (the L giving L139). But that doesn't explain Starmie and Golduck! Here's the deal with that: Whenever you play one of the default names, it's actually one continuous string, and each default name from a given version uses the same string (with a different start point). Here is what each name really gives as far as variables are concerned (the _ counts as an <End-80>): Red: RED_ASH_JAC Ash: ASH_JACK_NE Jack: JACK_NEW_NA Blue: BLUE_GARY_J Gary: GARY_JOHN_N John: JOHN_NEW_NA Incidentally, you can Rare-Candy these L100+ monsters past 255 to get to L0, then to whatever you want. Or, you can just take them into battle, where ANY experience points revert them to L100. As a side note, remember that only three bytes are given to Experience Points, meaning that variable tops out at 16,777,215. The only reason this matters is when leveling up Pokemon to high levels. Experience Points for an L255: Normal Growth Schedule: 16,581,375 = HEX FD02FF Fast Growth Schedule: 13,265,100 = HEX CA68CC Slow Growth Schedule: 20,726,718 = HEX 13C43BE Fading Growth Schedule: 18,947,635 = HEX 1211E33 As you can see, the last two are problematic, because their binary representations will exceed the allocation of 24 bits. Using a Pokemon that surpasses the limit could throw the game off. The simple solution to this is to NOT KEEP ANYTHING THAT EXCEEDS 16777215. For Slow growth, anything up to L237 will be under the limit. For the Fading schedule, L245 is the highest safe level. Just keep that in mind, and the game won't freeze when you put away your high-level Mewtwo. Q: Where would I get that many Rare Candies? A: I was hoping you would ask. That's the other part of the Missingno. glitch. You see, when I was referring to the 8-bit variables earlier on, items also follow the 8-bit pattern. Whenever you run into Missingno. or 'M, it takes the first bit of the "Copies of Sixth Item Held" byte (D329) and sets it to 1. In simpler terms, if you have 127 or fewer copies of your sixth item, you get an additional 128 copies (if you already have 128+, nothing happens). And since the most copies of an item you can naturally have in a slot is 99 = HEX 63 = BIN 01100011, the "127 or less" requirement will always be fulfilled unless you sharked items past 127 or have used the trick on that item before. Q: How do I shark a name change? I want that "DxDyDzD" name without having to restart! A: Well, if you're sharking, just go ahead and get the Pokemon that way. But if you want a name change, here it is: Letter 1: 01**58D1 Letter 2: 01**59D1 Letter 3: 01**5AD1 Letter 4: 01**5BD1 Letter 5: 01**5CD1 Letter 6: 01**5DD1 Letter 7: 01**5ED1 Letter 8: 01**5FD1 Letter 9: 01**60D1 Letter 10: 01**61D1 Letter 11: 01**62D1 Enter the values for the necessary letters, then put a "50" in the value immediately following the end of your name, and fill all following values with "00". The chart for values is as follows: <Space>: 7F A 80 B 81 C 82 ... ... ... P 8F Q 90 ... ... ... Z 99 ( 9A ) 9B : 9C ; 9D [ 9E ] 9F a A0 b A1 c A2 ... ... ... z B9 Now consider yourself educated. (True, this section doesn't directly help your gameplay, but it does get you thinking in the way of the computer.) -------------------------------------------- |The Game's Two Most Important Computations| -------------------------------------------- Stats and damage. You may have already guessed at the formula behind stats, and indeed you may be correct. But it took a year and a half for anyone in the online community to discover the correct damage formula, and then only after a look through the ROM. But you'll need to know both the easy formula and the hard one to have a masterful grasp on the battle system. Be prepared to do some math: Stat Formula: Stat = int((2B + 2D + S) * L / 100) + X B: The base stat. This is the version of the stat that the game hardcodes, and is the first number of each stat in section 204. Base stats are contingent on the Pokemon's species and HP/AT/DF/SP/SC. The highest base stat in RBY is 250 for Chansey's HP (in GSC, Blissey replaces this with the maximum allowable 255). The lowest allowed base stat is 0, which is only achieved by Missingno.'s Defense. D: The DV (Determinant Value). DVs are a set of five 4-bit numbers contained within a random 16-bit variable; this 16-bit number is assigned as soon as your Pokemon is caught, and can't be changed afterward except by RAM modification. "How do you fit five 4-bit numbers in 16 bits?" Dependently, that's how. If the variable is expressed as a string of 16 consecutive 1s and/or 0s, then the first four bits are the Attack DV, the second four are the Defense DV, third four are Speed DV, and final four are Special DV. But HP DV is every fourth bit in order, borrowing one from each of the others. Anyway, each one follows the standard 4-bit limits of 0-15. And did I mention they're random unless you Shark them? S: Stat Points, a 6-bit number that's derived from a 16-bit variable. The 16- bit number is called Stat Experience (Stat Exp.), and is the source of the myth "Rare Candying leads to lower stats". Here's how it really works: 1. Each Pokemon has five Stat Exp. banks. (In GSC, the fifth one controls BOTH Special stats.) 2. Whenever you defeat a Pokemon on GB (not link or Stadium battles), a number of points equal to that Pokemon's base stats are added to the corresponding Stat Exp. banks. (In GSC, for the Special bank, the Special Attack is used to copy this.) This is what causes the "Train vs. Candy" myth; having your Pokemon level up via battles gives it Level Experience concurrent with Stat Experience, whereas using Rare Candies up to 100 will provide quite a bit of Level Experience with little effort, but lacks the Stat Experience which is responsible for up to 63 points in stats. But even at L100, it's possible to salvage the missing Stat Exp. by battle, so as long as you battle for Stat Exp. at SOME point (or save even more work and Shark the Stat Exp. banks), it doesn't matter if you Rare-Candy up your level a few times beforehand. The so-called "Box Trick" is just a clarifying step to supplement this; if you have an L100 gaining Stat Exp., you can't level up to force recalculation. You have to deposit the Pokemon into the PC, then take it out, in order to see a visible improvement in the stats (although Stadium will see this stat increase without having to deposit and withdraw). 3. Whenever you use a stat drug, such as Protein or Iron, the game looks at the proper Stat Exp. bank. If it's 25599 or less, 2560 is added; otherwise nothing happens. And since (as I'll explain later) it only takes 63002 to obtain the full benefit of the bank, stat drugs can cut your training time by almost half. Note I said "STAT Drug," though; it's never a good idea to feed a Pokemon real drugs. Or else your GB will start convulsing and eventually explode. (Yeah, that ought to be a strong enough myth.) And never, EVER, do drugs in real life, either. 4. In order to transfer Stat Exp. to Stat Points, there's yet another formula involved: P = int((sqrt(E - 1) + 1) / 4). And while E can reach a maximum of 65535, that would create an output of over 64, which violates the 6-bit limit for Stat Points. So any Stat Exp. beyond 65025 is disregarded (this number creates an output just under 64), and in order to be right at the maximum 63, one needs to collect 63002 Stat Exp. in a given bank. L: Level. This seemingly simple 8-bit number is actually the by-product of a 24-bit variable (EXP Points), derived from one of four formulas according to species. 1. Slow: L = int(int(E ^ (1 / 3)) * 0.8) 2. Normal: L = int(E ^ (1 / 3)) 3. Fast: L = int(int(E ^ (1 / 3)) * 1.25) 4. Fading: E = int(1.2 * L3) - (15 * L2) + (100 * L) - 140 (For formula 4, just use reverse substitution. It's much easier to work that way than with the inverse function.) Obviously, L is capped at 100, unless you start above that level (see Missingno. Section), and then any experience gained through battling (not Rare Candies) will still set your level back to 100, by setting E accordingly. X: The Unequalizer. Rather simple; for HP, X = L + 10. Otherwise, X = 5. The X is why L0 Pokemon don't have 0 stats; they have 10 HP and 5 all else. It's also why, when measured on an even scale with other stats, it's almost impossible for a Pokemon to have poor HP. Finally, there are stat modifiers, which are in-battle alterations to stats. Each stat modifier goes from -6 to 6 (Swords Dance raises Attack modifier by 2, Screech lowers opponent's Defense modifier by 2, X Speed increases Speed modifier by 1, etc.) and affects stats by the following correspondence: -6: x0.25 -5: x0.286 (2/7) -4: x0.333 (1/3) -3: x0.4 -2: x0.5 -1: x0.667 (2/3) ?0: x1 +1: x1.5 +2: x2 +3: x2.5 +4: x3 +5: x3.5 +6: x4 Note, though, that stat modifiers can't take a stat past 999. For example, imagine a Cloyster (458 Defense) decided to make the incredibly stupid mistake of using Withdraw over and over. First one is x1.5 = 687, second is x2 = 916, and third is x2.5 = 1145, but reduced to 999. And future Withdraw use won't raise the stat any more, nor will they even increase the physical modifier. For example, the Cloyster could Withdraw six times, but one Screech and the modifier is back down to +1, because it's never allowed to pass +3. Of course, this is just an example. Withdraw isn't a good idea on ANYONE, much less Cloyster. And now the much tougher subject, damage: Damage = int((min(int(int(((2 + int(0.4 * L)) * A * P) / D) / 50) , 997) + 2) * X) The above is actually a rearrangement of the formula that allowed me to make it easier to teach. Just remember this saying: "LAPD is trying to catch the criminal mastermind X, but it's caught in the middle of two 2s, point-four, and a 50." Got that? The signs will fill in naturally after a while. Even if you already had the formula, the above version is much more fun to use. Now on with the next step: deciphering each letter. L: Your level. See the stat formula in case you need to know how to calculate it (unlikely because you keep seeing it above your health bar). It's actually an element in this formula independent of the stats it helps create. Note: For RBY Critical Hits, you'll be doubling this value, and treating all Stat Modifiers as 0. A: Your Attack stat. Use Special (GSC'ers use Special Attack) instead if the attack is Special-typed (Fire, Water, Ice, Electric, Grass, Psychic, Dragon; plus Dark in GSC). P: The move's power. 10 for Constrict, 50 for Struggle, 100 for Earthquake, etc. If you're unsure of a move's power, then find the Move Lookup in section 204. Enjoy. D: The opponent's Defense. As with A, use the Special version of the stat on a special-typed attack. X: Extra multipliers: 1. STAB - x1.5 if the move's type matches one of your types (even Normal-types get this bonus) 2. Type 1 - x0, x0.5, x1, or x2 based on the matchup of attack type vs. opponent's Type 1 (see the Type Chart) 3. Type 2 - x0, x0.5, x1, or x2 based on the matchup of attack type vs. opponent's Type 2, if any (see the Type Chart) 4. Random Number - x((217 + Z) / 255), where Z is a random number from 0 to 38 --------------------- |Game-Defining Facts| --------------------- Okay, these are just some oddball facts that come in handy in some situations. The game isn't the same without them. 1. The 99.6 Rule Yes, that much-hated rule comes to haunt players all the time. But what is it? Well, each move has an 8-bit accuracy number. This means 0 to 255, although the lowest such number actually assigned to a move is 75 for the one-hit kills. Basically, the accuracy check is "Throw out a random 8-bit number, and if it's less than the accuracy number, the move hits." Notice anything wrong with that? Yep--it's "less than" instead of "less than or equal to". Which means that when the random check turns up 255, it causes any move--including Psychic, Thunderbolt, and yes, even Swift--to miss. So the so-called "100 accuracy" moves actually have a 1-in-256 (0.390625%) chance to miss. Hence it's called "The 99.6 Rule" (the pedantic version, "The 99.609375 Rule," puts too little emphasis on the rule and too much on the number). And until GSC (even afterwards, including some who believe in it to this day), everyone feared that it would strike at the most inopportune time. All it did was turn surefire wins into losses for no apparent reason, and with no possible circumvention. 2. Critical Hits Critical hits seem random, and beyond control. But in fact, some Pokemon get to skew the crit-hit odds. It's a very simple formula: Odds = S / 512, where S is the base Speed. Not the maximum, or the current value of the stat. Take the maximum, subtract 98, cut it in half, and there's your base stat. Odds for Razor Leaf, Karate Chop, Slash, and Crabhammer = S / 64 (maximum 255/256) Odds with Focus Energy (Stadium) = S / 128 (again with the 255 cap) Odds with Focus Energy (GB) = no change when faster than opponent, 0% when slower. This is a glitch. 3. Moves that Work Incorrectly Some of RBY's moves are, to say the least, programmed badly. (This doesn't count PBS-only glitches like Pin Missile. That's the fault of the PBS designer--go write to said authority immediately if you don't like it.) Counter: You'd think this move could hit all Physical attacks, right? It even says so in all of Nintendo's documented material! But if you're curious why Counter seems to miss 80% of the time, it's because the move won't do anything for Flying, Bug, Ground, Rock, Ghost, and Poison attacks. Just Normal and Fighting. Not only does this make one wonder why Gengar is capable of picking up Counter, but it gives added merit to Earthquake, Rock Slide, and Drill Peck. Substitute: It was bad originally, but Stadium was saving grace and more. It seems natural that a Substitute would protect its user from being paralyzed, poisoned, burned, frozen, sapped, slowed down, and various other maladies. And on Stadium, it does so just fine, but if you're planning on link-battling (or playing an online simulator, which channels the Game Boy version), you'll have to plan on finding, you guessed it, a substitute for Substitute! Haze: The anti-stat-modifier, it's drastically overlooked by those who insist on the DT Ban, mainly because the same group is hell-bent against GSC- transferred moves, and the set of pure-RBY Hazers is, well, bad. But there's another little cost involved. You knock out the stat modifiers, but if the opponent has a condition (like poison or freeze), that gets erased too! And no, if you have a condition as well, that doesn't get erased! (However, Attack drop from Burn or Speed loss from Paralyze will indeed go away from your Pokemon.) So if you expect the opponent to Haze, don't hesitate to switch to a frozen Pokemon, if you have one. The One-Hit Kills: I don't know if it was intentional or not, but Fissure, Horn Drill, and Guillotine have an added mask that makes them hit even less than the documented 30% rate. Essentially: If a OHKO (one-hit KO) move goes second, it can't hit. This is why Stadium's Gambler always used moves like Body Slam, Thunder Wave, and Bubblebeam: so he could strike first. If you're one of the many that has trouble with Gambler, here's the best piece of advice yet: Use fast Pokemon, along with moves like Substitute for paralyze defense. Also, if you plan on using OHKOs in your team, do everyone a favor and don't waste them on Rhydon or other slow monsters. ----------------------------------------- |71/2 Habits of Highly Ineffective Players| ----------------------------------------- This is where my ruthless style of "reconstruct the statement without assuming anything" really starts to shine. I will take seven incorrect statements that the neophytes tend to believe, advocate, and brag about with respect to team building (plus an all-purpose statement numbered 71/2), and turn them around. I've come to give a detailed analysis of the flaw in each, and give a line of reasoning that defeats their supporters. Remember these for situations where you may be forced to use similar lines of argument. Are you ready? 1. "Dig and Fly are good because you get a free turn" Where's the "free turn" coming from? If it's "opponent misses", then that's not a free turn. It's one wasted PP, which is irrelevant in all but the most extreme of cases (and Dig and Fly aren't exactly the best of PP wasters anyway.) Here's what happens: You use Dig/Fly, causing no damage yet. Opponent attacks, missing (except in the case of Swift, where the move's a definite disadvantage), no damage. You resurface, 70-100 power. Opponent hits, power equal to the move. So over two turns, you each hit once. No one gets a free turn from that. And since most of the game's good moves fall into the 85-100 power bracket, Fly is usually disadvantaged (because they get in 85-100 while you only hit for 70) and Dig's advantage is only minor if at all (imagine Digging Charizard taking a Surf on the alternate turn--instead of 100-95, it's a 190-100 disadvantage). But it's more complicated. When you Fly/Dig, you completely give away what your next action will be. This gives the OPPONENT a free turn--a free opportunity to switch to a type resistant/immune to your attack--and you'll either have to fight into a clear disadvantage or switch into an attack that you have no real anticipation of. So now, when you expected to GAIN a turn, you actually LOST a turn. And if you don't think the opponent's smart enough to switch after a Dig/Fly, then that's one of the most unforgiving mistakes in the game. Always assume the opponent to be an educated player going into the battle: if you do so, and guess wrong, you're still playing with a competitive mindset and will win easily. On the other hand, if you guess the opponent to be a complete idiot, and are wrong that time, you've given the opponent a prime opportunity to breach your intentional downplay, resulting in your demise. Some bad. But at least now you know why Dig and Fly are bad propositions, and what to do if your opponent tries them. 2. "Don't waste turns on defensive moves" Let me guess--you want to think of this game as a tempo war, and in order to win, you try to apply constant pressure such that you never lose tempo, right? Well then, I suggest you go read about any of the numerous chess games won by a Queen sacrifice or similar stratagem. This illustrates a point: sometimes you can temporarily lose tempo, only to gain it back later, in full force, and for good. Time to look at it mathematically: Reflect and Barrier are first to be handled. Into a physical attacker, putting up a Reflect will cut all future hits in half. You lose one turn when you put up the Reflect, but every opposing attack gets you +1/2 turn. This means that after one turn (2 if you're slower), the Reflect has already paid for itself. Anything beyond that is just gravy. Barrier is just like it, but can pump up the protection even more (however, each subsequent use requires an additional turn for self-redemption). And if you've "forced" the opponent into special attacks, then since that wasn't the opponent's plan to begin with, you've still been given an advantage. And if Reflect and Barrier are worth it, then Amnesia (a Special-ized version of Barrier that also pumps your attacking potential) becomes the best move in the game, or close to it. Next, Recover and Rest. These are usually easy to demonstrate. Recover is "I lose one turn, but your strike is reduced by 50% of my HP." So if the opponent is hitting for less than 50% a turn, then you register a gain over the one-turn interval. And if they can hit for over 50%, then it's likely a losing proposition anyway, and you should switch. Furthermore, notwithstanding the one-turn interval, you're making sure a key Pokemon on your team gets to stick around long enough to do what you want it to do--which can't be expressed in terms of "turn advantage". And Recover has 32 PP, which is enough to waste any one of the playable attacks and have somewhere between 8-24 PP left. You're trading one of their moves for 25%-75% of yours. Another intangible, but obvious, advantage. Rest is harder to use effectively. While Recover should NEVER be left out of the set of any Pokemon that gets it, if the same were true with Rest then one move of EVERY moveset would already be known. Rest maxes out your HP, and gets rid of status inflictions...at the cost of three turns. Unless you're expecting to take three hits, and/or give the opponent free switching turns, Rest won't be beneficial. Double Team can help in that regard. But on a defensive Pokemon such as Lapras or Chansey (although Chansey gets Softboiled), Rest can be worth it even without an evade modifier. With one...look out. Speaking of Evade modifiers, Double Team and Minimize are downright abusive when set up in multiples. The basic plan with DTs is to make sure you're alive long enough that their misses outnumber your DTs. Granted, Swift supposedly renders this moot, but Swift is only 60 power; evaders usually come equipped with Recover or Rest which should out recover Swift's damage. If nothing else, even on fragile Pokemon, DT-Rest is a highly compatible combo that at least wastes PP. You never know when you'll hit a Blizzard and run it out, saving your Dragonite from potential ruin... So you DON'T have to deal damage every turn to win, you just have to make sure that your per-turn average exceeds your opponent's. And defensive moves are usually a way of using one turn in order to earn a payoff at EVERY subsequent turn, or a way to stick around enough to deliver more blows. Attacks are only one-turn effects. Useless? I think not. 3. "Hyper Beam is the best move in the game" Power-wise, H-Beam may be second in the game (behind Explosion's 170, although both that and Selfdestruct have automatic double-damage subroutines), but what are you really getting? Turn 1, 150 power attack. Turn 2, do nothing (0 power). 2-turn iteration, average 75 power per turn. Factor in accuracy, and your overall average is under 68 a turn. Meanwhile, your opponent gets to strike for a hit each time. All they have to do is outdamage 68 a turn. What are the most likely attacks to be used? Psychic - 90 power Thunderbolt - 95 power Ice Beam - 95 power Blizzard - 120 power (229 accuracy; average 108) Fire Blast - 120 power (216 accuracy, average 102) Flamethrower - 95 power Surf - 95 power Razor Leaf - 55 power (critical mania, average 81-104 depending on Pokemon) Earthquake - 100 power Body Slam - 85 power Rock Slide - 75 power (229 accuracy; average 68) Drill Peck - 80 power Double-Edge - 100 power (25% back at user; total advantage 75) All of which are at least as good as H-Beam's average. Remember, some of those moves will hit for super effective damage, whereas Hyper Beam never can. Further disadvantage to the Beam.

And with the attacks listed above, you may paralyze, freeze, or lower Special on the opponent. Hyper Beam's side effect? Lose a turn. In RBY link battles (not Stadium), the problem was rectifiable, since you didn't lose the turn on a miss or KO. Therefore, H-Beam could be used to finish off an opponent that might otherwise be out of reach, without fear. Under Stadium, if you get a Hyper Beam KO, the opponent just brings in the Pokemon you fear most, and you have no choice but to take the hit. How good is the move looking now? 4. "Thunder/Fire Blast/Hydro Pump/Blizzard ROCKS!" Ugh. The above statement does get 1.5 out of 4 right, but the general idea of overpowering everything may just leave you high and dry with nothing to show for it. First off, I have a nickname for attacks like those. They're called VHPSAs (Very-High-Power Special Attacks), and their usefulness depends on how badly the programmers set out to wreck them. Obviously the VHPSAs wouldn't have been created unless there was a chip taken out of accuracy, or else their HPSA counterparts (Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Surf...) would be put completely to shame. But each of the moves has a different accuracy, and hence have different degrees of usefulness. At this point I'd like to bring up the idea of Statistical Power, which is the product of a move's power on a hit and the fraction of times during which it should hit. For example, a 90-power move with accuracy 70% (note - if such a move is ever created, avoid it like Michael Jackson) would have Statistical Power 63. Over a span of 1000 turns, 700 uses of the move would be expected to hit, dealing 90 * 700 = 63000 power worth of damage. The remaining 300 uses will miss, dealing 0. Overall power is 63000, divided by the 1000 turns, for an average of 63. Now, this tool can be used to compare VHPSAs to their HPSA counterparts. Blizzard, at SP 108, is the select move of the four, the one that no one will criticize you for using (or if they do, the criticizer obviously needs to read a 200-page analysis of the Pokemon games). If you're trying to use Ice moves with attackers, put Blizzard first. It might even make a difference -- Clefable vs. Nidoking comes to mind, where Ice Beam is practically a guaranteed kill in 3...but with Blizzard, it's about 81% to save a full turn. Of course, if you're trying to play defense and still want an Ice attack, this is where Ice Beam still has a use. The other major aspect of the HPSA/VHPSA war is how many PP the moves have, and Chansey or Lapras can quite easily stay alive long enough to exhaust the 8-round clip of Blizzard. Ice Beam, on the other hand, allows them to stay busy for another eight turns, dealing more overall Ice Beam damage than a full set of Blizzard hits could possibly deal. It may take longer to dish out the damage, but these aren't speed-centered Pokemon...who cares about how long it takes to kill? Just remember...if your Pokemon isn't going to live for eight attacking turns very often, there's little point in the Beam. Fire Blast comes next with an SP of 102, and has the added edge of being available as an RBY TM (Flamethrower fans, don't worry, a quick commute to Crystal will allow access to that move). However, it suffers from being Fire, the type with a very narrow scope in this domain. The move has to vie with Blizzard, and lower accuracy combined with an inferior side effect...not good. Only Fire-types should use this attack, and only if they can be proven superior to comparable Ice-types. Not too likely. But if, for some reason, you absolutely insist on a Fire attack (and have access to both choices), the consensus seems to be that each person makes their own decision. There hasn't been a single definitive argument in the 41/2 years of Pokemon's existence that has decided this debate one way or the other. On paper, Hydro Pump comes out ahead of its HPSA counterpart, 96-95. But in this case, Surf has 16 extra PP (though that rarely comes into play), a one- point lead is no decision-maker, and the mere fact that Surf is actually consistent should overcome that one point. To extend the point, imagine if there was a 960-power Water attack with accuracy 10%. Yes, it averages above Surf as well, but Surf's consistency makes it much more useful. Hydro Pump is a less severe version of this effect. Last, and most definitely least, Thunder. With accuracy 178 (this makes an incredible jump to 179 in GSC, and Blizzard gets knocked down to that level, dooming it in that game), Thunder's SP sits back at 84. And while it's the only VHPSA with 16 PP, Thunderbolt still has 24. Thunder does miss, and too often for it to be useful at anything. New players like hitting for a lot of damage at once, which could be one driving force behind their decisions. But remember that this will also lead to quite a few turns during which 0 damage is dealt. Bad? Yep. 5. "Doubling up on attacks is a good thing" I don't know where people get that idea, but it's still a very bad idea. You've all seen Ember/Fire Blast/Flamethrower/Fire Spin movesets for Charizard. And if you're the kind of person to actually USE a moveset like that, then pay close attention to this. When there are two or more moves of any type in a set, you lose versatility. In the Charizard set above, with only Fire moves, all you do is establish victory over Grass and Bug types. One Fire move (preferably Flamethrower; some players will recommend Fire Blast) will be enough to show that. But in this case, you leave yourself no option in a type disadvantage but to switch. Say the opponent sends in Omastar...what would you do? Blast it for a maximum of 31 damage? I didn't think so. Charizard would be much better off with something like Flamethrower (or Fire Blast, but only one)/Earthquake/Rock Slide/Swords Dance. If you have a super effective move, it doesn't matter how many you have; you can still only get one hit per turn. By devoting only one slot to Fire, you have three more to try and combat less desirable matchups. In fact, it's usually a good idea to Swords Dance even against a Grass-type. They can't accomplish much by staying in, so you get a free Attack boost while they switch to a Water- or Rock-type. Then you get to pummel them with the equivalent of two Earthquakes, which might just take the opponent out before you have to take a hit. Another thing: When you have four moves of the same type, do you seriously intend on using all of them? In the example above, Flamethrower/Fire Blast/Ember/Fire Spin, will you EVER plan on using Ember? Why have 40 power when you can use Flamethrower for 95 with the same accuracy? The only conceivable reason is in case all other moves run out of PP, to which I say: If you've already dished out 3220 power in moves (in increments of 95 or 120), to no avail, what good will an extra 1920 do, dished out just 40 at a time? If Fire moves aren't working, perhaps you should try out another type. And as for the case against Fire Spin, see part 7. 6. "Toxic/Leech Seed is the ultimate combo" Congratulations, you've found a glitch. Leech Seed's sap counter is run by the same variable as Toxic's, and as Toxic makes it go up, Leech Seed gets to join the fun as well. But in reality, Toxic is one of the WORST moves you can use in a game, and Leech Seed is at best another PP bank that force-switches (a losing proposition). What does Toxic do? It starts out taking 6.25% health, then increases drainage by 6.25% each turn. When that's up, Leech Seed will take as much, but will move the drained HP to the other side of the board. As long as the opponent's Pokemon stays active. And since this is RBY, there's no way to ensure that except by killing all 5 of its teammates, which (if your opponent knows this) won't come about from Leech Seed-Toxic. You use Toxic...they get poisoned, and switch. Now the fun part: After they switch, the game no longer acknowledges that Poison as being a result of Toxic. Which means that even if the opponent brings the poisoned Pokemon back out, to let it get Seeded, the poison counter will no longer rise. They'll lose an insignificant 12.5% a turn, plus whatever pitifully weak attack your Grass-type uses, meaning you usually need to survive for 4-7 turns in order to kill (barring Recover or Rest, and Rest has the somewhat-questionable effect of wiping out poison). All you get is an even more insignificant 6.25% health back each time. So your health meter plus 25-44% will need to last 7 turns...as long as the opponent can deal 20% a turn for 7 turns, or 32% for 4, that's a losing proposition. And when the opponent is poisoned, they're immune to the much more dangerous ailments of Sleep, Paralyze, and Freeze. Some bad. Verdict on Toxic/Leech Seed? Save it for fun matches, or 1-on-1s where there is no fear of switching. 7. "Moves like Fire Spin and Wrap make you invincible" One, they don't, and two, this is RBY, so they don't even perform anything useful. Fire Spin, Wrap, Bind, and Clamp are fundamentally misleading. Sure, they make it seem like you get several hits in a row while the opponent does nothing... ...But wouldn't it make sense to think of all those turns as one big attack, like Pin Missile or Spike Cannon? After all, the power of each hit is nowhere near impressive. Combining multiple hits together, we get maximum power of 75 for Wrap, Bind, and Fire Spin, and 175 for Clamp. So Clamp is the only one that stands out, especially considering these aren't 48-PP moves, and none are more accurate than 85%. But let's also take into consideration that those are 5-hit figures. Average hit count of 3.5 gives totals of 122.5 for Clamp and 52.5 for the rest. Again, only Clamp looks remotely interesting. Okay, intervention time. "What if I strike first with a multi-turn move?" In theory, that means you just continue pummeling the opponent without fear of retribution. However, that only lasts as long as you keep hitting, and when the most accurate of the moves is 85%, you aren't really invincible. More on this later. Intervention #2: "Okay, it may seem like one move, but it's multiple turns. This means Toxic gets more time to work." Either you're stuck in a GSC mindset, or you haven't read Habit #6. Do that now. Enough with the interventions (interventia?). Time to give the one tactic that will beat multi-turn moves once and for all...THE SWITCH. (Doesn't that seem like the most powerful "move" in the game right about now?) Again, there's no way to prevent a switch in RBY. Once you use Wrap, or whatever multi-turn move you have, the opponent (who is smart, and has read this section) will simply switch. The multi-turn move automatically ends, and to add insult to (lack of) injury, you don't get to do anything that turn. The so-called "invincibility" move now reads: 15-35 Power, 70-85 Accuracy, 16-32 PP, Opponent gets to switch to the Pokemon of their choice. I thought a 70-accuracy, 16-PP move would be better than that. But it isn't, and Wrap, Clamp, and Bind aren't much better. Now do you see why? 71/2: "I'm the best" Those neophytes never cease to throw out this line. The rebuttal of such logically ignorant statements as this appears to be difficult, but when it works, the pleasure gained by humiliating your clueless adversary is nearly unmatched in all of gaming. Here goes: Part 1 of the argument debates against the very declaration of inherency. Very few things may properly be considered "intrinsic", and those that can are simply philosophical ideals, far out of the reach of such a subject as gaming. Pokemon is simply a set of electronic switches, arranged so as to enable interactive control over a "game". Many people have scoured the code many times over, and nothing in it states that any one player is automatically better at playing than anyone else. With fundamental possibilities out of the way, all that remains is to demonstrate how the defendant is NOT "the best player the game has ever seen". The most obvious way to accomplish this is by challenging him or her to a simple 6-on-6 battle. If the challenge is refused, for ANY reason, the following line is a surefire way to draw the opponent across the line in this "mismatched argumentative tug-of-war": "Since you were the one that made the original statement, you're the one with the burden of proof. Refusal to battle implies nothing but lack of proof." Without proof, their "I'm the best" cannot hold. Eventually, they will be forced into one of several stances, each of which has an easy counter: 1 - They attempt to quietly duck out of the argument, change the subject, or otherwise try to divert your mind, in the futile hope that you won't consider them having admitted anything. Answer: In order to be a top-level player and teacher, you can't let anyone get away this easily. Ask your "student", flat out, whether they still believe they're the best. On a "no", your job is done. On a "yes", the rest of the conversation should unfold as follows: You: "Why?" Clueless Opponent: "Because no one can beat me!" "Well, if you never let anyone fight you, then your claim isn't saying much." "I've beaten <SomeUnbelievableNumber> people without losing!" "And I'm supposed to be tricked into thinking <ThatNumber> is a diverse, representative population of all classes of Pokemon players? For all I know, all those players were just 8-year-olds in your neighborhood who think Hyper Beam is the game's best move." "SHUT UP!" "Not without a reason. Everyone has equal entitlement to state their cases and rebuttals, and the line 'Shut Up' does not change any truths." "*Breaks down*" "So do you want to learn the PROPER fundamentals of the game?" and then show them this guide. Congratulations, you now have a following. 2 - They try to dismiss your claim as random words which mean nothing. Answer: If you carry a dictionary in your pocket (like me), you can show your victim just what each and every one of the words means. If not, try rephrasing it: "People don't see drastic-sounding statements like ' I'm the best' to be true unless you can prove it. Except by testing in a battle, there isn't much you can do to prove your words." If you can make this even more kid-friendly, good for you. If they continue to call your statement "gibberish", remind them that "if you can't understand this, you're only making an ass out of yourself, and don't sound anywhere near smart enough to play at the top level of competition." As usual, bust out the guide in its entirely, and let an otherwise-doomed player learn the real game in Pokemon. 3 - They go ahead and battle. Answer: Seeing as you've read this guide, and anyone who throws out such ridiculous lines probably hasn't, winning should be easy (but remember never to stereotype someone's battling ability before the fight actually begins). Again, there are a few post-battle possibilities. A - They try to duck out of it. See Option #1. B - They state "YOU CHEATED". This is the most common answer when a new player loses to someone in the upper echelon. The obvious answer to give is "How did I cheat?" Normally, their counter rebuttal can be answered by some combination of showing them this guide or the screen on your GB. Point out that you don't have a Shark plugged in (while you may have one at home, anything you do is attainable by legal means). Point out that illegal stats can be reset by depositing into a box and then withdrawing. If you have access to a computer, point out the following site: www.sirlin.net/features/feature_PlayToWinPart1.htm (Playing to Win, an important part of David Sirlin's excellent website that outlines game design). Tell your soon-to-be-educated adversary that while that page uses Street Fighter as an example, most of the same principles apply to Pokemon. For example, "staying in a block" can be equated with "using evasion". Explain that "the tactics I'm using aren't 'cheap' or 'cheating', they're just 'playing to win'. Do you have a problem with that? Read the site, and you'll agree." At this point, any response can be quickly dismissed. But if their answer is "You cheated because you won", it's a different argument. You can counter by saying "So you really think I'm explicitly banned from winning, or you're explicitly protected from losing? No. The game of Pokemon does not guarantee that any player must always lose or always win. Such a game is called 'I Win'. Pokemon is not 'I Win', and no one will ever willfully play 'I Win' when they aren't the 'I'. With this in mind, did I really cheat, and if so, how?" You now have the offender pinned against the wall. Congratulations. C - They blame it on luck, and want to play again. Go ahead and take them up on the offer--you've got the proven tactics, right? Keep fighting them until they realize that luck won't help in this match. Or if it does, simply point out "So out of eight battles, you won once? If luck comes to the rescue just 12.5% of the time, then taking an average split of the luck seems to result in your demise." Change the 8 and 12.5% based on if and when they ever do break through. The ultimate point to be reinforced is that if so many battles result in such a skewed outcome, the difference is more than luck. If their one win represents the way battles "should" happen, how come you have seven times as many? The teams must be mismatched, and it's your cue to show how teams should be built. So many possibilities, but it's all covered. "I'm the best" has no foundation, and if you can demonstrate that, welcome to the world of recruiting. (Just for the record, I have no connection to the military of the United States, or any other nation, at the time of this guide's most recent update.) ------------- |House Rules| ------------- If you simply play by the rules the game has given you, most opponents you'll find online simply walk away. Why? Pokemon on its own is unbalanced, and a game with a single idealized team pitted against itself over and over isn't really a game. So players decide to enforce their own rules of balance in order to make the game playable, and different players go to different extents to achieve this balance. Let's take a look at the most common rules you'll run into. So as not to infuse opinion into their enforcement, only a summary of each rule will be given underneath each one. After each has been presented, an "editorial" section will follow, in the Fox News tradition of "We report, YOU decide." E- mail me with your vantage points on the rules, and they'll be published in a future edition! LEGEND BAN "Take your Mewtwo and Mew away from my battle arena. They overcentralize the game." SPECIES LIMIT "Six Alakazams? Bo-ring. Why don't you try diversifying?" SLEEP RESTRICTION "Come on! I'm already asleep! Isn't two simultaneous Spores a little excessive?" (Note: This restriction doesn't count Rest-induced sleep.) EVADE BAN/RESTRICTION "Remove those DTs and Minimizes immediately! I don't want to be here all day!" ONE-HIT KILL BAN "This is Pokemon, not Craps. Fissure, Horn Drill, and Guillotine are simply out of place in this game." RBY PURITY "Tradeback Move Lists? To hell with them! This is RBY!" **EDITORIALS** 1 editorial(s) so far. Me, 2003/01/31: "People have a tendency to be too restrictive on themselves. The clearest cause I can see is that they don't want to have to think about as much, and so they reduce the possible scope of the game. If this is so, it effectively defeats most of the purpose of such a game. Unfortunately, this reduction prevents many otherwise-viable teams from ever materializing. First things first, let me say: Pokemon needs its luck-based decisions. If there was no luck, then a given battle between any two players would always turn out nearly identically, and there would be no use for rematches. That said, both One-Hit Kills and Evasion Modifiers are simply ways of testing luck. It might pay off, making you invincible or ending the battle quickly. On the other hand, if you're misfortunate, then all those turns spent with Double Team or Fissure are completely wasted. It's the probability factor that keeps the game interesting: they're not guaranteed to overpower the game, but they're not so bad as to be inconsiderable for a team. And if you're worried about 5-hour evasion wars, then maybe Pokemon isn't the right game for you. Mewtwo was made as nothing more than a prize for "completing" the game; it doesn't belong in the same realm as the rest. Give it eight turns, and most teams will be long gone. No other Pokemon pulls this off. So yes, it does need to be set aside. As for Tradebacks, this is quite possibly the subject of more debate than any other in the game's history. Here's my stance on the subject: This game needs to be playable if it is to remain a game. One of the ways of accomplishing this is to keep the environment changing. This has already happened. Yellow came out, with its moveset expansions, and no one complained. Stadium came out, allowing Raichu to acquire Surf and Golduck to acquire Amnesia, and no one complained. Likewise, Crystal provided about 25 new egg moves, some of which were quite usable, and still no one complained (at least not after the game was physically released in this country). Why, then, is the G/S transition unacceptable for move distribution? Is it the sheer quantity of moves involved, which requires you to think even more, which can't possibly be good? How absurd..."thinking too much"... There is one other possibility, that being "RBY and GSC were intended as completely separate domains". Except if this were true, the Time Machine would not have been created in the first place, RBY-only moves would have to be banned from GSC, and all RBY players would have no reason to keep playing those games after October 15, 2000 (since the history books on those games could progress no longer). I'm viewing all of Pokemon as a single game, and the RBY and GSC subdivisions as two different rule subsets by which to play the game, one of which just so happens to be more limited than the other. But all of it evolves at once, so if a move is given to one version of the game, any other version to which it can be transferred must have access as well. Here's a short and simple ruleset by which RBY battles can be played as openly as possible without being broken. I call it the Unrestricted Standard Set of Rules, or USSR: 1. All moves shall function as mandated by the current battle medium. 2. Mewtwo at L83 or less is legal; L84 or more results in disqualification. 3. Mew at L90 or less is legal; L91 or more results in disqualification. 4. Use of multiple Pokemon of the same species on the same team results in disqualification. 5. Use of any move not on a Pokemon's Level-up, TM, HM, Stadium Special, or Tradeback List (as subject to the 11/11 Criterion) results in disqualification. Have fun, and don't do drugs." Submit your editorials at the address found way back on page 4. ---------------- |Gameshark Help| ---------------- Just for quick reference, here's a quick list of the codes you'll use most often. (All codes listed are for Red/Blue; Yellow may require the subtraction of 1 from the sixth digit.) Also note that, unless a key is listed below it, 'xx' is equal to the hex representation of whatever number you're looking for. I won't go into a complete chart of hex values, but hex 63 is decimal 99, and hex FF is decimal 255 (the highest allowed value). Those values should satisfy most of your needs. Move Modifier: 01xx73D1 (first), 01xx74D1 (second), 01xx75D1 (third), 01xx76D1 (fourth) Key for xx: 00 - <empty slot> 01 - Pound 02 - Karate Chop 03 - Double Slap 04 - Comet Punch 05 - Mega Punch 06 - Pay Day 07 - Fire Punch 08 - Ice Punch 09 - Thunderpunch 0A - Scratch 0B - Vice Grip 0C - Guillotine 0D - Razor Wind 0E - Swords Dance 0F - Cut 10 - Gust 11 - Wing Attack 12 - Whirlwind 13 - Fly 14 - Bind 15 - Slam 16 - Vine Whip 17 - Stomp 18 - Double Kick 19 - Mega Kick 1A - Jump Kick 1B - Rolling Kick 1C - Sand-Attack 1D - Headbutt 1E - Horn Attack 1F - Fury Attack 20 - Horn Drill 21 - Tackle 22 - Body Slam 23 - Wrap 24 - Take Down 25 - Thrash 26 - Double-Edge 27 - Tail Whip 28 - Poison Sting 29 - Twineedle 2A - Pin Missile 2B - Leer 2C - Bite 2D - Growl 2E - Roar 2F - Sing 30 - Supersonic 31 - Sonicboom 32 - Disable 33 - Acid 34 - Ember 35 - Flamethrower 36 - Mist 37 - Water Gun 38 - Hydro Pump 39 - Surf 3A - Ice Beam 3B - Blizzard 3C - Psybeam 3D - Bubblebeam 3E - Aurora Beam 3F - Hyper Beam 40 - Peck 41 - Drill Peck 42 - Submission 43 - Low Kick 44 - Counter 45 - Seismic Toss 46 - Strength 47 - Absorb 48 - Mega Drain 49 - Leech Seed 4A - Growth 4B - Razor Leaf 4C - Solar Beam 4D - Poisonpowder 4E - Stun Spore 4F - Sleep Powder 50 - Petal Dance 51 - String Shot 52 - Dragon Rage 53 - Fire Spin 54 - Thundershock 55 - Thunderbolt 56 - Thunder Wave 57 - Thunder 58 - Rock Throw 59 - Earthquake 5A - Fissure 5B - Dig 5C - Toxic 5D - Confusion 5E - Psychic 5F - Hypnosis 60 - Meditate 61 - Agility 62 - Quick Attack 63 - Rage 64 - Teleport 65 - Night Shade 66 - Mimic 67 - Screech 68 - Double Team 69 - Recover 6A - Harden 6B - Minimize 6C - Smokescreen 6D - Confuse Ray 6E - Withdraw 6F - Defense Curl 70 - Barrier 71 - Light Screen 72 - Haze 73 - Reflect 74 - Focus Energy 75 - Bide 76 - Metronome 77 - Mirror Move 78 - Selfdestruct 79 - Egg Bomb 7A - Lick 7B - Smog 7C - Sludge 7D - Bone Club 7E - Fire Blast 7F - Waterfall 80 - Clamp 81 - Swift 82 - Skull Bash 83 - Spike Cannon 84 - Constrict 85 - Amnesia 86 - Kinesis 87 - Softboiled 88 - Hi Jump Kick 89 - Glare 8A - Dream Eater 8B - Poison Gas 8C - Barrage 8D - Leech Life 8E - Lovely Kiss 8F - Sky Attack 90 - Transform 91 - Bubble 92 - Dizzy Punch 93 - Spore 94 - Flash 95 - Psywave 96 - Splash 97 - Acid Armor 98 - Crabhammer 99 - Explosion 9A - Fury Swipes 9B - Bonemerang 9C - Rest 9D - Rock Slide 9E - Hyper Fang 9F - Sharpen A0 - Conversion A1 - Tri Attack A2 - Super Fang A3 - Slash A4 - Substitute A5 - Struggle Wild Pokemon level modifier: 01xxBFCF Wild Pokemon species modifier: 01xxD8CF Key for xx: 01 - Rhydon 02 - Kangaskhan 03 - NidoranM 04 - Clefairy 05 - Spearow 06 - Voltorb 07 - Nidoking 08 - Slowbro 09 - Ivysaur 0A - Exeggutor 0B - Lickitung 0C - Exeggcute 0D - Grimer 0E - Gengar 0F - NidoranF 10 - Nidoqueen 11 - Cubone 12 - Rhyhorn 13 - Lapras 14 - Arcanine 15 - Mew 16 - Gyarados 17 - Shellder 18 - Tentacool 19 - Gastly 1A - Scyther 1B - Staryu 1C - Blastoise 1D - Pinsir 1E - Tangela 1F - Missingno. 20 - Missingno. 21 - Growlithe 22 - Onix 23 - Fearow 24 - Pidgey 25 - Slowpoke 26 - Kadabra 27 - Graveler 28 - Chansey 29 - Machoke 2A - Mr. Mime 2B - Hitmonlee 2C - Hitmonchan 2D - Arbok 2E - Parasect 2F - Psyduck 30 - Drowzee 31 - Golem 32 - Missingno. 33 - Magmar 34 - Mankey 35 - Electabuzz 36 - Magneton 37 - Koffing 38 - Missingno. 39 - Missingno. 3A - Seel 3B - Diglett 3C - Tauros 3D - Missingno. 3E - Missingno. 3F - Missingno. 40 - Farfetch'd 41 - Venonat 42 - Dragonite 43 - Missingno. 44 - Missingno. 45 - Missingno. 46 - Doduo 47 - Poliwag 48 - Jynx 49 - Moltres 4A - Articuno 4B - Zapdos 4C - Ditto 4D - Meowth 4E - Krabby 4F - Missingno. 50 - Missingno. 51 - Missingno. 52 - Vulpix 53 - Ninetales 54 - Pikachu 55 - Raichu 56 - Missingno. 57 - Missingno. 58 - Dratini 59 - Dragonair 5A - Kabuto 5B - Kabutops 5C - Horsea 5D - Seadra 5E - Missingno. 5F - Missingno. 60 - Sandshrew 61 - Sandslash 62 - Omanyte 63 - Omastar 64 - Jigglypuff 65 - Wigglytuff 66 - Eevee 67 - Flareon 68 - Jolteon 69 - Vaporeon 6A - Machop 6B - Zubat 6C - Ekans 6D - Paras 6E - Poliwhirl 6F - Poliwrath 70 - Weedle 71 - Kakuna 72 - Beedrill 73 - Missingno. 74 - Dodrio 75 - Primeape 76 - Dugtrio 77 - Venomoth 78 - Dewgong 79 - Missingno. 7A - Missingno. 7B - Caterpie 7C - Metapod 7D - Butterfree 7E - Machamp 7F - Missingno. 80 - Golduck 81 - Hypno 82 - Golbat 83 - Mewtwo 84 - Snorlax 85 - Magikarp 86 - Missingno. 87 - Missingno. 88 - Muk 8A - Kingler 8B - Cloyster 8C - Missingno. 8D - Electrode 8E - Clefable 8F - Weezing 90 - Persian 91 - Marowak 92 - Missingno. 93 - Haunter 94 - Abra 95 - Alakazam 96 - Pidgeotto 97 - Pidgeot 98 - Starmie 99 - Bulbasaur 9A - Venusaur 9B - Tentacruel 9C - Missingno. 9D - Goldeen 9E - Seaking 9F - Missingno. A0 - Missingno. A1 - Missingno. A2 - Missingno. A3 - Ponyta A4 - Rapidash A5 - Rattata A6 - Raticate A7 - Nidorino A8 - Nidorina A9 - Geodude AA - Porygon AB - Aerodactyl AC - Missingno. AD - Magnemite AE - Missingno. AF - Missingno. B0 - Charmander B1 - Squirtle B2 - Charmeleon B3 - Wartortle B4 - Charizard B5 - Missingno. B6 - Missingno. B7 - Missingno. B8 - Missingno. B9 - Oddish BA - Gloom BB - Vileplume BC - Bellsprout BD - Weepinbell BE - Victreebel Trainers do NOT block Poke Balls: 010157D0 (don't activate this code until after the battle starts) Walk through walls: 010138CD Item quantity 1: 01xx1FD3 (change the 1F to 21 for second item, 23 for third item, etc. adding 2 each time) Item type 1: 01xx1ED3 (change the 1E to 20 for second item, 22 for third item, etc. adding 2 each time) Key for xx: 01 - Master Ball 02 - Ultra Ball 03 - Great Ball 04 - Poke Ball 05 - Town Map 06 - Bicycle 07 - ????? (basically a surfboard) 08 - Safari Ball 09 - Pokedex 0A - Moon Stone 0B - Antidote 0C - Burn Heal 0D - Ice Heal 0E - Awakening 0F - Parlyz Heal 10 - Full Restore 11 - Max Potion 12 - Hyper Potion 13 - Super Potion 14 - Potion 15 - Boulderbadge 16 - Cascadebadge 17 - Thunderbadge 18 - Rainbowbadge 19 - Soulbadge 1A - Marshbadge 1B - Volcanobadge 1C - Earthbadge 1D - Escape Rope 1E - Repel 1F - Old Amber 20 - Fire Stone 21 - Thunderstone 22 - Water Stone 23 - HP Up 24 - Protein 25 - Iron 26 - Carbos 27 - Calcium 28 - Rare Candy 29 - Dome Fossil 2A - Helix Fossil 2B - Secret Key 2C - ????? (no use found) 2D - Bike Voucher 2E - X Accuracy 2F - Leaf Stone 30 - Card Key 31 - Nugget 32 - PP Up 33 - Poke Doll 34 - Full Heal 35 - Revive 36 - Max Revive 37 - Guard Spec. 38 - Super Repel 39 - Max Repel 3A - Dire Hit 3B - Coin 3C - Fresh Water 3D - Soda Pop 3E - Lemonade 3F - S.S. Ticket 40 - Gold Teeth 41 - X Attack 42 - X Defend 43 - X Speed 44 - X Special 45 - Coin Case 46 - Oak's Parcel 47 - Item Finder 48 - Silph Scope 49 - Poke Flute 4A - Lift Key 4B - Exp. All 4C - Old Rod 4D - Good Rod 4E - Super Rod 4F - PP Up 50 - Ether 51 - Max Ether 52 - Elixir 53 - Max Elixir C4 - HM01 (Cut) C5 - HM02 (Fly) C6 - HM03 (Surf) C7 - HM04 (Strength) C8 - HM05 (Flash) C9 - TM01 (Mega Punch) CA - TM02 (Razor Wind) CB - TM03 (Swords Dance) CC - TM04 (Whirlwind) CD - TM05 (Mega Kick) CE - TM06 (Toxic) CF - TM07 (Horn Drill) D0 - TM08 (Body Slam) D1 - TM09 (Take Down) D2 - TM10 (Double-Edge) D3 - TM11 (Bubblebeam) D4 - TM12 (Water Gun) D5 - TM13 (Ice Beam) D6 - TM14 (Blizzard) D7 - TM15 (Hyper Beam) D8 - TM16 (Pay Day) D9 - TM17 (Submission) DA - TM18 (Counter) DB - TM19 (Seismic Toss) DC - TM20 (Rage) DD - TM21 (Mega Drain) DE - TM22 (Solarbeam) DF - TM23 (Dragon Rage) E0 - TM24 (Thunderbolt) E1 - TM25 (Thunder) E2 - TM26 (Earthquake) E3 - TM27 (Fissure) E4 - TM28 (Dig) E5 - TM29 (Psychic) E6 - TM30 (Teleport) E7 - TM31 (Mimic) E8 - TM32 (Double Team) E9 - TM33 (Reflect) EA - TM34 (Bide) EB - TM35 (Metronome) EC - TM36 (Selfdestruct) ED - TM37 (Egg Bomb) EE - TM38 (Fire Blast) EF - TM39 (Swift) F0 - TM40 (Skull Bash) F1 - TM41 (Softboiled) F2 - TM42 (Dream Eater) F3 - TM43 (Sky Attack) F4 - TM44 (Rest) F5 - TM45 (Thunder Wave) F6 - TM46 (Psywave) F7 - TM47 (Explosion) F8 - TM48 (Rock Slide) F9 - TM49 (Tri Attack) FA - TM50 (Substitute) FF - <empty slot> *********************** *202. Pokemon Analysis* *********************** This section will narrow down the choices for Pokemon on a team. Starting with 81 contestants, I'll cut the field significantly, by reviewing each and every one of them (and dismissing quite a few). Then it's your job to knock it to six in the next section. Venusaur: If you didn't already know, you soon will: Having a Psychic weakness in this game is almost automatic grounds for disqualification. Which is unfortunate, since Venusaur is otherwise ranked near the top in Grass. It has the highest Speed in the type, along with Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, and Body Slam (okay, 60% less likely to PAR than Stun Spore, but at least it deals damage...), the best disabling moves available to the type. (Just don't try Toxic; poison is a bad mistake here, especially with no way to stop switches.) Razor Leaf is the game's best Grass attack, and Normal attacks are usually worth checking out for consistency purposes. And yet, all because of that "03" in the second type, it's nearly unviable. Try it, but not in the presence of Psychics. Charizard: Some have voted Charizard the best Fire-type in the game. And that's from people OVER the age of 9. Obviously, having a second type of Flying will negate one of its physical weaknesses, but it also creates a second weakness (W4) to the other. You may point out that Charizard happens to get Earthquake to counteract Rock, but here's a general rule: Just because a Pokemon can get a move that's super effective against its W4, doesn't mean it actually does anything. For example, it takes FOUR Earthquakes to put down Rhydon, whereas even a single Rock Slide before then will result in a miserable death for Charizard. But EQ isn't all bad; it does give Charizard an advantage against other Fire-types, as well as Electrics (which it does stand SOME chance of beating). Even though it has a good reputation in the eyes of the little kids, that doesn't AUTOMATICALLY disqualify it...it just means Charizard has a steeper hill to climb. Or fly over, not that it's a good idea to waste a move slot with Fly. Give the poor dragon a chance, since it's one of the few versatile Fire-types. Blastoise: It's been voted the most beneficial starter by many player's guides (I have no idea what gave them this idea), but it's the worst off in battle. Sure, Blastoise learns Ice Beam and Earthquake to cover both its weaknesses, but they don't work as promised. Special's lower-end among Water-types, and lack of a second type here likely hurts Blastoise. Try Starmie and Lapras. Butterfree: There's a reason Butterfree is allowed to reach third stage by L10: because IT NEEDS A BRIEF TIME TO SHINE. Namely "end of Viridian Forest to Route 24". Put simply, Butterfree is "a Bug/Flyer with no Bug/Flying moves worth mentioning, but rather a status inflictor who just so happens to pick up Solarbeam and Psychic." Do we know another status inflictor who just so happens to get Solarbeam and Psychic? Yep--Exeggutor. And Eggy is capable of doing other things. And gets STAB on both of those moves. And isn't nearly as fragile. Even the Grass/Poisons, with the huge blemish known as a Psychic weakness, STILL take precedence over Butterfree and its 198 Defense, not to mention six weaknesses (7 if you give a W4 double credit). After your fourth hour of gameplay, make sure you choose the "Release" option for Butterfree. Beedrill: Slightly better than Butterfree, but still not a wise idea for top- notch teams. Beedrill is the exclusive holder of what's arguably the best Bug move (Twineedle), is one of two that has the other contender for best Bug move (Pin Missile, along with Jolteon), and gets Swords Dance to pump them up. As if a 178-Defense bug could ever get away with Swords Dance. "But Bug beats Psychic!" you say. Hardly, and in any case Beedrill's second type (Poison) leaves any hopes of this argument on the outskirts of the Logic Chamber. Here's a question...what do Beedrill and Miss Cleo have in common? They're both branded with the warning: FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. That wraps it up. Pidgeot: Even Ash got something right, when he decided to release his Pidgeot. Sure, it's a good Pokemon with which to waste a slot on Fly. And it has above-average HP. But like the other Normal-Flyers, its attacks are limited to those types. It doesn't even get Drill Peck, the one Flying move that might make it worthwhile. Granted, Pidgeot does learn Mirror Move, but the chances for that move to shine are highly limited, such as an Ice Beaming Dragonite. And since Dragonite can't even OHKO itself with Ice Beam, what makes you think Pidgeot can? The one move that has potential, isn't backed by high enough stats to use it. And hence Pidgeot gets the stamp of rejection. Raticate: Raticate's strategy can be packed into two words: "Super Fang". Capable of inflicting 352 on Chansey, 208 on Mewtwo, and a whopping 112 on Diglett, Super Fang is both a Substitute deterrent and a consistent source of damage. And if I told you that Raticate could use Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, what would you say? "What Special to they run off?" That's the spirit. And the answer, "not enough", pins down Raticate as a one-move wonder. With low staying power. A possible metagame choice, against things like Chansey and Snorlax. Fearow: It's better than Pidgeot, and not because it gets Mirror Move 22 levels earlier. It's all a matter of Drill Peck and a slightly better Speed. Attack is decent (but not as good as Dodrio's), and its types are both supported with STAB moves. If it weren't for Dodrio, Fearow would be a recommended choice. But, just as you don't settle for a pistol when you can have an AK-47 (assuming it's LEGAL for you to have an AK-47), you don't choose a Pokemon in the presence of a superior one. Arbok: As Team Rocket's Jessie has repeatedly demonstrated, Arbok is bad. Not bad as in "evil", but bad as in "can't hold its own". Sure, it's the exclusive holder of Glare. And sure, it has Earthquake to deal with other Poison-types. But who in their right mind plays with Poison anyway? And Arbok has NO second type to cover any of the weaknesses that make Poison the second-worst type in the game (rivaling Bug for last)! CRIKEY! IT'S A HUNDRED-FORTY-POUND SNAKE! Unless you're Crocodile Hunter, you have no business dealing with Arbok, and even if you are, don't think you can do much with it. If you MUST use a mono-Poison, at least grab a Koffing and improve the self-image of Mr. K (administrator at www.azureheights.com, the biggest third-party contributor to my research.) Raichu: Surf makes it the one Electric that covers the Ground weakness (not always, though; Sandslash can take a Surf and kill in one). Sound good? Well, bad staying power is never a good thing, but the real question is "Is Surf enough to offset that bad point?" If only it had 30 extra Defense, Raichu would be in the running for "best Electric." But as it is, it's just an average option. Zapdos or Jolteon should normally take precedence. Use Raichu only when you become bored with those two, or when everyone you know plays six Golems to a team. Sandslash: Good standing for best Ground-type--it doesn't have the W4s of Rhydon, and Swords Dance doesn't hurt. Use of Swords Dance + Swift is a good anti-Double-Team measure. Speed is above average.....FOR A GROUND TYPE! Hey, at least it outruns Clefable and Lapras. Worth checking out as an Electric deterrent. Nidoqueen: Both Nidoking and Nidoqueen are popular among the kids, likely because of their consistently average stats and large TM compatibility (although Clefable and Chansey match 'em). That would be fine, except for one fact. Type 1 is POISON. Ground weakness, Psychic weakness, and the Ground type costs it two more all to get an immunity to Electric. The idea of turning a Ground-type into an all-around butcher would be nice, but not with the two worst weaknesses you can have. Send them back to Route 22 where they belong. Nidoking: Contrary to what previously filled this space, Nidoking isn't just a coin-flip decision with Nidoqueen. Instead, like Gengar, it seeks to test whether the Poison type is impossible to overcome. Focus Energy and/or Amnesia helps with this, and the recent possibility of Lovely Kiss certainly turned a few heads (away from Nidoking, that is). Earthquake, Ice Beam, Surf, Thunderbolt...you name it. Both Physical and Special, Nidoking has attacks for countless occasions. And unlike Nidoqueen, it can develop enough power to use them. Clefable: Fewer HP than Wigglytuff, but Clefable still outdoes it in battle. Defensively, it gets Minimize (something Wiggly can't claim), with 8 more PP than Double Team. A fairly irrelevant fact, but useful in PP wars. However, it's those Defense and Special boosts that are of interest. And since it has incredible move compatibility, just think of Clefable as a Chansey with a pumped physical aspect, at the cost of half its special survivability. Unfortunately, special attacks dominate in RBY, so it looks like Chansey claims another victory. But Clefable could still score some points for you if you're playing underused. Ninetales: If there's such a thing as a good Fire-type, Ninetales may be it. Granted, most of Fire's strengths can already be covered by Ice (except for the nigh-worthless Bug and Ice itself, which is usually paired with Water to eliminate the weakness), and Ice has a few more advantages against good types. And Fire's side effect, Burn, is nothing compared to the permanent helplessness of Freeze. That said, if Charizard is the Articuno of Fire (since Moltres sure isn't), Ninetales is its Lapras. It's not defensive, but Fire never was a defensive type. Maybe call it a Dewgong instead of a Lapras. Okay, so it can Confuse Ray, then Body Slam for double disability (for you out there who are intent on status afflictions, you can trade back both Headbutt and the ill-advised Hypnosis). Attacks aren't nearly as diverse as Lapras (or Dewgong for that matter), but it's Fire. Paralleling it with red in Magic (an excellent trading card game for which it's highly advisable you read about and play, www.wizards.com/magic), we find that color to be absolutely reckless at doing one thing and one thing only: a barrage of conflagrations aimed at the opponent. Most Fire-types are that way too; Ninetales at least shows some creativity. Score some merit for that. But battles aren't won by creativity. Wigglytuff: One of the two biggest mascots at Azure Heights (Koffing being the other), Wigglytuff at least has some merit. 483 HP ranks #3; even with sub- par defensive stats elsewhere, Wiggly can take a beating. And with such a wide range of attacks from Double-Edge to Ice Beam to Thunderbolt, it's tough to predict as well. Good for fun teams, but Chansey still beats it out in the all-purpose department. Note to all: If you ever see Mr. K on the streets, accompanied by what looks like a malformed bunny in a black ski mask, RUN AWAY. Lest you take Double-Edge after Double-Edge, land in the ICU, and are forced to pay $300,000 in hospital bills. Remember, it could happen to YOU. Golbat: There's a reason Zubat and Golbat are the most common cave inhabitants in the game: because catching them isn't worth much. Poison/Flying is another one of those very bad type combos, forcing Electric, Ice, AND Psychic weaknesses. And while Golbat does get Confuse Ray and Haze, Haze is contradictory to Confuse Ray, and both require considerable staying power, which Golbat doesn't have. Maybe if and when it gets better stats (which, by most calculations, happened after three years), Golbat is worth something. But otherwise, it's just a way to fill the "random encounter" variables. Vileplume: Before you get any ideas about Vileplume, I'll remind you once again: Don't do drugs. Vileplume does offer an interesting alternative to Venusaur, at least in pure RBY. No Razor Leaf, but there is an in-flavor alternative in Petal Dance. However, GSC changes all that, allowing each of the Grass/Poisons to get both moves. In Vileplume's slow (198) hands, the criticals on Razor Leaf won't be numerous enough for an average greater than Petal Dance's 90; however, Razor Leaf doesn't self-confuse. Vileplume does get Swords Dance, but so does Venusaur, and Vileplume doesn't have the staying power to get away with consistent Swords Dances. Keep it away from the rigors of serious competition. Parasect: "Inflicts Sleep. Accuracy: 99.609375%." How abusive is that? Well, when the only legal user of that move has speed 158, not as much as it could be. Each time you try to use Spore, the opponent gets a free hit on Parasect (unless you successfully preempt the turn your opponent wakes up, which takes considerable luck). And with three W4s (Fire, Flying, and Poison), that one hit could very well mean doom. One of the more annoying Bugs, but the game is decided by plays to win, not to annoy. However, correct play with Parasect can even lead to the demise of Mewtwo (with one important exception, to be discussed later)! But that's about it. Maybe if it beats Mewtwo, it can go on to beat Alakazam in a Mewtwo-free environment. Show at least SOMEONE that the 2 in "Bug vs. Psychic" on the type chart isn't completely irrelevant, and you'll have satisfied an "Experiments with the Underused" requirement. Venomoth: A Bug/Poison with Psychic? Go look up Butterfree, and you'll find that Venomoth is almost a dead-on clone of Butterfree with slightly better stats and a changed type. Venomoth has the requisite disability moves, little to no STAB support, and the aforementioned Psychic. Notwithstanding the Speed, Exeggutor wipes Venomoth clean everywhere else. Dugtrio: A GROUND-TYPE WITH SPEED? Yes, but it offers NOTHING else. Can't attack for much, can't take a hit...well, it CAN hit with Fissure. That's the one thing Dugtrio has working for it, and even so only 30% of the time, and not at all against Mewtwo, Aerodactyl, Jolteon, or Electrode. That's just sad: a Ground-type incapable of dealing with Electrics. What else is the type supposed to be good for? Persian: "You want your criticals? I got your criticals RIGHT here!" If Team Rocket's Meowth were to evolve, that's what it would likely say. Slash's 70 power is nearly sure to be doubled with the awesome speed of Persian, and it's one of only two Normal-types to get the move (to dismiss the other one, Farfetch'd, just read its section). So we've got consistent 210-power shots from 238 Attack, total 49980--almost as good as Rhydon using Earthquake, especially when Persian only has one weakness. And did I mention that Persian can get Bubblebeam and Thunderbolt? Sure, the Special isn't enough to count on those moves as reliable damage. But when you get the chance (or when you're forced into it, such as against that Rhydon), there are always diversified attacks. Oh, and it trades back Amnesia in case you're looking for more motivation to use those moves. If you're looking for Speed, Persian is worth a shot. Or two. As long as the shots in question aren't gunshots aimed at its head. Whiskey shots? Okay, but only if you're 21 or over (to the Persian, that's just 3 of our years). Anyway, behold the awesome power of the cat, and if you like it, good for you. Golduck: Good thing Golduck finally picked up Amnesia--it needed it. Unfortunately, it also needed more. The stats are all clumped in the 78-85 range, a stat balance unsurpassed by all but Ditto and Mew, but unfortunately at a level that only qualifies as "borderline good". No area of excellence. Slowbro is the much better choice: it has quite a bit more staying power (which is needed for dependable Amnesia use), can disable with T-Wave, and gets Psychic in such a way that doesn't prohibit Amnesia's coexistence. Try it out (as a Psyduck) in the Petit Cup, but Golduck is by no means a Tier 1 competitor. Or a Tier 2. 3? Possibly. Primeape: Best summed up as "a faster Machamp that passes up Earthquake". Ignoring the obvious fact that all other stats are lower than Machamp, that lack of Earthquake simply dooms Primeape. Failing to obtain the game's strongest drawback-free move, especially in the world of physicals, only makes you lose possible KOs. Focus Energy supplementing a 95 isn't bad; just under 75% of hits would be critical (and criticals mean Primeape can kill such things as Chansey and Charizard). However, when you're as frail as Primeape (especially with Submission recoils), using one turn for a nondamaging move doesn't provide enough time for the move to pay for itself. So it's back to

basics, and when the basics don't include Earthquake, Machamp beats you down in the quest for "alpha male". You did give Machamp that 15 DV, didn't you? Arcanine: Another would-have-been candidate, Arcanine tries to make up for fewer moves than its counterpart, Ninetales, with tougher stats. Like Ninetales, it's stuck with Dig instead of Earthquake (and Dig is infinitely less valuable), and like Ninetales, it has to get stoned in order to evolve (try to imagine THAT picture). But there's no Confuse Ray, not enough Physical moves to support that 318 stat, and Special is actually LOWER than its self-proclaimed rival. Arcanine is overrated, as is the Fire-type as a whole. Unless you're building a theme team, leave the dog alone. Poliwrath: Okay, so after something evolves twice, why is it still a 119-pound TADPOLE? Granted, GSC solves this problem with ease, but it's worth pointing out that this fact defies the meaning of evolution. Enough with the flavor questions; they already imply that Poliwrath sucks, and it does. Forget Amnesia; Slowbro uses that move to greater effect, and isn't Psychic-weak. While Poliwrath also delves into the physical world, the 268 Attack pales in comparison with the only two physical attackers approved by the FDA, Machamp and Snorlax. Surf, Ice Beam, Psychic, Earthquake, Submission...all on the same Pokemon...until Amnesia, stats aren't enough to use it...too vulnerable to use Amnesia in the first place...something tells me this Pokemon will need a cross-time improvement. Alakazam: When Mewtwo is banned (read: when facing anyone over 12), Alakazam should be your fallback measure. Special is "only" 368, and there's no Amnesia. But you can still utilize the offensive aspects of Mewtwo in a less- delinquent package (especially after trading back to GSC for your choice of Fire Punch, Ice Punch, or Thunderpunch). Defense is rather low, but Reflect is always available, and the superior Barrier takes its place after the time warp. Alakazam rivals Mew for #2 Psychic, and feel free to use either (if you're allowed to). Machamp: If Machamp can't overcome the unusability of the Fighting-type, nothing can. And it's not doing a good job as such. Even with 358 Attack and the best variety of physical moves, Machamp's list of tasks are generally limited to killing Normals, and the occasional Charizard. However, once GSC allowed Machamp to trade back Meditate, the position improved. Offensively, a 1-Meditate Machamp is as powerful as Rhydon when it comes to Earthquake and Rock Slide, but defensively a 1-Meditate Machamp may as well be dead from the hit opposite Meditate. So it didn't improve that much. Still a good physical threat, but the game is so centralized around special attacks that physicals rarely get the credit they would deserve with more thorough testing by the programmers. Victreebel: Um...it learns Swords Dance. So do Venusaur and Vileplume, and they also sport better staying power. Um...it has 308 Attack. Swords Dance nullifies that attack difference, since all three are high enough to reach 999 from Swords Dances, and no one gets there faster than the others. Um...it learns Bind. Go read page 20 for Bind. Um...Victreebel is just an inferior Venusaur. 1 out of 4 isn't bad, is it? Oh, it is. Forget it, then. NEXT! Tentacruel: As you should know by now, Psychic-weak Pokemon get to do a lot in order to try and make up for the weakness. In Tentacruel's case, it comes in the form of 338 Special, highest of all Water-types. Although it's weak to Mewtwo's Psychic, Tentacruel can still survive it (barring Amnesia) with 100+ HP to spare