These 2 Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen Are Must-Haves For All The Best Teams

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are fundamentally Kanto games, despite the addition of the Sevii Islands compared to Gen 1, and the fact that there is a National Pokedex comprising all mons up until Gen 3. This is important to note because the critters from Gen 2 and Gen 3 you can find in the games will only be post-game, so while there is more to do than simply beating the Elite Four and Champion, the core experience is tied to the main Kanto region and the first three islands of the Sevii archipelago. What follows is that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen will have you relying on the Kanto Pokedex for the most part.

There are many good Pokemon in the Kanto region, but it’s worth noting that these are Gen 3 games, which means they follow the infamous “type split.” Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s type chart includes all types but Fairy, and each type as a whole deals either physical or special damage with all its moves, no exceptions. This naturally translates into some Pokemon being stronger or weaker depending on their stats and learnsets. For this reason, there are two Pokemon that are arguably the best to use in any team, regardless of your starter, and they are Nidoking and Jynx.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Rare Exclusives Are Not Equal (And One Version is Much Better Than The Other)

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have two rare exclusives that are supposed to be balanced, but one is more accessible and powerful.

You Shouldn’t Sleep on Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Nidoking and Jynx

While you may be frowning upon the mention of Jynx as one of the best Pokemon in the game, there are very good reasons for this pick. Each of these Pokemon brings something to the table that others can’t, or simply their performance is not on par. It doesn’t mean you have to use them, but if you’re looking for your best possible lineup for battles, then the best team in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is going to use both.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Why Nidoking is One of the Best Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen

Nidoking is arguably one of the single best Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen, as it’s a Poison/Ground-type with excellent move coverage and good stats. On top of that, you can get it very early, as you can find Nidoran male on Route 3, evolve it into Nidorino at level 16 before going inside Mt. Moon, and then grab a Moon Stone there to evolve it into Nidoking.

The best moves for Nidoking include:

TM 28, Dig — You get it in Cerulean City, then replace it with Earthquake
Thrash — Nidoking learns it at level 22, then replace it with Megahorn
Megahorn — Nidoking learns it at level 43
Rock Slide – Move Tutor inside Rock Tunnel, can only be learned once
TM 26, Earthquake — You get it after beating Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s Viridian City Gym
TM 24, Thunderbolt — You can purchase it for 4,000 coins at the Celadon City Game Corner
TM 13, Ice Beam — You can purchase it for 4,000 coins at the Celadon City Game Corner
HM 03, Surf — Obtain it in the Secret House inside the Safari Zone in FireRed and LeafGreen

While Nidoqueen is also good, its stats promote lower Attack, Special Attack, and Speed in favor of HP, Defense, and Special Defense. There are some other notable differences, like Nidoqueen learning Superpower instead of Megahorn, but Nidoking is better overall.

Jynx is Secretly a Powerhouse in FireRed and LeafGreen

Jynx is also a Pokemon you can get early in FireRed and LeafGreen, though not directly as an encounter. To get it, you need to complete the Game Corner story in Celadon City and the Pokemon Tower story in Lavender Town, so you can get the Poke Flute and awaken Snorlax south of Lavender Town. After that, you can get the Super Rod, which you can use on Route 6, 22, and 25 to get a Poliwhirl, and then trade it to an elderly man in the house on the left of the Cerulean City Pokemon Center for Jynx.

You can’t shiny hunt in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen for in-game trades, and Jynx requires breeding to do that, which means post-game only. This specific Jynx will always have a Mild nature, meaning it has -Def and +Sp. Attack.

The reason Jynx is so good in the Kanto remakes is that it has amazing types for dealing with some of the most problematic battles, and it has a fantastic learnset. For starters, Jynx comes with Lovely Kiss, which you can use to put opponents to sleep with 75% accuracy. Then, it learns Ice Punch at level 25, and since Ice is a special type, Ice Punch will always scale with Special Attack. Jynx can also learn Psychic, which you can get before beating Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s Sabrina, and even Koga, and it can learn moves like Ice Beam, Calm Mind, Thief, Water Pulse, and even Reflect and Light Screen.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Players Need to Be Careful About Button Combination

You’ll almost always want a Jynx in your playthrough if you’re doing a Nuzlocke run or if you want to optimize your strategy. These are the main battles where Jynx excels:

Erika: Jynx having Ice Punch at level 25 means you can power through the Celadon City Gym easily with it.
Koga: If you get the Psychic TM in Saffron City before battling Koga, you can easily beat its Poison-type Pokemon.
Sabrina: If you teach Jynx Thief and Calm Mind, then Sabrina can be a rather easy fight.
Giovanni: Giovanni’s Ground-type Pokemon are all easy to clear with a speedy attacker like Jynx, with Ice being supereffective against Ground.
Bruno: Jynx can easily clear Bruno’s entire team with Ice Beam and Psychic.
Agatha: Much like with Koga and Bruno, teaching Jynx Psychic can make you easily sweep Agatha’s team.
Lance: Lance uses a team made mainly of Dragon-types and Flying-types, and Jynx can typically one-shot three out of five mons (Dragonair and Dragonite), with the main issues coming from Gyarados and Aerodactyl.
Champion: Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s Champion uses a different team based on your starter, but Jynx can clear at least three out of six Pokemon (Pidgeot, Rhydon, and Exeggutor/Venusaur).