Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Remind Me of a Time When Legendaries Lived Up to Their Name

Catching Legendaries has historically been one of the greatest challenges in the Pokemon series, but more recent generations have felt like they’ve taken some of the difficulty out of this activity. Now that I have been replaying Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Switch, I’m being reminded of the features and quirks of the early generation of games. To my dismay, my playthrough has been stalled due to what is starting to feel like an impossible quest to catch ’em all, thanks to one Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen mechanic that I completely forgot about among the modern series’ approach to catching Legendaries.

There are a few Gen 3 quirks I had to take into consideration when preparing my playthrough of LeafGreen on the Switch. I knew I wanted to start with Bulbasaur, but navigating the battle mechanics of Gen 3 prior to the Physical/Special split in Gen 4 meant I needed types on my team that could deal both Physical and Special damage, and my Modest nature Bulbasaur was the perfect option for a Special Attacker. Unfortunately, one aspect of Gen 3 that I failed to consider is the drastically reduced catch rates for Legendaries, which makes adding any of the Legendary Birds to my team feel like a monumental task.

PSA: Most Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Players Are Using the Wrong Flying Type

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players are largely sleeping on the ideal Flying-Type creature for a playthrough and using an inferior mon instead.

Pokemon’s Legendaries Were Truly Worthy of the Title in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Articuno — Seafoam Islands
Zapdos — Power Plant
Moltres — Mt. Ember
Mewtwo — Cerulean Cave
Suicune — Roaming post-game (Charmander chosen as starter)
Raikou — Roaming post-game (Squirtle chosen as starter)
Entei — Roaming post-game (Bulbasaur chosen as starter)
Lugia — Navel Rock (post-game Mystic Ticket)
Ho-oh — Navel Rock (post-game Mystic Ticket)
Deoxys — Birth Island (post-game Aurora Ticket)

There are quite a few Legendary Pokemon available in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, and the Switch release makes these Legendaries even more accessible. The traditional Kanto Legendaries like Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo are all present, and the Legendary Birds can even be caught before beating the Elite Four. FireRed and LeafGreen also add the Gen 2 Legendary Beasts in the post-game, and the Switch version also includes the previously event-exclusive Mystic Ticket that gives players access to Lugia and Ho-oh, as well as the Aurora Ticket, which gives access to the Gen 3 Mythical Pokemon Deoxys.

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I Have Been Struggling to Catch the Legendary Birds in LeafGreen

Kanto Region's Articuno Route 20 Seafoam Islands B4F Lair Location in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen.

My current roadblock on my way to becoming Champion and completing my Kanto Pokedex is trying to catch Articuno in the Seafoam Islands. After defeating Blaine at the Cinnabar Island Gym, I decided to backtrack to Seafoam Island to add Articuno to my team before trying to take on Giovanni’s Ground Types at the Viridian City Gym. However, I found myself woefully underprepared for this encounter, and it has reminded me of a harsh lesson the modern Pokemon games had me forgetting.

What Makes Legendaries in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen So Hard to Catch

Kanto Region's Raikou, Entei, and Suicune Main Location and Spawn Rate in Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen.

I had gotten so used to Legendaries in more recent Pokemon games like Sword and Shield or Scarlet and Violet having higher catch rates and more tools for success that I forgot how crazy hard catching Legendaries used to be in earlier generations. The Legendaries of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have some of the lowest catch rates in the series, effectively giving them 0.4% chance to catch per Poke Ball without any modifiers. With modifiers like Sleep, Paralysis, or Freeze, and at 1 HP, a Legendary like Articuno has at most a 4.366% chance of being caught with an Ultra Ball.

While this sounds theoretically possible, it has been a struggle for me to actually get Articuno to stay inside an Ultra Ball. Even with these ideal conditions met, I’ve thrown Ultra Ball after Ultra Ball, and then reset my game once I’ve run out, all to no avail. Compared to a Legendary like Eternatus in Pokemon Sword and Shield that has a 100% catch rate, or even the Treasures of Ruin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that have a slightly higher catch rate than Articuno, it feels like a nearly impossible task that relies entirely on good RNG.

The other factor that limits my Legendary-catching ability in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is the lack of a unique Poke Ball to aid me. FireRed and LeafGreen only include the standard Poke Ball, Great Ball, and Ultra Ball, along with one Master Ball and Safari Ball, limited to the Safari Zone. While in modern generations, I could increase my chances of catching a Legendary with a Timer Ball if the battle has gone on for long enough, or a Dusk Ball if I’m catching one in a cave or at night. But in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, I’m stuck with these basic options.

Today’s Pokemon Legendaries Have Lost Some of Their Mystique

As much as I am struggling to catch Articuno, I can appreciate just how much of a challenge it is turning out to be. With all the conveniences offered by modern Pokemon games to aid the player in catching Legendaries, it feels like some of the thrill has been lost in the process. It’s not as exciting or special to get a Legendary like Eternatus for free, or be able to use a Timer Ball to drastically increase the catch chance of what would normally be a tough Pokemon to capture, like Koraidon or Miraidon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Area Zero. Having to struggle to tame a Legendary Bird like Articuno with the bare-bones mechanics of Gen 3 hits in a way that I have surprisingly missed in recent generations, and I’m glad Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen were released on the Switch so I could be reminded of this bygone era of the franchise.