These 2 Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen 'Version Exclusives' Make One Version Better Than The Other

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have well over 40 version exclusives between the two versions, and that alone has always been a good reason to debate which game is better and which should be picked by whom. One could argue that this is true for most Pokemon games, though version exclusivity has improved slightly over the years. Aside from Paradox Pokemon, which may make Pokemon Scarlet the better Gen 9 version overall if you’re looking at VGC, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did a better job at making version exclusives more manageable and less FOMO-inducing if one didn’t purchase both games. This is not exactly the case in the Gen 3 Kanto remakes.

The problem is that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen not only have actual version exclusives, with some critters being much better than their counterparts in the other version, but also cases where a given Pokemon is easier to find in one version over the other. A big early game example is with Nidoran male and female on Route 3, with Nidoran male spawning at 14% rates and Nidoran female at 1% rates in FireRed, and the opposite for LeafGreen. Since Nidoking is better than Nidoqueen in the Gen 3 remakes, this can be important. However, it applies to another set of Pokemon, namely Koffing and Grimer (as well as Weezing and Muk), and that may be more relevant for Pokemon Champions.

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.

Pokemon FireRed’s Koffing and Weezing are Better Than LeafGreen’s Grimer and Muk

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s version exclusives are normally only available via trade with the other version, whereas Koffing and Grimer are only more likely to appear in one version than the other. Their evolutions, Weezing and Muk, are something else entirely, as they only spawn in one game. These Pokemon’s locations are:

Koffing
- Pokemon Mansion, all floors, 30% in FireRed and 5% in LeafGreen
- Celadon City via fishing, 1% in either version
Weezing
- Pokemon Mansion, all floors, 5% in FireRed and no spawn in LeafGreen
Grimer
- Pokemon Mansion, all floors, 5% in FireRed and 30% in LeafGreen
- Celadon City via fishing, 1% in either version
Muk
- Pokemon Mansion, all floors, no spawn in FireRed and 5% in LeafGreen

While rarer in one version and more common in another, the Koffing and Weezing line and the Grimer and Muk line share this “version exclusivity” of sorts, which also applies to Nidoking and Nidoqueen in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. In the Gen 3 Kanto remakes, Weezing is overall better than Muk despite the latter’s high Attack and HP because it learns better moves and is more versatile with how you can build it. The same holds for VGC, though for more important reasons.

A History of Pokemon’s VGC, and Why Weezing is Better Than Muk

Alolan Muk has seen a lot of usage and love in competitive Gen 7 Pokemon over the years, but its base form is pretty lackluster. On the other hand, both Weezing and Galarian Weezing can be very good in VGC due to their abilities and movepools, In the case of Weezing vs. Muk, this is due to multiple reasons:

Weezing has the ability Neutralizing Gas, which makes all other Pokemon’s abilities null or unable to trigger. This is particularly good for detrimental abilities, like Regigigas’ Slow Start or Slaking’s Truant, leading to the combo of Weezing + Regigigas in VGC having some very good moments.
Weezing has a more varied movepool for a support role, whereas Muk is more oriented to dealing damage. As an attacker, there are better options in terms of type, movepool, and ability.
Muk has three possible abilities: Stench, Sticky Hold, and Poison Touch. Stench allows Muk’s attack to have a 10% chance to flinch the target (or increase existing Flinch rates by 10%). Sticky Hold makes Muk’s held item impossible to remove or change. Poison Touch makes Muk’s contact moves have a 30% chance of poisoning the target. These are not terrible options, but they are very niche, and don’t really support a whole new strategy as Neutralizing Gas does.

Before the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Ogerpon and Loyal Three in The Indigo Mask DLC, Galarian Weezing was the only Poison and Fairy-type Pokemon, now joined by Fezandipiti.

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While Pokemon Champions‘ available Pokemon currently do not include Weezing and Muk, by the time they do become available, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen should have their Pokemon Home support online. In that case, Pokemon FireRed‘s rare exclusive will be better than LeafGreen‘s, at least when it comes to competitive usage. In regular playthroughs of the Gen 3 Kanto remakes, though, this will mostly boil down to which Pokemon you like more.