It has been almost 25 years since the release of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, and after all this time, Gen 3 remains one of the most beloved and iconic for millions of fans. Whether you grew up with the difficult choice of picking Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip as a starter, or maybe you spent weeks looking for Mirage Island hoping it would show up for you, Gen 3 games had a lot to offer and were very unique when they came out. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on Switch and Switch 2 may be more than a pipe dream now that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen received ports, so there’s a very good chance these games will return.
Between the National Dex in FireRed and LeafGreen being impossible to complete without Gen 3 ports and the fact that Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were leaked for the Switch, it all seems a matter of when rather than if. It’s unclear whether Emerald will also return, but it’s a bit of a different experience from the base Gen 3 titles in terms of encounters, main battles, and more. As such, if you’re looking for the best team to use in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, keep in mind that it won’t be the same as Emerald.
This is The Ultimate Team For Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, From Badges to Endgame
If you’re wondering what the best team in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is, these 6 Pokemon are the ultimate choice.
But yes, there is an ultimate team you can use in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on Switch, and it’s all about maximizing your team lineup from early in the game all the way to the showdown with the Elite Four and the Champion. While this journey can be completed with all starters, this team is about optimization, and the starter of choice is Mudkip.
Swampert: The Best Starter in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
Swampert is the best starter in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire purely from an encounter point of view, as it’s never a poor choice against the Gym Leaders and Elite Four in Hoenn. There are some trainers with Grass-type Pokemon, and while Swampert takes four times the damage from Grass, it’s the only weakness it has. With moves like Surf, Earthquake, Ice Beam, and Brick Break, Swampert can clear the entire game on its own, and you may not even need other Pokemon to do it. Ice Beam covers Swampert’s only weakness, since Ice is supereffective against Grass, and it’s also great against trainers like Winona and Drake.
How to Get Swampert Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Evolve Mudkip into Marshtomp at level 16, and then into Swampert at level 36.
Gardevoir: A Special Sweeper That Carries You From Route 102 to Endgame
Pokemon‘s Hoenn region offers the opportunity to catch many of its native Pokemon in the first few areas, and such is the case for Ralts, which can be found very early in the game, albeit it’s rarer than the other critters at a 4% spawn rate. Ralts can then evolve into Gardevoir over time, and you can teach it incredibly strong moves like Psychic, Thunderbolt, and Calm Mind. With the latter, it gets a boost to both its Special Attack and Special Defense, quickly becoming a sweeper in high-stakes, longer battles. You could also teach it Thief for coverage and for collecting items for free during your playthrough.
How to Get Gardevoir Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Catch Ralts on Route 102, evolve it into Kirlia at level 20, and into Gardevoir at level 30
Swellow: A Powerful Carry With One-Shot Options
Even before you get to the first Gym in the game, you can get one of the best Pokemon in Ruby and Sapphire in the form of Taillow. This little bird Pokemon can evolve into Swellow, become your main Fly user for both convenience and battle purposes, and carry you through the hardest battles in the game with the incredible combo of Guts plus Facade. Guts is an ability that allows Swellow to deal more damage if it’s affected by a status condition, and Facade is a move that does the same, essentially allowing you to inflict Swellow with status conditions purposefully and then spam Facade to win every fight. This is easier said than done at times, but it can be your secret weapon through the Elite Four (minus Phoebe).
How to Get Swellow Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Catch Taillow on Route 104 or in Petalburg Woods, then evolve it into Swellow at level 22.
Breloom: One of The Best Grass-Type Pokemon Ever, and It Packs a Punch
Breloom is arguably one of the best Grass-type Pokemon ever, as it’s pretty speedy, has good offensive stats, can deal serious damage with its Fighting-type moves, and it has access to Spore. This is only partly true in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, though, as Breloom never learns Spore, but you can teach it to its pre-evolution at level 54 if you never evolve it before. This is a big problem and something that is almost never worth doing in a regular playthrough, but Breloom is very strong regardless. With moves like Leech Seed for sustain, Bulk Up for sweeping potential, and Mach Punch for priority, it’s always a fantastic choice.
How to Get Breloom Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Catch Shroomish in Petalburg Woods, then evolve it into Breloom at level 23.
Torkoal: An Endgame Powerhouse With Amazing Stats
Even though you get Torkoal relatively early, it shines the more you train it. Even if you don’t spend time EV-training it, it comes with very good stats from the get-go, with 70 HP, 85 Attack, 140 Defense, 85 Special Attack, 70 Special Defense, and 20 Speed. It is very slow, especially compared to other Pokemon on the team, like Breloom and Swellow, but it has a lot of bulk and options to become a hybrid attacker even if its primary use would be as a Fire-type Pokemon. It can learn great moves like Flamethrower, Heat Wave, and Overheat for Fire coverage, and then Body Slam and Sludge Bomb on the physical side. With 85 in both attacking stats, a speed-impairing nature would be the best for this critter in order to give it higher stats in other areas.
How to Get Torkoal Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Catch Torkoal on Fiery Path, after Route 111.
Absol: A Physical Sweeper That Solos The Elite Four
The last Pokemon on the team is Absol, and you can get it towards the middle part of the game. It may not seem like a great pick when considering Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s type chart and type split applies to Ruby and Sapphire as well, because Dark is a special type and Absol’s Special Attack is very low. However, it has naturally very high Attack, and it learns Swords Dance. This makes it a fantastic physical sweeper that can then destroy the game with moves like Shadow Ball, Return, and Aerial Ace. Even its Fighting weakness is not a big deal if you teach it Aerial Ace, as it will most likely one-shot opposing Fighting-type Pokemon. Shadow Ball also one-shots Phoebe’s entire team after Swords Dance, and Return can one-shot many mons that don’t resist Normal. Just be careful when you try to catch one, as it can wipe out your whole team.
How to Get Absol Early in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Catch Absol on Route 120.
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- Released
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March 19, 2003
- ESRB
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e
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Unreal Engine
