How to beat Red

• Answer Pikachu before anything else

  A Ground type blanks its entire Electric moveset. If you cannot lead with one, at least keep one healthy enough to switch in when Pikachu appears.

• Take the four-times hits when they are offered

  Rock against Charizard, Ice against Salamence, Fighting against Snorlax. A single super-effective turn often removes a Pokemon that would otherwise cost you two.

• Match your attacker to the right defense

  Snorlax has enormous HP and Special Defense but soft Defense, so hit it physically. Milotic is the reverse. Attacking the wrong side of the stat line is the most common way to waste a turn.

• Switch with a purpose, not a reflex

  A switch costs your turn and the incoming Pokemon usually eats an attack. Do it to blank an entire moveset, not merely to avoid one hit.

• Spend your PP where it counts

  Low-PP moves like Fire Blast and Hydro Pump are for the knockouts. Chip damage early with your accurate moves keeps the big ones available for the endgame.

• Plan the last two Pokemon

  You win by taking all six. If your final attacker cannot beat what Red has left, the earlier turns need to have changed that, so look ahead around turn eight.

Red's team is fixed and he always opens with Pikachu, which makes every one of these matchups something you can prepare for before you touch the lead selector.

1. 

   01

   Pikachu

   ElectricAlways leads

   Item

   Light Ball

   Ability

   Static

   • ThunderboltSpecial 95
   • Iron TailPhysical 100
   • Quick AttackPhysical 40
   • ThunderSpecial 120

   The threat

   Always leads. Its Light Ball doubles Special Attack, so Thunderbolt stops being a small Pokemon's move. It also carries Iron Tail for a physical hit and Quick Attack to pick off a weakened target.

   Your answer

   Ground types blank its Electric moves completely. Any Ground type leads you into a free turn, and Ground moves hit it hard in return.

   Watch for

   It is frail. Anything that survives one hit and hits back hard usually removes it, so do not over-invest in beating it.

2. 

   02

   Espeon

   Psychic

   Item

   Leftovers

   Ability

   Synchronize

   • PsychicSpecial 90
   • Shadow BallPhysical 80
   • BiteSpecial 60
   • Quick AttackPhysical 40

   The threat

   Fast and specially brutal. Psychic is its main attack and it holds Leftovers, so chip damage gets undone. Bite is a special Dark move, and Shadow Ball is physical in Gen 3.

   Your answer

   Dark, Ghost and Bug moves are the clean answer. A physical attacker also works, because Espeon's Defense is far softer than its Special Defense.

   Watch for

   It outspeeds most things. If your answer is slower, it must survive one Psychic to matter.

3. 

   03

   Snorlax

   Normal

   Item

   Leftovers

   Ability

   Immunity

   • Body SlamPhysical 85
   • EarthquakePhysical 100
   • Shadow BallPhysical 80
   • Rock SlidePhysical 75

   The threat

   A wall with a real attack stat. Body Slam can paralyse, Earthquake covers most things that resist Normal, and Rock Slide and Shadow Ball round out the coverage.

   Your answer

   Attacking its physical side is not enough on its own — hit it with Fighting moves, which are super effective, while accepting the long grind. Special attacks are wasted on it.

   Watch for

   It holds Leftovers and has enormous HP, so it wins any battle of attrition. You need to break it with concentrated super-effective damage rather than chip it.

4. 

   04

   Venusaur

   GrassPoison

   Item

   Miracle Seed

   Ability

   Overgrow

   • Giga DrainSpecial 60
   • Sludge BombPhysical 90
   • EarthquakePhysical 100
   • Razor LeafSpecial 55

   The threat

   Bulky on both sides and immune to being poisoned. Giga Drain heals it as it damages you, Sludge Bomb is a physical Poison attack in Gen 3, and Earthquake covers a lot of answers.

   Your answer

   Fire and Psychic attacks exploit its typing, and its Speed is only average, so a stronger special attacker can outpace it.

   Watch for

   Giga Drain means every turn you leave it alive is a turn it gets healthier. Commit to removing it rather than trading evenly.

5. 

   05

   Charizard

   FireFlying

   Item

   Charcoal

   Ability

   Blaze

   • FlamethrowerSpecial 95
   • Dragon ClawSpecial 80
   • EarthquakePhysical 100
   • Aerial AcePhysical 60

   The threat

   Fast and specially strong. Flamethrower, Dragon Claw and Aerial Ace give it wide coverage, Earthquake handles Rock types that switch in, and Charcoal boosts its Fire moves while Blaze makes them dangerous at low HP.

   Your answer

   Rock moves do four times damage — the single biggest multiplier available against any of Red's six. Most teams should remove Charizard with one Rock move rather than trying to out-speed it.

   Watch for

   Its Defense is unremarkable, so a physical Rock move finishes it. Do not leave it in the low-HP Blaze range where its Flamethrower becomes genuinely lethal.

6. 

   06

   Blastoise

   Water

   Item

   Mystic Water

   Ability

   Torrent

   • SurfSpecial 95
   • Ice BeamSpecial 95
   • EarthquakePhysical 100
   • Brick BreakPhysical 75

   The threat

   Patient and sturdy with a boosted Surf, plus Ice Beam, Earthquake and Brick Break, so resisting Water is not enough to be safe. It holds Mystic Water and gets a Torrent boost at low HP.

   Your answer

   Electric and Grass moves are its weaknesses. Its Special Defense is better than its Defense, so a strong physical attacker also does real work.

   Watch for

   Brick Break and Ice Beam punish the obvious switch-ins. Check what your answer takes before sending it in.

• He always leads with Pikachu

  That is a fixed, exploitable fact. Before you look at your own team, check whether it contains a Ground type, because that single Pokemon can blank his opening.

• He switches out of bad matchups

  Bring a Pokemon that hard-counters something and Red may simply withdraw it. Assume the replacement is on its way and plan the next exchange too.

• He sets up when it is safe

  Given a turn where he is not threatened, he will use it to raise his stats or heal. Do not give him free turns by switching without a purpose.

• He finishes weakened Pokemon

  A Pokemon sitting at low HP will be targeted. Either heal it, accept the loss, or use the fact that he is committing to a knock-out to gain a turn elsewhere.

4x weak

Charizard takes four times damage from Rock moves. It is the fastest knockout available to most teams.

Immune

Ground moves cannot touch Charizard or any Flying type; Electric moves cannot touch any Ground type; Normal and Fighting moves cannot touch a Ghost.

Physical side

In Gen 3, Ghost, Poison, Bug, Fighting, Flying, Ground, Rock, Steel and Normal moves are all physical. Shadow Ball is a physical attack.

Free healing

Leftovers restores 1/16 of maximum HP every turn, so a bulky Pokemon left alone quietly outlasts a frail attacker.

Speed tiers

Pikachu, Espeon, Charizard and Starmie are all fast. If your answer is slower, it needs to survive one hit to be useful.

Weather

Tyranitar drags in a permanent sandstorm that damages everything not Rock, Ground or Steel at the end of each turn.