With Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee coming out on the Switch later this week a whole bunch of people will probably be returning a franchise they haven’t played in years. Some might hardly remember which Pokémon are strong and which are quite weak. That’s why I will recommend 10 Pokémon that you can utilize in order to beat the elite 4 if you feel a bit unsure about which Pokémon to train and which to leave in the box.
These recommendations will be based on how well the Pokémon fare throughout the story and how accessible they are. For instance, Mewtwo won’t be on this list despite being the strongest Gen 1 Pokémon since you can’t obtain him before challenging the elite 4. If you want to train any Pokémon that are not on this list you should certainly do so. Pokémon games are not overly complicated and even the weakest of Pokémon can put in work.
Nidoking
Although Nidoking is not the strongest Pokémon in existence, he is an extremely versatile Pokémon capable of le arning a wide variety of moves. This means that Nidoking will easily be able to cover up a bunch of weaknesses that your team might have. In the original Pokémon Yellow, you’re able to catch Nidoran very early on and this will most likely remain the same so he’s a very accessible Pokémon as well.
Gyarados
Ever since Pokémon has existed, Gyarados has been one of the strongest Pokémon both in the games as well as in the anime. If you can put up with training a Magikarp to level 20 you will be very handsomely rewarded. Gyarados’ movepool is quite wide but it is his 125 base attack that really makes him shine, just keep him away from electric attacks and he will destroy everything.
Gengar
Gamefreak almost never nerfs Pokémon but Gengar is one of the few which did receive the honor of being nerfed, simply because it was such a menace. His speed and special attack stats are off the roof. Gengar will nearly always attack first and often instantly blow up his target.
Alakazam
Alakazam has always been a very strong Pokémon but was previously held back by the fact that you had to capture an Abra, which is quite difficult as it always teleports away. With the new catching mechanics, catching Abra might be a bit easier and thus the powerhouse that is Alakazam is much more accessible for everyone. Similarly to Gengar, Alakazam boasts very high speed and special attack and will operate in a similar way.
Venusaur
Although Venusaur is the least popular of the original three starter Pokémon, he is arguably the strongest. Especially once he’s able to mega-evolve he becomes nearly unkillable due to his bulk and ability, Thick Fat. In previous games, starter Pokémon were not catchable in the wild but Bulbasaur has been seen wandering around in Viridian Forest during demo gameplay of Let’s Go Pikachu and thus should be quite accessible if this remains unchanged.
Snorlax
If you’re not sure how to round out your Pokémon team, Snorlax is probably the answer. Although he doesn’t have the most amazing stats, Snorlax is like a brick wall during the story and is often able to switch in against nearly any foe. This big cuddly bear will probably not be the star of your team but he will certainly be the backbone.
Clefable
Another obnoxiously tanky Pokémon is Clefable. Clefable was regarded as a mediocre Pokémon for a very long time until she was changed from a normal type into a fairy type. Fairy is a very good defensive type due to its lack of weaknesses and thus a Pokémon that was already bulky like Clefable became nearly unkillable. Clefairy is obtainable in Mount Moon and thus you will encounter this Pokémon very early on making it a really accessible one.
Jolteon
Similarly to Gengar and Alakazam, Jolteon boasts a high special attack and high speed stat. This makes him an extremely strong offensive Pokémon and nearly the best electric type in the first generation. If you don’t mind training an extra Eevee or replacing your Pikachu with another electric type than Jolteon will be a great addition to any team. In the original games, you didn’t even have to catch an Eevee but could simply obtain it, making it extremely accessible as well.
Alolan Ninetales
If you add an Alolan Ninetales with Snow Warning and Aurora Veil to your team you will make the game laughably easy. Snow Warning means that you will always be able to cast Aurora Veil which, in turn, will half all the damage that your Pokémon receive for the next 5 turns. This means that even squishy Pokémon will be able to take a hit. The only problem is that we’re not quite sure how easy it is to obtain Alolan forms. If you’re able to acquire this beauty then you should definitely train it.
Zapdos
Zapdos is the only legendary to make the list and is also the strongest of the three legendary birds. In the original games Zapdos was quite accessible as you could basically catch it as soon as you were able to surf to the Power Plant. If this has not changed then Zapdos is definitely one of the strongest Pokémon that you can obtain before challenging the elite 4. His bulk combined with his special attack stat make it a Pokémon that’s very hard to kill while dishing out serious amounts of damage.
