Choosing the Right Party Members is key to mastering the Indigo League. Here are the six must-have Party Members to have (besides your starter).
Here in this guide, you’ll discover six party members that will pave the road to the Pokemon League in the blink of an eye.
Lapras
A Powerful Water/Ice Pokemon
- HP: 130
- Attack: 85
- Defense: 80
- Sp. Atk: 85
- Sp. Def: 95
- Speed: 60
Lapras is one of the most powerful Pokemon of Gen 1, and one of the most resilient and bulky ones to boot. This Water/Ice-type Pokemon can be found in Sylph Co., 7th floor (Saffron City), after beating your Rival and various Team Rocket members.
The lab-guy on the upper left corner of the floor will give players this Pokemon, if they have a spare slot for it. Don’t hesitate and take it with you, it’s going to become one of your most loyal team members from that moment on.
Nidoking
One Of The Most Notorious Gen 1 Monsters
- HP: 81
- Attack: 102
- Defense: 77
- Sp. Atk: 85
- Sp. Def: 75
- Speed: 85
Nidoking is a massive and powerful Pokemon players can get as early as they arrive at Mt. Moon. By then, they’ll probably have a Nidorino on their Party (Nidoran evolves at level 16), so they only need to find a Moon Stone deep in Mt. Moon to evolve it into this beast.
Nidoking excels at both attack and defense, and can learn strong moves like Earthquake, Trash, Shadow Ball, Counter, and Horn Drill. And in case readers are wondering why not Nidoqueen? The answer is simple: stat spread for Nidoqueen is not as good as Nidoking’s. But that doesn’t make it a less powerful Pokemon. In the right hands, even Nidoqueen can reach the Hall of Fame.
Rhydon
Powerful in Gen 1, Even Without Its Evolution
- HP: 105
- Attack: 130
- Defense: 120
- Sp. Atk: 45
- Sp. Def: 45
- Speed: 40
Rhydon is the evolution of Rhyhorn, one of the most sought-after Pokemon of the Safari Zone in Fuschia City. Players should definitely catch this Pokemon and evolve it into the mighty Rhydon, since its basicaly a living tank.
Rhydon’s combination of Physical Attack and Defense makes it an excellent slow physical attacker that can hold its ground against powerful foes and return fire using vicious moves like Counter, Reversal, Magnitude, Megahorn, or Earthquake.
Dragonite
Full of Dragon might!
- HP: 91
- Attack: 134
- Defense: 95
- Sp. Atk: 100
- Sp. Def: 100
- Speed: 80
With massive stats and a wide array of moves in its repertoire, Dragonite is the strongest Non-Legendary Pokemon of Gen 1, which is why it’s called a Pseudo-Legendary. Dragonite was the first Pokemon many folks started to pick as meta, since it’s a massive asset to have in any team.
It all starts with Dratini, which can be obtained by purchasing 2800 chips in Celadon’s Casino (sounds awful, but level with me here), which can be bought for around 56k. This is the first investment players must do before challenging Erika (4th gym) and train that Dratini until it becomes Dragonair (at level 31) and ultimately Dragonite (at level 55). From that point onwards, Victory Road and the Pokemon League will be a breeze. Watch out for Lorelei and Lance, though; they are the natural counters of this Dragon-type.
Jolteon
Speed For The Win
- HP: 65
- Attack: 65
- Defense: 60
- Sp. Atk: 110
- Sp. Def: 95
- Speed: 130
Jolteon is one of the top 5 fastest Pokemon in Generation 1 (besides Mewtwo and a few others), and also, one of the fastest Special Attackers. Greatly underestimated, this original Eeveelution is obtained by exposing Eevee to a Thunder Stone. Eevee can be found really early, by going to the building behind the Pokemon Center in Celadon (Celadon Mansion), reaching the top floor, and taking the Pokeball above the table there.
Jolteon is a nice Pokemon to have since it is a pure Electric-type, with only one weakness: Ground-type moves. Teaching this Poke attacks like Thunderbolt, Thunder, Iron Tail, and Shadow Ball is going to be super useful to take down difficult foes like Lorelei and Agatha.
Gyarados
An Absolute Monster
- HP: 95
- Attack: 125
- Defense: 79
- Sp. Atk: 60
- Sp. Def: 100
- Speed: 81
From the moment that little Magikarp you bought for 500 PokeDollars at Mt. Moon’s Pokemon Center evolves, your life as a regular trainer is over: Now you’ve become death, the destroyer of worlds. Seriously, this Pokemon is super dangerous to handle, but it pays off, because who doesn’t want a big, awesome water-snake with a bad temper as a partner Pokemon?
Gyarados fans will agree: This is one of the best Pokemon in Generation 1. Not only because of its stats or moveset, but because its design is super incredible. And trainers can get it early, if they give all their love and patience to that little fishy, so it’s really a representative of what Pokemon means: Treat your Pokemon with love, and they will lead you to victory.