u/J0rdzz1

Pre apologies for the bad quality. I just got the game on Saturday. I'm decent at the game despite never getting high rank on Showdown. But I haven't played any games outside of Gen 3 - Gen 6 with a little Gen 7. Through trial and error plus porting some Mons from HOME, this is the team I could come up with. But I feel 'stuck' at Ultra 2, meaning I'm struggling to break 50% Win Rate, and I really want to get Master Ball before the season ends. Gyarados Corviknight (The Better Skarmory as I've come to know him) Ninetales and Garchomps have been absolute MVPs for me, but if they could get tweaked around a bit I'm all ears. I like Swampert but no idea how to build him, and Sneasler is just that 6th slot I kept swapping out because I didn't know how to fill it.

Any suggestions Poke Masters? Thank you in advance

Yes it's that discussion, dunno how often it gets talked about but I had to after a couple mono runs.

I think people give Surf way too much credit.

Yes, Surf is an amazing move, but if Surf were the only reason Water-types dominated, then every Water-type would basically play the same. That's not what happens in FRLG at all.

The real reason Water-types are so strong is that they have incredible role diversity. Before you even reach the Elite Four, Water-types can fill almost every role a team could want.

Need a fast special sweeper? Starmie is arguably the best in the game. It gets access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Psychic, and Recover, giving it BoltBeam coverage, reliable recovery, and enough Speed to outspeed most opponents.

Want a physical attacker? Gyarados does exactly that, despite not using a STAB move. You can buy Magikarp almost immediately and even leave it in the Day Care if you don't want to train it yourself. Once evolved, it has Intimidate, huge Attack, and viable options like Dragon Dance, Return, Double-Edge, Thrash, and Dragon Rage. It barely resembles the typical special Water-type, but benefits from the defense (and weakness too I know) of the typing.

If you picked Squirtle, Blastoise becomes an excellent mixed attacker. Instead of being forced into a defensive role, it has options like Brick Break, Bite, Dig, Earthquake, Double-Edge, and Water Pulse, letting it adapt to whatever your team needs.

Need a bulky tank? You have multiple choices.

Vaporeon is available surprisingly early once you reach Celadon and has outstanding HP and Special Attack. It doesn't need a crazy movepool because its raw stats let it absorb hits and consistently contribute throughout the game.

Lapras, meanwhile, is literally handed to you for free in Silph Co. Despite being free, it has one of the deepest movepools in the game. Depending on what you want, it can use Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Body Slam, Confuse Ray, Thunder Wave, Safeguard, or Perish Song. It can spread status, check Dragons, cripple physical attackers, or simply act as an incredibly reliable bulky attacker.

Then there's Slowbro, which I don't understand why but learns Fire moves. It has options like Calm Mind, Yawn, Psychic, Dream Eater, Flamethrower, and Fire Blast, while having excellent Special ATK and Bulk. Yes, he's slow, but that's the entire point he's different.

Even the secondary Water-types bring something unique.

Tentacruel's Poison typing means Grass isn't the automatic answer people assume it is, and it even gets Giga Drain to lean further into that niche while providing excellent Speed and Special Defense.

Kabutops and Omastar add Rock typing, giving Water teams access to resistances and offensive options that most other Water-types don't have. Even the two fossil Pokémon fill different roles despite sharing the same typing.

It's not that every Water-type gets Surf.

It's that one type gives you:

Fast special sweepers.

Physical attackers.

Mixed attackers.

Bulky walls.

Status support.

In one game. And all of this is without giving Surf to a single one of these Pokemon and they'd all make excellent additions to a run. They'd all work great together too.

Very few types have this much depth before the credits roll.

Surf is just the common move they all happen to learn.

Yes, it's practically a free, infinite Flamethrower, which you don't even need to use. Growlithe (one of the best Fire options in these games) doesn't get Flamethrower until level 49 and while I love the best doggo, his coverage moves suck with Extreme Speed being incredible, but with Dig and Irom Tail as second options we understand why you'd value Flamethrower so much.

And Flamethrower Ice Beam and TT aren't finite, they're just a little expensive (80k is under 20 rematches with two Rich Girls west of Fuschia City). And the thing is even if you make a mixed team of Fire/Electric on account of lack of Pokemon, most of them fill the same role and have very similar movesets.

The real reason Water-types dominate FireRed/LeafGreen is because they can solve almost every problem a team has without ever leaving the Water type.

Was going to hunt for a Naughty or Lonely Growlithe after clearing the Mansion, this guy popped up at the basement. Only shiny Pokemon I've ever had in Gen 3 are Zubats and a Geodude so it's the first time I got one that will beat the game with. Also worth noting I reset the game for about 50 min to try and get a shiny Bulbasaur before giving up