2nd Gen starting new game

Luap25

yeah.
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    • Seen Jun 19, 2011
    I'm starting a new game on gold, and i need help choosing a pokemon. I already have a starter picked (cyndaquil), but i always can't figure out what to get next. I don't want to wait too long to find it, or my cyndaquil will become too strong and it'll be harder to train the one i caught. I also don't want to catch a pokemon right away and have to settle for something weak, like pidgy or sentret. Please help! Respond with a pokemon suggestion and why you think i should get it. Thanks!

    EDIT: i've decided to go with cyndaquil instead of totodile so i can get wooper
     
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    If you're just working with the trainers within the game (as in, the computer, not battling a human), it really doesn't matter. You can pretty much catch whatever, and you'll be able to get through the game without much of a problem. (For example, I know for a fact that Pidgeot and Furret can hold their own in the E4 with the right TMs and HMs.)

    Otherwise, your choices are pretty much this in Gold, if we're just looking up to Violet City:

    Pidgey: Decent Flying-type. Will actually help you through Bugsy. Can be replaced.
    Sentret: Decent Normal-type, particularly later on if you can get some good TMs (like Shadow Ball).
    Rattata: Not bad. Probably a better Normal-type than Sentret thanks to the fang attacks.
    Hoothoot: Takes a few hits, but if you want power, go with Pidgey.
    Caterpie/Metapod: Butterfree's not bad for the powders and psychic attacks. (Psybeam at level 34, lolwut?) Of course, it won't get too much in terms of awesome moves until later on.
    Spinarak: Doesn't seem like much until much later, when it learns Psychic on its own (and by then, you should be able to use the TM on it anyway). Otherwise, if you want a Bug-type, you're probably better off with Butterfree.
    Bellsprout: I've always found Bellsprout to be a reliable Grass-type, useful with the powders and capable of learning some of the stronger Grass attacks.
    Zubat: (In Dark Cave.) Good Flying-type. Speedy as Crobat (which, if you catch Zubat now, you can get no problem by Ecruteak), has a bunch of decent moves. Weak at first, though.
    Geodude: Obviously, can potentially be cannon fodder, but it's also capable of learning some decent attacks. I wouldn't recommend it against Falkner due to Falkner's love for Mud-Slap, but by level 11 (when it learns Rock Throw), it should at least make Bugsy stop being a problem.
    Dunsparce: Crack idea. Can potentially do some decent damage with TMs, but don't get it otherwise.

    Within Violet City:

    Gastly: (Sprout Tower.) Unfortunately, until you get Shadow Ball from Morty, a Gastly won't be much to you. You can still try your luck with Hypnosis + Dream Eater (which would make Morty a bit less annoying), but if not, just pass over.

    After getting the first badge:

    Mareep: Ampharos is a decent Electric-type, but Mareep, a bit on the fragile side, I think.
    Hoppip: Okay, I lied about being able to use anyone to get through the E4.
    Wooper: You'll probably be considering skipping over this one because you've already got a Water-type, but Quagsire can take a few hits and deal a bunch as well.

    So, there you have it. A brief list of the Gold Pokémon you can get up to and just after Violet City. I could go on, but really, you'll get bored. If you want a full team quickly, just go over your options carefully and figure out which ones you'd like to try. Likewise, don't just shrug off Pokémon like Pidgey and Sentret automatically. Sure, they may seem weak initially, but a lot of the Pokémon you get early on do. It's all about how they fare later on in their stages, and a lot of them aren't so bad against the computer.
     
    thanks a lot! this is a huge help! I've decided to go with actually getting cyndaquil so i can get wooper, and i may decide too get others from your list as well.
     
    I suggest catching as many of them as you can. It never hurts to have backup plans.

    Oh and I highly suggest getting a Zubat. It learns confusion moves, and later on when it becomes Crobat it can learn Fly. Plus, Crobat is a good pokemon.
     
    i always start with the waterpokemons since they're strong against everything expect grass.
    And they can learn the hm's strenght, whrilpool, surf, waterfall, cut LOL
    well they always been my favorites also.
    Mudkip, Piplup, Totodile, squirtle ;D


     
    i always start with the waterpokemons since they're strong against everything expect grass.

    Not true. First off, let's look at defenses. Water is weak to Electric and Grass but resists four additional types: Fire, Ice, Water, and Steel (which you won't often see offensively anyway). Everything else does neutral damage to Water. So, if you have a strong enough attack, yes, you can beat the crap out of a Water-type. To its credit, it also has fewer weaknesses than the other two starter types. (But if we still count Bug as a serious offensive type, it's got fewer resistances than Fire.)

    In terms of Water's offenses, Dragon and Water itself are also resistant against Water-type moves, meaning Clair will prove to be annoying as all crap with Kingdra unless you can find something else to take down a Pokémon that happens to be both. (Quagsire can probably manage, given that it can at least absorb the electrical attacks of Clair's dragons without too much of a problem.) Additionally, Water is only strong against Fire, Rock, and Ground. Everything else, it does neutral damage to. This is great for most GLs because Water can make a dent in many of the early ones (I say "early" because three out of the four Johto GLs after Morty also have Water-types or types that can resist Water in general on their teams), but you'll still want to make sure you've got plenty of backups that aren't Water-types or reliant on Water-type moves.

    Now, I'm not saying that Totodile or Wooper's a bad choice. (In fact, Quagsire might actually be your best bet against things like Morty and his part Poison-types.) I'm just saying that no type by itself is really that godly and that it'll take a bit of thought and consideration besides who can hold the most HMs to figure out what Pokémon to put on your team.
     
    Oh and I highly suggest getting a Zubat. It learns confusion moves, and later on when it becomes Crobat it can learn Fly. Plus, Crobat is a good pokemon.
    I did get zubat, but are you sure crobat can learn fly? I don't know why, but i feel like once i tried that and it didn't work. I don't know, you may be right or you may not be, but I don't want to go through the game thinking it can learn fly, and then find out the hard way that it can't.
     
    I did get zubat, but are you sure crobat can learn fly? I don't know why, but i feel like once i tried that and it didn't work. I don't know, you may be right or you may not be, but I don't want to go through the game thinking it can learn fly, and then find out the hard way that it can't.

    Verifying for him: Don't worry. It can.
     
    Well some of that is true, Xanthine but i kill the steel pokemon before it can even touch me LOL.
    Well grass i also kill since waterpokemon (well some of em) can use ice attacks, and grass is weak against that.
    I dont care so much about defense, just to kill the enemy before he kill me.
     
    I did get zubat, but are you sure crobat can learn fly? I don't know why, but i feel like once i tried that and it didn't work. I don't know, you may be right or you may not be, but I don't want to go through the game thinking it can learn fly, and then find out the hard way that it can't.
    Double verified

    Yeah, go Butterfree because it's pretty good early game learning various Psychic moves that few creatures (except Spinirak) have resistances to.

    Raticate: Yeah, good with fang attacks.
    Combo:
    Butterfree: Toxic followed up by Whirlwind, or Sleep Powder followed by Psychic.
    Raticate:(After Butterfree's Whirlwind) Super Fang followed by Quick Attack.
     
    Well some of that is true, Xanthine but i kill the steel pokemon before it can even touch me LOL.

    That still doesn't mean Water > Steel. (Or, for that matter, Water > Grass.) Water does neutral damage to Steel and vice versa, so if you're not overleveled or better trained, it's actually still an even match. Likewise with Grass-types. If you're on an even level, you'll still end up with a problem and will want a backup Pokémon. (For example, if you go up against Erika with a level 45 Feraligatr, you'll want a couple of backups just in case because there's no way to be certain you'll be able to take her out before she takes you out.)

    Well grass i also kill since waterpokemon (well some of em) can use ice attacks, and grass is weak against that.

    In that case, your argument is that Ice > Grass, not that Water > Grass. You can teach the same Ice move to a Normal-type and still get the job done -- without the defensive weakness.

    It's great that your strategy is an all-out offense, but there's a bit more to strategy than that. Yes, you can overlevel like crazy and get by on offenses, but if you want to be cautious and want a full team, you can't just rely on one Pokémon because you never know if that one Pokémon will be wiped out. For example, if you get that Pokémon Toxiced, you've got two options. First, you can heal up, which means you leave yourself vulnerable to the Pokémon you're facing. Second, you can ignore it and keep going with the hope that you'll be able to finish off your opponent before they finish you, but you run at a risk of letting the poison run its course.

    Actually, a better example of this would probably be Morty. He's early enough in the game that it's before you can get proper TMs or levels to get your Totodile to actually be a formidable fighter in comparison to the GLs, even if you choose to rely on a single Pokémon. His Ghost-types are neutral to Water-type attacks and vice versa, but before you'll land a hit, he'll try one of two things: Hypnosis or Curse. If he lands Hypnosis, he'll Dream Eat the crap out of you, at which point, you're still screwed because Water is neutral to Psychic as well. If he lands Curse (which will probably be more likely), you're screwed because there's no way to heal Curse, and it works quickly. Either way, this happens with the first two Pokémon he sends out. He's got four in total, and at the levels you're at when you reach him, you're relying on luck to take him out first unless you overlevel. (At which point, the entire argument of whether or not Water's the best type is moot because anyone can beat a type matchup if they overlevel.) So, if it's Gastly who uses Curse, you're facing down Gengar with a huge chunk of your HP gone, even if you're able to wipe out Gastly right after. Alternatively, if it's Haunter, you're still facing down Gengar, whose main strategy is Hypnosis + Dream Eater either way and who will most likely take your first hit and/or outspeed you (because, let's face it, Gengar's got better stats than a Croconaw -- which you probably will have by then -- in the specials department).

    Point is, Water's got its weaknesses, and just because it's neutral doesn't necessarily mean Water has the advantage. I love Water-types myself, but I realize that I can't rely on just it and that a Water-type isn't always the best type for the job. (For another example, Piplup got me screwed against Lucian because neutral hits against Bronzong meant it could Psychic the crap out of my Empoleon, even though we were at an even level, and I had Surf.)
     
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