After many attempts (and one victory!) at an Electric-type only Nuzlocke run, I’ve gotten a lot of experience with the Electric Pokémon of Kanto. So here are my picks for the absolute best Electric-types you can add to your FRLG team.
4. Magneton
Suggested Moves:
Spark/Thunderbolt Thunder Wave Metal Sound (Undecided)
Magneton is an Electric/Steel-type with a huge Special Attack stat. While it’s let down slightly by its small move pool, it’s still a great addition to the team if built correctly. Unfortunately, in FRLG can’t learn any Steel-type STAB moves. So you’ll have to focus entirely on status moves and Electric-type damage. Magneton will already know its first Electric STAB move, Spark, when you catch it. But you can replace Spark with Thunderbolt as soon as you can buy the TM in the Celadon City Department Store. Magneton should also know Thunder Wave in the wild, but if not, take it to the Two Island Move Reminder to re-teach it. While you’re there, you can also teach Magneton Metal Sound to sharply lower the opponent’s Special Defense. Although be careful when using Metal Sound, since Magneton’s low Special Defense means it might not stay alive long enough to follow it up with an attack. How to catch: You can catch a Magneton in the Power Plant Interior.
3. Electabuzz
Suggested Moves:
Thunderpunch Focus Punch Psychic Iron Tail/Toxic
Note: Electabuzz is exclusive to FireRed, so LeafGreen trainers will have to miss out or get it via trade. Those who can catch an Electabuzz, you’re in for a treat – because it can learn a huge number of TMs, meaning you can set it up to deal with a lot of the Elite Four’s most dangerous Pokémon. First though, make sure Electabuzz knows Thunderpunch. This will be its Electric-type STAB move, and it should already know this when you catch it. If it doesn’t, head to the Two Island Move Reminder and trade some mushrooms to re-teach it. For Electabuzz’s other moves, it’s best to take a look at your team and see which trainers in the Indigo League you’ll struggle against. Focus Punch (TM01) will one-shot 3 of Lorelei’s team members, while Psychic (TM29) will do the same to Agatha’s team. The TMs for both of these moves can be found in Silph Co. and Saffron City, respectively. Iron Tail will do great damage against Blue’s Rhydon and against Bruno’s two Onix, and this move can be won fairly easily in the Celadon Game Corner. But another great option is Toxic, which will take down any team but Agatha’s. You’ll get this as TM06 from beating the Fuchsia City Gym. It’s really up to you how you want to build Electabuzz – and it’s for this reason that it can fit in just about any team. How to catch: You can find Electabuzz in the Power Plant Interior.
2. Raichu
Suggested Moves:
Thunderbolt Thunder Wave Agility Double Team
Raichu is a surprisingly great Pokémon in Generation 3. While it can be a little underpowered in some of the games that come afterwards, Raichu will put in some serious work in FRLG. Pikachu is a pretty unique Pokémon to raise already – since almost all of its moves can be part of a viable move set. Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Double Team, Slam, Thunderbolt, Agility, Thunder, and Light Screen are all learned by level-up. This gives you a ton of options as to how you build your Raichu. Personally, I like to give Raichu Thunderbolt as its main STAB move, along with Thunder Wave as its paralysis move. They’re learned at levels 26 and 8, respectively. Then rather than use Quick Attack to strike first once, teach Pikachu Agility at level 33 so it can buff its speed and move first every turn. And finally, no good Raichu build can go without Double Team, which will buff Raichu’s evasiveness and keep it alive longer. Pikachu naturally learns Double Team at level 15. Keep in mind that Raichu evolves with a Thunder Stone, so it won’t be learning any moves once it has evolved. Make sure Pikachu knows all the moves you want it to before you evolve it. How to catch: Catch a Pikachu in Viridian Forest, then level it up until it learns all the moves you want Raichu to know. Then buy a Thunder Stone from Celadon Department Store and use it on Pikachu to evolve into Raichu.
1. Jolteon
Suggested Moves:
Thunderbolt Dig Shadow Ball Thunder Wave
The strongest Electric-type in Kanto is, of course, Jolteon. Jolteon is a pure Electric-type Eeveelution that will outspeed just about anything it goes up against. Its level-up moveset is lacking, but the long list of TMs that it can learn makes up for it, turning Jolteon into the perfect Pokémon for taking down the Elite Four. You can start building its moveset as soon as you evolve Eevee, since you’ll already have access to most of the TMs in the game. Thunderbolt should be your first priority, since it’ll be Jolteon’s only STAB move, and its main weapon against Lorelei’s Ice and Water-type team. You can get Thunderbolt (TM24) as a prize from the Celadon Game Corner. Jolteon can also one-shot Agatha’s Gengars & Blue’s Alakazam with Shadow Ball, a Ghost-type move that’s also winnable from the Celadon Game Corner (TM30). To deal with Bruno’s two Onix, teach Jolteon Dig via TM28, which you can get at the Celadon Department Store, or from the Rocket member as you leave Cerulean City. Dig will also deal super-effective damage to Agatha’s entire team. And finally, teach Jolteon Thunder Wave at level 42 to paralyze any Pokémon that won’t be one-shotted by Jolteon’s offensive attacks. How to catch: You’ll find an Eevee in a Pokeball in the Celadon Mansion. Then go buy a Thunder Stone from the Celadon Department Store and use it on Eevee to evolve it into Jolteon.
