Team #1
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Torchic is the second best starter for in-game playthroughs. Even though, Fire / Fighting starters became a meme, this typing is absolutely amazing. Hitting from both sides of the spectrum in gen 3 with high mixed offenses and mostly great moves. Overheat, especially, is such a giant nuke after just the fourth gym. Flamethrower is an expensive Game Corner TM but is much more solid than Blaze Kick (if not as cool), and Brick Break is a needed better Fighting STAB move than Double Kick. For some reason Blaziken doesn't learn Sky Uppercut until level 59. Gen 3 level-up movepools are weird (you will hear me say that a lot in the future). Blaziken also learns a lot of other useful moves, but doesn't really need them. Its STAB moves are good enough for nearly everything and the TMs are better saved for other team memebers. My only gripe with Torchic is that Combusken falls a bit off shortly before it evolves similar to Marshtomp. It just is a bit slower and frailer than you think before it gets to Blaziken. Overall though, absolutely great Pokemon and probably my favorite starter to use for playthroughs.
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Tentacool is pretty good for the most part. But man, its level-up movepool and early game are awful. For some reason, it only gets its first water move at level 25. Before that it struggles by with Acid and Cut from Tentacool's bad attack stat. Ugh. If you want to use a Tentacool, you should really only catch one later on the water routes after you get Surf. It will be around level 25 then, which means you skip its bad early game, it evolves soon and it can get great moves in Surf, Sludge Bomb and Ice Beam immediately. Even with Tentacool's bad early game, after the 5th gym it is nothing but up for Tentacruel. Great stats, great typing and great moves to bully other water types. It can also carry plenty of HMs. Pretty solid for the rest of the game after that.
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Cacnea is pretty decent as far as Grass types in gen 3 go. Needle Arm is solid and has more PP than Giga Drain. But just like Faint Attack it has low base power, unfortunately. So, even with Cacturne's great high mixed offenses, its offenses are a bit lacking because it is also frail, slow and has common weaknesses. But those can be worked around to some extend and a Grass and Dark typing are both great. Sub Focus Punch is a fun set but not really needed. It can carry some HMs in its last moves. I mostly picked it for my first team because I remembered that Dark types are so good in gen 3 and Cacturne mostly proofed that for me again. You really wish its stats were better distributed, though.
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Baltoy's stats kind of suck but fortunately, it isn't too long until it evolves. Claydol's offenses aren't great but its typing, ability and movepool are just amazing. It learns a ton of useful coverage options like Ice Beam and Shadow Ball and STAB Psychic and Earthquake are just really nice to have. Claydol is never blowing you away with its performance but it is solid throughout the rest of the game after it evovles and can help with tons of fights, even if the Ghost and Darkness weaknesses suck. To make the best out of Claydol, it also needs some important and also costly TMs, so make sure something else on your team doesn't need them more.
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Magnemite is shallow but just very solid. Like all Electric types in gen 3, its entire movepool mainly consists of like 2 or 3 good moves. But hey, Spark, Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave are all great moves and Magnemite's Steel typing does a lot of useful stuff. Magneton is plenty powerful and Electric types are even better in Hoenn than Electric types usually are in in-game playthrouhgs. Wallace's Milotic will just roll you over without a type advantage. Not much more to say about Magneton. It is kinda boring but does its job amazingly.
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Doduo is likely the best Normal / Flying bird ever for in-game playthroughs aside from Swellow before gen 4. Dodrio is fast and strong, its lower bulk mostly doesn't matter. Its STAB Return and Drill Peck hit like a truck. Sadly, it comes quite late due to being in the Safari Zone. And while it doesn't have many type advantages left in the remaining fights, its neutral STAB moves are good enough to kill almost anything. Maxing out its friendship this late is a bit tough, though. Steel Wing also takes care of some remaining Rock and Ice types. Another Pokemon that is mostly uneventful but just really solid throughout.
Counter after team #1:
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