Top 10 Strongest Pokémon in Gen 2!

[@smithplayspokemon]

Get an exclusive @Surfshark deal! Enter promo code SMITHPLAYS for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/smithplays

[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

Macop deez nuts

[@Spitiphone]

what's the romhacking software you use?

[@JohnnyVincent420]

Smith i just want to say, i never played a rom hack, i love Pokémon and i had to play yours, im in love with it, please keep doing your great work for the Pokémon comunity, maybe one day after all the gen 1 and 2 work, you could do gen 3, im playing all your hacks in order too, much respect Smith i will 100% complete the rom thats how much i like it 👍

[@robertdicaprio7116]

Tyranitar is GOAT

[@anthonyt425]

My fav Pokémon.

[@luisgusta]

Yeah, you're right on Geodude, this is a very common Knowledge between nuzlockers. Rock/Ground types are amazing on regular playthroughs, and even Graveler will carry you through Johto. If you can evolve it to golem, it is even better. When I don't have full access, I usually use Graveler until the Victory Road, when I can replace it with a Rhydon for the E4.

[@TheSmithPlays]

rhydon is a BEAST

[@RyanNash20]

Rhydon is definitely a monster and would take #1 if it had geodudes availability, or even just better availability in general

[@WEDDE479]

Elite 4 hard

[@abdur-jalil]

6:10 i thought you could get a fire stone from the school boy if you have him registered on the pokegear? There are a couple of trainers around Johto that will call you and say they have something for you, and they will give you evolution stones.

[@dannigro8794]

The good thing with for alligator is once you get it you don’t have to worry about getting another water type Pokémon to use surf so you have an extra slot for a different type of Pokémon.

[@liuxaun8385]

When your mom is saving money, she buys you a moon stone around the time you're at Goldenrod. It's not late at all

[@briliantinoprihandikakhari6754]

AHAHAHA 😂😂😂😂😂 REAL MOMENT

[@Christian-wu3mp]

Wtf i thoight i was lucky. Didnt know it was like that for everyone

[@justadude8369]

You can also use flash in one of the Ruin of Alphs puzzles and unlock a secret door behind which is another moon stone

[@Akumatron]

@@justadude8369 do you use flash in all of those rooms or is it just that one?

[@Umbrum_Silvermoon]

Me: thanks for the Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Clafable, AND Wigglytuff mom :3

[@ColonelCorson]

The trade evolutions really let you steamroll Gen II even more than usual, I was just lucky enough to have neighbors with a trading cable back when I was a kid.

[@remote24]

It's not like the game is difficult in general xD a fkn caterpie would get through this game😂

[@Alexander_Grant]

@@remote24 Make a video where you do a run with just caterpie. I'd gladly watch it.

[@timboslice8559]

I didn’t so I actually use to avoid catching the trade evolution Pokémon cuz living in the middle of nowhere I knew I’d never get to trade

[@ziqi92]

Lanturn was a critical Pokemon to acquire as soon as you defeated Whitney in Crystal. It’s incredibly useful in a game where Mareep is absent and can learn most of the HMs. With its bulk, it actually puts Whirlpool to good use in the Battle Tower because it also has access to Confuse Ray. Give it Leftovers and it’s very solid.

[@mikemckenzie3175]

Elekid/electabuzz is better

[@MerkhVision]

Wait, the Mareep line is unavailable in Crystal?? Why!? That’s so weird! It’s an iconic Johto Pokémon line!

[@ziqi92]

@@MerkhVision so they can continue to sell copies of GS

[@Mr.WhatzitTooya]

Such an underrated pokemon in that game

[@thisis675]

I love lanturn. Used it as a status'er in battle tower with confuse ray and thunder wave plus whatever elemental coverage needed. Bulk was great paired with leftovers or if I wanted snorlax to have leftovers, run with a miracle berry.

[@Hyparbeem526]

Your take on a single Pokemon game has been really refreshing because you talk about them within the context of *the game they are in.* I think nowadays, there are so many Pokemon games and so many Pokemon, that when people think of a single Pokemon, they are left with this weird overall impression of what they may have been like in one game or another, creating this inaccurate depiction of said Pokemon. For example, Tauros. It was one of the KINGS of RBY, but as time went on, it fell off. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't talk about its importance during the game that it was in. It says a lot more about RBY than it does about Tauros. I feel people would enjoy Pokemon a lot more if they focused more on the adventure aspect then just "Oh, Pokemon strong, Pokemon good, Pokemon weak, Pokemon bad." But your take makes Crystal feel like it's own experience, not just a footnote in where Pokemon got to today. It makes Pokemon Crystal itself feel like it has its own special place in the Pokemon Saga, which I think is really neat. Thanks for all your work on bringing it back to life with Crystal Legacy.

[@ShinyShilla]

In sun moon magnetone was such a good 'mon, caught it at the start just to spice things up on my team (I never cared for it) and it quickly became one of my favorite on the team. I play since Red/Blue came out so it's incredible what a simple playthrough utility can do to a 'mon

[@bvd_vlvd]

I have a similar obsession with gen 1 and it's even funnier because the way pokemon worked is even more different than other games. I was shocked while creating a gen 1 nuzlocke tier list (it isn't finished yet, but currently) the best pokemon in the game is, and there's no way you'll guess this, actually just Swords Dance Body Slam Kingler because setup moves and good defence can actually punch through anything. Poliwrath is pretty insane with amnesia and good defences but it's just that damn fighting type that was awful in gen 1 that put it a few spots below. Oh, I just got a shiny Totodile from soft resetting in soul silver. That's cool. You're my lucky comment

[@MarioGomez-zk4fo]

Warm comment from Hyper Beam.

[@pandaman1331]

Liking Pokemon for being good makes more sense to me than liking it for looking cool. Then again, in-game you can win with every Pokemon. Still, solely liking Pokemon for their design is a level of shallowness I don't understand.

[@dutchdude1985]

Tauros is indeed a good example to make that was impacted a lot by the differentiation between sp attack and sp def values. Back in RBY he rocked a spectacular all around special value combined with his wide moveset made for a damn beast of a pokemon. Personally i really like his changes made and only love him more because of it. If you focus on actual melee moves like Strength, Iron Tail and Earthquake he is still truly impressive and it fits his design so well to be that lethal up close n personal.

[@Philostipher]

Not a surprise that Geodude line makes number 1, it's one of the best utility pokemon in basically every game it appears. They almost always appear early, the good defense and advantage against normal moves mean training Geodude is super easy early on. Magnitude acts as a great stand in for Earthquake, regardless of the rng aspect. Since your starter is and elemental type rock/ground basically always acts as some kind of type coverage (fire/flying if you pick grass, electric if you pick water, rock if you pick fire). Even if you can't evolve Graveler it can hold its own even through the Elite 4, especially with STAB earthquake. The ease of training and reliability plus availability makes it an obvious choice for basically any team.

[@Zmeeed01]

I haven't had much experience with Geodude but I used Larvitar in Crystal Legacy. Rock/Ground is the king, and you can usually see the special weaknesses coming your way from a mile away so they weren't a problem at all

[@briliantinoprihandikakhari6754]

Only need two pokemon at about lvl 80 for Elite 4, namely Vaporeon (surf, growth, rest, sleep talk) and Gengar (Hypnosis and whatever else).

[@Ayearetee]

What the fuck was that ending

[@TheElcollin]

5:48 Flareon has base 95 special attack. That's totally decent, how dare you call base 95 "awful". You suggested the elemental punches for Ursaring with base 75 special attack. and Nidoking has base 85, yet Flareon has "awful special attack". I'm not saying it's a top tier threat, it certainly isn't. But you can't tell me those attacking stats are bad.

[@Martyste]

I've JUST done a playthrough, and chose Meganium, Pidgeot, Ursaring, Golduck, Arcanine and Umbreon. They required lots of patience but the payout was immense: Hatched an Eevee with the one Bill gives you on a road ideal to grind his early levels, and fed him stat boosts to get the required happiness to evolve, and after learning Bite. He has the best defenses of the team but his Bite is now STAB. The schoolboy on Route 38 can get you a Fire Stone if you keep his number, so I saved it for Growlithe who had to level up to 50 ( right before Elite 4 and with lots and lots of grind ) to get Flamethrower, then immediately evolve to learn Extreme Speed, and get absolute busted Attack and Sp.Attack to wreck open E4. Gave him Dragon Breath for type coverage. Earthquake and Thunderpunch for Ursaring. Return and Thief for Pidgeot so the team's designated Airship can pack a good punch too. It was the first time I played Johto without choosing to plan for Red Gyarados or any legendary in my active party. Going for a more risky route but enjoying the success of a good strategy. Even if full of flaws, Crystal is an insane game for 2MB...

[@ThomatoSauce]

Tediursa with 80 base attack Smith: Yo, this is really good. Flareon with 95 base special attack Smith: *I N T O T H E T R A S H I T G O E S !*

[@smithplayspokemon]

LOL

[@adamwalker3560]

Lol but that is also taking into account the differences in when you get them and moveset. The eeveelutions has horrific movesets in gen 2, and fire types rely heavily on those moves. Normal types have tons of options. Also worth mentioning, Flareon has pretty bad physical bulk and low HP. The horror of trying to fight the Elite Four, using a pokemon that it's only stab fire move is EMBER. 'Nuff said.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Flareon is literally an evolution... Lol

[@cloudwalker9572]

It's weird but due to stat distribution between Pokémons atk is more easily good than sp.atk in Pokémon. Good atk is starting 100 base, sp.atk would be 120 in gen 2

[@jedrzejmarciniak4282]

Ah, the nostalgia... Actually my initial Johto team was always Thyplosion, Golem, Victreebell, Alakazam, Gyarados and Magneton (No one said You cannot Thundershock Lance's Gyarados!) in Crystal, so it is nice to know that I picked rather the right ones, despite not knowing the math behind it :D

[@qgame4941]

During the reel with alternatives to feraligatr I gotta say, the gen 2 backsprites are gorgeous

[@HM-jl8pr]

Not all of them. backsprite of pokemon like forretress sucks.

[@qgame4941]

@@HM-jl8pr yeah that's definitely true

[@SideB_Stuff]

IMO best sprites and best soundtrack of the franchise.

[@Generaider]

Gen 2's ost, spritework & warm color palette really set it apart from other Pokemon games

[@daveyosh88]

One of the reasons I want to keep replaying the game. So fun to trade over Gen 1 mons to see their new backsprites

[@gg41451]

The BOULDER. I’m so happy he is the king of johto. I think magmar deserves an honourable mention. It is literally the only viable fire type in gold and silver that isn’t the starter. It’s got high speed and special attack along with fire punch and flamethrower at respectable levels. Thunder punch and dynamic punch are some good coverage moves that magmar gets.

[@miguelmejia4656]

magmar is a hot joke at any level

[@Dxoper.1]

I want to use Vulpix is it good?

[@colinmcbottle]

I would make a case for Umbreon, Gen II is stall meta and Umbreon is viable for both Curse batton passing, or Toxic stall. In a usual playthrough tho, you will probably get Eevee to evolve by friendlyness just before entering Victory Road, and the TMs that allow both movesets to work (Curse, Toxic), are available in Kanto only. Still, late into the game is IMO more useful than trade evolutions which on most cases depend on multiplayer capabilities.

[@zzZDarKCroWZzz]

Poliwag line is also a good option for casual playthroughs, access to hypnosis, body slam, surf, ice punch, earthquake and the overpowered belly drum as early as lvl 37 which can help you sweep most of the game.

[@MerkhVision]

The trade Machop is available _after_ the 2nd Gym, (once u get to Goldenrod City) not before like u said. Just a slight mistake. And Magmar can be found in the Burned Tower, u don’t need to get a Magby Egg!

[@MrZrbrownie]

Those honorable mentions make you realize how solid water types are in the early gens. Lapras and Johto are like PB&J to me.

[@tadferd4340]

Water types in general are solid. Water is a strong type.

[@maxiebon1]

Id say they're more of a liquid. Now ice types, those are solid!

[@leopoldakaleopoldalsoknown5050]

I don't care what everyone thinks. Typhlosion is the best

[@NA1c158]

Good fire mon, honestly. Not many choices until later in the game and it has better stats and movepool people give it credit for. It will be a niche fire stab and not much else, but makes a great pivot when facing the many bug, grass, steel, and ice types.

[@Bemmy_dad]

Frr

[@BlueRangerMartin]

🤨

[@abolkilgen7334]

I’ve got some disturbing news

[@swagbear9965]

Typhlosion with thunderpunch, fire punch, and earthquake is an absolute menace in game and in the elite 4.

[@mikemath9508]

5:15 machop before the second gym? i only ever got one for trading in goldenrod which is after the 2nd gym

[@smithplayspokemon]

Sorry, I meant AFTER the second gym!

[@theworstchannelever6196]

The Geodude line is great being unable to learn Rock Slide is really unfortunate, not having a reliable STAB attack of one of your types is a huge downside that makes them far worse off than they would have been otherwise.

[@Gemini090693]

I still let it use Defense Curl + Rollout 😂

[@2N3mo001]

It's been a while for gen 1 and 2 for me. Could you trade geodude line to rby, tm rock slide on it, then trade back? I know I did this with my alakazam since elemental punches did not exist in rby so only way to have a severely busted Alakazam in RBY.

[@daveyosh88]

@@2N3mo001Yup, you sure can. That rock slide tm in general 1 is amazing. I just threw it on my kanghaskan in gold.

[@SoundaSheep]

You expertly weaved the sponsorship into the video. It was honestly impressive.

[@smithplayspokemon]

Really appreciate that! Thanks!

[@rwg6357]

did the video just cut off at the end?

[@smithplayspokemon]

Sorry, I had to make an edit and it didn’t come as clean as I hoped.

[@kylerfisher5254]

I was excited to watch this video because I knew my favorite ‘mon Kingdra would be on it…then his entry got mixed in with an ad….

[@toshio1334]

Probably the most obnoxious ad I've ever seen in a video. Normally ads have their own section... and then there's the Kindra section that basically barely lets you skip the ad.

[@HN9]

Yeah, I stopped watching the video and unsubscribed because of this. I read in the other comments some people liked this way of doing ads, so power to them of course. Maybe it’s just me, but yeah personally I hate it.

[@nightblader1]

This way seriously sucks

[@MidNightSniak]

You can always get premium if you don't like the ads. But I guess beggers can be chooserS

[@HN9]

@@MidNightSniak You understand that premium won’t let you skip the product placement in the video itself right? I actually do have premium because I really dislike ads. Again, it looks like a lot of people actually liked this way of doing ads, but I personally do not.

[@MidNightSniak]

Ofcourse, all I'm saying is that ads are common thing in everyday life. I don't find them as annoying as someone trying to push their religion on me

[@jameslowell9656]

I would put donphan in this. 120 attack and defense and 90 HP. phanpy can also be acquired early. Mono ground is a nice type in gen 2 as well.

[@ForgingMindset]

I just remember it’s debut in the Pokémon movie. Such a cool design.

[@LeetTron5000]

bro what you did with the ad was genius

[@EZO3123]

I like how 4 of the top 6 are the 4 pokemon from the gen 1 line you needed to trade in order to get lol

[@atonofspiders]

People always forget to mention how Typhlosion gets Thunderpunch as a TMin gen 2. In this game it goes off his special attack, and it's so good that you could argue not needing an electric type.

[@matiashall1758]

Can't wait for your rom hack. Watching your videos really makes me want to replay my favourite game - Crystal, but gotta put it of to try your rom hack.

[@calebshmanderson]

Ive been singing my praises for Geodude ever since my first run of crystal. It practically soloed the entire gym challenge except for Chuck which I just put out with my Fearow.

[@Eric-gp3hi]

This was a great video game talking about the 10 best Pokemon to use in Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal. I would like to see Game Freak and the Pokémon Company make a Gen 1 Collection, Gen 2 Collection, Gen 3 Collection in the future! I’m looking forward to all the improvements you make in Crystal Legacy.

[@mrcodcommando3939]

Bot

[@jonnysmith8338]

So, I'm unapologetic about my love for Typhlosion and it's family, but being a great fire type isn't that useful in gen 2. Bugsy is destroyed by the many birds and rocks. Jasmine gets rolled by fighting and water pokemon. Pryce is an ice type gym leader. Need I say more? Typhlosion can solo run the entire game with hm support like surf. The only gym Typhlosion does well in is Whitney with smoke screen. Totodile is much better, even with the special attacks and not benefiting greatly from that gargantuan attack stat. You can run a Starmie or Lapras for special attack and go all in all attack with Slash, EQ, Headbutt, Iron Tail, Strength, Rock Slide, or Ancient Power.

[@blacktheripper9870]

adding in that sponorship into the video like that was probably the best "sponsorship add in" i've ever seen . That was really creative.

[@Akumatron]

Geodude is slept on by the inexperienced. I love Typhlosion since day one playing silver. He's my dude. I also think Slowbro is another great pick in this game. With surf, Psychic and getting Ice punch he can wreck a few of the elite four trainers easy.

[@Hikennoace7]

Personally, I have been ending up with the same team since 2001, because it's strong and manages all HMs and useful moves to access any place in the game : Typhlosion (Cut / Rock Smash / Thunder Punch / Flamethrower) (Charcoal) Umbreon (Toxik / Flash / Confuse Ray / Faint Attack) (Leftovers) Red Gyarados (Whirlpool / Waterfall / Strength / Hyper Beam) (Mystic Water) Dragonite (Fly / Outrage / Ice Punch / Hyper Beam) (Dragon Fang) Lugia (Surf / Recover / Psychic / Aeroblast) (Leftovers 2) Tyranitar (Crunch / Earthquake / Rock Slide / Hyper Beam) (Soft Sand) Umbreon and Typhlosion are literally enough to get me through most of Johto on their own until I get Red Gyarados, Lugia and then Dragonite. And these first 5 easily sweep the E4 and all of Kanto before I can get Tyranitar to destroy Red !

[@SamFromSolitude]

My Crystal team consisted of quite a few of these. It was Typhlosion, Pidgeot, Kadabra, Machoke, Lanturn, and Red Gyarados which was later switched for Snorlax. I ALWAYS swear by Lanturn. I kinda had to because there’s no Ampharos in that game, but also, the absolutely unfair strategy of Thunder Wave and Confuse Ray has the potential to annihilate the whole game. I was kinda underlevelled for Clair, but Lanturn made it a non-issue by making her Kingdra completely unable to get a move off.

[@kildawg]

Don't forget Flail. I had a Lanturn beat that annoying Kingdra with that move at 1HP left.

[@josephp2229]

Didnt shinies have worst stats than their normal counterparts? Shiny Magby would NOT have better stats than a regular one. Shinies are (almost) entirely prized possessions TBH.

[@kennethbryant5819]

The mareep line always felt like a fourth gen 2 starter to me and a must have in any game it appears. Also, I'm a big fan of the early rock type cave archetypes. They always end up stupidly powerful despite how common they are. I mean the Geodudes, the arons, the roggenrolas etc.

[@Bobopoes]

flareon's 95 sp attack isn't awful

[@Kil000999]

Really not

[@philipspigelmeyer959]

You don't get it til Kanto. So it's not great at all for a whole playthru

[@AzureDragon158]

No, but why use your fire stone to get Flareon when you could use it for Arcanine or Ninetales and have your Eevee evolve into Espeon or Umbreon instead?

[@Rainypnw]

@@philipspigelmeyer959 You get a Firestone after the third gym via Schoolboy Alan. You can cheese this by switching on/off DST with your mom to fish for calls with the stone.

[@675gilly]

People just like to complain

[@Sononono]

Saying Miltank is only on the honorable mentions when it's LEAGUES better than Ursaring and Machamp is baffling to me, as someone who replayed gen 2 a lot over the year with hardcore nuzlocke rules + a few more very restrictive rules, I can say that Miltank is EASILY an elite four pick that is also good throughout the entire game when you get it. It's arguably a top 5 pick you bring vs Lance and this is also considering reduced level cap, meaning mons are weaker than normal and it still performed much better than expected.

[@wimsatt89]

I am so ready for your rom hack. I have put off a gen 2 play through for months now waiting for it!

[@marctremblay4248]

In silver , in the first town. A kid ask u to exchange a bellsprout for his onix. Fast xp , decent movepool , run headbutt screech , mud slap rock throw on him. A real beast.

[@codyhensley640]

Currently playing Gold, just got my final gym badge last night so today I'm omw to the Indigo League. My team is (all at lvl 50): Ampharos, Weepinbell, Sandslash, Crobat, and Kingler. Did have a Typhlosion as well, but boxed him at lvl 45, bc he just became far too difficult to train grinding wild encounters. May add him back for the Elite Four matches, but I'll see how far I can get without him first.

[@addambarcelos]

I was expecting at least 3 of the trade evolution pokemon to show up on the list, but machamp was a fair surprise.

[@PopeLeo]

I feel like Phanpy/ Donphan get slept on, has higher base stats that Golem, less weaknesses (and no 4x weaknesses) and you can get it at the same point as Geodude. Plus it's a really cool design, and doesn't required a trade evolution!

[@smithplayspokemon]

The issue is really that it just has zero attacking moves until late game

[@jacobrobert0]

Correction, You can have a NidoKing or Queen for Whitney. Your mum buys you a moon stone when you have a little over 18k saved, which is possible with 2 badges

[@smithplayspokemon]

thats a great point!! i always forget about this

[@jacobrobert0]

@@smithplayspokemon literally only know because I just finished a ProfOakChallenge KEKW

[@EwMatias]

When I was a kid my Graveler carried me to the Elite 4. Then being slow with garbage Special Def meant Will obliterated him, but he did bring us there in the first place.

[@holschermarc]

Ursaring and Zangoose still dick fighting over who is the better Facade user. But with Zangoose not existing in Gen 2 (lets ignore that Facade also doesnt exist) no body can claim the kings crown from Ursaring. Its just raw "Punch u so hard in the face that u will swallow ur teeths and shit them out so i can feed them again to u"-Energy

[@RedWelshDragon]

My top 10 1: Houndoom 2: Girafarig 3: Scizor 4: Noctowl 5: Ursaring 6: Miltank 7: Feraligatr 8: Donphan 9: Octillery 10: Heracross. Just missing out of the top 10. Gligar: Tyranitar and Magcargo.

[@seantaylor424]

I've heard informative ad-reads and I've heard funny ad-reads, but this is the first ad-read I've heard that didn't stop the plot of the video! Amazing stuff!

[@Rafael9500]

What you said there goes along with my hypothesis that many if not most videos present a narrative!

[@FemiOsofisan2008]

It is very unique and nice that you are the only one I know to reference a sponsorship with the video you are making e.g.how you referenced kingdra's defence capabilities with surfshark's ability to protect your computer from danger.

[@cftvdata]

.....Espeon? Hello...!? Like, this is a very good list overall, but if we're talking about overpowered non-legendary Pokémon, then I have no clue how you could leave Espeon off the list. You can get one before Morty by grinding a bit of friendship, its 110 base speed and 130 special attack put it in the highest tiers of both stats, it gets amazing STAB moves (albeit not til it hits level 36, which is maybe its only knock), and is a monster sweeper during the Kanto postgame. It might not be at the top of the list in terms of total utility across the entire game, but it's still a powerhouse of a special sweeper and deserves its flowers. I also think Skarmory deserves consideration - I know it's available fairly early on, and is a fantastic defensive tank and all-around utility Pokémon.

[@somerandomperson2626]

Alakazam is better than espeon in every way

[@deemo665]

​@@somerandomperson2626 Not every way. If you don't have a way to trade evo, then you can't even use it.

[@somerandomperson2626]

@deemo665 then use kadabra. It's stats aren't quite as strong but it is easier to get because you don't need to raise its happiness and kadabra learns good psychic type moves earlier and has better coverage moves

[@NickyvMLP]

"The Kingdra of VPNs" *ranked Kingdra 7th*

[@MortenLongbottom]

The top 10: Seven of them are Kanto Pokémon (and four of them are the four as always), 3 of them are Johto (and two of the three are starters). How creative Game Freak; Gold/Silver/ Crystal needs a remake/reboot/spinoff. And please, bring back Crys.

[@DarkIceKrabby]

I always take issue when people say "Flareon has bad special attack", especially with the earlier games. It has Base 95 Special Attack. Literally only 5 points below Magmar's and Arcanine's Base 100 Special Attack. And 14 points above Ninetales' Base 81 Special Attack. Yet it's always Flareon that gets crapped on for having a low special attack as a fire type. In Gen 2 the only Fire types with a noticeably higher special attack than Flareon are the fire starters, the fire legendaries not including Entei, and Houndoom. So Pokemon you can't normally get, or get extremely late in the game.

[@XellossBoi]

So, we already know that I adore you and love what you do on here, but I have to give you further props for perfectly integrating the sponsor while making it interesting and dynamic.

[@14bj337]

One honorable mention I'd add is Donphan. It comes late in Silver, but Phanpy can be gotten as soon as Route 46 in Crystal. Anyway, Defense Curl plus Rollout is just an insane combination, plus its got the bulk to take a hit or two. Just wish it got a better Ground Move (Mud-Slap, oof) before EQ at 49 (or via TM).

[@mikemckenzie3175]

You can get phanpy very early in Crystal as well. Don’t have to wait till route 46. Just go north on the first route and have it Be morning

[@DubCmusicTV]

that's already possible with Geodude. Rock Throw/Rollout, Earthquake to replace Magnitude, Explosion, and defense Curl if you wish to keep.

[@frozenandchosen]

I remember spending forever searching for a Phanpy in Crystal without one fleeing, it was so worth the work though

[@14bj337]

@@DubCmusicTV True enough, and I'm not doubting the greatness of the Geodude line. That said, assuming you can't trade, it's Graveler vs. Donphan. Donphan is higher in... basically every stat. He outspeeds more foes than Graveler, and can take Water- or Grass-type attacks without crumpling. Graveler does have a stronger Rollout, thanks to STAB, but Donphan is hitting harder everywhere else. Magnitude and Normal/Flying resistances are also to Graveler's credit, although Donphan has no worry against Steel- and Fighting-type attacks. So, of the two, which is better? In a "full run" context... probably Graveler. Definitely Golem, if you can get one. That said, I don't think Donphan is far behind, and he arguably has a higher ceiling.

[@DubCmusicTV]

@@14bj337 if they are both like level 45, Donphan is stronger going forward. You can't get him until Victory Road, while for Geodude, many will have been playing with it for eight badges. Geodude has usefulness for every Johto Gym besides Chuck's. I guess you can call that emotional attachment. haha

[@Archie070]

I love that you make gen2 videos!!

[@gfditto3390]

The way you integrated that ad read was flawless

[@smithplayspokemon]

thank you lo!

[@elyte2670]

Playing Crystal Legacy right now and after watching this video,I know I made an excellent team. Although i don't agree on Crobat not making the list. Zubat appear very early on the game, route 30. If you spear him when training against wild pokemon or trainers, you can reach his max friendship really quickly. He has acess to toxic and fly. Very high speed. Also, he has acess to mean look which is really usefull when catching the legendary dogs.

[@RenegadeGamer89]

Finally someone giving the gen 2 Geodude line the respect they deserve.

[@chronology556]

Geodude was amazing in Gen 2, used it in all my playthroughs as a kid, I knew it was great, but no one really talked about it. Kid me just mercilessly went through the game with Graveler/Golem, and knew how awesome it was, but no one sung its praises, only Feraligatr, mostly. I also knew how great Alakazam was back then. Kid me was smart. Adult me, not so much.

[@christopherstory514]

Dragonite was my favorite late Johto Pokemon. It's already 5 levels higher than Lance's once you evolve it, and having access to all three punches and wing attack means it can walk through the entire Elite Four with only a couple of hitches in Gengar and Houndoom.

[@machoke666]

One of the most fun I've had playing gen 2 was when I had a team of just weak gen 2 single-stage Pokémon, so Pokémon like Dunsparce, Stantler, Corsola, Gligar, and so on, I highly recommend people to try it out

[@timboslice8559]

Why one of the best parts of the game is seeing your Pokémon evolve from the hard work you put in

[@Litchert]

That Kingdra/Surf Shark might be the smoothest and most enjoyable ad read I've ever seen

[@MatiasDypala]

Why no Tauros in the special mentions D: Tauros was always in my team and i loved it even over Ursaring, for start Tauros have an awesome Attack but also shines with its speed and defense: 75HP 100 Attack. 95 Defense. 40 Sp Att. 70 Sp Def. 110 Speed. Also can learn a lot of moves like: -Surf -Strength. (Stab). -Fire Blast. -Blizzard. -Thunder. -Rest (Sleep talk - Stab Snore). -Hyper Beam (Stab) -Earthquake. -Iron Tail. -Retribution. (Stab). -Zap Cannon. -Icy Wind. -Rock smash. Again, extremely usefull pokemon with awesome stats.

[@Spoopid0]

lanturn is my favorite water type from gen 2 and im so glad it at least almost made the list

[@NoirePkmn]

Hardcore Nuzlockes of the vanilla GSC games are made much easier with Totodile as your starter, it's by far the strongest and fully accessible. You can even solo HC Nuzlocke the game with it.

[@NoirePkmn]

Ursaring is strong but has the flaw of not learning Shadow Ball to give it the classic Normal/Ghost unresisted physical coverage. It's still very good and 75 special attack firing off elemental punches is more than enough if they're super effective.

[@tricky2795]

@@NoirePkmn It also learn earthquake and Dig, and Gen 2 has no abilities like levitate, so another good answer to ghost/rock/steel that walls it's normal stab and then fire punch for Skarmory. edit: maybe Ice punch as well for Graveler as you don't wanna dig into a magnitude

[@ivanbluecool]

Yeah top three are very op pokemon. Used them in my last playthroughs and stomped through everything.

[@yaboijory]

Honestly one of the best Pokémon videos ive seen on youtube. Straight to the point and ended perfecrly 10/10 will watch again

[@RyanNerdyGoober]

1:23 5% encounter rate + high likelihood of fleeing ffs smh = greater chance of finding and catching a bunch of _Dunsparce…_ 🤷🏻‍♂️ PROOF: I did! 😂

[@Thedarksenshi]

Impressive that you were able to weave in talking about your sponsor while still going on about the subject of your video. I actually haven't seen much of, if any content creators do that.

[@AI-Musix-s8i]

Congrats on the 100k. Loving your chanel ❤

[@FinnGreenland]

TBH that was the cleanest sponsor ever. You cant skip it or youll miss the entry so you have to watch it. Smart.

[@alkemyst337]

My first gen 2 Geodude was named Bomber. That was 20 years ago, but I still remember her as my ace, even though Feraligatr was my favorite Pokemon at the time. She just never stopped winning!

[@chocobo4646]

Dang. Putting a Pokemon's ranking during the ad segment was genius. Had the explanation for the mon's placement while advertising. Well played. Well done. Also interesting number 1. Not one I'd expect nor one I ever considered using, but it must make sense given everything you actually fight against. Neat list.

[@harleye1235]

I am so glad to see Typhlosion getting some love. I remember how different it made the early game feel to not have a fire type pokemon on my other playthroughs

[@z0tw]

Technically, Geodude line absolutely fucks a majority of Gens 1 thru 3 and should be heavily considered in all runs. Solos Lt. Surge, Koga, Blaine, Lorelei, Agatha and Lance in Gen 1, solos Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Jasmine, Pryce, Koga, and Lance in Gen 2, Wattson, Flannery, Norman, Winona, Drake and Steven in Gen 3.

[@Pharyl23]

How do you get golem tho? Nobody really plays the games any more

[@Hyrule-Postman]

In my last Crystal run, i completely disrespected Claire with Ursaring and Fury Swipes, really a good pokemon. Became one of my favorite when i beat Gale of Darkness with only Vaporeon and Ursaring 15 years ago

[@zhaumbie]

*Disrespected* is absolutely the right word choice for that combination vs Claire. Were I her, I'd have thrown a conniption fit and tried to weasel out of giving you the badge too. Bravo!

[@Nafysatnaf]

While I'm sure Surf Shark appreciates the extremely hand tailored promotion, it also means I can not be sure if he actually means what he said about his ranking of Kingdra. Does he really care about the pokemon on his list learning HMs or was it just good for the segue? And ultimately it doesn't really matter, I mean I'm still generally entertained, but honestly? Lets not let the corpos get too comfortable with what we're willing to do for them. We're fine if the standard stays a simple segment that viewers can skip if they please.

[@brockdowdle]

I loved everything about this video. The editing, content, rankings, and even the sponsor section was done in a way where I found it super interesting and engaging!

[@bongchoof]

Why does Nidoking have usable SpAtk but Flareon has bad SpAtk? It has a SpAtk stat of 95. That is about the same Feraligatr.

[@smithplayspokemon]

you're right... i'm a fraud

[@armorbearer9702]

Does Fire Blast help(5:52)? The special attack is a little low(5:35).

[@Elemento-115]

I would say that a honorable mention could definitely be Foretress, as you can get a Drowsy early in Crystal, it learns by lvl UP Headbutt which can open to Pinecone or other evolved pokemon as Noctowl or Ariados early in the game, they won't ger you through al the gyms but it is a great pokemon you can use as a ticking bomb if you need some extra damage in desperate situations

[@dano4708]

This is the smoothest ad integration I've ever seen on this platform.

[@Funkytowwn101]

fun fact, a ghastly, haunter or gengar with curse, can completely counter Red’s killing machine snorlax. regardless of level

[@zhaumbie]

[stunned whisper] holy shit Might have to try that, just to disrespect the lad

[@Funkytowwn101]

@ Red deserves it.

[@burlong01]

That was the most effective ad I've ever seen because skipping it means skipping all of kingdra.

[@S_u_g_i]

congrats for 100k

[@smithplayspokemon]

thanks!!!

[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

@@smithplayspokemonhi your my favorite KZbinr

[@lunacurtis780]

>geodude YES ok, I'm not just imaginging this, sweeps gym 1, 2, and completely blocks rollout, for the climb to golem??

[@redvsblueftw]

Been following along with your progress with this romhack for the last few months. Really looking forward to nuzlocking this game!

[@illusionsoulspark]

I did not expect Jamie's theme from sf6 at 3:30. Loved the vid.

[@tgyo99]

Typhlosion being higher than feraligatr is a joke

[@Nickxxx85]

exactly

[@iRazenrak]

I think it's a bit misleading to judge a Pokémon based on how well it does in the storyline game. For example, there are barely any ghosts in the game, so normal-type attacks are great. But when battling other players, there might be a plethora of Ghosts they use, so normal-type attacks are less useful. Similarly, Team Rocket spams poison types, making ground-types more valuable than they actually are. And because there are almost no dragons, ice-types might be underrepresented. Whereas each player may choose to run a Gengar and Dragonite on their team, thus you'll encounter more when you fight them.

[@tricky2795]

yea, but that's competitive pokemon, so way different metagame. Ingame storyline is a seperate criteria, and this vid criteria is "how useful is the pokemon is for significant fights in the game" instead of "how good is it against human players?"

[@mikemath9508]

my problem always was i hated using mid stage evolutions permanently. i did have a link cable for gen 1/2, and then pokemon white 2 was awesome with an active gamefaqs board for trade evolutions/filling out pokedex as much as i love the design and sprites of geodude/golem, i can't stand graveler.

[@pjanderson4876]

Catch me running a team of only trade evos once the ROM hack comes out because I never had access to them growing up and they’re OP. Machamp, Alakazam, Golem, Gengar, Scizor and Kingdra here I come!

[@SNELLExSLAK]

Hahaha nice one

[@albafer8245]

I never expected to hear genshin impacts ost in a pokemon video

[@doma3554]

I remember beating Pokemon Red or Blue. He solo'd everything in the entire game from the moment his moveset was complete. Hypnosis, Psychic, Ice Punch, Thunderpunch. Maybe it was Gen 2, and not Gen 1?

[@delta_power3049]

The elemental punches weren't in gen 1

[@dntremad8290]

Funny thing is you can trade Alakazam to gen 2, teach it all 3 elemental punches and then send it back to gen 1 😂😂

[@delta_power3049]

CORRECTION: The punches are in gen 1, but only Hitmomchan can learn all three. Fire punch can also be learned by Magmar, Ice punch is also Jynx, and thunder punch is also Elektabuzz. There were no move tutors that taught these moves, and they weren't tms like in gen 2, so that is it.