Pokémon Selection Strategy for Emerald

[BACK]
Pokémon Selection Strategy for Emerald
Posted On: May 29, 2023

I've gotten about midway into Pokémon Emerald -- completed the third badge (electric badge), and starting to get quite an assortment of Pokémon.


The problem is, I can't figure out which ones to keep and raise experience for, and which ones to leave rotting in the PC. My old strategy used to be "pick the most interesting-looking ones and always power up the weakest" -- this lead to some surprising strengths (like the mushroom one with Mega Drain).


What strategy should I use? How do I know which Pokémon to select and train, and when I capture new ones, how do I decide to add them to my party (and drop a different one) or leave them in the box?


Also, I have the "Exp Share" item, so I can easily power up weak Pokémon in a low-risk fashion. w00t!.


Question from user ashes999 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


Answer:

Well, it comes down to personal preference, really. Aside from the very high level legendaries you can catch, there's no magic group of pokemon that will get you through the game with minimal effort. There are two good guidelines though.


1) A good balance of types.


2) Leveling, leveling, leveling.


Getting a balance of types is pretty easy. You just want to get 6 pokemon, such that you won't end up in a situation where one poke type counters half your team. For example, my old gold team was.


Kadabra (Psychic).


Typhlosion (Fire).


Suicune (Water).


Graveler (Rock/Ground).


Weepinbell (Grass).


and one more I can't remember right now. (Oh well, you get the point.).


The other thing you need to do is level. Not just what you'd get from fighting every trainer, and leveling a team of 6 pokemon from that, I mean running around in the grass for hours to level. A good baseline would be lvl 10 for the first gym, and another 5 levels for every gym leader after that. If you do that, your party should be about on par with most of the trainers you come across.


Sadly, that won't be enough for the elite 4. IIRC, some of the champion's pokemon are in the 60's level wise, and although you can abuse type advantage, that won't make up for a 15 level difference. You have two choices at this point.


1) Spend more hours leveling up until you can beat them.


2) Catch Rayquaza, and curb stomp them with a level 70 legendary.


I picked the latter. MUCH faster. 


Answer from user Nicholas1024 at gaming.stackexchange.com.



[BACK]
Pokémon Selection Strategy for Emerald
Posted On: May 29, 2023

I've gotten about midway into Pokémon Emerald -- completed the third badge (electric badge), and starting to get quite an assortment of Pokémon.


The problem is, I can't figure out which ones to keep and raise experience for, and which ones to leave rotting in the PC. My old strategy used to be "pick the most interesting-looking ones and always power up the weakest" -- this lead to some surprising strengths (like the mushroom one with Mega Drain).


What strategy should I use? How do I know which Pokémon to select and train, and when I capture new ones, how do I decide to add them to my party (and drop a different one) or leave them in the box?


Also, I have the "Exp Share" item, so I can easily power up weak Pokémon in a low-risk fashion. w00t!.


Question from user ashes999 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


Answer:

Well, it comes down to personal preference, really. Aside from the very high level legendaries you can catch, there's no magic group of pokemon that will get you through the game with minimal effort. There are two good guidelines though.


1) A good balance of types.


2) Leveling, leveling, leveling.


Getting a balance of types is pretty easy. You just want to get 6 pokemon, such that you won't end up in a situation where one poke type counters half your team. For example, my old gold team was.


Kadabra (Psychic).


Typhlosion (Fire).


Suicune (Water).


Graveler (Rock/Ground).


Weepinbell (Grass).


and one more I can't remember right now. (Oh well, you get the point.).


The other thing you need to do is level. Not just what you'd get from fighting every trainer, and leveling a team of 6 pokemon from that, I mean running around in the grass for hours to level. A good baseline would be lvl 10 for the first gym, and another 5 levels for every gym leader after that. If you do that, your party should be about on par with most of the trainers you come across.


Sadly, that won't be enough for the elite 4. IIRC, some of the champion's pokemon are in the 60's level wise, and although you can abuse type advantage, that won't make up for a 15 level difference. You have two choices at this point.


1) Spend more hours leveling up until you can beat them.


2) Catch Rayquaza, and curb stomp them with a level 70 legendary.


I picked the latter. MUCH faster. 


Answer from user Nicholas1024 at gaming.stackexchange.com.



[BACK]

What does the Auto icon do? What does the Auto icon do?

Posted On: January 24, 2023
When you're playing a Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel game, there are three icons in the bottom right (by default).On the far right is a battle log which lists every action taken by both players (log icon).In t...[More]


How to solve the electric box riddle in Ace Ventura Game? How to solve the electric box riddle in Ace Ventura Game?

Posted On: February 14, 2023
In the game AceVentura there is an electric box. One has to press green/red + hand gear and red/blue + hand gear (see minute 55:14):. How are you supposed to know as a player that you have to hi...[More]


How do redstone torches (circuits) work in Minecraft? How do redstone torches (circuits) work in Minecraft?

Posted On: September 19, 2023
I tried reading the minecraftwiki page on the subject, but without an understanding of precisely how the torches work, none of it makes sense. I have a lot of questions, so even an article explaining ...[More]


How to create a free items server in Terraria? How to create a free items server in Terraria?

Posted On: March 7, 2024
I mean like those servers that have chests full of items that never become empty.I am not a game programmer but I think it shouldn't be that hard and I can try it myself.I think they use the TShock se...[More]


Do enemies only drop food after beating the game? Do enemies only drop food after beating the game?

Posted On: October 17, 2023
I've never seen enemies drop food until I started Loitering. Were those drops unlocked by beating the game / seeing the credits? And is it only because I'm Loitering, instead of going to Ne...[More]


Without spoilers, are any spells permanently missable in Hogwarts? Without spoilers, are any spells permanently missable in Hogwarts?

Posted On: March 8, 2023
I got to a part of the story where it seems that I've missed some spells. I do not want to get spoiled (nor do I want to spoil other players) and so I'd like to know, without spoilers (or with...[More]


Does a physical copy of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition need any extra install size on Wii U? Does a physical copy of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition need any extra install size on Wii U?

Posted On: March 25, 2023
Does a physical copy of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition need any extra install size on Wii U, and how much needed space it takes? . I'm asking because i want to get it but i only have left ...[More]


In NHL 10, Can a player be moved between leagues? In NHL 10, Can a player be moved between leagues?

Posted On: March 25, 2023
I picked up a cheap used copy of NHL 10 for Xbox 360 (missing the instruction manual), and am wondering if it's possible to move a player from one league to another. Specifically, there are a coup...[More]


Should I reset Should I reset

Posted On: October 7, 2025
I’ve recently beaten kethric thorm and no have the problem of my level is too low and there is simply not enough creatures to fight to raise it to a spot where the difficulty is fair and fun.I’m l...[More]


Sunken Bridge Level on Pirates of Dark Water Sunken Bridge Level on Pirates of Dark Water

Posted On: March 24, 2023
How do you get past the sunken bridge level for pirates of dark water on sega genesis? I've been stuck on this level for ages and I can't get past it. Question from user Rakel at gaming.sta...[More]