You've probably heard the old playground wisdom. Pick Bulbasaur for "Easy Mode," Squirtle for "Medium," and Charmander if you want to suffer. It’s the classic 1996 narrative that’s been baked into our brains for decades. But honestly? Most of that advice is based on how the game looks rather than how the math actually works.
If you’re looking for a Pokemon Red strategy guide that doesn't just parrot what you read in a 1998 Prima guide, you have to look at the glitches, the weird speed-based crit rates, and the absolute dominance of the Psychic type. Gen 1 wasn't just a game; it was a beautiful, buggy mess of code where stats didn't always do what they said they would.
The Starter Lie and the Nidoran King
Let’s get real. If you want the most efficient run possible, you don't even finish the game with your starter. You basically use them as a stepping stone to get a Nidoran♂.
Why? Because Nidoking is a monster in this engine.
Most people think Charizard is the king of damage, but Nidoking gets access to Thrash early and can learn almost every useful TM in the game. We're talking Earthquake, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and even Horn Drill. In a game where "Special" was just one stat—meaning your Special Attack and Special Defense were the same number—Nidoking’s versatility allowed him to exploit every single weakness in the Elite Four.
Why Bulbasaur is actually the "Glitched" Choice
If you do stick with a starter, Bulbasaur is technically the strongest, but not because of the first two gyms. It’s because of the Toxic and Leech Seed bug.
In Pokemon Red, if you use Toxic on an enemy and then follow up with Leech Seed, the game uses the same scaling "damage counter" for both. This means the Leech Seed recovery and damage skyrocket every single turn along with the poison damage. You can literally stall out the toughest bosses in the game by just sitting there. It’s broken. It’s cheap. It’s Gen 1.
The Speed-Crit Connection: Why Tauros Rules
One of the weirdest things about this game is how critical hits work. In modern games, it’s a flat 4.1% or 6.25% chance. In Pokemon Red, your critical hit rate is tied to your Base Speed.
$$\text{Crit Rate} = \frac{\text{Base Speed} \times 100}{512}$$
This formula is why a Pokemon like Tauros or Persian is terrifying. Tauros has a base speed of 110. That gives it roughly a 21% chance to crit on every single move. Now, look at a move like Slash or Razor Leaf. These have a "high critical-hit ratio," which in Gen 1 meant they were 8 times more likely to crit.
Basically, if a Pokemon has a base speed of 64 or higher and uses Slash, it will crit 99.6% of the time.
This makes Persian a god-tier sleeper pick for a casual playthrough. You just spam Slash and ignore the enemy's defense buffs, because crits in this game also ignore any stat changes like Reflect or Acid Armor.
The Psychic Supremacy
If you aren't using a Psychic type, you're making the game twice as hard for no reason.
The Ghost type was supposed to be the counter to Psychic, but due to a coding error, Psychic-type Pokemon are actually immune to Ghost moves in Red and Blue. Combine that with the fact that Bug moves are almost non-existent (the strongest is Twinneedle or a very weak Leech Life), and Alakazam basically has no weaknesses.
Pro-Tip for the Elite Four:
- Lorelei: Use an Electric type like Jolteon, but watch out for Jynx.
- Bruno: A single Kadabra/Alakazam with Psychic can solo his entire team. He’s a joke.
- Agatha: Her Ghost types are also Poison types. Again, Psychic destroys her.
- Lance: This is where you need Ice Beam. Dragonite falls over if you even look at it with an Ice-type move.
Real Talk: The Items You're Wasting
Stop buying Full Heals. Seriously.
The game is flooded with status-curing items, but you can usually get by with just Awakenings and Full Restores for the late game. Most importantly, don't sleep on X Accuracy. If you use an X Accuracy, moves like Horn Drill or Fissure (which normally have abysmal accuracy) will hit almost every time as long as you are faster than the opponent.
It turns the Champion fight from a strategic battle into a point-and-click adventure.
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Breaking the Game (Safely)
You can't talk about a Pokemon Red strategy guide without mentioning MissingNo. and the Cinnabar Island shore. While everyone knows about duplicating Master Balls, the real strategy for a 2026 playthrough is duplicating Rare Candies.
If you’re tired of grinding in Victory Road, just talk to the old man in Viridian City, fly to Cinnabar, and surf on the eastern edge. It doesn't "break" your save file if you're careful, and it saves you five hours of mindless leveling.
Just don't catch it. Seriously. Just look at it, get your 128 items, and leave.
Your Next Tactical Steps
If you're starting a new save file today, here is the most "expert" way to handle the first two hours:
- Pick Squirtle to get through Brock easily.
- Immediately catch a Nidoran♂ on Route 22 (west of Viridian City).
- Find a Moon Stone in Mt. Moon and evolve him into Nidoking immediately.
- Teach him Bubblebeam (from Misty) and Thunderbolt (from Lt. Surge).
- Solo the rest of the game while your Squirtle sits in the PC, wondering what it did wrong.
This setup ensures you have the coverage and the raw power to bypass the "difficulty" spikes that usually trap newer players. Enjoy the glitchy glory of Kanto.