How to Beat Red in Daily Red
Last updated
To beat Red in Daily Red, a daily Pokémon battle game, exploit the fact that most of his Pokémon carry weak off-stat moves: in Generation 3 a move's type decides whether it is physical or special, so Red's special attackers hit hard only with a few moves. Bring a Ground type for Pikachu, a Dark type for Espeon, and Water or Electric types for Charizard and Blastoise. Full movesets are on Red's team.
The short answer
Beat Red by switching into Pokémon that resist or are immune to each foe's strong attacks, and by hitting the weak defensive stat of each one. Red never switches on his own; he only sends in a new Pokémon when one faints, and he then picks the one that matches up best against your active Pokémon.
Pikachu's weakness in Daily Red
Pikachu's weakness in Daily Red is Ground types: they are immune to Thunderbolt and Thunder, its only strong attacks.
What makes Red's Pikachu dangerous
Pikachu holds a Light Ball, which doubles its Special Attack, and its 279 Speed is faster than 20 of the 33 Pokémon you can be dealt (one more ties it). Thunder has 70% accuracy, and Red scores moves by expected damage, so Thunderbolt is often his pick. Quick Attack has +1 priority for finishing off weakened Pokémon.
What counters Red's Pikachu
Pikachu has only 212 HP and 96 Defense, so a physical hit usually removes it. Its Steel and Normal moves (Iron Tail and Quick Attack) are physical and come off a low 146 Attack, and Iron Tail is 75% accurate. Its ability Static can paralyze you when you use contact moves, so non-contact attacks such as Earthquake are safest.
What to switch into Pikachu from your six
Switch in a Ground type if you have one. Without one, use a bulky Pokémon with high Special Defense, or an Electric type, which resists Thunderbolt. Avoid leading with Water or Flying types into it.
Espeon's weakness in Daily Red
Espeon's weakness in Daily Red is Dark types: they are immune to Psychic and resist both Bite and Shadow Ball.
What makes Red's Espeon dangerous
Espeon has 359 Special Attack and 319 Speed, and its Psychic is a special STAB move. Bite is Dark-type and therefore special in Gen 3, so it also uses that 359 Special Attack. Leftovers restores 1/16 of its HP each turn.
What counters Red's Espeon
Shadow Ball and Quick Attack are physical and come off only 166 Attack. Espeon's Defense is 156, so a strong physical attacker hits it hard. Its ability Synchronize passes burn, poison or paralysis back to you, so do not try to status it.
What to switch into Espeon from your six
Switch in a Dark type first, then a Steel type (resists Psychic). Avoid Fighting and Poison types, which Psychic hits super-effectively.
Snorlax's weakness in Daily Red
Snorlax's weakness in Daily Red is its 166 Defense: strong Fighting-type attacks are its only super-effective weakness.
What makes Red's Snorlax dangerous
Snorlax has 524 HP, 319 Attack and four physical moves: Body Slam, Earthquake, Shadow Ball and Rock Slide, so it covers many types. Body Slam can paralyze and Leftovers keeps it healthy. It is slow at 96 Speed.
What counters Red's Snorlax
All four of Snorlax's moves are physical, so a Pokémon with high Defense takes far less. Burn halves physical damage in Gen 3; Snorlax's Immunity ability blocks poison, but not burn or paralysis.
What to switch into Snorlax from your six
Switch in a high-Defense Pokémon, ideally a Fighting type or one that can burn it. Ghost types are immune to Body Slam but take Shadow Ball; Flying types and Levitate users are immune to Earthquake but take Rock Slide.
Venusaur's weakness in Daily Red
Venusaur's weakness in Daily Red is Fire, Ice, Flying and Psychic attacks, and its Grass moves are its only strong ones.
What makes Red's Venusaur dangerous
Venusaur's Giga Drain and Razor Leaf are special and boosted by Miracle Seed; Giga Drain also heals it, and Overgrow raises Grass power at low HP. It has 364 HP and 299 Special Attack but only 196 Speed.
What counters Red's Venusaur
Sludge Bomb and Earthquake are physical and come off just 200 Attack, so its coverage hits weakly. Fire, Flying, Poison, Steel, Bug, Dragon and Grass types resist its Grass moves.
What to switch into Venusaur from your six
Switch in a Fire or Flying type, or a Psychic type with a special attack. A Flying type is also immune to Earthquake.
Charizard's weakness in Daily Red
Charizard's weakness in Daily Red is Rock (4x), Water and Electric attacks, and Water types resist its Fire STAB.
What makes Red's Charizard dangerous
Charizard's Flamethrower is boosted by Charcoal and by Blaze at low HP, and Dragon Claw is special in Gen 3, so both use its 317 Special Attack. At 299 Speed it is faster than 23 of the 33 Pokémon you can be dealt.
What counters Red's Charizard
Earthquake and Aerial Ace are physical and come off only 204 Attack. That means Earthquake on a Rock or Electric type is a weak hit even though it is super-effective.
What to switch into Charizard from your six
Switch in a Water type, or a Rock or Electric type with good Special Defense, then hit back with a strong Rock, Water or Electric attack. Avoid Grass, Bug, Ice and Steel types.
Blastoise's weakness in Daily Red
Blastoise's weakness in Daily Red is Electric and Grass attacks, and its 192 Speed means fast attackers usually move first.
What makes Red's Blastoise dangerous
Blastoise's Surf is boosted by Mystic Water and by Torrent at low HP, and Ice Beam is special, so both use its 269 Special Attack. It has 362 HP and good Special Defense.
What counters Red's Blastoise
Earthquake and Brick Break are physical and come off only 202 Attack. Ice Beam covers Grass, Flying, Ground and Dragon types, so Grass types switching in take a super-effective hit.
What to switch into Blastoise from your six
Switch in an Electric type, which takes neutral Ice Beam and only a weak Earthquake, or a Water type, which resists both Surf and Ice Beam.
General tips
Switch to absorb the strong attack, sacrifice a Pokémon that is already low, and use status where it is safe. A free switch after a faint is the safest moment to bring in a counter.
- Predict and switch: Red picks his move at the start of the turn against the Pokémon you have out, and he cannot see a switch coming. Your switch happens first, so his move lands on the Pokémon you switch in. If you can tell which move he will use, because it is the one that knocks out or hurts your active Pokémon most, switch to a Pokémon that resists or is immune to it.
- Sacrificing: after one of your Pokémon faints, Red sends in whichever Pokémon matches up best against your next one, so plan which Pokémon you send in after a faint.
- Critical hits: in Generation 3 a critical hit does double damage and has a 1 in 16 chance on most moves. The damage ranges in the matchup table do not include critical hits, so a Pokémon you switch in can still be knocked out by a hit the table says it survives.
- Status: paralysis or burn on Snorlax is safe; status on Espeon is not, because Synchronize passes it back. Static on Pikachu punishes contact moves.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is fearing Red's super-effective coverage moves that are actually weak because they use his low stat.
- Treating Charizard's, Blastoise's or Venusaur's Earthquake as a big threat; it comes off about 200 Attack.
- Using contact moves into Pikachu (Static) or status into Espeon (Synchronize).
- Sending a Grass type in on Blastoise without expecting Ice Beam.
- Leaving a Fighting or Poison type in against Espeon's Psychic.
FAQ
Who is Red's strongest Pokémon in Daily Red?
It depends on your team. By stats, Espeon has the highest Special Attack (359) and Snorlax the highest Attack (319) and HP (524).
What is Espeon's weakness in Daily Red?
Dark types are immune to its Psychic and resist Bite and Shadow Ball; strong physical attackers also hit its 156 Defense hard.
Can I choose my team in Daily Red?
No. Your six are drawn each day from 33 curated sets, the same for every player, but you choose your lead and your moves.
Does Red switch Pokémon?
Only when one faints. He then sends in the Pokémon that matches up best against your active one.