THE FIELD GUIDE / 02
How to beat RED
in Daily Red.
Daily Red gives you a different team every day, so there is no single winning sequence. These tips help you evaluate the team you have before committing your daily attempt.
Check all six Pokémon first
Open the party menu before talking to RED. Look at each Pokémon's moves and held item, not just its species. Moves are randomized, so a powerful Pokémon can have awkward coverage. A Choice Band increases Attack but locks its holder into a move until it switches out.
RED's team in Daily Red
| Opponent | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Pikachu | RED's lead. Ground Pokémon are immune to Electric attacks, but check its other moves before assuming a safe matchup. |
| Espeon | Fast and strong on the special side. Dark Pokémon are immune to Psychic attacks. |
| Snorlax | Huge HP and strong Special Defense. Physical Fighting attacks can exploit its weakness. |
| Venusaur | Weak to Fire, Ice, Flying and Psychic. Choose coverage that suits your attack stats. |
| Charizard | Fire/Flying gives it a fourfold Rock weakness. Ground attacks normally won't connect. |
| Blastoise | Weak to Electric and Grass. Keep a useful answer healthy for the matchup. How to beat Blastoise ↓ |
How to beat Blastoise
Blastoise is the sixth Pokémon on RED's team, and it is where many runs get stuck. Its set: Surf, Ice Beam, Earthquake and Hydro Cannon, holding Mystic Water (Water moves +10%). It has perfect IVs and EVs in HP and Special Attack, so its special hits are strong and it takes a lot to bring down. Its Defense and Special Defense have no EVs.
- Plan for it before the battle. Keep one healthy answer in the back instead of spending it on Pikachu or Charizard.
- Grass and Electric attacks hit it super effectively. Grass types also resist Surf, Hydro Cannon and Earthquake, but Ice Beam hits them super effectively.
- Electric types take neutral damage from Water and super effective damage from Earthquake. A fast Electric attacker can still win; a slow one may not get to attack twice.
- Water Absorb ignores its Water moves. If your Pokémon has it, Surf and Hydro Cannon heal it instead.
- Hydro Cannon needs a recharge turn. After it fires, Blastoise can't move the next turn. Use that turn to attack or to switch in safely.
- Watch for Torrent. Below a third of its HP, its Water moves get stronger. Finish it quickly rather than trading hits.
- Status still works. Toxic, paralysis or sleep from earlier in the fight carry over and wear it down.
Winning without losing a Pokémon
A clean sweep keeps all six of your Pokémon standing. It is rare, and the share grid shows how many you had left. There is no turn counter in the game, so "fewest turns" is a challenge between friends rather than a score the site tracks.
- Switch on predictable turns, not after a Pokémon is already low. A switch that takes a resisted hit costs less than a faint.
- Use the turns RED gives you, such as Blastoise recharging after Hydro Cannon or Snorlax sleeping after Rest, to attack freely or switch.
- Don't leave your best Blastoise answer for last if it is also your best Charizard or Snorlax answer. Count which threats each Pokémon covers.
- To finish in fewer turns, lead with something that beats Pikachu quickly (Ground types are immune to its Electric moves, but watch for Iron Tail) and skip setup moves you don't need.
Remember the Generation III rules
This version runs the FireRed engine. A move's type determines whether it uses Attack or Special Attack; the later per-move physical/special split does not apply.
Physical: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost and Steel. Special: Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon and Dark.
For example, Shadow Ball uses Attack and Bite uses Special Attack here. Read your stats with that distinction in mind.
Switch with a purpose
Switching takes your turn. It can preserve a useful attacker or absorb a move with an immunity, but the incoming Pokémon may take a hit. Battle style is locked to SET, so RED sending out another Pokémon does not give you a free switch.
Play the team you have
Consider status moves, useful resistances and held items alongside raw damage. There are no bag items to rescue a bad turn. These are general preparation tips, not a guarantee of winning today's matchup.
Mechanics are based on the upstream Daily Red project and its FireRed game code.
Meet today's team ↗