Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen May Be Your Last Chance to Try This Unique Strategy

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen offered a different perspective on the original Kanto games when they came out, and they still felt new even after Gen 2 took players back to Kanto thanks to the addition of the Sevii Islands and the fact that the National Pokedex included Gen 3. These games can be all the more refreshing on Nintendo Switch after 22 years since their debut on GBA, be it for newcomers or veterans alike. I’ve explored Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen with a new mindset on my Switch 2, and that is to find the best strategies overall for each Pokemon, even the least used ones.

As it always happens with Pokemon games, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s best and worst Pokemon are not necessarily the ones you’d think after playing multiple games in the franchise. Gyarados has terrible moves that don’t synergize with its Attack stat, Jynx is amazing throughout the entire game and even early on with special-damage Ice Punch at level 25, and the list could go on. Now, I was going through the learnset for Arbok in Gen 3 because I’m trying to find a shiny Ekans, and I wanted to plan ahead for when (more like if) I get it, and one move caught my eye: Snatch.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Most Underrated TM is Great Against Gym Leaders, Elite Four

If you have only played modern Pokemon games, you may have never heard of Snatch, and if you’ve never been much into VGC, the move’s existence may have also eluded you. Snatch allows your Pokemon to steal an opponent’s status move if used that turn. For example, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Sabrina can be a tough Gym Leader because she often uses status moves before attacking, but that also means you can steal them with Snatch to buff your Pokemon, instead. In my case, Arbok could steal Calm Mind to boost its Sp. Atk and Sp. Def and then deliver a more powerful Bite, as Dark is a special type in Gen 3.

In order to beat Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Elite Four, you don’t truly need a fully optimized team. Many fans have shown middling teams beating these trainers, or even challenged themselves by having only a Caterpie do this. This is to say that Snatch is by no means necessary, and it can slow down your experience a bit. However, the move was removed with the release of Gen 8 games, and it’s unlikely it will return due to difficult balancing and potential interactions with Prankster that could be problematic. As such, this leaves the Gen 3 Kanto remakes as the only titles on Switch and Switch 2 where the move is available.

Snatch was introduced in Generation 3, and it’s a move that always goes first, making your Pokemon ready to steal any status moves used by the opponent. The move fails if a non-status move is used.

Z-Snatch saw some play in Gen 7 because it gave the user +2 Speed regardless of whether the move was successful, so it could be used to steal opposing Tailwind, Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and similar moves while also buffing your Pokemon’s Speed.

The move is no longer available in the series as of Gen 8.

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu! and Eevee! moves didn’t include Snatch, meaning only Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have it available on the Switch.

It could have been interesting in Gen 9 VGC or in the best Pokemon Champions teams on launch to counter some powerful strategies like Tera Ghost Tailwind to avoid Fake Out or Mega Charizard Y + Venusaur with Chlorophyll Sleep Powder, respectively.

Snatch is a Double-Edged Sword in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

VGC aside, Snatch is a fun strategy to use against some powerful trainers in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, especially when the character’s AI favors using status moves before attacking. Still, it has its limitations. For example, if Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Koga uses Toxic and you Snatch it, it won’t have any effect on Koga’s Poison Pokemon.

Likewise, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Koffing uses Self-Destruct occasionally, and by using Snatch, you may miss your turn’s action and then be hit by a powerful Self-Destruct. Koga is not the only potentially problematic fight for Snatch, but it’s worth mentioning if you want to use the strategy yourself.

Snatch should return once Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire launch on Switch, as it has been leaked they will, and it also makes sense because you can’t complete the National Pokedex in FireRed and LeafGreen without them. But until then, this is the only way to use this move on the Switch.