The Best Team For Pokémon Emerald

The Pokémon franchise has been in existence for over a quarter century and counting now. The original two games have since boomed into a fierce media giant with all manner of toys, trading cards, TV shows and films in addition to regularly released video games.

Growing up, the Third Generation of Pokémon was the absolute pinnacle of the franchise for me. Having seen my cousins play the Johto games as a child, when my turn to play finally came, the Hoenn region was all the rage.

To date, Pokémon Emerald will always occupy a special place in my heart. It was the first proper Pokémon game I beat on my own and to this day, I revisit it every once in a while when I have the time.

Over my years of playing Pokémon Emerald time and time again, I have experimented with numerous team formations. Eventually, I found myself putting together quite the impressive team that allowed me to beat the game with little trouble at all.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner who has just picked up the game for the very first time, here is a team that you can build to help you make your journey through Pokémon Emerald all that much easier.

This list will consider Pokémon based on type coverage, ability to win crucial battles in the game and of course a slight bit of personal preference. So feel free to disagree with any of these picks.

Before we begin, I should note that every Pokémon listed here can be caught and fully evolved within the main game itself, so no Trade Evolutions here. Also, I will not include Legendaries as that would be too easy.

Without further ado, let's begin!

---

Swampert

Selected at the beginning of the game, this will be the first Pokémon you get. Starting off as a pure-water type Pokèmon, Mudkip quickly gains an extra type upon evolving into a Marshstomp. By the time it evolves fully into a Swampert, you'll have yourself quite the beast.

With the added ground-typing to its initial water-type, Swampert is only weak to the grass-type. On top of that, Swampert's ground-type also makes it completely immune to electric-type Pokémon. Thanks to this, the Swampert line is ideal for the first gym, third gym, fourth gym and Magma Leader battles.

Boasting impressive stats and a good move pool of powerful water, ground and even ice moves, Swampert is the ideal starter for anyone looking to breeze through a run of Pokèmon Emerald. While Sceptile may have been my original starter and Blaziken being among my most favourite Pokémon, I have to concede that Swampert is the superior starter.

---

Breloom

Moving on, we have Breloom. Another Generation III original, you can obtain a Breloom only by evolving a Shroomish. Fortunately, Shroomish can be caught rather early on in the game in the Petalburg Woods and are quite easily found.

Initially a pure grass-type, Breloom gains a second typing upon evolution. With an added fighting-type to its arsenal, Breloom is both a staller and a heavy-hitter. As most Shroomish have the Effect Spore ability that either poison, paralyse or put to sleep a Pokémon that hits it, one can play for time and slowly chip away at an opponent's health by taking advantage of this ability and pairing it with moves like Leech Seed.

However, thanks to its fighting type, Breloom can also end battles quickly if need be. Like Mudkip, a well-trained Shroomish can easily handle the first gym. As a Breloom, it can sweep through the fifth gym, most of the eighth gym, the first Elite 4 Battle and a good chunk of Wallace's team.

---

Crobat

While Zubats can be easily caught in Dewford Cave, it will take a bit of effort to evolve it fully into a Crobat. Unlike most Pokémon that evolve at a set level, Golbats evolve into Crobats based on their friendship. So, be prepared to dedicate a bit more time to working on this Pokémon and be extra careful about keeping it safe from fainting and status conditions.

That being said, the effort is definitely worth-it. A flying-poison-type, Crobat boasts incredible speed and attack power. Like Breloom, Crobats can be used for both stalling and quicker battles. With moves like Fly and Poison Fang, Crobat will be the ultimate counter to your rival's Sceptile.

Zubat/Golbat's flying type will help you breeze through the second gym and its poison typing will be a great help against many pesky dual-grass types like Winona's Tropius and Wallace's Ludicolo. A labour of love for sure, getting a Crobat is a definite pay-off for a bit of extra effort.

---

Manectric

The only mono-type entry on this list, we have the electric-type Pokémon, Manectric. While you can catch wild Manectrics after the fifth gym, you can also find its pre-evolved form, Electrike as early as before the third gym.

Despite only having a single-type, Manectric's impressive speed and special attack stats certainly make up for its lack of coverage. On top of that, many Manectrics also have the Intimidate ability to lower their opponents attack. Also, due to its single type, Manectric is only weak to ground-type moves.

With moves like Shock Wave and Thunder, Manectric is the perfect foil to both flying and water types. Water-types like Juan's Kingdra and Wallace's Gyarados which are not weak to grass-moves are best handled by Manectric. Manectric can also learn Bite and when paired up with Howl to boost its attack, also allows it to counter Psychic and Ghost types, making it a good member to have for the seventh gym and second Elite 4 battle. Evolving fairly early at Level 26, it is definitely best to catch an Electrike at the earliest opportunity.

---

Camerupt

The fire-type is one of the most important types in any Pokémon run. Strong against grass, ice, steel and bug types, your team will definitely be incomplete without one. If you don't pick Blaziken as your starter, the amount of fire-types available to you in Emerald are fairly limited. Fear not however, as Camerupt is more than enough for any good team.

A dual-type, Camerupt has an additional ground typing alongside being a fire-type. Its pre-evolved form, Numel, can be caught in the Fiery Path not long after the third gym. Throughout most of the game, Camerupt's typing allows it to be an ideal match for the many grass and bug types seen all across Hoenn. While its ground type removes a number of its resistances, it also allows Camerupt to be immune to electric-types.

Aside from the many grass and bug Pokémon throughout the game, Camerupt is the best counter against Winona's Skarmory as well as the Glalie used during the third Elite 4 battle. If you want the extra challenge in the post-game, no other Pokémon in your team is as good a match for Steven's Metagross as a Camerupt.

---

Salamence

Considered one of the most powerful non-legendary Pokémon of all time, Salamence would make a positive difference in any team. It's sheer speed and strength combined with the dragon-type's resistance to many other types makes the added effort to catch and train it all the more worthwhile. Image: The Pokémon CompanyEnding this list, we have one of Gen III's pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Salamence. A dual-dragon-flying Pokèmon, the only drawback about Salamence is how it is only found very late into the main game. Its pre-evolved form, Bagon can only be caught in Meteor Falls after beating the final gym.

Fortunately, you won't need to rely on Salamence's raw strength and speed until the game's final stretch. A good trick I would recommend is to catch a Bagon in its mid-30s and hold off evolving it into a Shelgon until level 49. That way, by the time it becomes a Salamence at level 50, it will have both Crunch and Dragon Claw, two extremely powerful moves it would not have had until much later had you decided to evolve Bagon early.

With Crunch, Salamence can help sweep through the second Elite 4 Battle and its Dragon-type will allow it to handle Drake's entire team. The fact that the Dragon type is also resistant to fire, water and grass allows it to also be an amazing tank who can beat Pokémon with brute strength if necessary. Personally, the dragon-type is my favourite Pokémon type and I always make it a point to use a dragon when I am able. They may be harder to catch and take longer to train, but the effort makes all the difference.

---

That does it for this list! If you made it this far, let me thank you for taking the time to read this! Pokémon Emerald will always have a special place in my heart and no matter how many times I play it, I've yet to find myself getting bored of it.

Anyways, I hope that this article has been informative in considering your next team for whenever you decide to pick up the old classic yourselves. That being said, feel free to disagree with these picks and let me know your ideal Emerald team choices too. Until then, take care!

---