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Grass-types make for a good addition to just about any team, so why not save a slot for one of them? For a trainer playing the gen one games, they’ll want to think about which awesome Grass-type Pokemon can be found in Kanto. It’s important to consider the power and strength of each and, for those who care about cosmetics, perhaps think a little about how cute they are too.
Updated September 8, 2022, by Tom Bowen: There are additional considerations when choosing a Grass-type beyond just raw stats alone. Players need to look for the creatures that have the best Abilities and Movesets and determine how easily the Pokemon can be obtained. These things can make a huge difference in the overall effectiveness of the Pokemon and determine how well they fit into a trainer’s team. Additional consideration should also be given to how early in the game they can be encountered and captured and how far into the player’s journey they’ll be able to rely on them in battle. When it comes to the very best Gen 1 Grass-type Pokemon, however, players needn’t worry too much about the latter, as their effectiveness in battle really does speak for itself.
14 Paras
Location: Mt. Moon or the Safari Zone
Paras is distinctly unimpressive — sorry, Paras! Although it might do the job against a lower-level Pokemon, especially a water one, it’s a very common Pokemon that won’t give players any extremely great advantages in battle that can’t be found elsewhere. Catch one to register it in the Pokedex, but then leave it in the PC box or trade it for candy.
Paras does have access to some useful moves such as Stun Spore, Giga Drain, and Sludge Bomb. It also gets the amazing ability that is Effect Spore, having a chance of giving the opponent the statuses Sleep, Paralysis, and Poison just by attacking it physically.
13 Bellsprout
Location: Routes 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, and 25
Bellsprout is another unimpressive specimen. Those who’ve played Pokemon Gold & Silver will remember the pain of fighting many of them at the tower in the very first city, and the opportunity to trade one for an Onix — which is worth taking, sorry Bellsprout! Even its voice is kind of annoying.
While Chlorophyll is a good ability, it can only be activated in sunlight, making it very situational. Bellsprout does make good use of moves like Stun Spore, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain, though, which can make it an incredibly frustrating Pokemon to come up against in battle.
12 Oddish
Location: Routes 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, and 25
Oddish is no more impressive than Paras or Bellsprout in terms of power, but it definitely has the edge in terms of how cute it is. The moves it has can be a little more useful too, with the status moves being better than other first grass evolutions. It’s a little harder to find in most of the games than Paras or Bellsprout, but worth searching out — especially to evolve it into later evolutions.
Moves like Moonlight, Stun Spore, and Petal Dance are really good for Oddish, but its ability isn’t anywhere near as helpful. Its Chlorophyll, just like Belllsprout above. Even so, the status effects that Oddish is able to inflict make it a very useful Pokemon to have on one’s team.
11 Exeggcute
Location: Safari Zone
Exeggcute is a dual-type grass/psychic, which makes it a little more useful to have on the team than some of the other Pokemon here. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s particularly powerful — it’s still the first evolution and, as it’s simply… literally a bunch of eggs, it isn’t particularly cute either. Shame.
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For all of its flaws, Exeggcute does have some very strong moves, such as Light Screen, Psychic, and Leech Seed. Its ability is, once again, Chlorophyll. Those searching for the best Gen 1 Grass-type Pokemon will probably want to look elsewhere, but that’s not to say that Exeggcute and its evolution can’t still be useful in battle.
10 Parasect
Location: Safari Zone
Parasect is the evolution of Paras, so it’s safe to say it’s a little more impressive and powerful. The potential moves to learn are much better, and it should be able to take down a water Pokemon of the same level or even a little higher with ease. Parasect, however, is still pretty easy to get and isn’t exactly an impressive-looking Pokemon, so it’s not worth holding onto. Look for a better option.
Parasect does learn some better moves than its previous form, like Dig, Aerial Ace, and Growth. It also keeps the great ability that is Effect Spore. Wild Parasect can be caught in the Safari Zone, but evolving a Paras is the much easier option. Paras evolves at Level 24, so players shouldn’t have to put in too much work, particularly once they have EXP share.
9 Weepinbell
Location: Routes 12, 13, 14, and 15
Weepinbell evolves from Bellsprout and is a middle evolution. Here, we’re getting a little more powerful and a little more useful — Weepinbell isn’t a terrible choice in battle to go against a mid-level Pokemon. Still, it only ranks around the middle of the list because it’s a fairly common grass type and Bellsprout isn’t exactly difficult to find or evolve.
Weepinbell makes good use of moves like Stun Spore, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain, but once again is limited with the situational ability, Chlorophyll. Weepinbell is catchable in Blue and LeafGreen only. Players can also evolve a Bellsprout to get one, which simply requires leveling the Pokemon up to Level 21 or higher.
8 Gloom
Location: Routes 12, 13, 14, and 15
Gloom is another middle evolution, and actually worth having. Gloom has some pretty cool moves and has two evolution options (though one isn’t generation one), which gives it the edge over a Pokemon like Weepinbell on this list. It’s a bit miserable looking, sure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be very useful in battle — especially with some handy status moves.
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Gloom does make good use of moves like Stun Spore, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain, but sadly, it is once again only given the Chlorophyll ability. Gloom appears on Routes 12, 13, 14, and 15, or, alternatively, players could just evolve an Oddish. Either way, this evolutionary line is well worth investing in for those who have the opportunity to do so.
7 Victreebel
Location: Evolve Weepinbell
For sheer power alone, Victreebel is pretty high up the pecking order when it comes to the strongest Gen 1 Grass-types. Perhaps known in the show for swallowing James of Team Rocket constantly — er, despite him being its owner — its a pretty useful grass type to have around for the sheer fact it’s a final evolution and therefore, hard to beat in battle unless there’s a type advantage.
Victreebel has the same ability and moves as Weepinbell. Additionally, players can only obtain a Victreebel by evolving a Weepinbell, which requires a Leaf Stone. These can be purchased at the Celadon Department Store or found in certain locations around Kanto.
6 Tangela
Location: Route 21
Tangela is a grass type that isn’t hugely powerful but still useful to have around — and it has some pretty neat lore surrounding it. If it gets caught in something, it can snap off its vines and painlessly regrow them! It’s also pretty rare to find in any of the games, including Pokemon GO, which edges it up the list.
Tangela’s only ability is Chlorophyll. However, it does have access to solid moves like Sleep Powder, Growth, and Giga Drain. It’s far from the best option when it comes to the best Gen 1 Grass-Type Pokemon, though, for those who opt for a Water or Fire-type starter, it’s not a bad option to have.
5 Exeggutor
Location: Evolve Exeggcute
Exeggutor has some different forms in the later generations and has always remained a pretty powerful Pokemon. Its dual type gives it some advantages in battle — and, admittedly, some disadvantages, but it’s generally still a pretty cool addition to the team and can do some serious damage to an opponent.
Exeggutor has some very strong moves, such as Light Screen, Psychic, and Leech Seed. Unfortunately, the only way to get an Exeggutor is by evolving an Exeggcute, which needs a Leaf Stone. Luckily, Leaf Stones are purchasable at the Celadon Department Store.
4 Bulbasaur
Location: Get From Professor Oak
Starter Pokemon simply have to rank highly on the list — it’s not fair otherwise! Bulbasaur gets looked down upon by those who choose Charmander or Squirtle and is the least popular choice, but it can become pretty powerful and it’s also adorable to boot. Remember when it took care of the other Pokemon early in the show and then chose to go with Ash?
More people should give the grass starter a chance. Overgrow is a very good ability, giving Bulbasaur’s Grass-type moves a power boost whenever its health is less than 1/3. Bulbasaur can learn some decent moves like Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, and Sludge Bomb.
3 Ivysaur
Location: Evolve Bulbasaur
Ivysaur is the evolution of Bulbasaur and also cute — it’s like Bulbasaur, just bigger! Alright, so the design isn’t particularly original in comparison to the starter, which gives them about the same place on the list, but it’s definitely a step up in terms of battle power and well on the way to the ultimate evolution of the first-gen grass starter.
Ivysaur’s moves and ability are the same as Bulbasaur’s. Since Ivysaur is the evolution to a starter in this region players will have to choose the grass starter to acquire one. Of course, it’s also possible to acquire Ivysaur through trading, though convincing somebody to part with one of these powerful Gen 1 Grass-types may not be easy.
2 Vileplume
Location: Evolve Gloom
Vileplume is not the only potential evolution from Gloom, but it is the gen one evolution! It’s a powerful Pokemon who can do some real damage to others in battle, especially when it comes to poisoning. The opposing Pokemon might go down real fast if it’s facing a Vileplume and gets hit with that damage. Aside from attack power, it’s also adorable.
Vileplume’s ability (Chlorophyll) and moves (Stun Spore, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain) aren’t different from its pre-evolutions. However, Vileplume cannot be found in the wild. Players need to evolve a Gloom to have one. It evolves by using a Leaf Stone. The Celadon Department Store sells them at a very reasonable price.
1 Venasaur
Location: Evolve Ivysaur
Level up Bulbasaur high enough, move past Ivysaur, and players will eventually have themselves a Venasaur. Alright, it doesn’t look like the cuddliest Pokemon in the world, but it definitely is an intimidating monster to face in battle, and rightly so. Unless there’s a type advantage, there aren’t many Pokemon that Venasaur would be in trouble against.
While Venasaur has the same ability as its pre-evolutions, it does learn the very strong move Earthquake. This takes the Grass-type starter to the top of the heap. As far as Gen 1 Grass-types go, no Pokemon is stronger than Venasaur, making it a must-catch for any would-be trainer in the Kanto region.
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