Most Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen players use the wrong flying type

Picking a team that can handle any challenge Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen throwing at the player is critical to success. Almost everyone's unspoken rule Pokemon The game is to diversify the type composition of the team to ensure that it has a wide range of offensive and defensive types covered. The flying type is often useful for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen teams, especially in the early game when players will face many types of bugs and grass, but most players will soon lock onto the wrong flying type and miss out on a much better option.

Another major reason flying type is critical for the best Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen teams is due to the presence of HM in Gen 3, specifically the HM02 Fly. Having Fly allows players to quickly return to any city they've previously visited, which is useful for some segments of the required Kanto backtracking area. However, adding a Flyer to a team requires more focus than just grabbing the first available Flying Type, which is a trap for many Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players fall unintentionally.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen opening screen showing Nidorin battling Gengar and Lorelei and Lance from the Elite Four

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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Fearow is the best flying type for Pidgeot

Arguably the most iconic flying type in the Kanto Pokedex is Pidgeot, with its early availability as a Pidgey that can be found starting in Route 1, and its progression mirroring the player's starting Pokémon. Pidgeot is also used by the opponent player v Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenso he has to face it in battle on more than one occasion. Despite the spread of Pidgeot in the Kanto region and its use by the Elite Four champion, Fearow is a much better flying type. FireRed and LeafGreen playthrough, but is often overlooked due to the early availability of Pidgey.

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Pidgeot's Stats Vs. Fearow's stats

Pidgeot — Normal/Flying

HP	83
Attack	80
Defense	75
Special attack	70
Special defense	70
Speed	91
Total	469

HP	65
Attack	90
Defense	65
Special attack	61
Special defense	61
Speed	100
Total	442

At first glance, Pidgeot's stats look like a better Flying-Type Pokemon compared to Fearow. Pidgeot has a higher base stat total of 469 compared to Fearow's 442, and also has a more balanced stat spread, giving it higher HP, Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense than Fearow. However, this comparison of statistics does not reveal the full picture, which Fearow paints in a much more positive light when we consider factors beyond pure statistical analysis.

What makes Fearow the best choice for a flying type in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Despite being weaker than Pidgeot overall, Fearow has a lot more going for it than Pidgey's final evolution, so it pays to wait to catch Spearow before locking down a Flying-type team member. A look at Fearow's spread and movement pool shows that he has more weapons at his disposal than Pidgeot. Players must also consider the point at which Fearow becomes accessible, evolving from Spearow at level 20 and reaching its fully evolved stats well before Pidgeot, which evolved from Pidgeotto at level 36.

Spearow can be caught inside FireRed and LeafGreen already on Route 22, just west of Viridian City.

Fearow has optimal stat spread for a flying type in Gen 3

Spearow to Fearow Evolution Chain in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen.

What Fearow lacks in defensive stats, it makes up for in speed and attack stats, both of which are higher than Pidgeot's. Realistically, those are the only two stats that matter on Fearow, as a Pokemon that is fast enough and can deal enough damage can kill its opponent before defense becomes an issue. In Gen 3, which comes before the physical/special damage split, all Flying-Type and Normal-Type attacks are physical, meaning that Pidgeot's higher special attack is irrelevant and is actually worse offensively as a suboptimal attacker.

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Fearow has a better move pool than Pidgeot

Another big advantage Fearow has over Pidgeot is the moves he has access to through his leveling pools and TM/HM. Pidgeot's best STAB Flying-Type move is Fly, with a base power of only 70. The second best Flying-Type attack Pidgeot has access to FireRed and LeafGreen is a tie between Wing Attack and Aerial Ace, both with base abilities of 60. Pidgeot learns Wing Attack as Pidgeotto at level 27 and can then learn Fly once players get HM02 from the house near Cycling Road.

In comparison, Fearow's movepool looks a bit shallower at first glance, but with a little patience it's much better. Unless players wait to evolve their Spearow until level 25 when they learn Aerial Ace, the most powerful move Fearow will have access to for a while is Peck with a measly 35 base power. However, players can teach Fearow the TM for Aerial Ace if they find it while exploring Route 9. Fearow's main movepool advantage over Pidgeot's is Drill Peck, an 80 base power Flying-Type move learned at level 40. Drill Peck is more powerful than any Flying-Type move Fearow can learn and even stronger with Pidgeot At. state.

pokemon let's go gym leader erika grass — pokemon-lets-go-erika

Fearow often feels like Pidgeot's forgotten sibling who tends to get all the attention Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players. However, in terms of team optimization, Fearow is a much stronger Pokemon and can handle many of the challenges players will face in the mid-game, such as Erika's Grass-Type Gym, Saffron City's Fighting-Type Dojo, and Bruno's Elite Four Fighting Types. as such Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players should do themselves a favor and catch Fearow instead of sleeping on it.