The best moveset for Ampharos in Pokemon Gold and Silver

The light Pokemon, Ampharos, can annihilate other Pokemon as well as illuminate lighthouses.

Ampharos is a great Pokemon to pick up in Johto since players get such early access to it. Mareep, the Pokemon that eventually evolves into Ampharos, is available as early as Route 32, right after Faulkner’s Gym. This can be a really strong Pokemon too, with 115 Special Attack (tied with Raikou). One drawback about Ampharos is its somewhat limited movepool, so it’s really only effective with these moves.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.

Also Read: Top 5 most intimidating Bug Pokemon of all time

The best moveset for Ampharos in Pokemon Gold and Silver

With the strong Special Attack, Ampharos can really be effective at outspeeding Pokemon after paralysis. Otherwise, it isn’t that fast, but it is bulky enough to live a couple hits.

Thunder
Fire Punch
Thunder Wave
Flash

A very unfortunate flaw of Ampharos is a lack of Thunderbolt, though it can learn the move from the Move Tutor in Pokemon Crystal. Therefore, Ampharos is forced to use Thunder. At 70% accuracy, it will miss frequently, but it will also destroy any Pokemon that isn’t Ground-type. One strategy could be to pair Ampharos with a Pokemon that learns Rain Dance, since Thunder is guaranteed in Rain. Thunderpunch is an option for players who value higher accuracy, but it does considerably less damage.

Fire Punch is just about the only coverage move that Ampharos learns. It may not be the strongest move with 75 base power, but it’s great for hitting Grass-type Pokemon. These Pokemon resist Electric-type moves, so Ampharos really benefit from having a way to deal with Grass-type Pokemon. There are also a bunch of pesky Steel-types and Ice-types (Jasmine’s Magnemites, Pryce's Gym) that Ampharos can at least put a dent in with Fire Punch.

Thunder Wave is on this moveset since Ampharos benefits from paralysis so well. This Pokemon only has base 55 Speed, which isn’t outspeeding most Pokemon anytime soon. Lowering the enemy’s speed will help Ampharos be more offensive as well as making the target immobilized on occasion. For difficult battles like Lance's at the end of the Elite Four, paralyzing those Dragonites can help not only Ampharos, but its teammates as well.

For the fourth slot, there is just about nothing that sticks out as a necessary option. One thing about Pokemon Gold and Silver, though, is they somehow force players to have a Pokemon that knows Flash. Mt. Silver is draped in darkness, so Flash is necessary to reach Red. It can be very frustrating for a player to arrive at Mt. Silver with a team of their overpowered six Pokemon, only to realize that their Flash user is stuck in their box.

That being said, of course Ampharos can be effective at spamming Flash to drop accuracy as well. During some Gym battles and Elite four battles, dropping accuracy can be the only way to win, albeit it’s a bit cheesy.