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Electabuzz was one of the most notable Electric-type Pokemon of Generation I, and while it wasn't exactly comparable to the powerhouses of the generation, it was still a treat to use.
Neither Electabuzz's pre-evolution nor its evolution had come to be yet in Generation I, leaving Electabuzz as its own standalone Pokemon. It's caught further into the playthrough, only becoming available once the player is able to use the Surf HM. Most other Electric-type Pokemon also become available at the same time, making Electabuzz still a valid candidate for a team looking for an Electric-type.
For those looking to find out how to get the most out of their Electabuzz in Pokemon Red or Blue, here's a bit of advice regarding its potential moveset!
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views and opinions of the writer.
The best moveset for Electabuzz in Pokemon Red and Blue
Move pools in Generation I were much smaller than they were by Generation VIII, meaning that options for what a Pokemon could effectively use were severely limited compared to today's standards. But move sets could still be optimized. In Electabuzz's case as a mixed attacker, it could make good use of both physical and special moves.
Without further ado, here is the optimized moveset for a Generation I Electabuzz for a casual playthrough:
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic
- Swift
Thunderbolt is Electabuzz's best move as of Generation I. Thunder's accuracy is too low to justify the extra base power, and Thunder Punch is identical to Thunderbolt in Generation I except for having less base power. In many cases, with Electabuzz's fairly decent speed stat, it can deal with many threats just by spamming Thunderbolt.
Thunder Wave is an excellent move for any Generation I Pokemon that can learn it. Paralysis in Generation I not only provides an excellent chance for the opposing Pokemon to lose its turn but also reduces the paralyzed Pokemon's speed by a whole 75%. Since the chance to crit was based on speed in Generation I, this makes paralysis an even more devastating effect. In addition, Thunder Wave still has 100% accuracy and is even able to affect targets that have used Substitute.
Ground-type Pokemon are the absolute bane of Electric-types, and this holds even more true in Generation I as most Electric-types have little to no way of dealing with the horrid earthen Pokemon. This puts Electabuzz in a unique position as its access to Psychic gives it a way to deal with those pesky Ground-types. It's also effective at dealing with the myriad of Grass and Electric-types in Generation I.
Swift is at its peak in Generation I. That said, the only difference between modern Swift and Generation I Swift is that Swift was still physical (which doesn't matter much to Electabuzz) and that it hit the enemy Pokemon even if that Pokemon was using a Fly or Dig. The move is here to counter opponents using these moves, as well as evasion-based threats that liberally use Double-Team or Minimize.
For reference, the only difference between a casual Electabuzz versus a competitive one is that Swift would be replaced by Seismic Toss for its guaranteed 100 damage since Electabuzz would be level 100. Seismic Toss is still casually useful, but Swift has a wider range of scenarios in which it's useful throughout a regular playthrough where Electabuzz's level isn't 100.
