The Legendary bird trio in Pokémon Yellow are set up as some of the best Pokémon that the player can find. However, one flies higher than the rest.
Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are iconic Legendaries in Pokémon Yellow, but when it comes to battle, one of them must stand out among the others. While all Legendary Pokémon are stronger than average, things such as typing, stats, and moveset still determine their true strength. While all three birds definitely have potential, the late game where they will likely be used must be heavily taken into consideration.
The Legendary bird trio of Gen 1 was the first Legendary trio in the series, and the most famous as a result. In addition to beginning a trend, they are impressive Pokémon in their own right. However, compared to later generations, Red, Blue, and Yellow frequently featured small and restrictive move lists that could hamper otherwise promising Pokémon. This is one thing that must be taken into account when analyzing the Legendary birds, as well as their stats and typing. Sword and Shields Galarian Legendary bird variants will not be taken into account, as they were not available in the first generation.
The endgame of Pokémon Yellow can be tough, especially for new players. However, a good Pokémon can do wonders for guiding the player through the game. When all of the Legendary birds are analyzed, it is clear that one of them stands above the rest as an ideal endgame Pokémon. One just has to take in all of the facts to see which bird flies highest.
Zapdos Is A Solid Pokémon In Yellow, But Not The Best
Zapdo is a Pokémon that demands attention due to its eye-catching appearance and unusual Electric/Flying typing. With slightly higher speed, its stats are likewise fairly comparable to Moltres’. Its two weaknesses are the relatively uncommon Ice-type and, perhaps, having the best typing of all the Legendary birds.
Like Moltres, Zapdos can only master three types of damaging moves. However, Zapdos has better moves to choose from. It gains Drill Peck, a much more potent move than Peck, and has the ability to learn Thunderbolt through TM, the strongest and most dependable Electric-type move from the first generation. Though Zapdos is undoubtedly the greatest Legendary bird in Galaria, its original form is also quite formidable. Regarding matchups, Bruno’s Fighting-types and the majority of Lorelei’s team are easily destroyed by Zapdos. Because of its typing, the majority of the Elite Four will find it difficult to hit it with strong blows, and the majority of Pokémon that can are ones that Zapdos can eliminate first.
In Yellow, Zapdos is unquestionably a far more valuable Pokémon than Moltres. Its typing makes it challenging to hit targets with extreme effectiveness, and it can use the best moves from both of its types. But even though it’s generally helpful, it lacks one quality that makes the last legendary bird genuinely indispensable.
Moltres Is The Weakest Of Pokémon Yellow’s Legendary Birds
Moltres is undeniably an impressive-looking Pokémon. This enormous fiery bird resembles a phoenix, and its Fire/Flying type combination is similar to the beloved Charizard. Furthermore, Moltres possesses strong all-around stats, with its Special stats standing out in particular. However, despite having a very respectable appearance, Moltres’ viability in Yellow is completely destroyed by one thing.
Moltres is a prime example of a Pokémon that is occasionally unable to use moves that appear to be obvious. The moveset of Moltres in Yellow is dreadful and in no way deserving of a legendary Pokémon. It only learns three damaging moves naturally. Peck and Fire Spin are pitifully weak, and Sky Attack, although powerful, requires two turns to activate and is only available at Level 60. Moltres can only use its strong Special stat offensively by learning Fire Blast through TM. It is a powerful but somewhat inaccurate move that can only be used five times before returning to a Pokémon Center. Moltres’s awful matchups against three of the Elite Four don’t help either, making it even less useful.
Unfortunately, Moltres lacks the necessary skills to compete with most endgame opponents due to his limited moveset and weaknesses. Compared to Gen 1 Moltres, every Fire-type starter Pokémon in the series is superior. Later generations would add more moves to Moltres’ movepool, most notably Flamethrower, but those are not taken into account when ranking it in Yellow. Moltres is by far the least powerful of the Legendary birds.
When all three of them are combined, it’s similar to rock, paper, scissors. Moltres and its fire can take on Articuno. Articuno and its ice can take on Zapdos. Zapdos and its electricity can take out Moltres.
Zapdos can also take out Articuno with its power. That ought to indicate where this ranking will ultimately end up. Uno, Dos, and Tres, the Spanish counting trio, are all strong, but they are not equal.
Some of the first Legendary Pokemon that fans ever laid eyes on were the three Bird Pokemon from Kanto.
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