Ladies, gentlemen... everybody who may be out there. Put aside your thoughts of windows for just a moment. We need to talk about what I found in an old storage bin. It's my old Nintendo 3DS XL. And I have the copy of Pokémon SoulSilver from when I was kid still inserted!
I had to see what team I had assembled of world-class creatures. I booted it up, and I almost went blind with rage.
SERIOUSLY??? A Furret? Two Water-type Pokémon? How did middle-schooler me think he was going to take on the Elite Four with a team like that? I do approve of the defensiveness of a Magneton, I guess, but there's no evolving it to Magnezone, so what's the point? Murkrow would NEVER evolve into Honchkrow without a Dusk Stone until way late in the journey too. I think I must have been hanging onto the Leaf Stone to teach Wring Out to the Weepinbell.
Still, like half this team is unsalvageable. I want to shake my younger self by the shoulders and get him to start over. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't run into a difficulty wall at the 8th Gym Leader no matter what. I'm frankly disgusted, SO disappointed in my choice of monsters, and if there's any bright side to this discovery, it's maybe selling the cartridge at my local GameStop to fund maybe 1/30th of a new energy efficient window.
How did middle-schooler me think he was going to take on the Elite Four with a team like that?
Honestly, I can relate. Looking back at my old teams, I had a weird attachment to Sentret and Furret too—maybe because they’re so common early on? I always thought type coverage was less important than just having my favorites. Magneton’s lack of evolution in SoulSilver is a real missed opportunity, though. Still, two Water-types could be handy if you needed Surf and Waterfall at the same time... not exactly strategic, but practical. At least you didn’t fill your whole party with Pidgeys like I did once.
At least you didn’t fill your whole party with Pidgeys like I did once.
That’s hilarious—I definitely remember rolling up to the Indigo Plateau with a team that was basically “my favorites from Route 1 and whatever could learn Cut.” I had a weird thing for Raticate and would just keep it around way past when it made sense. No Hyper Fang in the world was saving me from Karen’s Umbreon, but I was convinced loyalty would somehow carry me through.
I totally agree about Magneton in SoulSilver, too. Not being able to get Magnezone without trading or going to DPPt always felt like a letdown. It’s like, why tease the evolution if you can’t actually use it? But yeah, having two Water-types for Surf and Waterfall—been there. I’d even sometimes have three just because I didn’t want to swap out my starter or Lapras for an HM slave. Not exactly “pro strats,” but at that age I thought more moves = better Pokémon.
Funny thing is, as a kid, type coverage barely registered for me. My logic was basically “this one looks cool and hasn’t fainted yet.” Didn’t matter if half my team was weak to Electric; if they were my buddies from the beginning, they were coming with me, even if it meant getting swept by Lance’s Gyarados every single time.
Looking back, there’s something kind of charming about playing that way though. Sure, now I’m all about coverage and EVs and whatever, but back then it was just about having fun with the Pokémon you liked—even if it meant showing up to the Elite Four with a level 38 Furret and praying for a miracle.
I get the nostalgia, but honestly, I don’t really see the charm in sticking with weak Pokémon just because they’re “your buddies.”
That’s fine for a first playthrough, but after a while, it just gets frustrating losing over and over. I always swapped out weaker team members as soon as I found something stronger or more useful. Makes the grind less painful and actually lets you see more of what the game offers.“if they were my buddies from the beginning, they were coming with me, even if it meant getting swept by Lance’s Gyarados every single time.”
Do you utter fools not realize that this is a forum for window discussions only?! None of the strategies you are mentioning have any viability in the endgame. Get back on-topic before I smite you!
That’s hilarious—honestly, I think everyone’s got at least one old Pokémon team that makes them cringe. My younger self was obsessed with Pidgeot for some reason and never bothered with coverage moves. Kind of wild how our tastes change, right? And hey, Furret’s cute, even if it’s not exactly a powerhouse.
Can definitely relate to the “what was I thinking” feeling. I used to build teams around one Pokémon just because I liked the design—never mind if it actually worked in battle. Here’s how my process went back then: pick a favorite (usually something fluffy or with cool hair, like Ampharos), give it all the strongest-sounding moves, and then wonder why every gym leader wiped the floor with me. Didn’t even consider things like type coverage or status effects until much later.
Funny how you mentioned Furret. I always thought Sentret was adorable, so I’d keep it on my team way too long, even when it was getting KO’d every other turn. Guess nostalgia trumps logic sometimes. These days, I actually look at stats and abilities before committing, but I still sneak in a “just for fun” pick now and then. Gotta keep some personality in there, right?
Guess nostalgia trumps logic sometimes. These days, I actually look at stats and abilities before committing, but I still sneak in a “just for fun” pick now and then.
That hits home. Back in Gen III, I insisted on keeping a Linoone just because of Pickup—didn’t matter that its stats were mediocre and it got one-shot constantly. Once I started paying attention to EVs and move synergy, my teams improved a lot, but honestly? There’s still something satisfying about winning with an underdog or oddball choice. Not the most efficient, but way more memorable.
I get the appeal of sticking with an old favorite, even when it’s not the “smart” choice. I used to keep a Furret around just because I liked its design, even though it barely pulled its weight. These days, I’m more likely to swap out weaker team members, but every now and then I wonder if I’m missing out on those weird victories that only come from using offbeat picks. Do you ever go back and replay with your old favorites, or is it all about the optimized teams now?
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I think there’s something to be said for ditching the nostalgia sometimes. I used to swear by my “classic” team, partly out of stubbornness and partly because I thought it made things more personal. But after a while, I realized I was just making things harder for myself—and not in a fun, challenging way, but in a “why am I banging my head against the wall” kind of way.
It’s like holding onto that old leaky faucet in the kitchen because it’s got “character.” Sure, there’s charm in it, but when you finally swap it out for something that works better, you wonder why you waited so long. Same with teams—once I started experimenting with new combos, the game felt fresh again. I do get the appeal of quirky victories, but honestly, those feel pretty rare compared to the satisfaction of a well-oiled squad.
Maybe it’s just me, but at a certain point, efficiency starts to feel more rewarding than nostalgia. Guess it depends on whether you’re in it for the memories or the win.