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Overview[]

Blaine is the Gym Leader of the Cinnabar Gym. He uses Fire types.

In Pokemon Red and Blue, his team is composed by Growlithe, Ponyta, Rapidash and Arcanine. Growlithe is level 42 and knows Ember, Leer, Take Down and Agility, Ponyta is level 40 and knows Tail Whip, Stomp, Growl and Fire Spin, Rapidash is level 42 and knows Tail Whip, Stomp, Growl and Fire Spin, while Arcanine is level 47 and knows Roar, Ember, Fire Blast and Take Down. In Yellow, he has Ninetales, Rapidash and Arcanine. Ninetales is level 48 and knows Confuse Ray, Quick Attack, Tail Whip and Flamethrower, Rapidash is level 50 and knows Take Down, Stomp, Growl and Fire Spin, while Arcanine is level 54 and knows Reflect, Take Down, Fire Blast and Flamethrower.

Upon being defeated, Blaine hands out the Volcano Badge, TM38 Fire Blast and 4653 (Red and Blue)/5346 (Yellow) Poké Dollars.

Tips for beating Blaine[]

  • Know your enemy: Rapidash and Arcanine are fast physical attackers, while Ninetales is equally fast, but instead has an high Special. All three of them have an ace up their metaphorical sleeves: Rapidash can either trap you with Fire Spin or make you flinch with Stomp; Arcanine knows the powerful Fire Blast, the recoil move Take Down and the annoying (to deal with)Reflect (thought the latter is known only in Yellow); Ninetales instead has Confuse Ray to stop your attacks before they even started and Quick Attack to pick off your low health Pokemon.
  • Status can spell trouble: Since you're facing a Fire type gym leader, watch out for burns, they'll halve your Pokemon's Attack (a nasty nuisance if the moves it's fighting with come from that stat), so keep ready to use Burn or Full Heals.
  • Status moves are not to underestimate!: Don't underestimate Tail Whip/Leer and Growl: in the long run, they're capable of forcing you to switch just to remove the drops they inflicted. In Yellow, watch out for Confuse Ray as well, a 50/50 chance to hit or being hit in confusion can become a risky gamble, and also for Reflect, you don't want an even bulkier Arcanine to deal with.
  • Status inducing moves are useful for support: It is likely you'll have acquired a Pokemon capable of learning status inducing moves: Stun Spore/Thunderwave will cripple the opponents' speed, with every turn a 30% chance of paralysis to kick in and leave them unable to attack; Sleep Powder/Hypnosis allows you to attack safely (since it's Generation 1, waking up will waste a turn as well); Poison Powder/Toxic is useful for residual damage and, if you have the resources and the bulk, perfect for stalling.
  • TM investment might be what you were looking for: Do you lack Pokemon able to naturally learn SuperEffective moves against Blaine's teams? Don't be afraid to invest in TMs like Dig, Earthquake, Rock Slide, and even Surf's HM!
  • Don't play with Fire!: Blaine's TM move is none other than Fire Blast, one of the most powerful Fire type moves (the most powerful in terms of raw power in Generation 1), with a whopping 120 Base Power, 85 Accuracy (which makes it even more dangerous) and a 30% chance to burn the opponent, so watch out for it. In Yellow, Ninetales and Arcanine also know Flamethrower to make sure missing won't be an option.

Good Pokémon to Use[]

  • Water types: The greatest majority of fully evolved Water types are able to take this gym on without much trouble thanks to a combination of either bulk or offensive stats, Water's resistance to Fire and STAB Surf. Even Water/Ice types have little to worry about despite the Ice typing nullifying the resistance.
  • Graveler/Golem: Rock's resistance to Fire and Normal allows the line to tank hit and dish back damage via STAB Earthquake. Still, watch out for crits if you're using Graveler, and remember to heal eventual burns on the spot.
  • Clefable/Wigglytuff: Reliable and bulky, they can set up status via Sing/Thunder Wave and then either leave the field or dish out damage via STAB moves or Bubblebeam's TM.
  • Nidoking/Nidoqueen: Both of them are sufficiently bulky and can OHKO with your choice of ground move easily.
  • Snorlax: Very specially bulky, and with Amnesia to rely on, it can hit with either STAB Body Slam, Earthquake or even Surf.
  • Haunter/Gengar: Immunity to Normal type moves and a high Special make this Pokemon another fine choice, which can even dispense status via Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. Still, watch out for crits and eventual burns.
  • Dugtrio: Though very frail, Dugtrio can sweep through Blaine with ease due to its speed and STAB Dig/Earthquake.
  • Rhyhorn/Rhydon: Despite its low special, it fares well thanks to its health, Rock typing and TM investment in the form of Earthquake or Rock Slide. However, watch out for critical hits and burns.
  • Tauros: High Speed and Attack allow this Pokemon to outspeed everyone (depending on IVs, Rapidash might be in for a speed tie) and fire off Earthquakes, or it can hit with Surf coming from its decent Special. However, Flamethrower risks to be a OHKO from full health if it crits, and a critical Fire Blast is downright lethal.
  • Kangaskhan: Decent bulk and an high Attack allow it to let the Earthquakes loose. Yet be careful: if either Flamethrower or Fire Blast crits, it's over for your trusty Kangaroo.
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