Chansey is available in the Safari Zone, in the Center Area (hub) in all three games, the Center Area (east) in Yellow only and Area 2 in Red and Blue only. In the post-game it is also available in Cerulean Cave, on the basement floor in all three games and the second floor in Red and Blue only.
Later gens saddle Chansey with the role of "Special Wall", but in the era of one Special stat it can take a more offensive role, backed up by a good selection of coverage moves. 'Course it still serves well defensively, shrugging off Special moves and being able to take a few physical hits thanks to its insane amount of HP. Overall, well worth using to the lucky Nuzlocker who catches it.
Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Voltorb and Pikachu can be swept with any Special move; Chansey's massive HP allows it to easily tank their physical moves despite having terrible Defense. Raichu's a bit tougher but still doable with any Special move other than Thunder or Water Gun.
Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Ice Beam (or possibly Psychic for the Poison types) works well on everything here; the biggest threat is the risk of being trapped by Wrap/Bind and status effects.
Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): Chansey can comfortably handle each Koffing and Muk with Psychic, though probably not the whole set without taking a heal break. Weezing is very dangerous though, taking out a large chunk of Chansey's health with its Self-Destruct. Better to leave it to something with actual Defense.
Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Chansey will be kicked down by Hitmonlee's STAB moves but has the health to weather Hitmonchan's Normal moves and take it out with Psychic.
Rival (Silph Co.): Chansey can shoot down Pidgeot with 2-3 Thunderbolts/Ice Beams provided Sand-Attack doesn't interfere. Neither Chansey nor Alakazam can do much to the other, but Alakazam has Recover, so unless Chansey has Toxic it shouldn't get involved. Exeggcute quickly falls to Ice Beam and doesn't even have offensive moves. Thunderbolt easily defeats Gyarados. Some Thunderbolts, Ice Beams (not resisted by Fire in this gen) or Psychics will defeat Growlithe whose Take Down is only a 5HKO. Charizard is somewhat dangerous, scoring a 3HKO with Slash while Chansey 2-3HKOs with Thunderbolt/Ice Beam; if it's not down in two hits retreat. (Unless it opts for Rage, in which case have fun.) Fry Blastoise with Thunderbolts and don't fear its weak moves. Blast Venusaur with Ice Beams/Psychics, even with the permacrit its Razor Leaf is only a 6HKO.
Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Psychic devastates Nidorino. Boltbeam works on Kangaskhan, though this is somewhat dependant on how lucky it gets with Comet Punch - remember that if the first hit crits, they all will. Ice Beam destroys Rhyhorn. It's also effective for dealing with Nidoqueen.
Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Kadabra and Alakazam will both outpace Chansey's damage with Recover; Toxic will be required if using Chansey. Mr. Mime can be ground down by Ice Beam or Thunderbolt; a slow process especially if it uses Light Screen but very doable. Venomoth is beaten by Psychic.
Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): (Note that if Chansey has Bubblebeam it should be using that instead.) Thunderbolt/Ice Beam is a solid 3HKO against Growlithe, who can only 5HKO with Take Down. Ponyta will be down in 3-4 Thunderbolts/Ice Beams; just beware of Stomp flinches and Fire Spin. Rapidash will require 4 Thunderbolts/Ice Beams but is doable, with the same caution regarding Stomp and Fire Spin. Arcanine is barely beatable via Thunderbolts/Ice Beams, mainly due to Chansey being unintentionally helped out by Take Down's recoil.
Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Blizzard spam is the way to go here. Chansey won't be able to sweep by itself, but on a one-to-one basis Chansey is the clear winner.
Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Use Blizzard against everything here except Gyarados/Blastoise (who are dealt with using Thunderbolt) and Alakazam (avoid unless Chansey has Toxic). If you have Ice Beam instead, it'll serve the same purpose with the exception of Charizard, who strictly requires Blizzard to be beatable.
Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Thunderbolt 3HKOs Dewgong while it only 5HKOs with Take Down; it does have Rest and a Speed advantage though, but this is remedied via a single X Special, if allowed. Two Thunderbolts defeats Cloyster; being trapped by Clamp is a possible problem, but with only 75% accuracy and three other moves for it to choose the odds favor Chansey. Slowbro is going to be drawn out as Thunderbolt is a 3HKO to start but is quickly diminished by Slowbro's Amnesia; Toxic is highly recommended. (Luckily it only has Water Gun which does poor damage even with fully boosted Special.) Jynx and Chansey 5HKO each other with Thrash and THunderbolt respectively, so Chansey will need some form of healing if Thrash's confusion doesn't work in your favor; alternately Fire Blast will two-shot if Chansey has it and manages to land both shots. Lapras will take three Thunderbolts but Chansey can manage barring Confuse Ray hax.
Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Each Onix is OHKOed by Blizzard. Psychic two-shots Hitmonchan who can do no more than 4HKO with Mega Punch. Hitmonlee should be avoided; either of its STABs will two-shot and Psychic won't OHKO it. Machamp's also a no-go due to its powerful Submission and Chansey being slow enough to be vulnerable to Fissure.
Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Chansey can beat down anything here with Psychic spam; none of her 'mons can manage any better than a 6HKO. (Not that Chansey can handle the whole team solo without healing, mind, due to its slowness and the very high Special on the Gengars.)
Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Blizzards for the actual dragons, Thunderbolt for Gyarados and either for Aerodactyl. Chansey won't be able to handle more than one of his 'mons without healing (with the exception of both Dragonairs) but none of them are off-limits.
Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Like before, use Thunderbolt on Gyarados/Blastoise, face Alakazam only if Chansey has Toxic and Blizzard everything else.
Post-Game: Chansey is one of the few Pokemon that stands a chance against Mewtwo, though like with the Abra liners above it'll need Toxic to break through Recover.
Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Chansey will need Reflect and Softboiled (or healing) to deal with Raichu; even then it'll have to watch out for crits. On the plus side, Raichu's Mega Punch/Kick aren't the most accurate.
Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Ice Beam (or possibly Psychic for the Poison types) works well on everything here; the biggest threat is the risk of being trapped by Bind and status effects.
Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): Yellow's version of Koga is just laughable. The only thing keeping Chansey from sweeping with Psychic is attrition from Toxic, but that's what Antidotes are for.
Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Chansey will be kicked down by Hitmonlee's STAB moves but has the health to weather Hitmonchan's Normal moves and take it out with Psychic.
Rival (Silph Co.): Sandslash's Slashes will hurt but not enough to save it from death via Ice Beams. Kadabra has the same problem of too much Special + Recover as Alakazam in Red/Blue. Magneton can be ground down with Ice Beam/Psychic; it'll take a while due to its high Special but it can do little back. Boltbeam or Psychic works on Ninetales who manages a 9HKO at best. Cloyster is two-shotted by Thunderbolt; the only threat it poses is the possibility of endless Clamp trapping, though with only 75% accuracy it's unlikely. Vaporeon is defeated by Thunderbolts. Jolteon should be avoided due to the threat posed by Double Kick unless Chansey has Softboiled and patience. Flareon has the potential to be dangerous; Bite is a 5HKO which Chansey only beats with Bubblebeam (an unlikely choice to have) and it also has Fire Spin.
Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Psychic devastates Nidorino. If Chansey can avoid being flinched by Bite, it can beat Persian with Thunderbolt/Ice Beam; if it does get flinched it won't be able to win without healing. Ice Beam destroys Rhyhorn. It's also effective for dealing with Nidoqueen, though with its Double Kick having a chance to 3HKO and Ice Beam not being guaranteed to two-shot caution should be exercised.
Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Like in Red and Blue Kadabra and Alakazam are able to Recover more damage than Chansey can do unbuffed. Unlike Red and Blue, she leads with a helpless Abra that can be used to set up X Specials (and an X Accuracy) on, allowing for a sweep without the need for Toxic.
Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): (Note that if Chansey has Bubblebeam it should be using that instead.) Ninetales will be down in 5 Thunderbolts/Ice Beams, barring confusion hax. Rapidash will require 4 Thunderbolts/Ice Beams but is doable ; just beware of Stomp flinches and Fire Spin. Arcanine is barely beatable via Thunderbolts/Ice Beams, mainly due to Chansey being unintentionally helped out by Take Down's recoil.
Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Blizzard spam is the way to go here. Chansey won't be able to sweep by itself, but on a one-to-one basis Chansey is the clear winner. The sole exception is Persian which should be avoided.
Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Use Blizzard against everything here except Vaporeon/Cloyster (who are dealt with using Thunderbolt) and Kadabra (avoid unless Chansey has Toxic). If you have Ice Beam instead, it'll serve the same purpose with the exception of Jolteon, who strictly requires Blizzard to be beatable. Beware of being trapped by Cloyster's Clamp or Flareon's Fire Spin.
Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Thunderbolt 3HKOs Dewgong while it only 5HKOs with Take Down; it does have Rest and a Speed advantage though, but this is remedied via a single X Special, if allowed. Two Thunderbolts defeats Cloyster; being trapped by Clamp is a possible problem, but with only 75% accuracy and three other moves for it to choose the odds favor Chansey. Slowbro is going to be drawn out as Thunderbolt is a 3HKO to start but is quickly diminished by Slowbro's Amnesia; Toxic is pretty much required as this version's more powerful moves mean it must be taken out more quickly. Jynx and Chansey 5HKO each other with Thrash and Thunderbolt respectively, so Chansey will need some form of healing if Thrash's confusion doesn't work in your favor; alternately Fire Blast will two-shot if Chansey has it and manages to land both shots. Lapras will take three Thunderbolts but Chansey can manage barring Confuse Ray hax.
Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Each Onix is OHKOed by Blizzard; even Dig/Earthquake aren't threatening given Onix's terrible Attack. Psychic two-shots Hitmonchan who is a joke, barely tapping Chansey with its elemental punches. Hitmonlee should be avoided; either of its STABs will two-shot and Psychic won't OHKO it. Machamp's also a no-go due to its powerful Submission.
Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Chansey can beat down anything here with Psychic spam; none of her 'mons can manage any better than a 6HKO. (Not that Chansey can handle the whole team solo without healing, mind, due to its slowness and the very high Special on the Gengars.)
Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Blizzards for the actual dragons, Thunderbolt for Gyarados and either for Aerodactyl. Chansey won't be able to handle more than one of his 'mons without healing (with the exception of both Dragonairs) but none of them are off-limits.
Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Like before, avoid Alakazam unless Chansey has Toxic, Thunderbolt Vaporeon/Cloyster and Blizzard everything else.
Post-Game: Chansey is one of the few Pokemon that stands a chance against Mewtwo, though like with the Abra liners above it'll need Toxic to break through Recover.
Chansey's level-up movepool is unimpressive. Its starting moves, Pound and either DoubleSlap (Red/Blue, with Yellow getting it at level 12) or Tail Whip (Yellow) are useless on a 'mon with almost no Attack, Sing (Level 24) is inaccurate, Growl (Level 30) won't help much with Chansey's nearly nonexistent Defense, Minimize (Level 38) is luck-based, Defense Curl (Level 44) won't buff its Defense enough to help, Light Screen (Level 48) is redundant given that it doesn't carry over to its teammates in this gen and Double-Edge (Level 54) is once again not a move for an Attack-less 'mon.
Luckily its TM movepool is more optimistic, with Blizzard (or Ice Beam), Psychic and Thunderbolt for coverage and Toxic for especially high-Special 'mons. Softboiled is worth a mention for runs with limited item use. For risk-takers, there's also Fire Blast, SolarBeam and Thunder.
Physical Walls: Chansey's Defense is just about nonexistent which can cause problems even with such high HP. Physical walls often have poor Special, though, which Chansey can help out with.
A few Pokémon that fit this description, among others, include: Cloyster, Golem, Weezing, Sandslash and Slowbro.
Flying-types: Not only are they good at fending off Fighting types, they also tend to have good Speed, something Chansey is sorely lacking in. Meanwhile Chansey can easily tank Ice and Electric moves while also being better suited to counter Rock types.
A few Pokémon that fit this description, among others, include: Aerodactyl, Charizard, Zapdos, Dodrio and Fearow.
Other[]
Chansey's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
250
310 - 357
610 - 704
Attack:
5
9 - 62
13 - 119
Defense:
5
9 - 62
13 - 119
Special:
105
99 - 172
193 - 339
Speed:
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
Total:
415
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Chansey Ratings
Availability
Matchups
Movepool
Survivability
Type Usefulness
Team Role
Offensive Utility
Defensive Utility
Tankiness
Fun Factor
Overall
How good is Chansey in a Nuzlocke?High-tier, both offensively and defensively. (Albeit, very reliant on TMs.)
