Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen May Be Your Last Chance to Try This Unique Strategy

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When Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were released, they offered a fresh take on the original Kanto region games. Even after revisiting Kanto in Generation 2, they still felt new thanks to the addition of the Sevii Islands and the inclusion of Generation 3 Pokémon in the National Pokédex. Now, 22 years after their initial release on the Game Boy Advance, these games feel particularly refreshing on the Nintendo Switch for both new and returning players. I recently replayed Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on my Switch, focusing on discovering the most effective strategies for every Pokémon, even the ones players don’t often use.

Like with every Pokemon game, I’m always surprised by which Pokemon really shine – and which ones fall flat – in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Gyarados, for example, has awesome Attack, but its moves just don’t quite work with it. Then you have Jynx, who’s surprisingly strong throughout the whole game, even early on with a powerful Ice Punch at level 25. It’s always interesting! I was recently digging into Arbok’s moveset – I’m hunting for a shiny Ekans, and I like to plan ahead – and one move really stood out: Snatch. It got me thinking about how useful that could be!

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Most Underrated TM is Great Against Gym Leaders, Elite Four

Okay, so if you’re like me and mostly play the newer Pokemon games, you might not even know about a move called Snatch. And if you don’t really get into the competitive scene (VGC), it’s super easy to miss. Basically, Snatch lets your Pokemon steal a status move from your opponent if they use one that turn. I remember when I was playing FireRed and LeafGreen, Sabrina was a pain because she’d always try to inflict status conditions before attacking. But then I realized I could use Snatch to steal those moves and actually help my own Pokemon! For example, I used Arbok with Snatch and stole Calm Mind, which boosted his Special Attack and Special Defense, letting him hit even harder with Bite. It’s kinda weird, but Dark-type moves are considered special in Gen 3, so it worked perfectly!

You don’t need a perfect team to defeat the Elite Four in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Players have proven this by winning with weaker Pokemon, and some have even completed the game with just a single Caterpie! This means the move Snatch isn’t essential, and can actually make the game take a little longer. However, Snatch was removed in later versions of Pokemon (starting with Generation 8), and it’s unlikely to return because it’s difficult to balance and could cause issues with another ability called Prankster. This makes the Gen 3 remakes – FireRed and LeafGreen – the only Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2 where you can still use this move.

  • Snatch was introduced in Generation 3, and it’s a move that always goes first, making your Pokemon ready to steal any status moves used by the opponent. The move fails if a non-status move is used.
  • Z-Snatch saw some play in Gen 7 because it gave the user +2 Speed regardless of whether the move was successful, so it could be used to steal opposing Tailwind, Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and similar moves while also buffing your Pokemon’s Speed.
  • The move is no longer available in the series as of Gen 8.
  • Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu! and Eevee! moves didn’t include Snatch, meaning only Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have it available on the Switch.
  • It could have been interesting in Gen 9 VGC or in the best Pokemon Champions teams on launch to counter some powerful strategies like Tera Ghost Tailwind to avoid Fake Out or Mega Charizard Y + Venusaur with Chlorophyll Sleep Powder, respectively.

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You can find the TM for Snatch in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Rocket Hideout in Celadon City.

Snatch is a Double-Edged Sword in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

Besides the Victory Road trainers, the “Snatch” technique can be a really effective strategy against strong opponents in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, particularly because the game’s AI often prioritizes status moves over direct attacks. However, it’s not perfect. For instance, if Koga in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen uses the move Toxic and you successfully Snatch it, it won’t actually affect his Poison-type Pokemon.

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Koffing sometimes uses Self-Destruct. If you try to steal that move with Snatch, you might lose your turn and then get hit by a strong Self-Destruct. While Koga isn’t the only trainer where Snatch can backfire, it’s something to keep in mind if you plan on using this strategy.

I’m really hoping Snatch comes back when Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire finally hit the Switch – the leaks seem to confirm it’s happening, and it totally makes sense because you need those games to get all the Pokemon if you played FireRed and LeafGreen. Until then, this is the only way I’m going to be able to use this awesome move on my Switch!

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2026-04-15 00:34