Some Pokémon make the adventure easier, others complicate it. The right choice depends on your version: Platinum thoroughly reshuffled the available Pokémon, and Diamond and Pearl each have their exclusives. Here, version by version, are the recruits worth the detour, and when to catch them.
Our criteria: available early or at the right time, effective against the Gym Leaders that follow, easy to train, and able to last until the League.
The locations given are verified in each version’s data; other locations often exist, so see the Sinnoh Pokédex.
