Twenty-five years after their release, Gold, Silver and Crystal still have a battling scene. Their metagame is one of the most unusual in the series: slow, tactical, dominated by a Snorlax that boosts and sleeps, and by a constant war over Spikes.
This guide presents the mechanics that shape second-generation strategy, the essential Pokémon and how to build a balanced team, whether you battle a friend over the Link Cable, on Pokémon Stadium 2 or on the Virtual Console.
We assume six-Pokémon battles at level 100, without major legendaries (Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi), with only one opposing Pokémon put to sleep at a time, the most common rule.
