Our tips for winning the cups in Pokémon Stadium, drawn from the game’s rules and from the opposing teams we recorded tournament by tournament. They apply to the Pokémon from your cartridges as well as to Rental Pokémon.

Before the match

  1. Build six complementary Pokémon. You only send out three per match, but you pick them from your six after seeing the opponent. A team of six Pokémon that cover each other is better than six powerful Pokémon of the same type.
  2. Read the opponent’s preview. Spot the dominant types and the threats: one Water Pokémon and two Flying Pokémon call for an Electric type; a trio of Poison types calls for a Psychic or a Ground type.
  3. Think about the sending-out order. The first Pokémon you pick is the first to enter. Lead with the one that has the edge over the opponent’s most likely Pokémon, and keep a sturdy one for last, able to close out the match.
  4. Save your teams (up to ten per cup) to save time between matches.
  5. Check the moves of the Rental Pokémon: they are fixed for each cup and change from one cup to another. A Pokémon can be excellent in the Pika Cup and mediocre in the Prime Cup. All the lists are on our Rental Pokémon page.

During the match

  1. Take advantage of the Sleep Clause. The opponent can only put one of your Pokémon to sleep at a time. If one of yours is already asleep, keep it on the field or in reserve: the others are protected.
  2. Use Rest wisely. A Pokémon put to sleep by its own Rest counts for the Sleep Clause: it protects its teammates from the opponent’s sleep moves, and Rest also cures paralysis.
  3. Don’t overrate sleep. It lasts much less time than on Game Boy: a sleeping Pokémon can wake up as early as the next turn.
  4. Anticipate Explosion and Self-Destruct. When a Pokémon that knows them (Electrode, Golem, Exeggutor, Gengar, Cloyster…) is low on HP, it is probably about to blow up. Bring in a Rock or Ghost type, or a Pokémon you can afford to lose.
  5. Beware of one-hit KO moves (Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill), which are very common in the Prime Cup. They fail against a Pokémon that is faster than the user: a fast Pokémon is your best protection.
  6. Drop the Hyper Beam reflex. Unlike in the Game Boy games, it forces a recharge turn even if it knocks the opponent out.
  7. Paralyze fast Pokémon. Thunder Wave divides their Speed by four and makes them lose one turn in four. It is the key against the most dangerous Pokémon, and against Mewtwo.
  8. Substitute is very strong. In Stadium, the substitute blocks status conditions and HP-draining moves.
  9. Watch your last Pokémon. Under the Self-KO Clause, if your last Pokémon uses Explosion and takes the opponent’s last Pokémon down with it, you are the one who loses.
Electrode.
Golem.
Exeggutor.

During the tournament

  1. Win without a KO to earn continues. Every match you win without any of your Pokémon being knocked out gives you one. If you lose, it lets you replay the lost match instead of starting everything over. Play the first matches carefully so you reach the semi-final and the final with some in reserve.
  2. Adapt your trio to each opponent: your six Pokémon are healed between matches, so nothing forces you to keep the same ones.
  3. Giving up costs you a match. The Start button forfeits the battle in progress, which counts as a defeat.
  4. In the Castle, change teams at the foot of each tower, to adapt it to the Gym Leader’s type. The only exception: the Rival fights the team you used against the Elite Four.

To unlock everything faster

  1. Start with the small cups, then the Castle, and save the Prime Cup for last.
  2. Unlock the Doduo GB Tower quickly (Poké Cup or Prime Cup), then Dodrio (both): playing Red, Blue or Yellow two or three times faster speeds up the training of your Pokémon enormously.
  3. Train your own Pokémon for the Prime Cup: the effort points earned in the Game Boy games (battles and vitamins) give them a clear edge over the Rental Pokémon.
  4. Think about the Victory Palace from the start: every cup you win records your team there. Rotating species brings you closer to the 151 statues and to the Psyduck that knows Amnesia.
  5. Replay the Elite Four and the Rival to get the eight gift Pokémon: the draw is random.
  6. Prepare the Surfing Pikachu from Round 1: you will need a team of six cartridge Pokémon, including a Pikachu, for the Master Ball division of the Prime Cup in Round 2.
  7. On Nintendo Switch Online, use the emulator’s save points before the hardest matches.
Dodrio.
Pikachu.
Psyduck.

Pitfalls to know about

  • Pokémon above level 100: the Lab permanently brings them back down to level 100.
  • Illegal moves: a Pokémon that knows an impossible move (obtained through a glitch or a cheating device) can battle, but the move and the Trainer’s name are displayed in purple.
  • Overwritten statues: only one statue per species in the Victory Palace, and the latest victory replaces the previous one.
  • Game Boy save: the Lab requires a game saved in a Pokémon Center.

To go further: the battle rules, the rewards and the FAQ.