Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen may be your last chance to try this unique strategy

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen offered a different perspective on the original Kanto games when they came out, and they still felt new even after Gen 2 brought players back to Kanto thanks to the addition of the Sevii Islands and the fact that the National Pokedex included Gen 3. These games can be all the more refreshing on the Nintendo Switch after 22 years since they debuted on the GBA, whether for newcomers or veterans. I have explored Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen with a new mindset on my Switch 2, and that is to find the best strategies overall for each Pokemon, even the least used ones.

As it always happens with Pokémon game, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreens best and worst Pokemon aren't necessarily what you'd think after playing multiple games in the franchise. Gyarados has terrible moves that don't synergize with its attack stats, Jynx is awesome throughout the game and even early on with special damage Ice Punch at level 25, and the list goes on. Now, I was going through the tutorial for Arbok in Gen 3 because I'm trying to find a shiny Ekans, and I wanted to plan ahead for when (more like if) I get it, and one move caught my eye: Snatch.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreens Mt. Moon in the background, with an angry Paras and Giovanni in the foreground

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If you've only played modern Pokémon game, you may never have heard of Snatch, and if you've never been into VGC much, the move's existence may have escaped you as well. Snatch allows your Pokemon to steal an opponent's status move if used that turn. For example, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenSabrina's Sabrina can be a tough gym leader as she often uses status moves before attacking, but this also means you can steal them with Snatch to buff your Pokemon instead. In my case, Arbok could steal Calm Mind to boost his Sp. Atk and Sp. Def and then deliver a more powerful Bite, since Dark is a special type in Gen 3.

To beat Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Elite Four, you really don't need a fully optimized team. Many fans have shown intermediate teams beating these trainers, or even challenged themselves by only having a Caterpie do this. This is to say that Snatch is by no means necessary, and it may slow down your experience a bit. However, the move was removed with the release of Gen 8 games, and is unlikely to return due to difficult balancing and potential interactions with the Prankster that could be problematic. As such, this leaves the Gen 3 Kanto remake as the only titles on Switch and Switch 2 where the move is available.

Introduced in Generation 3, Snatch is 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 as 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 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 did not include Snatch, so only Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have it available on Switch.
It could have been interesting in Gen 9 VGC or at best Pokemon champion team at 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

Aside from VGC, Snatch is a fun strategy to use against some powerful trainers Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenespecially when the character's AI prefers to use status moves before attacking. Still, it has its limitations. For example, if Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Koga uses Toxic and you jerk it, it will have no effect on Koga's Poison Pokemon.

Likewise, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Koffing uses Self-Destruct sometimes, and by using Snatch you can miss your turn's action and then get hit by a powerful Self-Destruct. Koga isn't the only potentially problematic fight for Snatch, but it's worth mentioning if you want to use the strategy yourself.

Snatch should return sometime Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire launches on Switch, since it's been leaked they will, and it also makes sense since you can't complete the National Pokedex in Fire red and leaf green without them. But until then, this is the only way to use this move on Switch.