Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen rare exclusives are not the same (and one version is much better than the other)

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen was recently re-released on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, much to the delight of new fans and veterans alike, who can finally play through the Kanto region of the 2004 game. However, these are direct ports of the Game Boy Advance titles, which come with good and bad. Players can still enjoy the Sevii Islands and iconic Gen 1 content with the Gen 3 game, but completing the Pokedex can be challenging or downright impossible, at least for the National Dex. If you really want to catch them all, you have to trade locally with other players, like Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreens version exclusive cannot be found in the opposite version.

The problem is that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen doesn't really have a clear winner with exclusive releases, as one could argue Leaf green is better because it includes Slowpoke and its evolutions, so you can then transfer to Gen 3 games if and when they re-release, since those critters aren't available there. On the other hand, Fire red has Arcanine, which is one of the best mons in Kanto, and it has some more popular animals overall. When it comes to rare exclusives, however, these are mainly two: Electabuzz and Magmar. But only one of them can be caught early, and the other is mostly for Pokedex completion.

Shiny Charizard, Psyduck and Sandslash in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

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Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's best shiny hunting strategy is unfortunately exclusive version

Shiny hunting in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is always at full odds, but the best trick you can use is exclusive to one version.

Pokemon FireRed beats LeafGreen with its rare version exclusive Pokemon

Exclusive versions in each game can change your playthrough to some extent, especially a few of them, so choosing the right version for you can be as important as choosing the best starter in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Interestingly, before completing the game, you can only encounter a bunch of version exclusive animals, as some of them are from Gen 2 or 3 and fill the National Dex. The problem is that while you can get Electabuzz easily and relatively early Fire redyou have to wait quite a while before you can capture Magmar Leaf green.

Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.

Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

FireRed Exclusive	Place & time	LeafGreen Exclusive	Place & time
Oak	Already on route 4	Sand bar	Already on route 4
Workbook	Evolve Ekans or late game	Sandslash	Evolve Sandshrew or late game
Weird	Already on route 5	Vulpix	Already on route 8
Gloom	Develop odd or mid-game	Ninetales	Develop Vulpix
Vile Plume	Evolve Gloom	Bellspire	Already on route 5
Psyduck	Fishing with the Super Rod early	Weepinbell	Evolve Bellsprout or mid-game
Golduck	Evolve Psyduck or mid-game	Victreebel	Develop Weepinbell
Growlithe	Already on route 8	Slouch	Fishing with the Super Rod early
Arcanine	Evolve Growlithe	Slow bridge	Evolve Slowpoke
Shellder	Fishing with the Super Rod early	Staryu	Fishing with the Super Rod early
Cloister	Develop Shellder	Starmie	Develop Staryu
Scyther	Already in Celadon City	Magma	Mt. Ember (Late Game)
Electabuzz	Power Plant (mid game)	Pinsir	Already in Celadon City
Bellossom	After the match	Marill	After the match
Whooper	After the match	Azumarill	After the match
Quagsire	After the match	Slowking	After the match
Murkrow	After the match	Misdreavus	After the match
Qwilfish	After the match	Sneasel	After the match
Scissors	After the match	Remoraid	After the match
Delibird	After the match	Octillery	After the match
Skirmish	After the match	Mantine	After the match
Elekid	After the match	Magby	After the match
		Azure	After the match

Pokemon FireRed's Electabuzz is Miles better than LeafGreen's Magmar

While Electabuzz is available in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen's Power Plant, which is available immediately after getting the HM for Surf, Magmar is only found in Mount Ember. In FireRed, Electabuzz has a 5% encounter rate in the powerhouse, but you can use a level 35 Pokémon as a lead in your party and any Repel, making it so that only Electabuzz can be spawned since the remaining Pokémon are lower level. The meetings at the power plant are as follows:

Pikachu (both versions, level 22-26, 25% spawn rate)
Magnemite (both versions, level 22-25, 30% spawn rate)
Magneton (both versions, level 31-34, 10% spawn rate in FireRed, 15% in LeafGreen)
Voltorb (both versions, level 22-25, 30% spawn rate)
Electabuzz (FireRed only, level 32-35, 5% spawn rate)

What follows is that Electabuzz is much more available than Magmar by a wide margin, as the latter is also a 5% encounter, but is only found in Mt. Ember, which becomes available after defeating Blaine at least. However, you can only get Magmar before entering the Viridian City Gym Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenwhich is also far from ideal for Magmar to be used in since it goes against Ground-type Pokemon.

Why you shouldn't use Magmar in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

More importantly is the fact that Electabuzz is still a very good Pokémon Fire red and leaf greenthough it's outclassed by Raichu for the most part, and though it has niche uses with its ability to learn Psychic that Raichu doesn't have. Electabuzz is good when it comes to the many water types in Fire red and leaf greenas well as Lorelei and Agatha among the Elite Four, with some very good uses against Lance and Champion, too.

Instead, Magmar is heavily outclassed by Arcanine as a Fire-type in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreenand even if you only count the mons available in LeafGreen, Ninetale's movepool and higher speed stats make it a better choice overall. Also, Magmar is walled off by Lorelei, Bruno, and Lance, and it can only do anything to Agatha if you psychic it. It will mostly have a hard time against the champion as well, and when you level up and train it properly before the Elite Four, a Ninetales or Charizard is miles better anyway.