Pokémon teams for Red/Blue?

Charmander isn't that bad if you already know how to play the game. The big reason people struggle with it is because they don't know that Special Attacks like Ember will do more damage to Brock's team than Tackle, Gust, Scratch, or Peck. From there you just need an Electric type like Pikachu or a Grass type like Oddish to beat Misty's Starmie.

As for team suggestions, my top suggestion is always going to be to not pick a team before you start, to try out as pokemon as you can before settling on a team near the end of the game. I find that planning a team can make the game become repetitive as your driving motive to play the game becomes to assemble the dream team. Once that's done, you're juts going through the motions until you finish the game.

But if you still want team suggestions then...

Venusaur has the easiest time of the starters, being strong/neutral to all but 2 of the 8 Gym Leaders

Mr. Mime is a traded pokemon you can get early on and a very good substitute for Alakazam, if you don't want to use something overused. Also as a traded pokemon it will gain levels much quicker than usual and so will become a staple of your team much quicker than Alakazam, which needs babying until it becomes a Kadabra.

Nidoking is a solid pokemon that can be gotten very early on thanks to evolving using a Moon Stone.

Electrode might not be the most powerful electric type out there, but it is the fastest. It's also one of the best pokemon to counter Sabrina and her dreaded ALakazam, because it is likely to outspeed her, and can hit it for massive damage by using Explosion or Self-Destruct.

Cloyster is an incredibly powerful defensive water pokemon with access to some nasty moves like STAB Blizzard, and Clamp, which in Gen 1 prevents the opponent from attacking. You can find it using a Super Rod in Vermilion City

Finally to round your team off is Dodrio. Dodrio is the best of the Normal/Flying types thanks to having better Speed and Attack than Fearow, and better moves than Pidgeot.

/r/pokemon Thread