15 best rental Pokémon in Pokémon Stadium, ranked

Released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, Pokémon Stadium is nearly 25 years old and oh-so-close to hitting its silver jubilee, so it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to call this game ancient. And even though Stadium is quite literally from the previous millennium, the game has an active playerbase and is just about as popular as it was over 20 years ago. This is mainly due to Pokémon Stadium’s debut on the Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo 64 console emulator for the Nintendo Switch Online+ Expansion Pack, letting newer generation players get access to this amazing classic Pokémon title.

One of the quirks of Pokémon Stadium is that only rental Pokémon can be used, which can be a little inconvenient for some players but not impossible to maneuver through. To give you a helping hand in your time selecting rental Pokémon, we have come up with a list of the best rental Pokémon you can use in Pokémon Stadium.

Before we divulge that information, however, we’ll need to give you a refresher on some of the unique mechanics of Pokémon Stadium.

Pokémon Stadium’s unique game mechanics

Pokémon Stadium is a title all the way from Generation I of the Pokémon game series, which means the mechanics in the game are the outdated ones from other Generation I games like Pokémon Red and Blue.

Here are all the key game mechanics in Pokémon Stadium that you should take note of:

• Pokémon do not have abilities.
• Special Defense and Special Attack are combined into the singular ‘Special’ stat.
• Speed is even more important as the faster you are, the higher your crit rate gets.
• Dark, Steel, and Fairy type do not exist.
• Since Dragon Rage—a move that always deals damage worth 40 HP—is the only Dragon move to exist, Dragon types are essentially only weak to Ice moves.
• Psychic-type Pokémon are only weak to Bug moves.
• Bind, Fire Spin, and other trapping moves do not let the target Pokémon move until the binding effect of the move ends.
• Hyper Beam does not require a recharge turn if it knocks out a Pokémon.

The 15 best rental Pokémon in Pokémon Stadium, ranked

Gengar

Possessing the highest Special stat among all the Rental Pokémon in Pokémon Stadium, Gengar truly stands out from the bunch in the best way, especially because it is part of the only Ghost-type evolutionary line in the game, making it the one ‘mon to have immunities to both Normal and Fighting.

Gengar has access to a solid movepool, with Dream Eater in Prime Cup and Gym Leader Castle letting it stay healthy while dealing massive damage at the same time.

Jolteon

Not only is Jolteon blindingly fast, but it also has a very high Special stat, letting it move first and land super-powered critical hits much more often than the rest of the roster. 

Its good Special stat means it also has reasonable bulk, and combined with its mono Electric typing, Jolteon will usually be living to tell the tale unless it comes across some nasty Ground moves, its only weakness.

Kadabra

One of the many cases in Pokémon Stadium where the pre-evolution turns out to be more optimal than its evolution, Kadabra has access to the incredibly strong Psychic that Alakazam unfortunately lacks.

With Steel and Dark types being non-existent, Kadabra can go ham with its unresisted Psychic-damage, especially since its Speed and Special Attack is still very good for a middle-stage Pokémon. On top of this, Kadabra also has the option to heal via the move Recover, keeping it healthy and prime to cause even more chaos.

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Snorlax

With a ridiculous HP stat and a formidable Attack stat along with its access to the annoying move Headbutt, Snorlax cements its position as one of the best sweepers the Rental Pokémon in Stadium have to offer.

Apart from Headbutt, Snorlax boasts some useful coverage; Thunder especially being a standout pick as it can catch Flying and Water-type opponents off guard, such as Starmie and Articuno. Rest is also an amazing choice to keep your Snorlax healthy and make it frustratingly tough for your opponent to knock this bulky ‘mon out.

Chansey

Since we’re on the topic of HP beasts, there’s no way we could leave out Chansey. On top of its monstrous Special bulk—which makes it a prime choice to be a defensive wall for the unstoppable Psychic types—it also can hit hard thanks to its high Special stat.

Exeggutor

If you wanna cause psychological damage to your opponent, Exeggutor is a fine choice. With access to moves such as Sleep Powder and Hypnosis to put your opponents out of commission, along with options like Leech Seed and Mega Drain to agonizingly sap away your opponent’s life, Exeggutor makes for a fine choice to torture your opponents to into a loss.

Slowbro

Slowbro excels in Pokémon Stadium as a bulky wall due to its high Special stat, not only giving it great bulk but also a lot of offensive prowess as well. This Water and Psychic dual type can take strong blows from opponents and retaliate with powerful moves like Surf against common Rock and Ground types, threatening one-hit knockouts.

Slowbro also has Dig as a tech option for dealing with Electric types that threaten it, as well as Disable to be extra annoying.

Starmie

Starmie is a perfect balance of offense and defense in a Water-type ‘mon. Even though it is stuck using Bubblebeam as its Water-type move, its high Special stat compensates for it, as well as the move’s chance to reduce its opponent’s Speed.

Starmie itself is quite fast too, and with Electric coverage in Thunder to deal with opposing Water-type Pokémon, there is little that can stop that formidable starfish.

Moltres

Among the Legendary Elemental bird trio of Generation I also present in Pokémon Stadium, Moltres proves to be the least impressive of the three. But this is more of a ‘worst of the best’ kind of situation.

The fact that Moltres has some of the highest stats among all of the Rental Pokémon available in Stadium is a big reason to land it a spot on this list. This flaming bird can deal large amounts of damage with Fire Blast, while also having the opportunity to run Reflect and Agility in Prime Cup for some very valuable support.

Articuno

Articuno sits in the middle of the pack, and it is especially useful due to its access to Ice Beam, a consistent move with great offensive prowess that also has a chance to freeze which can only be cured by using items (which are illegal) or by hitting it with a Fire move, which you shouldn’t be doing.

Articuno is incredibly threatened by Rock-type moves, but the common Rock-type Pokémon like Rhyhorn and Golem get outsped and defeated in a single hit by Articuno anyways.

Zapdos

The star of the bunch, Zapdos has it all: Thunderbolt for consistent damage, Thunder Wave to cripple foes horrendously, amazing defensive typing, and great, well-rounded stats.

Zapdos is only weak to Rock and Ice moves and only needs to worry about Rock-type Pokémon since a majority of Ice-move users are Electric, which can be handled by the lightning bird itself.

Vaporeon

Vaporeon—especially in the Gym Castle—is incredibly good. With its access to Aurora Beam and Surf, it has the coverage to deal with a plethora of Pokémon along with great stats to go with it. In Prime Cup, you’ll have to switch Surf for Hydro Pump, but that’s a small price to pay.

Nidoking

Nidoking gets access to the move Earthquake, which is enough to warrant it a spot on this list, especially when coupled with this ‘mon’s impressive Attack stat. Earthquake is among the strongest moves in the game, and with Nidoking getting STAB on the very valuable Ground coverage, there’s barely anything that can stop this force of nature.

Of course, Nidoking isn’t the fastest thing in the game, which does give it some defensive holes, but its good Special stat does lend it the bulk it crucially needs.

Victreebel

This Pokémon is amazing in Prime Cup and Gym Leader Castle, mainly for one reason: its access to the move Wrap.

Like we’ve said before, binding moves such as Wrap immobilize the target until its effect ends, leaving your opponent helpless while their HP slowly whittles down to nothing. It’s a cheap tactic and your opponents may just form a lifelong grudge against you, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Jynx

Unlike in newer generations, Jynx is one of the most valued picks in Pokémon Stadium. It boasts a well-rounded movepool with the unresisted, hard-hitting Psychic, Ice Punch to OHKO Pokémon like Golem and Dragonite, and Lovely Kiss for a relatively dependable Sleep move that can quickly turn the tides of the match in your favor.

The best part is, Jynx always has access to these three crucial moves, with a final Normal-type attack being dependent on which Cup you’re playing in. 

With Bug-type moves being uncommon, all you need to worry about are Rock and Fire-type moves, and your Jynx is good to go.