Pokemon VGC champion Wolfey crowns the best Kanto ‘mon

Pokemon VGC champion and content creator Wolfe ‘Wolfey’ Glick has crafted a list of the best ‘mons for the Kanto region in competitive play and crowned the best character from the first generation.

Pokemon VGC tournaments have seen a lot of variance in terms of ‘mon selection across the years as new generations of pocket monsters and new typings and forms are introduced. However, some Pokemon have stood the test of time, or have shifted in and out of the meta thanks to the changes between generations.

In a video counting down the top Pokemon from the first-generation Kanto region, Wolfey outlined the 10 best and crowned Arcanine as the most powerful. Also included in the top 10 list were Clefairy, Gyarados, Venusaur, Zapdos, and Charizard.

Wolfey explained that Arcanine’s base version is one of the most consistent Pokemon in the history of competitive play and has seen use across multiple generations. The fire type appeared on regional winning teams in 2015 and even saw heavy use as recently as 2023.

“Basically, it’s a really tanky support Pokemon. It’s kind of like Zapdsos, it can kind of do it all. Despite being a support Pokemon it can actually put on some offensive pressure with moves like Flare Blitz, Overheat, and even Burn Up… Because it’s so tanky and doesn’t have that many weaknesses, and because of how good Will-O-Wisp is, it’s a really consistent Pokemon in lots of different formats that has kind of been the glue the holds everything together,” Wolfey said.

Despite some offensive powerhouses appearing at the top of the list, Wolfey said that many trainers build their competitive teams around their defensive Pokemon. These tanky monsters are often used to help bail other Pokemon out of trouble and are cornerstones in setting up the trainer’s most powerful moves to land on the correct target.

The fact that Arcanine is arguably the best defensive Pokemon available in most formats, and can have a high offensive output, makes it the top ‘mon from Kanto, according to Wolfey.