Pokelike Johto Story Guide — Gen 2
Direct answer
For a Johto Story run, Cyndaquil is a practical offensive start; add an Electric attacker for Clair and Lance, and develop Ice or Fairy damage before the League. Keep one main attacker ahead of the next boss instead of relying on six underlevelled catches. The current Story teams progress from Falkner at levels 9–10 to Clair at 84, then Will, Koga, Bruno, Karen and Lance at 85–90. Use the rosters below to change your lead and equipped items before each fight.
Maintained by Pokelike Wiki · Reviewed
Start here: Johto Story, not Battle Tower
This is the Johto / Gen 2 campaign in Story → Classic. If Johto is still locked on your account, complete Kanto Story first and return to region selection. “Normal” in the linked community strategy refers to this campaign style. Battle Tower has its own regional stages, collection-based starters and Trait planning; its Johto stage is a different task.
Opponent rosters, levels, capture-pool windows, evolution records and ordinary item descriptions below were read from the official public client on September 17, 2026. Counter choices are our recommendations from those teams and type matchups. The separate reported clear is community experience, not a run performed by this Wiki.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Gen II in Normal: surviving a brutal mode
Which Johto starter should you choose?
These choices are tradeoffs, not a measured win-rate ranking. The community Gen 2 guide also favors Cyndaquil and Espeon. Evolution levels shown here come from Pokelike’s current records; do not substitute main-series stone, friendship or trading requirements.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Gen II in Normal: surviving a brutal mode
| Starter | Evolution checkpoints | When it helps and what to add |
|---|---|---|
| Cyndaquil | Quilava 14 → Typhlosion 36 | Recommended offensive default. Typhlosion has 109 base Special Attack and 100 Speed; Fire pressure helps against Bugsy, Jasmine and Koga’s Forretress. Add Electric plus Ice/Fairy coverage because Fire is a poor plan for Clair and Lance. |
| Totodile | Croconaw 18 → Feraligatr 30 | A Water route with 105 base Attack and 100 Defense when fully evolved. Useful into Steelix, Piloswine and Houndoom if its actual attack is Water. Add a Fire or other Steel answer and a Psychic/Flying attacker for Chuck and Bruno. |
| Chikorita | Bayleef 16 → Meganium 32 | A defensive Grass route: Meganium has 100 base Defense and Special Defense. Grass can help against Water targets and Bruno’s Onix, but Falkner, Bugsy and the Poison-heavy battles punish a Grass-only plan. Pick it with a deliberate early partner rather than expecting a solo sweep. |
Early game: build a lead without missing your late-game answers
On Maps 1–2, prioritize battles your small core can survive and take a capture when it adds a missing job. Mareep/Pichu helps now against Falkner and later against Gyarados; Eevee can become Espeon; Wooper supplies a Water route. Adding all of them immediately is not required. Reassess HP and the next boss before choosing another battle.
The listed pool windows are chances to find a species, not guaranteed encounters. If your opening lacks Eevee or Mareep, keep progressing with the alternatives below instead of treating the entire run as invalid. Replace a partner when the new member solves a specific upcoming problem and can survive at its current level.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · How are people beating this game? — Story and Johto discussion
Catches to look for by map
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026)
| Window | Useful catch | What it can become or solve |
|---|---|---|
| Maps 1–2 | Mareep or Pichu | Mareep → Flaaffy at 15 → Ampharos at 30; Pichu → Pikachu at 15. Keep an Electric attacker for Clair’s and Lance’s Gyarados. |
| Maps 1–2 | Eevee | Level-20 branch choices include Espeon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Glaceon and Sylveon. Choose the missing role: Psychic damage, Electric, Water, Ice or Fairy. One Eevee cannot fill all five jobs. |
| Maps 1–2 | Natu or Togepi | Natu → Xatu at 25 supports Psychic/Flying damage. Togepi → Togetic at 15 → Togekiss at 40 supplies a Fairy/Flying option for Fighting and Dragon opponents. |
| Maps 1–2; Maps 5–6 | Wooper early; Quagsire later | A Water/Ground option for a Cyndaquil team. Keep it away from Grass attacks; its two defensive types create a 4× Grass weakness. |
| Maps 3–4 | Sneasel or Murkrow | Sneasel → Weavile at 40 adds Dark/Ice roles; Murkrow → Honchkrow at 36 adds Dark/Flying. These are alternatives with different jobs, not interchangeable coverage. |
| Maps 5–6; Map 9 | Larvitar; Skarmory | Larvitar → Pupitar at 30 → Tyranitar at 55 is a late Dark/Rock option. Skarmory belongs to the Map 9 pool, so do not depend on catching it to solve an early gym. |
Silver: an optional gamble, not a mandatory opening
The community Gen 2 guide reports that Silver can appear from the second route, offers double XP and heals the team after a win. It also warns that his team is stronger than a regular fight. Treat this as an optional way to extend a healthy carry’s lead; a depleted team can lose before collecting the reward.
Use the visible opponent preview and your remaining HP to decide. Skip the fight when your current attacks cannot handle its threats. The risk/reward description here is attributed to that guide; this Wiki has not performed a Silver reward experiment.
All eight Johto gyms: teams, levels and a plan
Read the individual species, not only the leader’s type label. These are the current fixed Story templates, including high-level unevolved opponents. Prepare your main attacker to be ahead of the next listed ace when the route allows it; there is no verified universal “safe level” or guaranteed survival margin.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Pokémon types & type chart
| Map / leader | Current Story lineup (level) | Preparation and response |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Falkner | Pidgey 9; Pidgeotto 10 | Build your first level lead here. A Mareep or Pichu with an Electric attack can hit both birds super effectively. Keep Chikorita behind another lead because Flying attacks threaten it; Cyndaquil is a neutral option if no Electric capture appears. |
| 2 — Bugsy | Metapod 21; Kakuna 22; Scyther 23 | Use Quilava with a Fire attack. Rock attacks are especially strong against Bug/Flying Scyther, but do not replace a trained carry with a weak new catch solely for that matchup. Save enough HP to reach Scyther after the two cocoon Pokémon. |
| 3 — Whitney | Clefairy 32; Miltank 35 | Miltank has 105 base Defense and 100 Speed in this trainer template. A strong special attacker avoids its higher physical Defense; a Fighting attack is another route. Clefairy is Normal in this specific Story template, so do not import a Fairy-only counter plan from another game. |
| 4 — Morty | Gastly 41; Haunter 42; Haunter 43; Gengar 45 | Prepare Dark damage or a Psychic attack for the Ghost/Poison line. A Psychic attacker also fears Ghost damage, so a frail Espeon is a damage option rather than a safe defensive switch. A trained Murkrow/Honchkrow or Sneasel/Weavile gives a Dark alternative. Normal attacks cannot damage these Ghost types. |
| 5 — Chuck | Primeape 54; Poliwrath 59 | Use Psychic or Flying damage against Primeape and Poliwrath. Natu/Xatu is an available Psychic/Flying route; Espeon is another. Do not lead Typhlosion into Water/Fighting Poliwrath just because it carried the previous map. |
| 6 — Jasmine | Magnemite 64; Magnemite 64; Steelix 69 | Fire attacks hit all three Steel opponents effectively. Ground attacks hit Magnemite particularly hard; Water helps against Steelix. Steelix has 200 base Defense in this template, making a strong special Fire or Water attack a useful alternative to physical neutral damage. |
| 7 — Pryce | Seel 74; Dewgong 77; Piloswine 79 | Split the job: Electric attacks handle Seel and Dewgong, then Water or Fire handles Piloswine. Do not leave an Electric attacker relying only on Electric damage against Ground-type Piloswine, which is immune. |
| 8 — Clair | Gyarados 84; Dragonair 84; Dragonair 84; Kingdra 84 | Lead with healthy Electric damage for Gyarados, then prepare Ice or Fairy damage for Dragonair. Kingdra is Water/Dragon: Electric and Ice are only neutral, while Dragon or Fairy attacks are super effective. A Fairy-attacking Togekiss is a useful second plan if you raised the early Togepi. |
Midgame: preserve the roles you will need at Clair
After Whitney and Morty, your team needs answers to both sides of mixed teams. Chuck includes Water/Fighting Poliwrath; Pryce starts with Water opponents before Ground-type Piloswine. Move the appropriate healthy attacker to the front and match its held item to the damage you want it to use.
Do not trade away your only Electric or Ice/Fairy answer simply because a new catch is a few levels higher. A large level lead can help, but it does not turn Electric into a way to damage Ground or Psychic into a way to damage Dark. Spend limited upgrades on a carry you intend to keep, then bring the next-boss specialist into a usable range.
Before Map 8, check that the Electric member can actually use Electric damage and that a second member covers Dragonair and Kingdra. Community discussion highlights Mareep/Pichu against Clair’s Gyarados; that is a strong option because Gyarados is Water/Flying, not proof that every other approach fails.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · How are people beating this game? — Story and Johto discussion · Pokémon types & type chart
A flexible six-role team for a Cyndaquil run
This is an editorial planning example using current encounter and evolution data, not a claimed six-member clear or a required shopping list. Assemble roles from the encounters you receive. Preserve a trained substitute rather than forcing this exact team at the expense of levels.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Pokémon types & type chart
| Role | Example when acquired | Replacement rule |
|---|---|---|
| Fire damage | Typhlosion | Keep it for Bugsy/Jasmine/Forretress. If starting Totodile, obtain another Fire attacker or assign those fights to existing effective coverage. |
| Psychic damage | Espeon | Xatu from early Natu is a practical alternative for Chuck and Bruno, but gains different weaknesses. Do not lead either blindly into Ghost or Dark opponents. |
| Electric damage | Ampharos | Jolteon from Eevee or a trained Pichu/Pikachu line can fill the Gyarados job. If using the same Eevee here, use Xatu for the Psychic role. |
| Ice / Dark damage | Weavile | Glaceon can fill the Dragonite Ice job but loses Dark coverage for Will; compensate with Honchkrow or another Dark attacker. Equip for the attack role you need next. |
| Water / Ground option | Quagsire | Feraligatr on a Water-starter run, or Vaporeon from Eevee, can supply Water damage. They do not inherit Quagsire’s Ground typing or Electric immunity. |
| Fairy / Flying option | Togekiss | This is a second route into Kingdra and Fighting opponents. If omitted, keep another actual Fairy/Dragon answer for Kingdra and Ice for Lance; a late Skarmory adds bulk but does not replace those attacks. |
One community-reported Johto clear
Pokelike-guide.fr records this successful six-member example. It illustrates a very high-level offensive core with defensive support; these are reported finishing levels, not minimum requirements. The source’s version is unspecified. Its Adrenaline Orb and Focus Sash loadout is preserved as reported, but those items are absent from the current ordinary held-item pool inspected here. Do not wait for them to reproduce the team.
Sources: Gen II in Normal: surviving a brutal mode · Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026)
| Pokémon | Reported level | Reported held item |
|---|---|---|
| Typhlosion | 94 | Charcoal |
| Espeon | 100 | Twisted Spoon |
| Honchkrow | 92 | Leftovers |
| Tyranitar | 98 | Adrenaline Orb |
| Scizor | 95 | Scope Lens |
| Skarmory | 98 | Focus Sash |
Items: use current effects when preparing a fight
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026)
| Item | Current ordinary-item description in practice | Where to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Charcoal / Twisted Spoon | 40% more Fire / Psychic damage and an attempt to use that attack type when possible. | Typhlosion for Steel/Bug targets; Espeon for Fighting/Poison. Older community text says 50%; this guide uses the current 40%. |
| Magnet / Never-Melt Ice / Pixie Plate | 40% more Electric / Ice / Fairy damage, with the same eligible attack-type preference. | Gyarados / Dragonite / Kingdra respectively. A type item does not make every Pokémon capable of that type. |
| Mystic Water / Black Glasses | 40% more Water / Dark damage with eligible type preference. | Water for Steelix, Onix or Houndoom; Dark for Will or Gengar. |
| Choice Specs / Choice Band | Specs adds 30% special damage. Band adds 40% physical damage but reduces Defense by 20%. | Match the actual damage category; do not put Band on a fragile special attacker just because the displayed bonus is larger. |
| Leftovers | Restores 10% of maximum HP each round. | Useful on a member that can survive repeated hits; it cannot rescue a one-hit knockout. |
| Lucky Egg | A 30% post-battle chance of an extra level for its holder. Eligible from Map 5 onward, subject to item offers. | Treat it as a mid-run opportunity, not a guaranteed first-map pickup. A damage item may be better for the immediate boss. |
Before the Elite Four: a concrete checklist
Map 9 is the final approach after Clair. The League’s fixed teams are levels 85–90. Use the remaining route to strengthen surviving core members and fill a genuinely missing counter; avoid rebuilding your entire team immediately before the League.
Have a healthy Dark answer for Will, Psychic/Flying plus Fire for Koga and Bruno, Water or another Houndoom answer for Karen, and Electric plus Ice/Fairy for Lance. These are attack jobs, not a demand for six separate Pokémon. The reported clear above shows one much higher-level path, but level alone does not guarantee a win.
The current Johto League flow opens a preparation screen before each opponent. Inspect the next team, change your order and equipped items there, and check remaining HP. Do not assume the main-series Pokémon rule of unrestricted potion use or a free full heal between every League fight; this guide does not establish either.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Gen II in Normal: surviving a brutal mode
Johto Elite Four and Lance: every team and counter plan
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Pokémon types & type chart
| Battle | Current Story lineup (level) | Your plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Will | Xatu 85; Xatu 85; Slowbro 86; Jynx 86; Exeggutor 86 | Dark attacks work against every listed member. Weavile or Honchkrow is useful if already trained. Electric also covers Xatu and Slowbro; Typhlosion can answer Jynx and Exeggutor. Do not send Espeon expecting Psychic to sweep a Psychic team. |
| 2 — Koga | Ariados 86; Venomoth 86; Forretress 86; Muk 86; Crobat 86 | Bring Psychic damage for Ariados, Venomoth, Muk and Crobat, but keep Typhlosion ready for Forretress: its Bug/Steel typing takes 4× from Fire. Avoid a Ground-only solution because Flying-type Crobat is immune. |
| 3 — Bruno | Hitmontop 86; Hitmonlee 86; Hitmonchan 86; Onix 86; Machamp 86 | Psychic or Flying damage covers Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan and Machamp. Onix interrupts that pattern: Water or Grass is 4× effective against Rock/Ground. Keep Weavile and Tyranitar away from Fighting damage; both have a 4× Fighting weakness. |
| 4 — Karen | Umbreon 86; Vileplume 86; Gengar 86; Murkrow 87; Houndoom 88 | The Dark label does not describe all five members. Use Bug, Fighting or Fairy damage for Umbreon; Fire for Vileplume; Dark for Gengar; Electric for Murkrow; Water, Ground or Fighting for Houndoom. Espeon should not be your sole answer because three members are Dark and immune to Psychic attacks. |
| 5 — Lance (Champion) | Gyarados 86; Aerodactyl 87; Dragonite 88; Dragonite 89; Dragonite 90 | Prepare Electric damage for the opening Gyarados (4×) and for Aerodactyl (2×), then Ice damage for all three Dragonite (4×). Fairy damage is a 2× backup against Dragonite. Keep the Ice or Fairy attacker healthy through the first two opponents; a Fire-only carry has poor coverage into this entire lineup. |
If Clair or Lance keeps ending the run
Losing to Gyarados: restore and lead your Electric attacker before entering the fight, and use Magnet if that member can use Electric attacks. An underlevelled Electric Pokémon may still lose; preserve the role earlier so you are not adding it only at the last moment.
Losing to Clair’s Kingdra: Ice is neutral against Water/Dragon, unlike its 2× hit on Dragonair. Fairy or Dragon damage addresses Kingdra directly. A trained Togekiss with Fairy damage offers one path; a Dragon attacker must also survive opposing Dragon attacks.
Losing to Lance’s final Dragonite: prepare for three Dragonite, not one. Ice hits their Dragon/Flying typing for 4×, while Electric is only neutral. Keep the Ice attacker behind the member assigned to Gyarados and Aerodactyl, and review whether it reaches the Dragonite sequence with enough HP.
Losing despite high levels: check the attack actually used, immunity, HP, item category and team order before changing the whole roster. If a replacement removes your only answer to a later opponent, a local improvement can still make the overall run worse.
Sources: Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026) · Pokémon types & type chart
Continue with the supporting guides
Use the Beginner guide for the opening controls and item decisions, the Natu, Togepi and Sneasel pages for those evolution paths, and the Items directory to compare current descriptions. The Team Analyzer can check your real six-member team’s shared weaknesses and entered attack types; it does not predict a guaranteed Johto win.
If your next goal is the Johto Battle Tower stage, switch to the Battle Tower overview. This Story walkthrough does not substitute Tower Traits or permanent investment rules for campaign tactics.
Source boundary
What the source does not prove
- Official-client facts were read on September 17, 2026; this is not a completed Johto playthrough or a measured win-rate comparison.
- Encounter windows describe eligible pools, not guaranteed offers. The community clear and Silver reward report have no stated version; current item-description conflicts are identified in the article.
- These recommendations apply to Johto Classic Story planning, not a verified Nuzlocke, Challenge or Battle Tower strategy.
Practical next step
Apply this to your next decision.
Play Johto on the official gameKeep planning
Related pages
Evidence used on this page
Sources
Pokelike official client — Johto Story teams and progression data (September 17, 2026)
- Publisher
- Pokelike
- Source type
- pokelike official
- Accessed
- September 17, 2026
- Applicable version
- Not stated
- Used on this page
- Johto Story fixed opponents and levels, selected encounters/evolutions, starter stats, ordinary item descriptions and League preparation flow.
- Important boundary
- Public client data and call-site inspection, not a full clear, guaranteed encounter, or measured best team.
Registry details
General supports
- Johto Story gym and League fixed teams, types, levels and order
- Selected encounter pools, ordinary evolution levels, starter stats and held-item descriptions
- Johto Story League preparation flow
General limitations
- Public code inspection is not a completed run or a win-rate test.
- Encounter pools do not guarantee a random offer; special modes can have other rules.
Gen II in Normal: surviving a brutal mode
- Publisher
- Pokelike-guide.fr
- Source type
- competitor site
- Accessed
- September 17, 2026
- Applicable version
- Not stated
- Used on this page
- Attributed starter preference, reported six-member clear and Silver risk/reward description.
- Important boundary
- Version unspecified. Its item-percent conflict is corrected using current official descriptions; its historical loadout is not promised in the ordinary pool.
Registry details
General supports
- Attributed Cyndaquil and Espeon recommendation
- One reported clear team with levels and held items
- Attributed Silver reward and risk description
General limitations
- No game version or controlled win-rate comparison is provided.
- Its +50% Charcoal / Twisted Spoon descriptions conflict with the current official +40% ordinary item descriptions.
- Reported Adrenaline Orb / Focus Sash are not in the current ordinary held-item pool inspected here.
How are people beating this game? — Story and Johto discussion
- Publisher
- r/Pokelike community
- Source type
- community post
- Accessed
- September 17, 2026
- Applicable version
- Not stated
- Used on this page
- Johto player need and early Electric capture advice for Clair’s Gyarados.
- Important boundary
- Individual community experience; not proof that one team or attack is the only winning option.
Registry details
General supports
- Player demand for Johto Story help
- Community advice to retain early Mareep/Pichu for Clair’s Gyarados
- Player experience of levelling and preparation tradeoffs
General limitations
- Comments mix regions, versions and individual experience.
- The claim that Electric is the only way to beat Gyarados is not adopted as a universal rule.
Pokémon types & type chart
- Publisher
- The Pokémon Company
- Source type
- pokemon official
- Accessed
- August 27, 2026
- Applicable version
- Not stated
- Used on this page
- Type-based counter reasoning for the exact official Story teams and editorial role substitutions.
- Important boundary
- General type relationships do not prove actual attacks, speed order, HP survival or a successful run.
Registry details
General supports
- The standard 18 Pokémon types
- The official current-series type effectiveness chart
- The general role of attacking and defending types
General limitations
- The page explicitly notes that type affinity can differ by game
- It does not confirm any Pokelike-specific type chart variation