Gen 1 has some of the best Pokémon in the game, but some of them are just impossible to catch! Almost.
It’s no secret that certain Pokémon can be challenging to find, let alone catch and keep. Whether it’s putting honey in a tree and waiting 6 hours or standing on one of the six tiles required to catch a Feebas, it can often be infuriating to catch ’em all and get that satisfying full Pokédex.
These low encounter rates began with the first-ever game and continued to create some frustrating Pokémon that make them super rare as well as pretty good once acquired. It’s worth noting that the encounter rates change according to the game played.
10 Tauros
The wonderful Tauros is only obtainable in the Safari Zone and can be found in only two locations! This hard to get Pokémon is one of the rarest to get hold of in Pokémon Red and Blue with a tiny 4% encounter rate in one location and an even smaller encounter rate of 1% in the other.
Many think that because Tauros is a pretty powerful and useful Pokémon that it’ll be easier to obtain and use, but this just isn’t the case. Patience and perseverance are key for this one.
9 Slowbro
Slowbro is Pokémon Blue’s rarest encounter and is found on the first floor of the Seafoam Islands. It is treated like a game exclusive for Pokémon Red but is still obtainable in Blue, it’s just a bit more of a challenge.
Similarly, Slowbro has a 1% encounter rate and is only found in one location, making this Pokémon a challenge to find. Nevertheless, it is a pretty useful and semi-powerful Pokémon that’s worth getting hold of.
8 Golduck
If the player owns Pokémon Red then Golduck will quickly become one of the rarest Pokémon to get hold of, which is odd since it isn’t as powerful as those of Tauros or Scyther. This is exactly the same as Slowbro but is obviously a different species depending on the game.
With a 1% encounter rare on the first floor of the Seafoam Islands, Golduck is pretty hard to get hold of. However, Golduck is still a useful and pretty well-loved and well-known Pokémon that would be useful to have in the Pokédex.
7 Dodrio
If the player has Pokémon Yellow, then they will have a challenge that neither Blue nor Red possesses, they will struggle to get hold of Dodrio rather than Golduck or Slowbro.
Dodrio has a 1% encounter rate and can only be found on the only patch of grass in route 17, the cycling road. It should be known that Dodrio is a lot easier to find in Red and Blue.
6 Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan is another powerful but challenging Pokémon to get hold of. It has an encounter rate of 4% in the East Safari Zone and 1% in the West Safari Zone in Pokémon Red and Blue.
This Pokémon has a higher encounter rate in Pokémon Yellow, with it being 15% but many reports have found it extremely hard to get hold of Kangaskhan, especially since it’s only found in one location.
5 Clefairy
Unlike Kangaskhan or Dodrio, Clefairy can be found in more than one location, three to be exact. However, the encounter rate is still pretty low for such a well-loved Pokémon. In both Red and Blue, Clefairy has a 1% chance of being found on floor one of Mt. Moon and a 6% chance on Basement 2nd Floor.
The 6% is still pretty rare and it can be a difficult Pokémon to get hold of, especially when Clefairy is such a well-loved Pokémon.
4 Graveler
Graveler is a pretty powerful companion and is well-loved throughout the Pokémon universe, however, it isn’t the easiest one to get hold of, unless you have Pokémon Yellow.
In Pokémon Red and Blue, Graveler has an encounter rate of 5% and can only be found in 3 locations with one of these having a 1% encounter rate. Graveler can be found on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor of Victory Road so players won’t need to look far, but the encounters are so rare, many just hope to evolve their Geodude.
3 Lickitung
Lickitung is one of the hardest Pokémon to encounter in all three first-generation games. This is surprising since it certainly isn’t the most powerful or the rarest. Nevertheless, it isn’t useless and can still win the players some gym battles.
Lickitung can be found in the Cerulean Cave by searching through long grass or the cave itself. But with only a 5% chance to encounter, the player may be searching for Lickitung for longer than they wanted.
2 Scyther
Scyther is well-loved and pretty powerful throughout most of the Pokémon games but is also pretty rare. Scyther isn’t available in Pokémon Blue and has only 2 locations in Yellow and Red with those being the East, North, and middle of the Safari Zone.
The locations are relatively close together so searching isn’t impossible but with an encounter rate of 1% in the East of the Safari Zone and 4% in the North and Middle, it’s certainly tedious and time-consuming.
1 Electabuzz
As it is with every Pokémon game, there are a few Pokémon who are exclusive to certain games. This is exactly the same with Electabuzz since it’s only available in Pokémon Red. However, unlike many game exclusives, this electric-type isn’t easy to get hold of, even if you have the right game for it.
Electrabuzz has an encounter rate of just 5% and can be found in one location in the whole game, the Power Plant. Now it’s not difficult to run around the Power Plant in search of this beloved Pokémon but it can be both time-consuming and frustrating.
NEXT: 5 Gen 1 Pokemon That Are Underrated (And 5 That Are Overrated)
