Pokemon Colosseum In-Game Tiers

Introduction
High Tier
Mid Tier
Low Tier
Bottom Tier

Introduction

The best possible Pokémon is one that is obtained at the start of the game, can OHKO enemies off the bat, and takes 1 HP damage from everything, while also learning every possible HM, healing itself automatically, and having some neat ability to top it off. Such a Pokémon doesn't exist, of course, but this means that Pokémon closer to this ideal are the best ones possible.

The goal of this in-game tier list is to recommend a select group of Pokémon for an efficient run through of the game. Those will be put in High tier. Very inefficient Pokémon will be put in Low. Things that are neither efficient nor inefficient, for example Pokémon that have some opportunity cost but end up as good as High ones, will be put in the Middle.

Resources are available, but come with the cost of not being able to give it to other Pokémon. Giving Super Potions is fine because you can buy them and you have almost infinite money in the game. Giving a Pokémon a TM like the Dig in RBY cannot simply be assumed as there is likely lots of competition for it. The less competition there is for a TM, the more likely it is that the Pokémon in question can get said TM. A purchasable TM can always be assumed, of course.

Don't confuse an efficient run with a speed run. Speed runs are often segmented and recorded runs with luck manipulation through resets, and aim for the absolute fastest time, but the real time spent on them is usually much, much more. Just assume you want to play through in a relatively low time frame.

Team size is actually by far most efficient if you use one member, but I'm assuming something more like 3 members as otherwise you get extremely centralized lists with starters and early-game Pokémon at the far top and everything else is pretty much too crappy to bother with.

The tiers for Colosseum are based on the following:

Availability: Can you get them early on and are they easy to get?
Stats: Do they have a usable stat distribution?
Movepool: Do they have a good movepool that needs little TM support? (By that I mean hard to replace TMs such as ones you get from Gyms.)
Power: Are they strong enough to sweep through enemies without taking too much damage in return?
Type: Do they have useful STABs and resistances?
Match-ups: Do they fare well in boss battles?

High Tier

Croconaw: Availability: Very Early; Stats: High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It has good stats, comes early, but unfortunately is slightly worse than Suicune.

Entei: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Very High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It has good stats and comes at a high level, along with STAB Fire Blast, which pretty much 2HKOes every Pokémon you'll encounter that doesn't resist it.

Espeon: Availability: Beginning; Stats: High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's very fast and strong, and there aren't too many Dark-types to worry about in-game.

Flaaffy: Availability: Early; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has decent bulk and comes with Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave, and it makes for a very good Raikou replacement.

Makuhita: Availability: Very Early; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It comes very early and with a powerful STAB Cross Chop, plus it's one of the few good Fighting-types available.

Meditite: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's a very useful Hariyama replacement, very strong, and has a decent Speed stat.

Quilava: Availability: Very Early; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's fast and strong, and it comes very early in the game.

Raikou: Availability: Late; Stats: Very High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: While it comes late in the game, it comes with a very strong STAB Thunder, and you get it at a decent level.

Suicune: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Very High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It has very good stats, STAB Surf is very useful since it hits both opposing Pokémon, and it comes early enough in the game to still be useful, even more so than Croconaw.

Umbreon: Availability: Beginning; Stats: High; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has massive bulk and passable offenses which make it a great Pokémon to tank hits and do decent damage back.

Vibrava: Availability: Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It has decent stats, a good typing, is not far off from evolving upon capture, and Levitate is very useful in later battles because many of the later opponents like to spam Earthquake.

Mid Tier

Furret: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It comes early, is decently strong, and has good enough stats to make it a great early-game Pokémon, but its usefulness fades against the tougher foes at the end of the game.

Heracross: Availability: Late; Stats: High; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's very, very strong, but just comes too late in the game to be more useful than Hariyama or Medicham.

Hitmontop: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's overall worse than Hariyama and Medicham, and has to rely on Triple Kick for STAB, but it's still pretty good.

Mantine: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It has passable stats and is a decent replacement for Croconaw, but Suicune is still better.

Misdreavus: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's useful early-game, but not as good late-game due to its poor stats.

Noctowl: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It gets Hypnosis, which is helpful for capturing other Shadow Pokémon, and comes early, but it's very weak offensively.

Quagsire: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: Its low Speed hurts its effectiveness, but it has a good typing, defenses, and movepool.

Remoraid: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Very Wide; Additional Comments: Octillery is slow and Remoraid comes at a very low level, but it has a great movepool and good offenses.

Skiploom: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It's very fast and Sleep Powder is very useful, but it's incredibly weak.

Stantler: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has passable stats and comes with Hypnosis, which aids in capturing other Shadow Pokémon.

Swablu: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It's weak offensively and defensively, but Sing is helpful, and there aren't many better choices for a Flying-type; also, the resistances it gains as a Dragon-type are very helpful.

Low Tier

Absol: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It comes far too late in the game to be very useful.

Ariados: Availability: Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It comes with good STAB moves, but it's slow and weak.

Bayleef: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's not very strong offensively and has a lot of weaknesses defensively.

Dunsparce: Availability: Early; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It has mediocre stats and a poor level-up movepool.

Forretress: Availability: Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has a great typing, but it has a poor offensive movepool and it comes too late in the game.

Gligar: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Below Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has mediocre stats and a lackluster movepool.

Granbull: Availability: Late; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It comes too late in the game and it's slow.

Houndoom: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It comes far too late in the game to be useful.

Metagross: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Very High; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It's very strong but comes too late in the game.

Miltank: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It comes far too late in the game.

Murkrow: Availability: Late; Stats: Below Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has poor defenses and a shallow movepool, plus it comes late in the game.

Piloswine: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's too slow and has too many weaknesses to be useful.

Qwilfish: Availability: Early; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: While it's not necessarily a poor Pokémon, there are just too many better choices for a Water-type.

Scizor: Availability: Whenever you bother to waste $20 on an E-Reader. Good luck finding the card.; Stats: High; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It requires a crappy peripheral (E-Reader) that you have most likely tossed in the trash. Beyond that, it has a great typing and stats, but a very poor movepool.

Skarmory: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has weak offenses and comes late in the game.

Slugma: Availability: Early; Stats: Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: Quilava and Entei are both superior, and Magcargo having 4x weaknesses to both Surf and Earthquake screams uselessness.

Sneasel: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Below Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has bad stats and no good STAB moves.

Sudowoodo: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Below Average; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: Its defensive typing is terrible in doubles and its stats are mediocre.

Sunflora: Availability: Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has a poor typing, bad movepool, is extremely slow, and comes too late in the game.

Tropius: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Average; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It comes far too late in the game and its movepool and typing are terrible.

Tyranitar: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Very High; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It's very strong but comes too late in the game.

Bottom Tier

Aipom: Availability: Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Decent; Additional Comments: It's weak offensively and defensively, has a poor offensive movepool, and comes too late to be useful.

Delibird: Availability: Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has a terrible typing, very poor stats, and comes too late in the game.

Ho-Oh: Availability: After you have beaten everything else.; Stats: Uber strong; Movepool: Very Wide; Additional Comments: It's incredibly powerful, but it comes after you beat the game, which means it is of absolutely no help.

Ledian: Availability: Mid-game; Stats: Very Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It's just too weak offensively and defensively.

Plusle: Availability: Early; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It's way too weak and comes at an extremely low level.

Shuckle: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It has awful offenses, a horrible movepool, and comes too late in the game.

Smeargle: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Ad infinitum; Additional Comments: It's incredibly weak, comes with four awful moves, and comes too late in the game.

Togetic: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It has poor offenses and comes too late in the game.

Ursaring: Availability: Very Late; Stats: Above Average; Movepool: Wide; Additional Comments: It's very strong but comes very late in the game.

Yanma: Availability: Early; Stats: Poor; Movepool: Shallow; Additional Comments: It's too weak offensively and has a terrible movepool.