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Completing (Most of) the Pokédex With Gen 2 (Pokémon Silver)

There are 251 Pokémon in Silver's Pokédex. Only 249 are needed to get the certificate from the Game Freak employee in Celadon City. The game is programmed to accept any 249, meaning if you use the Celebi egg glitch to get Mew or Celebi, or trade Celebi from a copy of Crystal that obtained it via the GS Ball event, you can skip up to two other Pokémon.

However, not all 249 Pokémon that aren't Mew or Celebi are available in Gold, Silver, and Crystal without glitches or (defunct) events. In order to get all 249 Pokémon, trading with Red, Green, Blue, or Yellow is required. This page focuses on getting as many Pokémon as possible with only Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

The maximum number of Pokémon you can get this way is 232, or 233 if you are able to access the GS Ball Celebi in Crystal.

In order to complete the Pokédex in Pokémon Silver this way, you will need access to at minimum a copy of Pokémon Gold. Crystal is only required if you are able to access the GS Ball Celebi.

Version Exclusives

The following version-exclusive Pokémon have to be traded from another game:

• Spinarak, Ariados (Gold or Crystal)
• Growlithe, Arcanine (Gold, Crystal)
• Mankey, Primeape (Gold)
• Gligar (Gold or Crystal)
• Teddiursa, Ursaring (Gold or Crystal) (Note that Teddiursa and Phanpy are swapped in Japanese and Korean copies of Gold and Silver)
• Mantine (Gold or Crystal)

Mutually Exclusive Pokémon

Several Pokémon are mutually exclusive, meaning that if you get one species, you cannot get at least one other species. The list of mutually exclusive species is below.

Pokémon that evolve via Fire Stone, Water Stone, Leaf Stone, or Thunderstone are listed here because only one of each stone can be obtained in Gold and Silver. Access to Crystal, where you can get infinite amounts, and/or Mystery Gift will allow for more to be obtained.

• Chikorita/Bayleef/Meganium, Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion, Totodile/Croconaw/Feraligatr
• Arcanine, Flareon, Ninetales (Fire Stone)
• Poliwrath, Vaporeon, Starmie, Cloyster (Water Stone)
• Exeggutor, Victreebel, Vileplume (Leaf Stone)
• Raichu, Jolteon (Thunderstone)

If you have access to Crystal or Mystery Gift, you will need at minimum three separate save files to complete the Pokédex. Each save file will get a different starter, and they can be bred and traded as needed. Crystal or Mystery Gift can be used for obtaining the stone evolutions.

If you only have access to Gold and Silver and do not have access to Mystery Gift, you will need at minimum two games (Gold and Silver) and four separate save files to complete the Pokédex. You will need to do the following:

• On the first save file, play until reaching Bill's grandfather on Route 25, and choose an evolution for each of the four stones. If needed, trade the starter and stone evolutions to another file.
• On the second save file, pick a different starter, play until reaching Bill's grandfather, and choose a different evolution for each of the four stones. If needed, trade the starter and stone evolutions to another file.
• On the third save file, pick the final starter, play until reaching Bill's grandfather, and choose a different evolution for the Fire Stone, Leaf Stone, and Water Stone. If needed, trade the starter and stone evolutions to another file.
• On the fourth save file, pick any starter, play until reaching Bill's grandfather, and choose the final Water Stone evolution. If needed, trade it to another file.

Keep in mind that two of the Pokémon that evolve via Fire Stone, Growlithe and Vulpix, are version-exclusive to Gold and Silver, respectively.

If you have access to Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow, you will still need a minimum of three save files in order to get the starters, but the stone problem is a non-issue since infinite amounts can be bought in those games. If you have that access, you can follow the instructions here.

Trade Evolutions

Ten Pokémon evolve by trading: Golem, Machamp, Alakazam, Gengar, Politoed, Slowking, Steelix, Scizor, Kingdra, and Porygon2. The easiest way to get data for them is to trade them to another game and immediately trade the newly-evolved Pokémon back.

You will need two King's Rocks, two Metal Coats, one Dragon Scale, and one Up-Grade to evolve Politoed, Slowking, Steelix, Scizor, Kingdra, and Porygon2.

Missing Pokémon

The remaining Pokémon are obtainable only in Red, Green, Blue, or Yellow, or in defunct events.

Kanto Starters (9) - 9 total

Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise all need to be selected as a starter in Red, Green, or Blue, or obtained via gift in Yellow, and cannot be obtained in Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Kanto Legendaries (4) - 13 total

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo are not available anywhere in Gold, Silver, or Crystal.

Kanto Fossil Pokémon (4) - 17 total

Fossils are not obtainable in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, and there is no facility to revive them. The Fossil items cannot be traded to Gold, Silver, and Crystal. This leaves Omanyte, Omastar, Kabuto, and Kabutops inaccessible. (Aerodactyl is received in a trade.)

Mythical/Event (2) - 18 or 19 total

Outside of glitches, Mew was only obtainable via events that are no longer active. Celebi can be obtained with the GS Ball the Virtual Console release of Crystal, but not on the original cartridge release (barring glitches and defunct events).