Gyarados or Vaporeon for Firered?

Question

I am playing Fire red and I wanted to know if I should keep my magikarp or chuck it away and get a eevee later on but I am kind of stuck due to physical and special moves theory in these games. There is no physical ice type move! Please mention move sets etc and if I should keep magikarp then suggest what to evolve my left out eevee in to. Thanks.
( I was kind of thinking jolteon)
P.S. Other Pokémon include ivysaur and pidgy and I am on second gym.

Answer 1

I'm going to have to argue for the case of Vaporeon.

Vaporeon is a very bulky Pokemon, with 130 base hp, and has a great defensive typing in water, being arguably the best bulky water type available to you. It's base 110 sp atk is also quite impressive, and although it does not get STAB on ice attacks, it does not have a rock or fighting weakness, while maintaining a resistance to steel and fire. But really its not Vaporeon's benefits but Gyrados's shortcomings that make the former the superior. Gyrados has a mediocre special attack, and a lack of reliable physical STAB. It's diverse movepool doesn't really make up for this. As for the electric type issue, Raichu and Magneton are both decently powerful electric types that are not terribly difficult to obtain. Magneton (or Magnemite) has a whopping thirteen resistances, with its three weaknesses (ground fire and fighting) can be covered with a water type and a flying type (pidgeot and vaporeon) and pikachu/raichu have a nostalgia factor.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

I gen III Gyarados cannot learn any physical ice type moves, but can learn earthquake, which is useful against electric types and incredibly powerful. Vaporeon can learn ice beam and dig, to counter both weaknesses. I would choose vaporeon for that reason if you're just trying to get through the game. Movesets:

Gyarados(weak to rock and electric)

-Surf(May be special, but still powerful)/Rock Smash(Physical, but less damage)
-Earthquake(Dominate Electric types)
-Dragon Dance(Makes him a sweeper)
-Some other Move

Vaporeon(weak to grass and electric)

-Surf(power)
-Dig(Dominate Electric types)
-Ice Beam(Dominate Grass types)
-Some other Move

Comments

Actually, instead of surf for Gyarados I would use waterfall since it's physical attack is so high, as well as receiving STAB from it.

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Instead of having a gyarados that knows eq,you should switch out . It won't last long against electric.

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@i8achicen This is gen 3, so all water-type moves are special.