Choosing a starter Pokemon is like a rite of passage, and no matter which Pokemon generation you’re playing in, your Pokemon starters will definitely have an impact on your journey. Every trainer is bound to receive three choices when choosing their Pokemon starters, and while all three are generally good Pokemon, each is tailored to a specific playstyle.
Today, we’ll be talking about the best Pokemon starters you should go with to hit the ground running in your Pokemon journey.
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Available Pokemon Starters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
First things first, let’s go over the options you have for Pokemon starters when playing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. You’ll be presented with the standard choices of a Grass, Fire, or Water-type Pokemon to be your first Pokemon. For this edition, players are presented a choice between Sprigatito (Grass), Fuecoco (Fire), and Quaxly (Water), each having unique characteristics and strengths.
The best way to pick the ideal Pokemon starter for you is to read up on what their evolutions are good at. If you’re an aggressive player who likes firepower over iron-clad defences, a Fire-type starter might be the best choice for you. That doesn’t mean you should be dissuaded from picking what you like since Pokemon are quick to adapt to different fighting styles.
Now, you might be wondering what we meant by the ‘best’ Pokemon starter if all of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. Well, we’re here to help you pick the best Pokemon starters based on your playstyle and the fights you want to tackle early on since you won’t have many Pokemon to fight with in the beginning. Without waiting any longer, let’s get into it.
Sprigatito
We’ll be starting off with Sprigatito, the Grass-type Pokemon starter. Sprigatito is an adorable cat Pokemon that evolves into Floragato at level 16 and then into Meowscarada at level 36. Due to it being a Grass-type, Sprigatito might not be that beneficial in the beginning gyms that consist of Bug and Grass-type Pokemon.
However, if you’re aiming to take on the Stony Cliff Titan first, you’ll receive the 2x attack boost since the Titan is a Rock-type Pokemon. So, if you’re planning on skipping the first few gyms and directly contesting the Stony Cliff Titan, Sprigatito is the best Pokemon starter for you.
Stats
HP | Atk | Def | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | Total |
40 | 61 | 54 | 45 | 45 | 65 | 310 |
We’re sure many of you haven’t made up your mind on what path you’re going to take in this open-world adventure, so here are the stats Sprigatito shines in. Sprigatito has the highest speed stat amongst the three starters, and its normal attack is only slightly lower than Quaxly.
A point to remember is that Grass type has the most weaknesses compared to Fire and Water, meaning there are fewer fights where you can use Sprigatito ineffectively. Once Sprigatito evolves into Meowscarada, it will receive an x4 weakness to Bug-type.
With not a lot of benefits when it comes to stats except for the high-speed stat, Sprigatito is one of the weaker Pokemon starters based on stats and weaknesses alone.
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Fuecoco
One of the most famous Pokemon in history is Charizard, the Fire-type starter from Generation 1. Fuecoco follows a similar pattern of boasting insane special attack stats as well as a powerful evolution into Crocalor, which then evolves into Skeledirge. Now, being a Fire-type, Fuecoco is the best starter Pokemon if you want to hit those gyms early on.
We mentioned that the beginning gyms have Grass and Bug-type Pokemon, meaning Fuecoco will be strong against both. On the flip side, it is weak to the first recommended Titan Pokemon, so you won’t be able to face off with it until you have other Pokemon.
In short, if your main aim is to complete the beginning Pokemon gyms, Fuecoco is the best Pokemon starter for you.
Stats
HP | Atk | Def | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | Total |
67 | 45 | 59 | 63 | 40 | 36 | 310 |
Looking at Fuecoco’s stats, you’ll see a pretty even distribution of stats. Noteworthy stats are its HP and special attack stats, which are higher than the other two starters. However, to compensate for these high stats, Fuecoco is the slowest starter as well, so you’ll need to pick according to the stat you use the most.
When you look at the number of weaknesses, Fuecoco, being a Fire-type Pokemon, has four weaknesses, which are lower than Grass-type but higher than Water-type. The unique part about Fuecoco lies in Skeledirge’s secondary type, Ghost-type. Once you reach level 36 with Fuecoco, Skeledirge receives Ghost-type, which is immune to Fighting and Normal-type moves.
Overall, Fuecoco is a good starter in terms of stats and weaknesses, and it also has good fighting potential later on in your journey. If you’re picking Pokemon starters based solely on stats, Fuecoco is the best choice for you.
Quaxly
Quaxly is our third and final Pokemon starter, the Water-type duck Pokemon. Quaxly is similar to Sprigatito since it is strong against Rock and Ground-type, making it a good option for the Stony Cliff Titan. However, it is better in the beginning gyms since it is not weak against Bug-type so at least you have that going for you.
At level 16, Quaxly evolves into Quaxwell, and at level 36, Quaxwell will evolve into Quaquaval. If you’re looking for a particular path Quaxly shines in, you unfortunately won’t find one except for the Stony Cliff Titan. This is partially also because of the secondary type Quaquaval receives, which is Fighting-type. With Fighting-type, Quaquaval is weak to a total of 7 different types, making it quite weak compared to Skeledirge and Meowscarada.
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Stats
HP | Atk | Def | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | Total |
55 | 65 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 50 | 310 |
Quaxly has a pretty even spread of base stats, with its attack stat being the highest out of all the Pokemon starters. It also has some nice speed and health, which falls just short of its counterparts’ stats. We wouldn’t recommend Quaxly to newer players, especially those who are playing Pokemon for the first time.
This Water-type starter can be hard to pilot and is more of a niche pick that players play because they like the design or the type. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that Quaxly is a great Pokemon with well-rounded stats and is the best choice if you want to play different battles rather than focusing on just one path.
The Takeaway
Picking Pokemon starters is an important decision, but we’re hoping this article will make things a bit simpler. Overall, our recommendation would be to go with Fuecoco if you’re indecisive about what starter to pick, but regardless of what you pick, they only get stronger as you progress further into the game.