Choosing the right starter Pokemon is an incredibly important part of any Pokemon game and this is once again the case in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. When they first boot up the game to begin their journey through Paldea, players will be asked to choose between Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, each of which has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Sadly, it's not quite as simple as looking at which starter has the best stats or which boasts the best design. Instead, players will need to weigh up a number of different factors, such as type effectiveness, what levels they evolve at, and how useful they're likely to be in the games' eight gyms. Only then can players really determine which is the best starter Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Why Players Should Choose Sprigatito as Their Starter Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet
Base Stat Total (First Form) | 310 |
---|---|
Base Stat Total (Second Form) | 410 |
Base Stat Total (Final Form) | 530 |
Type (First Form) | Grass |
Type (Second Form) | Grass |
Type (Final Form) | Grass / Dark |
First Evolution | Level 16 |
Second Evolution | Level 36 |
Best Nature | Naive |
Together with Ice-types, Grass-type Pokemon have always been among the least desirable, but there's actually a strong case to be made for choosing Sprigatito in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Granted, its stats are fairly lackluster to begin with, but, by the time it's evolved into Meowscarada, its Attack and Speed stats are both incredibly impressive, particularly the latter.
Being a Grass/Dark-type, Meowscarada has type advantage over three of the game's eight gym leaders, making it a solid choice for those who like to keep a small team. Sadly, however, like many of the other cat-like Pokemon in the series, Sprigatito fails to carry its feline design into its final form, instead becoming more human-like with each evolution.
Why Players Should Choose Fuecoco as Their Starter Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet
Base Stat Total (First Form) | 310 |
---|---|
Base Stat Total (Second Form) | 410 |
Base Stat Total (Final Form) | 530 |
Type (First Form) | Fire |
Type (Second Form) | Fire |
Type (Final Form) | Fire / Ghost |
First Evolution | 16 |
Second Evolution | 36 |
Best Nature | Quiet |
Fuecoco may not have the best design, but what it lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in stats and type effectiveness. As a Fire-type Pokemon, Fuecoco will do well in three of the games' eight gyms, while its final form, Skeledirge, has type effectiveness against two additional gym leaders (Ryme and Tulip) on account of it being a Fire/Ghost-type.
Fuecoco and its evolved forms are strong special attackers too, which bodes well given that many of the best Fire and Ghost-type attacks rely on the special attack stat, particularly the latter. The only downside to choosing Fuecoco is its low speed, but this shouldn't be too much of an issue when the Pokemon has type advantage over the opposition.
Why Players Should Choose Quaxly as Their Starter Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet
Base Stat Total (First Form) | 310 |
---|---|
Base Stat Total (Second Form) | 410 |
Base Stat Total (Final Form) | 530 |
Type (First Form) | Water |
Type (Second Form) | Water |
Type (Final Form) | Water / Fighting |
First Evolution | 16 |
Second Evolution | 36 |
Best Nature | Naughty |
Quaxly is arguably the best-looking of the three Gen 9 starter Pokemon and is certainly the most memable, which will likely appeal to some players. Sadly, this is about all that the Water-type starter Pokemon has going for it, as the lack of a Fire, Ground, or Rock-type gym leader makes the Pokemon fairly useless in gym battles until it has evolved into its final form.
Being a Water/Fighting-type, Quaquaval can be useful against both Larry and Grusha, which bodes well given that most players will likely be taking them on during the second half of the game. Even so, Quaxly's weakness to both Grass and Electric-type moves makes it a poor choice for the early stages of the game, as Artazon and Levincia will probably be two of the first gyms that most players visit.
Which is the Best Starter Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Usually, trying to choose the best starter in a Pokemon game can be incredibly tricky, but Scarlet & Violet make the decision a fairly easy one for players. Fuecoco and its subsequent evolutions having type advantage over five of the game's eight gym leaders is just too difficult to ignore, particularly when two of those gym leaders (Katy and Brassius) will likely be among the ones that most players take on first.
For those who have an aversion to Fire-type starters or are planning to bag themselves a Growlithe later on, Sprigatito is the next best option. As is often the case with Pokemon games, there are plenty of great Fire and Water-type Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, so having a decent Grass-type right from the get-go might not be the worst idea, particularly when that Pokemon also happens to be incredibly fast and can prove useful in three of the game's eight gyms.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.