Summary
While everyPokemonfan has their own favorite Pokemon, few are as popular as starters. The first Pokemon that players have access to, starters grow alongside players on their journeys, always possessing three evolutionary forms. While it’s not too common for starter Pokemon to be blatantly bad, it’s no secret that some are more useful than others.
Having a starter Pokemon on a player’s team can often be a sentimental thing - being able to make it to the very top with the first Pokemon received is no easy feat. Though some starters may have glaring weaknesses, others may have the right stats, typing, and move pool to validate the inclusion on a competitive player’s team.
Updated June 08, 2025 by Blaise Santi: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has been out for well over a year now, giving players plenty of time to experiment with the new trio of starter evolutions: Meowscarada, Skeledirge, and Quaquaval. However, the games have also received two DLC expansions: The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, with the latter re-introducing every starter Pokemon from the series by making them available to catch in the wild of Blueberry Academy’s Terrarium. With everystarter Pokemonfrom the franchise available to obtain in Gen 9, here’s an updated list of the starter evolutions with the most competitive viability, ranked in order.
Blaze, Reckless
Learned Moves
Flamethrower, Flare Blitz, Arm Thrust, Hammer Arm, Assurance, Smog, Rollout, Take Down
Highest Base Stats
HP, Attack, Special Attack
A Fire/Fighting starter that made its debut inPokemon Black and Whiteas the fully-evolved form of Tepig, Emboar is designed to deal as much damage as possible, even at the expense of its own HP. It boasts a notably high attack stat and the Reckless ability, which boosts the damage of its attacks with recoil damage.
With this ability, Emboar makes great use of moves such as Flare Blitz and Wild Charge. Players using this Pokemon must bear its low speed in mind, to ensure that it can even connect with its high damage output and set up a potential sweep.
Grass/Ghost, Grass/Fighting (Hisuian form)
Overgrow, Long Reach, Scrappy (Hisuian form)
Leafage, Leaf Blade, Phantom Force, Spirit Shackle, Pluck, U-Turn, Sucker Punch, Triple Arrows (Hisuian form)
Attack, Special Attack, Special Defense
The final evolution ofPokemon Sun & Moon’s Rowlet, Decidueye doesn’t look like much when only considering its stats. It doesn’t stand out in any particular area, with all-rounder stats that peak in Attack. But Decidueye’s real potential lies in its signature move!
Spirit Shackle is an exclusive move that stops the opponent from switching out when Decidueye is on the field. This makes it a great counter for switch-heavy opponents that utilize a defensive loop. It’s best for double battles and paired with a high Attack Pokemon or a stat-boosting Pokemon to fully utilize its higher Attack.
Attack, Special Attack, Speed
While the default form of Sceptile leaves much to be desired, Mega Sceptile is a phenomenal Pokemon with access to the rare Grass/Dragon typing. This covers for some of its weaknesses and gives it an extra edge in battle.
With its stellar speed and special attack stats of 145, Mega Sceptile is capable of dealing absurd sums of damage and benefiting from STAB with moves like Dragon Pulse and Leaf Storm. It should be paired with a competitive moveset that complements its high Special Attack, making use of moves like Leaf Storm, Energy Ball, and Giga Drain.
Blaze, Iron Fist
Flame Wheel, Raging Fury, Mach Punch, Close Combat, Torment, Calm Mind, Acrobatics, Fury Swipes
Another Gen 4 starter, Infernape isone of the many Fire/Fighting startersthat the series has seen. Due to its high offensive stats and speed, Infernape is capable of serving as a mixed attacker, using both physical and special moves. This can allow a player to adapt flexibly on the fly and use attacks based on a foe’s weaknesses.
Infernape is even capable of learning both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, allowing it to augment its already good offenses. As if this weren’t all impressive enough, Infernape’s great move pool allows it to cover a large range of weaknesses.
Special Attack, Special Defense, Attack (Mega Evolution), Defense (Mega Evolution)
One of the original three starters from Gen 1, few Grass-types are as iconic as Venusaur. This Grass/Poison-type Pokemon has solid Special Attack and Special Defense. However, the main appeal to using Venusaur is its access to the Chlorophyll ability, which doubles its speed in the weather condition of sun.
As Venusaur already has a base speed of 80, the ability allows it to access an absurd 160 speed stat. Players can also raise its attack with Growth, dealing absurd damage at high speeds with Solar Beam. Solar Beam also does STAB damage, making this Pokemon a fantastic all-rounder for competitive play.
Attack, Defense
Feraligatr is the epitome of a Pokemon that is simple yet effective. An attack-focused Water-type, Feraligatr has access to the Sheer Force ability, improving the damage of all of its moves at the expense of removing all of their secondary effects.
This means that when using a Feraligatr, the objective is quite simple: deal as much physical damage as possible. When paired with Dragon Dance, which raises its user’s attack and speed stats, Feraligater can snowball into a terrifying Sweeper against one’s opponents.
Overgrow, Shell Armor
Wood Hammer, Giga Drain, Earthquake, Headlong Rush, Curse, Crunch, Withdraw, Tackle
HP, Attack, Defense
Before evolving into the Grass/Ground-type PokemonTorterra, players obtain the Grass-type starter Turtwig inPokemon Diamond and Pearl. While Torterra’s most glaring downside is its severe 4x weakness to Ice-type moves, it’s an otherwise bulky Pokemon with an interesting move pool, allowing it to fill unique niches in a player’s team.
With access to physical offensive moves like Earthquake and Woodhammer as well as Stealth Rock and even Synthesis, Torterra is a sturdy but slow physical attacker.
Torrent, Damp, Swift Swim (Mega Evolution)
Water Pulse, Muddy Water, Mud Shot, Earthquake, Hammer Arm, Rock Slide, Amnesia, Endeavor
HP, Attack, Defense (Mega Evolution), Special Defense (Mega Evolution)
First appearing inPokemon RubyandPokemon Sapphire,Swampert is the final evolution of Mudkip. Between solid bulk, a defensive Water/Ground typing, and a high attack stat, Swampert totes both offensive and defensive viability.
Plus, in previous generations it’s had access to a Mega Evolution, buffing its Attack stat, its defensive stats, and adding Swift Swim as an Ability. This makes Swampert absolutely incredible the rain, delivering devastating Earthquakes and Waterfalls before an opponent can counterattack.
Torrent, Competitive
Aqua Jet, Wave Crash, Metal Claw, Drill Peck, Mist, Fury Attack
Special Attack, Special Defense
An incredibly defensive starter that debuted in Gen 4, Empoleon’s distinct Water/Steel typing can make it difficult to deal with. Paired with solid defenses,Empoleoncan be rather tricky for an unprepared player to KO. While somewhat slow, Empoleon has otherwise solid stats with high defense. This allows it to shrug off an opponent’s offense while utilizing a plethora of support moves such as Toxic, Stealth Rock, and even Roar.
Between defensive typing and defensive stats, Empoleon is able to sustain several hits as it sets up various hazards for an opponent’s team. It is even quite adept at stalling due to its access to defensive moves like Protect that help it stay around longer. When paired with a Leftovers, Empoleon can be a huge nuisance for opponents to deal with.
Overgrow, Bulletproof
Seed Bomb, Wood Hammer, Bulk Up, Hammer Arm, Pin Missile, Bite, Mud Shot, Rollout, Giga Impact
TheGrass-type starterof the sixth generation of Pokemon, Chestnaught is a solid, physically oriented Pokemon that boasts Fighting as its secondary type. While not the fastest Pokémon around, it is capable of taking many physical blows, as well as dishing them out with moves such as Wood Hammer and Drain Punch.
Chesnaught can notably learn Spikes. This pairs well with its bulk, allowing it to lay down a hazard without getting KO’d instantaneously if a player happens to be prioritizing support over offense.
