Pokémon Month

I don’t know why, probably because I have been using Pokémon Scarlet as a de-stresser, I feel like discussing Pokémon this month. And, my roommate and I were discussing this, organizing our favorite starters by type. So, favorite water types in order from favorite to least favorite. It’s sort of fun to organize Pokémon in this manner as well. There are over 900 pocket monsters. It’s interesting to think about them, and to see what works for a person and what doesn’t work. Now I will say that I will be picking the base form or the first form out of the starters, but they will represent their whole line.

Now to start of, and this is sort of comedic in a way, Electric Type…and Normal Type… there are only two, however, if we include say some additional games, like the Orre region. We can add a little bit more variety. We’d also have Psychic and Dark.

(I will say this, yes Gamefreak did not make these two games, Genius Sonority did, but honestly they should be included, or gamefreak should make them more official. They are still remembered fondly. The current gimmick is very close to shadow Pokémon. I still want a massive game that spans the multiple regions of the Pokémon world, don’t know if the developers have the ability to do that, but it would be cool.)

However, I will add them, though there is only one started per type.

Electric, Pikachu

Normal, Eevee

Psychic, Espeon

Dark, Umbreon

Actually what I like about them however, is that they are not the standard starters, and that makes the game unique. I really do like the difference it makes.

More traditional however, I will start with my favorite starters overall, the ones I usually choose. The Water Type. From my favorite, or what I consider the greatest, to least favorite.

Piplup, Water Steel is a great type combination. It’s also a pinguin. It’s just very cool.

Popplio, like Water Steel, Water Fairy is just OP. It’s a very powerful Pokémon. And it’s adorable.

Squirtle, the Original, it’s just a cool turtle. If any starter deserved to get another type added to it, this one should. Right now it’s just Water, and to be fair, it should have the Steel type as well. It’s bulky, and sort of a tank. It might unbalance the Kanto starters, however, they’re not really starters anymore. The last time they were bonus starters, and their just ‘extra’ Pokémon that a player can catch.

Totodile, I loved using this little alligator or crocodile my first time in Crystal. This one should also have a type added to it, like Squirtle it’s only Water type, and I think Dark fits it. And Water Dark would be a good combo, which they already did add to the starters. Power creep has already enters these games, I don’t think updating older starters would hurt much now.

Quaxly, Water Fighting which is great typing, and this duck has personality. I didn’t choose it, but it was a hard choice, and I did eventually get one. It’s a great design as well.

Oshawott, it’s a samurai, which makes it cool. Also the newer update, Water Dark is a great update. I wish they kept both in the new games. It would be a samurai and a ronin lore. It’s another mono Water type, and to fit the theme that I brought up, Water Fighting, the noble samurai, and Water Dark, for the fallen ronin. That would be a great little addition.

Mudkip, Water Ground is one of the strongest dual typing in the game. I have heard that and I agree with that. I have experience it with other Pokémon that have this type pairing. I do feel like I should love this thing more than I do, but I just couldn’t get behind it like others. The fire chicken, for me, stole the spotlight to much. I will cover that when I get to Fire type starters.

Froakie, which I will not deny is a cool Pokémon, it just never worked for me. I don’t know why, and it’s got a fantastic shiny. Water Dark is a great type pairing. I can’t explain why it doesn’t work for me. It’s not a bad design either. It’s a great design. I use it in battles, I think it’s really strong, but it just doesn’t capture me the way other Water starters have.

Sobble, I don’t like this thing. It’s not a strong hatred. I don’t want to be mean, but it’s hard to get past the baby crying for the first form, and then the ‘do me’ eyes of the adult. It feels like a weird fetish.

That brings me to the Fire Type.

Torchic, which to me is the best starter. It’s weird, I prefer Water starters overall, but when the games came out, Sapphire and Ruby, this was the one that I gravitated to. Just everything about it is cool, including it’s Mega. It’s also the first Fire Fighting type, and that pairing just makes sense.

Fuecoco, I love this little goofball. Fire Ghost is a great type pair, I know that a lot, but it’s true. I didn’t fall in love with the typing, that was Sun and Moon with Marowak.

Fennekin, which I realize I am in the minority with this. I like the witch-themed Fire Psychic fox. I have always loved wizards and stories of wizards, so this worked for me. And foxes are cool. I think this one gets to much hate. I am not going to call people out on it, because each to their own.

Litten, and the Fire Dark wrestler that it becomes has grown on me, like quite a bit. Maybe because it to has one of the greatest shiny forms. It’s snow-white fire cat, and that’s cool. I didn’t like it when it first came out, but it’s actually a really well thought out design.

Charmander, which used to be higher, but I hate the way Gamefreak has favored this Pokémon at the expense of a good number of others. It is a very great designed Pokémon, and I grew up watching the anime, I loved how snarky this thing was. It’s just gotten so over blown, and I am watching other starters even getting the shaft. Squirtle and Bulbasaur don’t deserve how over shadowed they’ve become. It’s a Fire Flying, but also a Fire Dragon. Other Pokémon could use some love as well.

Cyndaquil, and this is one that I am glad they gave some love. Fire Ghost is a great type pairing, and this Fire starter deserved to get something new after all this time.

The last three are harder to place, but I will say that the habit of duplicating Fire Fighting after Blaziken has something to do with it. And I don’t hate the designs or that they continued with the Fire Fighting theme, it’s a good pairing, but that does mean they don’t shine as well as the others to me.

Chimchar, Tepig, and Scorbunny, who isn’t Fire Fighting, but he’s close enough. I will keep this order as well, Scorbunny is on the bottom. Which, I realized so far I placed two of Sword’s and Shield’s starters there, but I don’t dislike Scorbunny. It’s just a little basic for me. To me starters should end up with dual typing, and I think it hurst the starters when they don’t. Cinderace is just mono Fire. If I were to chose, sticking with the soccer/football theme, I would pick Electric. Because it would symbolize speed. To be fair to Sobble, sticking with the spy theme, Ghost. I am not good at balancing, so I don’t know if the starters would be balanced after that, but, that’s what I would add for the themes.

Finally is the Grass starters, and I feel bad again. I barely pick these starters, until now actually. I just haven’t really been a Grass starter sort of player.

Sprigatito, like Torchic, is perfect. This cat has just captured my heart. Grass Dark is a great pairing, and I love the theme. The slight of hand magician.

Rowlet, it’s an owl, and it has a Grass Ghost form and a Grass Fighting. Both are wonderful designs, and great type pairs. It’s adorable and cool.

Chirkorita, which this thing deserves some love. Honestly, this starter is just ignored. It appears to be based on one of the coolest types of dinosaurs, how is this one so overlooked. And it’s because it’s just a mono grass. That hurts starters, every time. More so for starters, which mono types blend together. They fixed Cyndaquil with the new final evolution, Fire Ghost. And I still think Water Dark for Totodile fixes that starter. Sticking with that typing, this one should be Grass Fairy, which we don’t have a grass starter with those two types. And thinking about the New Pokémon Snap game, that typing would fit. All I can think about the Johto starters, they deserve some love.

Turtwig, it turns into a giant walking LionTurtle. Honestly, though, the giant island turtle is just a cool addition to the game.

Bulbasaur, it’s one of the Kanto starters, and it’s adorable. Grass Poison is one of the best type pairings for Grass type as well. Finally seeing it in Scarlet, it’s a toad, like watching it hop around, I always thought it was a frog despite hearing different. But I have re-evaluated. It’s a toad. Salamander, turtle, and toad, which sounds like a start to a joke.

Snivy, it’s a snek, sneks are cool. It’s not one of my favorite starters, but it’s okay. I like snakes, but again mono type Grass for Serperior. I know I am stressing it, but on a wider spectrum of listening to other Youtubers about Pokémon, mono type starters just get hurt. And because it’s a snek, and I know this would be basic, but Grass Poison.

Treecko, which, when it came out I wasn’t a fan of Sceptile. It has grown on me, but I feel there are better designed Grass Starters. To be fair however, I love it’s Mega design, and I love that they fixed the mono type problem. Grass Dragon should be it’s, Sceptile’s, types. I am aware that it makes Sceptile stronger than Blaziken and Marshtomp. However they aren’t really starters anymore, they’ve become slightly stronger extra Pokémon to catch. Though maybe for balance, Grass Rock, though like I said I am not good at remembering all the type match ups or how the game would balance after.

Grookey, which is a curve ball compared to the other Sword and Shield starters. But this little money drummer, though just as basic as Scorbunny, is better than Chespin in my opinion. Though I would add Rock to this mono Grass type. Grookey eventually has drums, which Rock type covers I would argue.

Chespin, which I don’t hate. It’s just not a good design when it comes to me. Grass Fighting is a great type pairing, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. This however is not a Sobble situation. Sobble offends me, this one is just ‘I am not using it’ feeling.

So, Torchic and Sprigitito are my favorite starters, and Sobble is the one that I really dislike. In my first playthroughs of the Pokémon games, I used 5 Water Starters, 2 Fire Starters, and 1 Grass Starter. That is why I say that Water Starters are my overall favorite choice when it comes to my first playthrough of a new game.