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Every Single Starter Pokémon Ranked: What's your tier list like?
- Thread starter bdt2002
- Start date
Here's my personal tiering. I have not much emotional attachment on most of them so yeah
I considered both what I used here in smogon and on some other games (includes romhacks yeah)
I considered both what I used here in smogon and on some other games (includes romhacks yeah)
Here's my starter tier list:
I would also like to say that Samurott and Sceptile look very cool and they got shafted, they deserve better.
I would also like to say that Samurott and Sceptile look very cool and they got shafted, they deserve better.
Thanks for bumping this thread.
I decided to update my tier list, my previous one from 2022 isn't completely accurate anymore since some of my opinions have changed, and there are new starters which didn't exist back then. Here's my new list:
As I said last time, there are a lot of starters I like, but I'm not sure if there are any that I dislike. Just some I don't like as much as others.
The template I used can be found here. It features the Paldea starters, Megas and Pikachu/Eevee/Eeveelutions, but not G-Max forms. For my ranking of the G-Max forms, see my previous post.
I decided to update my tier list, my previous one from 2022 isn't completely accurate anymore since some of my opinions have changed, and there are new starters which didn't exist back then. Here's my new list:
As I said last time, there are a lot of starters I like, but I'm not sure if there are any that I dislike. Just some I don't like as much as others.
The template I used can be found here. It features the Paldea starters, Megas and Pikachu/Eevee/Eeveelutions, but not G-Max forms. For my ranking of the G-Max forms, see my previous post.
Since this thread is back, I'll go ahead and post my newest one as well:
Yep, a newfangled "HS" tier for my favorite of the bunch (who has joined Alolan Ninetales and Volcarona in a 3-way tie for my favorite mon of all time).
Yep, a newfangled "HS" tier for my favorite of the bunch (who has joined Alolan Ninetales and Volcarona in a 3-way tie for my favorite mon of all time).
Note the complete lack of pre-evolutions here - I generally don't tend to factor them in when I rank pokemon. I am also only considering mainline starters for this - no spinoffs (except for PLA lol), and (for this list specifically), I am not considering super forms (no megas, no gmaxes, none of that).
I opted to rank them as a coherent line, represented by their final evolutions - so Venusaur, for example, encompasses all three of Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur. The Hisuian regional forms are also included in their rankings, mostly because I don't feel strongly enough about any of them individually to rank them - they're interesting as alternate takes on the original designs.
I should probably explain Incineroar and Blastoise. I truly love Incineroar as a design, but I think it's a terrible Litten evolution, so it loses a lot of points from me. In the timeline where Incineroar was a random single-stage 'mon and not the evolution of Litten and Torracat, it might be one of my favorite Pokemon of all time, but we're in the timeline where it swerves hard from everything I like about Litten and Torracat. Still, I like all three 'mons, if not as an evolution line, so it's above the starters in D tier and below that I think are really bad. By contrast, I love Squirtle and Wartortle, but Blastoise is one of my least favorite Pokemon and I think it's a terrible progression of Wartortle, so into Incineroar tier it goes. Obviously, this is a super arbitrary assessment - Samurott also pivots away from Dewott really hard, for example, but I think it does it in a way that works. I just don't feel that way about Incineroar or Blastoise.
Didn't rank any of the megas or pre-evolved forms of the starters because I don't really think of any of them differently than the final. Would just clog up the list/image. My very first game was Stadium 1 which I mostly blame for me not being able to really separate the first or second stage from the finals in my mind.
S is essentially always pick, have a hard time not picking.
A is reliably pick them.
B is kind of neutral. Not really a positive or negative opinion.
C is do not like.
I've used the eevelutions and Pikachu/Raichu on teams multiple times in the past but I don't view them as starter pokemon really. I know how ironic that is when my current pfp is from Colosseum, lmao. Oh well.
As you can tell from my S tier that I'm going to be faced with an impossible choice in Legends ZA, lmao. If it was Turtwig instead of Chiko I would be absolutely suffering from success.
I think Skeledirge would only be in A if it didn't have the amazing noises it makes and its animations. Easily carries it for me.
S is essentially always pick, have a hard time not picking.
A is reliably pick them.
B is kind of neutral. Not really a positive or negative opinion.
C is do not like.
I've used the eevelutions and Pikachu/Raichu on teams multiple times in the past but I don't view them as starter pokemon really. I know how ironic that is when my current pfp is from Colosseum, lmao. Oh well.
As you can tell from my S tier that I'm going to be faced with an impossible choice in Legends ZA, lmao. If it was Turtwig instead of Chiko I would be absolutely suffering from success.
I think Skeledirge would only be in A if it didn't have the amazing noises it makes and its animations. Easily carries it for me.
Yeah that's fair, and ultimately my feelings on it are really arbitrary - Samurott literally switches species from an otter to a sea lion, which is way more contrived/drastic/whatever than Litten going from an introvert to an extrovert as Incineroar - I think it's just a subjective perception that Incineroar leaps in such a way that it no longer jives with what I like about Litten.
Hey there, guys. Happy to see this thread getting more action. I can’t post tiers right now but I can list off how I think of the Paldea starters and some other things:
Sprigatito’s line is my favorite of the three Paldea starters but it’s probably a B- or C+ line overall. The first stage is excellent if a bit comparable to Litten, but Floragato and Meowscarada continue the whole “I’m on two legs now” thing and feel like Grass-Type Greninja to me by the end of it all.
Furcoco’s line I would give a B average and surprisingly I actually think Crocalor is the star of the show here. Fuecoco’s a fun nod to ghost peppers, I suppose, but it’s competing with one of my all time favorites in Totodile to some extent, and Skeledirge had me worried for a while we might see something similar to the Fire/Fighting situation but it’s not as egregious of a clone example as Infernape and Emboar. Crocalor, though? A nice balance between the two without going too over the top. Making the most of simplicity is what I like to see from the classic starter designs.
Quaxly started as my least favorite of the three in all forms but I’ve since warmed up to it a little bit. It helps that Water is one of my three favorite Types and is also historically my favorite starter Type, and Quaquaval is probably the most unique of the three as far as not borrowing inspiration from older Pokémon. Still a C+ grade overall for the line but I’ll take that over what I originally thought was a consensus D Tier.
Plusle and Minun from the first Pokémon Ranger game aren’t quite as memorable for me as Ukulele Pichu if you couldn’t tell, but given the first game’s higher difficulty they might be just as, sometimes even more helpful. Unlike Pichu their Poké Assist does take typing to account which is both a good and a bad thing for certain captures. They work nicely as characters and have plenty of cute moments in the game but lack any sort of defining trait that really sets them apart like Pichu’s ukulele does. Solid A Tier.
Espeon and Umbreon in Pokémon Colloseum are freaking goated, especially Espeon who might be the best Pokémon in the game outright. Being more like the main games than any of the other spinoffs they don’t really get to “be” characters per sé, but it’s neat that they share an Ability and don’t have to worry about their shared weakness to Bug too much, while allowing Umbreon to try and be a defender and Espeon an attacker given the battle format the game plays in. S Tier for both of them. And while I’m here, XD’s Eevee is an A Tier for me, largely because you only get one but get to pick which evolution you get. It also hits decently hard in the earlygame before it evolves too.
The Mystery Dungeon games all have wildly different options, so I can’t rank them all unless I specifically make a Mystery Dungeon tier list and even then I haven’t fully finished every game. Skitty in the original Rescue Team is unironically broken, though, and can cheese opponents it has absolutely no reason to do so. As the partner characters is where they have more of a personality and character development, as you’d expect, and between the games, I think Super’s had the best character arc just because the story is actually focused around the partner instead of the player unlike the first three games. Worst partner award probably goes to Gates To Infinity story-wise, but even at its worst I would still call any of these Mystery Dungeon explorers (see what I did there?) a C Tier option for my rankings, and at their best they’re a borderline S(kitty) Tier but I’ll settle with A or A+ for now.
Sprigatito’s line is my favorite of the three Paldea starters but it’s probably a B- or C+ line overall. The first stage is excellent if a bit comparable to Litten, but Floragato and Meowscarada continue the whole “I’m on two legs now” thing and feel like Grass-Type Greninja to me by the end of it all.
Furcoco’s line I would give a B average and surprisingly I actually think Crocalor is the star of the show here. Fuecoco’s a fun nod to ghost peppers, I suppose, but it’s competing with one of my all time favorites in Totodile to some extent, and Skeledirge had me worried for a while we might see something similar to the Fire/Fighting situation but it’s not as egregious of a clone example as Infernape and Emboar. Crocalor, though? A nice balance between the two without going too over the top. Making the most of simplicity is what I like to see from the classic starter designs.
Quaxly started as my least favorite of the three in all forms but I’ve since warmed up to it a little bit. It helps that Water is one of my three favorite Types and is also historically my favorite starter Type, and Quaquaval is probably the most unique of the three as far as not borrowing inspiration from older Pokémon. Still a C+ grade overall for the line but I’ll take that over what I originally thought was a consensus D Tier.
Plusle and Minun from the first Pokémon Ranger game aren’t quite as memorable for me as Ukulele Pichu if you couldn’t tell, but given the first game’s higher difficulty they might be just as, sometimes even more helpful. Unlike Pichu their Poké Assist does take typing to account which is both a good and a bad thing for certain captures. They work nicely as characters and have plenty of cute moments in the game but lack any sort of defining trait that really sets them apart like Pichu’s ukulele does. Solid A Tier.
Espeon and Umbreon in Pokémon Colloseum are freaking goated, especially Espeon who might be the best Pokémon in the game outright. Being more like the main games than any of the other spinoffs they don’t really get to “be” characters per sé, but it’s neat that they share an Ability and don’t have to worry about their shared weakness to Bug too much, while allowing Umbreon to try and be a defender and Espeon an attacker given the battle format the game plays in. S Tier for both of them. And while I’m here, XD’s Eevee is an A Tier for me, largely because you only get one but get to pick which evolution you get. It also hits decently hard in the earlygame before it evolves too.
The Mystery Dungeon games all have wildly different options, so I can’t rank them all unless I specifically make a Mystery Dungeon tier list and even then I haven’t fully finished every game. Skitty in the original Rescue Team is unironically broken, though, and can cheese opponents it has absolutely no reason to do so. As the partner characters is where they have more of a personality and character development, as you’d expect, and between the games, I think Super’s had the best character arc just because the story is actually focused around the partner instead of the player unlike the first three games. Worst partner award probably goes to Gates To Infinity story-wise, but even at its worst I would still call any of these Mystery Dungeon explorers (see what I did there?) a C Tier option for my rankings, and at their best they’re a borderline S(kitty) Tier but I’ll settle with A or A+ for now.
Oh, and just in case you couldn’t tell, Ukulele Pichu’s my favorite starter/partner Pokémon in the entire franchise and a genuine contender for my single favorite Pokémon of all time. I usually try and avoid being biased, but not here. This Pichu does everything right and then some for the entire game and massively influences every aspect of the game it appears in, from being an absolute icon of a character that straight-up has its own character arcs during the story to making use of a thematically fitting addition to the game that makes the main campaign feel almost too easy to the point where you genuinely feel Pichu’s absence in the Past Missions. The ukulele fits the game’s narrative and the region’s aesthetic without feeling tacked on like, say, some of the generational gimmicks can, and going on its own mission with the player to find its friends actually gives your Partner Pokémon a reason to want to travel with the player and a reason for you to grow attached to it. This embodies the aspect of the word “Partner” more than anything else in the franchise to me besides maybe some of the Mystery Dungeon partners, and I honestly believe deserves higher than S Tier. I’m putting Ukulele Pichu in its own SS Tier. This is an absolute masterclass of character creation that takes everything about Pichu’s appeal as a Pokémon species and runs with it. Nothing else even comes remotely close to this Pokémon for me.
Hmm. I don't dislike any of those, much less hate. The starter choice has never been a given for me-that is to say nothing was ever excluded from consideration, so nothing is meh either. That said, I don't really love any, they probably all fall into like for me. I will say that, for whatever reason, my favorite middle evo type for starter is grass. This is probably due to dartrix and me just liking grass as a type. Dartrix is quite distinct from decidueye, unlike some other middles compared to either the base or final.
Edit: the only place I can even think I rank mainstream starters is mega evos. Zard + venu>Blastoise probably, and Blaziken is best of hoenn(for mega to be clear, though I like it plenty fine for reg too ofc.) this for me is cause sceptile mysteriously gets 4x electric residt through type...despite also getting an immunity. Not a useless immunity cause para, but nearly. Swampy is fine to use without a mega(well so was blazi...) and is entirely weather dependent, or else ability is a fat zero. And I just don't think it needs to be fast, lots don't.
Edit: the only place I can even think I rank mainstream starters is mega evos. Zard + venu>Blastoise probably, and Blaziken is best of hoenn(for mega to be clear, though I like it plenty fine for reg too ofc.) this for me is cause sceptile mysteriously gets 4x electric residt through type...despite also getting an immunity. Not a useless immunity cause para, but nearly. Swampy is fine to use without a mega(well so was blazi...) and is entirely weather dependent, or else ability is a fat zero. And I just don't think it needs to be fast, lots don't.