Best Pokemon Starters (Debate)

[MildlyUpsetGerbil]

Taking everything into consideration, I'd say Piplup is the best starter in the games. Water/steel is a great combo, the appearance is great, the name is great, and picking it forces Dawn to run around with a different starter than her correct one, which is hysterical.

Now let's get into the other generations.

Gen 1: Bulbasaur. It matches up well against most gyms and is the cutest in its base form. It's sad how it's picked last for the kickball team, but when it comes to the kickass team, Bulbasaur is a first draft pick.

Gen 2: Cyndaquil. None of the starters are very good from what I remember, but I believe Cynnamon here has the best match ups against gyms. It also has the best looking final evolution. Chikorita is the cutest of the bunch, however, and has the saddest arch in the anime since it becomes too big to jump into Ash's arms after evolving.

Gen 3: Mudkip. Best gym match ups, only one type weakness altogether, and it's the supreme meme.

Gen 4: Piplup. See above.

Gen 5: Oshawatt, I guess? These starters are shitty looking and I never really cared for them all that much. Snivy and Porkypine have weird stats as well. Fast and defensive? Bulky but defenseless? Unique, sure, but pretty crummy. Samurott looks the best and has well rounded stats, so I choose it.

Gen 6: Delphox is the one I chose for my only playthrough of the game on the account of it looking the best as a baby. Its next two forms are disappointing, though I like the typing of fire/psychic. I wanted a cute fox, not a normal looking mage wearing a fox head. That being said, Greninja is objectively the best for battling due to its type changing ability and fucking stupid ass speed. It has no right being so close to Jolteon's stats, and it especially has no right to have an "Ash form" that surpasses Jolteon's stats. I can't stand it because of that, but it's realistically the best starter. No comments on gym match ups since I can't recall any of them.

Gen 7: Poppilo since its final evolution is the best. I didn't use the other two since I hated their designs (I replayed the game once and decided not to use a starter). Stats and trial match ups don't factor in here since the designs are so poor I'm willing to take the hit in both areas simply to avoid having an eyesore in front of me the entire game.


Conclusion: Grass types have it rough against gyms in most games. Post-gen 4 starters are trash.


EDIT: Generation vs. Generation

1 > 4 > 2 > 3 in regards to design. 5, 6, and 7 don't deserve to compare in this department.

6 > 4 > 3 > 1 in terms of use in battle. Other gens aren't particularly useful like these 'mons, Greninja, Empoleon, and Blazekickin' Chicken in paticular.

1 > 4 > 3 > 6 in all categories.

 

[Solid Snake]

LOOKS:

For looks I really want to say Gen 7 but the looks end at the first or second stage for them. Litten is my favorite starter for looks alone but it isn't enough to save this Gen overall. I am also tempted to say Gen 3 here as well. I am a sucker for both Mudkip and Swampert's designs. I also like Sceptile and Blaziken but that is it. The rest are meh. The rest are about the same for me, having one or two designs I genuinely like. Gen 1, however... That has the most. I like the designs of all three with Charmeleon being the only one I didn't care for.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Gen 1:chicken:

BATTLES:

This one was a bit easy for me. I am basing this on who I like to use and how useful they can be on various teams. Gen 1 has a nice mix but have lacking areas. Gen 4 and 6 both have mons that fit well in competitive teams but again, they feel limited to me. Gen 5 almost takes it for me just because Emboar can be a huge asset to winning in a battle and Serperior's ability is one of the best on grass starter mons. Going back to 3... Sceptile is a great dragon (lightening rod with mega) with higher speeds. Blaziken gets the speed boost and if sun is set can be a really handy late game sweeper. Both are on the more frail side but most faster mons tend to be. Swampert though... Especially Mega... He is the perfect fit on a rain team.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Gen 3 :chicken:

ALL AROUND:

I really can't pick just one. I am a bit on the fence with this. Gen 1 is my instinct given the looks and general usefulness on teams. I can't outright say Gen 1 though. Gen 7 has great mons for VGC in both Incineroar and Primarina. I don't play enough of that to care too much though. I am going to have to think about this more. I'll come back to this.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: :idk2:

 

[Swift]

Bulbasaur.

 

[Rosie]

Without going in detail... Ignoring Mega evolutions.

Looks: Gen 3, my personal tastes. Followed by Gen 1, 4, honourable mention to Primarina on its own.

Battling: ignoring megas, Gen 6, one went to Ubers pretty quickly, other was UU at least in its Gen, the other RU. Second is Gen 4 because of Infernape and Empoleon being OU and UU for a long time. Then 3 because even without megas, Swampert is pretty well consistnently and Blaziken and Sceptile did well.

Overall: Gen 3 because I am a Hoenn Baby.

 

[Solid Snake]

Bulbasaur.

How is Bulbasaur the best Gen? :bulba:

 

[Grievous 3D]

 

[Solid Snake]

Well this didn't last very long. ak:

 

[Jay-Ashley]

For looks, it is a tied between Gen 1 and Gen 4. Maybe it is just because Gen 1 is what I grew up on, but I have always liked their designs especially Blastoise, I mean it is a tortoise with freakin cannons who wouldn't think that is cool, and Gen 4 is the same as well because all of the designs look great to me especially Empleon. The rest are okay or meh in design with me only liking one or two of them.

Winner: Gen 1 and Gen 4

For battles, I can't really pick a certain gen because each one shines in different "classes" and "ranks". If I picked based on personal experience then Gen 1 will be the winner, as I almost always play Monotype, and they are almost always stables for my grass/poison team, my water team, and my fire/flying team.

Winner: Gen 1

For all around, I will give it to Gen 2, I know surprise, but hear me out. Gen 2 to me felt like an expansion of Gen 1 and I mean that in a good way. It gave us pre-evolutions, 2 new Eeveelutions, the concept of night and day in a Pokemon game, added Dark and Steel-types, separated the special stat into what they are now, and you could go back to Kanto and basically in a sense replay, Red and Blue and that blew my mind as a kid. Gen 1 is what got me into Pokemon, but Gen 2 is that made me love Pokemon.

Winner: Gen 2

 

[Grievous 3D]