Who is the best starter in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Pokémon Violet and Scarlet brings back the most important Pokémon question: Who is the best starter Pokémon? Between how adorable Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco all are, it’s hard to make a call.

Our Pokémon Violet and Scarlet starter guide will break down some facts to help you make a decision.

Sprigatito becomes a grass- and dark-type Pokémon, Fuecoco becomes fire- and ghost-type, and Quaxly becomes water- and fighting- type. All three Pokémon gain this second typing when they evolve into their final form.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Game Freak, The Pokémon Company/Nintendo

Scarlet and Violet has gyms, just like previous Pokémon games, but it also has other “boss fights,” like leaders of Team Star and Herba Mystica-owning Titan Pokémon. That said, you’ll want a powerful variety of Pokémon to utilize type effectiveness to take down these fights. There is a gym, Team Star crew, and Titan Pokémon for each type, putting the starters on a pretty even playing field.

Statistically, Fuecoco’s fire-typing gives it some leverage, as it’s strong against four other types (bug, grass, ice, and steel), while both water- and grass-type moves are only strong against three types.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starter evolutions

However, once all three starters fully evolve, their second type changes this up a little bit:

• Sprigatito’s evolution, Meowscarada, will have five strengths (ghost, psychic, ground, rock, and water) and eight weaknesses (bug, fairy, fighting, fire, flying, ice, and poison), with a doubled weakness against bug-types.
• Fuecoco’s evolution, Skeledirge, will have six strengths (bug, grass, ice, steel, ghost, and psychic) and five weaknesses (dark, ghost, ground, rock, and water).
• Quaxly’s evolution, Quaquaval, will have seven strengths (fire, ground, rock, dark, ice, normal, and steel) and five weaknesses (fairy, flying, psychic, electric, and grass).

Of course, you should not be relying on solely your starter Pokémon to get through the game. You’ll have access to a huge variety of Pokémon in various typings very early in the game, so take all of these numbers with a grain of salt. Your starters (if you choose to keep using them throughout the whole game) should also have a plethora of moves, not just ones that are their type.

At the end of the day, there is no “correct” starter Pokémon. Pick what you like! Have you statistically always picked grass-types in every game? Keep it going! Do you love ducks? Obviously you have to pick Quaxly then. They’re all good Pokémon, even if two of them turn into lanky bipedal guys.