If you’re wanting to ensure success in your Paldea playthrough, you’ll definitely want to know which is the best starter in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Choosing the best starter in any Pokemon game can be a really tough ask, especially since it can be so subjective.
The best starter for you might be which is the cutest, but the best for someone else might be simply based on its stats.
Here, we’ll run you through which is the best starter for getting through your Pokemon Scarlet or Violet playthrough with minimal stress or fuss
This means the one that’ll do the job in defeating as many trainers as possible so you can wrap up the various avenues the game offers in record time.
Table of Contents
Who Are The Starters In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of choosing the best Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starter, if you don’t know what you’re in for, lets run through which three are on offer.
As usual, you’ve got a fire, water, and grass ‘mon to pick from, each countering another with their typing and movesets.
Looking first at the water Pokemon, Quaxly is essentially a duck with some pretty stylish ‘hair’.
Don’t let its unassuming appearance fool you though, it has some pretty strong moves and an impressive attack stat.
Second, there’s the grass cat Sprigatito.
This one is the Pokemon that’s definitely looking to pull those in that can’t resist cuteness.
It has solid overall stats but where it shines is with its speed, hopefully giving you that all important first move edge in battles.
Finally, you’ve got the baby fire crocodile itself – Fuecoco.
While it appears somewhat clumsy, don’t think that this Pokemon can’t get the job done.
With its high base HP coupled with really good defense and special attack, it makes for another pretty formidable starter fire Pokemon.
Which Is The Best Starter In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Without a doubt, if you’re wanting the best starter in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and its subsequent evolutions to make the game a breeze, look no further than Fuecoco.
As previously stated, Fuecoco is the fire starter, and due to the set up of Scarlet & Violet’s Victory Road challenge, you’ll benefit massively from having a strong ‘mon of this type in the early game.
The first two gyms are grass and bug type and if you’ve played any Pokemon games before, you’ll know that fire type moves absolutely decimate grass/bug type Pokemon.
Not only this, most of the other gyms see Fuecoco have some form of type advantage albeit not as potent as the initial couple, again, hopefully helping you secure the win.
As you progress, you’ll see that it’s an incredibly versatile Pokemon which only gets stronger in its evolutions.
Fuecoco’s Evolutions
Even though Fuecoco itself shines as a Pokemon, where things get really interesting is when you reach its final evolution Skeledirge.
Once you do, the previous fire typing of the previous ‘mons in the evolution line gets expanded to now also include ghost type.
Not only does it sound cool to have a ghost fire crocodile in your possession, you’ll also be able to completely avoid any incoming normal attacks since the new ghost type makes Skelidirge immune.
This is obviously incredibly advantageous, removing one less worry of a sneaky powerful normal move taking you out mid battle.
Moreover, when you do evolve Crocalor into Skeledirge, you’ll have the chance to learn Torch Song, and this is an incredible move.
It has 80 power and 100 accuracy but it also increases your special attack. So, if you use this over and over, you’ll get insanely strong in those longer battles.
With all this being said, both Quaxly and Sprigatito are still fantastic selections, especially if you don’t actually want to head down the route to Victory Road right away and instead look to the other two parts of the Treasure Hunt.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Fuecoco trumps the other two in our eyes, making it the best starter in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, especially when you reach its final evolution.
If you do choose Fuecoco, you’ll definitely see its benefits and will likely get through the game as if you were a hot knife through butter.
If you liked getting up to speed with the starters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, check out some of our other guides on how to evolve Applin into Dipplin and how to get Bloodmoon Ursaluna.
