Best starter to choose in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The Pokemon CompanyIf you’re playing through Pokemon Scarlet & Violet for the first time, you’ll probably be wondering which starter to choose: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly? Let’s find out which one is best.
The biggest question for any trainer when beginning a new Pokemon adventure is: Which starter are you choosing?
In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet‘s Paldea region, there are three starters you can choose between. Much like in past mainline games, there a Grass-type (Sprigatito), a Fire-type (Fuecoco), and a Water-type (Quaxly).
Whether you want to choose a starter that will help you beat the main story or you’re looking for a competitive companion, here’s our breakdown on which one is the best to choose.
The Pokemon CompanyWhich starter Pokemon is best in Scarlet & Violet?
We believe that Fuecoco is the best starter for beating the game’s main story, even though the three paths make it more difficult to decide on which one is truly the best.
But for those looking to conquer each Gym, the first two Gym Leaders are Bug-type and Grass-type, so having a strong Fire-type on your team will give you a big advantage over them.
| Pokemon | Sprite | HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Attack | Sp. Defense | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprigatito |  | 40 | 61 | 54 | 45 | 45 | 65 |
| Fuecoco |  | 67 | 45 | 59 | 63 | 40 | 36 |
| Quaxly |  | 55 | 65 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 50 |
Fuecoco also has one of the best final evolutions: Skeledirge. It’s a powerful Fire/Ghost-type Pokemon, which means it’s immune to Normal-type and Fighting-type attacks and resistant to seven other types. It’s hard to deny how useful that is in battle!
The main downside of choosing Fuecoco is that it has a very poor Speed stat, which means it will pretty much always attack second. It’s also generally agreed upon that Quaxly and Sprigatito’s final evolutions are better choices for competitive play.
The Pokemon CompanySo what about Quaxly and Sprigatito?
As we said before, there’s not really a definitive ‘best starter’ in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. While Fuecoco might make the main story a little bit easier to complete, there are plenty of reasons to choose Quaxly or Sprigatito instead.
Quaxly is a great option for taking down the first Titan Pokemon, Klawf, which will give Koraidon or Miraidon the ability to boost around the map. Quaxly will also have no trouble storming Team Star’s Fire-type base and defeating their Leader, Mela.
Based on our personal experience of playing the game, we found that Quaxly’s final evolution Quaquaval was a brilliant team member. Having a mix of powerful Water-type and Fighting-type moves came in very handy for a number of story-related battles.
On the other hand, many players have agreed that Sprigatito is a great choice for competitive play once it reaches its final evolution Meowscarada. This is mainly because of its high Speed and Attack stats that will let it take opponents by surprise. Also, it’s adorable!
The Pokemon CompanyAll final Pokemon starter evolution stats in Scarlet & Violet
Here are the final evolution stats for all three starters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet:
| Pokemon | Sprite | HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Attack | Sp. Defense | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meowscarada |  | 76 | 110 | 70 | 81 | 70 | 123 |
| Skeledirge |  | 104 | 75 | 100 | 110 | 75 | 66 |
| Quaquaval |  | 85 | 120 | 80 | 85 | 75 | 85 |
Each starter has a total of 530 base stats, so you only need to pay attention to how they’re distributed. If you want a fast attacker, choose Meowscarada, but if you prefer bulk, Skeledirge is your best option.
Ultimately, the best starter Pokemon is really down to your personal preference. Besides, if you follow our handy guide right here, you can get all three starters in the game eventually anyway!
Be sure to check out our egg breeding guide for Scarlet & Violet, plus how to get Rare Candy.