Pokemon Legends Z-A Starters: Which One to Pick

What you're up against early

Your rival fights you in the Vert District with two level 5 starters, the two you didn't pick. That's even for everyone, since each of them has one starter that beats yours and one that yours beats.

Then come the bosses. Naveen in the Vert District uses Dark types: Spinarak at level 16, Sableye at level 16 and Scraggy at level 17. Lida, also in the Vert District, uses Water types, with Clauncher and Vanillite at level 22 and Staryu at level 23. Vinnie in the Magenta District has Houndoom, Sharpedo and Buneary at level 30 and Drampa at level 32.

Chikorita, if you want it easy

Chikorita learns Leafage at level 6, Disarming Voice at level 9 and Razor Leaf at level 12. Disarming Voice is a Fairy move, and Fairy hits Dark and Fighting types for double damage, so Sableye takes double and Scraggy takes four times normal damage. Spinarak is the one to watch. Bug and Poison attacks both hit Grass for double damage, and Fairy and Grass moves do very little to it.

Lida goes well. Grass hits Clauncher and Staryu for double damage, and their Water attacks do half damage to Chikorita. Vanillite is the exception, since Ice hits Grass for double damage.

Vinnie is mixed. Houndoom is Dark and Fire, and its Fire attacks hit Grass for double. Sharpedo and Drampa are easier, because Fairy hits Dark and Dragon for double damage and Grass hits Water for double. Chikorita is built like a houseplant and plays like a threat.

It becomes Meganium at level 32, with a base stat total of 525 and its best stats in Defense and Special Defense at 100. Base stats are the six numbers that set how strong a Pokemon is, and the total adds them up.

Totodile, if you want a steady middle

Naveen is even. Water Gun, which Totodile learns at level 6, does normal damage to all three, and Bite at level 10 is Dark and does a quarter of normal damage to Scraggy's Dark and Fighting types and normal damage to Sableye. None of Naveen's Pokemon hit Totodile for extra damage.

Lida is where Totodile does best. Water and Ice attacks both do half damage to a Water type, so Clauncher, Vanillite and Staryu barely scratch it. Vinnie starts with a level 30 Houndoom, a Dark and Fire type, and Water Gun hits it for double damage while its Fire attacks do half damage to Totodile. Sharpedo is Water and Dark, and Water does half damage to it. Bubble Beam arrives at level 15 and is Water too and doesn't help against Sharpedo.

Totodile becomes Feraligatr at level 30, with 530 base stats and 105 Attack.

Tepig, if you want a challenge

Naveen is even, with one bright spot. Fire hits Spinarak for double damage, and Bug attacks do half damage to a Fire type. Ember arrives at level 6, and the rest of his team takes normal damage.

Lida is the hard one. Clauncher and Staryu resist Fire and their Water attacks hit Tepig for double damage. Vanillite is the only one that Fire hits for double.

Vinnie is mixed. Rollout, learned at level 10, is a Rock move, and Rock hits Houndoom for double damage. Sharpedo's Water attacks hit Tepig for double as well. Tepig is a pig with a plan, and the plan is Rollout.

Tepig becomes Emboar at level 36, which adds the Fighting type. Emboar has 528 base stats and an Attack of 123, the highest of the three final forms.

So which one should you pick?

Chikorita is the easy start, and the pick if you want the first two bosses behind you quickly. Totodile is the one with the fewest surprises. Tepig is for players who'd rather have Lida be a real fight, and it ends up with the highest Attack of the three.

The Generation 2 starters page covers Chikorita and Totodile in the games where they first appeared.

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