Water Type Starters: Which One Has the Easiest Start

Water type starters look like the safe choice, and the ranking shows how much the opening matters even for them. Your starter is likely your main for the whole game. What counts is what it meets in the first few hours: a rival with a starter of his own, then three Gym leaders whose types help it or hurt it.

There are nine Water starters, one from each generation, and all of them finish strong with 528 to 535 base stats. The difference is the start. Some of them get a Rock Gym handed to them on a plate and some run straight into an Electric team with nothing to answer it. (The sea is not always kind to its own.)

What you're up against early

Each game gives its Water starter the same kind of test: one rival fight, then the first Gyms in an order you can't change. Water is strong against Rock and Fire and weak against Grass and Electric, which means the leaders' types decide most of it.

Starter	Game	First three fights
Mudkip	Ruby and Sapphire	Roxanne (Rock), Brawly (Fighting), Wattson (Electric)
Popplio	Sun and Moon	Ilima (Normal), Hala (Fighting)
Piplup	Diamond and Pearl	Roark (Rock), Gardenia (Grass), Maylene (Fighting)
Sobble	Sword and Shield	Milo (Grass), Nessa (Water), Kabu (Fire)
Froakie	X and Y	Viola (Bug), Grant (Rock), Korrina (Fighting)
Quaxly	Scarlet and Violet	Katy (Bug), Brassius (Grass), Iono (Electric)
Squirtle	Red and Blue	Brock (Rock), Misty (Water), Lt. Surge (Electric)
Totodile	Gold and Silver	Falkner (Flying), Bugsy (Bug), Whitney (Normal)
Oshawott	Black and White	Cilan (Grass), Lenora (Normal), Burgh (Bug)

Alola has trials instead of Gyms, which is why Popplio only has two entries.

Mudkip, if you want it easy

Mudkip has the best opening of the nine. Roxanne's Geodude at level 14 is Rock and Ground, which Water hits for four times the damage, and her Nosepass at level 15 takes double. Water Gun arrives at level 10 and Mud Slap, a Ground move, at level 6. Brawly's Machop and Makuhita are an even fight.

Then Wattson, where Mudkip shows off. Marshtomp arrives at level 16 as a Water and Ground type, and Electric moves do nothing to it. Mud Slap hits his Magnemite at level 22 and Magneton at level 23 for four times the damage, since both are Electric and Steel. The line ends with Swampert at level 36, a Water and Ground type with 110 Attack and the best total of the nine at 535 base stats. (Swampert takes Electric moves like a compliment.)

Popplio, with Hala as the prize

Popplio gets Disarming Voice at level 8, a Fairy move, and Fairy hits Fighting for double. Hala's Mankey and Makuhita at level 14 and Crabrawler at level 15 are all Fighting types, and that trial goes quickly. Ilima's Yungoos at level 9 and Smeargle at level 10 are Normal types, which is an even fight for Water.

The trials are easy and the rest of the line is worth the patience. Aqua Jet arrives at level 15 and Bubble Beam at level 22. Popplio becomes Brionne at level 17 and Primarina at level 34, a Water and Fairy type with 126 Special Attack and 530 base stats. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon give it the same trials with slightly higher levels.

Piplup, strong at the start and rough at Gardenia

Barry's Turtwig is the rival fight Piplup gets, and Grass does double damage to Water. After that it's a good run. Roark's Geodude and Onix at level 12 are Rock and Ground and take four times the damage from Water. Cranidos at level 14 takes double.

Gardenia is the speed bump. Cherubi and Turtwig at level 19 and Roserade at level 22 are Grass types, and Grass hits Water for double. Peck, a Flying move Piplup learns at level 15, hits Grass for double, and that's the answer. Maylene's Fighting team is an even fight, and in Platinum so is Fantina's Ghost team. Prinplup arrives at level 16 and Empoleon at level 36, a Water and Steel type with 111 Special Attack and 530 base stats.

Sobble, until Milo

Hop's Scorbunny is the rival fight Sobble gets, and Water does double damage to Fire. Milo is the hard one. Gossifleur at level 19 and Eldegoss at level 20 are Grass types, and Grass hits Water for double. Sobble learns Water Gun at level 6 and Water Pulse at level 12, and both do half damage to Grass.

It turns around at Nessa. Goldeen at level 22 and Arrokuda at level 23 are Water types, which resist Water. Drednaw at level 24 is Water and Rock and ends up even. Then Kabu, where Sobble wins. Ninetales and Arcanine at level 25 are Fire types, and Centiskorch at level 27 is Fire and Bug, and Water does double damage to all three. Drizzile arrives at level 16 and Inteleon at level 35, a Water type with 125 Special Attack and 530 base stats.

Froakie, solid and never in trouble

Froakie has no hard Gym. Viola's Surskit at level 10 and Vivillon at level 12 are Bug types, and Water does normal damage to Bug. Surskit has a Water half that resists Water, so Quick Attack does the work there. Grant is next. Amaura at level 25 is Rock and Ice, and Water hits Rock for double. Tyrunt is Rock and Dragon, and the Dragon half cancels the bonus.

Korrina's Mienfoo, Machoke and Hawlucha are Fighting types, and Water is even against them. Froakie learns Bubble at level 5 and Water Pulse at level 14. Frogadier arrives at level 16 and Greninja at level 36, a Water and Dark type with 122 Speed and 530 base stats. It never has a bad matchup, and Amaura is the only great one.

Quaxly, until it meets Iono

Wing Attack arrives at level 10, and Flying hits Bug and Grass for double. That's the whole story of Paldea's first two Gyms. Katy's Nymble and Tarountula at level 14 are Bug types, and Brassius's Petilil and Smoliv at level 16 are Grass types. Water also hits Sudowoodo at level 17 for double, since it's a Rock type.

Iono is the wall. Wattrel, Bellibolt and Luxio at level 23 are all Electric, Electric does double damage to Water, and Quaxly has nothing that hits Electric for double. Quaxwell arrives at level 16 and Quaquaval at level 36, a Water and Fighting type with 120 Attack and 530 base stats.

Squirtle, with Lt. Surge waiting

Blue's Bulbasaur is the rival fight Squirtle gets, and Grass does double damage to Water. Brock is the reward. Geodude at level 12 and Onix at level 14 are Rock and Ground and take four times the damage from Water. Squirtle has Bubble at level 8. Misty's Staryu at level 18 and Starmie at level 21 resist Water, and that Gym is an even fight at best.

Lt. Surge is the problem. Voltorb at level 21, Pikachu at level 18 and Raichu at level 24 are all Electric, Electric hits Water for double, and Squirtle has no answer. Wartortle arrives at level 16 and Blastoise at level 36, a Water type with 105 Special Defense and 530 base stats.

Totodile, with no help from the type chart

Silver's Chikorita is the rival fight Totodile gets, and Grass does double damage to Water. Johto's first three Gyms don't help or hurt. Falkner's Pidgey and Pidgeotto, at levels 7 and 9, are Normal and Flying types. Bugsy's team is Bug and Whitney's is Normal. Water does normal damage to all of them, and none of them hits Water for double.

Water Gun arrives at level 13, then Bite at level 20. Totodile becomes Croconaw at level 18 and Feraligatr at level 30, a Water type with 105 Attack and 530 base stats. Even fights all round make for a slow month.

Oshawott, last behind Cilan

Cheren's Snivy is the rival fight Oshawott gets, and Cilan is next. His Pansage at level 14 is a Grass type, and Grass hits Water for double. Water Gun comes at level 7 and Razor Shell, a stronger Water move, at level 17. Lenora's Herdier and Watchog, at levels 18 and 20, are Normal types, which is an even fight.

Burgh is mixed. Dwebble at level 21 is Bug and Rock, and Water hits the Rock half for double. Leavanny at level 23 is Bug and Grass, and its Grass moves hit Oshawott for double. Dewott arrives at level 17 and Samurott at level 36, a Water type with 108 Special Attack and 528 base stats. (A sea otter with a lot of Grass trouble.)

So which one should you pick?

Rank	Starter	Game	Final form	Base stats
1	Mudkip	Ruby and Sapphire	Swampert	535
2	Popplio	Sun and Moon	Primarina	530
3	Piplup	Diamond and Pearl	Empoleon	530
4	Sobble	Sword and Shield	Inteleon	530
5	Froakie	X and Y	Greninja	530
6	Quaxly	Scarlet and Violet	Quaquaval	530
7	Squirtle	Red and Blue	Blastoise	530
8	Totodile	Gold and Silver	Feraligatr	530
9	Oshawott	Black and White	Samurott	528

Mudkip has the easiest start in any game, and Oshawott the hardest. If you want the opening to run itself, pick Mudkip. Popplio and Piplup are the next safest. Squirtle and Quaxly start well and then hit an Electric wall, which is worth knowing before you commit. All nine finish within a few points of each other, which makes the one you like the look of a fine call. The pages for generation 1, generation 2, generation 3, generation 4, generation 5, generation 6, generation 7, generation 8 and generation 9 cover each trio in full.