Which Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Starter Will You Pick?

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are, like any entry in the series, getting lots of attention for their starter Pokemon. Which also leads to the important questions. Which one do you choose? Yes, you can eventually get all of them. But which one are you thinking is the one? We’ve been pondering it and wanted to share our thoughts.

I haven’t played a Pokémon game to completion since Pokémon Yellow way back in the day, but Scarlet and Violet have me excited to give the franchise another go for the first time in many years.

Call me boring if you like, but one of the reasons Sprigatito appeals to me is that it really is just “a cat, but green.” The profiles also describe Sprigatito as “capricious and attention-seeking,” which aligns quite well with the cat that currently terrorizes my household, so I guess I also find that #relatable. Sprigatito is also the Grass starter, bringing it closer to my personal fave Bulbasaur, and is colored that lovely shade of mint green that reminds me of vintage refrigerators. An aesthetic triple-threat of “cat” + “grass” + “desirable home appliance.” I say that’s a win. — Josh

Listen, Sprigatito is super cute, but I remember what Litten in Pokemon Sun and Moon turns into. Incineroar is literally just a big bara cat. You would be living with a big bara cat. And after seeing some truly awful Internet posts about Incineroar, I don’t think I could ever look that thing in the eye.

The fear of Sprigatito turning into a big bara cat that the Internet will be weird towards is just too great, and thus, I will be picking Quaxly when I pick up Pokemon Scarlet.

And you know what? I truly think that I’ll be in the winning camp. Quaxly looks crazy goofy but guess what other Water-type starter looked goofy? Popplio. And Popplio turned into the beautiful Primarina. (I’m still salty about how mean people were about Popplio and then how quickly they changed their tune about Primarina!) And remember Piplup? And how OP Empoleon was in Diamond/Pearl? Bird-like Water starter, my friend. All the past data is showing that the Water starter will be the superior one and that’s why I know for sure that Quaxly will be the best pick. — Stephanie

Which Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter I’ll pick depends on the evolutions for me. I really like grass-type and fire-type Pokemon. So much so that I’ve made full grass-type teams for fun.

If Sprigatito ends up staying on all four feet for its evolutions, then I guess I’ll pick it and deal with hearing it sing “Despacito” in my head all day. But if it decides to go bipedal, then Fuecoco will be my buddy. — Jenni

I’m more than happy to be the Fuecoco supporter here at Siliconera. There’s just something so honest about the little pal. Quaxly is definitely trying to sell me something and will inevitably evolve into increasingly strange forms. Fuecoco is joyous and enthusiastic! Plus, it helps that Pokemon games almost always have easy and early access to some solid Grass and Water-types for your team. Fire? Not so much.

Also? I’m allergic to cats. — Graham

I am also on Team Fuecoco. All three of the starters look pretty darn good, but there’s just something about Fuecoco that I really like. It is friend-shaped and looks like it’s really happy just to be here (doesn’t matter where “here” is). Plus, it’s a crocodile, and crocodiles are cool. Now, I will say that I’m going to wait to see the typing for all three of the fully evolved forms before I make my final decision, but like Graham said, Fire-types tend to be a bit of a rarity, so Fuecoco probably already has a leg up on that end too. The other two are gonna have a tough time beating out this adorable little guy as the starter I choose. — Adam