What Starter to choose

[Sharlank]

158514 The best choose Charmander. It's a fact! :D

That ^

Probably the one that makes the game the hardest as well :p since you have to train a water type and an electric (or grass) type for 1st/2nd gym

[Kryptos]

176815

158514 The best choose Charmander. It's a fact! :D

That ^

Probably the one that makes the game the hardest as well :p since you have to train a water type and an electric (or grass) type for 1st/2nd gym

 

-Sorry for the length post, especially on an old thread, but I'm into statistics and analysis-

 

Actually this is untrue, because at level 16 charmander learns dragon rage, at level 17 charmeleon learns dragon rage, and if hasty, there is a free dragon rage tm in the viridian maze.

 

So Charmander, albeit weak to ground and water, is a guaranteed 40 damage until it dies for the first two gyms, as long as its faster, which is certainly not a problem against brock. There's no guarantee you will get growlithe in the viridian maze as the abandoned pokemon, but if you pick charmander you're guarenteed to end up with dragon rage one way or another, effectively making charmander an overpowered early game pokemon.

 

If you pick squirtle, you don't have to train a second pokemon(s) for brock, but you do have to train a second pokemon(s) for misty and surge. If you pick bulbasaur, you do have to train a second pokemon for brock, because bulbsaur only learns physical attacks, and has low attack, and onix and geodude have high enough defense to kill your bulbasaur easily.

 

Regardless of what starter you pick, you need to train pokemon for the first 3 gyms in particular, and further on as well. Popular picks for that pokemon are Nidoran->Nidorino->Nidoking(before you battle misty with moonstone) or Snubull.

 

I personally play with pikachu and 3 snubull, as well as an onix to trick surge into using dig. This makes the game rather easy, and you can progress up through the 3rd gym very very fast, in about 5 hours with no dillydally, 6 hours confirmed.

 

If 5-6 hours sounds like a lot up through surge, you'd laugh at my future video guides, where I inspect people stuck in mount moon with 4-5 hours, or people stuck on the SS Anne(battles before surge) with 10 hours.

[Sharlank]

Checked your guides on youtube, actually very well made, congrats buddy :O didn't consider dragon rage charmander, in the very end honestly I feel like you should go with the starter you like the most and adapt your playstyle accordingly :)

[Redglaceon]

I would go with charmander. The long lasting strength and dual ability of him is great for your team. However Pikachu is a good choice because of the quest line you get with it. Either or are a good choice