The first big choice of anyone Pokémon playthrough is what starter you should start your journey with. As a veteran Pokémon player for nearly 30 years, I've picked my fair share of newbies over the years and have used basically all of them at least once. When it comes to Pokémon Gen 4, I've invested hundreds of hours into dozens of playthroughs of Pokemon diamond, GEM, Platinum, and their remakes, and only one starter has given me a consistent advantage.
There are a variety of factors that I consider when choosing an appetizer for a given Pokémon playback. The most important of these is how well the starter's writing and stats match the big battles I will have to face, such as Gym Leaders, Evil Team Leaders, and the Elite Four. Additionally, it's important to consider when the starter develops and at what level it learns specific moves needed to gain an advantage against opponents.
The best Pokemon to use in Gen 4 Playthroughs explained
For players looking to complete the Gen 4 Pokémon games as smoothly as possible, there are a few mons they'll want to make sure are on the team.
The pros and cons of each Pokemon Gen 4 starter
Pokémon Gen 4 is an important entry in the franchise due to the introduction of the physical/special split that separated a move's physical or special status from its type. This change made almost all Pokemon viable as they could invest in learning STAB moves that corresponded to their strongest offensive stats. As such, there are several advantages and disadvantages to each of the starters now involving how freely available their ideal STAB moves are in the game.
Turtwig pros and cons
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Pro
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Grass typing is strong against the first Gym
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Well rounded state spread
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Good offensive type coverage when fully developed
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Develops to its final stage faster than other starters
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Disadvantages
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Torterra's Grass/Ground typing is 4x weak against Ice
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Razor Leaf is its strongest Physical Grass STAB move until fully evolved
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Weak for Team Galactic Boss Cyrus' team
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The grass-type starter Turtwig was the first option I ever picked for my first playthrough Pokemon diamond way back when it was originally released in 2007. As a Grass type, Turtwig is in a prime position for the early game with the type advantage over Roark's Rock types. It will also be super effective against Crasher Wake's Water-types, and Torterra's Ground-type is perfect for Volkner's Electric-types. While I have fond memories of using Turtwig on the original team, I've learned that it has flaws that I couldn't notice with my rose-colored glasses.
Despite a good early game setup, Turtwig can struggle later in a Sinnoh Region playthrough. It doesn't evolve into Grotle until level 18, the latest of the three starters, and as a physical attacker only has access to Razor Leaf as a physical STAB move until it evolves into Torterra. The real killer for Turtwig is its late game weaknesses against Candice's Ice types, as well as Cyrus' Flying and Ice types, which prevent Torterra from really excelling in Gen 4.
To counteract its late first-stage evolution, Grotle evolves into Torterra at level 32, the earliest of the three starters.
Chimchar pros and cons
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Pro
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Good type of matches against multiple gyms
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Good move pool with STAB options like Close Combat and Flare Blitz
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Develops into his first step earlier than any other beginner
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Disadvantages
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Weak against half of the Elite Four
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Balanced stats means it doesn't excel in any area
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Needs to evolve to be useful against the first gym
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Historically, I've been a fan of Fire types i Pokémonbut I've only grown fond of a few Fire-type starters over the years. Chimchar is one of those starters, and my love for this Chimp Pokemon comes largely from its excellent move pool in Gen 4. When other starters are stuck with sub-optimal STAB moves, Infernape has access to attacks like Close Combat and Flare Blitz, both completely new to the Gen 4 games. Plus, Chimchar stands up well against several key gym leaders, such as Roark's Rock-types (if it evolves into Monferno and gets Mach Punch), Gardenia's Grass-types, Byron's Steel-types, and Candice's Ice-types.
However, Infernape is fighting half of the Elite Four, including Bertha's Ground-types and Lucian's Psychic-types. In order for Chimchar to be useful against the first gym, it needs to evolve into Monferno, which means I've had to grind it to level 14 before facing that gym, as there aren't many water or grass options to pick up before then. While some players may like the fact that Infernape is a melee attacker, I would have preferred the man to go all-in on Physical Attack to get the most out of Close Combat and Flare Blitz, but this isn't the end of the world.
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Piplup pros and cons
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Pro
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Strong against the first Gym
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Empoleon's water/steel typing has many resistances
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Solid special attack and special defense
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Excellent against the Elite Four
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Disadvantages
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Move pool is limited without TMs
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Doesn't match up well against other gyms after the first one
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Low speed state
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Piplup is arguably the most iconic Gen 4 starter, but that doesn't necessarily make it the best choice for a playthrough. Despite being strong against Roark's Rock types, Piplup doesn't really shine until late in the game, after it evolves into Empoleon. Once it reaches this end stage, the Water/Steel typing of Empoleon makes it a strong defensive mon, with plenty of resistance against trainers like Aaron's Bug-types and Lucian's Psychic-types. Additionally, Empoleon can deal super effective damage to Bertha's Ground-types and Flint's Fire-types, making it a great party member for the Elite Four.
Unfortunately, outside of this late game, Piplup is hindered for the rest of a Sinnoh game due to its poor match-ups against Gardenia's Grass-types and Volkner's Electric-types, with no real advantage against any other gyms after the first. Empoleon's move pool is also limited by its special attack-oriented stats, with the best move it learns before level 59 being brine and needing TM for Flash Cannon to access its best Steel STAB move.
Flash Cannon is obtained via TM from defeating Byron in Canalave City.
Pokemon Pokopia hasn't given me a reason to pre-order, but that's nothing new for the series
Pokemon Pokopia unfortunately continues one of the most disappointing traditions in the entire series, giving me no reason to pre-order it.
After dozens of playthroughs, it's clear that Chimchar is the best Pokemon Gen 4 starter
Taking all these factors into consideration, the starter I've had the most success with in all of my Gen 4 playthroughs is Chimchar. Although leveling Chimchar up to 14 so it evolves into Monferno before the first gym is kind of a gate, having access to Mach Punch as a STAB Fighting-like move makes Monferno invaluable against Roark's rock types, and largely removes Chimchar's biggest obstacle in early game. After this point, Monferno becomes a big help against the upcoming gyms, easily dispatching Gardenia's grass types and taking down Maylene's Lucario in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Quickly.
Close Combat is also my new favorite move introduced in Gen 4, and Infernape is the perfect Pokémon to take full advantage of its base 120 attack power. While Infernape's usefulness has largely diminished after defeating Candice in Snowpoint City, my team is usually well rounded enough by that point in the game that Infernape's weakness against the Elite Four is trivial. I am rarely dissatisfied when I choose Chimchar as my starter for one Pokémon Gen 4 walkthrough.
- Released
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November 19, 2021
- ESRB
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e
- Developer
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ILCA
- Publisher
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Nintendo
