Starter Choice - Alola

It's time for our final starter choice post. It has all come down to the lovely Alola region. We may have limited experience with this region, but that doesn't mean we can't make a solid starter choice. Coincidently, if I was choosing from the normal starters, I would pick Rowlet. Anyway, you know how this works: I get 3 randomly generated numbers then I see what Pokémon are associated with those numbers. Then we make our choice based on all that we know about those Pokémon. Let's get to it!

Our numbers are: 221, 182, and 213. That means are choices are: Pangoro, Wimpod, and Minior. Okay, Pangoro is a Fighting/Dark type. It is fully evolved and its move set is pretty good. However, it doesn't learn a Dark type move until level 42. It is immune to Psychic type attacks and is weak to Fairy, Flying, and Fighting type moves. Wimpod is a Bug/Water type. It evolves at level 30 and its move set is abysmal. It is weak to Electric, Rock, and Flying type moves. Minior is a Rock/Flying type. It doesn't evolve at all. Its move set is pretty good. It is immune to Ground type attacks and is weak to Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, and Steel.

Okay, let's start with Pangoro. It's decent overall. A TM could be used to fixed the 'no Dark type move until 42' problem. HMs are not used in this game so we don't have to worry about that part. Wimpod is a different story. Until it evolves, it only knows two moves: Sand Attack and Struggle Bug. This is okay but it's ability 'Wimp Out' makes leveling up a bit of a challenge since it will flee/switch out when its HP gets below the halfway mark. Its evolution, Golisopod, is very powerful, though. However, it will need TMs or a trip to the Move Relearner in order to have any decent moves. Also its ability, even though with another name, is still the same. Minior is our last option. Its decent move set is pretty good. Its ability, 'Shields Down' gives it pretty high defense stats and immunity to status conditions until its HP drops below the halfway point. At that point, Minior is faster with higher attack stats while its defense drops. It also loses that lovely status condition immunity.

So, do we want a good Pokémon from the beginning or would we rather have one that takes time to get better? Since we don't have gyms in this region, we don't have to worry about drastic level gaps. But, we do have to worry about Totem Pokémon. Assuming a randomized game, we don't know what we will be facing. If I was choosing by power, I would go with Pangoro. If I was choosing by potential, I would go with Wimpod. If I was choosing for a good start, I would pick Minior. I also forgot about Pokémon catching. Since there are plenty of places to encounter Pokémon from the first trial, I need a Pokémon that will be helpful in that aspect too. Hmm....

After much deliberation, I will be choosing....Minior! Wimpod has a lot of potential but training it will not be easy. Plus, I don't want it to run away from a Pokémon that I am trying to catch. Pangoro will be powerful, but I don't want to have too easy of a time. I chose Minior because it is right in the middle which where I am comfortable. I don't want too much of a challenge but I also don't want it too easy.

And there you have it. My choice for randomized starter in Alola is Minior. I know I never specified the color of this Minior but I figured that color really didn't matter as much as the other factors like move sets and abilities. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your starter choice and why. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!

Starter Choice - Kalos

It's that time yet again! This time we will pick a randomized starter from Kalos. If we had the normal starters, my choice would be Froakie. I like Fennekin too but I do not like its final evolution at all. Chespin is just-okay, I guess. Anyway, because the Kalos pokedex is in 3 parts, I will do something a bit different than with the other times. I will take the first number from the first part of the pokedex. The second number will be from the second part of pokedex and the third will be from the third part of the pokedex. For instance, if I had 1, 2, and 3 as my choices then it would be Chespin (#1 in the first part of the pokedex), Drifblim (#2 from the second part of the pokedex), and Trapinch (#3 in the third part of the pokedex). I think this is fair and I hope I explained it properly.

Okay, let's get to it! My numbers are: 55, 110, 107 or Carvanha, Dedenne, and Spinarak. Carvanha is a Water/Dark type. Dedenne is an Electric/Fairy type. Spinarak is a Bug/Poison type. Carvanha evolves at level 30 into a Sharpedo. Its move set is okay but it does not learn any Water moves by level up (below level 30). It can learn Surf and Dive so that makes up for it. It is immune to Psychic type attacks but is weak to Electric, Grass, Fighting, Bug, and Fairy. Dedenne does not evolve and its move set is also okay but it doesn't learn a Fairy type attacking move by level up until level 42. It is weak to Poison and Ground but immune to Dragon attacks. It can only learn 1 HM: Cut. Spinarak evolves at level 22 into an Ariados. It is weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. It's move set is okay and it doesn't learn any HMs.

Since Fairy typing is in this generation, we have to take that into account. Dedenne is good for Dragon types but the fact that it doesn't learn any Fairy attacking moves until later isn't so good. It also doesn't learn any Fairy type TMs. Why is that, Game Freak?! Anyway, it does learn some good Electric type moves so that's a plus. Spinarak is evolves quickly but all Bug moves will be pretty weak (this is the gen before the Bug typing got its much-needed buff). Carvanha can learn helpful HMs and despite its Fairy weakness can be quite useful. Hmm... this is a tough one. I think in this case, I will choose..... Dedenne. My reason is that it has few 2x weaknesses and can handle any Dragon type (once it learns that Fairy type attacking move). Its Electric attacks will be useful and I can teach it Cut if I really need to do so. If the Fairy typing did not exist, then it would have been Carvanha, but I don't want to risk getting taken down by a Dazzling Gleam early in the game. So, it's decided: Dedenne is our choice!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your choice of randomized starter and why. Have a good weekend, and as always: keep on gaming!! :)

Starter Choice - Unova

It's that time yet again! It's time to select a random starter for the region of Unova. To be specific, I am going to assume that we are playing either randomized Black or White. Now, if the starters were normal, I would be picking Oshawott. While I don't like the look of its final evolution, I still prefer Oshawott over Snivy and Tepig.

Now, for our numbers: 33, 103, 120. That means we get to choose from Woobat, Ferroseed, and Beartic. Woobat is a Psychic/Flying type. Ferroseed is a Grass/Steel type. Beartic is an Ice type. Woobat's move set is decent and it evolves through happiness. Ferroseed's move set is not that good and it evolves at level 40. Its only learned Grass type move by level up is Ingrain and it isn't an attacking move. Beartic's move set is pretty good and it is fully evolved. It can also learn various HMs including Surf and Dive, oddly enough. Woobat can learn Fly but Ferroseed can't learn any HMs.

Okay, I know that evolution by happiness is very time-consuming and not that dependable (aka you don't know when it will happen). HMs are kind of necessary so it would be good to have the ability to teach my starter at least 1 HM. So, with that in mind....I think I will immediately take Ferroseed out of the running. In this instance, it is the worst of the 3 but that doesn't mean it isn't a decent Pokémon. So between Woobat and Beartic....then I guess I choose....Beartic!

That's right, we are going with the polar bear! Beartic is the clear choice in this instance and will surely bring us to victory! Well, that's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did please follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me which of these randomized starters you would pick and why. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!

Starter Choice - Sinnoh

It's that time again to pick another random starter. This time we will be assuming a randomized Pokémon Pearl game. If it were normal, I would pick Piplup even though Empoleon and Torterra are both very good Pokémon. Now, back to business. Our numbers are: 135, 93,  and 19. This means are randomized starter choices are: Lumineon, Sudowoodo, and Luxray.

Lumineon is a water type. It can be useful against rock, ground, and fire types. It will be weak against electric and grass types. Its move set is okay with a few random bug type moves in there as well.

Sudowoodo is a rock type. It can be useful against fire, ice, bug and flying types. It is weak to water, grass, fighting, ground, and steel types. Its move set has some fairly useful moves.

Luxray is an electric type. It can be useful against water and flying types. It is weak to ground types. Its move set is okay with a few good moves learned by level up.

All are fully evolved so that won't factor into our decision. Based upon weaknesses and strengths, I think I will go with Luxray. Unless we encounter something that knows Earthquake early on in the game, we should be okay. So that's it: Luxray is our Sinnoh starter!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me for future posts so you don't miss one in the future. Leave a comment below showing your choice of randomized Sinnoh starter and why. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming! :)

Starter Choice - Hoenn

And we're back at it again! As the rain pours outside my window, I eagerly await to see what our starter choices will be today. We will assume, like before, that we are playing a fully randomized game (wild and trainer pokemon are randomized) so gyms will not be taken into account for our choice. The game will be Pokémon Sapphire. Now let's get 3 random numbers from 1 to 202 thanks to Random.org: 11, 73, 198.

Okay, so our choices are: Mightyena, Machop, and Kyogre. If we had the normal starters, I would pick Torchic without hesitation. It's adorable and it's final evolution is a beast. Blaziken can Blaze Kick anything into oblivion (as long as it isn't water, psychic, or flying type). Back to our choices...Mightyena is a dark type but it isn't very good. Machop will become Machamp (assuming trade evolutions are possible without trading) which could be very powerful fighting type. Kyogre is a legendary water type and its move set is very good. It can also learn a lot of different HMs. Mightyena's move set is not so great but it can learn Strength and Rock Smash. Machop through Machamp has a decent move set and it can learn the same HMs as Mightyena. Still, Kyogre is a very powerful monster from the start.

Okay, let's throw out Mightyena right now. It's between Machop and Kyogre. Do I want something that evolves as I travel the Hoenn region or just get the power now? Hmm.... I think my choice is clear. I will go with- Kyogre. My reasons are: it's great move set, powerful stats, loads of HM choices (if I need to teach it an HM)  and just bulk in general. Besides, how often do you get to use a legendary Pokémon anyway?

Well, that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on further posts. Which of these starters would you have chosen? Leave me a comment below telling me your choice and your reasons. As always, have a good weekend and keep on gaming!!

Starter Choice - Johto

Okay, I'm back again. I did not like how my other post came out so I decided to change things up a bit. You must understand that I don't usually pick my starter based upon stats when playing casually. I just pick the Pokémon I like the best. For example, in Johto, my favorite starter is Chikorita so I always pick Chikorita. I know most of us pick that way so I felt it would make a rather boring post just to say 'I pick x because I like x'. So, let's try something different. I am going to pick 3 random starters then I will compare them and show which one I would choose. I am going to assume that I am playing a game using a randomizer that will allow trade evolutions and the national pokedex at the start. Okay, let's see our randomized starter choices (based on randomly generated numbers between 1 - 256 assuming that I will be playing HeartGold or SoulSilver).

The starters are: Pichu, Xatu, and Lapras or 21, 162, and 224.

Pichu: Electric type, evolves through friendship then a thunderstone, learns zero HMs, is a baby pokemon so it's not that strong...yet.

Xatu: Psychic/Flying type, fully evolved, its move set through leveling up isn't the best but it can learn Fly

Lapras: Water/Ice type, doesn't evolve, bulky, can learn Surf, Strength, Whirlpool, Rock Smash, and Waterfall

This is a tough decision. Xatu and Lapras start out strong while Pichu does not. Friendship evolution is a hassle since you don't know how long it will take to reach that max level. Well, I will eliminate Xatu first since it's level up moves are not that good (until its level is in the 50s). I love both my remaining choices but I don't want to deal with friendship evolution. I'm sorry, Pichu, but this time I pick Lapras. It's bulk, decent move set, and HM potential make it the clear choice.

Well, that's it for this week. I think I will post on Sat or Fri every week from now on. I apologize in advance if I miss a week since a new semester has started and I don't know how busy I'll be. I will try my best and thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoyed this post and found it better than last week's post. I think it is a step in the right direction and look forward to future posts. If you enjoyed this post, follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Which of the three randomized starters would you have picked? Who is your favorite Johto starter? Leave me a comment below with your answers!

Anyway, have a good weekend, a good January, and as always, keep on gaming!

Favorite Starter - Kanto

Ahh, a new year and a new start...hm, start....that gives me a great idea for a new post! I will talk about one of the greatest choices that a Pokémon trainer has - then reveal my choice. I mean of course, the starter selection. It is very important since this Pokémon will be with you until the end of the game (unless you are doing some form of 'locke' then maybe it won't be there). So, let's start with the first region - Kanto.

I first really appreciated Kanto when I played the remakes Fire Red and Leaf Green. It was so nice to see the region in full color and updated graphics. The starters were no exception: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Each starter was of one of the three basic types: Fire, Water, or Grass. Bulbasaur had a secondary Poison typing, but that's okay. Anyway, how do we choose which starter to get?

Let's see, the gyms are Rock, Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Fire, and Ground. The Elite 4 are: Ice, Fighting, Ghost, and Dragon. Plus, the champion (our rival) has a mixed group of types that you meet time and again while on your journey. So, back to the starters...

Charmander -  Weak to Rock and Water, strong against Grass, will resist Ground by the time you reach that gym because it will be a Charizard (Fire/Flying), and everything else will be 1x effective. It can handle Bruno easily while the other three Elite 4 members will be a bit more difficult.

Squirtle - Strong to Rock, Weak to Electric and Grass, and everything else is 1x effective. It should  be okay against Lorelei, but the other Elite 4 members could pose somewhat of a challenge.

Bulbasaur - Strong to Rock and Water, resists Electric, weak to Psychic and Fire, but should be able to do some great damage to Ground types as a Venusaur. And of course everything else is 1x effective. It will be weak to Lorelei but will resist Bruno...everything else will 1x effective as always.

The verdict? I always pick Bulbasaur. Why? I like Bulbasaur. It's cute and becomes quite the tank when it evolves. It's also the best for the first 2 gyms. However, there is no wrong answer here. Starters are always much better on average than the other Pokémon you encounter so no matter which one you pick, you always end up with a good choice.

Well, that's it for this week. I am putting this one out earlier due to forecasts of inclement weather - I don't want to risk losing power and not being able to put this up on time. Next week, things should return to normal for my posting schedule. Hopefully. Stay warm this weekend, enjoy your new year, and as always, keep on gaming.