Pokemon Black White Best Starter

Choosing Your Champion: The Best Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Black and White

Choosing your starter Pokémon is one of the most crucial decisions in any Pokémon journey. It sets the tone for your entire adventure, influencing your team composition, battling strategies, and overall gameplay experience. Pokémon Black and White, with its unique roster of initial partners, presents a particularly compelling choice. This comprehensive guide will delve deep into the strengths and weaknesses of Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, ultimately helping you determine the best starter Pokémon for your Black and White playthrough, considering various factors like competitive battling, casual play, and personal preference.

Introduction: The Unova Starters

Pokémon Black and White introduced a fresh batch of starter Pokémon, each with a unique typing and evolutionary path. Unlike previous generations, the type matchups weren't immediately obvious, requiring more strategic consideration. Let's break down each starter individually, analyzing their stats, movepools, and overall effectiveness throughout the game.

Snivy: The Grass-Type Grace

Snivy, the Grass-type starter, is often underestimated at first glance. Its frail early-game stats can be deceiving, but with careful training and strategic move selection, it blossoms into a powerful and versatile Pokémon.

• Strengths: Snivy boasts excellent Speed and Special Attack, making it a formidable special attacker. Its evolution line, Servine and Serperior, maintains this focus, allowing it to consistently outspeed opponents and deliver powerful blows. Its access to various support moves also makes it a valuable asset in both competitive and casual play.

• Weaknesses: Snivy's major weakness is its vulnerability to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug, and even other Grass-type attacks. This fragility necessitates careful team composition to cover these weaknesses. Its physical attack is relatively low, limiting its potential as a physical sweeper.

• Movepool Highlights: Snivy benefits from access to powerful Grass-type moves like Leaf Storm, Giga Drain, and Energy Ball. Learning moves like Hidden Power, Dragon Pulse, and Substitute enhances its versatility. Later on, Leaf Blade becomes a viable physical option.

• Competitive Viability: Serperior, its final evolution, is a strong special attacker in competitive battles, especially in formats where it can utilize its high Speed and potent STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) moves. However, its defensive fragility remains a concern.

Tepig: The Fiery Fire Starter

Tepig, the Fire-type starter, is the classic offensive powerhouse. Its straightforward nature and strong offensive capabilities make it a reliable choice for players of all skill levels.

• Strengths: Tepig boasts high Attack and decent HP, making it a physical attacker that can take a few hits. Its evolution line, Pignite and Emboar, enhances these offensive capabilities, with Emboar possessing remarkable Attack power. It's effective against many common opponents found early in the game.

• Weaknesses: Tepig's typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Ground, and Rock-type moves. This can be a significant disadvantage against certain gym leaders and opponents. Its Special Attack is notably lower compared to its Attack stat, limiting its potential in special attack-based strategies.

• Movepool Highlights: Tepig and its evolutions have access to powerful Fire-type moves like Flare Blitz, Flamethrower, and Fire Blast. It also learns strong physical moves like Head Smash, Earthquake, and Wild Charge, adding versatility to its attack options.

• Competitive Viability: Emboar, despite its impressive Attack, faces challenges in competitive play due to its relatively low Speed and predictable offensive strategy. However, with careful team support, it can still be a valuable asset.

Oshawott: The Water-Type Warrior

Oshawott, the Water-type starter, is a well-rounded choice offering a balance between offensive and defensive capabilities. Its evolution line progresses into a strong physical attacker with surprisingly good defensive stats.

• Strengths: Oshawott's evolution line, Dewott and Samurott, boasts a good balance of Attack and Defense stats. Samurott's high Attack and decent Defense make it a powerful physical sweeper capable of enduring hits. Its Water-type moves are effective against many early-game opponents.

• Weaknesses: Oshawott's Water-type leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass-type attacks. While its defenses are better than Snivy's, it still needs careful strategic positioning in battle. Unlike Tepig, its special attack isn't particularly high.

• Movepool Highlights: Oshawott's movepool features several strong Water-type moves, including Waterfall, Aqua Tail, and Razor Shell. It can also learn useful moves like Megahorn, Aqua Jet, and Ice Beam, expanding its offensive options.

• Competitive Viability: Samurott's decent bulk and high Attack make it a surprisingly viable physical attacker in competitive battles, especially in lower tiers. Its access to Aqua Jet provides crucial priority.

Detailed Comparison: Stats and Abilities

To better understand the nuances between the starters, let's compare their base stats at their final evolutionary stages:

Pokémon	HP	Attack	Defense	Sp. Atk	Sp. Def	Speed	Ability
Serperior	75	75	65	125	85	113	Contrary/Overgrow
Emboar	110	123	65	95	65	65	Reckless/Blaze
Samurott	95	100	85	75	65	70	Torrent/Shell Armor

These stats highlight the distinct roles each Pokémon fills. Serperior excels in Speed and Special Attack, Emboar prioritizes raw Attack power, and Samurott offers a blend of Attack and Defense. The abilities also play a significant role. Contrary on Serperior can be incredibly powerful, Reckless boosts Emboar's recoil moves, and Torrent boosts Samurott's Water-type moves under low HP.

Gameplay Considerations: Early Game and Gym Battles

The early game presents unique challenges for each starter. Snivy's fragility can be problematic against early Fire-type opponents. Tepig struggles against Water-type opponents, while Oshawott's Water-type is less consistently useful.

Strategically selecting Pokémon to fill your team will mitigate these weaknesses. Consider bringing Pokémon that cover each starter's type weaknesses. For instance, a Ground-type can cover Tepig's weakness to Water.

Movepool Deep Dive: Maximizing Potential

The effectiveness of each starter significantly depends on their movepool. Careful move selection enhances their strengths and compensates for their weaknesses. Experimentation is key to finding the best moveset for your play style.

The Verdict: Choosing the "Best" Starter

There is no single "best" starter Pokémon in Pokémon Black and White; the optimal choice depends on your preferred playstyle and strategic approach.

• For players who prefer a fast and powerful special attacker: Serperior is the clear winner. Its high Speed and Special Attack make it a potent offensive threat.

• For players who value raw power and straightforward gameplay: Emboar is a reliable choice with high Attack and a straightforward offensive strategy.

• For players who prefer a balanced approach with solid offensive and defensive capabilities: Samurott offers a more well-rounded experience.

Beyond the Starters: Building a Balanced Team

Regardless of your starter choice, building a balanced team is critical for success. Consider diversifying your team with Pokémon of various types to cover weaknesses and exploit opponents' vulnerabilities. Utilize type matchups to your advantage and experiment with different strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I still win the game with any starter?

A: Absolutely! While some starters might present more challenges in certain battles, all three starters are perfectly capable of completing the game.

Q: Which starter is best for competitive battling?

A: In competitive battling, Serperior generally has the highest potential due to its high Speed and potent special attack moves, although Emboar can be surprisingly effective in specific team compositions.

Q: Are there any hidden evolutionary requirements for the starters?

A: No, the evolutions for Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott are straightforward, based solely on leveling up.

Q: Which starter is easiest for beginners?

A: Tepig is often considered the easiest for beginners due to its straightforward nature and powerful offensive capabilities.

Conclusion: Embark on Your Unova Adventure

Choosing your starter Pokémon is a personal decision based on your play style and preferences. Each of the Unova starters offers a unique and rewarding gameplay experience. By understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and strategic applications, you can confidently select the starter that aligns best with your goals and embark on your Unova adventure! Remember to experiment, adapt, and enjoy the journey! The best Pokémon is the one you enjoy using the most.