Aaa Spring is in the air, birds are in the air, bugs are buzzing and trees are (oh dear god) pollinating ugh. (I hate allergy season.) Anyways, speaking of getting in the mood of spring, it brings me to a brand new spotlight! I think given the blooming of flowers it’s only appropriate to cover Pokemon’s Grass starters.
There are over 95 different grass type Pokemon in the games, and a majority of them share dual typing. While it’s not as big of a category as some of the other types there is something that grass has consistently brought to the table – a starter. While a water type is more useful, and a fire type is almost always more powerful, the grass type to me has always represented balance. Often not as strong as a Charizard nor as swift as a Greninja, but tough enough to take a hit from the former and survive to do its own damage.
So as I did in Starting birds, let me break down each type then rank them.
Bulbasaur Family: one of the original three of Gen 1 and often times one of the most overlooked of the three starters, it doesn’t grow cannons on the back like Blastoise, nor does it turn into a “dragon” like Charizard. However it is one of the most consistent; balance is the name of the game when it comes to this starters. As I have mentioned before, it was Ash’s Bulbasaur I really fell in love with, along with the fact it helped stick up for weaker Pokemon and refused to change when others did. For me however its poison typing was a bit of a setback for the Pokemon, due to its weakness to the highly over-powered psychic type. The years however have been very kind to this Pokemon – with the introduction of fairy typing in gen 6 plus a new mega evolution this little one’s future is looking very bright.
Chikorita Family: I have a confession to make. While technically Bulbasaur was my first grass starter, since I chose Yellow as my first Pokemon game I didn’t really choose to play him (I collected him, not played him). So it wouldn’t be until Gen 2 that I would make my very first starter choice, and again influenced by the show I picked Chikorita which even I admit is one of the hardest starters to run in Gen 2. While I will admit right now I don’t believe I ever completed Gen 2 with Chikorita, I did run her for more than half of Johto. When you struggle so much in the early gyms, you grow fond of your starter. However despite all of this…I do admit Chikorita is one of the more forgettable starters. Like I said before, the gyms in this game actually work against this Pokemon. Bird, bug, normal, ghost, fighting, steel, ice and dragon….none of these gyms would this starter or its moveset have an advantage in. Sorry Chikorita…
Treecko Family: I honestly do not have too much experience with this particular family. Gen 3 was the generation I went with fire…but I will get to that maybe one day. This is not a bad family though, and the generation has more balanced gyms so there are opportunities to really shine. Like Chikorita, Treecko is a solid grass type, with solid grass moves. There just isn’t much that makes this starter stand out in my opinion. I had really stopped watching the show by this point so it is all personal experience and I am afraid I just don’t have it with Treecko. Hey at least he has a mega form.
Turtwig family: I have a special fondness for this family. I love turtles and this one was the very first that was a totally uninfluenced decision. Turtwig is the first dual type since Kanto, picking up the the ground typing in its final evolution Torterra. Having the ground typing can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is it makes getting through Gen 4 easy; I love multiple typing and Pokemon that can learn a variety of moves. However, it now becomes four times weak to ice types, making it not as successful in the competitive world. Still Turtwig is adorable and one of my favorite designs and I played him though not only Pearl but Platinum as well, bonding me pretty tightly to this little guy. I wait long for the day that Torterra can mega evolve!
Snivy Family: Poor Snivy, it’s not its fault that Gen 5 was the generation I drifted away from Nintendo and Pokemon. I did eventually return, and when I did Snivy was my choice. Snivy is another grass starter that I think is destined to be forgotten. Like Chikorita and Treecko it is another solid grass type. I always love Snivy’s final snake-like design; there are really not enough snake Pokemon in the game. The sad fact of the matter is that Snivy’s move pool is limited, and with pure typing there is just not much other than design going for it. I fear as we move further and further into Pokemon this family will grow to be forgotten like the other solid grass types.
Chespin family: Chespin is what happens to chipmunks when they eat too many acorns and they become one. That being said, I think poor Chespin like the rest of Gen 6 starters did not have the chance to shine in game. The reason I say this is before we even get to gym two we get to pick another starter, this time from Gen 1. On top of that, these Gen 1 starters have mega evolutions. Gen 6 starters were overshadowed in their own game, with so many old school Pokemon that I didn’t really give this one a chance. Also I want to note with Chespin that this is the fourth generation to include fighting as part of the dual typing.
Ok so that is the 6 starters, so where would I rank them from worst to best….
Snivy: I love Snivy’s design, but this starter has little going in its favor; it’s not as fast as Treecko’s family nor as defensive as Chikorita’s family. Its move pool is fairly shallow as well leaving little chance to really let this well-designed Pokemon shine.
Chikorita: another pure-blooded grass type, at least unlike Snivy its move pool is slightly deeper, and it’s the more defensive then Snivy. Still I find this starter just as forgettable as Snivy and nothing really makes her stand out to me. Its own generation fights against her as there are no gyms that really allow her to shine until the second half of Gen 2.
Chespin: Poor adorable Chespin, it could not even shine in its own game because a second starter was added. While I am generally in favor of dual typing, Chespin’s dual typing just makes it so weak to flying and psychic. While I am sure it has its pluses since almost every starter that got fighting typing did well, I just never really got to use it…sorry Chespin one day maybe.
Turtwig: I love this cute adorable starter, you guys know I love this little guy. While it rocks through Gen 4, I cannot and should not ignore the fact it’s four times weak to ice. While its move set should make up for this fact, the sad fact is that a good chunk of ice users will likely out-speed Turtwig’s final evolution before it could do any damage. However Turtwig does have access to a wide range of moves making it a diverse fighter, and unlike the later three Pokemon at least its own game Turtwig can shine in.
Treecko: While a pure-blooded grass type, Treecko has one thing the last four do not have – mega evolution. while I can honestly say I have never played this grass Pokemon, I do however acknowledge that this grass type may be the best of the three pure grass Pokemon. Like Turtwig, it does have access to a diverse move pool, however unlike Turtwig it can mega evolve, although for the life of me I cannot explain why it becomes part dragon….really now it is also 4 times weak to ice. Still the mega evolution adds a nice boost in stats.
Bulbasaur: Before mega evolution and fairy typing Bulbasaur might have been lower on the list, however now I say it’s the number one of all the grass starters. Now it has the stats, the moves and the mega evolution to take this grass starter all the way, of course game freak has also had 20 years to perfect Bulbasaur.
Well what’s your opinion? who is your favorite grass starter?
Diglett & Dugtrio: I loved these little ground dwellers. I remember reading in my first Pokemon walkthough a Versus book (which sadly doesn’t exist anymore) that speed wins battles and if there is one thing this little mole Pokemon has, it’s speed. During the course of gen 1 this little guy would more than earn its place on my team. It is also one of the only Pokemon i can consistently draw and when I get bored you can find one or two on the page of a notebook. I wished it aged as well as my love for it because as the generations grew this Pokemon fell out of favor in my teams, to stronger ground types. However, Diglett will always hold a special spot for me. 
Pikachu: So cliche, I know, but Pikachu was the first “rare” Pokemon I ever caught. I remember the first one I saw in Viridian Forest, being surprised at never having seen one before (and how cute it was), and then quickly realized how rare it was to encounter one. This little electric mouse may have never made it as a permanent member of any of my teams, but its charm and personality have stuck with me from the very beginning. (Ash’s Pikachu is infinitely adorable too.)
Zapdos: Out of all of the legendary Pokemon in this generation, Zapdos was by far and away my favorite. This wonderful little electric Pokemon would be a firm fighter for me. With Zappy (yes that’s what I named it) by my side I always knew I would make it through. In game Zapdos is truly the key to getting the other legendaries, We zapped Moltres and Articuno and drill pecked Mewtwo. Whenever I see the Zapdos in future games my heart jumps a beat because I know with this bird at my side…nothing will stop me. 
Pidgey, Pidgeotto & Pidgeot: Pidgey was one of two bird Pokemon you could catch at the very beginning of the game, and I always liked Pidgey’s design better than Spearow’s. As this little bird evolved, he became my Flyer and a very reliable member of my first team. In a recent playthrough of Soul Silver, I made it a point to use one, and while he had a period where he was close to useless, now he has proven himself to be a core member of the team. There have been many new bird Pokemon introduced since Gen 1, but they will never replace the Pidgey family for me.
Rapidash: When I was looking over the list of the original 151, and looked at good Rapidash and Ponyta I got this warm happy feeling. Like most little girls, I grew up loving horses. I can’t tell you how it absolutely blows my mind after 20 years and 722(?) Pokemon that there are only 3 horse type Pokemon. Rapidash is too often overlooked in my opinion as a fire Pokemon, but it has something that is so key, the same reason i love Dugtrio: speed. It’s not only that. I loved encountering it in Snap. It is beautifully designed, and has the moves and the stats to be a great Pokemon, and she really is. 
Butterfree: Yet another Pokemon found close to the beginning of the game! I loved Butterfree even though she was always swapped out later for something more useful. I think it’s because I loved butterflies as a kid, and hated bees (Beedrill is the Pokemon opposite Butterfree). Leveling up a Caterpie or Metapod and then seeing this beautiful Butterfree emerge was always immensely satisfying. 
Eevee & Flareon: Ok, another cute choice, but this Pokemon is not found until much later in the game. You can only get one Eevee, and then you find that Eevee can evolve into one of three Pokemon depending on what kind of stone you give to it. Eevee is cute enough already, but Flareon’s design always attracted me more than the other two options. Flareon just looks so fluffy! Eevee has consistently been a team member in later games, sometimes as its original form, and much more often in one of its now EIGHT evolution choices. 
Lapras: By now are you really that surprised to see Lapras here? If you have read my past blogs you know I absolutely love this Pokemon. She has carried me through so many games, but it was Yellow where I first met her. Once I had her by my side I dropped my Blastoise for her and I have never looked back. Lapras has been at my side since the beginning, My love for this Pokemon goes longer and deeper, met in gen 1 and by my side until the end. Beautiful, serene, defensive and strong this one has gotten me though many Elite Fours. 
Charmander: I’m sure you can guess by now which Pokemon I got while my brothers got the other two. Charmander has always been my favorite Pokemon, partly because he was the one that started it all. I remember that I didn’t want to evolve my first Charmander, but eventually gave in and Charmeleon and Charizard became heavy hitters as I faced the Elite Four. But in every game since then, I have tried to have a Charmander on my team and never evolve him. There is something about this cute little lizard that makes me happy to have him by my side. Perhaps part of it is seeing Ash’s Pikachu and wanting my Charmander to be the same kind of friend. Ash’s Charmander may have evolved into a stubborn Charizard, but my Charmander will always be my faithful companion.
Gamerwoman 