The first big choice of all Pokemon playthrough is what starter you should start your journey with. As a veteran Pokemon a player for nearly 30 years, I've picked up my fair share of starters over the years and used pretty much all of them at least once. When it comes down to it Pokemon Gen 4, I've invested hundreds of hours into dozens of games Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, and their remakes and only one starter gave me a consistent advantage.
There are a number of factors that I take into account when choosing a starter for a given case Pokemon playthrough. The most important of these is how well the starter typing and stats match the main battles I'll be facing, such as gym leaders, evil team leaders, and the elite four. Additionally, it is important to consider when the starter is developing and at what level he is learning the specific moves needed to gain an advantage against opponents.
Best Pokemon to use in Gen 4 explained
For players looking to complete their Gen 4 Pokemon games as smoothly as possible, there are a few mons they'll want to make sure are on their team.
Pros and cons of each Gen 4 Starter Pokemon
Pokemon Gen 4 is an important entry in the franchise due to the introduction of the physical/special split, which separated a move's physical or special state from its type. This change made almost every Pokemon viable as they could invest in learning STAB moves that matched their strongest attack stats. As such, each of the starters now has several pros and cons, including how freely available their ideal STAB moves are in the game.
Turtwig pros and cons
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Grass typing is strong against the first Gym
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Well-rounded statistical variance
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Good offensive type coverage when fully developed
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Evolves into its final phase earlier than other starters
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Disadvantages
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Typing Torterra Grass/Ground is 4x weaker than Ice
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Razor Leaf is his strongest STAB physical grass move until fully evolved
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Weak on Team Galactic Boss Cyrus
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The Grass Turtwig type starter was the first option I chose for my first playthrough Pokemon Diamond way back when it was originally released in 2007. As a grass type, Turtwig is in a great early game position with a type advantage over Roark's Rock types. It will also be super effective against Crasher Wake water types and Torterra's Ground type is perfect for Volkner's Electric types. While I have fond memories of using Turtwig on that original team, I found him to have flaws that I couldn't see through my rose-colored glasses.
Despite a good early game setup, Turtwig can struggle later in the Sinnoh Region. He 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 he evolves into Torterra. The real killer for Turtwig is his late game weaknesses to Candice's Ice types, as well as Cyrus' Flying and Ice, which prevent Torterra from really excelling in Gen 4.
To counter the late first stage of evolution, Grotle evolves in Torterra at level 32, the first of the three starters.
Chimchar pros and cons
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Good type of matches against multiple gyms
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Great move pool with STAB options like Close Combat and Flare Blitz
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It evolves into its first stage earlier than any other starter
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Disadvantages
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Weak against half of the elite four
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Balanced stats mean it doesn't excel in any one area
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He needs to develop to be useful against the first Gym
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I've historically been a fan of fire types Pokemonbut I've only liked a few Fire starters over the years. Chimchar is one of those starters, and my love for this Chimp Pokemon comes in large part 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. Additionally, Chimchar holds its own against several important Gym Leaders like Roark's Rock (if it evolves into Monferno and gets Mach Punch), Gardenia's Grass, Byron's Steel and Candice's Ice.
However, Infernape is up against 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 had to grind it to level 14 before facing this Gym, since there aren't many Water or Grass options available until then. While some players may like the fact that Infernape is a mixed attacker, I'd prefer Mon to go all-in on Physical Attack to get the most out of Close Combat and Flare Blitz, but it's not the end of the world.
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Advantages and disadvantages of Piplup
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Strong against the first Gym
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Empoleon's Water/Steel type has a lot of resistance
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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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Movement pool is limited without TM
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After the first one, it doesn't match the other gyms
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Low speed stats
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Piplup is probably the most iconic starter of Gen 4, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best choice to play. Despite being strong against Roark's Rock types, Piplup doesn't really shine until the late game, after it evolves into Empoleon. Once he reaches this final stage, Empoleon's Water/Steel typing makes him a strong defensive mon with plenty of resistance against trainers like Aaron's Bug types and Lucian's Psychic types. In addition, Empoleon can deal super effective damage to Bertha's Ground and Flint's Fire types, making him a fantastic party member for the Elite Four.
Unfortunately, outside of this late game surge, Piplup is limited for the rest of the Sinnoh game due to its poor matchups with Gardenia's Grass and Volkner's Electric types, with no real advantage over other Gyms after the former. Empoleon's move pool is also limited by his special attack stats, with the best move he learns before level 59 being Solanka, and he needs a TM for Flash Cannon to get his best Steel STAB move.
The Flash Cannon is obtained via TM from defeating Byron in Canalave City.
Pokemon Pokopia didn't give me a reason to pre-order, but that's nothing new for the series
Sadly, Pokemon Pokopia continues one of the series' most disappointing traditions, giving me no reason to pre-order it.
After dozens of playthroughs, it's clear that Chimchar is the best Gen 4 Starter Pokémon
Taking all of these factors into account, the starter I've had the most success with during each of my Gen 4 playthroughs is Chimchar. Although leveling Chimchar all the way to 14 so he evolves into Monferno before the first Gym is a bit of a pain, gaining access to Mach Punch as a STAB Fighting type move makes Monferno invaluable against Roark's rock types and pretty much removes Chimchar's biggest obstacle in the early game. After this point, Monferno becomes a huge help against several other gyms, easily taking out Gardenia's grass types and taking down Maylene's Lucario. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl quick.
Close Combat is also my favorite new move introduced in Gen 4, and Infernape is the perfect Pokemon to take full advantage of its base 120 attack power. While Infernape's utility is greatly reduced after Candice's defeat in Snowpoint City, my team is usually so fleshed out at this point in the game that Infernape's weakness against the Elite Four is trivial. I am rarely unhappy when I choose Chimchar as an appetizer Pokemon Gen 4 Gameplay.
- Released
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November 19, 2021
- ESRB
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E
- Developers
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ILCA
- Publishers
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Nintendo
