Gen 10 Pokémon beginners should avoid the “Sword and Shield” path.

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One of the most important aspects of everyone Pokemon generation is the starter for the region, with these mons often being the first revealed for the new generation and acting as mascots for the latest games. Behind the basic form of the given Pokemon The starting trio of the game, the next two stages of their evolution line must carry the same level of player interest, as they will likely remain by their side throughout the game. Some generations of final starter evolutions clearly stand out from the rest, and Gen 10 would be wise to follow one pattern for success.

While certain design elements in PokemonThe final evolution of the starter has historically been controversial, such as the move to a more bipedal mons, the writing on the starter is probably its most divisive component. Some fans may recall the controversy surrounding the next three generations of Fire/Fighting starters, which was finally broken by the Delphox Fire/Psychic Gen 6 starter. Pokemon Sword and ShieldStarters have a similar problem, with each of the three starters being Fire, Water, and Grass monotypes, making for some less memorable early partners in the series.

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Pokemon Gen 10 has an easy solution to the growing Pokedex problem

Since Pokemon Gen 10 is sure to add more critters to the Pokedex, one easy way to save space might be to follow the series' already popular trend.

Gen 10 can make its starters more interesting than Pokemon Sword and Shield monotypes

The sword and shield monotype starters held back their potential

Pokemon Sword and ShieldRillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon weren't the first trio of starters to have only one type, but they are the latest example of how leaving out a secondary type can undermine a starter's stamina. While Rillaboom has the advantage of carving out a nice competitive niche between them Pokemon They play VGC, the same cannot be said for Cinderace and Inteleon. Without a secondary type to give Cinderace and Inteleon additional utility, their value on a player's team is significantly lower than other mons who have a second type, which is unfortunate for the critters meant to be their game's mascots.

The only other generation where the last three starter evolutions are all monotype is Gen 2 with Meganium, Typhlosion and Feraligatr.

Before Cinderace's writing was officially confirmed, many fans worried that she would fall into the same Fire/Fighting trap that so many Fire-type starters had done before it. However, even a secondary Fighting type would give Cinderace some additional utility, allowing her to compensate for Fire's weakness to Rock. Starters getting Gigantamax forms somewhat fixes the lack of second typing, but with Gigantamax only existing in Gen 8, these mons have become much less relevant in Gen 9.

Pokemon Gen 10 has the lion's share of Starter-type combos to choose from

Aside from Gen 8, the last few generations have been great at giving their starters unique secondary typings, and Gen 10 should be no different. There are several types that are not used as secondary types in starter Pokemon, including Rock, Bug, Ice, and Dragon. Giving Gen 10 starters unique type combinations like Fire/Rock, Grass/Bug, and Water/Ice would be a great way to differentiate them from the previous nine generations.

Another interesting concept would be to make all of the final starting evolutions part of the Dragon type; it's an unused trigger type, but also weak on its own, so if all three shared this type it would even out. Another trend that Gen 10 should avoid is giving one or two of their starters a second type, but not all three. This practice was much more common in previous generations, but one or two starters can become the obvious best choice depending on how well that type pairs with the lineup of coaches the players will be facing. In order to maintain balance between triggers and keep them desirable to players for long-term use, Gen 10 should give each final starter evolution a secondary type.

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