Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are just around the corner! One of the first decisions you’ll have to make once you start playing the game is which of the three starter Pokémon you want to pick. Thanks to recent leaks, we now know what each of the starter Pokémon’s final forms looks like! We’ll be providing a glimpse of them here to help you decide, so make sure to bookmark this page and come back later if you’re trying to avoid spoilers.
Sprigatito Line
Judging by the internet’s reaction, Sprigatito is most certainly the most popular starter Pokémon this time around. Unfortunately, Sprigatito does stand on two legs when it evolves. It first evolves into Floragato, and then into Meowscarada — pictured above. It becomes a Grass/Dark-type, and it can make the stem of its flower invisible to make it look like it’s floating!
In terms of stats and Abilities, Meowscarada is definitely the strongest of the three starter Pokémon. It gets Protean as its Hidden Ability, which lets it change its type to the type of the move it’s about to use. That being said, Protean will only change its user’s type once per switch-in. Even without taking Protean into account, Meowscarada is still quite fast and has respectable physical attack. It is rather frail, though.
Fuecoco Line
Fuecoco is our resident Fire-type starter Pokémon, and it’s the only one from Paldea that doesn’t become fully bipedal by the time it reaches its final form. Fuecoco evolves into Crocalor and then Skeledirge (pictured above). Skeledirge is a Fire/Ghost-type, and that fiery mane near its head is apparently a standalone bird.
In terms of stats, Skeledirge is more of a defensive Pokémon. Unfortunately, its defenses aren’t that great, so it’s left a bit outclassed by other Pokémon. With a base 110 Sp. Attack stat, however, it is capable of dishing out respectable damage. It also gets Unaware as its Hidden Ability, which could prove useful in lower tiers.
Quaxly Line
Despite Team Water’s victory in the recent Pokémon-themed Splatfest, it seems Quaxly is the unpopular choice this time around. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick it, though! Quaxly evolves into Quaxwell and then Quaquaval, which becomes a Water/Fighting-type. In this form, it’s a colorful peacock that stands on two legs and delivers powerful kicks.
In the context of competitive play, Quaquaval doesn’t look too promising. Its Water/Fighting-typing leaves it vulnerable to Flying, Electric, Grass, Fairy, and Psychic-type moves. Its bulk is rather low, so it most likely won’t be surviving any of these moves. It’s also only got a Speed stat of 85, so it isn’t quite fast enough to make use of its solid base 120 Attack stat.
Which should you pick?
Ultimately, the choice is yours! After seeing the starters’ evolutions and properties, hopefully you’re one step closer to deciding which one you want to pick! We’ll have lots more guides coming out for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in the near future, and you can stay tuned by checking the link below every so often. The starter evolution images were sourced from Abyzab — check them out too if you have a moment!
If you’re looking for methods on how to evolve every new Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, we’ve got a handy guide on that right here. For base stats and Abilities of each new Pokémon, check this link. Versions exclusives are found here. Finally, our list of every returning Pokémon can be accessed here. Thanks so much for reading!
If you would like to read more about Pokémon, please follow this link.
