What is the Worst Starter Pokemon?
Summary
TLDRThis video script discusses the topic of the least competitively viable starter Pokémon in the series, highlighting those that have not been favored with special evolutions or forms. It starts with a list of five less competitive starters, such as Septile and Emboar, and then delves into the top three, including Delphox and Samurott. The script ultimately reveals Meganium as the least effective starter, critiquing its low offensive stats and lack of unique abilities. Despite this, it maintains a sense of humor and acknowledges the iconic status of starter Pokémon, suggesting that they may receive updates in the future.
Takeaways
- 🔥 Starters in Pokémon games are often memorable and beloved, but some are considered less competitively viable.
- 🚀 Some starter Pokémon receive special treatment like Mega Evolution, Gigantex forms, and Regional forms to enhance their competitive edge.
- 🌱 Grass-type starter Septile suffers from being frail and lacking moves to support its speed, despite its overgrow ability.
- 🐍 Emboar, the fire-type starter, is criticized for its lack of speed and bulk, making it less desirable in competitive play.
- 🐊 Feraligatr, a water-type starter, is seen as weak due to its lack of defining features that set it apart from other water-type Pokémon.
- 🌿 Torterra, a grass/ground type, is considered the weakest of its generation with a quadruple weakness to ice and slow speed.
- 🦊 Delphox, a fire/psychic type, is forgettable and lacks the speed and power to be effective as a special attacker.
- 🗡 Samurott, a pure water-type, is underwhelming with average stats and no standout abilities or moves.
- 🦉 Decidueye, a grass/ghost type, struggles with poor stats and an underwhelming ability Long Reach, making it less competitive.
- 🥇 The script humorously identifies Meganium as the worst starter Pokémon of all time, despite its iconic status, due to its low offensive stats and lack of unique moves or abilities.
- 🌟 The video acknowledges that even less competitive starters can have a chance at being improved in the future with new forms or abilities.
Q & A
What is the general perception of starter Pokémon in the series?
-Starter Pokémon are considered some of the most beloved and memorable in the entire series, often serving as a player's first partner in the game.
Why do some starter Pokémon receive special treatment in the games?
-Some starter Pokémon receive special treatment like mega evolution, gigantex forms, and regional forms because they may not perform as well in the game, and Gamefreak tends to give them these enhancements to make them feel special.
What is the main criterion for considering a starter Pokémon as the 'worst' in the video?
-The main criterion for considering a starter Pokémon as the 'worst' is its competitiveness in battles, not personal preference or popularity.
Why is Sceptile considered less effective in competitive play?
-Sceptile is considered less effective because, as a pure grass type, it has numerous weaknesses and types that resist it. It also lacks moves that could support its strategy, like Spore or Sleep Powder, making it less threatening.
How has Sceptile's viability changed over the years?
-Sceptile's viability has seen some improvement with the introduction of moves like Shed Tail and the Mega Evolution, which increased its speed, special attack, and defense, but it still remains not very competitive.
What are some of the issues with Emboar as a starter Pokémon?
-Emboar has issues such as being slow and not having the bulk to compensate for it. Its defenses are also not impressive, and despite having a strong physical attack, it struggles to stay alive due to recoil damage from its moves.
How does the speaker view Samurott in comparison to other water type starters?
-The speaker views Samurott as less effective than other water type starters due to its lack of speed and strength, making it unable to take advantage of powerful interactions like Sheer Force and Life Orb.
What is the main issue with Torterra's competitive performance?
-Torterra's main issue is its slow speed, which even with the move Shell Smash, does not allow it to outspeed many threats. It also has a quadruple weakness to ice and other weaknesses that make it difficult to use effectively.
Why is Delphox considered forgettable and not very effective in the video?
-Delphox is considered forgettable and not very effective because it doesn't have the speed or strength to work well as a special attacker, and it lacks the bulk to perform other roles effectively.
What is the speaker's opinion on the design and treatment of Rowlet and its evolutions in the Pokémon series?
-The speaker appreciates the design of Rowlet and its evolutions, especially as an owl archer. However, they are disappointed with how Gamefreak treated Dewott and Delphox in terms of stats and abilities, making them less competitive.
What is the worst starter Pokémon according to the video?
-According to the video, Meganium is considered the worst starter Pokémon due to its low offensive stats, lack of speed, and limited move pool, making it nearly impossible for it to perform well in battles.
Outlines
🐉 Starter Pokémon: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The video discusses the varying competitive viability of starter Pokémon. It acknowledges that while some starters are well-balanced and receive special evolutions or forms, others are less competitive. The speaker emphasizes this is purely from a competitive standpoint and not a reflection of personal dislike. The video lists several starters considered less effective in battles, such as Sceptile, Emboar, and Feraligatr, and details their shortcomings and unique traits. It also mentions how some Pokémon have been buffed over time, like Mega Sceptile, which improved its standing but still wasn't a top contender.
📉 The Struggles of Underperforming Starters
This paragraph delves into the challenges faced by certain starter Pokémon in the competitive scene. It discusses the need for a subscription to support the channel and the hard work that goes into creating the content. The video then moves on to critique specific Pokémon like Emboar, Feraligatr, and Torterra, highlighting their lack of unique attributes and competitive advantages. It also touches on the potential of Sheer Force ability and the unfortunate results of Torterra's stats and typing in battle.
🦊 Delphox's Disappointing Stats and Abilities
The video continues with a critical analysis of Delphox, a Fire/Psychic type starter, which is deemed forgettable and underwhelming. It discusses Delphox's lack of speed and strength, making it an ineffective special attacker. The hidden ability, Magician, is described as underwhelming, and the speaker suggests that Delphox's design could have been better utilized. The video also briefly mentions Delphox's performance in past competitions and the changes in its moveset over time.
🦅 Samurott and Rowlet: Missteps in Starter Design
The speaker expresses frustration with the design of Samurott and Rowlet, two starters that failed to live up to their potential. Samurott is criticized for its average stats and lack of standout abilities or moves, despite having a unique typing. Rowlet, evolving into Dartrix and then Deucalion, suffers from similar issues, with unimpressive stats and a gimmicky ability, Long Reach, that provides little benefit. The video also discusses the variants of these Pokémon introduced in Legends Arceus and how they failed to improve upon the original designs.
🌿 Meganium: The Least Competitive Starter
The video concludes with Meganium being labeled as the least competitive starter Pokémon. Despite being a favorite of the speaker, it is described as having low offensive capabilities and limited move options. Meganium's ability, Leaf Guard, is seen as ineffective, only providing a benefit in the presence of strong sunlight. The video reflects on the lack of updates or improvements given to Meganium over time, suggesting that it serves as a benchmark for poor competitive performance among starters.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Starter Pokémon
💡Competitive Pokémon
💡Mega Evolution
💡Gigantex Forms
💡Regional Forms
💡Hidden Abilities
💡Overgrow
💡Samurott
💡Delphox
💡Torterra
💡Leaf Guard
Highlights
Starter Pokémon are often beloved and memorable, but their competitive viability varies greatly.
Some starter Pokémon receive special treatment like mega evolution, gigantex forms, and regional forms to remain competitive.
The video discusses the worst starter Pokémon in terms of competitive gameplay.
Septile is criticized for its lack of utility despite its speed, due to a weak move set and frailness.
Emboar is considered slow and less viable compared to other fire-type starters like Infernape and Blaziken.
Oshawott is described as not very fast or strong, with no unique features setting it apart from other water-type Pokémon.
Torterra is highlighted as the weakest of its generation with a quadruple weakness to ice.
Delphox's mediocrity is attributed to its unremarkable speed and special attack stats, and lack of a strong ability.
Samurott is labeled as one of the worst starters due to its poor stats and unimpressive ability Shell Armor.
Rowlet's evolution, Decidueye, suffers from a lack of competitive advantages and a weak ability Long Reach.
Meganium is revealed as the worst starter Pokémon of all time, with low offensive stats and a non-impactful ability, Leaf Guard.
The video suggests that not all starter Pokémon need to be competitively strong, acknowledging their iconic status.
Some starter Pokémon have received buffs over the years, like Septile with the move Shed Tail.
Mega evolution significantly improved the viability of some starters, such as Mega Sceptile.
The introduction of new forms and abilities in Pokémon Legends: Arceus offered some starters a second chance at competitiveness.
The video creator emphasizes the hard work put into each video and encourages viewers to subscribe for more content.
Transcripts
starter Pokémon are some of the most
beloved and memorable in the entire
series I mean every game literally
starts with you picking one to be your
partner to make sure these Pokémon feel
special they're across the board pretty
good some are perhaps a little bit too
good and when they aren't doing so well
gamefreak tends to give them special
treatment with mega evolution gigantex
forms and Regional forms but not all
starter Pokemon have been treated this
way some are out here begging for scraps
while Charizard stuffs itself silly and
that got me think thinking what is the
worst starter Pokémon of all time before
anybody tries to beat me up in an alley
for saying that their favorite starter
Pokémon sucks keep in mind that I'm
talking strictly about competitive
Pokémon here I love a lot of the Pokémon
on this list but that doesn't stop them
from being dogwater competitively okay
nobody's going to get mad at me right
okay first on our list is septile ah I
can already hear the comments yelling at
me listen it's not as bad as you think
I'm starting from least bad and moving
up I've selected five starter Pokémon
that are really bad but not quite the
worst and then I'll share the top three
worst starter Pokémon of all time septi
is on here because well it just isn't
very good as a pure grass type Pokemon
it has a number of weaknesses and
there's a bunch of types that resist it
septi main selling point is its speed
it's faster than most Pokémon the
problem is it doesn't really have a way
to make use of this septile has the same
attack stat as quell marom and thwacky
you know middle stage starter Pokémon to
compensate it also has less special
attack than Haunter not Gengar Haunter
and unlike many grass type Pokemon it
doesn't have the supporting move set to
really mess with your opponent's
strategy it doesn't get Spore or sleep
powder either of which would actually
make it really threatening on top of all
that septile is frail if it gets hit
with any super effective move it'll do a
grov vile impression from Pokemon
Mystery Dungeon and vanish all starter
Pokémon of a type have the same ability
overgrow for grass Blaze for fire and
torrent for water their hidden abilities
though can vary and these can have a a
pretty big impact in septile case its
hidden ability is some kind of sick joke
it's unburden which doubles its speed
stat once septile has consumed Whatever
item it's holding while for some Pokemon
doubling their speed is a big deal speed
was the only stat septile didn't have to
worry about thanks game freak now
septile has gotten buffed over the years
most recently it was given the move shed
tail that despite being a great move did
nothing to improve septi viability the
more meaningful buff was the
introduction of meas septile now a grass
and dragon type mega septile was even
faster got a lot more special attack and
a massive 10 points to its defense the
only increase to its bulk on the plus
side it did get the ability lightning
rod which actually is a big upgrade Mega
septile is by far the best septile has
ever been which is still uh let me check
uh not very good while you could do some
cheeky Shenanigans with like choice
scarf discharge to make it stronger it
was just so frail that using it was a
liability grass and dragon both being
weak to ice meant even weak moves like
icy wind were a huge threat and the
addition of two new weaknesses in dragon
and fairy didn't make things any easier
since you could only Mega Evolve one
Pokémon per battle it isn't hard to see
why Mega septile wasn't worth using
speaking of not worth using let's talk
about one of the most beaded starter
Pokémon of all time embor as the third
firefighting starter in a row embor
received a lot of negativity when it
released and its Public Image did not
improve once players started using it
while Infernape and blazekin look cool
and are fast and strong capable of using
their good offensive typing to overwhelm
opponents embor is slow and looks well
goofy now the good thing about being
slower is that typically Pokémon that
are not so fast tend to be much bulkier
to compensate embor seems to have missed
the memo on this one while it does have
a lot of HP its defense and special
defense stats are like seeing a Band in
concert that isn't very good live they
leave a lot to be desired embor is
strong and its hidden ability can make
it even stronger Reckless Powers up all
moves that have recoil like flare Blitz
and wild charge while the damage boost
is nice more damage means more recoil
damage making it even harder to keep
embor alive basically if you want to use
embor you need to use the move trick
room which lets slow Pokémon move before
fast ones but mmore actually isn't even
slow enough to really take advantage of
trick room it's got this awful speed
stat where it's slower than anything
even average speed but faster than the
slow Pokemon that tend to thrive in
trick room like aongus despite all of
embor shortcomings there is one player
who believed in it more than any other
this player used embor to win their
first event a regional back in 2011 and
then brought embor to the World
Championships finishing sixth who was
this player well by the way if you've
made it this far into the video uh just
a little reminder to check and see if
you're subscribed I work really hard on
every video I put out and many videos
actually have over a 100 hours of work
total put into them across me and my
team so if you want to support the
channel or see more of my stuff I'd
really appreciate it if you did just
subscribe uh the good thing is that
you're definitely not going to regret it
as I talk about the next Pokémon on our
list for alligator okay I do feel like
people are going to be mad at me about
this one too but I'm not here to tell
you what you want to hear I'm here to
tell you the truth ver alligator more
like garbor ver alligator is a pure
water type Pokémon wow how original even
though it's not as slow as embor I mean
it's still not very fast and while it
bulk is well not great but at least
better than the Pokemon we've talked
about thus far it's somehow super weak
it's a gator but they didn't give it any
attack why the issue with feraligator
and this is going to be true with a lot
of Pokémon on our list is that there's
nothing that really makes it unique for
example some of you may know that
feraligator gets Dragon Dance but if you
want a water type dragon dance Pokémon
you're better off using Gyarados if you
want to foro setup and instead run an
offensive item in for alligator like I
don't know choice band you'd probably
rather use a zerel if you want a bulky
water type well there are a ton of
better options like my loic or gastrodon
I could go on but you probably get the
point there's really nothing that makes
feraligator better than its peers I
guess the one thing worth mentioning is
that it does get the ability Shear Force
which in my opinion is one of the
weirdest abilities in the game cheer 4
says hey if this Pokémon uses a move
that has some sort of secondary effect
that could activate forget about that
secondary effect and take a damage boost
instead the reason I say it's weird is
that for whatever reason it works with
life orb life orb is an item that gives
all the users moves a 30% damage
increase in exchange for 10% of their
Max Health every time they hit something
and for whatever reason this 10% recoil
effect is counted as a secondary effect
for sheer force meaning you keep the
damage Boost from Life orb without
losing any health while this is a really
great combination for sheer force users
generally it isn't enough to save our
strong jawed friend for alligator just
isn't fast or strong enough to make use
of this powerful interaction and that's
probably the reason its results page
looks like this this is actually an
identical results page to our next
Pokemon tort Tera torta is a grass and
ground type Pokemon that unfortunately
is by far the weakest of its generation
while Infernape is fast and strong and
imp poon has a great ability and cool
typing tort Tera got stuck with a
quadruple weakness to ice and a great
role in detective Pikachu T is the first
Pokémon on our list to actually have
respectable bulk while it isn't absurd
it is tanky enough that it should be
somewhat difficult to get rid of it if
you don't have the Right Moves its
attack isn't good per se but it is
usable especially since torta gets some
high damage moves but that's about where
the good news ends torta is super slow
which like I mentioned earlier would
imply you prefer to use it in trick room
but because it isn't strong enough you'd
never use it over an actual trick room
attacker that can you know do damage
with its quadruple weakness to ice and
weaknesses to Fire and flying though
using it outside of trick room isn't
much easier in scarlet and violet Tor
Tera was given shell smash a powerful
move that doubles the user speed attack
and special attack stats and there was
talk about whether this would finally
allow tort Tera to well maybe not
dominate but at least do something it
would not unfortunately torta is so slow
that even doubling its speed doesn't
allow it to outrun many of the faster
threats in the format not to mention it
is so vulnerable on the turn you use
shell smash since the move also lowers
your defenses so despite this buff and
gaining access to the powerful new move
headlong Rush torta still hasn't been
able to do anything ironically there
were a few weeks back in 2015 where
Grotle Tor tera's pre-evolution was a
major threat it was used as an endgame
demon using leech seed and synthesis to
keep itself alive as it gradually
Whitted opponent's teams out of HP as a
pure grass type it doesn't have that
quadruple ice weakness and it's actually
really tanky with the Evite item which
it can use because it isn't fully
evolved it didn't like take offer
anything and I don't think it got any
like super good results but it's the
only time that I can think of where
anything close to torta was relevant
which brings us to our final member
before we talk about the three worst
starter Pokémon of all time delox delox
is a fire and psychic type that is one
of the most forgettable starter Pokémon
ever it's designed to be a fast and
strong special attacker but it isn't
fast enough or strong enough to work
very well while also not being bulky
enough to do anything else when Del Fox
released it was one of only two Pokemon
that could use the move mystical fire a
middling power move that lowers the
target special attack stat and this move
was basically the only reason you'd ever
want to use Del Fox unfortunately
mystical fire was changed in later games
to be usable by way more Pokémon
including the number one Pokémon in the
game taking away Del Fox's only real
special trick fire and psychic are okay
typing at least they work together well
offensively as no type resists both fire
and psychic and defensively they do all
right too providing seven resistances in
exchange for five weaknesses
unfortunately Del Fox's stats just
aren't good enough to bring out the
typing's full potential one thing that
could have saved Del Fox is its hidden
ability with a great ability like
drought or psychic surge it would have
actually been usable instead Del Fox got
magician and if you don't know what
magician does you aren't alone off the
top of my head I could not tell you with
100% certainty after doing some research
I figured out that the way that magician
works is it allows the user to steal the
item of whatever Pokemon it hits while
stealing items sounds good in theory it
only works if the user isn't holding an
item so if you want to get any value out
of magician you either need to run no
item or an item that can be consumed if
Del Fox were bulkier it could be a
decent user of citrus Berry to recover
HP and then steal an item but
unfortunately giving delox a citrus
Berry is like giving a toddler a Ferrari
it won't be able to use it very well
your only real option is the focus sash
which won't even activate every battle
and even if it does delox could get
knocked out before it has a chance to
move if delox is a magician it's like a
kid who got baby's first magic kit and
they're so bad you can see exactly how
they're doing the trick but you want to
encourage them them so you pretend to be
amazed anyway all right enough talking
about mid Pokemon you didn't come here
to learn about what the almost worst
starter Pokémon were you want to know
about the bottom of the barrel the
starter Pokemon game Freak should issue
an apology over for messing up so badly
and what better place to start are worst
of the worst than with a Pokemon with
two forms and no hope samuro samuro is a
pure water type Pokemon from Unova that
just sucks it basically has everything
that was wrong with FR alligator but
it's somehow even worse probably the
biggest issue with samuro are its stats
it doesn't do a single thing well it
isn't strong enough to be a sweeper it
isn't bulky enough to be a tank and it
isn't fast or slow enough to be useful
inside or outside of trick room if you
want a Pokemon to be below average at
everything samuro is a great place to
start but stats aren't the whole story
what about samur Ro's ability plenty of
Pokémon are saved by their ability right
well Samurai's ability is good in a
vacuum it's shell armor which prevents
it from getting critical hit the thing
is shell Armor gets more value the
tankier a Pokémon is as they'll stick
around for longer meaning more and more
potential crits get negated
unfortunately as we've already
established samuro isn't that bulky of a
Pokemon what about its moves well they
aren't bad but they're pretty much
exactly what you'd expect it gets all
the water and ice moves that come
standard with your water type in the
mail it doesn't have really any
meaningful coverage moves outside of
like Grass Knot that's that's actually
kind of it it is worth noting that
samuro actually placed third at the
world championships in 2011 a fact I
completely forgot about until uh just
now this is because back in 2011 you
could only use Pokémon that were
catchable in black and White's Pokedex
and there were way way fewer good water
types than usual unfortunately after
2011 samuro was never seen again but
samuro got another chance at life when
the Pokémon from Legends arus were added
to scarlet and violet as Hui and samuro
was a new take on on the Narwhal now a
water and dark type its new stats oh
they're somehow even worse it's a little
stronger and faster now but still not
fast enough to outspeed anything and
they actually made it even frailer at
the very least Hui and samur Ro's
ability is better now being sharpness
boosting the power of specific cutting
moves by 50% which is actually a big
deal and huian samuro gets a signature
move called ceaseless Edge that both
does damage and sets up the entry Hazard
spikes when ever it hits something while
this is a cool move it still hasn't made
it worth it for anybody to actually use
Hui and samro especially with so many
better water type Pokemon available I
feel like they got so close with huian
samro with the better typing ability and
move pool but by changing the stats to
be even worse than they already were
they've doomed it to obscurity but
obscurity would be a kindness compared
to the state of our number two worst
starter Pokémon of all time deui this
one especially makes me mad because
design-wise
rocks an owl Archer and it evolves from
rowlet which is one of the best recent
gen starters in my opinion let's not
talk about dartrix anyway they did deui
so dirty just like samuro most of the