Best Gen 2 Starter Pokémon, ranked

Generation Two was a special time for the Pokémon franchise. The sequel to the original 1996 smash hit introduced over 100 new Pokémon to the series, three of which were starter Pokémon. If you’re just starting and want to know which Pokémon is for you, this ranking system might help.

Ranking the Generation Two starter Pokémon

As it has been with every iteration of Pokémon, the game will start players out with three choices: a Grass-type, a Fire-type, and a Water-type Pokémon. Certain parts of the story will be easier, depending on which one you start the game with.

Best starter Pokémon to begin with

We ranked these Pokémon according to how powerful and newbie-friendly they are, especially in the early parts of the game.

3) Chikorita

While Chikorita can hold its own in battle, starting with this Pokémon can be difficult. Chikorita is inherently weak to the first two gym leaders, necessitating you to acquire new Pokémon early in the game to clear the early parts of the story. However, Chikorita has the highest defense and special defense stats of the three starters, making the Pokémon a great tank as you level it up.

2) Totodile

Totodile is the perfect balanced starter to begin with. The Pokémon starts with balanced attack and defense stats, although its speed isn’t quite the best. Totodile’s moveset consists of Normal, Water, Dark, and Ice attacks, providing much coverage against different types of enemies. Totodile’s balanced offensive and defensive power makes it a great Pokémon in any lineup, and it only gets better.

1) Cyndaquil

Cyndaquil is the superior starting choice in Generation Two. While not big on defense, Cyndaquil’s high special attack and speed stats make it an offensive powerhouse, often taking out enemies early in the fight before they can muster a counterattack. If you want to breeze through the early portions of the game, Cyndaquil is the starter you want to pick.

Best starter Pokémon evolutions

We ranked these Pokémon according to their endgame potential and how well they work in competitive PvP battles.

3) Meganium

Similar to Chikorita, Meganium suffers from certain setbacks. Being a singular Grass-type Pokémon leaves it open to counterplay despite its strong defensive stats. Meganium’s moveset also doesn’t provide a lot of coverage in terms of offense. This leaves the Pokémon as a one-trick pony, relegated to being a strong tank with moves like Reflect, Light Screen, and Safeguard.

In competitive battling, Meganium is best as a support Pokémon in double battles. Its high health and defense stats allow Meganium to soak up a lot of damage for the team and heal it back with STAB moves like Giga Drain.

Another option is to build up Meganium as a staller with Leftovers. Setting up an early Leech Seed into Toxic to chip away at strong enemies while keeping Meganium alive with Protect and Synthesis is a great way to take down Pokémon with high health pools.

2) Typhlosion

Typhlosion takes the aggression of Cyndaquil and turns it up to 11. Its high special attack and speed stats are boosted even further in this final evolution, with access to strong Fire moves that benefit from Typhlosion’s type, causing high STAB damage.

For coverage, Typhlosion can also learn moves like Shadow Ball and Solar Beam, which will benefit from its high special attack stat. If you’re going down this route, we recommend holding an Expert Belt to buff any moves that end up being super effective.

A common strategy in competitive battling is boosting Typhlosion with either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs and using a powerful move like Eruption to sweep unprepared lineups. Just make sure Typhlosion is buffed before you begin your attacks.

1) Feraligatr

Feraligatr is the top choice for the best starter evolution in Generation Two regardless of the game you’re playing. If you’re playing the original Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, Feraligatr will crush most lineups with its Rage. If you’re running the Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver remakes, Feraligatr will stomp teams with moves from different types since it benefits from a variety of TMs.

A popular PvP strategy is using Feraligatr’s Sheer Force ability with the Life Orb item to further boost its damage. Using this combination with buffs like Dragon Dance into any strong physical move with a secondary effect (Ice Fang, Crunch) will ruin most lineups in no time.

Feraligatr also evolves the fastest, becoming its final form at level 30, making it easy to acquire with a little midgame level grinding.