Scarlet and Violet starter ranking: The best stats and move pools

Ivan Frigato Published May 23, 2024

Fans are revisiting older Pokemon games following the announcement of Legends: Z-A, and there are new debates in Scarlet and Violet starter rankings. Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet released in 2022 but still garners many players. It helps that the developer GameFreak is still releasing new Tera raid events where players can grab game exclusive Pokemon with special typing.

Which starter Pokemon should you choose for your new run? Is there a good Scarlet and Violet starter ranking system? The options are the grass-type Sprigatito, fire-type Fuecoco, and water-type Quaxly. Here are some factors for each Pokemon to take into account along with stats and move pools.

If you’re more into competitive gaming, you can’t go wrong with Sprigatito

Though many players may hate a bipedal cat, Sprigatito’s later evolutions make it the best competitive Pokemon in a Scarlet and Violet starter ranking.

Sprigatito begins as a grass-type but picks up an additional dark-typing when it evolves into Meowscarada. This dark-typing allows it to take moves like Knock Off and Sucker Punch, along with the evolution-unlocked signature move Flower Trick. Flower Trick always hits and always crits, breaking through any defensive set-up quickly. With U-turn and Play Rough as standard evolved moves, Meowscarada is a strong addition to any competitive team.

Sprigatito may be hammered with story beats, with an early Bug-type Gym and Fire-type Star Base. The Titans may be a more manageable first track. Players should aim to rely on the evolutionary line’s naturally high speed to avoid super effective attacks.

With a speed stat of 123, Meowscarada is far faster than the average Pokemon and one of the fastest in SV. Many fans believe that the Sprigatito line’s speed and powerful moves make up for a low HP (a max of 76 for Meowscarada) and list of weaknesses.

Still, Sprigatito is a good starter choice for Pokemon: SV that can become an excellent competitive Pokemon.

Fuecoco sweeps early and late gameplay in the Scarlet and Violet starter ranking

A Fire-type Pokemon starter can never go wrong, and the Fuecoco line is no exception. It joins the generally limited Fire-type Pokemon in any given Pokemon game and thus naturally has an advantage – both in-game and in the Scarlet and Violet starter ranking.

Upon reaching the final evolution of Skeledirge, it gains an additional ghost-typing that make it immune to both Normal and Fighting types. Skeledirge also has the highest HP of any starter Pokemon and the highest Special Attack of the Scarlet/Violet set (104 and 110, respectively). Skeledirge’s signature move, Torch Song, boosts its Special Attack with every use. If the opposing trainer doesn’t have an answer, it can sweep entire teams with ease. Other coverage moves like Earth Power or Solar Beam can be learned from TMs.

Fuecoco’s eventually Fire/Ghost-typing is also helpful for several story paths. The first two gyms are Bug-type and Grass-type, while the last three are Psychic, Ghost, and Ice-type. Fuecoco might have a little bit of a harder time against the first Titan (Rock), but Skeledirge should have no problem beating the final two Star Bases.

The Fuecoco line’s only major drawback seems to be its low speed compared to the other starter Pokemon. However, its all-around performance in SV lends itself to progressing through the game easily.

Quaxly may not be high in the Scarlet and Violet starter ranking, but it’s certainly fun

Though not as powerful as the Fuecoco or Sprigatito lines, Quaxly has decent stats and a cute design. Its final evolution, Quaquaval, is one of only a few Water/Fighting-type Pokemon in the entire series.

Quaquaval’s typing allows the Pokemon to have more super-effective attacks and less weaknesses than Sprigatito. It also boasts the highest attack stat of the three final evolutions, sitting at 120. Most notably, Quaxly learns how to dance as it grows into Quaxwell. As Quaquaval, it dances between moves to intimidate opponents.

Players using Quaxly would do best to go through the Star Camps, where the second camp is fire-type. They could also follow the Titans to hit a Rock-type giant first and Ground-type beast third.

Will Quaxly be the most competitive starter Pokemon? Most likely not. Is it the weakest in the Scarlet and Violet starter ranking? Yes. Will you still be able to have a good time with a dancing duck? Probably yes.

Which Pokemon starter should you choose?

Fuecoco tops any Scarlet and Violet starter ranking list. It’s the best starter Pokemon in for those who want an easy game progression and enjoy being powerful. With its high HP and special attack as well as immunities with Skeledirge, Fuecoco holds a lot of promise.

Of course, neither Sprigatito nor Quaxly would be a bad choice. Whatever your starter Pokemon, you’ll be able to complete Pokemon: Scarlet/Violet and any DLCs you’d like.