Ranking The Best Grass-Type Pokémon Starters

Chloe Fitzgerald

7 min read

Post on May 14, 2025

4.2

Share

Bulbasaur (Gen 1): The Classic Grass Starter

Bulbasaur, the very first Grass-type starter, holds a special place in many players' hearts. Its classic design and reliable performance have cemented its status as a fan favorite.

Strengths:

• Excellent early-game bulk: Bulbasaur boasts surprisingly high HP and Defense for a starter, allowing it to withstand early-game attacks more effectively than some of its counterparts. This makes it a solid choice for players who prefer a more defensive playstyle.
• Access to powerful STAB moves: With access to strong STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) moves like Razor Leaf and Vine Whip, Bulbasaur can deal significant damage early on. These moves are readily available, providing a consistent offensive presence.
• Learns valuable support moves: Bulbasaur's access to support moves like Sleep Powder and Synthesis adds another dimension to its utility. Sleep Powder can control the tempo of battles, while Synthesis provides crucial HP recovery.
• Evolution into Venusaur, a formidable tank: Venusaur's high Special Attack and bulk make it a formidable force in battle. Its signature move, Solar Beam, is incredibly powerful when used strategically.

Weaknesses:

• Can be slow: Bulbasaur and its evolutions are known for their relatively low Speed stat, making them vulnerable to faster opponents.
• Vulnerable to Fire and Flying-type attacks: Grass-type Pokémon's weakness to Fire and Flying-type moves is a common challenge, and Bulbasaur is no exception. Careful team building is crucial.
• Early-game reliance on Vine Whip: While Vine Whip is a solid early-game move, it can become less effective as the game progresses. Strategic move-set planning is important for long-term effectiveness.

Chikorita (Gen 2): The Underdog Grass Starter

Often overlooked, Chikorita offers a unique playstyle focusing on special attack power. While not as immediately impressive as some other starters, its potential shouldn't be underestimated.

Strengths:

• High Special Attack stat: Chikorita's high Special Attack stat shines through as it evolves, making it a potent special attacker. This sets it apart from other more physically-focused Grass-type starters.
• Access to powerful moves like Giga Drain and Energy Ball: These powerful STAB moves provide excellent offensive coverage and HP recovery. Giga Drain is particularly useful for sustainability.
• Evolves into Meganium, a solid special attacker with decent bulk: Meganium, while not the most competitive Pokémon, provides reliable special attack power coupled with reasonable defenses.

Weaknesses:

• Lower base stats compared to other starters: Chikorita's overall base stats are relatively low compared to some of its contemporaries, making it slightly more fragile.
• Can struggle against faster opponents: Its lower Speed stat can be a significant drawback, making it vulnerable to being outsped and outdamaged.
• Its final evolution, Meganium, is less competitively viable than others: Compared to other fully evolved Grass-type starters, Meganium is often considered less competitive in higher-level battles.

Treecko (Gen 3): The Agile Grass Starter

Treecko and its evolutions are known for their incredible speed and physical attacking prowess, offering a fast-paced, offensive playstyle.

Strengths:

• High Speed stat: Treecko's incredibly high Speed stat, carried throughout its evolution line, allows it to outspeed many opponents and strike first.
• Learns powerful physical attacks like Leaf Blade and X-Scissor: These powerful physical STAB moves are highly effective, providing consistent damage output.
• Evolution line boasts excellent Speed and Attack: Grovyle and Sceptile retain the impressive speed and power, making it a consistent offensive threat.
• Sceptile’s Mega Evolution provides a substantial boost: Mega Sceptile receives a significant stat boost, transforming it into a powerful sweeper.

Weaknesses:

• Relatively frail: Despite its high speed, Treecko and its evolutions have relatively low defense stats, leaving them vulnerable to powerful attacks.
• Vulnerable to Fire-type attacks: As with most Grass-type Pokémon, Treecko's line is weak against Fire-type attacks. Careful strategy is needed to counter this weakness.

Turtwig (Gen 4): The Defensive Grass Starter

Turtwig represents a more defensive approach to Grass-type starters, emphasizing bulk and strategic gameplay.

Strengths:

• Excellent defensive typing: Turtwig's Grass/Ground typing offers surprisingly good defensive coverage, making it resistant to several common attack types.
• High Defense and Special Defense stats: Turtwig’s high defensive stats make it a sturdy Pokémon capable of withstanding a lot of punishment.
• Learns powerful moves like Giga Drain and Earthquake: Giga Drain offers both damage and healing, while Earthquake provides powerful coverage against common threats.
• Torterra's high defense makes it a reliable tank: Torterra's high Defense stat and good HP make it a formidable wall, absorbing attacks and allowing teammates to capitalize.

Weaknesses:

• Lower Speed stat: Turtwig's low Speed stat means it often acts last in combat, limiting its offensive potential.
• Can be outsped and outdamaged by faster opponents: Its slower nature means it struggles against faster, more offensive Pokémon.

Snivy (Gen 5): The Elegant Grass Starter

Snivy’s graceful design hides a potent special attacker within. Its high speed and devastating special moves make it a force to be reckoned with.

Strengths:

• High Special Attack stat: Snivy boasts a high Special Attack stat, carrying over to its fully evolved form, Serperior. This makes it incredibly powerful in special attacks.
• Access to a wide range of special moves: Snivy learns a vast array of powerful special moves, allowing for diverse strategic options.
• Serperior boasts excellent speed and special attack: Serperior's high Speed and Special Attack stats make it a potent special sweeper.

Weaknesses:

• Fragile defense: Serperior's defensive stats are lacking, making it vulnerable to physical attacks.
• Can struggle against physically offensive opponents: Its low defenses make it susceptible to strong physical attackers.

Chespin (Gen 6): The Quirky Grass Starter

Chespin distinguishes itself with incredible bulk and strong physical attacks, offering a unique blend of offense and defense.

Strengths:

• High Defense stat: Chespin possesses incredibly high Defense stats, making it highly resilient against physical attacks. This characteristic is retained throughout its evolution line.
• Access to powerful physical and special moves: Chesnaught, its final evolution, can access both powerful physical and special moves, offering versatility.
• Chesnaught boasts incredible bulk and powerful physical attacks: Chesnaught’s remarkable bulk and strong physical attacks make it a formidable opponent.

Weaknesses:

• Lower speed: Chesnaught's lower Speed stat can make it a target for faster opponents.
• Can be outsped by many opponents: Because of its low Speed stat, Chesnaught often acts last in battle, placing it at a disadvantage.

Rowlet (Gen 7): The Owl Grass Starter

Rowlet's dual Grass/Flying typing and unique abilities set it apart.

Strengths:

• Unique typing with Flying: The Grass/Flying typing offers excellent offensive and defensive coverage against various Pokémon types.
• Access to powerful STAB moves: Rowlet and its evolution line learn numerous strong STAB moves.
• Decidueye's signature move, Spirit Shackle, is incredibly powerful: Spirit Shackle prevents the opponent from switching Pokémon, allowing for powerful follow-up attacks.

Weaknesses:

• Can be frail: Despite its offensive power, Decidueye remains relatively fragile, susceptible to strong attacks.
• Decidueye's reliance on Spirit Shackle can be countered: Opponents can counter Spirit Shackle with certain strategies.

Grookey (Gen 8): The Drumming Grass Starter

Grookey brings a high-powered physical attack approach to the Grass-type starter line.

Strengths:

• High Attack stat: Grookey boasts impressive Attack stats that carry over to its evolution line, making it a potent physical attacker.
• Access to powerful physical moves: Rillaboom has access to a powerful arsenal of physical moves.
• Rillaboom offers both incredible offense and supportive capabilities through its signature move: Rillaboom's signature move, Drum Beating, offers both offensive power and the ability to boost its own Attack stat.

Weaknesses:

• Can be weak to Flying and Fire types: As with most Grass-types, Rillaboom is vulnerable to these types.
• Low defense can be exploited by powerful opponents: Rillaboom's defenses are relatively low, leaving it vulnerable to powerful physical and special attacks.

Conclusion: Choosing Your Champion Grass-Type Pokémon Starter

Choosing the "best" Grass-type Pokémon starter is subjective and depends on individual playstyles. However, this ranking considers competitive viability, movepool, and overall effectiveness. While Bulbasaur offers classic reliability, others like Treecko and Grookey provide unique strategic advantages. Ultimately, the best Grass-type Pokémon starter for you will depend on your preferred play style and the challenges you face. So, pick your favorite and embark on your Pokémon journey! Which Grass-type Pokémon starter is your personal champion? Let us know in the comments!