Best Starters in PokeRogue: Best Trio for Classic Mode

Rally the best possible starting team with the best starters in PokeRogue!

One of the most important decisions you’ll be making in Pokemon games is choosing your starter. In PokeRogue, you get to choose 3, sometimes fewer. 

With a limited budget and altered starter costs, planning and strategy are essential if you want to beat Classic.

In this guide, I’ll show you the best trio of starters I spam for Classic mode and why they are currently your best options.

We’ll also cover other great choices for flexibility and which starters deserve to accompany you on your journey.

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Top 3 Starters in PokeRogue (Classic Mode)

Before revealing our best starter trio, it’s important to consider the recent changes to the starter costs. 

Previously, all regional starters only cost 3 points. However, with the updates, some of them now cost 4 points, others 3 points, and poor Chikorita is valued at only 2 points.

That’s why I find this trio combination to be the best possible use of my starter points in the current META. 

I’ll also take a look at this topic from a beginner’s standpoint. This means we’ll only be using the original regional starters (with unchanged costs) that everyone has access to, including fresh accounts.

Starter #1: Bulbasaur

If your aim is to beat Classic for the first time, then Bulbasaur is a no-brainer. It evolves into Venusaur, which is a bulky Grass/Poison type that deals decent special damage and damage over time.

Related: How to Obtain All 3 Starter Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen

But the main reason why you want to bring it along is because Venusaur hard counters Eternatus. It can take Eternatus’ hits while chipping it down with Leech Seed over time. 

You could argue Chikorita, but it gets easily killed by Sludge Bomb Eternatus. Torterra doesn’t have any access to any battle gimmicks.

Meanwhile, you have access to Gigantamax and Mega Venusaur, which are two super-strong forms. 

When you get its mega ability, Thick Fat, Venusaur is now more resistant to Ice- and Fire-type attacks, making it an unstoppable tank. All of these combined make Venusaur an MVP-caliber starter for Classic.

Starter #2: Fuecoco

Fuecoco is the type of starter that can easily melt through the entire game. It evolves into Skeledirge with an awesome Fire/Ghost typing and access to Torch Song. 

Torch Song makes Skeledirge the embodiment of a fire that consumes everything in its way, growing even stronger in the process.

Each time Torch Song lands, Skeledirge’s special attack increases. With Shadow Ball, Hyper Voice, and Will-O-Wisp, this cute croc turns into the game’s most lethal Fire-type. 

I once had a run where I was able to pick up a Multi Lens for Skeledirge. Two special attack boosts in one turn are completely bonkers and sweep through the game. Don’t even get me started on unlocking its Punk Rock passive.

Starter #3: Piplup

This choice might come as a surprise to most of you, but hear me out, okay? Why not Inteleon, Blastoise, or Swampert? The simple answer? 

Empoleon’s Water/Steel typing is your key to victory in Classic and fits best with this trio.

Empoleon’s offense is nothing to scoff at, but its defensive typing is what truly makes it great. With Water/Steel typing, you resist both of Eternatus’ STAB moves. You also counter your rival’s Rayquaza with its Dragon and Flying moves.

On the other hand, Empoleon picks up Whirlpool through level-up. Moves that deal damage for multiple turns are amazing against Eternatus. 

If you pick up an Ice Beam TM, Empoleon will do more than just hold its own against the final boss.

Honorable Mentions

Besides these three, you also have other viable options, especially for your water-type. Here are some of the other starters you can consider for Classic mode.

• Squirtle: You can never go wrong with this little guy. Squirtle evolves into Blastoise, a solid Pokemon on both offense and defense. It also has access to G-Max and Mega forms. 
• Sobble: Sobble is also a great choice if you want more fire… err, waterpower. Its special attack and speed make it a lethal weapon with deadeye accuracy. Running G-Max Inteleon is one of the fastest ways to clear floors.
• Sprigatito: When this cute feline evolves into Meowscarada, things take a sharp turn. Its signature move, Flower Trick, never misses and always lands a critical hit. It also learns Play Rough to take down dragons. Knock Off is a powerful Dark-type move that can cripple bosses with items.
• Quaxly: The reason why Quaxly is not in the best trio is because of its cost. But with Aqua Step, the Water-type counterpart of Torch Song that boosts speed instead, it becomes a game-changer. Unlock Moxie on this thing and see how it can be one of the most broken Pokemon for Classic.

Conclusion

Those are the best starters for PokeRogue. The incredible trio of Fuecoco, Bulbasaur, and Piplup are designed to cover most types and counter Classic’s final boss, Eternatus.

Those Pokemon are definitely all you need to get started on your PokeRogue journey.

Remember, you can experiment with different starters and unlock more abilities and egg moves for them by earning Eggs and Candies.