Ah, the grass starter. The other Baldwin brother of the starter trios. More often than not, the grass starter is thought of as the worst or most boring of any given starter trio, but that really is not deserved. While they might not look like the fantastic powerhouses that fire types tend to be, or the sleek and cool water type starters, grass starters are technical and interesting. There is more to them than meets the eye when it comes to these grass-type Pokémon.
Today, we’re going to take a look at each of the main grass starters, and rank them from Chespin to best- we mean worst to best. While the iconic and number one grass boi in all of our hearts, Grookey, has been revealed as Shield and Sword’s grass-type starter, we will be evaluating these starters based upon their entire evolutionary line. Thus, Grookey will not be counted. Let’s jump right into the list at number seven.
7 Chespin
What… what is even going on here? Is there a theme? What are these things trying to be? Sure, Chespin and his weird hat are pretty cute, but the line doesn’t start out with too much of a splash at all. From there, we move on to the very round Quilladin, before ending off on Chesnaught. He sure does exist.
Who he exists for, no one really knows, but that’s not important we guess. There’s nothing interesting going on with this line at all. Boring from basic to stage two. Without a doubt, the Kalos region’s Chespin is the worst of the worst when it comes to grass starters. A very okay start that ends off with a whimper, not a bang.
6 Chikorita
After the disappointment that is Chespin, there really isn’t a bad grass starter. It is essentially who’s the best of the best for the rest of the list. Unfortunately, that honor does not go to Chikorita’s line. The sensible line has a nice progression to Bayleef before ending on Meganium.
The problem with this Johto line is that there really just isn’t much too it. The line progresses in a very standard manner, with no sort of big jump or surprise when it comes to Meganium. It’s just a natural evolution from Bayleef. While that isn’t at all bad, there just isn’t really much to make this line stand above the rest of its grass brethren.
5 Treecko
The Hoenn region really did know how to do middle evolutions didn’t it? The Treecko line is a great pick for any trainer looking for a grass-type starter. Treecko’s design is pretty good, nothing too special. And honestly, the same goes for Sceptile. It’s fine, and the Mega Evolution really just makes him more leafy.
The honor of the best stage of this line really has to go to Grovyle. The Pokémon looks fantastic, with a good mix of speed and power to him. He looks like a strong progression from Treecko that makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, Sceptile doesn’t compare to its own pre-evolution.
4 Rowlet
Rowlet deserves the world and that is that. Alola’s grass starter, Rowlet, is a precious owl that does nothing but love you unconditionally. Without a doubt, the basic stage is the highlight of this one. From there, the line just gets edgier and edgier. Dartrix really does nothing special in the slightest, and Decidueye is pretty cool.
Decidueye’s inspiration comes from an archer, which is spelled out in its exclusive Z-Move. While it is a fine evolution, it really doesn’t match the powerful energy that is unleashed anytime Rowlet waddles himself into a room. Honestly, just pop an Eviolite onto Rowlet and you’ve got yourself one powerful little boi. Give him the world. He’s earned it.
3 Bulbasaur
Ah, Bulbasaur, the cabbage we all love dearly. You know what? Ivysaur is cute and Venasaur is fine, if not a bit too much in about every single way. We aren’t going to focus on them though. Today, we’re focusing on Bulbasaur. This little boy has got it all. The looks, the power, the attitude. Bulbasaur is a perfectly designed starter, with a face you just can’t help but love.
He is absolutely an iconic Pokémon, and he deserves his status as such. It is no wonder that they ended up making a star appearance in the live-action Detective Pikachu movie. It really is just a shame that the rest of his line doesn’t live up to him, otherwise he might have landed at the number one spot on the list.
2 Snivy
The Unova region really isn’t known for its starter Pokémon, but Snivy takes the cake as the best of the bunch. The design choices in the line are actually really interesting. The snakelike design that we end off with at Serperior is really an interesting one, and isn’t a choice that we’ve seen replicated by any other starter Pokémon, or line in general, throughout the rest of the series. They chose to do something different with Black and White’s grass representative, which is why it lands at number two on this list. While a great Pokémon, there is still one final grass starter that reigns supreme above the rest.
1 Turtwig
The best of the best grass-type starter is the Sinnoh region’s Turtwig. Turtwig itself is precious, love that little man. However, when you get to Grotle… well, it’s fine. It really just looks like it has grown some bushes. However, Torterra is the best designed final stage of any grass starter there is. Essentially, Torterra becomes a walking island that even houses other Pokémon on it. This is just about the coolest final form that you could come up with for a grass-type starter Pokémon. A solid line all around, Turtwig is truly the best grass-type starter that there is.