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Nintendo SwitchStarter GuideScarlet / Violet + DLC
Best Pokémon Starter Guide
Scarlet and Violet 2026
Sprigatito, Fuecoco or Quaxly — which starter to choose for your playstyle, the story, and competitive. Honest comparison above the fold.
Last updated: May 2026 · Scarlet / Violet · Indigo Disk DLC included
⚡ Instant Answer
Which Starter to Pick
Best for beginners: Fuecoco (Fire). Evolves into Skeledirge — bulky, easy to use, fantastic special attack. Ghost/Fire typing in its final form gives excellent coverage. The story is most forgiving with a Skeledirge.
Best for competitive: Sprigatito (Grass). Meowscarada's Grass/Dark typing and high speed tier (Speed: 123) make it one of the best lead Pokémon in competitive. Protean hidden ability changes your type to match your move for strong STAB on everything.
Best for style: Quaxly (Water). Quaquaval (Water/Fighting) hits hard and looks great. Competitively viable but more situational than the other two.
All three starters are viable for the entire story. The choice rarely causes a fail state — pick based on which design you like and read below for what each brings.
Difficulty
Any starter works
01 — Fuecoco — Best for Story
Fuecoco is the easiest starter to use through the main story. It evolves into Crocalor at level 16 and Skeledirge at level 36. Skeledirge is a Ghost/Fire type with 104 base Special Attack and 99 base HP — it is one of the bulkiest and hardest-hitting final starters in the game.
| Stat | Skeledirge | Notes |
|---|
| HP | 104 | Second highest HP of the three starters. Survives hits that would one-shot faster Pokémon. |
| Special Attack | 110 | Excellent. Torch Song is its signature move — Fire-type, 80 power, always raises SpAtk by 1 stage. |
| Speed | 66 | Slow. Fuecoco is a tank, not a sweeper. You will often take hits. Plan for this. |
| Typing | Fire / Ghost | Only weak to Ground, Rock, Water, Dark, Ghost. Ghost immunity to Normal and Fighting is extremely useful against the story. |
🔥 Fuecoco Signature Move
Torch Song is one of the best moves in the game. It raises your Special Attack every time you use it, and a Skeledirge with +2 SpAtk is often a run-ending condition for opponents. Paired with Leftovers or a Shell Bell for recovery, this makes Skeledirge a consistent story-clearing machine.
02 — Sprigatito — Best for Competitive
Sprigatito evolves into Floragato at level 16 and Meowscarada at level 36. Meowscarada is a Grass/Dark type with 123 base Speed — fast enough to outspeed most of the competitive tier without investment — and access to the Protean hidden ability.
| Stat | Meowscarada | Notes |
|---|
| Speed | 123 | Fastest of the three starters. Outspeeds the majority of Scarlet/Violet competitive tier without any EV investment. |
| Attack | 110 | Physical attacker. Flower Trick (signature move, always crits, never misses) is exceptional. |
| Special Attack | 70 | Low. Build physically or mixed at most. |
| HP / Defense | 76 / 70 | Frail. Gets one-shot by strong super-effective moves. Play it as a lead sweeper, not a tank. |
| Hidden Ability | Protean | Changes your type to match your move before it hits — giving STAB (50% damage bonus) on every move you use. |
🏏 Getting Protean
Protean is a hidden ability and not available in the base game without specific breeding or catching. The most reliable route in 2026 is trading for a Sprigatito with Protean on the GTS or from a raid. For story play, its regular abilities (Overgrow, Magician) are fine — Protean is a competitive upgrade only.
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03 — Quaxly — Best Style Pick
Quaxly evolves into Quaxwell at level 16 and Quaquaval at level 36. Quaquaval is a Water/Fighting type with a fun, high-energy playstyle built around Aqua Step — a Water-type move that raises Speed every time it hits.
| Stat | Quaquaval | Notes |
|---|
| Attack | 120 | Highest Attack of the three starters. Hard-hitting physical attacker. |
| Speed | 85 | Moderate. Faster than Skeledirge, slower than Meowscarada. Aqua Step raises Speed further in-battle. |
| HP | 85 | Reasonable but not as bulky as Skeledirge. |
| Typing | Water / Fighting | Good offensive typing. Weak to Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, Fairy. Covers Rock, Fire, Normal, Ice, Steel, Dark. |
Quaquaval is genuinely strong but sits slightly below the other two in both story ease (it is not as tanky as Skeledirge) and competitive tier (it is not as fast or ability-dependent as Meowscarada). It is the correct pick if you simply like how it looks and plays — which is a completely valid reason in a Pokémon game.
04 — Which Gyms Does Each Starter Help With
| Gym / Boss | Type | Best Starter | Notes |
|---|
| Katy (Bug) | Bug | Fuecoco | Fire destroys Bug. Sprigatito (Grass) is also effective. |
| Brassius (Grass) | Grass | Quaxly | Water and Fire both handle Grass well. Fuecoco slightly easier. |
| Iono (Electric) | Electric | Fuecoco | Ghost typing makes Skeledirge immune to Thunder Wave — no paralysis cheese from the AI. |
| Kofu (Water) | Water | Sprigatito | Grass is super-effective against Water. Meowscarada or Floragato dominant here. |
| Larry (Normal) | Normal | Any | Skeledirge is immune to Normal moves. Easiest gym in the game regardless of starter. |
| Ryme (Ghost) | Ghost | Quaxly | Meowscarada is Ghost-weak. Normal types are immune to Ghost — Quaquaval has coverage. |
| Tulip (Psychic) | Psychic | Sprigatito / Fuecoco | Meowscarada (Dark) is immune to Psychic moves. Skeledirge resists. Quaquaval is weak. |
| Grusha (Ice) | Ice | Fuecoco | Fire is super-effective against Ice. Skeledirge handles this gym cleanly. |
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