In the Pokémon world, getting your starter is a big moment. It marks both the beginning of your adventure and of a beautiful friendship. This little critter will be your constant companion unless you callously throw it into the box because you find something along the way that looks cuter (shame on you).
As such, a lot of thought tends to go into this choice. For competitive players, one of the key factors is probably the question of power. To take a closer look at that issue, we’ve ranked the fully-evolved starter Pokémon with the highest Attack stat (in ascending order).
Updated by Chris Littlechild, April 11, 2020: As the Pokémon roster continues to expand, with the likes of Zarude and other Mythical Pokémon debuting in the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra expansions for Pokémon Sword & Shield (coming in June and Fall of 2020 respectively), it’s more important than ever to keep track of which critters are the most powerful. After all, this is many players’ deciding factor in team-building. As such, we’ve decided to revisit this article and add five more entries.
Which are the top 15 fully evolved starter Pokémon, as far as physical attack is concerned? Settle in and we’ll take a look, starting with a fan favorite from Gen VIII!
15 Inteleon: (Base 85 Attack)
Considering Inteleon’s skinny physique (heck, this thing makes The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Jack Skellington look pretty muscular), it’s probably no surprise at all that it’s super frail. As such, it’s a true glass cannon, boasting a lot of Speed (base 120) and high Special Attack (base 120).
Its physical attack is lacking at base 85, but that’s still workable. It has strong physical STAB with Liquidation and can boost its power with Swords Dance, but its lack of coverage there really lets it down.
14 Empoleon (Base 86 Attack)
Besting Inteleon by a mighty single point, it’s another Water-type fully evolved starter: Empoleon. There’s very little to choose between them as far as power goes, but Empoleon has a few assets that make it a little more of a physical threat.
It also has Swords Dance, as well as Agility to bolster its average Speed. Secondary Steel typing also gives it an additional STAB option, and its coverage is a good deal better as a result. Again, though, it’s more inclined towards attacking on the special side.
13 Greninja (Base 95 Attack)
Next, we have a significant leap in power to another Water-type starter: Greninja. Base 95 is about average, so we’re not exactly in the big leagues yet, but Greninja has all the tools it needs to deal some real damage.
Ash-Greninja notwithstanding (145 base Attack), its Hidden Ability Protean allows it make up for its lack of power on paper, essentially meaning it has STAB on every attack it uses. In tandem with solid physical moves like Water Shuriken (useful priority), Waterfall and Night Slash, a physical or mixed set can be an option for Greninja.
12 Samurott (Base 100 Attack)
That’s right, friends, our first fully evolved starter to hit the base 100 mark is yet another Water-type. There’s only the most meager difference between this critter’s Attack and Special Attack (which is base 108), making it quite a versatile mixed attacker.
Samurott learns power STAB moves on both sides of the spectrum, as well as Aqua Jet to mitigate its Speed issue. It’s a real jack of all trades in terms of general base stats, so it can be tailored to a team’s needs quite handily.
11 Infernape (Base 104 Attack)
Speaking of versatile Pokémon, Infernape is an offensive threat unlike the others we’ve seen so far. It’s a Fire-type, for one thing, which is a refreshing change. More importantly, though, its Attack and Special Attack are equal: base 104 apiece.
It has access to a wide range of moves, from priority to super strong STAB (physical and special) and supportive essentials like Stealth Rock. As a result, it’s a prized competitive Pokémon that has performed well for generations, as a lead or pure sweeper. In terms of raw power alone, though, it’s beaten out by a lot of its fellow starters, as we’re about to see.
10 Feraligatr (Base 105 Attack)
First up, it’s the fearsome, formidable and fang-tastic Feraligatr. Totodile, as fans will know, was introduced in Generation II, a Water-type starter that has gone on to become one of the most iconic Pokémon.
While Feraligatr’s Speed is a little sub-par and often lets it down, it does have some assets to help it deal major damage. Access to Dragon Dance (+1 Attack, +1 Speed), Aqua Jet priority and the Sheer Force Hidden Ability, Feraligatr can crush your hopes and dreams into spam in a heartbeat if it gets the chance.
9 Decidueye (Base 107 Attack)
Next up, we have a tie between two starters with base 107 Attack apiece). Alphabetically, Decidueye comes second, so here we are. The Arrow Quill Pokémon joined the roster in Pokémon Sun and Moon, the final evolution of the adorable Grass-type Rowlet.
Decideye is the Pokémon equivalent of the stealth archer build that every Skyrim player uses. As a result, it has that familiar Sun and Moon curse of being a good deal slower than it really ought to be. Nevertheless, its secondary Ghost-typing and access to a range of powerful moves supplements its strength well.
8 Chesnaught (Base 107 Attack)
As promised, Chesnaught also boasts 107 base Attack. Decidueye’s equally-powerful Grass starter buddy is a very different beast in every other respect, though.
Chesnaught, as you’d expect from its bulky, armored, spike-ridden body, is intended as a tank. It has high Defense and a decent amount of HP to support it. It also boasts a potent Drain Punch which it can use to syphon HP nicely with solid hits. It’s not going to be outspeeding much of anything, but Chesnaught can take a good amount of physical punishment and hit back hard.
7 Torterra (Base 109 Attack)
The often-underappreciated Torterra comes next on our list, and it’s nice to see it featured on a rundown of the best… well, anything, really.
Generation IV starter Turtwig’s final form is this formidable critter, which boasts high HP and a lot of all-around bulk. Sadly, its unique type combination (Grass/Ground) doesn’t do it many favors defensively, leaving it weak to common types like Fire and Ice (x4 in the latter case). Still, play to its strengths and it can really do some damage.
6 Swampert (Base 110 Attack)
Narrowly beating out Torterra by a measly single point, it’s another part-Ground starter: the much-beloved Swampert. Mudkip’s final evolution is Water/Ground, one of the best defensive typings in the entire game.
While Swampert is generally used as a tank, its powerful Mega Evolution gave it another route to take: pure offense. Mega Swampert has a mighty base 150 Attack and the Swift Swim Ability, which made it a fearsome rain sweeper.
5 Incineroar (Base 115 Attack)
If you’ve seen this powerhouse claiming souls left and right in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you’re probably surprised to see it cropping up only midway through the list. Nevertheless, the numbers don’t lie: Incineroar has base 115 Attack in its home franchise.
In an interesting departure from the Fire/Fighting standard, Litten’s final form is actually a Fire/Dark type. Incineroar is on the slow side, but it has access to potent STAB moves like Flare Blitz and Darkest Lariat, as well as the fantastic Hidden Ability Intimidate, to pile on the pain.
4 Cinderace (Base 116 Attack)
That’s right. The latest addition to the Fire starter line-up, Scorbunny, also beats out Incineroar by a single point in its final form. If you picked Scorbunny as your starter in Pokémon Sword and Shield, you probably came to appreciate just how darn strong its signature move, Pyro Ball, really is. There’s more to this battling bunny, though.
It can learn a range of great physical moves like High Jump Kick, Sucker Punch, and Gunk Shot. Not only that, but its Hidden Ability Libero will work just like Protean, giving it STAB on all of these moves (and more)! Once that’s released, we see Cinderace’s true damage potential.
3 Blaziken (Base 120 Attack)
As that cheesy old Nintendo ad once famously (and meme-tastically) said, now you’re playing with power. The last few Pokémon are the true cream of the crop when it comes to powerful physical starters. We’re kicking the top three off very strongly, with a Pokémon that has felt the full force of the competitive ban hammer over the course of its career.
While Blaziken is very powerful (and has moves with the base power to devastate teams), its super average Speed and defenses tended to be enough to keep it in check. The real trouble came when it was granted the Hidden Ability Speed Boost (which it also automatically has on Mega Evolving). This meant that, with a simple Protect, it could spiral out of control. Before you knew it, your team, hopes and dreams and everyone on your entire family tree had been sent to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Shadow Realm. Mega Blaziken, pictured here, is a terror too.
2 Emboar (Base 123 Attack)
The Tepig line is another that just doesn’t get its due. Much of this is due to the fact that the mighty Emboar’s base stat distribution is just so unusual.
Base 123 Attack? Heck yes! Taking a hit from this thing’s going to smart in the morning. Couple that with the Reckless Hidden Ability (which boosts the power of Emboar’s already very strong recoil moves like Flare Blitz and Head Smash) and you’ve got a potential nightmare on your hands. Sadly for Emboar, its base defenses and Speed are only 65, and while it has very high HP (base 110), that just doesn’t make up for its shortcomings.
1 Rillaboom (Base 125 Attack)
Now, you might be surprised to learn that Rillaboom has the highest Attack of any fully-evolved start to date. It probably wouldn’t have been many fans’ first guess. Nevertheless, here we are. Kudos to you, Rillaboom.
Stats alone don’t tell the whole story, though. Rillaboom’s issue is that it doesn’t have as much to do with all that power as some of the other starters on this list. It’s a pure Grass-type, and Grass is a bad sole STAB to have. Not only that, but its movepool outside of that is very lacking. Earthquake’s always nice, but the rest of the strong physical moves it gets tend to have drawbacks (such as Hammer Arm lowering its Speed) and its stats don’t really support sweeping or more defensive builds very well. Still, given the support it needs, Rillaboom can still tear things up. We can’t wait to see its Gigantamax form in action.
NEXT: Pokémon: 10 Grass-Type Moves Stronger Than Solar Beam, Ranked
