Pokemon teams: Do you always use starters?

[The Funslinger]

It goes without saying that the starter pokemon is pretty essential to blast through the early portion of a pokemon game. But then there does come a point where you've encountered a decent variety of pokemon, and you can fill up your team with six of your choice. Does the starter always come in on that list, though?

For me, I just never got rid of my starter. With the first three generations at least, I immediately grew fond of the starter pokemon. Beyond that, they always seemed fairly powerful. What are your opinions on starter pokemon? Would you rather trade in that Charizard for an Arcanine, or something like that?

 

[Palfreyfish]

Sometimes, like if I can't be bothered to level up a decent similar pokemon, or if the starter is good in it's own right. Yes, I'd trade my Typhlosion for a Ninetales, I like Ninetales more, but leveling up a vulpix is dull as all hell.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I admit with Pokemon Red I did get rid of Venusaur at some point (I think it was because I started to dislike it later on) however after Red I had always kept the starter with me all the way through even if it had become less useful like Serperior.

 

[Mafoobula]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the starters naturally have higher stats than most other pokemon. Like you said, it's mostly because they're essential during most of the game, but also maybe so the player gets a bond with their starter, one stronger than the rest of the team. I know every time I'm in a bind, I can always depend on my starter to bring things home. Charizard, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Infernape, Samurott, they are the unstoppable force AND the immovable object.

 

[The Funslinger]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the starters naturally have higher stats than most other pokemon. Like you said, it's mostly because they're essential during most of the game, but also maybe so the player gets a bond with their starter, one stronger than the rest of the team. I know every time I'm in a bind, I can always depend on my starter to bring things home. Charizard, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Infernape, Samurott, they are the unstoppable force AND the immovable object.

I'm just going to take a wild shot and say you like fire types!

Edit: I think a point is (especially with a site like the escapist) where people compare their prospective teams, and with the edition of multiplayer, a unique team you can really grow fond of seems like a great thing. However, your starter is going to be that one that loads of other people inevitably have.

 

[Reggie Rock]

For me pokemon is a single player game. That being said, i like to imagine (as childish as this will sound) that i am adventuring with these pokemon. What will they think of my actions?

When playing pokemon heartgold i caught a mareep. In olivine city when it was an ampharos, i released it to make way for other pokemon on my team, but created a little story about how it wanted to be in the lighthouse to comfot myself.

I always bond with my starters so much that i can never let them go.

 

[RJ 17]

I've only played Red, Gold, and Sapphire, but in those three games I've picked the fire type and never looked back. It seems to me that the game wants you to keep your starter, it wants you to hold your starter in a special regard...it was the pokemon that is with you from the very beginning (obviously) so it wants you to develope an Ash and Pikachu type of bond.

I think that's why, no matter your choice, the starting pokemon is always a beast with 3 forms (primary, first evolution, second evolution). Personally my starter has always been a badass that I just couldn't see myself parting with. For one, it always helps to have a variety of different elements in your group, and if one of those elements happens to be in the form of a fully evolved powerhouse that's been with you from the start, all the better.

Quite simply: there's a reason it is exceedingly rare to get another one of the starter pokemon without trading for one. If you ran into them out in the wild all the time you'd have at least 3 pokemon with badass potential.

Edit: Just for fun I felt like throwing in what my team generally consists of.

Starter: Fire Type
Water: Gyrados
Psychic: Kadabra
Electric: Zappados
Ground: Scyther (switched to Scissor(spelling) when that Pokemon was introduced)
Anchor: Mewtwo

Through trading with myself via the time capsule and such I managed to keep my original Mewtwo and Zappados with me through the three games I played.

That said, to be honest I'm not a big pokemon fan, what games I have played have always been gifts.

 

[geK0]

In older versions almost always; In newer versions with online match ups, almost never (sometimes infernape).

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Last time I played (it was gold) I immediately caught other pokemon so I didn't have to use my starter like always. I went with three pokemon and decided to go against the hype, by which I mean I used Geodude and Zubat. I raised them (and the Hoothoot) from Lv2 all the way until I got bored.

 

[scnj]

I tend to use my starter, mainly because it's naturally leveled further than other similar Pokemon by virtue of being used more in the early game.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Almost always, unless the starters are severely eclipsed by another Pokemon for the same role or are unavailable.

But other than that, no. Typhlosion goes everywhere.

 

[Justanothergamer300]

Most of the time I use the water starter just to fill the surf role. Plus it learns Ice Beam so it can get rid of some dragons sometimes. So most of the time I finish the Pokemon league with my starter but with battles with people not so much

 

[Terminate421]

Yep, a starter is usually a basis on what your team flows around. I love using Empoleon on my online/battlefrontier/battlesubway teams.

Besides, the starters are usually the coolest pokemon....

For campaign mode, of course I used the starters, fills in the slot that no one else has.

 

[BigFish]

I never noticed it before but I always use my starter Pokemon! I guess its just the strongest one so I build my team around it.I am lazy.

 

[WeAreStevo]

I always use the starter pokemon. Depending on what gym is first usually is how I decide on a starter. I suppose its from the first game when I unknowing chose charmander and then went to the rock gym....hours of grinding later Charmeleon was able to take him out.

Never again

 

[TheTim]

i always keep my starters, its usually how my team is built.

 

[gigastrike]

In playthrough teams I always do unless I'm trying to make a specialist team that they just don't fit into.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I always keep the starter. Not only are they usually pretty useful, but they're also usually badass/cool.

If I end up getting Black/White at some point, though, I might not keep the starter...Because I will trade/import in a starter from Heartgold. I'm actually planning on breeding and importing a Squirtle (<3 blastoise) and a Torchic. Two of my favorite starters.

 

[necromanzer52]

I always keep my starter. It didn't occur to me that you could have a team of 6 that didn't include your starter, until about 10 years after I first played a pokemon game.