Pokemon 15 Different Starter Trios That Could Almost Replace Fire-Water-Grass

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Pokemon 15 Different Starter Trios That Could Almost Replace Fire-Water-Grass

Starter types are pretty set in stone (or in fire, water, and grass!), but there are some other combos fans might like to see. The franchise is one of the most beloved and most profitable properties ever to exist. But even the most diehard fans will admit to the games becoming a little formulaic. Why not shake things up a bit to keep things fresh? One of the most fundamental experiences of beginning a Pokemon game is . Every mainline Pokemon game begins the same way: players choose between a Fire-, Water-, or Grass-type Pokemon. This usually ends up being the player's main partner throughout their Pokemon adventure. The player's rival will pick the type that's super effective against the player's choice. This golden trio works because every type is resistant against one and super effective against the other. Almost no other trio of types works exactly in this perfectly balanced way. But there are some types that almost work that would be interesting to see as starter Pokemon. Updated January 4th, 2020, by Juliet Childers: Pokemon, as a franchise, continues to dominate in toys, collectibles, games, and other industries. Reaction to was not excessively great and it brought into clear view just how much fans are bored with Pokemon's game formula. Instead of rehashing old games, new ones should choose from region-specific types. Better yet: let the player pick from completely unique trios in every game. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Dragon > Dragon > Dragon

Okay, this one's , but technically Dragon types are super effective against themselves. This combination obviously lacks the resistance angle of a perfect trio. Still, it would be interesting to see a Pokemon game throw three baby dragons at the player and call it a day. It almost seems like the beginning of a more fantastical Pokemon adventure. One in which the player and their rival are dragon tamers setting off to conquer the trials of the Pokemon league. Dragon-type Pokemon are resistant to a number of common Gym types — Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass — which makes the player .

Dark > Ghost > Fighting

This combination might suit for an adventure with a more grim tone. Especially when Dark and are billed as being somewhat "evil" types. However, this trio isn't perfectly balanced. Ghost types aren't super effective against Fighting. The advantage Ghost has is that a Fighting type's kicks and punches pass right through their spectral bodies with no effect whatsoever. This probably wouldn't be fair to an unsuspecting kid who chose Fighting as their starter and then has to watch helplessly as their rival stomps them into the dirt.

Bug > Grass > Rock

Besides the fact that practically no one would want to be saddled with a Bug-type starter, there are a couple of problems keeping this from being a perfect trio. First of all, while Grass is super effective against Rock, it doesn't resist Rock-type attacks. The same is true of Rock vs. Bug. Bug-type attacks somehow deal regular damage against living, breathing granite. Still, the kind of game that would feature this starter match up would be cool. It seems like it would be more grounded and natural in tone, pitting several different forces of nature against each other.

Fighting > Steel > Fairy

The problem with many of these flawed type trios is that there's a clear best option to pick. When choosing from Fire, Grass, and Water, fans might have a certain early game advantage depending on how the gyms are arranged. Eventually, all three types have balanced strengths and weaknesses. But Steel is the obvious victor here — even against the Pokemon who becomes . Fairy vs. Fighting and Steel vs. Fairy match up the way they're supposed to. But, while Fighting is super effective against Steel, it isn't resistant to it defensively. Then there's the fact that Steel-type Pokemon resist so many other types (eleven types total) that would make them an indomitable wall for much of the game.

Ice > Ground > Steel

The Steel type is great and would probably make for a really interesting starter design since it wouldn't have to stick so closely to the organic designs of most other "mons". Unfortunately, including it in any starter match up almost always breaks it. And then the Ice-type, which would be great to see get starter treatment, just can't hold it's own. The only type Ice resists is itself. It's a shame because fans would love to see a tundra-themed opening to a Pokemon game where the only choices are harsh and unforgiving elements.

Water > Ground > Electric

This is a popular trio for fans to bring up as an alternative to the usual starter match up. It probably has something to do with the desire to have an Electric-type starter that isn't the , Pikachu. Totally understandable. Unfortunately, the coveted has a significant disadvantage here. Ground hits it for super effective damage and also is completely immune (not just resistant) to Electric-type attacks. Unless players have one of those wimpy rivals that choose the Pokemon weakest against the player's, this trio makes for a rough early game.

Dark > Psychic > Fighting

This is another one of those trios that come really close to working. It's also one of the most popular suggestions for alternate starters. In fact, Generation VII used this type match up for the starter Pokemon's secondary types in their final form. Greninja is Water/Dark, Delphox is Fire/Psychic, and Chesnaught is Grass/Fighting. They made both type match ups move in the same direction, so it doesn't really add any interesting twists to late game rival battles, but the thought counts. Still, it isn't perfect. are completely immune to Psychic attacks which makes them the winner of this trio.

Rock > Fire > Steel

Though many don't work, there are alternate type trios that actually work the way they're intended. Even Steel still has many other resistances that would make it very powerful for the early game battles full of Scratches and Tackles. But this is a matchup that isn't completely unbalanced by the addition of Steel. This could make for an interesting theme for the game; maybe something based on the Industrial Revolution or in a mining town. The only downside is that Rock- and can be a little similar design-wise, so they would need to be sure to make the starters distinct.

Poison > Grass > Ground

Fans would love to see a Poison-type starter Pokemon. Poison has kind of a bad rep; in the early games they were the preferred type of Team Rocket Grunts and have come to be associated with evil-doers. Poison is an underappreciated type that deserves some time in the spotlight. Plus, this type trio does actually work out perfectly. Poison is super effective against and resists , Grass does the same for Ground, and Ground comes back around to do the same to Poison. The match ups aren't quite as intuitive as Fire > Grass > Water, but that doesn't mean it's a bad trio.

Fighting > Rock > Flying

This, out of all the actually balanced and viable alternate trios, is the only one not to feature one of the common starter types. Instead, it leans away from magic elemental attacks and more toward straight-up scrapping. This is probably the best option for Game Freak stepping outside their comfort zone. It still functions the way a starter trio should but also pushes the designs toward something new and unexpected.

Grass > Electric > Flying

While this combination is nowhere near as intuitive as the original, it hearkens back to childhood nostalgia. Long time Pokemon fans look back fondly on the ability to have all the starter types in Pokemon Yellow. But raising Bulbasaur, Pikachu, and Pidgey just like Ash Ketchum was also great fun. With these starting types, there is no clear "winner" since mostly all of them aren't explicitly weak to the other. But they do have more clear-cut strengths and weaknesses against other types. This could make the gym fights more challenging or just challenging trainers altogether. All of these Pokemon can also use HMs right out of the gate.

Water > Psychic > Ground

This trio is a bit of a "dream team" in that it will likely never happen. Moreover, encountering powerful Psychic and Ground-types usually doesn't happen until after the beginning of the games. Despite the oddity of the trio, they balance each other out fairly well. No one type is overpowered (except late-game Psychic), but no one type is underpowered either (except Abra). Again, this could be a region or story specific trio setup.

Fighting > Water > Rock

Fighting Pokemon generally don't feature enough in teams let alone early-game matches. In later generations, there have been more fighting combos, but not as starting options. This trio has plenty of obvious weaknesses but makes up for it with some great defensive and offensive options. With each new Pokemon generation, there are more unique type combinations. Some Psychic Pokemon are also Fighting and some Water Pokemon can learn Electric moves. With this in mind, this trio sets up a hybrid approach very well.

Ground > Fairy > Ice

These three types generally don't have the same power output that other types can reach. At least in the early game anyway. And, including Ice as a starter allows for the game to introduce regional Pokemon such as the Alola Vulpix vs. the traditional Fire-type many fans remember. The biggest problem here is that, while the team versus composition is well-rounded, the team's performance against other Pokemon might be lacking.

Rock > Psychic > Fire

This combination seems like a natural fit as there are many Pokemon in each of these categories that can also be very strong in other types. For instance, some Fire Pokemon can also learn Dragon, Psychic, or Dark moves. Psychic Pokemon can learn Fairy, Fighting, or Electric moves at times. This allows for more unique starting Pokemon options thanks to this versatility. creating more fire Pokemon like Houndour who have alternative typing. The developers could really get creative with which Pokemon feature in this match-up. Sadly, it's one of the most unlikely combinations.