As the old saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. The thing is, this just isn't the case in some situations, because it can really give the wrong impression. Take 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokémon battles, for instance.
Newer players often find themselves stuck in the mindset of simply going for all-out power. Filling a team with just 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the most powerful attackers and strongest moves won’t cut it if you don’t have anything that can take a hit in return. Walls, tanks, and more supportive Pokémon with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:handy status moves are also crucial elements in a team. To illustrate the importance of the more ‘passive’ stats, le🎃t’s take a look at the highest base HP stats among all the starter Pokémon.
Update by Chris Littlechild, October 25th 2020: Fans will always debate and compare the merits of their favorite Pokémon. This is even more important in the case of starter Pokémon, the first critters fans often see from a new Generation and immediately become attached to (or not, in some cases).
Which are the best starters? That's a very loaded question. One objective way of comparing them, however, is in terms of base stats. As everybody has their favorites and many starters weren't originally represented in this article, its scope has now been expanded to include five more, along with a few details from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokémon Sword & Shield's now-complete expansion pass, consisting of The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Here are the 15 fully-evolved starter Pokémon with the highest base HP stats, in ascending order.
15 Greninja (Base 7♓2 HP) ♌
The first fully-evolved starter Pokémon to make this list is one of the deadliest Water-type starters ever introduced to the game. Armed with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:its fantastic𝓡 Hidden Ability, Protean,🌟 Greninja can fire off moves with tremendous base power (such as Gunk Shot) and a STABꦜ bonus to boot.
Needless to say, Greninja is far better known for its offensive prowess (and blistering base 122 Speed) than for its defenses, which are very low overall. As a glass cannon, its HP is modest at best, but it still beats out other st꧃ar🐲ters like Inteleon (which has 70 base HP to its name).
14 🌜 Delphox And Serpeไrior (Base 75 HP)
A small step up from Greninja HP-wise, Generation VI’s Delphox and Generation V’s Serperior both have 75 base HPᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ🌼𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ. Outside of this, however, their stats and roles tend to be very different.
Delphox is very lacking on the physical side, unable to deal or take much physical damage with Attack and Defense base stats of 69 and 72 respectively. 114 Special Attack and 100 Special Defense, combined with 104 base Speed, let it take and deal respectable special damage. Meanwhile, Serperior is more inclined towards Speed (base 113 makes it one🥀 of the fastest Grass-types ev💎er) and taking any type of hit relatively wel𒀰l, though its offenses 🔯are very lacking outside of Contrary Leaf Storm boosts.
13 𝓰 🦹 Infernape (Base 76 HP)
Topping Delphox and Serperior by a meager one base stat point, it’s another Fire-typ🎀e starter: Infernape. In the grand scheme of things, base 76 is still on the below-average end of the base stat scale, but this is really no surprise when it co🐼mes to Infernape.
This fully evolved start is known for three main traits: its mixed offensive prowess, its versatile movepool, and its frailty. With everything from priority to strong physical and special STAB and a lot of utility options (it made a great lead back🦩 in the day), Infernape has equal offensive stats, very nice Speed, and the move options to make use of all these traits.
12 Charizard, Decidueye And Typhlosion (Base 78 H🦂P)
Two more Fire start🐼ers and a Grass-type make up the next entry, with Charizard, Decidueye, and Typhlosion all boasting base 78 HP. This is still♌ very much in ‘average for an offensive Pokémon’ territory, which suits this trio nicely.
While they may lack the typical Speed of a glass cannon, these Pokémon have a bit more bulk to them. Typhlosion tends to specialize in Choice Scarf Eruptions, while Charizard and Decidueye (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the iconic Charizard bei💮๊ng the faster of the two) have a little more versatility when it comes to sets, both being quite potent with physical and special damage.
11 Blas🐻toise (Base 79 HP)
Many P♏okémon fans may be surprised that Blastoise, be🐷ing the tanky threat it is, has only one base HP point more than fellow Generation I starter Charizard.
While it’s more than capable of solid utility/defensive sets, Blastoise has a greater variety of options now. As of Pokémon Sword & Shield and its Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra DLC packs, B♕lastoise has access to a Gigantamax form and the deadly setup move Shell Smash, both of which are huge boons for more offensive Blastoise sets. It has the solid defensive stats (base 100 Defense and base 105 Special Defense) to shore up its slig𝐆htly limited HP, too.
10 Blaziken, Cinderace, Meganium, Primarina, And Venusaur (Base 80 HP) ༺
When it comes to individual base stats in Pokémon, ♈the 80-100 range tends to be seen as totally average. Usable, workable, b💙ut far from the best around. As a result, lots of base stats from across the board are in this sort of range.
It’s probably not that surprising, then, to see a five-way tie for the bottom spot on our list. At least one fully-evolved 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fire, Water and Grass starter has a base HP of 80, though they𓃲’re all very different𒉰 depending on how the rest of their stats are distributed.
9 Empoleon💎 (Base 84 HP)
Generation IV’s 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:popular Piplup family just managed to break ಞout of the base 80 HP society. The Water/Steel Empoleon is a sold pick all around, boasting stats that tend to favor a special tank.
It has a whopping 10 resistances and only three weaknesses, meaning it can switch in on all sorts of threats with its decent༒ HP and defensive. Whether it’s buiဣlt as more of a tank or an offensive threat, Empoleon has a lot of potential.
8 ♑ Feraligatr (Base 85 HP)
Just besting its fellow Water-type starter by a single base stat poi𒐪nt, Feraligatr is next up. Tho▨ugh it has more HP than Empoleon by the narrowest of squeaks, it doesn’t tend to take a tanky role at all.
It can certainly take physical hits (base 100 Defense is solid too), but an aggressive role is much more Feraligatr’s style. It doesn’t take any damage from a Life Orb, thanks to its Sheer Force Abilit🌱y, and is usually seen getting off a Dragon Dance or two before chewing its oppꦉonents into a sad, squishy mess. When it gets the chance, of course.
7 Che𝓡snaught (Base 88 HP)
Now, nobody would expect an alligatoඣr and a freakish, angry, 5’03” anthropomorphic chestnut to have much in common, bu💧t here's Chesnaught nonetheless. The world of Pokémon is an interesting place, isn’t it?
Pokémon X and Y’s Chespin grows into quite the physical tank. It has very similar stats to Feraligatr, exchanging a little damage for a bit more HP and Defense. It’s not able to really boost up and ♛sweep in the same way, but Chesnaught⭕ can potentially put that HP to much better use. Its secondary Fighting typing makes it a little more unique too.
6 Torterra (Base 95 HP) 𒈔
Next up, we have another three-way tie, beginning with a Grass-type starter that’s often completely forgotten. Poor old adorable Turtwig just doesn’t get the appreciation it de♔serves, and seems to become steadily more underrated as it evolves.
Its final form, Torterra, is yet another Pokémon inclined towards the physically tanky side. with base 109 Attack and base 105 Defense, it’s not the sturdiest Pokémon around, but it has reliable recovery and can hang around like a musty smell if it wants to. Its Grass/Ground typing is still exclusive to it, though it does make 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:powerful Ice-type moves one heck of a problem.