In the cut-throat world of competitive 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokémon, it can be truly tough to stand out. Dedicated battlers 🐓know that for the job will do, which has led to some super repetitive and centralized metagames in the past. Remember the days of Mega Kangaskhan’s reign 𒅌of terror? Exactly.

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What is it that makes a Pokémon truly outstanding? Usually, a combination of traits like stats, power, typing, exclusive moves or a cheesy and exploitable Ability go into that. Today, weꦯ’re focusing on just one of these qualities, as we continue our look at starter Pokémon with the best base stats. If you want to know which fully evolved starter Pokémon have the highest base Special Defense, you’ve come to the right place!

10 Bla♓ziken, Samurott, Rillaboom: Base 70 Special Defense

With the possible exception of Rillaboom, this trio of Pokémon aren’t exactly renowned for their defensive prowess. Base 70, in fact, is pretty darn low, emphasizing Blaziken and Samurott’s n🌄ature as potent gl༺ass cannons.

As you’ll see over the course of this rundown, Special Defense is perhap𓆏s the stat that starter Pokémon lack in most, as a group.

9 🥃 Greninja, Infernape: Base 71 Special Defense ♓

Speaking of gla🌠ss cannons, Greninja and Infernape are next up, beating out our previous trio of fully-evolved starters by the measliest of margins.

Greninja famously boasts one of the greate🌸st offensive Abilities in the s🧸eries (Protean) and has the dazzling Speed to put it to fantastic 🌄use. Infernape, meanwhile, is a powerful and unpredictable mixed attacker that is just as capable of crushing opponents’ hopes and dreams into spam in a heartbeat. In the interests of balancing, then, neither of them can really take any kind of hit at all.

8 Chesnaught, Cinderace: Base 75 Special Defense 𒐪

When you’ve arrived at the third spot on the list and you’re still only looking at base 75 in a stat, you know things are pretty dire. It seems that sponging special hits just isn’t a strong point of starter Pokémon. Still,🎶 we’ll press on.

RELATED: Pokémon: The 10 Starters With Th🦂e Best Base Defense, Ranked

Chesnaught, like Rillaboom, is a pretty darn good physical tank. Both of these Grass-type starters have high Attack and Defense, but they sure 🔯as heck can’t stomach attacks from the other end of the spectrum. Cinderace, meanwhile, is a slick speedster of a Fire-type starter and yet another glass cannon.

7 ♏ Feraligatr: Base 83 Specia🎃l Defense

Now we’re getting somewhere. Oftentimes, Pokémon are divided into slower, more defensive, passive battlers and their speedier,ඣ frailer counterparts. Ge🌌neration II’s Totodile line, however, falls somewhere in the middle.

With 85 base HP, 100 base Defense and 83 base Special Defense, Feraligatr isn’t exactly shrugging off hits like Arnold Scharzenegger in the Terminatorꦺ movies, but it can take a hit. The best part is that it can boost itself up in the process with Dragon Dance, before barrelling through an unprepared team.

6 🧸 Partner Eevee, Charizard, Sceptile, Torterra, Typhlosion: Base 85 Special Defense

Next up, we have a five-way tie. For whatever reason, Game Freak 🐎decreed that base 85 Special Defense would be the most popular shared stat for fully-evolved starter Pokémon. Who are we to question their wisdom? Well, first♈ in line, when it comes to National Pokédex cuts, but this isn’t the time for that.

Interestingly, no Water-type starter shares this stat, but two Fire starters (Charizard and Typhlosion) and two Grass starters (Sceptile and Torterra) do. So, too, does the beefed-up Partner Eevee of Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee! In terms of the n☂umbers, it’s still very average, which isn’t surprising: of all these Pokémon, only Torterra h﷽as any real notable bulk to it.

5 🐼 Incineroar, Swampert: Base 90 Special Defense 🐭

Our next small step up the scale takes us to another tie: Incineroar and Swampert both have the same base Special D🎶efense. This ไis quite surprising, as they’re very different Pokémon.

Alola’s Litten line changes a lot as it evolves. Incineroar actually loses Speed compared to its pre-evolutions, in exchange for higher physical power and the additional Dark typing. It’s relatively tanky, but when it comes to mixed bulk, Swampert has it beaten out there. This Water-type is famously tough to get rid of, thanks to its excellent defensive typing (Water/Ground). 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mega Swampert has a base Speꦿcial Defense of 🍎110, so it’s too bad for the Mud Fish Pokémon that we aren’t including Mega Evolutions here.

4 ꧟ Serperior: Bas﷽e 95 Special Defense

Serperior has always been quite a tough Pokémon to pin down. It just seems to want to do a bit of everything, which, as we’ve seen, isn’t really the way competitive Pokémon work🐠s. Players usually 🔜want specialized Pokémon that can fit an exact role perfectly, rather than a jack of all trades that doesn’t really have the stats to excel.

RELATED: Pokémon: The 10 Starters With The Best Base Speed,ও Ranked

Serperior is speedy at Base 113, has average-to-decent defenses at Base 85 apiece, and the Contrary Ability to give it Special Attack boosts from uses of Leaf Storm. It also has some nice supportive ♊options, like dual screens. Versatile, but somet⛦imes very tough to fit onto a team.

3 𒐪 Delphox, Meganium, Venusaur: Base 100 Speci𒐪al Defense

Of the three typings, Grass starters are typically tಞhe more defensively inꦯclined. It’s probably not surprising, then, to see two of them sharing the first spot in the top three.

Mega𓄧nium and Venusaur are both large, lumbering beasts that specialise in taking hits, healing up and spreading status (that’s Grass Type 101 really). Delphox is the odd one out here, as it’s designed to be more of a special sweeper. Regardless, base 100 is never a stat to sniff at.

2 Empoleon: Base 101 Special Defense 𒆙

Just sneaking into second place by a measly single point, it’s Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum’s Empoleon.

Like fellow Water-type starter Swampert, Empoleon can be built in a variety of ways. It has the power to run offensive setsꦜ (but will need some boosts speed-wise) and the bulk to take a more defensive route. Whichever role you give it, this dependable Water/Steel type (still a unique combination) will usually put in a good performance.

1 ♛ Blastoise: Base 105 Special Defense ꦍ

That’s right, friends. All these generations later, no starter Pokémon has been able to top the Special Defense of Kanto’s Blastoise. This formidable creature set the standard for fully evolved Water-type starters, cementing its place in Pokémon history in the process.

Like a lot of Water-type starters, Blastoise doesn’t excel in any one area (not even in its Mega form), but boasts solid all-around stats and a movepool full of strong attacks and useful suppꦕortive moves alike. Is it any wonder it’s such a fan favorite?

NEXT: Pokémon: Every Water-Type Gym♑ Leader, Ranked According To Difficulty