3rd Gen Newbie in Ruby - Discussion On Starting Pokemon.

[Cactus Twist]

I think Swampert is the best of the three, however I am always hesitant to pick the water starter due the ever present over abundance of good waters (Walrein, Milotic, Starmie). So that leaves Sceptile and Blaziken, I don't know if you've answered this, but will you be competing in the metagame, or is this just for in-game play? Blaziken dominates in game, but epicly fails in the metagame. Sceptile will be a little harder to get through the game (who cares?), but you will be thanking yourself when your Sceptile tears up your friends in the metagame thanks to being weak to fire (other than Blaziken, the only other one from hoenn I have ever encountered is Camerupt), ice (maybe from swampert, but Sceptile outspeeds and 0HKOs him, watch Walreins), poison (whatever) and bug (double whatever). Blaziken gets torn up by water, psychic and ground (who doesn't have at least 2 of those?), not to mention the Swellows you're bound to encounter.

In game: Blaziken > Swampert > Sceptile
Metagame: Swampert > Sceptile > Blaziken (I'd take Sceptile, and use a Walrein for my water)

 

[Klmoss3]

I got treeko, it's almost as powerful as torchic at it's final, and has good defense also.
so it's a good all-around pokemon

 

[Azonic]

I almost always pick the water starter. Water is my favorite element, you know. Mudkip is adorable, and Swampert arguably does the best in competitive battling and is the only Overused fully evolved starter Pokemon out of the three. Swampert's typing also gives it the advantage / neutral against most gyms, with the exception of Sootopolis (which it's not completely weak to, but has a minor disadvantage against). Blaziken has a pretty good type matchup for early gyms, but it gets hammered in the later gyms that you challenge (Flannery, Winona, Tate and Liza, and Juan all have a typing advantage; Flannery has a ground type Camerupt). I occasionaly choose Blaziken because it always has been the most popular out of the three. Sceptile is meh, it has a wonderful speed stat but it's offenses can be improved a little. It doesn't do too well in-game, and only dominates with supereffective hits in the first and the last gyms. I'd pick Mudkip most of the time. It dominates in-game, competitively, and it's adorable. :3