4th Gen Piplup,Turtwig or Chimchar?

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Which starter out of the three listed are the best to you from a competitive perspective?

 

[Hiatus]

Personally, I like Piplup. It's got a good design, and so does its evolutions. Plus, Empoleon could preform pretty nicely when battling; I've used it plenty of times. My second favorite would have to be Chimchar, and Turtwig's the third.

 

[Blueredemption]

I would have to say piplup aswell. It's got a good special attack and special defence, not to mention its a tiny penguin :p turtwig is a close second, mainly because of past experiences in mystery dungeon T-D-S and chimchar is last for no reason other than me stepping on a toy of it and twisting my ankle haha

 

[curiousnathan]

I chose Turtwig mainly because if trained right Torterra can prove to be a bulky poke. It can learn some good quality moves, (eg. Earthquake, Stone Edge, Crunch, Stealth Rock etc.) I've got to admit though, Empoleon boasts supreme special attack, while Infernape has vicious speed and special attack that can wreak havoc on teams, so really all three starters ave the pros and cons and can prove formidable opponents on the battle field.

 

[SirLancelot]

I went with Chimchar. It was my first starter in Diamond and it was my best. Infernape is a beast. I have trained all of them before though, and so I would rank Empoleon next and then Torterra last.

 

[LilyAnn]

I love Chimchar. It's adorable and Infernape is one of the best starters I have ever used. It was powerful for me.

 

[Aslan]

From a competitive aspect? It depends on what sort of battle style you're looking for. Infernape is all about speed and power, with not much defense to fall back on. It can land some pretty deadly hits. Torterra suits bulky offense while so does Empoleon. Overall, I enjoy using Infernape the most. I can generally take a good chunk out of most teams with it. Empoleon is a close favourite though. Basically, Chimchar and Piplup for the win. :]

 

[«Chuckles»]

Ooh, I didn't love forth gen starters as much as I did other gens but I chose chimchar because I always chose the fire type and I didn't like penguins at the time. I ditched chimchar for a shinx as my main because I felt shinx was a better pokemon and was really good once it got an electric attack against the rival. Infernape was epic and I really liked Empoleon and Torterra I think the final evos were the best.

 

[PastelVulpix]

Fourth gen starters weren't my favourites at first, but I've come to appreciate they're evolutionary designs - simple but effective. None of the final evolutions stray too far away from their first form which is good design. But I'd have to say Chimchar is my fav. Only because I usually go for the fire starter !

 

[Deceit]

My favorite would probably be Piplup, followed by Turtwig. Turtwig was actually the first grass starter I ever chose in a game, and I was pretty impressed. I found that it can actually hold its own in a battle, despite its 4x Ice weakness. However, Piplup wins it for me as I've always liked Empoleon just a little more. It has decent bulk, and enough special attack to be able to inflict some damage. Plus its the only Water/Steel Pokémon there is as of now, which is a typing I really like.

 

[Sheep]

Pip, Pilup! I think the steel/water typing in its final form can come in really handy and I've been meaning to try him out in competitive battling. Infernape is pretty great too.. good speed and some pretty great moves to utilize to help it along. Torterra has some nice bulk to it as well. Honestly, from a competitive viewpoint, I think all the Sinnoh starters are good.

 

[antemortem]

Competitively, Chimchar because Infernape has better overall stats and movepool. Otherwise, Piplup because I freaking love Empoleon's design and typing. It's also really cute and Prinplup is adorable and there's nothing to dislike about the evolutionary line. <3

 

[Dragon]

Hm, I'd say a mix between Turtwig or Chimchar. Turtwig because it's a really nice grass starter - it's wonderfully defensive when it evolves fully, and Torterra can do a lot for a team comp, as a leach seeder, or a Swords Dance Sweeper! Chimchar's evolutionary line is pretty incredible too; Infernape is a really fast and strong pokemon that can learn a wide variety of moves!

 

[bobandbill]

Prior to release, I liked Piplup the most. But I think now Turtwig wins out. I found it more useful and fun to use in my playthroughs of the DPPt games. I really don't like Chimchar's design though. =/

 

[Brendino]

I've got no idea which one is technically the best competitively, but I found that Piplup -> Empoleon was easily the best one for me, especially once it gained the secondary Steel typing. With 11 resistances/immunities and a pretty good special attack, it basically swept the Elite Four the first time I played through Platinum.

 

[Starry Windy]

For me, Chimchar lines are the best in comes of competitive because Infernape's stats and moves makes it a formidable fighter.

 

[CelticsPhan]

Infernape and Empoleon get a fair amount of usage in competitive. Infernape is your standard attacker who even outclassed Blaziken before it was given Speed Boost and a Mega Evolution. Slap a Choice Scarf on Infernape and he can be very prolific. Good Speed and Attack with an impressive movepool.

Empoleon's usage should only increase now that Fairy type has been introduced. I myself use Empoleon in VGC play because of its access to Icy Wind, Scald, Blizzard and Grass Knot. Great typing, pretty decent bulk and a good movepool. I chose Piplup because it was my starter in D/P and because of my own experiences with it in competitive.

As for Torterra, he got the short end of the stick (lol). Not much can be done with a Grass/Ground typing. The only starter with a double weakness (Ice) and has a handful of other common weaknesses. Yeah it has good bulk, but that doesn't matter when it has fairly bad typing. The Ground type does not save Torterra from its Grass weaknesses like Ground type did for Swampert.

If these three get eventual Mega Evolutions, Infernape will be most common, Empoleon might see some usage and for Torterra to do anything, it will need a boost like Venusaur did with its Mega Evo.

 

[famillan]

The first time I played Diamond I chose Chimchar because I always choose Fire-type starters, but I changed my mind when I decided to restart my game and chose Piplup. I fell in love. I think Piplup is my favorite out of every mons (Charmander is different, well because, come on, he's an original for me).

 

[innovatedesignuk]

I love Chimchar. It's adorable and Infernape is one of the best starters I have ever used. It was powerful for me.

 

[PMG]

Totes going with Turtwig. Probably one of my favorite starters if not just because of Torterra. It's part Ground type doesn't do it a lot of favors, but Grass/Ground is still a cool combination. Besides, it has a tree on its back!