4th Gen Alternate Starters

[BleuVII]

I was interested in doing this too, so I wrote an extensive FAQ about it and tried to post it over at GameFAQs. The only thing is... GameFAQs labeled it "Overspecialized."

I wrote about rules for choosing a good alternate starter and based my choices off of three models:
* The Standard Model - strong elemental type, 2 evolutions
* The "Pokémon Yellow" Model - an iconic pokémon with zero or one evolutions
* The Eclectic Model - pokémon that would provide a fun experience, but evolved through special means that weren't always available in every game.

The pokémon I recommended were:
*Standard Model
- any existing starter from a different game
- Shinx (for HG/SS)
- Mareep (for D/P/Pt)

* The "Pokémon Yellow" Model
- Pichu or Pikachu
- Pachirisu (especially recommended for HG/SS)
- Riolu / Lucario

* The Eclectic Model
- Elekid and/or Magby
- Espeon and Umbreon
- All 8 forms of Eevee (had special rules applied to it)

My favorite was Pachirisu. I'll post that here. If any others catch your fancy, let me know and I will post them too.

_____-=-=ΘPokémon SpiritCopper - Special Pachirisu Edition [6.4]Θ=-=-_______
|
| Does lightning strike twice? Nintendo certainly hopes so, which is why
| they created Pachirisu. It is Pikachu's parallel in so many ways that it's
| almost laughable. It is an electric rodent, just like Pikachu. It is av-
| ailable at the same point in D/P/Pt that Pikachu was originally available
| in Red/Blue. It has many of the same moves as Pikachu. Finally, for those
| that speak a bit of Japanese, their names are almost identical. Pikachu
| can be broken down into two words: "pika", the Japanese sound-effect for
| sparkling, and "chu", the sound a rodent or mouse makes. So Pikachu =
| "sparkle mouse." In the same way, "pachi" is the sound-effect for a static
| crackle, and "risu" is the word for squirrel, so Pachirisu = "crackle
| squirrel." So what could be more like the original Pokémon Yellow than
| playing through a new game with a Pachirisu?
| This is especially fun in HeartGold and SoulSilver for two reasons: (1),
| Pachirisu will follow you around, just like Pikachu did in Yellow Verion,
| and (2) you will never meet a Pachirisu in the wild; the only one you will
| meet over the course of the game is the one in your party.
| So Pachirisu definitely has the "special" factor. It also has great
| base stats. The only problem is its moveset; it only learns two electric-
| type attacks, and it stops learning moves at lvl.38. However, just like we
| did with Pichu, we can augment our special Pachirisu with TMs to make a
| memorable experience.
| And why "SpiritCopper"? Well, first, because I'm specifically recom-
| mending this for Heart GOLD and Soul SILVER, and second, because copper is
| a commonly-used metal in electrical wiring.
|
| Δ Type: Electric
| Δ Evolutions: none
| Δ Necessary Items: [TM Name] [Location]
| TM 16 - Light Screen (dept. store)
| TM 24 - Thunderbolt (game corner)
| TM 25 - Thunder (dept. store)
| Δ Optional Items: none
| Δ Original Starter: Water type
| Δ Gameplay Notes: The first five levels are going to be your hardest,
| since the only "attack" that Pachirisu has is "Bide." However, once
| you reach lvl.5, Pachirisu will have "Quick Attack," making things
| much easier. To "augment" Pachirisu enough to make it a viable alter-
| nate starter, give it the following TMs at the following levels:
| 23 - TM 24 Thunderbolt
| 42 - TM 16 Light Screen
| 46 - TM 25 Thunder
| Δ Where to Obtain the "Parent":
| HG/SS - Safari Zone
| D/P/Pt - Route 205, Valley Windworks