Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: Which Starter Makes the Game Easier? Choosing a starter is one of the oldest traditions in the Pokemon franchise. There were heated debates about whether Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle were the best during the first Generation, and their final evolutions graced the box art for Pokemon Green, Red, and Blue versions, respectively. While subsequent titles would feature Legendaries on the cover, the initial starter option remained. This will remain true for the upcoming Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Gen 4 remakes.
Those Kanto region starters established the pattern of beginning an adventure with a Grass, Fire, or Water-type Pokemon. This was an ingenious game design because it taught players about the rock-pape.
Starters in the Sinnoh Region in a Nutshell
Players can choose between the Grass-type Turtwig, Fire-type Chimchar, and Water-type Piplup after meeting Professor Rowan at the start of the game. Torterra is Grass/Ground, Infernape is Fire/Fighting, and Empoleon is Water/Steel by their final evolutions, though Chimchar gains its Fighting-type as soon as it evolves into Monferno.
Torterra’s stats indicate that it is a slow physical tank, whereas Empoleon is a slow special tank. Infernape is nearly twice as fast as them, and it has equal Attack and Special Attack for mixed strategies. It’s also worth noting that Turtwig evolves into Grotle at level 18 before evoking.
One issue with determining the usefulness of Sinnoh starters in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is that they are all in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Because no Generation 8 movesets are available at the time of writing, it’s difficult to tell which of the three stand out with new moves introduced in the Galar region. As a result, it’s much easier to limit discussions to their same-type attack bonus (STAB) moves, which deal 1.5 times base damage because it matches one of their typings. STAB advantages are especially important when considering the major battles that a trainer must face.
Sinnoh’s Pokemon League is available in both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Every region in every mainline Pokemon game through Sun and Moon had a Pokemon League challenge. These Leagues include eight official Gyms that award Badges to anyone who can outperform the Gym Leader, and those Badges grant access to the Elite Four and Champion.
Sinnoh’s Gym circuit begins in the same way that Kanto and Hoenn’s did: with Roark, a Rock-type Gym Leader. Players can then take on the Grass-type Gardenia, Fighting-type Maylene, Water-type Crasher Wake, Ghost-type Fantina, Steel-type Byron, Ice-type Candice, and finally Electric-type Volkner. According to the Leader levels in the original Diamond and Pearl, trainers will almost certainly have fully evolved starters by the time they reacquire them.
Turtwig has the most STAB advantages during the first half of Sinnoh’s Pokemon League challenge, thanks to Roark and Crasher Wake. Chimchar has the most drawbacks, including being vulnerable to Roark and Crasher Wake and being unable to use Monferno’s Fighting-type attacks against Fantina. Infernape turns things around in the second half with STAB advantages over Byron and Candice, but Torterra also has super effective moves against Byron and Volkner despite its x4 weakness against Candice.
Piplup may be the most “average” Gym starter to choose, but it has a much better run through the Elite Four. Sinnoh’s Elite Four consists of the Bug-type trainer Aaron, the Ground-type Bertha, the Fire-type Flint, and the Psychic-type Lucian, while Champion Cynthia has a mixed team led by Garchomp. Empoleon has an advantage against Ground and Fire types, but is vulnerable to Bug and Psychic attacks. It’s also the easiest of the three to teach Ice-type moves to, giving it an advantage against Garchomp.\
When battling at Spear Pillar with other major trainers, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl’s Team Galactic boss Cyrus had four partners: Honchkrow, Gyarados, Crobat, and Weavile. Empoleon once again has an advantage against Weavile due to Ice-type attacks and its Steal-type advantage, whereas Infernape and Torterra both have disadvantages against Flying-types. Because the rival character Barry’s team changes depending on which starter the player selects, determining his level of difficulty is more difficult.
Regional Types of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Another factor to consider when selecting a starter for the Sinnoh region is the region’s inherent type breakdowns. Flint’s team is particularly odd because Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are notorious for a lack of Fire-types. While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl appear to be bringing extra Fire-types from the Platinum version over via its Grand Underground, Infernape may still be the best choice if a player wants to build out a diverse squad.
This is especially true when considering the available Grass, Water, Steel, and Ground-type Pokemon. Roserade, Gastrodon, Bronzong, Garchomp, Magnezone, and Gliscor are among the many options to fill the same niches as
Taking all of this into account, the question of which starter is “easiest” for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remains difficult. Chimchar is arguably the best all-around choice when it comes to team building, but its utility shines brightest in the mid-game. Turtwig dominates the early game but reaches a plateau in the Elite Four. Due to its appearance alongside Dawn in the Pokemon anime, Piplup is arguably the most iconic of the three, and it is most likely the strongest late-game choice. However, it’s also the easiest to replace, so while Empoleon stands out as a Sinnoh starter, players should ultimately choose a partner who best fits their adventure.
