Meowscarada is the best starter Pokémon in Scarlet/Violet according to Reddit

So you‘ve just started your adventure in the Paldea region in Pokemon Scarlet or Violet. The first big decision – which starter Pokémon will you choose as your partner for the journey ahead?

According to the consensus on Reddit threads like r/PokemonScarletViolet, r/Pokemon, and other communities, the Grass cat Pokémon Sprigatito and its eventual evolution into the mighty Meowscarada emerges as the best starter choice for most new players.

In this in-depth guide, we‘ll cover why Meowscarada stands out as the Reddit favorite, breakdown the strengths and ideal uses of Fuecoco/Skeledirge and Quaxly/Quaquaval, provide recommendations on gym order, breeding, shiny hunting, and more expert insights for new trainers in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Why Meowscarada is the Reddit darling

Across Reddit, Meowscarada draws high praise from players for its powerful Grass/Dark typing and excellent base stat distribution:

"Meowscarada‘s Dark STAB moves crushed everything late game. Gave solid neutral coverage when needed too." – u/PKMNRanger21

"Once I got Spirit Shackle on Meowscarada nothing could stand up to it. Crazy damage output." – u/greengamer33

With 100 Attack, 81 Speed, 75 Defense, and 74 Sp. Defense, Meowscarada has great mixed bulk and hitting power. And that unique Grass/Dark typing eliminates Meowscarada‘s usual Grass-type weaknesses, giving it key resistances and immunities:

Type	Moves Resisted
Ghost	Shadow Ball, Poltergeist
Psychic	Psychic, Psybeam, Psyshock
Dark	Dark Pulse, Throat Chop, Snarl

This allows Meowscarada to counter common attack types with ease. And with strong moves like Spirit Shackle, Leaf Blade, and Throat Chop bolstered by Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), little can stand in Meowscarada‘s way in the late game.

For newer players looking for a reliable partner through the story and endgame battles, Meowscarada is hard to beat. Let‘s compare it to the other starter evolutions.

Skeledirge – hits like a tank but slow as molasses

Fuecoco‘s eventual evolution into Skeledirge also gets some love on Reddit for its mighty Fire/Ghost typing. As u/SizzlingCalvin explains:

"Skeledirge‘s Fire and Ghost STAB attacks just obliterated everything. Didn‘t even need to Dynamax."

On paper, Skeledirge looks unstoppable with 135 Special Attack and solid 90/135/90 defenses. It also resists an impressive 7 types:

Type	Moves Resisted
Normal	Tackle, Pound, Slash
Fighting	Close Combat, Focus Blast, Aura Sphere
Poison	Sludge Bomb, Poison Jab
Bug	X-Scissor, Bug Buzz, Megahorn
Steel	Iron Head, Flash Cannon, Meteor Beam
Fairy	Play Rough, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Grass	Energy Ball, Leaf Blade, Power Whip

With great resistances and power, what‘s the catch? Speed – or lack thereof. Skeledirge‘s pitiful 21 base Speed means it will attack second most of the time. Trick Room teams can mitigate this, but you‘ll need to play around Skeledirge‘s slow as molasses speed.

So while Skeledirge hits brutally hard, speedy opponents and priority attacks give it trouble. But if you don‘t mind moving second, Skeledirge can plow through enemies.

Quaxly shines against Team Star

Now let‘s look at the adorable duckling Quaxly and its evolution Quaquaval. Some players on Reddit point to its lightning fast speed as a key strength:

"Quaquaval using Hurricane and Surf decimated Team Star thanks to its blistering 105 Speed. And I loved the cool Water/Fighting design!" – u/HoennLegend1

With 105 Speed and decent 115 Special Attack, Quaquaval can outpace opponents and strike hard with STAB moves like Liquidation, Surf, Scald, and Hurricane. It makes short work of Team Star‘s Fire, Rock, and Ground type mons.

The Fighting sub-typing also eliminates Quaquaval‘s Electric weakness. But in exchange, it takes super effective damage from Psychic and Flying attacks. With only 60/95/70 defenses, Quaquaval can‘t take many supereffective hits either.

So while not as universally useful as Meowscarada or as powerful as Skeledirge, Quaquaval‘s excellent speed and power can sweep unprepared teams, especially early game challenges like Team Star. You‘ll need to watch out for its weaknesses as the game progresses though.

How to choose the right Starter for your playstyle

When deciding your starter, keep in mind your priorities for your Scarlet/Violet adventure:

• Battling Gyms? Fuecoco resists Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice and Fairy moves which counter 2 of the first 3 gyms.

• Taking down Team Star? Quaxly‘s speed and power works great here.

• General coverage? Meowscarada hits the most types super effectively.

• Shiny hunting? All three can be bred for Shinies after obtaining a Ditto!

You may also want to consider which Scarlet/Violet legendary pairs better with your Starter‘s strengths – Koraidon‘s Fighting or Miraidon‘s Psychic/Electric moves.

While your starter will be your battle partner through the entire story, you can eventually obtain all three through trading or alternate accounts. So don‘t worry too much about your initial pick!

Recommended Gym order for progression

To tackle Scarlet/Violet‘s gyms and Titans efficiently, I recommend this order based on levels:

1. The Stony Cliff Titan – South Province (Area Three)
2. The Open Sky Titan – West Province (Area One)
3. The Lurking Steel Titan – East Province (Area Three)
4. The Quaking Earth Titan – Asado Desert
5. Cortondo Gym (Bug)
6. Artazon Gym (Grass)
7. Alfornada Gym (Psychic)
8. Montenevera Gym (Normal)
9. Cascarrafa Gym (Water)
10. Levincia Gym (Electric)
11. Medali Gym (Flying)
12. Pokemon League & Champion

Starting with the Titans provides useful TMs and gets your levels up smoothly. I‘d tackle the gyms after in the order above based on levels.

Watch out for Alfornada‘s Psychic gym – leader Tulip‘s team gave me a tough time thanks to confusion hax! Have Persim or Cheri berries handy.

Where to find Ditto for breeding in Scarlet/Violet

Breeding is done through Picnics in SV, so you‘ll want to grab a Ditto early on. Ditto hides disguised as random overworld Pokémon in West Province Area 2 and 3.

Some specific locations I found mine:

• West of Cortondo near the coast as a Flamigo
• South of Cascarrafa by the hills as a Dudunsparce
• On a small island north of Botanical Garden as a Lopunny

Keep an eye out for odd Pokémon that seem stationary. Battle and catch them – you may reveal a Ditto for breeding! Smart utilization of Ditto allows you to breed for Shinies, high IVs, Egg Moves and more.

The strongest Pokémon and types in Scarlet/Violet

Here some of the strongest Pokémon I recommend catching in Paldea:

• Palafin – This cute dolphin has an unreal 180 Special Attack stat. Teach it moves like Flip Turn, Hydro Pump, Ice Beam.

• Baxcalibur – With excellent Dragon/Ice STAB moves and coverage, Baxcalibur can sweep unprepared teams. Watch out for its 4x weakness to Fighting though.

• Gholdengo – At 130 Defense and 130 Sp. Defense, Gholdengo is extremely bulky. Body Press lets it dish heavy damage in return.

• Kingambit – Dual Steel/Dark typing with strong attack stats makes it very versatile. Great setup sweeper with Swords Dance.

For the most powerful types in Scarlet/Violet, prioritize catchinng:

• Water – Palafin, Azumarill, Veluza

• Dragon – Baxcalibur, Haxorus

• Ghost – Mimikyu, Gengar, Skeledirge

• Dark – Meowscarada, Kingambit, Weavile

• Steel – Gholdengo, Lucario, Aegislash

Make sure to cover their weaknesses too – so Electric, Fairy, Ghost, Fighting, Fire types respectively. A varied team will let you dominate in Paldea!

The realities of shiny hunting starter Pokémon

With the explosion in popularity of shiny hunting, many players wonder if they can reset for a shiny starter in Scarlet/Violet. Unfortunately, the starter Pokémon are "shiny locked" meaning they cannot be encountered in shiny form. This has become the norm in recent Pokémon generations.

However, this only applies to the starter you receive in the beginning. Here are some ways you can still obtain a shiny starter:

• Breeding – After obtaining a Ditto, you can breed your starter for a shiny through eggs. The base odds are 1/4096 with the Shiny Charm.

• Trading – Trade with others who have bred a shiny starter already. This can be done locally or through Reddit, Discord and other communities.

• Alternate Accounts – Repeat the game on a new account and transfer the shiny starter over through Pokémon Home. Tedious but guaranteed results.

So while your initial partner is locked, with some patience you can eventually add a shiny Grass cat, fiery croc, or brave duck to your team!

Final thoughts on selecting your ideal Starter

When embarking on your Paldea journey, choosing Sprigatito, Fuecoco, or Quaxly comes down to your playstyle and team balance preferences. You really can‘t go wrong. The most well-rounded pick seems to be Meowscarada – with fantastic typing, stats, and move coverage to dominate against almost anything by endgame.

But Skeledirge and Quaquaval have their niche uses too – hitting brutally hard or blazing fast against the right opponents and teams. Combine your starter with a varied team covering each other‘s weaknesses, and you‘ll be unstoppable on the path to Victory Road and beyond.

I hope this guide gave you some great tips and insights on selecting and raising your starter in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. Now it‘s time to set out on your own Paldean adventure together!