My challenge? Create a Pokémon lineup with only 6 Pokémon (much like the video games) one of them has to be the starter Pokémon.
Normally, when I play the games I filter through different Pokémon the whole game. My main goal is to train and grow each Pokémon to the same level. That doesn’t always workout, but I usually get to a decent spot with a good bit of Pokémon.
Now on to my six Pokémon.
Poliwrath
One of my favorite water Pokémon. He’s got amazing defense and a solid offense. He also can mix in some fighting moves so you’re not stuck with water attacks. If your opponent comes around with Pokémon that are not weak against water his power is still strong enough to handle them. Once you train him up from Poliwag, who’s a super cute Pokémon, he’s a boss.
Raichu
He’s like the older stepbrother of Pikachu and for some reason no one talks about this guy. I don’t know what caused it but I’ve grown into a Raichu fan, he’s got good strength, his electric attacks are very strong and he’s super quick.
Tauros
He’s just a normal type Pokémon, one that doesn’t get much attention, but he can throw down stomps and get flinches like no one else can. I don’t know what it is about this dude, but man, he’s got that “it” factor you want out of a Pokémon. I’m a little bit biased after all those flinches I was getting, but this dude became one of my favorites.
Venasaur
Yeah Bulbasaur is my favorite starter Pokèmon, he’s cute and also the most practical choice for me. I like spreading around my lineup so that I can always have a Pokémon that is very effective against others. Bulbasaur elvolving into Venasaur is obviously the best grass Pokémon in the game, at least to me it is. Charmander is great but if I want a fire Pokémon I have other options like Growlith and Ponyta. Squirtle is awesome too, but when Poliwag is out there you got another strong option. I can’t think of any other grass Pokémon that can go toe-to-toe with Venasuar. I always tend to gravitate towards the Grass Starters for this reason. Also the first couple of gyms you come up so are susceptible to grass types, Rock and Water.
It just makes sense to go with Bulbasaur, plus as he evolves his defense gets really good too. I essentially have two tanks in my lineup, and I’m about to add a mini-tank next.
Sandslash
Love this Pokémon, definitely one of my favorites, but his defense is crazy good and when you evolve him enough he learns Poison Sting. That move, paired with his defense, can really create a deadly combo. He quickly became a stalwart in my lineup, being the tail end of my “Big 3.” Poliwrath, Venasaur, Sandslash.
Last Pokémon in my lineup. I gotta go with a favorite of mine and a wild card to help combat some of those crazy Pokémon out there.
Kadabra
Would I want to evolve him to Alakazam, yeah absolutely, but I’ve never had one of those system link things so I’m stuck with Kadabra. Don’t get my wrong, I’m not complaining. This dude is OP to the max and he can easily handle most Pokémon. I found myself at times just sitting this guy out because the rest of my lineup needed to catch up to his level. If a Pokémon came up that I didn’t have an immediate advantage for, I can throw this guy out there and he gets the job done.
Honorable Mentions
Flareon, Growlithe, Ponyta
If I wanted to snag a fire type Pokémon I’d be rolling with one of these three. Like I said before, Charmander is great, but there are other fire type Pokémon out there.
Machoke
If you were a kid around the Pokémon hype, the Machop, Machoke, and Machamp cards were a high priority. These dudes looked cool and can kick butt. Would I like to evolve my Machoke into Machamp, yeah absolutely, but again no system link, so Machoke it is.
Arbok
Throwing out a Poison type can help your battling advantage, Arbok is a good option for Poison, just not enough to crack the lineup consistently.
My strategy? I try to put together a good team with a pretty solid defense. It definitely helps in the later Pokémon battles if you have a strong defense. Instead of filtering to one Pokemon type I try to build a lineup of strengths and weaknesses. Meaning, I want to have a lineup that can combat most Pokémon types, and I think I have that covered, with a few exceptions.
Thank you for your time, this was a fun one for me because it was outside the realm of my normal fantasy posts.
Let us know what you’re top six are (Gen 1 only) we’ll get into the other Generations later on.
Thank you again and remember, from the ashes a fire shall spring.
– The Wandering One
Of Blades and Kings 