Which Pokémon Region has the Best Early Game Makeup?

[@_-Bane-_Main]

I particularly appreciate when early routes have a really unique rare spawn, like the Riolu in BW2 or Bagon in SM. Something to reward players dedicated enough to find them and change up the usual party members. In Sinnoh, it’s usually some combination of Starter, Starly, Shinx, Machop, and Budew

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

Don't forget Buizel

[@_-Bane-_Main]

@@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy that as well.

[@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917]

That Riolu bugs me because it devalues the Lucario that bonds with you and is gifted to you. Like, sorry, but I've had a Lucario since the beginning of the game.

[@philipgelderblom6878]

Bro it takes forever to get ralts in emerald

[@Mendejito]

@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 I’m sorry how lmAo

[@AverageEggmonEnthusiast]

I really love how the Alola games have grass in some of the cities because it’s the closest we’ve had to Pokémon truly being everywhere like the anime. And logically, feral Pokémon would be in the cities and parks so it makes sense. I know some indoor locations across the various games have encounters but those are usually ruins or abandoned spaces.

[@emperorcubone]

True, and it's great for extra nuzlocke options!

[@panamajack5972]

I remember FR/LG had the pokemon guide that sorted pokemon by their habitat. One of the categories was urban. That'd be the only other reference I can think of.

[@societyisboring]

The closest was the sewers in castelia

[@PrisonHoney96]

Alola having such a hugely diverse range of Pokémon available so early on makes sense when you think about it. Tropical regions tend to have more biodiversity, so therefore more species of Pokémon. Not sure if this was intentional by developers, but if so, nice touch.

[@sarahharuka2811]

might be, before Alola, Hoenn was considered the most tropical region and is one of the ones with more diversity too

[@nintendolife25]

Being able to catch a level 10 Salamence is freaking insane.

[@Stringspuller88]

Level 10 salamence?

[@nonbread7911]

​@@Stringspuller88 SOS chaining a Bagon in gen 7 could lead to it calling for a Salamence 1% of the time

[@jonahdengler3858]

@@nonbread7911 Yeah, super rare.

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

1% Bagon encounter, it having a 1% chance to SOS call Salamence SOS was a really cool feature tbh

[@MidnightCapricorn2696]

@@nonbread7911 and, iirc, SOS chains increase shiny odds, so there is the chance of getting a level 10 shiny salamence

[@brandonm8901]

The Pokémon you encounter in the first few routes can really impact my impression on a new region. Probably a significant factor why ended up really liking Kalos. Great combination of cute and strong new and old Pokémon

[@emperorcubone]

I did find it odd how Kalos had SO many Pokémon on every route, it really gave a purpose to exploring every path!

[@derpsdeluxe]

Honestly that might be why I liked replaying through Kalos. It’s very easy to form a really different team even early on. I do think another big reason there’s so many options is because they probably wanted to show off the fancy 3D models of both new and old Pokémon.

[@ethanhess8230]

Variety is important for sure. There isn’t a 100% set team you’ll have because there are a bunch of different team compositions you can have

[@josephbiddle1637]

I feel the same. It’s actually why I am not all that fond of Sinnoh. Sure, SOME of the early route Pokémon are cool, like Shinx, Budew, and if you stretch it, Ponyta that you can find north of the first gym in Platinum. But I don’t care for most of the early route Sinnoh Pokémon like Starly, Kricketot, Bidoof (blasphemy, I know), and even Buizel. It makes getting through a Sinnoh playthrough a drag. Long live Hisui!

[@harold5337]

Shroomish can also be found in Petalburg woods in hoenn, thus also giving you a solid team member. You’re even given an incentive they are there

[@emperorcubone]

True, I didn't go into detail about it because that's past the cutoff, but certainly useful for the Rock type gym!

[@harold5337]

@@emperorcubone And Shroomish turns into a great fighting type Breloom which can help you out in the game. Worth nothing If you didn’t chose Torchic or want to wait until Dewford to catch Makuhita, who is also a great tool to use

[@Squirtle_Squad_Supremacy]

I played Emerald a few years ago and my team was straight up Breloom and Swampert as the heavy hitters, (Aggron in victory road later) Tropius as HM slave, and Rayquaza at the end. My entire game was just Breloom dealing with Aqua and Swampert with Magma.

[@tOGGLEwAFFLES]

I'd certainly count Petalburg woods as the routes surrounding the first city.

[@Ferril21]

The Pokémon you can get early in USUM are amazing. I love how diverse overall the Alola dex is. I played Ultra Sun three times and used different 6 Pokémon each time. The team building potential is so fun in these game, unlike some others where your options can be limited.

[@emperorcubone]

You could honestly probably use six different Pokemon for each island, but that sounds like a lot of work! But that's the main reason I love replaying Pokemon games, to try out new teams!

[@Ferril21]

@@emperorcubone Using new team on each island sounds like cool challenge, but I probably couldn't do it, because I always get attached to my Pokémon.

[@M3G4T3RR4]

Glad I’m not the only one who spent 3 hours in that first area of Legends Arceus, I was just filling out the dex challenges the whole time, and it took me a while to find an Eevee, I didn’t know they were there at the time.

[@emperorcubone]

I know! It was so fun finding a new Pokémon I didn't know was there before! I also found a shiny Drifloon just because I was running around the same spots so much!

[@WaterKirby1994]

3 Hours? I spent more than 60 hours there & you can explore much more than said inside the video. You can cross rivers without the official game progression (that 1 bridge) getting to an area with Psyduck & Buneary, you can sneak past the Snorlax to an area with Luxray as well. Hisui deserved the #1 Spot all things considered just because of how much early game freedom there was. You can easily get to Level 30 just from playing there without it feeling like grinding.

[@MercuryA2000]

I was honestly surprised at how low paldea is. When I started the game I was just hucking balls at everything and anything and I was in awe at the fact that I had like 20 dex slots filled before I even finished the TUTORIAL! Even if you follow my rule of new Pokemon only, I was still already making team decisions by the time I got to school because there's just so many Pokemon in the little slice of land.

[@AiLoveAidoru]

Same. You have all the good early birds, ralts, paldean wooper, diglett, houndour, mareep, lots of options for an early game team! I replayed Violet recently and it’s probably my favorite base dex to work with to date.

[@CaptainJack67]

I absolutely agree that USUM has the best early route options. I think I read you can potentially have a Pokemon of every type before leaving the first island.

[@emperorcubone]

I haven't checked the numbers but it sounds right; it's the only region to have early Ice Pokémon.

[@AverageEggmonEnthusiast]

Does that require the QR code feature? I’m not sure what Ice mon is on the first island.

[@Ben-wu3or]

@@AverageEggmonEnthusiast I think they might be talking about Smoochum in the Seaward Cave

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@emperorcubone Its not the only region to have Early Ice Pokemon if we include the Galar Wild Area though. You can literally find Snorunt, Swinub, Vanillite and Delibird in the snow

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@Ben-wu3or Smoochum and Delibird

[@skyfysh5460]

You forgot something at number 6: You can fish next to the profs house to get magikarp and arrokuda.

[@emperorcubone]

Can you fish that early? It's been a while... I couldn't find an Arrokuda until Hulbury.

[@tanookitoad9281]

@@emperorcubone Yes, you actually start the game with the fishing rod.

[@jalzahn4404]

Yup. I was going to point this out. Having an Arrokuda so early can be a game changer.

[@skyfysh5460]

@@emperorcubone Yeah. There is the battle area in front of the house where you have your second rival battle. To the left of that is a lake with a single fishing spot where you can fish before entering the profs house. iirc it has 90% magikarp and 10% arrokuda.

[@PelemusMcSoy]

I caught an Arrokuda there. He was a main stay on my team because he hit strong and fast.

[@hessiankyojin]

11:44 Don't forget about Shroomish there, which is arguably the best one in that selection.

[@damarjowvan]

Fr when my shroomish evolved into breloom it was the mvp of my team

[@eloise7107]

Also where tailow

[@infiniteaditya]

That schoolyard Zorua/Zoroark from my Ultra Sun help turned the Ultra Necrozma battle into a joke iykyk.

[@emperorcubone]

The moral of that being, stay in school and you too can defeat a light eating dragon from space!

[@nickdentoom1173]

Agreed. I put my Hariyama at the back and Zoroark in front, so Necrozma kept spamming a Psychic move which was unnafected.

[@michaelnelson1127]

It really says something about Galar’s early options when by the end of my first playthrough, I had 3 of them on my final team with another one in reserve.

[@emperorcubone]

I was shocked that Chewtle was found from the beginning, because I wanted to use Drednaw from right when I saw it in the trailers beforehand!

[@ThePipofDespair]

This is why Alola is still my favorite region. It's just so expansive.

[@jessedellross3245]

Johto will always have a special place in my heart. You feel the culture and identity of the region very early on and it just grows from there. Unova is a good one too

[@emperorcubone]

If we're talking culture Kalos is surprisingly good at it too, given you go through 3 towns in quick succession, all of them different from each other.

[@chefgrizz6284]

The identity of the region being Kanto

[@urbana7547]

johto is the weeb region but is still pretty good

[@myb8955]

@@urbana7547 Pretty crazy how a game made in Japan primarily for a Japanese audience is so Japanese

[@platoriamS]

Hoenn and Sinnoh have that exact same feeling for me

[@thundermcqueen7523]

This reminds me of the great difficulty balance Alola had, they gave you many tools for the adventure yet they weren't easy games.

[@Billy-ot8mk]

To me it has to be Alola. You can have your team done by the first island. Galar is also great with this as well.

[@ChaosBuckaroo]

Surskit only has a 1% encounter rate in the Hoenn Route 102 grass. That’s lower than Ralts. Even though Surskit/Masquerain isn’t that good in Hoenn, it always felt so special because I knew how rare it was at that point in the game.

[@emperorcubone]

Yet I somehow seem to find Surkit more often than Ralts. Weird...

[@LegendStormcrow]

​​@@emperorcubonesame, unless I'm looking for one for my team. Then no Ralts, and no surskit

[@wilsonweiseng6485]

Ah yes, I still remember the shock I had to see a surskit

[@WaterKirby1994]

Didn't surskit & skitty have random swarms where you could watch TV & then they became common for a day or something? I don't know the crazy Gen 3 Code at all, good luck getting to Mirage Island or the Rooftop Sales!

[@CowboyPrestige101]

Yellow version is part of the reason I loved the mankey line. Being a kid i was always into using attacking moves and never bothered with stat moves. So in pokemon Red, I struggled because I refused to choose anything other than Charmander. Mankey was a game changer for Brock. That original Primeape episode also greatly helped lmao

[@SirAuron777]

I remember being a kid and going to Walmart when Pokémon yellow came out and one of the Walmart associates there was actually playing yellow and told me and my brother that you can now catch mankey early to beat Brock easily. Man, time flies…

[@grahambirch8563]

Despite B/W having the fewest early options, Herdier does end up being in my opinion the best early route Normal pokemon.

[@emperorcubone]

It is super helpful that it evolves so early!

[@Watch-0w1]

Better. Than taloflame

[@grahambirch8563]

@@Watch-0w1 Talonflame I consider early route bird (& would put in 2nd, just behind Corviknight). Herdier I would put as the best normal type (ahead of Raticate, Sentret, Linoone, Bidoof, Yungoose, etc).

[@nonbread7911]

​@@Watch-0w1He said best normal type, Talonflame is Fire/Flying

[@Watch-0w1]

@@nonbread7911 o oh sorry I didn't read it right. I thought The pairy dog was the normal type you come across early

[@tanookitoad9281]

If you were to include the Wild Area, it would expand upon Galar's options immensely. You go there before Motostoke, and there's tons of Pokemon to find that aren't too strong to catch.

[@michaelnelson1127]

Indeed. During my first playthrough, I spent so long in the Wild Area just catching new Pokémon that my starter evolved. But once it did, my thought was “Okay, I think it’s time to move on.”

[@rue8638]

I found my first full odds shiny in the wild area before my first gym! Little ruby red duskull

[@michaelnelson1127]

@@rue8638 What a coincidence! Duskull was my first shiny in Sword, though it took me until just outside Stow-On-Side to find it.

[@rue8638]

@@michaelnelson1127 woah cool! What’s yours named? Mine is Mrs. Orbs

[@michaelnelson1127]

@@rue8638 Wait, you can nickname your shinies? Joking aside, I didn’t really bother with nicknames for my first playthrough. Though if I had to, I think Death Glare could be a good one.

[@nickdentoom1173]

You can also fish on Route 2, adding a Magikarp and Arrokuda in Galar. Which would give you a Gyarados before gym 1.

[@nazeersadek6705]

3:48 I honestly didn’t know this between giving the player an early grass Pokémon and allowing Venonat to spawn earlier let’s go really fixed a lot of problems the Kanto region has when it comes to encounters and where they spawn

[@emperorcubone]

Yep! It wasn't as pointless as everyone said!

[@develope3208]

TBF if you got a Venonat early in R/B it wouldn't learn any moves until like the second gym

[@quantasium]

Alola was the best region for early route Pokémon in my opinion. You can literally get Pikachu, Bagon, Zorua, Munchlax, Smoochum, and the Kanto and Johto starters before you even start the first trial. Most of these Pokémon are usually found/gifted in the mid to late game or even post game in other titles.

[@emperorcubone]

Ooh, yeah I totally forgot about the island scan thing! That makes it even better!

[@No_Direction-99]

Your videos have inspired me to play Pokémon again. The nostalgia has gotten to me so I’m happy to say I bought a DS lite and 2 emulator cartridges that include all of the DS lite and GBA Pokémon games + random other games.

[@emperorcubone]

Oh wow, I'm glad I've helped to reignite the spark! I personally love HGSS!

[@markusdied5569]

link??? i’d love those carts

[@enzoforgets9456]

I dont wanna be THAT guy but You CAN get headbutt before badge 2, its incredibly unlikely someone would put up with the grind needed, but you can

[@bobjob2514]

Man, the feels are hitting me today. I wasn’t a big fan of gen 7, but my boy grimer carried that entire first run.

[@emperorcubone]

I didn't use Alolan Muk until the Ultra games, but it was great!

[@elfascisto6549]

6:22 It's not padding the numbers, it's called giving player different options. Want a normal type but doesn't like ratatta ? Okay, here's zigzagoon, bidoof, pidgey and whatever. Also, it makes random encounters less grading. Encountering pidgey and rattata 100 times gets annoying much faster than encountering multiple other pokemon at an equivalent frequency

[@emperorcubone]

I mean, I guess...? But I'd rather have Actual choice and variety, where I can actually use different types! Instead of being offered so much pure Normal, would it kill them to give us a Ground type for once?

[@elfascisto6549]

@@emperorcubone I don't think having both type variety on early routes and having multiple different options to choose within a single type are conflicting ideals. They could easily strive for both without sacrificing one.

[@ShinyHunterSolyu]

Happy that My 3 favorite regions made the top 5 being Hoenn for nostalgia, Alola cause it was the first region I got my shiny charm and Paldea cause I love the route Pokémon is taking the franchise! I also do love Legends so honorable mention to it! 😊

[@gingerkays7362]

Sapphire was the game that got me into gaming at all, so it made me so happy to see Hoenn so high up

[@pikachu8508]

In SM/USUM, you can catch Makuhita before the first trial, and during the trial you have access to Brick Break TM that help alot against the Totem. Especially in Moon/UM that 4x super effective Brick Break would make short work of Totem Alolan Raticate.

[@RedMadMichael]

Don't forget Houndour, Diglett and Yungoos in the cavern on Poco Path!

[@The_One_In_Black]

Not that it changes ratings, but Paldea also requires you to go through a cave with Diglett and Yungoos.

[@g3neralrevan27]

Shroomish in petalburg forest too - breloom is a beast

[@Xigzagamer]

Hoenn is definitely my favorite Region when it comes to early game team building. I often pick up an Aron early on as well just after the first gym. There are a lot of great options for team building, so often I enjoy using something I haven't used before. In terms of late game options I never considered Walrein until recently, but then I found out it is actually quite amazing in the story.

[@emperorcubone]

I hate that Walrein is so late because it's a great Pokemon! Plenty of amazing teams can be built in Hoenn, even from the beginning!

[@diamondinmyeye6160]

I think you undersold Paldea. I'd consider any area you can legally reach before you get your mount pokemon to count as the early route. It's like 50 different pokemon.

[@shannonn2569]

I love Ledyba and Spinarak and I have a phobia of spiders..but Lechonk won my heart and I kept Oinkologne for a fair bit. ( Redone )

[@Dudimus777]

Pokemon Red and Blue you can also find Pikachu in Viridian Forest. It's a 5% encounter rate, but already starts off knowing thunderstruck. Useless against Brock's Ground type Pokemon sure, but pays off when you go up against Misty in the very next town.

[@poiuygfd47]

emporer cubone: "hmm, i'm not sure we should count route 22 for kalos with great encounters like riolu, litleo and psyduck, so kalos should be no. 9" also emporer cubone: "ok so i know they come after reaching jubilife but let's just count route 204, the ravaged path and the old rod, sinnoh should be no. 7" feels like you're doing kalos a little dirty

[@emperorcubone]

Eh, even if it were included it would only move up about one or two spots. But I still feel like exploring before the first rival battle is quite acceptable to include...

[@dazzabarloola]

Overal i feel like this a reasonable assessment but also feel some region got a short straw in where the 'early game' was determined to finish. Like some were 2 routes and not to first gym and others were 5-6 routes all the way to the first gym.

[@poiuygfd47]

@@emperorcubone i see where you're coming from and i agree that its fair to include up to the rival fight as well, it just struck me as odd that you specifically cut route 22 off from kalos despite allowing things like kanto route 2, despite being after the story stuff with the old man and oaks parcel, or munna which can't be obtained until after the first gym in unova cause of cut (not that it affected unova's placement anyway but still) but drew the line at kalos, despite that route housing a rare early game fire type which would help greatly with the first bug gym or riolu which due to being a friendship evo could immediately become a lucario and be a very strong force in the early game. just felt like there was no real reason to cut off that route specifically, but it was still an enjoyable video regardless

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@poiuygfd47 Yes and you cannot literally catch that Fire type and its evolutions (Litleo and Pyroar) on any other route either.

[@mabs6253]

USUM's Melemele is the goat it literally has mons for ALL 18 TYPES available before Hala. Need a Ghost Type? Ghastly, Drifloon. Need a Steel Type? Magnemite, Mawile. Need a Fighting Type? Hawlucha. Dragon? Noibat, SALAMENCE. Ice? Smoochum, Delibird. You literally have options for any type. USUM Melemele Island is the GOAT.

[@emperorcubone]

That is the one area with early Ice types, you're right!

[@SERMareep2007]

​@@emperorcubone And if you want even more you can use island scan aswell.

[@derrabbit7289]

Alola will forever be my favorite Region. The Region that got me back into Pokémon after a 2 generation hiatus. If I got Isekaied to the Pokémon world, Alola is where I would want to go.

[@donnaroe]

I love the Hoenn early mons, many of them always make it through my full playthroughs! Theyre all so charming! :)

[@rayyaninspookymonth1630]

I do think the "route 1" options of hisui are insane and diverse too. imagine if they make a Route 1 where every single type even dragon is available?

[@killingragethrowback]

Sinnoh definitely. The first few areas before the first gym, even just the first route, this place has some great Pokemon that will take you through to the end of the game. Hoenn and Alola too come close. And the fact that Kalos has so much variety is a good thing.

[@alex122097]

For paldea you can also find a lv5 gimmighoul on the ledge by the light house too!

[@alex122097]

*chest form*

[@skyking8499]

For the hoenn region, you can catch shroomish in the forest,marill and also abra outside the cave

[@mabs6253]

Geodude isn't on the cave but Abra and Marill are available before 1st gym in Emerald

[@skyking8499]

@@mabs6253 yess marill too snd abra outside the cave

[@rue8638]

So excited to see the gen 7 love :) my favourite games for sure

[@Vicusly]

USUM also has the option of the island scan that can include starters from other regions which further bolsters it’s lineup

[@ChefMonke07]

The fact that Shroomish didn't get a mention in the Hoenn section is a crime

[@ManuelLS1005]

Another Tuesday, another great video by EmperorCubone

[@wolfekupo5651]

6:35 yes you should have counted it, you counted the route with spearow and the nidos in kanto as well as route 2 which you don't even have access to until after you bring Oak's parcel back to him which means you need to walk through route 1 twice more before route 2

[@crazygalemt]

LEVEL FREAKING 10 SALAMENCE! the only fully evolved pseudo legendary in Pokémon’s history

[@josephbiddle1637]

I will definitely argue that Paldea should be higher on the list. On my first playthrough in Violet, the day after release, I was able to collect over 50 unique species (although this may include a few early evolutions, I don’t remember) BEFORE I even visited the academy. I had absolutely NO issue finding a fun, diverse team very early, even with my rule of only using new Pokémon/forms for my first playthrough of a new region. I even found a team member that I wasn’t expecting to be as amazing as it was, a Paldean Wooper, later Clodsire, that stayed on my team for nearly the entirety of my playthrough.

[@Locormus2]

What I dislike about GenV is how water is just a major roadblock until after you beat the 7th gym. You don't even get a fishing rod until the postgame! The only Basculin you can get is through a trade in Driftveil City. There's other water-types you can find like Panpour, Tympole and I guess Tirtouga.. But it's frustrating that they gatekeep surfing (and encounters like Frillish, Alomomola and other Basculin) until that late in the game.

[@mikemiller8430]

I had a cool thought for a video that's right up your alley. Top 10 Pokemon that should be in every region. And the 10 that should not (discluding legendary, regional forms, and mythical and convergent pokemon)

[@emperorcubone]

I actually really like that topic! I may just do that sometime, or at least a variant of it...

[@mikemiller8430]

@@emperorcubone cool, I always liked gen 5 doing the reset in the first games. And honestly I'm surprised that with Kalos, galar and paldea being right next to one another, theoretically, that their national Dex's weren't similar. And unova and Alola should be almost completely independent as well....

[@nickdentoom1173]

One that should not be in every region is Magikarp. I am growing real tired of seeing that thing everywhere.

[@mikemiller8430]

@@nickdentoom1173 no. It's definitely an all region mon. But there should be more true fish pokemon

[@MrSlizzard]

I think the way you discussed the redundancy in the beginning of gen 6 is off the mark. (But I like the video!) I think the reason there are so many of the same kinds of Pokemon is intentional. They are suggesting in a way, for you to catch a Bug and a Normal type to fill out your team early, however they are giving you a choice of several of that type, all of whom have different evolutionary paths and final design styles. Although Vivillon/Butterfree are pretty much identical, you might say its a choice for older players to be able to not use the regional bug, or you could say it's a chance for new players to see an old regional bug. Either way I actually think redundancy in an early route leads to better design than an abundance of types. It gives more control over the players experience at each milestone/roadblock which can lead to great things.

[@MidnightWhisper]

I actually agree. It means more teams will be different rather than how similar starting teams in, say, Sinnoh would be (most people would catch Starly and Shinx for instance). The customizability is fun and increases replayability in my opinion.

[@silent7159]

I personally like having a lot of different pokemon in the early routes. Having a lot of different team options to choose from is always something I enjoy

[@JustAnotherHaiku]

I'd put Kalos above Sinnoh personally, primarily for the variety of Pokemon you can get. While yes, there are a lot of Normal types in the early routes of Kalos, you're likely to have a different team each playthrough. I can't say the same for Sinnoh.

[@Radiogumdrop]

I would’ve gone up to the first gym/trial. That would make paldea and galea the best options due to the wild area and the huge open world

[@emperorcubone]

Yeah, that's why I didn't; it would be totally unfair!

[@aaronodonoghue1791]

"I don't think we've ever seen Ghost types before the first gym" *laughs in Shedinja*

[@emperorcubone]

You gonna grind a level 6 Nincada up to level 20 right next to the first gym? Good luck with that...

[@aaronodonoghue1791]

@@emperorcubone *laughs in Professor Oak Challenge* Also I mainly grinded on Whismurs in Rusturf Tunnel, they give the best experience

[@tvitornado7261]

This is an awesome video concept! Looking forward to see if a future video will cover the early game options (before the third gym)

[@brendanboomhour7606]

In Paldea, if you have a deathwish, you can also get murdered by a lv50 Tera Leafeon just outside Los Platos too, right at the start

[@Lupen69]

In sm/usum, you exclude the pokemon you need tauros to get, but you include the SOS pokemon, which are unlocked after the first trial.

[@jack-lj1so]

for sake of fairness i would have included encounters possible before the first gym, rather than the first major town as that can be fairly subjective

[@emperorcubone]

Maybe, but that would've included the Wild Area, Route 3, and the Galar Mines adding like 60 Pokémon to the Galar list so "the First Gym" is not really an even playing field...

[@jack-lj1so]

@@emperorcubone valid, but i do think including up to the first gym showcases how much more open and unrestricted early game team-building is now compared to older generations, and the question of whether or not it’s gone too far. personally i’m a fan of having more than a couple meh options prior to the first gym, but i also think there’s an overwhelming number of options to be had now, especially with scarlet and violet.

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@emperorcubone I think you could still have dismissed Wild Area, as not calling it a Normal route, but an Open Area section. Yes, then you can say: But what about Paldea. Well... you could have dismissed everything past the first 2 gyms (Grass and Bug).

[@animatedCHUG]

You should've counted everything up to the first gym in each game. Because Kanto has Viridian forest and you specifically said you weren't counting it, which makes no sense. It's fair to count everything up to Pewter City, so adding Pidgeotto to Yellow version and Pikachu to the other games makes it slightly better. It's unfair because you counted everything before Violet City in Johto, despite having a city before it. Much like Kanto having Viridian ahead of Pewter.

[@emperorcubone]

I specifically did not include everything before Violet City; there was no Bellsprout or Dunsprace on the list. And also Galar alone throws the "first gym" cutoff out the window!

[@animatedCHUG]

@emperorcubone Your point about Galar is a good one. I completely forgot about Bellsprout and Dunsparce, well I guess you did keep things rather fair

[@skullyfx4321]

In Sinnoh you can get a team of 3 pokemon very early that could be good untill the very end of the game. Both Starly and Shinx are amazing first route pokemon and while noe being good against the first gym - they become amazing in every other battle later.

[@Fschdr]

i still remember my odd obsession of getting "good nature" + "fitting gender for a pokemon so bad" that I manage to find a Shiny Zorua before a male grimer with adamant nature. THAT EARLY

[@LimeLoaf]

Idrc about nature but I understand the gender, I don't want a male popplio lol.

[@skilledwarman]

7:21 wow wow wow hey let's not disrespect my boy Azumaril here. I had one in my first white 2 playthrough with huge power. He accompanied me from the start all the way to the end of white tree hollow and the PWT while remaining relevant and more than carrying his weight to the end

[@SquishyOfCinder]

Yeah Azurill pre gen 6 was already a powerhouse

[@globalistgamer6418]

I think this is a different and opposite flaw to having too few/weak Pokemon in the early game. Giving out a Huge Power Pokemon that especially in Gen 6 onwards also has one of the best typings in the series before the first gym is just silly and makes it not really worth ever considering the tradeoff of taking a different party member without EV investment later on.

[@shinesoul7472]

10:44 you can also catch Pokemon while walking in the Cave with Lizard. So that Diglett and Yongoose

[@malakkennedy6949]

16:08 I mean if we wanna get technical, Gastly shows up at Bellsprout Tower in Violet City, but that *is* the first Gym's town so I understand if that's too close for that comparison, but yeah. Great video nonetheless.

[@shinreimyu]

A. Grimer my beloved in gen7 amazing typing, moveset, solid ability and can come with black sludge

[@jgr7487]

"affectionately refered as rodents" is cute. as a "Early Normal Types" (or Early Normals) terminology enjoyer, I do back your wording, my Emperor.

[@emperorcubone]

I have to give qualifiers for it now because of Lechonk...

[@jgr7487]

@@emperorcubone Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Lilipup, Yungoos, & Lechonk are not rodents, so the terminology is outdated since Gen III.

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@jgr7487 Poochyena doesn't count regardless, cuz its not Normal type. Lilipup isn't regarded the Early Route Rodent, thats Patrat.

[@SaxDiamond]

I always love the first run out in a new game too, building up your starter and adding new Pokémon to your team 😃

[@NiyiDaNinja]

Galar is my favorite off the top of my head cause I found most of my final team in the first 2 routes

[@tyranidswarmlord9722]

Zorua or/and Inky being found early is the game going 'you'll need this later'. Considering you are going to get trucked by the Nuzlock Killer.

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

You forgot to say how early Unova is actually worse then you think because cut and by extension Munna is blocked off by the first gym battle, it’s crazy how fun those games are for how limited they can be

[@patricklynch4074]

I think you put paldea too low, everything from start to the nemona battle in front of mesagoza feels lush with not only options, but interesting options

[@theness_1015]

Hoenn holds a special place for me, Zigzagoon, Ralts, Tailow, Wingull, Shroomish all can be longterm plays

[@gavinaaric]

Alola really had good early game mons they literally forced me to catch one against ilima with water gun against litten

[@returnofskurk1633]

I'm gonna put Gen 4 first here. I don't care about how many options I have, I care about the quality. The fact you can get Starly, Shinx and arguably the best Gen 4 HM user in Bidoof/Bibarel) so early on puts it at number 1 for me. The mons you can get after are just bonuses. (Granted I am not a Shinx user, as I will always take Electivire over it) I do gotta put respect on Paldea though. Having early acess to Buizel, Magikarp, Ralts and Gastly was just nice. Though I'd argue since you counted the ENTIRETY of Melemele you should include more areas for other regions, since it would not be fair otherwise.

[@emperorcubone]

I didn't "count" the whole of Melemele island, I just pointed out the ridiculous variety past the arbitrary line of the end of the first area. I thought it was notable, since what other region has a fully evolved pseudo legendary obtainable that early?

[@returnofskurk1633]

@@emperorcubone I mean it is also the only game with said feature.

[@mkt568]

I would count the early routes as anything before the first gym in the first six generations, the first trial in Alola, before the Wild Area in Galar, and before the bridge in Hisui. Haven’t played Scarlet and Violet, so no comment on Paldea.

[@zaclittlejohn2701]

Honestly anything before the first rival battle after the starter fight as long as you aren't glitching or exploiting odd battle mechanics. That includes about 30-40 pokemon with a choice of water, poison, grass, electric, flying, fairy, psychic, ground, rock, fighting, ghost, normal, and i think there is One or two dark types.

[@mkt568]

Blue: Route 22 (Unless you skip him there, then it’s Cerulean City) Silver: Azalea Town after beating Team Rocket there. Brendan/May: Route 110 (Rustboro City in Emerald) Barry: Route 203 Cheren/Bianca: Route 2 before reaching Striaton City Hugh: Flocessy Ranch Calem/Serena: Shalour City Hau: Iki Town Festival Hop: Professor Magnolia’s Lab Legends Arceus doesn’t technically have a rival and as I said before, haven’t played Scarlet and Violet.

[@zaclittlejohn2701]

@@mkt568 i was specifically referring to the paldea region, but most of those are reasonable. Jhoto is a little far for "early game" as is kalos, but thats because the jump from first to second gym in kalos is pretty long. Paldea opens up around 30 different encounters before you fight Nemona a second time before going into the first actual city thats not a pallet town equivalent.

[@lukediehl1210]

I feel like an old man. I was 8 years old when Red/Blue hit the US. Nothing so satisfying as teaching my sons to play the game.

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

4:34 very small correction: if you level up a pokemon that learns it naturally you can actually get it and use it on the field before then. Dont think any pokemon before the first gym learn it though so in the end it does not matter

[@frankdeantonio1109]

Glad someone agreed with the early game of legends arceus. I played for a very long time before I finally progressed both over that bridge, and through the story quest in the obsidian fieldlands.

[@emperorcubone]

There was so much to explore!! It was so fun wasting hours before chasing the story...

[@HaZZb97]

You can also catch Gastly before the first gym in GSC if you play at night in the early routes!

[@HaZZb97]

Also you forgot Shroomish, Marill, and Abra for RSE! Shroomish in Petalburg Woods, Marill on route 104, and Abra is available on route 116!

[@emperorcubone]

Yes, well I wasn't really going past the woods area, just pointing out SOME new options soon past that, unlike say Kanto or Johto where it's just more of the same...

[@SJrad]

I feel like early game should encompass every route you can access before fighting the first gym leader. not just up to the first major city. although maybe for galar and paldea, the first major city should be their limit. for galar, the first gym is turfield so i think everything before motostoke is up for grabs. Actually maybe the wild area should be excluded too. in paldea’s case, you can choose the first gym you take on and its so open ended where you can go so that’s just unfair for the other regions, yeah everything before you can access before entering mesagoza excluding glitches.

[@emperorcubone]

Yeah, Galar singlehandedly made "the first gym" an unreasonable measurement. And did Paldea really need even more options? It's already easily the largest number...

[@nickdentoom1173]

The problem with limiting Galar and Paldea to the first city, rather than the first gym is then the reverse and unfair to them. So for Galar, i would still say exclude the wild area's, but include the routes past Motostoke. For Paldea, just use the areas before Bug and Grass gym, but everything after is excluded.

[@keoplays167]

You forget that houndour, yungoos and diglet can spawn extremely rarely at poco path mostly because they glitch out of inlet grotto on the path which i found out because i got a shiny diglet before arvens first battle xD

[@emperorcubone]

Well you can catch them when the story takes you down there too, but if you miss them it's highly unlikely to find them again...

[@keoplays167]

@@emperorcubone yea but since its technically part of the story it should be considered too maybe since its probably the first time we ever got houndour early other than x and y after the second gym ^^

[@nickdentoom1173]

@@keoplays167 And even then Houndour is only a version exclusive to X.

[@toxelola]

This video just reminded me of how much I used to love SOS shiny hunting in early-route USUM just for the vast array of options!

[@emperorcubone]

I did it for Rockruff twice, so I could get both day and night versions!

[@toxelola]

@@emperorcubone Three times for me for the Rockruff - technically four because I accidentally failed one!

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

I remember as a kid learning about the Pickup ability and playing Sapphire was incredible. I'd get my starter, catch 5 Zigzagoon and just do a bunch of wild battles before I even went to my NPC father to help Wally catch his Ralts. Seriously, I'd roll into Petalburg City with a bunch of Rare Candies, Nuggets, Ultra Balls, Super Potions, Proteins, etc. Granted this was NOT Emerald because they had fixed up the items you could get at a certain level with the ability. Good times...

[@emperorcubone]

Wow, I don't mind some grinding, but even that sounds excessive to me...

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

@@emperorcubone hey, once I figured out a fast way to make money ASAP in the game to get poke balls I was all in!

[@acetrainerleo483]

Its good to be a usum fan. Its actually my favorite mainline games

[@emperorcubone]

I need to replay mine sometime, see it a little fresher, and more removed from the originals...

[@nunuwald4640]

i love alola, it will always have a special place in my heart since it was the first mainline pokemon game i played

[@mjvdg4194]

I’d honestly put Paldea’s a little higher just because it immediately allows you a hard counter to the first Nemona battle in Wooper. This instantly; shows off a brand new regional Pokémon, rewards the choice to catch the new guys, and is a get out of jail free card for brand new players!

[@bombomb4643]

just imagine being the first kahuna in ultra sun and moon and a 10 year old just busts out a level 10 salamance and halwcha

[@syndere6755]

At some point I will catch that lvl 10 Salamence. I think it's hilarious

[@volk551]

Bias much won't include Viridian Forest, but is willing to include petalburg woods, even though they are the same thing

[@emperorcubone]

Did not "include" Petalburg woods, I only mentioned past Route 104 because of the unique options that couldn't be found earlier, unlike the other end of Route 2 in Kanto which is just more of the same...

[@volk551]

@Emperor Cubone okay then why not include both then?

[@BeezerGutlr]

I feel like Violet city should've been counted as the first major town, since you don't even have pokeballs the first time you pass through cherrygrove.

[@emperorcubone]

True, but you have to backtrack ALL the way to NewBark and do it all again, so I think doing that road twice would already be pushing it past some other regions...

[@GeaForce]

Ghost types next to a school... Something doesn't feel right there

[@tommurray9841]

Would like to see what the best in game team of 6 you can make before the first gym in every game. So all the routes you enter before getting your first badge. This team would not include your starter. Early gens you wouldn’t have much choice but would have more in newer gens. My say would be crystal where you can get Crobat, Arcanine, Poliwrath, Gengar, Victreebel & Golem

[@kaitouluminous7114]

Not going to lie Hoenn was my first & One of my all-time favorite regions but I did not expect it to be so high on the list