It will be exactly like this again. People never learn

Nope, Popplio is just trash, this generation we're playing with FIREH. Look at the best (for the Story) starter for each generation:

Gen 1 Bulbasaur

Gen 2 Thyplosion

Gen 3 Swampert

Gen 4 Infernape

Gen 5 Serperior

Gen 6 Greninja


We're about to start another Starter Cycle and given that Greninja was the last one the next one will be either Rowlet or Litten and I'm betting on the Tiger...

Uh what? Froakie always looked good, all the gen6 starters did. Likewise though, all gen6 final forms were pretty meh, so I hope we'll atleast have the opposite situation in Sun/Moon.

What exactly is this based on considering you listed Serperior as best 5th gen starter which is definitely false.

Type advantage on gym leades+ which starter is the most competitive nowdays (with no mega of course)

Venusaur is supereffective against both Brock and Misty (won't list all of the gym leaders, but the first ones are most important since it's when you have the laest mons in your team) while Charmander is weak to both and Squirtle is supereffective against Brock but resisted by Misty.

List goes on for pretty much all of them, Serperior is there for competitive use since the 1st gym is supereffective against all of them and the second i normal...

Haven't played the older games so can't comment there, but in no way is a mono grass type with a god awful movepool the best starter of it's generation. To get more on topic, I don't think there's any sort of trend or cycle Gamefreak follows, assuming they even know which starters are gonna be the best beforehand.

Of course he'll learn Ice moves, they wont make a starter drastically worse for such a silly reason. See Sceptile vs. Swampert or Empoleon vs. Torterra.

This thread reminded me of Brawl in the Family.

Now I'm crying.

Gah. I have no idea which one I'll pick. I'll probably just wait to see what their final evo's are before I pick, as I did with Gen 6 (I went with Chespin because Knights and stuff).

Or Infernape (Fighting) vs. Empoleon (Steel).

But yeah, I can guarantee you now that it's final evo will have access to Ice Beam and Blizzard at minimum, and likely Ice Punch. I honestly wish GF didn't automatically give every Water type access to Ice moves. It makes Ice Pokemon completley pointless, and makes it far too easy for Water types to overcome what should be a weakness.

Ka-pi96 said: Fennekin was actually my least favourite gen 6 starter. Guess I'm just at avoiding the ones with bad evos As for 7th gen... Rowlett is probably the cutest starter ever. Don't even care what it evolves in to, evolution is optional afterall. Just gotta have that cuteness! Litten... don't like the name, but it looks alright. If it wasn't for the oversized whiskers it would look even better. Will be interesting to see which route it goes as it evolves. Kinda hoping it becomes a puma or something. Popplio... is by far the ugliest starter I have ever seen. There's no redeeming features of it whatsoever. The only way its evolutions could possibly be good is if they look like a completely different family of pokemon.

Calling it now: Oshawott started as a bipedal mon that eventually becomes a quadripedal sea lion, and Popplio is a quadriped sea(l) lion that will eventually stand on it's hind legs.

I just hope they stick with the jester/acrobat theme. You know it's going to get moves like Acrobat and Bounce.