Meet the Unova Trio
Generation 5 introduced a memorable trio of starters, each with a distinct personality and evolutionary path. Your choice in Nuvema Town significantly shapes your adventure through the Unova region.
Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon, is known for its smug demeanor and high speed. It evolves into Servine and ultimately Serperior. While its pure Grass typing can make early gym battles, like Burgh's Bug-type gym in Castelia City, a real challenge, its speed is a consistent asset. For players seeking a strategic and swift partner, Snivy is an excellent pick.
Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon, is a cheerful and powerful companion. It evolves into Pignite and then Emboar, gaining the Fighting type along the way. This Fire/Fighting combination grants it a powerful STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) duo, making it a wrecking ball against many opponents. However, this typing was already seen in Blaziken and Infernape, and it faces stiff competition from other powerful Unova Fire-types like Darumaka.
Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon, starts as a cute and versatile Water-type. It evolves into Dewott and finally the formidable Samurott. As a pure Water-type, Oshawott has a solid defensive profile. Samurott's well-rounded stats allow it to function as both a physical and special attacker, giving it great flexibility throughout the main story and making it a reliable choice for navigating Unova's diverse challenges.
- Oshawott offers the most balanced and consistent playthrough, with its final evolution, Samurott, being a powerful mixed attacker with good type coverage.
- Tepig provides immense offensive power early on, evolving into the hard-hitting Emboar, but its Fire/Fighting type is common and leaves it with several weaknesses.
- Snivy presents a more challenging early game but evolves into the swift Serperior, a Pokémon with incredible potential, especially with its Hidden Ability, Contrary.
- Pokémon
- Snivy
- Type
- Grass
- Total stats
- 308
- Pokémon
- Tepig
- Type
- Fire
- Total stats
- 308
- Pokémon
- Oshawott
- Type
- Water
- Total stats
- 308
| Pokémon | Type | Total stats |
|---|---|---|
| Snivy | Grass | 308 |
| Tepig | Fire | 308 |
| Oshawott | Water | 308 |
Final Evolution Base Stats
TYPE EFFECTIVENESS
The Verdict: Who's the Best for Your Journey?
So, which starter is definitively the 'best'? The answer depends on your playstyle. For a smooth and reliable playthrough of Pokémon Black and White, Oshawott is often considered the top choice. Its excellent stat distribution and typing provide the most consistent performance against Unova's Gym Leaders and Elite Four.
Tepig is the choice for players who want to hit hard and fast from the very beginning. Emboar's high Attack and diverse movepool make it a powerhouse, though its defensive weaknesses require careful team building to cover.
Snivy is arguably the most challenging for a first-time playthrough but can be the most rewarding. In later games and with its Hidden Ability, Contrary, Serperior becomes a terrifying sweeper by using Leaf Storm to boost its Special Attack. While this isn't an option in a standard Black & White run, it highlights the Pokémon's unique potential.
Ultimately, there's no wrong answer. To see how their stats and final forms stack up side-by-side, use our comparison tool below.
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Dive deeper into the stats, movepools, and abilities of the Unova starters and their evolutions with our detailed Pokémon Comparator tool.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Gen 5 starter is the easiest for a normal playthrough?
Oshawott is widely considered the easiest starter for a standard playthrough of Pokémon Black and White. Its final evolution, Samurott, has balanced stats and a strong Water typing that is advantageous against many of Unova's key battles.
Is Serperior's Hidden Ability, Contrary, available in Pokémon Black and White?
No, the Contrary ability for Serperior was not available through normal gameplay in the original Pokémon Black and White games. It was released later through special events and became more accessible in subsequent generations, where it makes Serperior a top-tier competitive Pokémon.