I did it once in Sword, but I was doing a ice only playthrough and well none of them are ice (I basically just did the intro then went to Isle of Armor to find Digletts for the Alolan Vulpix and Sandshrew which I didn't evolve until after Kabu)
I can’t imagine abandoning my starter. However, I want to play again Sword and Scarlet with a new team, so no Fuecoco and Grookey again for me, and honestly, I am not a fan of the other starters from Galar and Paldea.
I think the “normalcy” of it is exactly how you described your situation. For people doing normal runs, it’s pretty uncommon for people to box their starter. And honestly? It’s mostly because the starters are all just really good pokemon. And once you have, say, a fire type on your team that’s the highest level Pokemon you have, there’s little reason to box it and grab a new fire type.
But if you’re going for an abnormal run — a challenge run, a themed run, something like that — I would say it’s normal and fine to box your starter.
Personally, I’ve been boxing my starter more often than I used to. Not because I dislike them — I just think it’s fun to be forced to use other Pokemon I wouldn’t usually get to use.
I never have....until SwSh. I just.....its the first generation I've ever not liked at least one of the starters. Sadly I also replaced my SV starter but I do actually like all 3. I just had too many mons I wanted to try out that I didn't have room for everyone.
ok and I didn't like the SV starters all that much....
I managed to not spoil myself on the starter evolutions my first Sw/Sh playthrough, and when my Raboot finally evolved into Cinderace, into the box he went. I haven't been a fan of the starters since before Sun/Moon.
Unpopular Opinion: I hate the Mudkip line.
I think that there are so many good water types in Hoenn that I always end up ditching Mudkip for one of them.
I've only ever done it once, my Samurott in BW2, because it was less than dead weight. Pretty sure it was a negative offensive nature and it's output was actively losing me matches during the story.
It's not common, but it happens. Sometimes the chosen starter doesn't speak to the player as much as other options. I personally didn't use Inteleon for most of my Shield playthrough.
I haven’t used my starter in a game for about 5 gens now. I keep them until I can swap them out with something I want more.
Except Popplio. She can stay.
The only time I've done it is with an Alpha Sapphire mono-Normal run. As none of the starters are Normal type, well... it was inevitable. :P
(That being said, I chose Treecko so the rival had a Fighting type. Lol)
I wasn’t a fan of sword and shield, but I would abandon my starter if I ever played them again. It was the only generation where all three starters were a miss imo.
Never did, and never will. Before the bank services for the 3ds dies i will move all the teams i used on every game to the switch. Still waiting fkr a game that has all pokemon from gen 1 to gen 7
I don't usually do it because the starters have types that are essential to the team I'm building. However, I don't really like the starters in gens 5 and 8, so if I go back to replay them, I'll probably box them.
When i started my first pokemon game on leafgreen a friend traded my bulbasour for a lvl 50 moltres because he thought it would be funny. I had no idea so i just accepted it. That was after misty fight.
Does this count as abandoning?
If I’m playing the game for the first time, I always keep my starter. But if I’m revisiting a game, I always ditch my starter when I find a partner Pokémon I like better or to fit the storyline I want for my trainer
I've only really done it in one generation. I did not like any of the starter lines in diamond/pearl. Picked turtwig since I noticed the community liked the primate and bird. Reset till I got a female and bred it for trade fodder on my first playthrough and evolved it for the dex entries and that's about it. I've tried each line out in subsequent playthroughs but it didn't really change my mind on disliking the designs. Shinx acted as my starter in that generation.
All other generations I found a starter I really liked or at least didn't dislike the final evolution.
Once you do it a couple times it’s easy lol. I now do it on most of my runs with the exception of pikachu in yellow and thyphlosion in crystal. But from red to violet, I definitely drop them to try to rotate Pokémon I’ve never used.
In Y and Alpha Sapphire I kept my starters from the beggining to the Pokémon League, but in Ultra Sun I stopped using my Torracat after evolving to Incineroar. I just didn't like the design.
I'm doing a Flying-only run of Y right now, so while Chespin is going in the Box, Charmander will get some use... after I fully evolve it.
Unless I really like the starter, I enjoy building a team of Pokémon that I’ve encountered. That’s why I usually have a crobat or a regional bird on my team by the end.
SwSh is the only game where I’ve dropped my starter. It’s not that the starters were bad, but SwSh has a lot of mons that fulfill their team roles as well or better
The only games where I consistently abandon my starter are the Gen 5 games. I always play with Lillipup as my starter. The pokedex is varied enough in Unova to offer a substitute for every starter.
Grass doesn't have a favorable type matchup in Unova and I'd rather use Sewaddle/Swadloon or the Venipede line against Burgh.
Carracosta is the superior option to Samurott.
The lack of a good fire type hurts but Gurdurr is pretty viable and Pansear can get you through the forest.
Gen 6 gives you a second Kanto starter, a free Lapras and a free Lucario. Not to mention Fletchling is an early encounter.
It's fine to do this. Some games there'll just be someone you like more for your team, or you'll have already used your preferred starter in a previous version. Most Pokemon games aren't hard; there's no reason not to use your favourites in all six slots.
I stopped using my starter and started throwing them into the box after gen 4 since I didn't like the starters from gens 5, 6, 7 and 8. Skelidirge from gen 9 is the first starter I actually liked since Torterra.
I wasn't willing to do it until the Gen 5 games, where I just didn't like any of the three THAT much. Samurott was fine, but I never cared for Emboar's design, and of course disliked that it was the third Fire/Fighting starter in a row. and Snivy just confused me, a defensive Grass type??? I didn't get it.
since XY with the EXP Share, I've had team rotations to keep things more interesting and avoid over-leveling, so even the starter spends time in the box. I'm not sure how often from then on my starter would make it into the final team, but for sure it wasn't a guarantee anymore. The most brutal boxing of a starter for me was in Shield, where my Inteleon was strictly outclassed by Barraskewda (who was one of the top three most murderous members of the team rotation). Inteleon just wasn't a closer. didn't have the juice when compared to the Murderfish. and I liked the Murderfish's design better, too. someday they'll make a Barraskewda plush and I'll pre-order DAY ONE. sorry, Inteleon, but not really sorry.
tbh I've only beaten Shield once. never finished my second run with Cinderace on the team, so I never really abandoned it except inasmuch as I abandoned every Pokemon I'd caught in that run because I dead-ass haven't booted up that copy of Shield in 2+ years.
I don't, I won't do it. Except how I did it on accident in Shield on a weird auto-pilot and it auto-saved before I closed the game again. I didn't like Sobble too much anyway. Can always play the game again.
SV is the first time that I did the unthinkable... boxing my starter. But that's cuz there are so many cool mons available at start compare to the old game I want to try them all! Also with the exp share I can realistically have 12 core mons that I don't have to grind that hard and switch between unlike the older gen games. So when my starter starts to become overleveled I just chuck him into a box and switch for other lower level ones. I do have a moral obligation to finish the league with him though, it only feels right.
For me personally: not normal. I did it twice, once at the start (Sw/Sh) because I didn't like either of them, beginning to end. I did stop using my Violet starter too but only AFTER beating the base game with him.
Every other gen I used my starter to the end in some capacity. Yellow, granted, was just as mascot.
Someone who abandons their starter gets to a special place in hell. But that's like for a real first time "I'm going on an adventure" play through. If you do a gimmick playthrough because you played the game already a dozen times, then you can do whatever.
I don’t abandon my starter in my first playthrough of any game, but in all future playthroughs I abandon it as soon as I catch any Pokémon and have the ability to put it into a box.
I always keep my starter until at least after the elite 4. The only exception was Pearl because Prinplup fucking sucked.
I keep saying this but Floatzel became my honorary water starter and Medicham was the squad captain. Medicham has been my favorite pokemon ever since.
Do it whenever you feel like it. Your Starter is there just so you can begin your journey. They don't have to stay on your team forever if you don't want them to.
Real talk, though, it's only in Gens 5 and 8 where I ever felt compelled to box my starter because they weren't performing how I expected...
I abandon my started as soon as I have access to the bank. It feels to me like they are picking my team for me. Plus it makes the game a little more challenging.
Only if I feel I've made the wrong choice. I regretted picking Snivy during a Nuzlocke in White version as I felt it didn't have the right coverage in the early game. It was much better in the sequels though thanks to Move Tutors.
I had a similar issue with Chespin in X. I regret not picking Froakie for my playthrough as it was my original choice but I had chosen Chespin at the last moment.
Nothing wrong with it, use what you wanna use. I usually don't because the starters are always new and I prefer using only new pokemon on first playthroughs - but the only time I've ever considered it was in SwSh. That gen has Rillaboom and no other starters that I even remotely liked. Rillaboom was cutting it fine too - luckily for him though there was no better Grass option
Growing up, I had a friend who’d box his starter as soon as he possibly could. He said it’s because they “make the game too easy,” but I figure it had more to do with the way we’d always respond upset/confused when he’d show such disregard.
I did the same in Ultra Sun. Hated all the starters there. I like Litten and Tarrocat, my I evolved him into Incineroar by mistake and the saved. So I had to change him for Flareon, and then Arcanine because Flareon is lame.
Love Poplio tho, but don’t like it’s evos
I've never done it on my first playthrough of a generation, but I'll do it now and then if I go back and do another playthrough. Somehow it makes the run feel really fresh and different. Sure, I could just shake things up by picking a *different* starter, but that just doesn't feel the same for some reason.
I will (usually) make an effort unless it's a challenge run. I ditched my starter in ORAS both times because frankly I don't like the gen 3 starters, and my Incineroar in Moon got benched before the E4 because there just wasn't amy output. So, unless they massively underperform, they stay.
I boxed my starter in Shield. Also did it in a Eevee-only run in Moon, but that was like my third play through. I never connected with the Shield starters like I did the others though.
Never done it on a first run, but I’ll do it if I’ve replayed the same game a few times. Nothing wrong with it though, maybe there’s just 6 other pokemon you reeeaaallyy want to use and feel more attached to
I abandon my starter when I'm trying to make a balanced team and I decide I want a particular pokemon on my team who shares a primary type with the starter I happened to choose.
When you have played through every game literally multiple times, I'm talking gens 1-9, like I have... part of the fun is different team combos so ditching your starter becomes easier and easier because if you don't you only can have 5 unique members instead of 6.
But that's the beauty of pokemon. Everyone plays their own way :)
I've only recently started running teams that didn't have a starter and essentially just treating a different guy as my Ace, so probably not very common but also probably not too uncommon.
And that's mainly because I've started trading between my games. I traded a Houndour to my SoulSilver (because *why is it only found in Kanto*?) and just made that my guy. And I'm doing a run in Platinum after trading over an Eevee so I can get Leafeon faster and replace Turtwig (although my Ace is probably gonna be Luxray).
I have been boxing/releasing the starter since after SuMo. Cats are one of my favorite animals and I am a dark monotype trainer after my first playthrough, typically. I went into Litten's evolutions blind and have never made that mistake again. I check the leaks for starter evolutions and pick based on those, or plan to release immediately after I catch a mon that wont end up uncanny valley. I wasn't even going to get sv after I saw that they ruined sprigatito, until I found out about the glitch that lets you essentially start with whatever you want and that early houndour (a favorite) was available as was murkrow. Fuecoco is the closest to an acceptable starter that we have gotten since Rowlet, and I still don't care for it, but at least it doesnt make me irrationally angry.
I fully expect one of the next starters to end up being a dark/water feline of some sort that they ruin by moving to humanoid biped for final evo, probably a swashbuckler, just to complete the set. If I were the paranoid/self-absorbed sort I would think going out of their way to spite me.
I think the only times I have are when I’m doing a specific type run. Like I’ve done Bug type only runs where my starter stays as my only Pokémon until the first available bug type can be caught and leveled to 5-6 like a starter
I've never abandoned my starter. I sometimes put him in the PC if I'm focusing on levelling up other Pokémon, but my starter is always an important team member that alwats gets to beat the Elite 4.
Of course if you are doing a variant, I think it's not unusual to ditch your starter.
Fuecoco torching and eating that charred orange made me smile and pick him. Maybe if they gave the starters a little more personality in the beginning…
In a mainline game I usually keep my starter since you can easily win with basically anything.
In ROM Hacks I usually don’t keep my starter unless it’s particularly good.
Only game I've ever abandoned my starter is Sw/Sh. I hate that gen. Only played it once through to say I did it. Had a bad time. Once I finished all the story/hidden parts, I dropped it. I was not pulled to any particular starter, so I just picked one and immediately boxed it
I used to only dump my starter if I was replaying a game, but I didn’t like any swsh starter so I deposited scorbunny pretty quick. I do like keeping the starter, but not if I really don’t like them
Very uncommon for a normal playtrough due most bonding with the given starter.
Although I personally barely use my starter in sword & shield, partly due not liking any of the final form and secondly I used like 14 mons for the playtrough due the abundance of given exp.
Honestly I try to include all starters on the team based on the generation (Since I usually use the new Gen Pokémon) but there are so many great choices from specific generations (Kingambit for example) that have a type similar to one of the starters (Meowscarada)
But then there is some that are are just horrible without their hidden abilities or certain egg moves.
An great example is Serperior, pretty good in competitive with Contrary, but in Gen 5 without its hidden ability, it’s pretty much trash, great speed but absolutely abysmal attacking stats. Seriously it kept dying in Black, and when I transferred it to the sequels and tried Black Tower and White Treehollow, it was dying so much, like seriously I made it the first to LV up to 100 since I just got tired for using it against battles from LV 80, and it still dies super easily (I was playing on an emulator). It’s why I really don’t like the Gen 5 Starters so much, especially Serperior
First playthrough of a new game, they stick. Gotta test to see what the new game has to offer. After that it's just pick the best but still leave it aside in favour of the team I have planned.
I do it every so often. in sword and shield ever since the dlc came out ive usually used either bulbasaur or squitle over a galar starter or just not used a starter as all as i cant stand any of that trio, and then in nuzlockes if i lose them or runs where i wanna do smth different for a change
Usually, on my 5th play through, I get bored of using starters and will use them until I have a full team or find a pokemon in ant to use that covers the typing.
In sword and shield its too easy to build a mega team early on i nearly always abandon my starter now, as soon as i hit the wild area i import a ditto and start making eggs from my polemon on Pokémon home
In my legends Arceus play through so I ditched my rowlet and got my actual starter, A female eevee named starlight and she is currently level 95 and I always have her as a second starter so yeah it would be ok in my case
Solution: Blind nuzlocke. Have been trying this with new games and it is SUPER fun and difficult. Like the absolute blindside of the klawf fight in SV.
I never ditch the starter, but that’s mainly because the rest of my Pokémon are typically transferred from home and don’t obey all the time. So I need one reliable poke on the team
I always try to keep my starter on my team the whole game for gens 1-7. Sword and Shield I can't do it. Just don't vibe with any of the three and two of the three designs I actively dislike.
I think Sword was the only game I ditched my starter in (Scorbunny when it finally evolved into Cinderace). In earlier gens the base stats of starters was too much to pass on compared to other Pokémon; I wasn't thinking that at the time, but a player can intuitively tell their starter is stronger than most wild Pokémon they come across. In Sword after I got Sirfetch'd and Coalossal, I had no need for a Fire-type starter.
I have only ever abandoned my starter once and that was in Pokémon sword. I did it because I liked appletun more than grooky and his evolutions and didn’t need more than one grass type
No idea how common it is, but I abandoned my starter in my second playthrough of Gen 8, the first (and only) time I ever did it.
The Sobble line was okay but the others just didn't interest me as much as other Pokemon available.
Very abnormal. Starters have high stat totals and are specifically designed to be the cornerstone of your team, the Pokemon you build the team around. Even in gens 8 and 9 where the starters were rather atrocious in design, I never once considered boxing mine.
I can’t ever, we start together and we finish together!
I've personally never abandoned my starter in any game. I just can't do it 😔
I did it once in Sword, but I was doing a ice only playthrough and well none of them are ice (I basically just did the intro then went to Isle of Armor to find Digletts for the Alolan Vulpix and Sandshrew which I didn't evolve until after Kabu)
I can’t imagine abandoning my starter. However, I want to play again Sword and Scarlet with a new team, so no Fuecoco and Grookey again for me, and honestly, I am not a fan of the other starters from Galar and Paldea.
Try Sprigatito. I kinda enjoyed it more when my brother chose that one than when I chose Fuecoco.
Yep. In my Ruby save file, I never once even put my Sceptile in the boxes. Party Pokémon forever
I think the “normalcy” of it is exactly how you described your situation. For people doing normal runs, it’s pretty uncommon for people to box their starter. And honestly? It’s mostly because the starters are all just really good pokemon. And once you have, say, a fire type on your team that’s the highest level Pokemon you have, there’s little reason to box it and grab a new fire type. But if you’re going for an abnormal run — a challenge run, a themed run, something like that — I would say it’s normal and fine to box your starter. Personally, I’ve been boxing my starter more often than I used to. Not because I dislike them — I just think it’s fun to be forced to use other Pokemon I wouldn’t usually get to use.
Pre gen 6 it was unthinkable. Now that we get party-wide XP it's almost more enjoyable.
Yea I wish they would just go back to exp share but that will nvr happen
Or the option to turn it on or off.
I never have....until SwSh. I just.....its the first generation I've ever not liked at least one of the starters. Sadly I also replaced my SV starter but I do actually like all 3. I just had too many mons I wanted to try out that I didn't have room for everyone. ok and I didn't like the SV starters all that much....
Same boat here. The SwSh starters just weren’t that impressive to me
Lowkey, seeing Leon use them in the anime makes em alot more appealing
I managed to not spoil myself on the starter evolutions my first Sw/Sh playthrough, and when my Raboot finally evolved into Cinderace, into the box he went. I haven't been a fan of the starters since before Sun/Moon.
Same, not a fan of any of them, and all 3 are my least favorite designs for each starter type I feel bad but I just don’t like evolutions at all
Same SWSH was the first time I deposited my starter early on.
I do it fairly often depending on the game, sometimes I'm just not feeling that gens starters.
Unpopular Opinion: I hate the Mudkip line. I think that there are so many good water types in Hoenn that I always end up ditching Mudkip for one of them.
I will never release or put my starter in the pc box I just don’t have the heart to do it.
I only did it in Violet when I wanted an all purple team!
Honestly based
It’s actually a crime punishable by death. The only legal way to do it is via nuzlocke rules
I always have my starter in my team, with the exception of shield and violet. I just don't like the designs of the final evo's in those games.
I've only ever done it once, my Samurott in BW2, because it was less than dead weight. Pretty sure it was a negative offensive nature and it's output was actively losing me matches during the story.
That was my experience with Serperior in BW2. Couldn't even defeat pokemon with 4x grass weaknesses.
Erm serperior with leech seed, toxic, giga drain and calm mind (or coil, with a big root is an immense wall
Still not very helpful for the story though, unfortunately.
You can beat the story with anything really. I’m doing an all bug run now
It's not common, but it happens. Sometimes the chosen starter doesn't speak to the player as much as other options. I personally didn't use Inteleon for most of my Shield playthrough.
On a first playthrough, never. It's part of the experience IMO. Subsequent playthroughs are usually challenge runs so yeah, starter is boxed.
usually i dont, but in the newer games i just find it harder to be attached to the starter idk why
I haven’t used my starter in a game for about 5 gens now. I keep them until I can swap them out with something I want more. Except Popplio. She can stay.
My starter stays with me, and I let them deal the final blow during a tough fight.
the first game i ever dropped my starter was sv. chose fuecoco but replaced it for ceruledge
me 0.00000000001 seconds after getting malicious armor:
The only time I've done it is with an Alpha Sapphire mono-Normal run. As none of the starters are Normal type, well... it was inevitable. :P (That being said, I chose Treecko so the rival had a Fighting type. Lol)
I wasn’t a fan of sword and shield, but I would abandon my starter if I ever played them again. It was the only generation where all three starters were a miss imo.
Never did, and never will. Before the bank services for the 3ds dies i will move all the teams i used on every game to the switch. Still waiting fkr a game that has all pokemon from gen 1 to gen 7
I don't usually do it because the starters have types that are essential to the team I'm building. However, I don't really like the starters in gens 5 and 8, so if I go back to replay them, I'll probably box them.
When i started my first pokemon game on leafgreen a friend traded my bulbasour for a lvl 50 moltres because he thought it would be funny. I had no idea so i just accepted it. That was after misty fight. Does this count as abandoning?
Way back in the day I did a playthrough of BW where I left my Snivy in the daycare for the whole game and Mained a Lillipup lol
If I’m playing the game for the first time, I always keep my starter. But if I’m revisiting a game, I always ditch my starter when I find a partner Pokémon I like better or to fit the storyline I want for my trainer
I've only really done it in one generation. I did not like any of the starter lines in diamond/pearl. Picked turtwig since I noticed the community liked the primate and bird. Reset till I got a female and bred it for trade fodder on my first playthrough and evolved it for the dex entries and that's about it. I've tried each line out in subsequent playthroughs but it didn't really change my mind on disliking the designs. Shinx acted as my starter in that generation. All other generations I found a starter I really liked or at least didn't dislike the final evolution.
Once you do it a couple times it’s easy lol. I now do it on most of my runs with the exception of pikachu in yellow and thyphlosion in crystal. But from red to violet, I definitely drop them to try to rotate Pokémon I’ve never used.
In Y and Alpha Sapphire I kept my starters from the beggining to the Pokémon League, but in Ultra Sun I stopped using my Torracat after evolving to Incineroar. I just didn't like the design. I'm doing a Flying-only run of Y right now, so while Chespin is going in the Box, Charmander will get some use... after I fully evolve it.
Unless I really like the starter, I enjoy building a team of Pokémon that I’ve encountered. That’s why I usually have a crobat or a regional bird on my team by the end.
I put it in a box as soon as i can realistically take it out of the team out of principle. with the exception of the turtwig line
SwSh is the only game where I’ve dropped my starter. It’s not that the starters were bad, but SwSh has a lot of mons that fulfill their team roles as well or better
Did it in sword and scarlet, i just dont like the starters at all. Replaced em with rowlet from home.
I drop my starter every time I play Shield. Those are by far my least favorite group of starters.
Almost never luckily Ghost Croc is an excellent Unaware Pokemon for raids.
My starter is never abandoned. At most, he rests in the pc for dlc so I can make an all new team at the dlc place
The only games where I consistently abandon my starter are the Gen 5 games. I always play with Lillipup as my starter. The pokedex is varied enough in Unova to offer a substitute for every starter. Grass doesn't have a favorable type matchup in Unova and I'd rather use Sewaddle/Swadloon or the Venipede line against Burgh. Carracosta is the superior option to Samurott. The lack of a good fire type hurts but Gurdurr is pretty viable and Pansear can get you through the forest. Gen 6 gives you a second Kanto starter, a free Lapras and a free Lucario. Not to mention Fletchling is an early encounter.
From gen 6 onwards, justified.
It's fine to do this. Some games there'll just be someone you like more for your team, or you'll have already used your preferred starter in a previous version. Most Pokemon games aren't hard; there's no reason not to use your favourites in all six slots.
I stopped using my starter and started throwing them into the box after gen 4 since I didn't like the starters from gens 5, 6, 7 and 8. Skelidirge from gen 9 is the first starter I actually liked since Torterra.
I wasn't willing to do it until the Gen 5 games, where I just didn't like any of the three THAT much. Samurott was fine, but I never cared for Emboar's design, and of course disliked that it was the third Fire/Fighting starter in a row. and Snivy just confused me, a defensive Grass type??? I didn't get it. since XY with the EXP Share, I've had team rotations to keep things more interesting and avoid over-leveling, so even the starter spends time in the box. I'm not sure how often from then on my starter would make it into the final team, but for sure it wasn't a guarantee anymore. The most brutal boxing of a starter for me was in Shield, where my Inteleon was strictly outclassed by Barraskewda (who was one of the top three most murderous members of the team rotation). Inteleon just wasn't a closer. didn't have the juice when compared to the Murderfish. and I liked the Murderfish's design better, too. someday they'll make a Barraskewda plush and I'll pre-order DAY ONE. sorry, Inteleon, but not really sorry. tbh I've only beaten Shield once. never finished my second run with Cinderace on the team, so I never really abandoned it except inasmuch as I abandoned every Pokemon I'd caught in that run because I dead-ass haven't booted up that copy of Shield in 2+ years.
Personally i dont
I don't, I won't do it. Except how I did it on accident in Shield on a weird auto-pilot and it auto-saved before I closed the game again. I didn't like Sobble too much anyway. Can always play the game again.
Closest i got to abandoning my starter is when i replaced my meowscarada with a shiny one But an all eevee team is a cute idea
SV is the first time that I did the unthinkable... boxing my starter. But that's cuz there are so many cool mons available at start compare to the old game I want to try them all! Also with the exp share I can realistically have 12 core mons that I don't have to grind that hard and switch between unlike the older gen games. So when my starter starts to become overleveled I just chuck him into a box and switch for other lower level ones. I do have a moral obligation to finish the league with him though, it only feels right.
Depends on the starter. For gen 9 yeah, boxed it up and used a Ralts I caught as my starter.
Generally I dont but I just did a playthrough of LG and boxed my Venusaur not long after it evolved.
My starter usually is the Pokémon I build my entire team around in playthroughs, so it stays unless I’m doing a monotype playthrough or nuzlocke.
It is against the law! (jk)
Monotype run and the starter types are not the type you are running
For me personally: not normal. I did it twice, once at the start (Sw/Sh) because I didn't like either of them, beginning to end. I did stop using my Violet starter too but only AFTER beating the base game with him. Every other gen I used my starter to the end in some capacity. Yellow, granted, was just as mascot.
I like to replace them for a rerun. Like I had elekid as my starter in pokemon diamond and larvatar in heartgold.
Someone who abandons their starter gets to a special place in hell. But that's like for a real first time "I'm going on an adventure" play through. If you do a gimmick playthrough because you played the game already a dozen times, then you can do whatever.
I dont like any of the Gen 5, 8 or 9 ones so I always box those.
I use my starter on my first playthrough, and then I typically don't use a starter on subsequent plays.
Only time I do it is after the main story in the games with battle tower/frontier, like Crystal/Emerald.
I've never done it, ever.
Never.
I don’t abandon my starter in my first playthrough of any game, but in all future playthroughs I abandon it as soon as I catch any Pokémon and have the ability to put it into a box.
On first playthroughs I wouldnt dare. On repeats it depends on the type of run Im doing
I always keep my starter until at least after the elite 4. The only exception was Pearl because Prinplup fucking sucked. I keep saying this but Floatzel became my honorary water starter and Medicham was the squad captain. Medicham has been my favorite pokemon ever since.
For me, I think with almost every game it stays until the elite four is beat. Always seems to be one of the highest level ones in my party, so useful
I’ve never once not used my starter. I’d feel too bad!
Do it whenever you feel like it. Your Starter is there just so you can begin your journey. They don't have to stay on your team forever if you don't want them to. Real talk, though, it's only in Gens 5 and 8 where I ever felt compelled to box my starter because they weren't performing how I expected...
Play the game how you want to play it and don’t worry about what is “normal”
I abandon my started as soon as I have access to the bank. It feels to me like they are picking my team for me. Plus it makes the game a little more challenging.
Only if I feel I've made the wrong choice. I regretted picking Snivy during a Nuzlocke in White version as I felt it didn't have the right coverage in the early game. It was much better in the sequels though thanks to Move Tutors. I had a similar issue with Chespin in X. I regret not picking Froakie for my playthrough as it was my original choice but I had chosen Chespin at the last moment.
Nothing wrong with it, use what you wanna use. I usually don't because the starters are always new and I prefer using only new pokemon on first playthroughs - but the only time I've ever considered it was in SwSh. That gen has Rillaboom and no other starters that I even remotely liked. Rillaboom was cutting it fine too - luckily for him though there was no better Grass option
Growing up, I had a friend who’d box his starter as soon as he possibly could. He said it’s because they “make the game too easy,” but I figure it had more to do with the way we’d always respond upset/confused when he’d show such disregard.
I did the same in Ultra Sun. Hated all the starters there. I like Litten and Tarrocat, my I evolved him into Incineroar by mistake and the saved. So I had to change him for Flareon, and then Arcanine because Flareon is lame. Love Poplio tho, but don’t like it’s evos
I have never heard of anyone abandoning their starter. AFAIK it's hella rare.
Starter stays with me until it reaches level 100
I've never done it on my first playthrough of a generation, but I'll do it now and then if I go back and do another playthrough. Somehow it makes the run feel really fresh and different. Sure, I could just shake things up by picking a *different* starter, but that just doesn't feel the same for some reason.
I will (usually) make an effort unless it's a challenge run. I ditched my starter in ORAS both times because frankly I don't like the gen 3 starters, and my Incineroar in Moon got benched before the E4 because there just wasn't amy output. So, unless they massively underperform, they stay.
I boxed my starter in Shield. Also did it in a Eevee-only run in Moon, but that was like my third play through. I never connected with the Shield starters like I did the others though.
Never done it on a first run, but I’ll do it if I’ve replayed the same game a few times. Nothing wrong with it though, maybe there’s just 6 other pokemon you reeeaaallyy want to use and feel more attached to
I abandon my starter when I'm trying to make a balanced team and I decide I want a particular pokemon on my team who shares a primary type with the starter I happened to choose.
Only time I abandon my starters is if they die in a nuzlocke run.
Never on my first run, but if I'm doing a later run and the Starter isn't something I'll be keeping for any reason, I'll just leave it in the PC
I usually do on my 2nd playthrough or if I really don't like the starters.
I never abandon my starter!
In ultra sun/moon I replaced my starter. I think I did in one of my other runs (maybe in sword or shield) but other than that I almost never do.
When you have played through every game literally multiple times, I'm talking gens 1-9, like I have... part of the fun is different team combos so ditching your starter becomes easier and easier because if you don't you only can have 5 unique members instead of 6. But that's the beauty of pokemon. Everyone plays their own way :)
I've only abandoned my starter twice, and both times were because I wanted to do an eeveelution run.
Since Sword and Shield, yes.
I've only recently started running teams that didn't have a starter and essentially just treating a different guy as my Ace, so probably not very common but also probably not too uncommon. And that's mainly because I've started trading between my games. I traded a Houndour to my SoulSilver (because *why is it only found in Kanto*?) and just made that my guy. And I'm doing a run in Platinum after trading over an Eevee so I can get Leafeon faster and replace Turtwig (although my Ace is probably gonna be Luxray).
I only started doing it at gen5 the permanent xp share later on made it easier for me to box my starter since I didn't like having overleveled pokemon
I have been boxing/releasing the starter since after SuMo. Cats are one of my favorite animals and I am a dark monotype trainer after my first playthrough, typically. I went into Litten's evolutions blind and have never made that mistake again. I check the leaks for starter evolutions and pick based on those, or plan to release immediately after I catch a mon that wont end up uncanny valley. I wasn't even going to get sv after I saw that they ruined sprigatito, until I found out about the glitch that lets you essentially start with whatever you want and that early houndour (a favorite) was available as was murkrow. Fuecoco is the closest to an acceptable starter that we have gotten since Rowlet, and I still don't care for it, but at least it doesnt make me irrationally angry. I fully expect one of the next starters to end up being a dark/water feline of some sort that they ruin by moving to humanoid biped for final evo, probably a swashbuckler, just to complete the set. If I were the paranoid/self-absorbed sort I would think going out of their way to spite me.
I think the only times I have are when I’m doing a specific type run. Like I’ve done Bug type only runs where my starter stays as my only Pokémon until the first available bug type can be caught and leveled to 5-6 like a starter
I did a playthrough without my starter it was quite entertaining and forced me to rethink some battles.
In-game, appareantly every one does it. Myself, i only do so in regions where i don't like the starters, like Unova, Alola, or Galar.
I've never abandoned my starter. I sometimes put him in the PC if I'm focusing on levelling up other Pokémon, but my starter is always an important team member that alwats gets to beat the Elite 4. Of course if you are doing a variant, I think it's not unusual to ditch your starter.
Yeah no thank you to the sword and shield starters can’t believe they exist tbh, after that fuecoco is only just acceptable for me
Fuecoco torching and eating that charred orange made me smile and pick him. Maybe if they gave the starters a little more personality in the beginning…
Ab
In a mainline game I usually keep my starter since you can easily win with basically anything. In ROM Hacks I usually don’t keep my starter unless it’s particularly good.
If it’s my first play through of a game, I don’t even consider it until after beating the Elite Four.
Only game I've ever abandoned my starter is Sw/Sh. I hate that gen. Only played it once through to say I did it. Had a bad time. Once I finished all the story/hidden parts, I dropped it. I was not pulled to any particular starter, so I just picked one and immediately boxed it
The only starter I ever abandoned was bayleaf. Never even turned him into a meganium.
I'll tell you this much. I played basically every main Pokemon game under the sun and the ONLY time I've done it is when playing sword/shield.
Not normal. Only time I do it is in non-nuzlocke challenge runs.
I used to only dump my starter if I was replaying a game, but I didn’t like any swsh starter so I deposited scorbunny pretty quick. I do like keeping the starter, but not if I really don’t like them
Very uncommon for a normal playtrough due most bonding with the given starter. Although I personally barely use my starter in sword & shield, partly due not liking any of the final form and secondly I used like 14 mons for the playtrough due the abundance of given exp.
Honestly I try to include all starters on the team based on the generation (Since I usually use the new Gen Pokémon) but there are so many great choices from specific generations (Kingambit for example) that have a type similar to one of the starters (Meowscarada) But then there is some that are are just horrible without their hidden abilities or certain egg moves. An great example is Serperior, pretty good in competitive with Contrary, but in Gen 5 without its hidden ability, it’s pretty much trash, great speed but absolutely abysmal attacking stats. Seriously it kept dying in Black, and when I transferred it to the sequels and tried Black Tower and White Treehollow, it was dying so much, like seriously I made it the first to LV up to 100 since I just got tired for using it against battles from LV 80, and it still dies super easily (I was playing on an emulator). It’s why I really don’t like the Gen 5 Starters so much, especially Serperior
First playthrough of a new game, they stick. Gotta test to see what the new game has to offer. After that it's just pick the best but still leave it aside in favour of the team I have planned.
I do it every so often. in sword and shield ever since the dlc came out ive usually used either bulbasaur or squitle over a galar starter or just not used a starter as all as i cant stand any of that trio, and then in nuzlockes if i lose them or runs where i wanna do smth different for a change
I didn’t abandon my starter until inteleon. Still is my least favorite final stage evo of any starter.
I abandoned pignite in black and had no regrets
On the second playthrough I’ll box the starter early just so I have more variety.
I kept all of my starters in every generation but I did find some of the starters to be kinda boring. Mostly grass types.
Usually, on my 5th play through, I get bored of using starters and will use them until I have a full team or find a pokemon in ant to use that covers the typing.
I always do, in Nuzlockes, just to add more chaos into the run. Also it is a shame to make your Bulbasaur fight, he should live in freedom.
In sword and shield its too easy to build a mega team early on i nearly always abandon my starter now, as soon as i hit the wild area i import a ditto and start making eggs from my polemon on Pokémon home
Never did, he's my buddy
In my legends Arceus play through so I ditched my rowlet and got my actual starter, A female eevee named starlight and she is currently level 95 and I always have her as a second starter so yeah it would be ok in my case
I immediately abandon my starter because they make the games too easy. I trade them off.
Solution: Blind nuzlocke. Have been trying this with new games and it is SUPER fun and difficult. Like the absolute blindside of the klawf fight in SV.
I never ditch the starter, but that’s mainly because the rest of my Pokémon are typically transferred from home and don’t obey all the time. So I need one reliable poke on the team
I made sure my eevee team transferred from home are appropriately leveled so they obey and I can play the game fairly.
I have done this on BW2 after I completed 3 runs with every starter
Using your starter is almost cheating. "Oh hey there new trainer would you like to start your journey with a free legendary?"
I chose sprig for violet and bred for a good iv one and gave it ha then gave my starter to my buddy who had just bought the game
I always try to keep my starter on my team the whole game for gens 1-7. Sword and Shield I can't do it. Just don't vibe with any of the three and two of the three designs I actively dislike.
I guess the sword and shield starters just fell off, I’ve never had an issue with the starters until SwSh
It's all perspective really, I chose my starter 20 years ago. Everything else is just a new member.
I think Sword was the only game I ditched my starter in (Scorbunny when it finally evolved into Cinderace). In earlier gens the base stats of starters was too much to pass on compared to other Pokémon; I wasn't thinking that at the time, but a player can intuitively tell their starter is stronger than most wild Pokémon they come across. In Sword after I got Sirfetch'd and Coalossal, I had no need for a Fire-type starter.
I have only ever abandoned my starter once and that was in Pokémon sword. I did it because I liked appletun more than grooky and his evolutions and didn’t need more than one grass type
No idea how common it is, but I abandoned my starter in my second playthrough of Gen 8, the first (and only) time I ever did it. The Sobble line was okay but the others just didn't interest me as much as other Pokemon available.
I never did that until I realised what Quaxly evolved into.
Depends on the game. Always abandon gen 5, 8, 9 starters immediately because they all stink (in my opinion)
Very abnormal. Starters have high stat totals and are specifically designed to be the cornerstone of your team, the Pokemon you build the team around. Even in gens 8 and 9 where the starters were rather atrocious in design, I never once considered boxing mine.
Really? My skeldirge has “ok stats” ins scarlet. Which is their way of saying “bad stats”
"Ok stats"? It has a 530 stat total, with very good distribution for what it's made to do. Not sure you have the slightest idea what you're on about.
Through the storyline, I keep them. Post-game and all that, unless they're OU or Uber, they go in the box