A couple of days ago, @TA31made a post discussing which starter picks are the best in Reborn, and quite a few people chimed in with suggestions as well, and there were many different options for which choices would make the top cut. A lot of good points were brought up, but you can make a case for/against most of the starters, and the nature of forum replies meant that no conclusion was really reached.
So I thought that, instead of just replying to that thread, I would clean things up a bit, and explain myself a little bit more extensively, and rank all of the starters for a playthrough of Pokémon Reborn. I have personally used most of them in a playthrough at one point or another, so I have a bit of experience with how well they all perform.
Beforehand, I wanted to clarify the criteria of the ranking. Almost all of the starters range between decent and phenomenal, so I will be comparing them to each other, not to other Pokémon. I will also be judging them based on how they would perform in a regular playthrough. So there will be no access to egg moves, optimal IV's etc., and Pokémon will carry a similar moveset and EV spread throughout, rather than the player training an optimized team for every single important fight, like you would in a challenge run with debug. Pokémon Reborn is also balanced in a unique way compared to other Pokémon games. The offensive teams and field effects create a very offensive and volatile environment that benefits some Pokémon more than others. I will only be considering the "important" battles in the game (Gym Leaders, Meteor Admins, PULSE's, Rivals etc.), and only battles that are currently in the game. I will not be considering E19 battles, with the exception of Saphira. While we don't quite know what her team looks like, the nature of Dragon's Den gives us a fairly clear idea of what will be good there and what won't.
I will also be considering the oppurtunity cost. If there are other Pokémon that can do the same thing as a starter with similar or higher levels of success, that will impact the value you would actually get from using that starter.
With that said, here is the list of starters. I will be going from highest to lowest, so you will be seeing the bestoption first.
S+Tier
I had to make a separate tier for Blaziken. While the other S tier starters are very good, no other Pokémon has the ability to solo the majority of the game in the same way.
Torchic
There is really not a lot to say about Blaziken. Speed Boost is one of the best abilities in the game, especially combined with a Pokémon that gets access to Bulk Up by the time you battle Corey. It gets access to very strong STAB options once you get access to the move relearner, and some solid coverage options through TM's and Move Tutors. Blaziken is capable of sweeping a lot, if not the majority, of important battles in Reborn, and can do some solid damage to the rest.
STier Froakie Chimchar
Starters in S tier are incredible throughout the entire game, without taking too long to become useful, or falling off towards the end of the game, and will carry teams throughout entire playthroughs.
Greninja's amazing speed comes in very handy against the many offensive threats in Reborn, but the main reason for it's power is obviously Protean. While it can't make great use of it early game, once you reach the mid-late game stages, you unlock more tutors, TM's and level up moves that makes it one of the most versatile Pokémon in the game. Along with itsmany great support options such as Spikes and Mat Block, Greninjaand is able to put in good work in any situation you put it in.
Similarly to Greninja, the combination of good speed, offense and coverage options is very valuable in a game like Reborn. While it can't quite match Greninja'sversatility, or Blaziken's sweeping potential, Infernape has early access to very powerful STAB moves and priority paired with a fantastic offensive typing,making it one of the best revenge killers in the game.
A Tier
Starters in A tier aren't quite as versatile as those in S tier, but still fill an important role on a team, and generally perform that role better than its competitors, making them invaluable and hard to replace.
Popplio
This might be surprisingly high up on the list for some. However, Primarina has the single highest natural offensive stat out of all the starters, along with adequate bulk and one of the best typings in the game, both defensively and offensively. Water/Fairy allows Primarina to matchup well into the majority of gyms outside of the early game, as well as the many Rock and Ground types in Team Meteor. It gets access to very powerful STAB moves in Moonblast and Sparkling Aria relatively early on, as well as Encore, one of the best support moves in the game. The combination of Liquid Voice and Hyper Voice is also very useful against many of the double battles in the game. It is also noteworthy that Primarina might be one of the best answers to Saphira in E19, as it is not only immune to Dragon, but also deals with Fire and Steel type attacks better than other Fairy types would.
Cyndaquil
Typhlosionis known for doing one thing: fast Eruptions. And that is something it does very well. Through the move relearner, Eruption can be learned before the player even battles Aya, which is ridiculously powerful for this point in the game. It also has the ability to set several battle fields on fire, further powering up it's Fire-type attacks by 2.25x, and access to Flash Fire allows you to fight fire with fire against Charlotte. While Typhlosion is still rendered useless in some fights, it's normally sub-par versatility is compensated heavily by it's access to Nature Power.
Snivy
Serperior is another one-trick pony. While it isn't terrible early on, with natural access to Nature Power, Leech Seed, Coil and Giga Drain, what lands Serperior such a high spot on the list is the ability to spam Contrary Leaf Storms. While it becomes available quite late, around the time you fight Luna, once you actually reach that point, Serperior is one of the best Pokémon in the game, being able to sweep or dent several teams in the Reborn mid-late game. It is also one of the fastest starters available, which is always important.
B Tier
Pokémon in B tier aresolid Pokémon that fulfill a unique function, but are held back in one way or another that prevents them from carrying teams like the Pokémon above can.
Mudkip
With the highest Base Stat Total out of all the starters, and one of the best defensive typings in the game, Swampert is known to be one of the most well-rounded Pokémon there is. Swampert has natural access to Earthquake, which is more than some Ground types can manage, as well as Water-type STAB, coverage options such as Rock Slide and Sludge Wave, and learning Protect by level-up, which is phenomenal. Although it's Mega Evolution is not available as of now, it will definetely be a strong sweeping option on Rain teams in the late game. While Swampert fills the role of a bulky mixed attacker very well,it is a lot easier to replace than the A tier starters, which is why it lands at the top of B tier instead.
DISCLAIMER: If you have played VGC in the past few years, I recommend that you avert your eyes from this section.
Litten
When playing against an AI, Intimidate may very well be the very best Ability in the game, especially in the many Double Battles of Reborn.Incineroar happens to one of the best users of this Ability, with it's good Attack and Defenses, and Fire/Dark granting a very unique set of resistances. While it's potential as a support Pokémon is crippled by moves like Fake Out, Parting Shot and U-Turn being unavailable in one way or another, Incineroar's good natural bulk, attack, early access to Bulk up, and Torracat being surprisingly strong early game still makes Litten one of the better choices in the game.
Fennekin
While Delphox may not seem too special, it is very useful in Reborn. It is faster than Charizard and Typhlosion, and gets access to strong dual STAB by the time you fight Shade. While this doesn't fulfill much of a niche on it's own, Delphox's Psychic typing gives it access to lots of good utility options as well, such as Switcheroo, Reflect, Light Screen, Trick Room, Magic Coat and Snatch. Delphox also benefits from Mystical Fire and Magician being heavily buffed on several fields throughout the game.
Piplup
The Piplup line is very mediocre in almost every way. A generic learnset, mediocre abilities, decent bulk and Special Attack, but nothing too special. However, the Steel type is so incredibly strong that it is enough to boost Empoleon up 2-3 tiers, since it has a whopping 11 resistances and immunities, while only having 3 weaknesses. It is held back by the fact that it can't learn Flash Cannon without a TM, which only becomes available after beating Titania, but simply being the only Water/Steel type in the game is enough to make Piplup an above-average starter.
C Tier
C tier makes a lot of these Pokémon sound a lot worse than they actually are. This tier is the middle of the pack. The Pokémon here are still strong, but can't quite compete inthe higher tiers, or simply don't fill enough of a niche to be worth picking.
Charmander
The Charmander line is identical to the Cyndaquil line in terms of stats. And while Charizard gets access to decently powerful moves early on, missing out on Eruption, Nature Powerand Flash Fire cripples Charizard's ability to be a fast nuke like Typhlosion. Charizard still gets access to some very good moves though, and alongside it's decent Special Attack and Speed, still allows it to be a good attacker. However, it is still outclassed at that by Talonflame, which is available before Corey, is faster and gets access to priority Acrobatics and Tailwind. While early Dragon Rage might seem really good, Reborn's high level curve means it will fall off a lot faster than in vanilla games, and isn't really useful after Florinia. Charizard's biggest redeeming factor is it's Mega Evolutions. It's X form is strong, although Dragon Dance is an egg move and the Charizardite X is available very late, and the Charizardite Y is not available at all as of now.
Treecko
While being pure Grass does very little for this line, the incredible speed, very early access to Leaf Blade, good coverage and Unburden make Grovyle and Sceptile good sweepers/revenge killers. While they lackthe power of other sweeping mons, and are limited by the late access to Swords Dance, the fact that almost all fast Grass types are very defensive gives Sceptile a comfortable niche. Mega Sceptile is also the fastest Dragon type in the game, which will be extremely useful against Saphira.
Bulbasaur
The Bulbasaur line has access to a lot of good utility, including Leech Seed, status-inducing moves and recovery. This is always a useful Pokémon to have, but the main thing holding this line back is how many other Pokémon, most notably Budew, can completely replace or even outshine it. The Mega Evolution is nice, even if it is available really late, and is extremely strong against Amaria specifically.
Rowlet
While Decidueye is held back by it's poor stat distribution and limited access to Swords Dance, it still fulfills a unique role, since the only other Grass/Ghost type is extremely slow. Spirit Shackle gives Decidueye access to consistent, strong physical Ghost STAB, which puts it above most other physical Ghost types.STAB Priority is also very useful to revenge kill with, and early access to reliable recovery as well as passable bulk allows Decidueye to take out some bulkier opponents.
Tepig
Emboar hits incredibly hard, with access to strong STAB attacks and coverage moves that are boosted by Reckless. But that is about the extent to which this line is useful. It is too slow and not bulky enough to survive for very long, and is heavily outclassed by the other Fire/Fightings. A straight-forward heavy-hitter is always useful, though.
Turtwig
Similarly to the Bulbasaur line, the Tepig line gets access to a lot of good utility such as Leech Seed and Synthesis. Torterra also has the advantage of a unique typing, as well as learing Earthquake extremely early. However, it doesn't hit quite as hard as it feels like it should, and doesn't offer nearly as useful resistances as other Grass types, and its weaknesses to common types makes its low speed easy to exploit, and prevents it from being a great defensive wall.
D Tier
Pokémon in D tier aren't bad, butdon't fulfill much of a niche over other similar Pokémon.
Chespin
Chesnaught has decent defensive stats, and a decent defensive Ability, but is held back heavily by having a terrible defensive typing. While it is too slow to utilise its offensive tools, it has access to some very good support options, most importantly Leech Seed+Spiky Shield. It is still quite vulnerable, but it's movepool is enough to place it at the top of this tier.
Oshawott
Considering it's mediocre stat distribution and abilities, I initially thought Samurott had nothing going for it over the other pure Water types. However, it gets access to Swords Dance by level up, which automatically puts it above everything else in this tier. While it has access to Aqua Jet, it's still slightly too slow and weak to properly sweep, but it still poses a bit of a threat.
Totodile
Sheer Force is a great Ability. However, without easy access to Dragon Dance, Feraligatr doesn't make great use of it. It is an alright, basic Water type that hits pretty hard once it actually gets access to good Water-type attacks, but is very mediocre across the board.
Squirtle
Very similar to Totodile, except it is more defensive and with a worse Ability. Blastoise doesn't do much that most Water types can't, and is unfortunately very redundant because of it. While it's Mega Evolution makes it better, it is still worse than most other Megas, and is also available too late into the game to really help it.
F Tier
Meganium
Chikorita
There really isn't much to say. Pure Grass was already bad on Serperior and Sceptile, but Meganium doesn't have any tools to compensate at all. It gets access to the same support options as most Grass types, but it doesn't really do anything beyond that.
So that is my ranking! If you have any thoughts or critisisms, I would love to hear them!
