Use this PokeBonk tier list to compare the three starters for the goal shown below. The tiers are editorial recommendations, supported by the linked observations — not a ranking of every Pokémon and not a prediction of your personal win rate.
Check the mode, starting progress and version before comparing tiers. Entries in the same tier are not ordered by strength. When the observations do not support a clear difference, we keep entries together rather than force a winner.
First clear: not yet recommended — insufficient evidence. Target reached in 0 of 8 comparable runs.
Trade-off: Vine Whip is a short-range line attack; all 8 comparable baseline runs ended while surrounded by wild groups, and we did not verify an escape answer for that situation.
First clear: not yet recommended — insufficient evidence. Target reached in 0 of 10 comparable runs.
Trade-off: Ember is a single-target attack; observed runs lacked the area coverage that the recorded zone-1 swarms punish, and we did not verify a fix within the tested scope.
First clear: not yet recommended — insufficient evidence. Target reached in 0 of 10 comparable runs.
Trade-off: Water Gun is a narrow beam; when Bubble or Hydro Pump never appeared, runs were still surrounded, and no verified recovery was found.
All three assessments are provisional single-operator editorial judgments: the records show different survival depths (median levels 7.5 / 5 / 11), but with no reached target we keep every starter at U rather than imply a ranking. Unranked is a statement about evidence, not about strength.
148 further Pokédex entries have no reviewed assessment for this goal — they are outside the comparison, not ranked below it. Open the Pokédex for checked facts.
is a first recommendation within the assessed setup
is a practical alternative
depends more on a particular setup or execution
is not our first recommendation for this goal
Unranked means we do not have enough applicable evidence; it does not mean weak
Tiers are assigned by editorial review — never computed from win rates, confidence intervals or sample sizes
Recommended for first clear within scope: not yet — insufficient evidence. All 8 comparable baseline attempts ended in zone 1 without reaching a clear (target reached in 0 of 8 comparable runs), with a median survival level of 7.5. The checked Synthesis passive (+1.5 regeneration and +25% healing; Grass-type attacks heal 0.4% of max HP per hit) is a sustain tool on the checked kit, but the recorded runs never converted it into a clear, so no tier above U is supported.
Trade-off: Vine Whip is a short-range line attack; all 8 comparable baseline runs ended while surrounded by wild groups, and we did not verify an escape answer for that situation.
Does not apply when: Survival mode, other versions, post-clear goals, or any claim of a population-wide win rate.
Recommended for first clear within scope: not yet — insufficient evidence. All 10 comparable baseline attempts ended in zone 1 without reaching a clear (target reached in 0 of 10 comparable runs), with a median survival level of 5 — the lowest of the three. The checked Sea of Flames passive (+40% damage below 40% HP, +10% Fire damage) was rarely relevant in the recorded runs because they ended before a low-HP window could be converted into a clear.
Trade-off: Ember is a single-target attack; observed runs lacked the area coverage that the recorded zone-1 swarms punish, and we did not verify a fix within the tested scope.
Does not apply when: Survival mode, other versions, post-clear goals, or any claim of a population-wide win rate.
Recommended for first clear within scope: not yet — insufficient evidence. All 10 comparable baseline attempts ended in zone 1 without reaching a clear (target reached in 0 of 10 comparable runs), with a median survival level of 11 — the highest of the three. Recorded choices often include Bubble and Rapid Spin, and the checked Torrent Shell passive adds armor and shield with a below-40% damage bonus, but survival depth alone is not a clear, so the assessment stays U.
Trade-off: Water Gun is a narrow beam; when Bubble or Hydro Pump never appeared, runs were still surrounded, and no verified recovery was found.
Does not apply when: Survival mode, other versions, post-clear goals, or any claim of a population-wide win rate.
The results describe our recorded attempts under the stated protocol. A target is a first clear (defeat the final-zone legendary guardian, take the clear portal). All reviewed runs were executed by an automated input agent under operator supervision; the disclosure is in how we test. Interruptions, early quits and protocol deviations are reported instead of silently removed.
| Starter | Phase | Attempts | Comparable n | Targets reached | Quit (retired) | Technical | Protocol deviation | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B Bulbasaur | Baseline | 10 | 8 | 0 of 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | v0.8.13 |
| C Charmander | Baseline | 10 | 10 | 0 of 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v0.8.13 |
| S Squirtle | Baseline | 10 | 10 | 0 of 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v0.8.13 |
| S Squirtle | Build exploration | 15 | 15 | 0 of 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v0.8.13 |
| S Squirtle | Targeted check | 5 | 5 | 0 of 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | v0.8.13 |
| S Squirtle (pilot) | Pilot | 3 | 0 | 0 of 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | v0.8.5 |
Version groups are never merged: the three v0.8.5 pilot runs (D01–D03, of which D01–D02 suffered a key-code mapping bug and D03 was a protocol pilot) stay outside the v0.8.13 comparison. Target reached in 0 of 48 comparable runs — a count of 0 of n, not a win rate. A confidence interval is not shown because the sample size and conditions do not support one.
A build is more than a final loadout. Check its starting requirements, choice priorities and fallback options before copying it. The routes below are grouped by their intended use; they are not a second overall power ranking.
When no move-upgrade card is offered, the recorded decision policy selected the first available card; no verified better fallback exists in the records.
Planned as a fusion-exploration route, but fusion was never achieved — the recorded runs never reached Bill's machine — so they actually executed a survival strategy. Reported here as survival, not fusion.
A third Squirtle route (vitamin policy, R11–R15) is visible in test records but is not published as a card, to avoid implying it was validated like the others.
Follow the reason behind a choice, not an assumed drop order. The recorded fallback for the move-priority route is "take the first available card under the move policy" — a recorded fallback, not a tested optimum. An untested alternative is a suggestion; it does not inherit a tested route's result.
We keep observations attached to the version in which they were made. A relevant update can trigger a review without erasing the old record. Guide changes are recorded on the About page.
Small samples and different conditions do not justify a universal ranking.
No. The conditions and results belong to the tested route.
The available observations may not support a useful distinction — here, all three share U.