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OUR CLASSIC RECOMMENDATIONS · v0.8.62
Our PokéBonk opening order: every starting partner explained
For a solo Classic run, we favor partners that help you reach upgrades without losing the run to a few small mistakes. Below is the complete order for all 79 starting kits, with a reason, a practical build direction and a weakness for each. The family links cover all 151 Pokémon.
Why recovery and control lead this list
A damage bonus only helps while attacks connect. Regen, shielding and a way to interrupt pursuers can keep a shaky opening alive long enough to build damage. Our opening comparison therefore weights comfort at 50%, offensive potential at 30% and utility at 20%. The order uses the same comparison as the tool above; these are editorial scores, not measured win rates. Other published lists weight crowd damage, boss damage, ultimates and speed, which puts Mewtwo, Chansey, Articuno and Machop above Slowpoke. This order does not. Comfort is half the score, so recovery and control lead. A high place is not a claim of the highest damage.
We compare the versioned starting kits without Lab, items or vitamins. Passive effects, starting durability and attack access inform the comparison; attack geometry and enemy matchups can change what feels strongest. Equal scores share a position, and a small score gap is not a guaranteed advantage.
Evolved forms belong to the partner you start with. Venusaur is discussed with Bulbasaur, and Gyarados with Magikarp; they are not separate starting choices. Survival scaling and co-op team composition need their own decisions.
Recovery and control work together without needing one specific item. Start here if repeated chip damage or a closing escape route is ending your runs.
#1 · Recovery
Slowpoke
81 opening score · Tier S
Why we place Slowpoke here
Recovery, a larger health pool and recurring sleep give Slowpoke several ways to recover a messy opening. That combination earns the top spot in a ranking that values staying alive more than chasing the largest damage bonus.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep a clear exit while Yawn and the Water/Psychic kit work; spend the breathing room collecting upgrades.
What the kit gives you
+25% HP, +1.5 regen and -10% speed. Every 6 s you yawn: enemies within 6 m may fall asleep. As Slowbro, the Shellder on its tail gives you +20 armor.
Regen repairs chip damage, while faster Ultimate charging and healing on cast give Clefairy a repeatable recovery cycle. It sits just behind Slowpoke because its strongest reset depends on having the Ultimate ready.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the Ultimate before the next crowded stretch, rather than saving every charge for a boss.
What the kit gives you
+20 luck and +1 regen. Your Ultimate charges 30% faster and when you cast it you recover 15% HP.
Regen and a recurring root address the same problem from two directions: recovering health and stopping nearby pursuers. The four-target limit keeps Tangela below the two broader recovery picks.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Circle the edge of the horde and keep Giga Drain useful while the vines interrupt pursuers.
What the kit gives you
+2 regen. Every 5 s your vines trap (root) and damage the 4 closest enemies within 7 m.
Strong protection, recovery or focused damage gives these partners a dependable plan. Their main limitation is usually a range, timing window or damage-class requirement.
#4 · Defense
Rhyhorn
71 opening score · Tier A
Why we place Rhyhorn here
Armor works from the opening, and the running charge adds displacement without waiting for an attack offer. It leads A tier here because that protection is less dependent on finding a particular damage package.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep moving in a broad loop so the charge can activate without steering into the thickest pack.
What the kit gives you
+15 armor. After 1.5 s of running without stopping, you charge: enemies you touch take damage and are sent flying.
Regen gives Ekans a steady fallback, and its forward gaze can interrupt enemies on the route ahead. It ranks highly for repeatable survival tools rather than a large offensive multiplier.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Face an approaching lane before the gaze fires, then move past the controlled enemies.
What the kit gives you
+1 regen (Shed Skin). Every 4 s your gaze paralyzes the enemies in front of you (7 m).
Rooted KOs provide healing, while extra HP and stronger Strikes and Spins support that plan. It lands in A because recovery has a useful payoff but needs both a root and a kill.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Favor useful Strike or Spin attacks and finish the enemies you have rooted.
What the kit gives you
+10% HP. Your Strikes and Spins deal +15% damage and can root (20%). KOs of rooted enemies heal you for 2% of HP.
Damage, area and speed help before any specific item appears; the recurring shield adds insurance. It is a strong offensive alternative near the top, though the crit stun needs crits to happen.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the shield window to maintain attack contact, and add crit support when the offers fit.
What the kit gives you
+15% damage, area and speed. Every 8 s a psychic barrier gives you a shield worth 15% of your HP. Your crits stun.
Damage reduction and regen work without a weather condition or a hit sequence. Lapras ranks above many burst-focused picks because it asks less of the opening build to keep its defenses useful.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Develop the Water and Ice attacks that cover your escape route instead of filling every slot at once.
Speed and regen make the ordinary opening forgiving, with extra damage and speed available in sun. It sits below the unconditional defensive picks because the weather payoff is an additional condition.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep moving around the pollen area and treat sun as a bonus rather than a requirement to survive.
What the kit gives you
+10% speed and +1 regen. In sun, +30% speed and +20% damage. Every 6 s you release a pollen cloud (4.5 m) that poisons.
Grass hits can turn attack uptime into recovery, backed by regen and stronger healing. That earns A tier, but the hit requirement and shared trigger cap keep it below more automatic recovery kits.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Grass attacks connecting; Razor Leaf and Solar Beam also give you a defined Flower Beam route.
What the kit gives you
+1.5 regen and +25% healing. Your Grass attacks heal you a little (0.4% of HP per hit, up to 5 times per second).
Reduced incoming damage and evasion make mistakes less costly without requiring a particular item. It belongs above many damage-only kits in this opening-focused ranking.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the protection to keep Lick and the later Ghost attacks working while you reposition.
What the kit gives you
You plow through the horde: -20% damage taken and +10% evasion.
A recurring shield and nearby pushback can reopen a closing route. That puts Mr. Mime in A, with a lower placement than passive recovery picks because its main reset arrives on an interval.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Move through the space the barrier creates instead of immediately giving it back to the crowd.
What the kit gives you
Every 6 s you raise an invisible barrier: a shield worth 10% of your HP and a wall that pushes back enemies within 4 m.
Ground-hazard immunity and reduced projectile and area damage solve specific causes of failed runs. Abra stays in A rather than at the top because those protections leave contact damage as a serious weakness.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Choose safer firing lanes for the Psychic kit and exploit hazard protection only against the named effects.
What the kit gives you
Immune to damage from the ground (lava, fire pools, cracks, spore clouds). -30% damage from projectiles and area attacks.
The physical damage bonus is immediate and easy to use with its fighting kit. It ranks below the recovery leaders because killing faster is its main protection, rather than a separate healing or shielding tool.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep physical attacks upgraded and choose coverage that lets them hit while you move.
Armor reduces the cost of repeated hits, and one lethal-hit save can rescue a bad opening. It makes A tier as a forgiving choice, but that emergency benefit is spent after one trigger.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Build enough damage to prevent repeated contact; leave the lethal-hit save as a last resort.
What the kit gives you
You survive a lethal hit with 1 HP once per run. +10 armor.
Lifesteal and stronger healing reward a build that keeps hitting while moving. It sits in A because that sustain can be valuable, but unlike passive regen it depends on attack contact.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Leech Life and the attacks covering your retreat effective before pursuing extra damage slots.
Extra HP and armor provide immediate breathing room, with poison spreading after poisoned enemies die. It ranks above the male counterpart here because the opening comparison gives more weight to protection.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Let poison contribute while you keep moving; use the added bulk to recover positioning after a mistake.
What the kit gives you
+15% HP and +10 armor. Anyone who touches you is poisoned, and poisoned enemies spread it when they die.
Several modest bonuses and unrestricted move types make Mew adaptable when offers do not match the first plan. It sits in A, but flexibility alone is less reliable protection than regen or a recurring shield.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Choose attacks that solve the current run rather than collecting types simply because you can.
What the kit gives you
+10% damage, speed, area and HP. Can learn moves of any type.
Contact charm followed by hit-driven freezing gives Jynx a defensive sequence that can interrupt pursuers. It reaches A here, but its protection needs interaction with enemies rather than working entirely at a distance.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep attacks landing on charmed enemies while you move away from them.
What the kit gives you
Anyone who touches you is charmed. Your hits on charmed enemies gradually freeze them.
These kits offer a useful advantage, but need matching attacks, consistent hits or deliberate positioning. Choose the one that solves your actual problem rather than treating the whole tier as interchangeable.
#20 · Control
Growlithe
60 opening score · Tier B
Why we place Growlithe here
Speed and recurring intimidation help control the danger near you. It falls just outside A because the damage reduction affects nearby intimidated enemies rather than every threat in the arena.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Kite around the edge of the intimidation area and use faster movement to keep an exit open.
What the kit gives you
+10% speed. Every 3 s, nearby enemies are intimidated (they deal -40% damage).
Evasion can create a shield, so a successful dodge gives protection against what follows. It ranks in B because that loop is useful but starts with a chance-based event.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the Water/Steel/Grass kit to cover your route and treat dodge shields as spare protection.
What the kit gives you
+10% evasion. Every dodge wraps you in water: a shield worth 6% of your HP. As Seaking, +5% evasion.
Nearby gradual freezing and broad legendary bonuses offer both pressure and control. Its B placement reflects an opening comparison, where local control is less dependable than direct recovery against mixed threats.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Let enemies enter the freezing zone while attacks clear a route out of it.
What the kit gives you
Legendary: +10% damage, HP and speed. Every second, enemies within 6 m gradually freeze.
Armor and a starting shield make Squirtle a sensible learning pick. The B placement reflects what happens after that initial shield is spent: the low-health damage bonus does not supply healing.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Upgrade the attacks clearing your path; work toward Rapid Spin plus Hydro Pump only when both stay useful.
What the kit gives you
+15 armor and +20 shield. Below 40% HP, +40% damage.
Armor, stronger Rock and Water attacks and a recurring rock ring give a coherent kit. It sits in B because its protection is sturdy but does not repair health already lost.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Rock and Water attacks productive and use the ring to relieve nearby pressure.
What the kit gives you
+20 armor. Your Rock and Water attacks deal +15% damage. Every 5 s, a ring of rocks bursts from your shell (5 m; Omastar 6.5 m).
Armor and crit chance help immediately, with extra movement available in sandstorm. It ranks in B because the weather benefit is conditional and the passive supplies no healing loop.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Build useful physical coverage first; take advantage of sandstorm speed when it is available.
What the kit gives you
+10 armor and +6% crit. In a sandstorm, +30% speed.
Status chance and contact ailments can disrupt a crowded opening; Parasect adds damage against affected enemies. It lands in B because its best value depends on applying statuses and reaching the evolution payoff.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the status tools to create space and keep a damaging attack ready to finish affected enemies.
What the kit gives you
+20% status chance. Anyone who touches you falls asleep, gets paralyzed or gets poisoned. As Parasect, the mushroom is in control: +20% damage against enemies with any status.
Damage reduction gives a dependable base, while being hit leaves a trapping poison puddle. It ranks in B because the puddle helps recover a bad situation rather than preventing every hit.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Move away after leaving a puddle so pursuing enemies pass through it.
What the kit gives you
-15% damage taken. When hit, you leave a toxic puddle for 4 s that poisons and traps anyone who steps in it. As Muk, the puddles are bigger.
A larger health pool, stronger healing and periodic eggs provide staying power. Its middle placement reflects a recovery kit whose eggs need collecting and whose damage still needs investment.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Loop back for an egg when the path is clear instead of crossing enemies for it immediately.
What the kit gives you
+40% HP and +40% healing. Every 10 s you lay an egg beside you that heals you for 10% when picked up.
Repeated hits at a fraction of the original damage give Kangaskhan a clear offensive benefit. It stays in B because extra damage does not directly add the recovery favored by this ranking.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Invest in attacks that connect consistently so the repeated hit has useful work to do.
What the kit gives you
Your baby fights alongside you: every hit of your attacks is repeated at 25% of its damage.
Broad bonuses and periodic paralysing lightning create useful pressure without a specific item. B reflects the gaps between those strikes and the lack of a dedicated recovery tool.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep an attack upgraded for the moments between lightning activations.
What the kit gives you
Legendary: +10% damage, HP and speed. Every 5 s three lightning bolts strike nearby enemies and paralyze them.
Its flame ring adds regular nearby burn pressure alongside broad legendary bonuses. It ranks in B because that pressure helps clear space but does not automatically protect or heal the player.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the ring to punish pursuers while your main attacks handle targets outside it.
What the kit gives you
Legendary: +10% damage, HP and speed. Every 6 s a 6 m ring of flames burns the enemies.
Crit chance and crit damage give a clear attack plan, and critical hits can reduce enemy damage through ink. It lands in B because the defensive payoff depends on landing those crits.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Support attacks that keep hitting and allow the ink effect to build protection through offense.
What the kit gives you
+10% crit and +25% crit damage. Your crits cover the enemy in ink and blind it: it deals -40% damage and common enemies stop attacking.
Projectile speed helps delivery, and the periodic core heal offers a small automatic reset. It sits in B because the healing interval leaves meaningful gaps when pressure rises.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep projectile attacks connecting while moving and let the core heal repair smaller mistakes.
What the kit gives you
+20% projectile speed. Every 8 s your core heals you for 5%. As Starmie, +10% special damage.
Shield bypass and extra boss damage give Pinsir a specific job that many safer picks lack. It remains B in an opening-comfort ranking because offensive advantages do not replace sustain.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Prioritize attacks that can stay on elites and bosses rather than only clearing weak enemies.
What the kit gives you
+15% damage. You ignore enemy shields (like Fighting attacks) and deal +20% to bosses and mini-bosses. Storm Throw is always a crit.
Attack speed and damage strengthen a focused offensive opening without a complicated trigger. It ranks in B because the passive improves pressure rather than giving a recovery or shielding cycle.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Concentrate upgrades on attacks with useful coverage instead of spreading the bonus across weak slots.
Extra healing and periodic berries offer a recovery route, with area arriving after evolution. B reflects the time between berries and the need to reach them safely.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep the nearest berry route clear and use Leech Seed alongside a reliable damaging attack.
What the kit gives you
+20% healing. Every 15 s a berry appears beside you. As Exeggutor, +10% area.
Extra HP and pickup reach reduce some opening friction, while the tongue can interrupt one nearby target. It stays in B because pulling an enemy toward you is useful control with a positional cost.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Collect from safer spacing and leave room to sidestep a target pulled by the tongue.
What the kit gives you
+4 pickup range and +20% HP. Every 4 s your tongue grabs the closest enemy within 8 m, pulls it toward you and paralyzes it.
Special damage, projectile speed and scheduled critical hits give Porygon a focused offensive identity. It ranks in B because those benefits need effective attacks and do not form a defensive reset.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep special attacks upgraded so the downloaded crit window strengthens a useful damage source.
What the kit gives you
+12% special damage and projectile speed. Every 10 s you download data: your next 5 hits are crits.
Armor and flat hit reduction make repeated small hits less punishing. It sits in B because the later Strike and Boomerang bonus asks for evolution and matching attack shapes.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Reduce chip damage while developing attacks that will benefit from Kabutops’s shape bonuses.
What the kit gives you
+15 armor. Each hit you take is reduced by 3 + 0.3 per level. As Kabutops, your Strikes and Boomerangs deal +20% damage.
The healing bonus makes recovery upgrades more valuable, but it is not itself a source of healing. That distinction keeps Snorlax in B rather than beside partners with automatic regen.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Secure an actual recovery source and enough damage for Tackle’s opening before stacking more healing bonuses.
Contact charm and evasion can interrupt a pursuer after a mistake. B reflects the reactive nature of that protection compared with a barrier or regen that helps without inviting contact.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use Sing and movement to keep charmed enemies behind you while damaging attacks finish them.
Strikes receive extra damage and periodic doubled, stunning pincers. It sits in B because the payoff is concentrated in a particular attack shape rather than every attack you might pick.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Favor useful Strike attacks and maintain contact long enough for the pincer sequence to matter.
What the kit gives you
+6 armor. Your Strikes deal +20% damage. Every 5th hit of a Strike is a pincer that deals double damage and stuns (Kingler, every 4th).
Damage against elites, Alphas and bosses gives Nidoran a clear target priority. Its B placement follows the same tradeoff as Pinsir: better threat removal without a separate recovery tool.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep an attack capable of staying on a durable target while you avoid the surrounding crowd.
What the kit gives you
+10% damage and +25% against elites, Alphas and bosses.
More area, an extra jump and stronger kicks support an active damage-and-movement plan. It ranks in B because the attack bonus is narrower than a universal physical multiplier.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep kick attacks useful and use the extra jump to preserve a safe firing route.
What the kit gives you
+20% area and +1 jump. Your kicks (attacks with "kick") deal +20% damage.
Stronger punches and an automatic nearby punch give a recognizable physical plan. It lands in B because several benefits require the right move names or a target inside the short automatic range.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Choose punch attacks for damage, with enough coverage to avoid following every enemy into contact range.
What the kit gives you
+5% physical damage. Your punches (attacks with "punch") deal +20% damage. Every 3 s you throw an automatic punch at the closest enemy within 4 m.
Crit and status chance help establish confusion, which then increases damage taken by affected enemies. B reflects the need to set up that condition before the full offensive benefit appears.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use Supersonic to support attacks that can capitalize on confused targets.
What the kit gives you
+8% crit and +15% status chance. Confused enemies take +25% damage. As Venomoth, +12% attack speed.
Extra HP helps early, and the headache wave turns time and incoming hits into disruption. It sits in B because the Golduck heal is a later benefit rather than a starting recovery loop.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Let the wave charge naturally while you use the Water/Psychic kit to keep a clear route.
What the kit gives you
+10% HP. The hits you take and the passage of time charge your headache; when full, it bursts into a psychic wave (7 m) that damages and confuses. As Golduck, the wave is 10 m and heals you for 8%.
Physical damage and attack speed make Rattata an aggressive opener. The HP penalty keeps it below safer picks here: the ranking rewards room to recover from a mistake.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep physical damage focused and kill pursuers before they reach the route behind you.
What the kit gives you
+25% physical damage and +10% attack speed, in exchange for -8% HP.
Crit chance and a large crit-damage bonus give Spearow a direct scaling plan. It stays in B because neither bonus guarantees a critical hit or provides recovery when attacks miss.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Favor consistent attack contact before piling on more critical damage.
Contact paralysis and periodic discharge offer control without an elaborate item plan. It ranks in B because one part of that control starts after contact and the other has downtime.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Let discharge help break pursuit while the Electric attacks clear your next lane.
What the kit gives you
Anyone who touches you is paralyzed. Every 4 s you fire a discharge at an enemy.
HP, armor and nearby gradual freezing give Seel several defensive pieces. It lands in B because the control is periodic and local, while the kit still needs damage upgrades to finish threats.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep enemies at the edge of the shard area while developing the Ice and Water attacks.
What the kit gives you
+15% HP and +10 armor. Every 4 s ice shards burst around you (5 m) and gradually freeze enemies. As Dewgong, 6.5 m.
Speed and repeated forward rams support a run built around movement. Its B placement reflects how much direction matters: a shove in front does little against a threat arriving from the side.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Run broad paths where the forward ram lines up with pursuers without trapping you.
What the kit gives you
+15% speed. While running, every 0.5 s you ram the enemies in front of you (2.5 m): damage and a good shove.
Armor helps absorb mistakes, and damage rises after hits. It stays in B because the offensive stack rewards an event you normally want to avoid and disappears after a safer stretch.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use rage when a hit happens, then return to clean movement rather than forcing another stack.
What the kit gives you
+8 armor. Every hit you take enrages you: +6% damage per charge (up to 6; as Primeape, up to 8). The rage fades after 5 s without taking damage.
Crit chance and rare heavy Bonk hits create burst potential. It sits in B because a low-probability burst is less dependable for an opening than repeatable protection or healing.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Build attacks with regular contact and treat a large Bonk as a payoff, not the whole plan.
What the kit gives you
+10% crit. You always carry a leek: 4% of your hits are an ×8 "Bonk!" (stacks with the Leek item).
Speed, an extra jump and airborne damage reward active movement. Its B placement reflects execution: the large damage bonus depends on staying airborne while attacks remain useful.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use jumps and glide deliberately so the airborne damage window also preserves a route.
What the kit gives you
+15% speed and +1 jump; you glide by holding Jump. While airborne, your attacks deal +25% damage.
Conditional bonuses, setup time or a less forgiving baseline make the opening harder to repeat. A lower placement here does not predict an evolved form’s late-run ceiling.
#56 · Flexible
Pidgey
47 opening score · Tier C
Why we place Pidgey here
Speed, projectile speed and an extra jump improve movement and delivery rather than raw safety. C here means the opening asks more of positioning, not that the later evolutions are unusable.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use glide to keep distance while concentrating upgrades into attacks that hit on the move.
What the kit gives you
+12% speed, +20% projectile speed and +1 jump. Like any good Flying type, you glide by holding Jump.
Nearby sleeping enemies can become a recovery source, but that loop needs sleep, proximity and time. Its lower opening placement reflects those conditions rather than denying the value of a working sleep build.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep sleeping enemies within healing range when safe, and use damaging attacks to control the rest.
What the kit gives you
+10% status chance. Every 7 s your pendulum puts the 3 closest enemies to sleep (Hypno, 5). Sleeping enemies within 6 m heal you for 0.5% of HP per second each (up to 5).
Speed and a chance to repeat an attack offer offensive upside. It stays in C for opening consistency because repeats are uncertain and the passive adds no direct recovery.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep a dependable attack upgraded before leaning on the repeated-attack payoff.
What the kit gives you
+10% speed. Each attack has a 25% chance to repeat instantly with the other head. As Dodrio, 35%.
Armor and stronger bone attacks give Cubone a defined build, with extra damage at low HP. C reflects the narrower attack requirement and the risk of relying on the low-health portion.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Favor bone attacks that cover your route and use armor to absorb accidental chip damage.
What the kit gives you
+10 armor. Your bone attacks deal +20% damage. Below 40% HP, +35% damage.
Pickup reach makes collection easier, and magnetic pulses can bunch enemies for attacks. It ranks lower because pulling enemies inward is not the same as stopping them before they reach you.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Have useful area coverage ready for enemies gathered by the pulse.
What the kit gives you
+4 pickup range. Every 4 s a magnetic pulse pulls in enemies within 9 m and may paralyze them. As Magneton, the pulse also damages them.
Gliding and climbing support unusual escape routes, while the local cloud applies poison. It sits in C because those tools need positioning and close-range exposure rather than providing automatic recovery.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Let pursuers pass through the cloud while you use mobility to leave the dangerous side of the pack.
What the kit gives you
You levitate: hold Jump to glide and you can climb walls. A 4 m gas cloud surrounds you and poisons every second. As Weezing, 5.5 m.
Repeated paralysis can stack damage, giving Electabuzz a clear status-based payoff. It ranks lower for an opening because stacks need to be generated and refreshed rather than arriving as a permanent bonus.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep paralysis applications reliable before selecting upgrades solely for the maximum stacked damage.
What the kit gives you
Every time you paralyze an enemy you gain +2% damage for 4 s (up to 15 stacks).
Burns can spread through defeated enemies, helping clear connected groups. It sits in C because the chain needs both a burn and a KO, and contact burn is reactive rather than preventive.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Develop damage that can finish burning enemies and start the next spread.
What the kit gives you
Anyone who touches you is burned. Burned enemies you defeat burst into flames (3 m) and burn those around them.
Fire damage is always useful to its matching kit, but the larger damage bonus requires low HP. C reflects that risky opening condition compared with partners whose passive helps while healthy.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Ember productive and build toward useful Fire coverage without deliberately holding health below 40%.
Fire and status damage give Vulpix a focused damage theme. Its lower opening placement reflects missing recovery and the need to turn status applications into useful damage.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Support burn and Fire attacks that actually reach the enemies blocking your path.
Armor and extra projectiles offer a real platform for a projectile build. It sits low in this opening model because projectile count does not benefit every pattern equally and armor alone provides no recovery.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Choose attacks that make good use of extra projectiles and keep them upgraded.
What the kit gives you
+20 armor and +1 projectile. As Cloyster, +1 projectile and +10 more armor.
Broad bonuses help, but copying nearby enemy types can change both your bonuses and weaknesses mid-run. C reflects that shifting matchup rather than a lack of useful stats.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Watch the copied type and make decisions around the current matchup instead of the starting one.
What the kit gives you
+10% damage, HP and speed. Every 30 s you copy the types of the nearest enemy: your type bonus and your weaknesses change.
Movement speed is immediate, while Electric explosions reward KOs. It ranks in C because the chain reaction needs enemies to die first and cannot be assumed against an isolated boss.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep one reliable damage source strong enough to start explosion chains in ordinary packs.
What the kit gives you
+15% speed. Enemies you defeat have a 12% chance to explode (3 m, Electric damage that paralyzes); with Electrode, 20%.
Attack speed and poison on crit can develop into extra damage against poisoned enemies. C reflects a setup opening: the poison condition and evolution benefits do not all arrive together.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Poison Sting useful while leveling, and treat the Kakuna armor as a stage in the run rather than the full build.
What the kit gives you
+10% attack speed. Your crits poison and poisoned enemies take +20% damage. Evolves soon (Kakuna at Lv. 8, Beedrill at Lv. 36); as Kakuna, +30 armor.
Speed and burning footprints reward continuous movement. Its C placement reflects how much damage depends on enemies following the path you leave rather than meeting you head-on.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Curve routes so pursuers cross the footprints while attacks handle enemies arriving from new directions.
What the kit gives you
+15% speed. As you move you leave fire footprints that burn enemies. As Rapidash, +10% speed and bigger footprints.
A stronger same-type bonus can reward a committed build, but its value follows the type you currently have. It sits in C because choosing an evolution and matching useful attacks requires planning.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep attacks useful through the transition instead of selecting them only for a future type bonus.
What the kit gives you
+25% damage with moves of your own type (the type bonus goes from ×1.25 to ×1.56).
More money and pickup reach support a stronger economy, with crit chance earned through income. It ranks lower for opening comfort because cash must become useful purchases before it becomes protection.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Collect safely and turn the extra currency into upgrades that solve the current weakness.
What the kit gives you
+40% PokéDollars and +2 pickup. Every 100 ₽ you earn in a run gives you +1% crit (up to +15%). As Persian, +10% speed.
Extra HP and projectile speed help normally, with larger speed and damage bonuses in rain. C reflects reliance on weather and a later physical bonus for the strongest package.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Bubble Beam useful without rain and take the weather window when it arrives.
What the kit gives you
+10% HP and +20% projectile speed. In rain, +30% speed and +20% damage. As Poliwrath, +15% physical damage.
Armor and recurring poisonous tentacle hits provide local pressure. It sits in C because its passive is target-limited and does not supply a broad recovery loop.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Use the tentacle hits to support a poison plan while attacks cover threats beyond the nearby targets.
What the kit gives you
+10 armor. Every 2 s your tentacles lash the 2 closest enemies within 7 m (they poison); Tentacruel lashes 4.
Experience and a starting shield help reach later stages, with cocoon armor during evolution. It ranks low for the immediate opening because survival still needs a useful attack before the payoff arrives.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Protect the early shield and concentrate upgrades enough to make the experience lead meaningful.
What the kit gives you
+15% experience and +20 shield. Evolves soon (Metapod at Lv. 8, Butterfree at Lv. 36). As Metapod, the cocoon gives you +30 armor.
The full-health damage reduction can cushion the first hit, but loses its condition once health drops. It ranks low here because restoring that condition requires recovery from elsewhere.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Preserve full HP with clean movement and secure recovery if you want to reactivate the passive reliably.
Armor and periodic nearby roots help interrupt pursuit. Its lower placement reflects the opening baseline and limited control radius; the passive can still be useful in a route-focused build.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Move around the rooted edge of the pack and let attacks finish enemies before the next pulse.
What the kit gives you
+10 armor. Every 2 s the ground shakes around you (4.5 m): it damages and traps enemies in the sand (root). As Dugtrio, 6 m.
Heavy armor and extra HP give bulk, but the speed penalty makes recovering position harder. It ranks low in this opening comparison because Charge damage does not automatically solve a cramped route.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Invest in useful Charge attacks and turn early while there is still space to move.
What the kit gives you
+25 armor and +15% HP, in exchange for -8% speed. Your Charges deal +30% damage. Every 6 s rocks fall on the 3 closest enemies.
The experience bonus offers a clear Gyarados payoff at level 40, but asks you to survive the opening first. It comes last for opening comfort because future power does not help an unfinished early build.
Build direction & weak points
How to play it
Keep Tackle and the available damage upgrades functional while protecting the route to evolution.
What the kit gives you
+60% experience. With it, it reaches a fearsome evolution before anyone else (Lv. 40).
