5 best Pokémon to catch if Sprigatito is your Scarlet or Violet starter

No matter which cute little critter you pick in the early hours of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll have a powerful companion for your journey through the Paldea region. One of the more popular Generation IX starters this time around is Sprigatito, the “Grass Cat Pokémon” who starts out as a cute little kitty and evolves into a fearsome feline, picking up an additional Dark subtype along the way.

With so many Pokémon to choose from in Scarlet and Violet’s open world, it might be hard to stick to a core team of six monsters. But if you want to aim for the most optimized team that’ll last for the entire game, look no further than these five suggestions to complement your grassy gato.

But first: What’s the deal with Sprigatito? Your cat will evolve into a Floragato at level 16 and start walking around on its hind legs while slinging around a flower yoyo for its attacks. Its type won’t change just yet, but it does pick up some darker color patterns on its fur hinting at what happens at Level 36. At that time, Floragato evolves into “The Magician Pokémon” Meowscarada and becomes Grass/Dark, boasting tremendous Speed and Attack. You’ll want to emphasize physical Grass, Dark, and other type moves to capitalize on its strengths.

Considering Meowscarada’s types and stats, here are the five best Pokémon you should catch ASAP to round out your party:

5. Magikarp

Magikarp has been a great decision for every Pokémon trainer since the original games. The dumb-looking floppy fish is totally useless, yet for some reason, at level 20, it evolves into the monstrous Gyarados. As a Water/Flying type, Gyarados is incredibly susceptible to Electric moves, but it boasts a decent moveset and incredible stats.

• Where to Find: Magikarp can be found in or near bodies of water
• Final Type: Water/Flying

4. Pawmi

Every well-rounded Pokémon team needs a strong and fast Electric type. Scarlet and Violet deliver a brand-new option in the form of Pawmi, who is a very cute and very chubby orange mouse that’s a totally pawfect alternative to the incredibly trite Pikachu. Not only is Pawmi easier to find, but he’s got much better stats! Rather than Special Attack, however, Pawmi boasts high Speed and physical Attack (similar to Sprigatito), so it’s great that he learns Nuzzle early on. This physical move has a chance of inflicting Paralyze on the enemy.

• Where to find: South Province, Area One and Three
• Final Type: Electric/Fighting

3. Gible

This one’s a slightly later wildcard pick, but you should be able to find Gible before you hit Level 30. This land shark-looking Dragon/Ground Pokémon is a late bloomer like most dragons in the franchise, reaching its final evolution of Garchomp at Level 48. Garchomp is widely praised as a “pseudo-Legendary” thanks to its staggering 600 base stat total.

• Where to find: West Province Area Two and the Asado Desert
• Final Type: Dragon/Ground

2. Tinkatink

Like Pawmi, Tinkatink is a newcomer to the franchise worth paying attention to thanks to its ridiculous base stat total of 506 with an emphasis in Speed and Special Defense.

• Where to find: West Province, Area One, Watchtower
• Final Type: Fairy/Steel

1. Charcadet

Continuing the trend of very cool new Pokémon that have arrived in Scarlet and Violet, Charcadet is a must-have bipedal Fire monster that looks sort of like Megaman once fully evolved.

• Where to find: Very Rare, but “lives in many parts of Paldea”
• Final Type: Fire/Psychic or Fire/Ghost

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are out now on Nintendo Switch.