Pokémon BDSP Starters: Pros & Cons Of Choosing Chimchar

Chimchar is one of the few Fire-type Pokémon in the Sinnoh Region of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but is it the best starter?

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With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl released on November 19, many players are wondering whether Chimchar is the right starter for them. Chimchar and its final evolution Infernape are amongst the coolest and, when properly trained, most competitively viable starter Pokémon in the series. However, will casually using Chimchar as a starter in Pokémon BDSP make for fun gameplay?

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are reintroducing the region of Sinnoh and its starters, Chimchar, Turtwig, and Piplup. Chimchar is the Fire-type starter of the game and the second Fire and Fighting starter in the series. Much like its predecessor, Torchic, Chimchar is a fast and hard-hitting attacker who can sweep teams with the right move set. And once Chimchar’s final evolution Infernape learns “Close Combat,” it is practically game over for whoever stands in the Pokémon’s way.

However, Chimchar is a bit of glass cannon that may not be for everyone. For players who enjoyed past starters like Venusaur, who slows battles down with traps and bulky stats, the Chimchar line poses as the polar opposite build. The Pokémon still has many strengths that make it an appealing choice for most. Here are the pros and cons to help players decide if Chimchar is the right starter for them in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Pros: Pokémon BDSP Stats For Chimcar Are Incredible

The Chimchar line’s two biggest benefits are its Fire typing – there are very few Fire-types in Sinnoh – and its final evolution Infernape’s stats. Infernape has a scary 108 Speed stat that is accompanied by Attack and Special Attack stats at 104. This makes Infernape a Pokémon based around landing one-hit knockouts before opponents can even touch it, and it is one of the most effective Pokémon at doing so. It is thus no mystery why Infernape has made its way into the competitive Pokémon scene.

The Chimchar line also finds itself having good matchups against enemies and rivals. When Chimchar evolves into Monferno at level 14, it also learns the fighting move “Mach Punch.” This singular move carries Monferno through Team Galactic battles and the many Dark and Normal-type Pokémon their grunts and leaders have. Mars is especially susceptible to falling victim to the Chimchar line, as her strongest Pokémon Purugly fails to take the significant damage a super effective Fighting move from an Infernape can cause.

Barry, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl’s rival, also has a hard time against players who choose Chimchar, as his Empoleon – who is supposed to be the foil to Infernape – falls victim to super effective Fighting moves because of its Steel typing. Barry’s Roserade, Snorlax, and Heracross also hold no hope when standing across from an Infernape with super effective stab moves. Barry’s only hope ends up being his Staraptor, who can do a lot of damage but cannot outpace a higher leveled Infernape.

Additionally, the Chimchar line has a pretty easy path through the gym leaders and Elite Four in Pokémon BDSP. While its dual typing is not as good as the Turtwig line’s for clearing Sinnoh, Chimchar’s Fire and Fighting dual typing allows for a large range of coverage when facing off against the games’ strongest trainers. Monferno makes easy use of Roark’s Rock gym, Gardenia’s Grass gym, and even Maylene’s Lucario at her Fighting gym because of its Steel typing. By the time Monferno becomes Infernape at level 36, Pokémon trainers can practically speed run through Byron’s Steel gym by repeatedly using “Close Combat” and “Flame Wheel.” After the gyms, Infernape stomps on the Bug Pokémon of the first Elite Four member Aaron and can even chip away at Flint’s Steelix and Lopunny.

Cons: Chimchar Requires Grinding & Suffers Against Cynthia In Pokémon BDSP

While Chimchar’s dual typing helps it fight the gyms, Team Galactic, and Barry, the Pokémon requires trainers to grind in order to get the most of it. Like Charmander in Gen 1, Chimchar is weak against the Rock-type Pokémon of the first gym, but its second evolution has a Fighting move that will allow it to strongarm its way through. To get to that point, though, players have to over-level Chimchar to get it to evolve into Monferno. Though Pokémon BDSP will have permeant EXP Share to make this easier, grinding results in players disregarding other Pokémon by either not catching any or refusing to level them up alongside Chimchar. And considering that Barry fights the player before getting to Oreburgh City with a Starly and a Piplup – both of which have types that are super effective against the Chimchar line – not having a strong team can be detrimental to a playthrough of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Additionally, Chimchar’s move pool is lackluster. While Infernape will eventually learn “Close Combat” and “Flare Blitz,” it has to reach levels 41 and 57 to get them. Before reaching such high levels, those who picked Chimchar will have to settle with the underwhelming “Flame Wheel” and “Mach Punch” to get through most of the gym leaders. This means that the Chimchar line requires grinding throughout the entirety of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl just to get to the Hall of Fame.

However, the infamous Champion Cynthia in Pokémon BDSP stands in the way of those who want to beat the Elite Four, and as the most difficult Champion in all Pokémon games, her team has the easiest time dealing with Infernape out of all of the starters. While Infernape can easily beat Cynthia’s Roserade, her Garchomp, Gastrodon, and Milotic are all capable of decimating the Fire-type with Water and Ground moves. Even Cyrus, the head of Team Galactic, has an easy time dealing with the Chimchar line, as his Crobat, Gyarados, and Honchkrow all have moves that quickly make use of an Infernape.

While Chimchar’s weaknesses are significant, having a team of supporting Pokémon can make all of its issues go away. Chimchar shines brightest when it knows it has a Pokémon it can switch out to in case the opponent has type and speed advantages. And because the goal of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is to catch them all, that supportive team will surely be there.

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