Best Starter in Pokemon Emerald
Mudkip is our top pick in Emerald, and only its start puts it ahead of Treecko. Both win 8 of 13 boss fights, and neither has a Tough one. Juan, Emerald's new Sootopolis City leader, is Treecko's best fight: Sceptile is rated Strong against him, and Flannery and Winona, Tough in Ruby and Sapphire, are Even here.
Emerald Starter Evolutions and Stats
Treecko
Final form: Sceptile
grass
Base statsSceptile
- Total
- 530
- Ability
- Overgrow
| Boss | Result and score out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Roxanne | Strong, 74.8 |
| Brawly | Good, 58.2 |
| Wattson | Even, 54.0 |
| Flannery | Even, 49.9 |
| Norman | Even, 55.4 |
| Winona | Even, 43.7 |
| Tate & Liza | Good, 69.1 |
| Juan | Strong, 80.5 |
| Sidney | Good, 61.7 |
| Phoebe | Good, 62.6 |
| Glacia | Good, 70.9 |
| Drake | Even, 53.6 |
| Wallace | Good, 67.8 |
Wins 8 of 13
Torchic
Final form: Blaziken
fire
fighting
Base statsBlaziken
- Total
- 530
- Ability
- Blaze
| Boss | Result and score out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Roxanne | Tough, 36.4 |
| Brawly | Good, 62.9 |
| Wattson | Even, 53.1 |
| Flannery | Good, 60.6 |
| Norman | Good, 61.2 |
| Winona | Even, 53.4 |
| Tate & Liza | Even, 46.5 |
| Juan | Good, 62.5 |
| Sidney | Strong, 72.6 |
| Phoebe | Even, 52.7 |
| Glacia | Strong, 76.8 |
| Drake | Even, 46.0 |
| Wallace | Even, 48.5 |
Wins 6 of 13
Mudkip
Final form: Swampert
water
ground
Base statsSwampert
- Total
- 535
- Ability
- Torrent
| Boss | Result and score out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Roxanne | Strong, 78.2 |
| Brawly | Good, 59.5 |
| Wattson | Good, 71.5 |
| Flannery | Strong, 77.8 |
| Norman | Even, 55.1 |
| Winona | Even, 47.0 |
| Tate & Liza | Even, 51.9 |
| Juan | Good, 59.4 |
| Sidney | Good, 58.1 |
| Phoebe | Good, 57.5 |
| Glacia | Good, 62.1 |
| Drake | Even, 53.6 |
| Wallace | Even, 48.2 |
Wins 8 of 13
- Strong
- Good
- Even
- Tough
- Bad
- Score 50
Post-Game Johto Starter Gift
After the Hall of Fame and a complete Hoenn Pokedex, Professor Birch gives you one of these 3 at Lv 5.
Emerald Boss Fights, Rated for Each Starter
13 fights in story orderRoxanne's Geodude and Nosepass give Torchic its only Tough fight in Emerald, and from Brawly on it never drops below Even. Both Wally fights are wins for every starter.
Each cell is that starter's rating for the fight, scored 0 to 100. Tap a row for the boss team.
Ratings come from our matchup model: your starter's form, level, moves and stats at each fight against that boss team. Not a tier list.
| Boss |  Treecko |  Torchic |  Mudkip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyms · 8 | 4 won · 0 Tough | 4 won · 1 Tough | 5 won · 0 Tough |
Strong74.8 | Tough36.4 | Strong78.2 | |
Good58.2 | Good62.9 | Good59.5 | |
Even54.0 | Even53.1 | Good71.5 | |
Even49.9 | Good60.6 | Strong77.8 | |
Even55.4 | Good61.2 | Even55.1 | |
Even43.7 | Even53.4 | Even47.0 | |
Good69.1 | Even46.5 | Even51.9 | |
Strong80.5 | Good62.5 | Good59.4 | |
| Pokemon League · 5 | 4 won · 0 Tough | 2 won · 0 Tough | 3 won · 0 Tough |
Good61.7 | Strong72.6 | Good58.1 | |
Good62.6 | Even52.7 | Good57.5 | |
Good70.9 | Strong76.8 | Good62.1 | |
Even53.6 | Even46.0 | Even53.6 | |
Good67.8 | Even48.5 | Even48.2 | |
| Rival: Wally · 2 | |||
  Ralts Lv 16 | Strong76.9as Grovyle | Good67.5as Combusken | Strong72.6as Marshtomp |
 Altaria Lv 44 Delcatty Lv 43 Roselia Lv 44 Magneton Lv 41 Gardevoir Lv 45 | Good61.1as Sceptile | Good66.1as Blaziken | Good60.4as Swampert |
Wally fights are scored like the other fights. They are not part of the chart or the counts.
Rival fights are not rated, except Wally above.
Best Team for Each Emerald Starter
5 teammates per starter · all obtainable in EmeraldAll five of Mudkip's Emerald teammates rank in its top five, with Shiftry first and Slaking second. Two start on Route 102 before Roxanne, as a Lotad for Ludicolo and a rare Seedot for Shiftry, and the Swablu for Altaria waits on Route 114.
This team wins 14 of 15 boss fights.
Between them, the team resists every type Treecko is weak to.
- Slaking
normal2nd of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Petalburg Woods, rareWhen: Before Gym 1 (Roxanne)Level: Lv 5 to 6
You catch Slakoth. Vigoroth at Lv 18, then Slaking at Lv 36.
- NormanGood 63as Vigoroth
- WinonaGood 69as Vigoroth
- DrakeGood 66
- Pelipperwater
flying9th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 103When: Before Gym 1 (Roxanne)Level: Lv 2 to 4
- FlanneryStrong 81
- WinonaGood 65
- DrakeGood 58
- Tentacruelwater
poisonGood or Strong in 7 of 14 fights after you catch it
Where: Route 103, with the Old RodWhen: Before Gym 2 (Brawly)Level: Lv 5 to 10
You catch Tentacool. Tentacruel at Lv 30.
- FlanneryStrong 72as Tentacool
- WinonaGood 61
- JuanGood 60
- Manectric
electric5th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 110When: Before Gym 3 (Wattson)Level: Lv 12 to 13
- NormanGood 62
- WinonaStrong 73
- GlaciaGood 70
dark
- RoxanneTough 36
This team wins 14 of 15 boss fights. It wins Torchic's one Tough or Bad fight.
Between them, the team resists every type Torchic is weak to.
- Slakingnormal
2nd of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Petalburg Woods, rareWhen: Before Gym 1 (Roxanne)Level: Lv 5 to 6
You catch Slakoth. Vigoroth at Lv 18, then Slaking at Lv 36.
- WinonaGood 69as Vigoroth
- DrakeGood 66
- WallaceGood 64
- Pelipperwaterflying
9th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 103When: Before Gym 1 (Roxanne)Level: Lv 2 to 4
- RoxanneGood 64as Wingull
- WinonaGood 65
- DrakeGood 58
- Manectricelectric
5th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 110When: Before Gym 3 (Wattson)Level: Lv 12 to 13
- WinonaStrong 73
- PhoebeGood 63
- WallaceGood 62
- Altaria
dragonflying4th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 114When: Before Gym 4 (Flannery)Level: Lv 15 to 17
- PhoebeGood 62
- DrakeStrong 72
- WallaceGood 62
This team wins 15 of 15 boss fights.
Between them, the team resists every type Mudkip is weak to.
- Slakingnormal
2nd of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Petalburg Woods, rareWhen: Before Gym 1 (Roxanne)Level: Lv 5 to 6
You catch Slakoth. Vigoroth at Lv 18, then Slaking at Lv 36.
- WinonaGood 69as Vigoroth
- DrakeGood 66
- WallaceGood 64
- Manectricelectric
5th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 110When: Before Gym 3 (Wattson)Level: Lv 12 to 13
- NormanGood 62
- WinonaStrong 73
- WallaceGood 62
- Altariadragonflying
4th of 85 Emerald teammates in our boss-fight scores
Where: Route 114When: Before Gym 4 (Flannery)Level: Lv 15 to 17
- WinonaGood 58as Swablu
- DrakeStrong 72
- WallaceGood 62
Every teammate is a wild catch in Emerald, with no trading between games. It counts only for fights after you can catch it, and an evolution only once you can reach its item. Rare means under 1 in 10 wild encounters there. Teammates are ranked by how they do in the boss fights after you catch them, and a late catch ranks lower because it misses fights. At least two of the five join before a quarter of the boss fights are done. Every teammate is in the top third of that ranking. No two of the six (your starter and its five teammates) have exactly the same typing, and no type appears on more than two of them or hits more than two for super effective damage. The six always include a physical attacker, a special attacker, a fast Pokemon and a bulky one. Wins in your starter's Tough or Bad fights count extra, and legendary and mythical Pokemon are left out. Scores come from the Boss fights model, for the teammate's form at that fight.
Key Moves for Each Emerald Starter
Swampert adds Muddy Water at Lv 39 in Emerald, between Marshtomp's Mud Shot at Lv 16 and Earthquake at Lv 52. Mudkip's Emerald page has the full list.
| Lv | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Grass, Special, power 20 | grass Special | Special | 20 |
| 11 | Normal, Physical, power 40 | normal Physical | Physical | 40 |
| Evolves to Grovyle at Lv 16 | ||||
| 29 | Grass, Special, power 70 | grassSpecial | Special | 70 |
| 35 | Psychic, Status |  psychic Status | Status | None |
| Evolves to Sceptile at Lv 36 | ||||
| 43 | Normal, Physical, power 80 | normalPhysical | Physical | 80 |
| Lv | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Fire, Special, power 40 | fireSpecial | Special | 40 |
| Evolves to Combusken at Lv 16 | ||||
| 16 | Fighting, Physical, power 30 | fightingPhysical | Physical | 30 |
| 28 | Fighting, Status | fightingStatus | Status | None |
| Evolves to Blaziken at Lv 36 | ||||
| 36 | Fire, Special, power 85 | fireSpecial | Special | 85 |
| 42 | Normal, Physical, power 70 | normalPhysical | Physical | 70 |
| 59 | Fighting, Physical, power 85 | fightingPhysical | Physical | 85 |
| Lv | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Ground, Physical, power 20 | groundPhysical | Physical | 20 |
| 10 | Water, Special, power 40 | waterSpecial | Special | 40 |
| Evolves to Marshtomp at Lv 16 | ||||
| 16 | Ground, Physical, power 55 | groundPhysical | Physical | 55 |
| 31 | Normal, Physical, power 90 | normalPhysical | Physical | 90 |
| Evolves to Swampert at Lv 36 | ||||
| 39 | Water, Special, power 95 | waterSpecial | Special | 95 |
| 46 | Normal, Status | normalStatus | Status | None |
| 52 | Ground, Physical, power 100 | groundPhysical | Physical | 100 |
In Gen 1 to 3, a move's type decides if it is physical or special.
More Emerald guides
Treecko's Emerald page is the closest call: the same number of wins and no Tough fights, just a slower start than Mudkip.
Starters in other games
Ruby and Sapphire's original gym teams make Mudkip the top pick too, though Treecko has two Tough fights there. FireRed and LeafGreen are a different story, with Charmander on top.