Black and White start from scratch: a new region, new Pokémon, new rules. Even veterans discover everything. Here is how to choose your starter well, build a solid first team and enjoy the fifth generation’s new features from your very first hours.
🌱Choosing your starter Pokémon
SnivyGrassSnivy (Grass) → Servine (level 17) → Serperior (level 36). Fast and defensive, but its type struggles against Burgh, Skyla and Brycen.
TepigFireTepig (Fire) → Pignite (level 17, Fire and Fighting) → Emboar (level 36). Very powerful, the most comfortable for the adventure.
OshawottWaterOshawott (Water) → Dewott (level 17) → Samurott (level 36). Balanced, with no truly difficult Gym.
| Gym | Snivy | Tepig | Oshawott |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striaton City | Against Chili (Fire): disadvantaged, the gifted monkey saves the day | Against Cress (Water): disadvantaged, same solution | Against Cilan (Grass): disadvantaged, same solution |
| Lenora (Normal) | Neutral | Advantage: Pignite is Fighting | Neutral |
| Burgh (Bug) | Difficult | Advantage | Neutral |
| Elesa (Electric) | Resists Electric | Neutral | Difficult |
| Clay (Ground) | Advantage | Difficult | Advantage |
| Skyla (Flying) | Difficult | Difficult: Pignite and Emboar are also Fighting | Neutral |
| Brycen (Ice) | Difficult | Advantage | Resists Ice |
| Drayden or Iris (Dragon) | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
👥The best early recruits
LillipupNormalLillipup (Route 1): will become Stoutland, a solid Normal-type until the end.
PidoveNormalFlyingPidove (Route 3): will become Unfezant, the bird of your team and your future Fly user.
BlitzleElectricBlitzle (Route 3): a fast Electric-type, very useful against Skyla.
RoggenrolaRockRoggenrola (Wellspring Cave): will become Boldore, then Gigalith by trade. Perfect against Skyla and Elesa.
TimburrFightingTimburr (Pinwheel Forest): a powerful Fighting-type, ideal against Lenora.
SandileGroundDarkSandile (Route 4): Ground and Dark, immune to Electric and Psychic.
Also think of the elemental monkey given at the Dreamyard, Drilbur in the dust clouds of Wellspring Cave, Litwick at Celestial Tower and Deino if you have the patience to train it up to level 64.
✨New features to know
- TMs no longer wear out: teach them to as many Pokémon as you like.
- The Pokémon Center houses the Shop: healing and shopping in the same place.
- Dark grass triggers double battles, and rustling grass hides rarer Pokémon.
- Seasons change every month and alter certain locations.
- The Y Button registers a key item (Bicycle, Dowsing Machine, Super Rod…) so you can use it in a single move.
- Critical Capture: from time to time, the Poké Ball shakes only once before catching the Pokémon.
🧭Our tips for the first hours
- Take the monkey from the Dreamyard before the Striaton Gym: it was made for that battle.
- Defeat every trainer you meet: experience is precious in a region where the wild Pokémon on the first routes are low-level.
- Use the Day Care on Route 3, which heals for free, to train your team.
- Always keep a few Paralyze Heals and Awakenings: Watchog, Musharna and others readily put you to sleep or paralyze you.
- Choose your version in the banner of this mini-site: everything adapts, from the Pokémon tables to the battles.
Ready? Start the complete walkthrough, and to go further, our Premium guides The Ideal Teams and The Best Moves.
