Choose Bulbasaur for recovery, Charmander for Fire damage, or Squirtle for armor and shield. These are the roles supported by their actual PokéBonk passives. A universal strongest-starter ranking would need comparable runs; the comparison below helps you choose a mechanic and plan around it.
A new player chooses one starter for their League. The other two require their own challenge and a later capture.
Our capture of the original game’s English starter selection, v0.8.18, October 22, 2026. Game and character artwork belong to their respective creators and rights holders.
Choose for a mechanic
| Partner | Passive | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| BulbasaurHealer | Synthesis | Adds 1.5 regeneration and 25% healing. Grass hits can restore 0.4% HP per hit, up to five times per second; healing modifiers and the shared healing budget still apply. |
| CharmanderFiery Assault | Sea of Flames | Fire damage gains 10%. While HP is below 40%, the passive also grants a 40% damage bonus. |
| SquirtleDefender | Torrent Shell | Adds 15 armor and 20 shield capacity. While HP is below 40%, it also grants a 40% damage bonus. |
Bulbasaur gives you a way to learn recovery while moving. Synthesis improves healing, and Grass hits can provide small repeated heals. That supports a Grass-focused plan, but recovery still has limits: a large incoming hit can end a run before it helps.
Charmander gives you Fire damage from the start. Sea of Flames adds a Fire bonus and a further damage bonus below 40% HP. Treat the low-health effect as a conditional benefit; deliberately taking damage is not a requirement for playing the kit.
Squirtle begins with additional armor and shield capacity. Torrent Shell also has a low-health damage bonus. It is a useful starting point for learning the game with defensive support, while continuing to avoid attacks.
For the complete profiles, open Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. Their PokéBonk gameplay sections come before the general Pokémon reference tables.
Your opening attack and later kit
| Partner | Start | From Lv. 2 | From Lv. 4 | From Lv. 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | Vine Whip | Razor Leaf | Sleep Powder | Solar Beam |
| Charmander | Ember | Fire Spin | Flamethrower | Fire Blast |
| Squirtle | Water Gun | Bubble | Rapid Spin | Hydro Pump |
The opening attack is equipped when a run begins. The other three moves become eligible for level-up offers from the listed player level. They are not automatically learned, and reaching level 7 does not guarantee four equipped attacks.
A new player has three move slots. To carry four attacks at once, buy the 4th move upgrade in the Lab. Its current first-purchase cost is 1,275 Stardust. This is separate from Fourth option, which changes the number of upgrade cards offered.
The four-move kit is also not the complete offer pool. Compatible moves from reference learning data and other League kits can contribute offers as your form, types and collection change. Read the cards you receive, and keep room for the pair you intend to fuse.
Ultimates and evolution
Use the Ultimate when the charge bar is ready; the default desktop key is R. Starting forms have different effects:
| Partner | Initial Ultimate | Main behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | Furious Roots | Outward roots hit enemies and can root them. |
| Charmander | Rising Blaze | A fire column becomes a burning ring and leaves fire on the ground. |
| Squirtle | Shell Whirlpool | A shell spin pulls enemies into repeated hits, then releases a wave. |
Each evolution changes the Ultimate’s name and effect. The individual starter pages show all three forms.
Ultimate uses a charge system. Time, combat, Lab upgrades and some items affect how soon it is ready. The baseline passive rate is 1/95 per second while inactive; it is not a fixed 95-second cooldown, and charging pauses during the active effect.
The current run logic schedules these starter evolutions:
| Family | First threshold | Second threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur → Ivysaur → Venusaur | Lv. 24 | Lv. 41 |
| Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard | Lv. 24 | Lv. 44 |
| Squirtle → Wartortle → Blastoise | Lv. 24 | Lv. 44 |
These thresholds were traced through the current client, rather than copied from mainline Pokémon levels. They have not been reached in our playtests. Evolution also checks target resources and processing state; a delayed evolution can shift later timing. No stone or trade requirement appears in these three run-evolution paths.
Plan a signature fusion
| Partner | Input pair | Fusion |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | Razor Leaf + Solar Beam | Flower Beam |
| Charmander | Fire Spin + Flamethrower | Fiery Whirlwind |
| Squirtle | Rapid Spin + Hydro Pump | Hydro Spiral |
To make one, learn both inputs, upgrade each to move level 8, and use Bill’s Machine. These are move levels, not your player level. The fusion replaces the two inputs with one attack and leaves a free slot.
Planning the pair early gives your upgrade choices a purpose. For Bulbasaur, that means keeping Razor Leaf and Solar Beam available; for Charmander, Fire Spin and Flamethrower; for Squirtle, Rapid Spin and Hydro Pump. The fusion guide explains readiness, priority rules and every current recipe.
Unlock the other two starters
Finish two runs, win or lose. Then encounter the remaining starter in a later run and capture it. A finished challenge makes the encounter available; it does not immediately add the Pokémon to your League.
You can check progress in the League rather than restarting your save to try a different partner. Our complete unlock guide lists the current challenges and explains how they differ from capturing a Support Alpha or a shiny.
Sources and checks
Primary sources: the original game’s gameplay client, configuration and news, and English UI names, build mvjge531. We read static definitions and their calling code without executing downloaded JavaScript.
Our screenshots show the live English guest interface on October 22, 2026. Game and artwork by the original PokéBonk project and their respective rights holders. Read our source methodology.