Now that Pokemon Winds and Waves have officially been revealed, fans can already start planning their teams based on the creatures shown in the Pokemon Day trailer. The most important decision any player will make when Pokemon Winds and Waves first launches is which starter to choose as they begin their journey. While some of the new Gen 10 starters have already emerged as fan favorites, one of the trio seems to be the best choice from a gameplay perspective, even with how little of the games have been shown.
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ starters continue the tradition of giving players the option to choose between a Grass, Fire, or Water-type when beginning their adventure. In Gen 10, Browt is the new Grass-type starter, Pombon is the new Fire-type starter, and Gecqua is the new Water-type starter. While most players will be able to find success regardless of which starter they choose, Pombon stands out as the ideal option for players looking to breeze through the early hours of Pokemon Winds and Waves.
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ Reveal Trailer Hides a Major Spoiler in Plain Sight
Pokemon fans who watched the reveal trailer for Winds and Waves closely may have noticed an odd detail that could be teasing a huge Gen 10 feature.
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ Pombon Has a Clear Advantage Over the Other Starters
The most important factor when choosing a starter in any Pokemon game is determining how it matches up against the major battles that players will face. In particular, a starter’s type match-up is particularly important against the first few Gym Leaders, since players won’t have access to many different team options at that stage in the game. For example, battling Brock in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen can be a whole lot tougher with Charmander as a starter over Squirtle or Bulbasaur, since Charmander’s Fire typing makes it weak to Brock’s Rock types, and there are few other mons available before the first Gym that can deal super-effective damage.
The Leaked Map for Winds and Waves Gives Players an Idea of the Journey Ahead of Them
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Uninhabited Island
- Uninhabited Island Field
- Uninhabited Island Volcanic cavern
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Island 1
- Hotel
- Hotel surrounding area
- Hotel Entrance
- Hotel, Player’s Room
- Observation Deck
- Northern Wasteland, Magma area
- Woobat Tunnel
- Northeastern terraced rice fields
- Grass Gym
- Southeastern swamp area
- Mangrove Forest
- Mt. Symbol
- Buried Ruins
- Spikey Rocks Area
- Mt. Symbol Summit
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Island 2
- Poison Swamp area
- Poison Gym
- Island 3
- Island 4
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Island 5
- Marsh Area
- Dam Powerplant
- Snowy Mountain Area
- Majin Research Lab – Ice
- Icicle Snowfield
- Summit Area
- Wasteland Area
- Flowing Water area
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Island 6
- Sandy Area
- Rocky Area
- Flying Gym
- Island 7
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Island 8
- Capital City
- Dark Gym
- Group Headquarters
- Pokemon Center Headquarters
- Tour Company Headquarters
- Boutique
- TM Shop
- Hair Salon
- Pharmacy
- Ivy Jungle
- Majin research lab Ground
- Will-o-wisp Caldera
- Island 9
- Island 10
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Island 11
- Mid-sized Town
- Rocky Area
- Steel Gym
- Champion Trial
- Pokemon League
- Blizzard area
- Glaciar Lake
- Forest Area
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Island 12
- Desert Area
- Majin Research Lab Rock
- Desert Stadium
- Abandoned Mine Cave
- Fieldland Area
- Ghost Island
- Ghost Mineral Spring
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Island 13
- Islands of Thones
- Thone Path
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Island 14
- Fairy Island
- Fairy Island Cave
- Fairy Gym
- Island 15
- Island 16
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Island 17
- Ruins
- Islands of Ruins in forest
- Platform Island
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Ocean 1
- Majin Research Lab Psychic
- Neon Abyss
- Ocean 2 ~ Ocean 8
- Deep Sea 1 ~ Deep Sea 10
- Legendary Temple (Wind)
- Legendary Temple (Wave)
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)
According to the Pokemon leak aggregate account CentroLeaks on X, this will be the outline of the map players will traverse in Pokemon Winds and Waves. Most importantly, this outline gives players a glimpse of the order they will have to face major battles, such as Gym Leaders and the new “Majin” battle mechanic, which seems to include battles against foes similar to Scarlet and Violet‘s Titan Pokemon. With these details in mind, the picture of Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ major battles becomes clear for players already starting to plan their teams around.
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ Leaked Gyms and Major Battles
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Gyms
- Grass
- Poison
- Flying
- Fighting
- Dark
- Normal
- Steel
- Fairy
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“Majin” Battles
- Ice
- Ground
- Rock
- Psychic
- Fire
- Ghost
Based on the island numbers included in the leaked region outline, Pokemon Winds and Waves will feature a Grass-type specialist as the first Gym of the game, followed by a Poison-type Gym, and then a battle against the Ice-type Majin Pokemon. Although information on these Majin battles is scarce, they are said to include weather mechanics and are likely some kind of boss Pokemon, rather than a trainer like a Gym Leader or Elite Four member. As such, players are likely going to want to choose the starter that gives them an advantage against these three types, or at least doesn’t give them a disadvantage if they are hoping for the smoothest early-game battle experience.
Pokemon Winds and Waves appears to be open-world like Scarlet and Violet, but it’s not clear if there is a “golden route” for Gyms or if Gym levels will scale for a truly open-world experience.
Pokemon Winds and Waves’ Underwater Routes May Be a Double-Edged Sword
While the trailer for Pokemon Winds and Waves showed off underwater environments, these infamous route types may not be as exciting as players expect.
Pombon Will Make The Early Hours of Winds and Waves Much Easier Than Its Counterparts
Immediately, the Fire-type starter Pombon jumps out as the clear superior choice for dealing with the major early-game battles in Pokemon Winds and Waves. Having a Grass-type first Gym means Pombon can deal super-effective damage to the Gym’s Pokemon, whereas Browt’s attacks will be resisted by them, and Gecqua will be weak to their attacks. The Magma Area, located on the same island, may have some other Fire-types for players to catch, like the Slugma and Sizzlipede shown in the trailer, but it may not be accessible before beating the first Gym.
The second Gym seems to specialize in Poison-type Pokemon, and while this doesn’t give Pombon a clear advantage, it is still the best option in this case. As a Grass-type, Browt will be weak to Poison types, and Gecqua won’t offer any specific advantage either. Players choosing the Water-type Gecqua as their starter will have to deal with being weak to the first Gym, so it’s still best to go with Pombon here.
Things get interesting when players then have to face the Ice-type Majin battle. Once again, Pombon should be able to deal super-effective damage to an Ice-type Pokemon, where Browt is weak to Ice, and Gecqua deals neutral damage while resisting Ice-type attacks. Overall, Browt gets the short end of the stick against early-game opponents, Pombon has a distinct advantage, and Gequa ranges from neutral to weak.
Pombon and the Other Gen 10 Starters’ Utility Will Ultimately Depend on Their Evolutions
Even if Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ open world allows players to challenge Gyms in any order they choose, Pombon is still the best starter choice on paper. It’s strong against 2 of the 8 Gyms, while the other two starters aren’t strong against any. For the Majin battles, Pombon is strong against 1 of the 6 and weak to 2, while Browt is strong against 2 and weak to 1, and Gecqua is strong against 3.
The deciding factor will likely be the types of Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ starters’ final evolutions. If Pombon gets the dreaded Fire/Fighting-type combo, it would solidify itself as the best starter bar none. However, if Gecqua becomes a Water/Psychic type, as is theorized, it could eclipse Pombon as the best starter choice. Ultimately, fans will have to wait and see what these starters evolve into to definitively crown one as the best overall option.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
