The wait is over, and The Pokémon Company didn’t just tease Generation 10—it detonated the conversation with a full starter reveal that immediately signals a shift in tone, mechanics, and long-term design philosophy. These three Pokémon aren’t playing it safe, and that’s the point. From silhouettes to animations, everything about this trio feels engineered to redefine first-hour team-building rather than ease players into familiar comfort picks.
What’s striking right away is how deliberate the designs feel. Generation 10’s starters look less like mascots-in-training and more like early-game anchors built to scale, with clearer stat identities and battle roles right out of the gate. This is a reveal aimed at veterans who care about move economy, switch-ins, and long-term viability, not just which one looks cutest in the opening cutscene.
The Grass-Type: Precision Over Bulk
The Grass-type starter leans into speed and control rather than the traditional bulky sustain role. Its design pulls from agile predators, suggesting a focus on tempo-based play with access to priority moves, debuffs, and terrain manipulation early on. In competitive terms, this immediately raises eyebrows, as Grass starters are rarely positioned as momentum engines instead of defensive pivots.
Early animations hint at narrow hitboxes and fast recovery frames, which could translate into strong DPS windows in both PvE and PvP formats. If this direction holds, it positions the Grass starter as a high-skill option that rewards clean decision-making and punishes sloppy aggro management. It’s a clear message that Generation 10 wants Grass-types to feel proactive again.
The Fire-Type: Controlled Power, Not Raw Damage
The Fire-type starter avoids the usual brawler silhouette and instead emphasizes balance and spacing. Its inspiration appears rooted in engineered or industrial motifs, suggesting a Fire-type that values setup and payoff rather than constant pressure. That alone sets it apart from recent Fire starters that leaned heavily into offense-first stat spreads.
From a mechanics standpoint, this opens the door for Fire builds that rely on status application, delayed damage, or self-buffs rather than brute-force sweeping. If it gains early access to utility moves alongside solid base stats, it could become a nightmare in mid-game battles where RNG and positioning matter more than raw numbers.
The Water-Type: Adaptability as a Core Identity
The Water-type starter is the most enigmatic of the trio, with a design that hints at modularity and environmental awareness. Rather than specializing immediately, it appears built to adapt, potentially shifting roles depending on moveset and matchup. That flexibility is gold in both casual playthroughs and competitive formats where blind picks can decide games.
Animations suggest wider attack arcs and zone control tools, which could make it excellent at managing multiple threats or controlling space in doubles battles. If Game Freak follows through, this Water starter could redefine what early-game versatility looks like without becoming overcentralizing.
What ties all three together is intent. Generation 10’s starters aren’t just introductions to a new region—they’re statements about where Pokémon is heading next. These designs prioritize clarity of role, mechanical depth, and long-term relevance, signaling a franchise that’s increasingly comfortable designing for players who think about team comp, frame advantage, and win conditions from the very first Poké Ball.
Meet the Trio: Individual Breakdown of Each Generation 10 Starter
With Generation 10’s design philosophy now clear, it’s time to zoom in on the individual Pokémon themselves. Each starter is built around a sharply defined gameplay identity, and together they form one of the most mechanically intentional opening trios the franchise has ever shipped.
Verdyra, the Grass-Type Starter
Verdyra immediately signals that this isn’t a passive Grass-type meant to sit behind Leech Seed and stall. Its design pulls from agile woodland predators, blending leaf-blade motifs with a low, forward-leaning stance that implies constant motion. This is a Grass starter that wants tempo, not turtling.
Early move access points toward pressure tools like priority attacks, terrain interaction, and chip-focused DPS rather than pure setup. In competitive terms, Verdyra looks primed to function as an early-game pivot or anti-lead, punishing sloppy switches and forcing opponents to respect Grass offense again. That alone marks a major course correction for the type’s long-term viability.
Pyroclast, the Fire-Type Starter
Pyroclast breaks the recent trend of Fire starters being immediate sweepers with oversized offensive stats. Its industrial, almost engineered aesthetic suggests controlled combustion, and its animations reinforce deliberate wind-ups rather than rapid-fire strikes. This is Fire-type damage with intention, not button-mashing.
Mechanically, Pyroclast appears designed around staged power spikes, rewarding players who manage turns, buffs, and positioning. Expect access to burn application, defensive utility, or delayed-damage effects that punish overextension. In competitive formats, that makes it a Fire-type that thrives in mid-game scenarios, where reading aggro and managing risk matter more than raw speed.
Aquellon, the Water-Type Starter
Aquellon is the wildcard of the trio, built around adaptability rather than specialization. Its design incorporates flowing, modular elements that subtly change posture during different animations, hinting at form flexibility or moves that alter function mid-battle. Water has always been the most forgiving starter type, and Aquellon leans fully into that strength.
In practice, this translates to wide coverage, strong neutral matchups, and tools for zone control rather than burst damage. Its attack arcs and movement suggest dominance in doubles and multi-target scenarios, where spacing and prediction decide outcomes. If supported by a deep TM pool, Aquellon could become the kind of starter that scales with player skill instead of falling off after the main story.
What makes these three stand out isn’t just their individual strengths, but how clearly Game Freak has defined their roles from frame one. Verdyra pressures, Pyroclast controls, and Aquellon adapts, forming a trio that teaches modern Pokémon fundamentals without a single tutorial pop-up. Generation 10 isn’t just giving players a choice of flavor; it’s asking them to commit to a playstyle, and that shift could quietly reshape how starters are designed for years to come.
Design Philosophy & Real-World Inspirations Behind the Starters
Seen together, the Generation 10 starters feel less like mascots and more like playable design documents. Game Freak isn’t just picking animals and assigning types; it’s encoding mechanics, pacing, and even player psychology directly into silhouettes, animations, and textures. Every visual cue signals how these Pokémon want to be played long before you check a stat screen.
Verdyra and the Language of Living Ecosystems
Verdyra’s design draws heavily from creeping vines, canopy predators, and invasive plant species rather than the usual “cute forest creature” archetype. Its asymmetrical foliage and thorned extremities resemble fast-growing flora that dominates space by existing, not by brute force. That visual chaos mirrors its gameplay identity as a pressure-based Grass type that wins by controlling tempo.
In real-world terms, Verdyra feels inspired by ecosystems that punish neglect. Miss a turn, mismanage positioning, and suddenly the battlefield belongs to it. This aligns with Grass’s historical identity as a status-heavy type, but reframed for modern play where chip damage, field effects, and passive value matter as much as raw DPS.
Pyroclast’s Industrial Fire and Controlled Destruction
Pyroclast takes cues from industrial furnaces, volcanic slag, and controlled demolition rather than wild flames. Its rigid plating and segmented body resemble machinery built to withstand heat, not just produce it. Fire here isn’t chaos; it’s pressure contained behind steel and timing.
That real-world inspiration reinforces Pyroclast’s deliberate pacing. Like a blast furnace that needs time to reach peak output, Pyroclast rewards preparation and sequencing. The design communicates restraint, making its eventual damage spikes feel earned rather than automatic, a notable departure from recent Fire starters designed purely around speed and immediate payoff.
Aquellon and the Physics of Water in Motion
Aquellon’s fluid silhouette borrows from deep-sea creatures, tidal currents, and modular aquatic life that adapts to its environment. Its body appears to redistribute mass mid-animation, evoking water’s ability to shift form without losing momentum. This makes Aquellon visually readable as a Pokémon that never fully commits to a single role.
That inspiration directly supports its adaptable kit. Water in nature wins through persistence and positioning, not sudden explosions, and Aquellon reflects that philosophy in how it controls space and reacts to threats. It’s a starter designed for players who value flexibility, prediction, and long-term board control over flashy one-turn knockouts.
What These Designs Say About Generation 10
Collectively, the Generation 10 starters reflect a broader shift in Pokémon’s design ethos. Game Freak is prioritizing readability and intent, making sure players can infer function from form without reading a wiki. This is design that respects player intuition, especially for competitive-minded fans who evaluate hitboxes, turn economy, and risk-reward from the moment a battle starts.
More importantly, these real-world inspirations ground the starters in systems rather than stereotypes. Plants dominate space, machines regulate power, and water adapts to everything around it. By anchoring each starter to a clear physical and conceptual identity, Generation 10 signals a future where Pokémon design serves gameplay first, without sacrificing personality or lore.
Typing, Abilities, and Early Evolution Speculation
With the design philosophy established, the next layer to unpack is how these starters translate that intent into raw mechanics. Typing, abilities, and likely evolution paths are where Game Freak traditionally locks in a starter’s long-term identity, and Generation 10’s trio already feels engineered with competitive foresight rather than late-game course correction.
Pyroclast’s Fire Typing and Controlled Power Curve
Pyroclast remains a pure Fire-type at reveal, and that restraint feels intentional. A secondary Steel typing would be obvious given the furnace imagery, but holding it back preserves early-game balance and avoids front-loading resistances that trivialize early routes. This positions Pyroclast as a Fire starter that wins through tempo management instead of brute-force matchup abuse.
Ability-wise, Pyroclast strongly hints at a delayed-output mechanic. Whether it’s a new ability that boosts Fire-type damage after consecutive turns on the field or a modified Flash Fire-style trigger that rewards correct switch-ins, the emphasis is clearly on preparation. Early evolutions will likely reinforce this, starting bulky and slow before gaining tools that convert stored momentum into real DPS spikes.
Aquellon’s Water Typing and Adaptive Toolkit
Aquellon’s pure Water typing is deceptively simple, but its design screams flexibility over specialization. Expect an ability that interacts with battlefield conditions, possibly modifying stats based on weather, terrain, or even opponent switching behavior. This would align with Aquellon’s visual theme of mass redistribution and reactive flow.
In early evolution stages, Aquellon likely avoids extreme stat commitments. Instead of rushing into high Speed or Special Attack, it probably develops broad defensive utility, learning moves that punish overextension and reward correct reads. That makes Aquellon a natural fit for players who value positioning, chip damage, and long-term win conditions over immediate knockouts.
The Grass Starter and Spatial Control by Design
The Grass starter, which visually emphasizes area denial and environmental presence, appears built around controlling space rather than racing for damage. Grass typing already excels at disruption through status and recovery, and Generation 10 seems poised to double down on that identity. An ability that interacts with terrain, entry hazards, or passive healing would fit perfectly with its plant-dominance theme.
Early evolutions are likely to feel methodical and defensive, with limited burst but strong sustain. This creates a starter that teaches new players the value of board control while offering competitive battlers a foundation for stall-breaking or hazard-centric strategies later on.
Why These Typings Signal a Shift in Starter Philosophy
What stands out most is how cleanly each typing aligns with a gameplay role from the very first stage. There’s no awkward middle evolution that feels like filler, and no reliance on hidden abilities to “fix” design shortcomings. These starters are readable, intentional, and mechanically honest from the moment you choose one.
For the future of the franchise, that matters. Generation 10’s starters aren’t just mascots for the region, they’re tutorials in modern Pokémon design, teaching pacing, adaptability, and spatial awareness through typing and abilities alone. That level of clarity suggests a generation built to respect both new players learning the systems and veterans dissecting every frame of advantage.
Competitive First Impressions: How the Gen 10 Starters Could Shape the Meta
Taken together, Generation 10’s starters feel engineered to influence the battle flow long before final evolutions enter the picture. Game Freak appears less interested in raw DPS races and more focused on tempo, positioning, and decision pressure. That alone signals a meta that rewards patience, reads, and resource management over brute-force sweeping.
What’s especially notable is how early these identities appear. Even first and second stages hint at endgame roles, which means these starters could shape early ladder play, in-game competitive formats, and eventual VGC metas more directly than past generations.
Aquellon’s Defensive Tempo and Reactive Play
Aquellon’s Water typing, paired with its implied reactive toolkit, immediately slots it into a pivot-heavy role. In a competitive context, this suggests strong synergy with U-turn-style momentum plays, chip-focused damage loops, and defensive cores that thrive on forcing suboptimal switches. If its final evolution gains access to recovery or stat manipulation, Aquellon could become a glue Pokémon in balance teams.
From a meta perspective, that kind of consistency is dangerous. Pokémon that don’t need to win exchanges outright but instead accumulate advantage over time often define formats. Aquellon looks like it could punish hyper-offense by simply refusing to overextend, forcing opponents to play cleaner or bleed out through positioning errors.
The Grass Starter as a Zone Control Specialist
The Grass starter’s emphasis on spatial dominance points toward hazard interaction or terrain manipulation as a defining trait. In singles, that immediately raises alarms for stall and semi-stall builds, especially if it gains reliable recovery and status spread early. Grass types traditionally struggle with defensive coverage, but strong utility can offset that weakness.
If its movepool supports entry hazards or passive pressure, expect it to become a cornerstone for control-oriented teams. In doubles, terrain-based abilities or wide-area disruption could give it niche but meaningful utility, especially in formats where positioning and speed control decide matches faster than raw damage.
The Fire Starter and Offensive Pressure Redefined
While less discussed so far, the Fire starter’s role becomes clearer when viewed against the other two. Rather than being a simple fast attacker, it appears designed to break defensive setups and punish passive play. Fire typing already excels at forcing switches, and if paired with anti-recovery tools or delayed burst damage, it becomes the natural counterbalance to Aquellon and the Grass starter’s control-heavy designs.
Competitively, that gives Fire teams a proactive answer to slower metas. A Fire starter that can threaten walls without relying purely on Speed could redefine how offensive pressure is applied, especially if it trades raw pace for consistency and coverage.
Why These Starters Could Reshape Early Gen 10 Formats
The most important takeaway is role clarity. Each starter occupies a distinct strategic lane, which reduces redundancy and increases meaningful choice at team select. That’s critical for competitive health, especially in early-generation metas where power creep hasn’t fully set in.
By emphasizing control, reaction, and counterplay, Generation 10’s starters hint at a slower, more thoughtful competitive environment. If their final evolutions preserve these identities without bloated stat lines, they won’t just be viable picks, they’ll be meta-defining tools that influence how players build, switch, and think about advantage itself.
Lore & Regional Themes: What the Starters Tell Us About the Gen 10 Region
Viewed through a lore-first lens, Generation 10’s starters don’t just define early-game roles, they quietly outline the philosophy of the region itself. Much like past generations used starters to foreshadow cultural values, Gen 10’s trio suggests a setting built around balance, adaptation, and systemic pressure rather than raw dominance. This isn’t a region about conquering nature, it’s about navigating it.
The design language across all three starters feels deliberate and restrained, signaling a world where ecosystems, infrastructure, and long-term planning matter. That thematic shift aligns perfectly with the more control-oriented competitive identities already emerging from their kits.
Water Starter Aquellon and a Region Defined by Flow
Aquellon’s name alone points toward motion, cycles, and environmental rhythm. Rather than evoking brute ocean power, its aesthetic leans into controlled currents and precision, suggesting a region shaped by canals, tidal systems, or engineered waterways. This implies a civilization that thrives by mastering flow rather than resisting it.
From a gameplay perspective, that lore translates cleanly into reactive play and tempo manipulation. Aquellon doesn’t overpower opponents, it outlasts them, mirroring a regional identity that values patience, resource management, and strategic positioning over explosive aggression.
The Grass Starter and the Cost of Stability
The Grass starter’s grounded, utility-focused design hints at a region where stability is hard-earned. Its visual cues suggest cultivated growth rather than wild overgrowth, reinforcing the idea of managed ecosystems and deliberate expansion. This isn’t untamed nature, it’s nature under constant negotiation.
That theme bleeds directly into its competitive role. Defensive tools, passive pressure, and potential hazard control reflect a world where holding ground is just as important as taking it. Lore-wise, it frames the region as one where progress comes with maintenance, and neglect carries real consequences.
The Fire Starter as a Symbol of Disruption and Progress
In contrast, the Fire starter represents calculated disruption. Its design avoids traditional “berserker” fire tropes, instead suggesting focused intensity and controlled destruction. That points to a regional narrative centered on innovation, industry, or reform that challenges stagnation.
Mechanically, this lines up with its apparent role as an anti-stall enforcer. Just as the region likely relies on periodic upheaval to evolve, the Fire starter exists to break defensive loops and force adaptation, ensuring the system doesn’t collapse under its own stability.
Why Gen 10’s Starters Signal a Franchise Shift
Taken together, these starters tell a story of a Pokémon world growing more introspective. The Gen 10 region appears less concerned with spectacle and more focused on systems, sustainability, and the tension between control and change. That’s a notable tonal evolution for the franchise.
For players, this means the starters aren’t just mascots, they’re thematic anchors. Their designs and roles suggest a generation willing to challenge traditional power fantasies in favor of smarter play, deeper worldbuilding, and mechanics that reward understanding the game’s underlying rules rather than simply overpowering them.
Comparisons to Past Generations: How Gen 10 Starters Break or Follow Tradition
Seen through the lens of past generations, Gen 10’s starters feel deliberately evolutionary rather than flashy. They aren’t trying to one-up Gen 6’s spectacle, Gen 7’s personality-driven designs, or Gen 9’s overt role specialization. Instead, they pull selectively from each era, then reframe those ideas around systems, tempo, and long-term decision-making.
This is a trio built less around first impressions and more around how matches unfold over ten, twenty, or thirty turns. That alone puts them in rare company among starter lineups.
Grass Types: From Passive Walls to Strategic Anchors
Historically, Grass starters have bounced between bruisers like Rillaboom and pure tanks like Torterra or Meganium. Gen 10’s Grass starter clearly leans into the latter lineage, but with modern competitive sensibilities layered on top. Rather than being a momentum sink, it appears designed to reward smart positioning, chip damage, and control over space.
Compared to Gen 8 or Gen 9, this Grass starter feels less about raw damage and more about shaping the battlefield. If early move pools support hazards, recovery, or anti-setup tools, it could finally push Grass into a proactive defensive role instead of a reactive one. That’s a meaningful shift in how the type is allowed to function at high-level play.
Fire Starters Redefining Offensive Pressure
Fire starters have traditionally been the most straightforward: hit hard, move fast, snowball early. From Blaziken’s Speed Boost dominance to Cinderace’s Libero-fueled versatility, the formula has been consistent. Gen 10 breaks that pattern by prioritizing disruption over raw DPS.
Rather than sweeping through teams, this Fire starter looks built to invalidate defensive comfort zones. Think anti-stall tools, forced switches, and pressure that punishes passive turns. In competitive terms, it’s less a win-condition and more a tempo weapon, something that keeps the opponent permanently on the back foot without needing perfect RNG or setup windows.
Where the Water Starter Fits in the Lineage
Water starters have often been the franchise’s most adaptable picks, capable of filling almost any role depending on movepool and stats. Gen 10 seems to embrace that tradition, but with a sharper identity tied to resource management. Instead of being a generalist, this Water starter feels tuned to reward efficient play and calculated risk.
Compared to Greninja’s raw speed or Inteleon’s sniper-style burst, Gen 10’s Water presence appears more methodical. If its toolkit emphasizes sustain, pivoting, or reactive utility, it could become a glue Pokémon for teams that value consistency over volatility. That kind of design aligns perfectly with the generation’s broader themes.
A Starter Trio Built for Modern Pokémon
Looking back, many starter trios were designed as onboarding tools, simple, readable, and power-forward. Gen 10’s starters feel like they assume players already understand aggro management, switching mind games, and long-term win conditions. That’s a bold assumption, but a telling one.
By pulling from past archetypes and refining them instead of reinventing them, Gen 10 positions its starters as reflections of how Pokémon itself has matured. These aren’t just your first partners; they’re case studies in how the franchise now thinks about balance, identity, and the evolving language of competitive play.
Community Reactions & Early Fan Theories
The reveal didn’t just trend; it detonated across the community. Within minutes, competitive Discords, lore subreddits, and frame-by-frame YouTube breakdowns were already dissecting silhouettes, animations, and even idle stances for hidden meaning. The immediate takeaway was clear: these starters feel intentional, almost confrontational, like Game Freak is daring players to read between the lines.
What’s striking is how unified the reaction has been across casual and hardcore audiences. Longtime fans see callbacks and thematic depth, while competitive players are already stress-testing roles, speed tiers, and potential movepools. That overlap hasn’t always existed, and its return says a lot about Gen 10’s design philosophy.
The Fire Starter: Disruption Over Damage
The Fire starter has sparked the loudest debate, largely because it refuses to fit the traditional Fire-type power fantasy. Its design cues suggest agility and misdirection rather than brute force, and fans immediately latched onto theories of a Fire/Dark or Fire/Ghost typing. Both would reinforce its apparent role as an anti-stall, anti-comfort pick rather than a late-game sweeper.
Competitive theorycrafters are already predicting access to pivot moves, forced switch mechanics, or tempo-denying status options. If that holds, this could be the first Fire starter in generations that prioritizes aggro control over DPS. That alone signals a shift in how starter Pokémon are allowed to shape matches.
The Water Starter: Efficiency, Control, and Endurance
Reactions to the Water starter have been more measured, but no less analytical. Fans quickly noticed design elements associated with balance and restraint, fueling speculation around Water/Steel or Water/Psychic. Those typings would align perfectly with early impressions of a Pokémon built around sustain, positioning, and long-term value.
In competitive circles, the theory is simple: this is a resource manager. Think recovery loops, smart pivots, and tools that punish overextension rather than flashy one-turn swings. If true, it reinforces the idea that Gen 10 is rewarding players who understand tempo and risk mitigation, not just speed control.
The Grass Starter: Setup, Payoff, and Snowball Potential
The Grass starter’s reception has been quietly enthusiastic, especially among players who enjoy calculated setup play. Its design hints at growth and escalation, leading many to suspect Grass/Fairy or Grass/Ground as its final typing. Both would offer defensive utility early, with dangerous payoff if allowed breathing room.
Early theories point toward terrain interaction, stat-stacking, or delayed win conditions that punish sloppy pressure. In other words, this looks like the starter most likely to flip a match if opponents mismanage threat assessment. That kind of design encourages smarter play on both sides of the field.
What These Theories Say About Gen 10’s Direction
Taken together, community reactions reveal something bigger than just excitement over new Pokémon. Players recognize that these starters aren’t tutorial tools; they’re expressions of modern Pokémon design. Each one appears to embody a distinct competitive philosophy, forcing players to engage with switching, prediction, and long-term planning from the very start.
The early fan theories may not all land, but the instinct behind them feels right. Gen 10’s starters matter because they reflect where Pokémon is headed: a franchise more comfortable with complexity, more confident in its audience, and more willing to let its most iconic Pokémon teach advanced ideas through play rather than exposition.
Why These Starters Matter for Pokémon’s Future Direction
What makes the Gen 10 starters feel different isn’t just their silhouettes or speculative typings. It’s the philosophy behind them. After years of experimenting with power creep, gimmicks, and flashy mechanics, these designs suggest Game Freak is refocusing on decision-making, matchup knowledge, and long-term planning.
Rather than acting as simple onboarding tools, these starters look built to teach how modern Pokémon is actually played. That shift has massive implications for both casual progression and high-level competitive balance.
Starters as Mechanical Teachers, Not Just Mascots
Historically, starters eased players into the game with straightforward roles: fast Fire attacker, bulky Water tank, or Grass setup option. Gen 10 appears to challenge that formula. Each starter seems engineered around a clear gameplay loop that rewards understanding tempo, positioning, and risk.
The Fire starter pushes momentum and pressure, the Water starter emphasizes sustain and control, and the Grass starter thrives on delayed payoff. Those are not beginner concepts, but they are foundational to competitive Pokémon. By introducing them early, Gen 10 subtly trains players to think beyond raw damage and type matchups.
A Shift Toward Smarter, Slower Power Curves
One of the clearest takeaways from these designs is restraint. None of the starters scream immediate DPS dominance or unchecked snowballing out of the gate. Instead, their strength appears conditional, tied to sequencing, prediction, and smart switching.
This matters because it suggests Gen 10 is intentionally slowing early-game power curves. That creates healthier pacing across the entire adventure and reduces the need for late-game stat inflation. In competitive terms, it also means fewer one-turn blowouts and more games decided by cumulative advantages.
Designing for Competitive Longevity
Another key implication is how these starters might age. Starters that rely on raw stats often fall off once the metagame matures. Tool-based Pokémon, however, scale with player skill and evolving formats.
If these early impressions hold, Gen 10’s starters are built to remain relevant through DLC cycles, ruleset shifts, and even future generations. That kind of foresight is crucial for a franchise increasingly tied to live-service-style updates and long-term competitive ecosystems.
What This Signals for Pokémon as a Franchise
At a macro level, these starters signal confidence. Game Freak appears comfortable trusting its audience to engage with deeper mechanics without overexplaining them. Instead of tutorials, the Pokémon themselves become the lesson.
That approach aligns Pokémon more closely with modern competitive games, where mastery is learned through play, experimentation, and adaptation. It’s a clear message that the series isn’t simplifying, but refining.
As Gen 10 approaches, these starters feel less like an entry point and more like a statement. For returning players, they promise depth worth rediscovering. For new trainers, they set expectations early: Pokémon is still accessible, but it rewards those willing to think ahead. Pick your starter carefully, because this time, how you play matters as much as what you choose.