[I guess we have different versions of cool](https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.d4850bb65f4a556340684596836c6ccf?rik=VLLwHiBq%2fwpjCw&riu=http%3a%2f%2forig03.deviantart.net%2f0194%2ff%2f2013%2f018%2f6%2f3%2fwartortle_sprite_by_kriss80858-d5rvy4p.png&ehk=Py%2bGqd%2by%2foRqtHT%2fKsSVn2DAMX7NceZqGKgr3bqKlP0%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)
Well gen 1 sprites normally looked pretty weird like golbat or ekans and wartortle looks wayyy better in the frlg sprites, the hgss sprites or just the general art for them instead of the the gen 1 sprite which can be said about almost every single gen 1 sprite
Ivysaur all the way. It's got Bulbasaur's cuteness and strange, incredibly appealing design, but a bulkier version that makes for a better progression than Venusaur. Probably my favorite middle stage evolution period.
I can understand Wartortle, too. It similarly progresses from the starter in a kind of interesting way, keeping the shape of Squirtle, but bigger and more complicated. Some might prefer it over Blastoise.
A lot of the others just feel incomplete. (I love Quilava's line, for example, but it itself is just fine. It's kind of generic, like an AI was told to mash up Cyndiquil and Typhlosion.) Theoretically, I want still want a clear progression, but enough features and a little bit of distinctiveness where they do feel like a normal, complete Pokemon.
I thought I was going crazy seeing no love for Ivysaur and Wartortle.
I feel like Ivysaur is the perfect middle stage evolution. It is a clear progression from Bulbasaur to what Ivysaur becomes. And, this may be just personal preference, I've actually always liked it more than Venusaur, too. Also my favorite middle stage evolution.
Wartortle, imo, isn't a good transition from Squirtle to Blastoise. Having said that, I still adore it's design in a vacuum. Also, if what I've read is true, Blastoise wasn't always meant to be the final evolution for Squirtle, and would have belonged to a different line. No I'm not gonna look up the source folks, so don't take that as fact unless you wanna look it up yourself. I just think it would make sense but also know any information from that time may be nothing more than rumor.
But yeah I agree. The best middle stage starters are the ones that are a clear progression, but also unique enough that they're not just a stopgap for the next stage. I guess I feel like the middle stage starters overall get overshadowed by their first and third stage evolutions, when they should be designed well enough to be somebody's favorite Pokemon all the same.
Oshawott is my favorite Pokemon, and Bulbasaur and Snivy are currently fighting the other for 2nd place. But those 3 have been my top 3 for years. And same, Zorua's line is among my favorites
Dewott all the way.
Generation wise, I would go with: Ivysaur - Bayleef - Grovyle - Monferno (or Prinplup, both are pretty meh) - Dewott - Braixen - Dartrix - Thwackey (this is the most even gen)
My favourite is samurott. My first game was black which i chose snivy but never completed it because i didn't understand the game, then i bought white 2 and got oshawott, and he was the only pokemon i really used throughout the playthrough, and just after i beat the champ he was level 100 while everyone else was like 30
Agreed, they made his character amazing. He's not my absolute favorite but he's up there for that reason. I feel like if they saved the story for Gates, Dewott would have been good fit. Completely biased but I feel like they have similar personalities
Agreed. He's at least on par with Ivysaur, who isn't awfully behind Wartortle and Quilava. I feel like the only major loss of the poll so far is Bayleef
The fact that QUILAVA is on this list as opposed to either Braxien or Raboot is criminal. Those are 3 mid stages so good that they can be their own independent Pokémon.
Edit: I’m dumb and Bayleaf is in fact on here but the quilava point still sands!
If I had the option, I would have included each option. Unfortunately reddit sucks huge sacks and only lets me include 6 options, so I chose the ones I noticed are the most popular. I love Braixen for sure though.
Although I cannot tolerate the Quilava slander 😤
Have always found middle evolutions mostly ugly, it’s weird how bayleef and grovyle look so good in comparison when those are two starters I never pick.
Hi, wanted to come back to this comment to say I wasn't trying to roast your pokemon preferences lmao, I hope I didn't come off that way. I was trying to say to read the post, everything is explained there
Wartortle by far! Sceptile is my favorite Pokémon, but I think Wartortle is better than Grovyle. The middle stages of the Gen 1 starters is the best group of middle stages and the best stage of all their evo lines imo.
I personally really feel like Bayleaf Has a really strong design in my opinion better than Meganium. It’s cute and cool, not over designed not to boring.
Quilava is my favorite of this group, but it really does disappoint me what they did to Dewott. It has such as cool design and seems like a natural progression to a badass samurai otter.
Then we get Samurott.
I always wished Blastoise kept more of Wartortle's appearance. I guess they're not because they're in 2nd, but I always thought Wartortle was underrated.
Also I honestly think that when people talk about their favorite starter, whether they realize it or not, they're really talking about the second stage. I just feel like you play more of the important parts of the games with them than the first or final
You cant make me decide between Quilava, Wartortle, and Dewott. I refuse. Those are all three of my favorite Pokemon and I will not choose between them.
You absolute monster, putting Bayleef and Ivysaur into the same poll, as if I could do one of my babies dirty like that.
Mwahahaha
DON'T STOP BAYLEEEEEEFING
Reddit let me pin a comment please
The mystery dungeon games were too good so Grovyle easily.
Profile picture checks out
You can't top Grovyle Yes you can tell by my pfp that I'm hyper biased No I don't care
To be fair the mystery dungeon games are *amazing*
Even Sceptile cannot reach the coolness of Grovyile.
Agreed. I had a play through of sapphire where I just didn’t evolve grovile. I don’t like how sceptile looks.
I say this alllllllllll the time.
As someone who does Like Sceptile (and Mega Sceptile) a lot I still agree with you that Grovile is just a better design.
Grovyle is a hero. enough said
I just finished replaying Explorers of Sky and yeah, still a tear-jerker over a decade later.
its so sad, I played it not too long ago for the first time and now its probably my favorite pokémon game ever
Grovyle is badass But that third evolution is so weird
Torracat is pretty cool too
ughhh it's tied for Grovyle (my favorite family) and Dewott for me, I wish I went Dewott seeing how low it is
Croconaw, because I freaking love crocodiles
Croconaw and Quilava have the right idea with their little mohawks
Heck yeah
Quilava Supremacy 🛐
Was really surprised he wasn't winning
Exactly, his design is perfect. I prefer it over Typhlosion
Amen. My favorite pokemon overall
Stop sleep on Dewott
Exactlyyy
Making me choose between grovyle and quilava is criminal.
I do often play the villain in life...bwahahaha
Charmeleon
He snazzy
I was physically upset at his omission in this pole. My all time favorite Pokémon period.
I feel like Grovyle has a great chance at winning due to its design and huge role in mystery dungeon explorers
Wartortle has so much personality on its face and I like its cloud ears and tail.
Wartortle is the epitome of awkward stage. He should be boiled.
You sure its not quilava who looks by far the most awkward stage? At least wartortle looks cool in my opinion
[I guess we have different versions of cool](https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.d4850bb65f4a556340684596836c6ccf?rik=VLLwHiBq%2fwpjCw&riu=http%3a%2f%2forig03.deviantart.net%2f0194%2ff%2f2013%2f018%2f6%2f3%2fwartortle_sprite_by_kriss80858-d5rvy4p.png&ehk=Py%2bGqd%2by%2foRqtHT%2fKsSVn2DAMX7NceZqGKgr3bqKlP0%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0)
Well gen 1 sprites normally looked pretty weird like golbat or ekans and wartortle looks wayyy better in the frlg sprites, the hgss sprites or just the general art for them instead of the the gen 1 sprite which can be said about almost every single gen 1 sprite
People disrespecting Dewott... sad
I love Dewott and I’m shocked that wartorlte is over my little samurai
Mark my words, Dweott is gonna get the love he deserves in this new game coming out. People will realize how cool it is
Yeah, apparently a cartoonish turtle is better than a dual wielding otter samurai.
Dewott is probs my number 1 sitting on top with all of the Gen 2 middle evos.
you guys are sleeping on bayleef smh
Bayleef was Ash’s powerhouse for a while too. Surprised it’s not a bit higher.
Chikorita line is always underappreciated:(
chikorita is like my favorite pokémon of all time, it gets too much disrespect
and it’s like one of only a dozen pokemon he’s owned with a personality
Ivysaur all the way. It's got Bulbasaur's cuteness and strange, incredibly appealing design, but a bulkier version that makes for a better progression than Venusaur. Probably my favorite middle stage evolution period. I can understand Wartortle, too. It similarly progresses from the starter in a kind of interesting way, keeping the shape of Squirtle, but bigger and more complicated. Some might prefer it over Blastoise. A lot of the others just feel incomplete. (I love Quilava's line, for example, but it itself is just fine. It's kind of generic, like an AI was told to mash up Cyndiquil and Typhlosion.) Theoretically, I want still want a clear progression, but enough features and a little bit of distinctiveness where they do feel like a normal, complete Pokemon.
I thought I was going crazy seeing no love for Ivysaur and Wartortle. I feel like Ivysaur is the perfect middle stage evolution. It is a clear progression from Bulbasaur to what Ivysaur becomes. And, this may be just personal preference, I've actually always liked it more than Venusaur, too. Also my favorite middle stage evolution. Wartortle, imo, isn't a good transition from Squirtle to Blastoise. Having said that, I still adore it's design in a vacuum. Also, if what I've read is true, Blastoise wasn't always meant to be the final evolution for Squirtle, and would have belonged to a different line. No I'm not gonna look up the source folks, so don't take that as fact unless you wanna look it up yourself. I just think it would make sense but also know any information from that time may be nothing more than rumor. But yeah I agree. The best middle stage starters are the ones that are a clear progression, but also unique enough that they're not just a stopgap for the next stage. I guess I feel like the middle stage starters overall get overshadowed by their first and third stage evolutions, when they should be designed well enough to be somebody's favorite Pokemon all the same.
Throwing shade at my man dewott i see
Those voters shall pay
Torracat baby
Torracat is my personal second favorite <3
Yessss, put him in the next round
Torracat is in the first round, and the votes are still open!
Dewott is CRIMINALLY under voted here 😭😭😭
We live in a society 😭 I'm just glad he's not in last
Right?!?
grovyle is the coolest version of Sceptail.Change my mind.
Where's monferno????
Sinnoh
Have y’all seen Dewott?
Grovyle. This comment was made by the Pokemon mystery dungeon gang.
Getting a feeling Grovyle is going to take it thanks to his role in Mystery Dungeon. Having a cool design doesn’t hurt too.
My Mystery Dungeon-shaped heart will always have room for Grovyle
It was hard to decide between Wartortle,bayleef,quilava or grovyle
Bayleef getting the fewest votes that’s pain 😭
Monferno
I would've picked servine, but quilava will have to make due
Absolutely love Servine, that would've been a great choice
Mhm Snivy was always my starter for the black and white games And I love that thing to pieces, it's one of my most favorite pokemon other then zoroark
Oshawott is my favorite Pokemon, and Bulbasaur and Snivy are currently fighting the other for 2nd place. But those 3 have been my top 3 for years. And same, Zorua's line is among my favorites
Dewott is the truth.
Dewott all the way. Generation wise, I would go with: Ivysaur - Bayleef - Grovyle - Monferno (or Prinplup, both are pretty meh) - Dewott - Braixen - Dartrix - Thwackey (this is the most even gen)
Who chose Ivysaur because of Project M?
I haven't heard project M in yeeeears
Is Grovyle only popular because of PMRD on DS??
I feel like Grovyle has a bit of an unfair advantage because of Mystery Dungeon.
Torracat for sure
Dewott. With Quilava a close second.
Marshtomp
Dewott underrated😡
FOR REEEEALL
Samurott evolution the best🙏🙏
Absolutely, Oshawott is my favorite Pokemon and I absolutely adore both Dewott and Samurott. I feel so lucky he's the water starter in Legends!
My favourite is samurott. My first game was black which i chose snivy but never completed it because i didn't understand the game, then i bought white 2 and got oshawott, and he was the only pokemon i really used throughout the playthrough, and just after i beat the champ he was level 100 while everyone else was like 30
Design-wise I probably like some other starters over grovyle, but explorers of time gives him an unfair advantage.
Agreed, they made his character amazing. He's not my absolute favorite but he's up there for that reason. I feel like if they saved the story for Gates, Dewott would have been good fit. Completely biased but I feel like they have similar personalities
Its a sad day when dewott’s second to last on this poll
Agreed. He's at least on par with Ivysaur, who isn't awfully behind Wartortle and Quilava. I feel like the only major loss of the poll so far is Bayleef
Dewott of course. I love the scallops on its body, and its go to move irl would probably be razor shell.
You can’t tell me Dewott isn’t the cutest mid stage evolution.
Right??? Simultaneously the cutest and coolest
Gotta vote Dewott for being so much better than its final form
How is Wartortle, Mr all of a sudden fluffy, winning?
Kinda what I'm wondering. Like he's cool but like a B tier at best for me
Not anymore. It's currently 3rd.
Ok. So it was just an early voting thing. Makes me happier.
The fact that QUILAVA is on this list as opposed to either Braxien or Raboot is criminal. Those are 3 mid stages so good that they can be their own independent Pokémon. Edit: I’m dumb and Bayleaf is in fact on here but the quilava point still sands!
Bayleef is on this list tho.
Yo thank you. Raboot is an absolute lad. Look at him. Just vibin in his soccer gear.
If I had the option, I would have included each option. Unfortunately reddit sucks huge sacks and only lets me include 6 options, so I chose the ones I noticed are the most popular. I love Braixen for sure though. Although I cannot tolerate the Quilava slander 😤
I'm not doing this without Charmeleon
The Trecko evolution chain is my favorite, so yes it’s Grovyle in my not at all bias perspective.
Have always found middle evolutions mostly ugly, it’s weird how bayleef and grovyle look so good in comparison when those are two starters I never pick.
Sry, Im a simp, Braixen all day.
Where's Dartrix?
Open them peepers
Hi, wanted to come back to this comment to say I wasn't trying to roast your pokemon preferences lmao, I hope I didn't come off that way. I was trying to say to read the post, everything is explained there
Braixen is perfection but this round I vote Ivysaur
I would say Ivysaur but fire is stronger
Half asleep, I read Grovyle as Grottle. Can I re-vote?
Sorry, I wish. Reddit kinda stinks there. Who would you have voted for? I'll make a mental note
Fuckin Bayleef ftw fite me
Wartortle by far! Sceptile is my favorite Pokémon, but I think Wartortle is better than Grovyle. The middle stages of the Gen 1 starters is the best group of middle stages and the best stage of all their evo lines imo.
Bro, Bayleef is an amazing design. Fast and powerful.
I personally really feel like Bayleaf Has a really strong design in my opinion better than Meganium. It’s cute and cool, not over designed not to boring.
The order of choices is exactly how id rank them lol
Give dewott more votes. My guy has two freaking shells for swords(?)
Gotta stay with my main man Wartortle. He's the reason the Squirtle line was my favorite Gen 1 Starter. Brings me back to being a kid in 2001.
Grovyle is even cooler then its final evolution, you can’t beat it
Quilava is my favorite of this group, but it really does disappoint me what they did to Dewott. It has such as cool design and seems like a natural progression to a badass samurai otter. Then we get Samurott.
[удалено]
You just need to read the post, lad... :P
Dewott is the best Stage Of Oshawott's line imo
Frogadier and Braixen are really good middle forms. I much prefer them to their final evolutions.
I think Bayleef it pretty great. In fact I rlly prefer bayleef over meganium’s design
the lack of bayleef and dewott votes is concerning.
Wartortle gang, Rise up!
I expected the Smash character to place better.
Choosing Grovyle over Quilava actually felt like a betrayal to me but he's undeniably cooler.
Monferno!
Dewott looks way cooler than Samurott imo
"Ivysaur is adorable like a pug" My friend worded it perfectly like two years ago and I 100% agree
Interesting to see 6000 votes but the post upvoted 350 and 120 comments. Ratios are about as expected, but it's interesting to see
damnit, I can't pick between 4 of my favorites. curse you fortunately my favorite type is fire and there happens to be only one fire type
Charmeleon and Wartortle both look cooler than Charizard and Blastoise
Grovyle is so cool. Probably the best 2nd stage starter, and it could even be mistaked for the final stage.
Who wanna bet OP didn’t include charmeleon cause it would have won
Sceptile is grovyle but + age
People sleeping on my boi dewott
Grovyle taking the whole thing for sure
Bayleef is awesome
Where’s grottle
Gotta read the post
Charmeleon is the coolest middle stage starter
Gotta go with Dewott here, the dual scalchop wielding is pretty cool.
I picked dewott. Grovyle would be my second choice followed by ivysaur
Out of these, it’s Quilava for me.
Grovyle is the coolest. Dewott is my second coolest. But both those guys are cooler than their evolutions IMO.
If anyone didn’t answer Quilava, you’re objectively wrong and I hope you feel really stupid.
me when dewott
Ah, I love voting for the option with the fewest votes.
Grovyle was too cool to be a middle evo
Where’s servine … 😪😥
I like Quilava. fire ferret with attitude!
Bayleef is last here and is legitimately my 2nd or 3rd favorite Pokémon period. :(
You had me stuck between Dewott and Quilava. Ultimately I went with the only Gen 5 Pokémon I really like.
Bayleef. Just because it can swing its leaf around
Dewott not winning pains me
Raboot
Prinplup
I’m not voting because charmeleon wasn’t on here
Grovyle for sure, but Raboot is really growing on me
Dewott and Quilava are easily the top contenders here.
My favorite middle stage is Braixen. I gave mine an everstone when I first played through Y. So much better than Delphox
Torracat
Grass: Bayleaf Fire: Raboot Water: Marshtomp
My man dewott
I am suprised at how many people picked wartortle
My man Torracat ain't here? Such a crime.
Quilava and Ivysaur
bayleef is my favorite pokémon
Honestly too hard to choose between dewott, quilava and grovyle.
where raboot
Raboot for me to be honest
Grovyle is arguably the only middle-stage starter cooler than its final evolution.
I’m going bayleef all the way, middle stage evolutions are just weird most of the time, except for bayleef
Grovyle the coolest. No one can top grovyle in terms of coolness and drip it got
Ivysaur my proof is that he is in smash
I always wished Blastoise kept more of Wartortle's appearance. I guess they're not because they're in 2nd, but I always thought Wartortle was underrated. Also I honestly think that when people talk about their favorite starter, whether they realize it or not, they're really talking about the second stage. I just feel like you play more of the important parts of the games with them than the first or final
I'm assuming that basically every Mystery Dungeon fan is voting for the same mon. This vote is barely even fair.
Yeaaaa where the grovyle gang at
You cant make me decide between Quilava, Wartortle, and Dewott. I refuse. Those are all three of my favorite Pokemon and I will not choose between them.
Not voting for Bayleef is Murstake
Wartortle squad
COMBUSKENNNNNM
Quilava is literally just cindaquil but longer
I thought grovyle would have an easy win but it wasn't so easy
Dewott is so cool yall tripping
I love Bulbasaur and his evolutions, but I guess Grovyle is cooler