Pokebonk Best Starter: Bulbasaur vs Charmander
Compare Pokebonk's three starters by passive, starting move, base stats and early role, then choose the partner that fits how you want to learn the game.
Quick answer
Bulbasaur opens with healing, Squirtle with armor and shield, and Charmander with Fire damage plus extra movement speed. Pick the mechanic you want to learn first, not a tier ranking.
The first partner is the only choice you make before the run starts, so it is worth picking deliberately. Pokebonk's three starters are not ranked by power in the game data. They open with different passives, which means they teach different habits.
Checked against Beta v0.7.3 data and the partner profiles shown in the League. Stat values marked as player observations come from an earlier build and can change.
The short answer
| If you want to… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Learn spacing while healing mistakes | Bulbasaur | Regeneration and healing on Grass hits |
| Practise damage timing and kiting | Charmander | Fire bonus plus extra movement speed |
| Survive early contact | Squirtle | Armor and a starting shield |
None of these is a "best" pick. Pick the mechanic you want to understand first, then replay the same region and difficulty with another partner.
Bulbasaur
Passive: Synthesis. Regeneration and bonus healing, plus a small heal when Grass attacks connect.
Starting move: Vine Whip, an arcing physical strike that can root the nearest enemy.
What it teaches: you can recover from chip damage, but not from standing in a crowd. Bulbasaur rewards circling and re-engaging rather than face-tanking.
In player checks at v0.5.5, a level-1 Bulbasaur showed 108 max HP, 9 armor, 2.0 regeneration per second and 125% healing. Those numbers are observations, not values guaranteed by the current build.
Open the Bulbasaur page for its full data, matchups and learnset.
Charmander
Passive: Sea of Flames. A Fire-damage bonus, with an additional damage bonus below 40% HP.
Starting move: Ember, a special projectile aimed at the nearest enemy, with a burn chance.
What it teaches: positioning for a projectile and planning around a conditional bonus. The low-HP clause is a bonus, not a strategy: do not take damage on purpose to trigger it.
Player checks at v0.5.5 showed 104 max HP, 8 armor, 107% movement speed, +10% Fire damage and +5% special damage at level 1.
Open the Charmander page for its learnset and matchups.
Squirtle
Passive: Torrent Shell. Armor and a shield, plus the same below-40% HP damage bonus as Charmander.
Starting move: Water Gun, a special projectile that can apply wet.
What it teaches: how much protection the early game gives you, and when to stop relying on it. A shield absorbs the first mistakes; it does not make a bad route safe.
Player checks at v0.5.5 showed 108 max HP, 26 armor and 20 shield at level 1.
Open the Squirtle page for its data.
How the three compare on paper
| Bulbasaur | Charmander | Squirtle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class label | Healer | Fiery Assault | Defender |
| Types | Grass / Poison | Fire | Water |
| Starting move | Vine Whip | Ember | Water Gun |
| Damage class | Physical | Special | Special |
| Defensive opener | Regeneration | Speed | Armor + shield |
| Main risk | Slow clear | Fragile if caught | False confidence |
The type column matters less than it looks in the first minute. Your partner's type affects incoming damage, but the opening waves are mixed. Use the type chart when you plan a route, not when you pick a favourite.
What each starter becomes
The starting move is not the whole kit. Every partner has a level-up learnset that adds moves and eventually evolution thresholds. Two examples from the current data:
- Bulbasaur evolves at level 16 into Ivysaur, then at 32 into Venusaur.
- Charmander evolves at 16 into Charmeleon, then at 36 into Charizard.
- Squirtle evolves at 16 into Wartortle, then at 36 into Blastoise.
Evolution is not automatic in every mode or situation — see the evolution guide for the conditions the game data exposes.
A practical first comparison
If you want a fair test:
- Pick one starter.
- Play the same region, mode and difficulty for three runs.
- Note the level you reach and what ends the run.
- Switch partner and repeat without changing anything else.
Three runs is enough to feel the passive. It is not enough to declare a winner, and this wiki will not pretend otherwise.
Sources and scope
Partner classes, passive names and starting moves come from the in-game partner profiles. Base stats, types and evolution levels come from the game's public data files. The level-1 observations are player checks from v0.5.5 and are labelled as such. We have not measured win rates, clear times or late-run damage for any starter.