Since the third generation of Pokemon, a mechanic called Natures was implemented that affected the growth of a Pokemon's stats. Competitive players take advantage of Natures to give them a needed boost in certain stats while casual players may not think twice about their Pokemon's Nature. As expected, the Nature feature is used once again Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

The first Pokemon players get in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is Chimchar, Piplup, or Turtwig. The usefulness and measure of "how good" Sinnoh starters are will vary from person to person. However, getting a Starter with the right stats can require a lot of soft resetting if they don't get the Nature they want.

Updated March 24, 2022 by Renri Seong: For the first time in the Sinnoh mainline games, players are able to obtain all three Sinnoh starters in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl without trading. Trainers start out by choosing Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup. However, they can get two starters they didn't choose in the Grand Underground. For the gamers who received a starter Pokemon with a sub-optimal Nature, they can simply catch another one in the Grand Underground or trade with another player. The following guide has been updated to include ways to get starter Pokemon with their best Nature, and how to change Natures with Mints.

Best Nature for Chimchar

Chimchar's final evolution is the Fire/Fighting-type Infernape. While some people may be annoyed with this particular Pokemon typing, Infernape has a decent movepool and a good Hidden Ability (Iron Fist). Stat-wise, the Chimchar-line excels in Speed, Special Attack, and Attack. On the other hand, its Defense and Special Defense leave much to be desired.

Unlike Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, there are more Fire-types than just Chimchar and Ponyta available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. But there are some trainers who like Infernape and prefer it over other Fire/Fighting-types such as Blaziken. With the Fire/Fighting-typing, this Pokemon will be vulnerable to Psychic and Flying-type moves but can dish out Super-Effective damage on Steel, Normal, Ice, and Rock-type.

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For Chimchar, its best Natures are the following:

Despite Chimchar having a solid Special Attack, most of the damage-inflicting moves it will learn upon leveling up are Physical. This means players will want to prioritize Chimchar's Attack over its Special Attack. For those who want to use both Special and Physical Moves in battle, consider Natures that give it a Speed boost, but a Defense/Special Defense decrease, such as Naive.

Natures to avoid for Chimchar are Sassy (+Sp. Def, -Spd), Modest (+Sp. Atk, -Atk), and Relaxed (+Def, -Spd). Generally, any nature that gives Chimchar a slow Speed growth should be avoided the most. The best way to use Chimchar in battle is to make sure it can finish the opponent off quickly with its high Speed and Attack/Special Attack.

Best Nature for Piplup

The adorable Water-type starter, Piplup, will fully evolve into the Water/Steel-type Empoleon. Unlike Chimchar, Piplup is not a Physical-fighter and its movepool favors Special moves (such as Hydro Pump) over Physical (such as Aqua Jet).

Piplup and its evolutions have good Special Attack or Special Defense, and lower Attack, Defense, or Speed. When it gains the additional Steel-typing as Empoleon, it will become immune to Poison-type attacks, but gain a weakness to Ground.

Some of the better Natures for Piplup are:

Since it's wise to prioritize Attack/Special Attack in battle, the Piplup-line can take a blow to its Special Defense. However, the best Nature for Piplup is Modest with the second-best option being Rash.

Natures to avoid are Quiet (+Sp. Atk, -Spd), Jolly (+Spd, -Sp. Atk), and Adamant (+Atk, -Sp. Atk). While its Speed isn't too high, it's better to avoid having a Piplup with a Nature that will slow its Speed growth - especially in competitive battles. Adamant Nature should be avoided for having the opposite increases/decreases of Piplup's best Nature (Modest). A Jolly Piplup's Special Attack (its best Stat) will suffer in favor of its already-average Speed. Likewise, Quiet does give Piplup a boost in Special Attack, but it's not worth sacrificing Speed.

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Best Nature for Turtwig

The Grass-type starter, Turtwig, will fully evolve into the dual Grass/Ground-type Torterra. Unsurprisingly, the Turtwig-line doesn't have excellent Speed and its Special Attack isn't too great either. Where it lacks in certain stats, it makes up for in moves such as Earthquake and Wood Hammer as Torterra. The best way to use Turtwig is to have a Nature that will give it an increase in its Attack, Defense, or Special Defense.

When it evolves into Torterra, Turtwig will have immunity from Electric-type moves. However, it will now take 4x damage to Ice-types because of its Grass/Ground-typing, both types that are vulnerable to Ice-moves.

Here are some of the Turtwig-line's best Natures:

Turtwig and its evolutions work best defensively. Try to get a Nature that improves upon its Defense and Special Defense are preferred over a Nature that will increase Turtwig's Speed or Special Attack.

However, certain Natures such as Lonely won't negatively impact Turtwig too much. At the cost of a little Defense, Turtwig will get better Attack growth, which is preferred over increases to its Special Attack. However, between Attack-raising Nature Adamant and Lonely, Adamant is the better option because Turtwig's Special Attack base is low.

Avoid having a Modest (+Sp. Atk, -Atk), Hasty (+Spd, -Def), and Naive (+Spd, -Sp. Def) Turtwig. Another Nature that is best ignored for Turtwig is Timid since it will give a +Spd, but -Atk.

Additional Natures for Starters

Those looking to stick to in-game content and do not wish to battle other players don't need to worry as much about better Natures for their starter. Those that are should not only avoid Natures that will go against the respective Pokemon's growth, but they should also try and avoid "Neutral Natures."

Specifically, "Neutral Natures" are Docile, Quirky, Hardy, and Bashful. Unlike the other Natures in-game, they do not offer stat increases or decreases. For someone who's looking to play it safe, these can work for their starter Pokemon. However, it's best to avoid a Pokemon with them for competitive battling.

Setting Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup's Natures in the Wild

After players defeat Champion Cynthia and get the National Dex, more Pokemon will start appearing in the Grand Underground. Among those are the Sinnoh Starters: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. They'll all be around level 60 at the time they start appearing, so they'll be ready to evolve into their final evolutions immediately upon capture. These Pokemon can be found in the following hideaways:

• Turtwig: Riverbank Cave
• Chimchar: Volcanic Cave, Sandsear Cave
• Piplup: Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave

Now, players have the option of catching as many Sinnoh starters as they see, or they can catch a Pokemon with the Synchronize Ability and set it to the front of the party. With Synchronize, there's a 50% chance the wild Pokemon will have the same Nature as trainer's Pokemon. One Pokemon that has Synchronize is Ralts. Trainers can catch Ralts early in BDSP at the Fountainspring Cave.

For example, if players want an Adamant Chimchar, catch or breed a Ralts with an Adamant Nature and the Synchronize ability. Then, go up to the Chimchar to start the battle. Catch it, check its Nature, and there's a 50% chance it will be the same as the Ralts. If not, enter and exit the cave until Chimchar appears again. Always make sure the Synchronize-Pokemon is at the front of the party or else this method will not work. Alternatively, players can save before battling Chimchar, and continue reloading until they get the nature they want.

Using Mints to Change Nature

The other way to change the starter Pokemon's Nature is by buying Nature Mints at the Battle Tower for 50 BP each. Challenge the trainers here to rack up Battle Points, and speak to the receptionist on the left. Depending on how many BP the player has, this method may take longer than the Synchronize Method. Furthermore, Battle Points are best saved for better items such as the Ability Patch.

To use a Nature Mint, simply go into the Bag, select the Mint, and then select the Pokemon whose Nature needs changing.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.

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