There's a tough decision to be made at the beginning of nearly every mainline Pokemon game: starter Pokemon. Sometimes, these are just decided by their design while others look at their stats. The starter Pokemon can always be phased out of the party later, but players might keep their firsts in their six-Pokemon rotation for the sake of diversifying their lineup, a sentimental attachment, or a mix of both. Of course, players can also trade to get all three, but the initial choice is always there.

The upcoming Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will follow suit, forcing players to choose between Piplup, Turtwig, and Chimchar. There's a fair case to be made for each Sinnoh starter, but all things considered, Chimchar's might be the strongest. The fire-type's evolutions, type affinities, and effectiveness against other starters all make Chimchar a valuable one to have throughout much of the game.

RELATED: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Run One Big Risk If They Don't Include Mega Evolutions

Chimchar Evolves Faster

A key point to consider when choosing a starter is what their fully evolved form will be. Some make their decisions simply based on appearance off not just the first form, but the last; a fan of dragons might go with Charmander just to get the dragon-like Pokemon Charizard later in the game. But outside of physical form, another important factor is function. Players should ask themselves: What moves and/or types will this starter Pokemon acquire as it levels up and evolves?

Chimchar's evolutionary tree has a few advantages over the trees of other starters. Firstly, it evolves quicker than its counterparts. Turtwig reaches its first evolution, Grotle, at level 18. Piplup evolves into Prinplup at level 16. Meanwhile, Chimchar only has to reach level 14 to evolve into Monferno. The Chimchar line also has another unique quality that helps set it apart from the other starting Pokemon. In addition to being a fire-type, Monferno acquires a second type, turning into a fire/fighting type upon evolving from Chimchar. Comparatively, Turtwig and Piplup's evolutions don't develop a second type until hitting their third evolutionary stages at levels 32 and 36, respectively.

Chimchar Versus Pokemon Gym Leaders

Pokemon Chimchar Infernape

Going from just a fire-type to fire/fighting makes Chimchar and its evolutions very useful in battle, especially while fighting the Sinnoh region's various Pokemon gym leaders. Normally, Chimchar wouldn't be the best Pokemon to pit against the first gym leader, Roark, who specializes in rock-type Pokemon. But if players can evolve Chimchar into Monferno before the gym battle, Monferno can deal out heavy damage to Roark's Pokemon thanks to its fighting-type moves. Additionally, while rock-type attacks are super effective against Chimchar, their effectiveness is reduced against Monferno and Infernape due to the pair also being fighting-types.

Following Roark, the Chimchar tree proves incredibly effective against Gardenia, Byron, and Candice, who each boast casts of grass-types, steel-types, and ice-types, respectively. The fire-type starter should also be on fairly equal ground with Maylene, who specializes in fighting-types, Volkner, the electric-type gym leader, as well as Fantina's ghost-type Pokemon.

Of course, that's not to say that Chimchar and its evolutions should be the only Pokemon that players should rely on throughout their journeys. One gym is still sure to give the fire-type family a run for their money. There's no way around it, the Chimchar family simply don't have any advantages over Crasher Wake and his water-type Pokemon.

Additionally, the starter's utility might be less impactful by the time by the time the player reaches the Pokemon League's Elite Four. A well-trained Infernape will surely be able to topple Aaron's bug-type party with ease, but aside from Flint, who is outfitted with fire-types, every other member of the Elite Four has Pokemon that, tragically, have a significant advantage over both fighting and fire types. That being said, the Elite Four won't be an issue until late in the game, so players should be able to use their fire-starter to barrel through most of the game, while hopefully acquiring a nice variety of types in their parties to better complement Infernape.

The Case For Chimchar Over Piplup

Piplup in battle in Pokemon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond.

Between the three starters, Chimchar's foil is undoubtedly Piplup, the water-type Pokemon that the player's rival will pick should the player choose Chimchar. Piplup's water-based moveset gives it a pretty clear type advantage over Chimchar, but by the time both Pokemon are fully evolved into Empoleon and Infernape, respectively, it's a different story.

Infernape is still weak to Empoleon's water-type moves, but the former Pokemon's fighting-type techniques are now super effective against the latter thanks to Empoleon becoming a steel-type upon evolution. Additionally, Infernape also boasts the highest base speed stat of any of the fully evolved starters, meaning that it'll almost assuredly get the first hit in during every battle against either starter. It won't be as easy as taking down Torterra, the fully-evolved form of the grass-type Turtwig, but Infernape's dual-typing and high agility both make it more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Empoleon, which players may very well have to do when facing off against their rivals later in the game.

In all, Chimchar is an outstanding starter to go with when Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl drop later this year. Its unique properties when it comes to evolutions and dual-typing of its later forms make it a valuable asset to have in many of the game's major battles, and its quick speed will surely satisfy players who are looking to strike first every opportunity they can.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are in development for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Should Remove One Cruel Joke