Pokemon, sun and moon, starters, evolutions

Dartrix, Torracat, & Brionne: Which Pokemon Sun & Moon Starter Evolution’s Best?

Which one is the very best?
This article is over 7 years old and may contain outdated information

Nintendo revealed the first evolutions for the starters in Pokemon Sun and Moon today, and boy did we get plenty of information on Dartrix, Brionne, and Torracat. We’ve known about the starters for quite some time now, but of course the evolved forms of each Pokemon play a big part in which one you choose to journey with. Let’s take a look at each of the new evolutions and decide which one’s the best, based on looks, moves, and description.

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3. Brionne

brionne

Brionne, the evolved form of Popplio, is without a doubt the dumbest looking of the new evolutions. That blank stare, permanent smile, weird flippers and dress. It’s not necessarily a terrible design, but definitely pales in comparison to the other two. Brionne is listed as a “Pop Star Pokemon,” learning dance moves in battle to confuse opponents and then follow up with an attack. Here’s what its Pokedex information says:

“This Pokemon is a hard worker and pours itself into its efforts until it has memorized each dance. As it dances, Brionne creates balloon after balloon. In battle, it first sends its opponent into disarray with its dancing, and then slaps its balloons into its target, causing the balloons to explode and deal damage.”

Slapping a balloon into an enemy sounds a lot less dangerous than Torracat’s fire abilities or the sharp-bladed feathers of Dartrix. This evolution’s special ability is Torrent, which significantly boosts the power of water attacks in battle. Brionne is the most good-natured of all three, however, as its entry says that it always acts happy and cheerful no matter what.

“Even when it’s feeling sad, this Pokemon doesn’t allow its sorrow to show. It’s said that Brionne will only reveal a sad expression to a Pokemon or Trainer to whom it has opened its heart completely.”

Do we really have time for a fake Pokemon that just pretends to be happy all the time?

2. Dartrix

dartrix

Dartrix’s look is absolutely ridiculous, and its Pokedex entry perfectly matches that. This evolved form of the cute little owl, Rowlet, is basically going through a teenage phase. Dartrix has some fabulous hair, that much is for sure, but boy does it care about its look. Here’s what its entry says,

“Revealing a certain snobbiness in its personality, Dartrix cares a great deal about its appearance, grooming its feathers in every spare moment”

To make matters worse, Dartrix is described as being a birdbrain, and once it screws something up, it just tends to make things worse and worse. The Pokemon’s abilities certainly sound dangerous, though, and its senses are so finely tuned that it can even sense enemies behind it. Dartrix uses sharp-bladed feathers to attack, which it can throw. There’s some serious skill involved here, as the Pokemon can even bend the feathers to change their trajectory, assassin style. It also boasts the Overgrow ability which basically grants a significant boost to the attack power of grass-type moves. Add in the fact that Dartrix is the only one of the evolutions to be more than one type, grass and flying, and you’ve got a pretty strong fighter.

The downside here though, is that it sounds like Dartrix can be pretty temperamental, even leaving battle in some instances.

“At times, this Pokemon feels so bothered by its dirty or ruffled feathers that it can’t focus on battle. When it loses its focus, it sometimes even retires from the battle on the spot! It’s up to each Trainer to help Dartrix overcome this troublesome stage. If this Pokemon is with a Trainer who helps it through, its strength will grow hugely!”

Talk about a self-centered Pokemon.

1. Torracat

torracat

Torracat is the evolved form of Litten, and sounds like one mean Pokemon with some strong and unique abilities. First off, he looks like that kind of housecat that wants you to pet it at first and then turns around and scratches you for absolutely no reason, just bigger and stronger. The bell-like object that hangs around the Pokemon’s neck is actually a flame sac, or an organ that can produce flames. Kind of weird, huh? Torracat’s emotions cause a rise in the organ’s temperature, causing it to make a high-pitched ringing sound and spit flames, which it uses to attack enemies. Its spiky mane even serves a purpose, allowing the Pokemon to sense what’s going on around it at all times, even in the dark.

Torracat’s Pokedex description makes it sound even better, and describes it as an incredibly powerful Pokemon. Although, like Dartrix, it also seems to be going through a moody phase.

“Torracat has a great love for battle and will attack so relentlessly that its opponents lose the will to fight. And yet it sometimes behaves like spoiled child in front of Trainers or Pokemon with whom it has built a relationship of trust.”

If that isn’t enough to convince you about how impressive Torracat is, just look at what else the Pokedex says it can do.

“The cat punch that this Pokemon can dish out with its strong forelegs is extremely powerful. It can bend iron bars and knock out large men with a single blow!”

Yeah, any Pokemon that sounds like it can easily beat a Machamp in a test of strength definitely gets points.

Which of the starter evolutions would you say is the best in Pokemon Sun and Moon? Leave a comment down below and let us know.


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Author
Image of Hayes Madsen
Hayes Madsen
A connoisseur of all things RPG related, and always looking for the artistic expression in gaming. His love of Gundam is only matched by his love of Pizza. Playing Games Since: 1991 Favorite Genres: RPGs, JRPGs, Strategy,