"What team are you on?": Pokemon GO Reddit weighs in on Gen VIII first partner Pokemon

Pokemon GO's recently debuted Max Out season heralded the long-awaited arrival of the Galar region's starter Pokemon Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. But which of these three starters is preferred by GO's community? While it's difficult to know without more data, the game's subreddit didn't shy away from asking. In a recent post, u/Badkap-fact29 asked, "What team are you on?":

What team are you on? byu/Badkap-fact29 inpokemongo

While Pokemon GO Redditors share their opinions, the aggregation of comments and karma seems to suggest that Grookey was the most popular starter, with Sobble coming in at second, and Scorbunny third. Granted, this information is based on one Reddit post and a mixed bag of comments. Thus, more information would be necessary to conduct a proper poll on the subject.

That said, fans shared their insights as to why they chose their preferred starter. Many picked Grookey due to its cute appearance and ability to evolve into Rillaboom, which seems to have better overall battle prospects than other fully-evolved starters Inteleon and Cinderace. However, not every Pokemon GO fan saw eye to eye on the subject.

Pokemon GO fans shared the Galar region starter of their choosing (Image via Reddit)

Meanwhile, other trainers captured their 100% IV Scorbunny or Sobble evolutions. Many fan preferences didn't center on battle viability, but on remembrances of the Pokemon Sword and Shield games the starters came from or their overall design and appearance. Galar's starters finally arriving in Pokemon GO seems to be a highly appreciated move by fans.

Grookey and Sobble seemed to be praised the most in this particular Pokemon GO Reddit post (Image via Reddit)

After initially being passed over in favor of Generation IX's starters Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly, Generation VIII's starters seem to finally be having their long-awaited time in the sun. The jury is out on exactly which starter is the most popular in the GO community, but fans seem enthusiastic about all three, which is nice to see after some controversy involving GO in 2024.

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Which Galar starter is the best in Pokemon GO?

Grookey and its final evolution Rillaboom seem to show the most promise so far in GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While the three Galar starters' popularity is another matter entirely, it appears that before Niantic introduces Community Days for starters or adds their Gigantamax forms, Grookey and its final evolution Rillaboom have an edge in Pokemon GO. Rillaboom possesses a higher stat total and a more dependable moveset since it can use Earth Power to counter foes that try to counter it.

What makes any Pokemon "better" in GO compared to others depends on what trainers are seeking. Currently, though, Grookey appears to get the nod due to Rillaboom having an edge regarding its stats and moves. However, this isn't to say Cinderace and Inteleon are bad, as they have their own applications as well.

Currently, Rillaboom appears to have the best general-use capability in battle compared to its fellow starters, making Grookey the preferred pick for many trainers. This could change over time, as Community Day events provide Galar starters with their signature moves, as they potentially receive their Gigantamax forms.

However, Grookey, Thwackey, and Rillaboom seem to be at the pole position.