With Sinnoh's starters coming back in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, players are wondering whether Piplup will be the right choice for them. The Piplup evolution line is one of the most interestingly designed in the Pokémon series, with Piplup being one of the cutest Pokémon, Prinplup one of the most awkward, and Empoleon one of the sleekest. Other than their looks, the Pokémon of the Piplup line come with many characteristics that make them intriguing picks for starters in Pokémon BDSP.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of Gen 4 and bringing back the beloved region of Sinnoh. Coming along with the region are the starters Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig. Piplup is the region's Water starter who gains the Steel typing when it becomes Empoleon, making the final evolution the only Pokémon in the series to have a Water and Steel dual typing. The Piplup line also has access to a large variety of moves that can be learned through leveling up and using TMs and HMs when compared to the other Sinnoh starters, making Piplup and its evolutions amongst the most versatile in the game.
However, players may not find Piplup's rare typing and move pool enthusing. Turtwig and Chimchar allow for much more obvious playstyles when compared to the blank slate that Piplup can feel like. For those who are wavering on picking Piplup as their starter, here are the Pokémon's pros and cons in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.
Pros: Piplup Has Few Weaknesses & Fares Well Against Opponents In Pokémon BDSP
Choosing Piplup in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is a good choice for players who want a Pokémon with no major downsides when it comes to Pokémon's type matchups. Whereas Chimchar is a glass cannon and Turtwig has a four-times weakness to Ice-type moves, the Piplup line's Water and Steel typing has good coverage on offense and few weaknesses on defense. The Steel typing prevents Grass from being super effective on Piplup's final evolution, Empoleon, and the Water typing prevents Fire from hurting Empoleon as well. While Ground-type moves are still super effective, Empoleon's access to priority stab Water moves like "Aqua Jet" allows the Pokémon to defend itself.
Piplup's move pool is also very good. Unlike Chimchar, whose only decent Fire move before level 50 "Fire Ring" does 60 damage, Piplup's second evolution Prinplup learns "Bubblebeam" and does 65 damage, leans into the Pokémon's high Special Attack stack, and can even lower the opponent's speed. Even better are the moves Piplup can learn from TMs, HMs, and other in-game mechanics. The Piplup line can learn Normal, Ghost, Rock, Ground, Flying, Fighting, Ice, and even Poison moves from TMs and HMs, making the Pokémon very versatile.
And when Piplup finally evolves into Empoleon, trainers can visit the Move Reminder to teach it the powerful Pokémon move "Swords Dance." The reason why trainers have to see the Move Reminder is that Empoleon naturally learns "Swords Dance" at level 11, and it is impossible to ever have a fully evolved Empoleon at that level. Nonetheless, "Swords Dance" is incredibly important to Empoleon's kit, as it makes the Pokémon's access to strong, physical attacking moves much more useful.
When it comes to type matchups in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the Piplup line appears to be impervious to damage. The only gyms that pose a threat to Empoleon are Gardenia's Grass gym and Volkner's Electric gym, but given that Empoleon has access to both Flying and Ground moves, the Pokémon can do more than defend itself. The same is true when it comes to Team Galactic, as their Poison and Normal-type Pokémon are weak against Empoleon's Steel typing.
Cons: Pokémon's Piplup Line's Stats Have A Serious Flaw
While the Piplup line has its strengths, there is a fundamental issue with its moves and its stats that make it the least effective starter for when it comes to traveling through Sinnoh. Piplup's flaw is that its two strongest stats are Special Attack and Special Defense. The Piplup line's move pool consists of mostly physical attacks, and the types that are super effective against Empoleon - Electric and Ground - are both physical attackers. This means that Empoleon's excellent stats and big move pool have their potential limited by a fundamental flaw in the Pokémon's design.
Additionally, the only way players can unleash Empoleon's potential is to teach it "Swords Dance." This means that they have to wait until they have access to the Move Reminder in Pastoria City and until Piplup has fully evolved. Even then, the player must have a Heart Scale to trade for the move. Luckily, attaining a Heart Scale is made easy by the Underground Exploration in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Nevertheless, the amount of effort that has to go into unleashing Empoleon's potential when compared to the simple raising of the Chimchar and Turtwig lines makes Piplup less appealing.
The Piplup line also lacks the strengths of its fellow Sinnoh starters. While Chimchar and Turtwig both have glaring weaknesses, they have obvious strengths that make up for them. Piplup has neither glaring weaknesses nor strengths, which make it and its evolutions difficult to use. This is especially the case in the late game when players have to face off against Cyrus and the Elite Four. Empoleon is not weak to any Pokémon in Cyrus's team, but Cyrus's team also has nothing to worry about when it comes to Empoleon. The same is true for much of the Elite Four. Neither Aaron nor Lucian are perturbed by Empoleon's kit, and both Bertha's Ground team and Flint's Fire team can defend themselves against Empoleon's super effective attacks with super effective attacks of their own. And then when it comes to fighting Cynthia in BDSP, Empoleon provides practically zero value to the team, as its weaknesses to Ground and lack of effective stab moves render it helpless against the strongest Champion the Pokémon series has ever seen.
Although Piplup's stat issue is major, proper training of the Pokémon can still allow it to not only be viable but fun to use. Teaching Piplup Special Attack moves until it can relearn "Swords Dance" as Empoleon will give trainers access to this Pokémon's full potential. And once unleashed, a well-trained Empoleon may very well be the best starter in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.