Since the previous thread never resulted in a tier list and doesn't seem like it will, I've decided to create a new thread for tier list discussion, and I promise to actively maintain it. This list covers The Legend of Ransei (the first and main episode of Pokemon Conquest). The following assumptions are made:
-No passwords will be used.
-Naturally-occurring swarms will not be considered.
-Pokemon are rated on their own merit, and not that of the warrior they are linked with. However, Pokemon with good compatibility with useful warriors will be rated higher than those that do not.
-Power Wristbands will be equipped during major battles.
-Invasion order: Greenleaf>Fontaine>Violight>Chrysalia>Pugilis>Terrera/Illusio>Cragspur>Yaksha>Viperia>Avia>Spectra>Valora>Nixtorm>Dragnor. Slight deviations may be considered.
-A Pokemon's third ability (and starter Eevee's first/second ability) is considered available only after conquering Valora.
-A Traveling Merchant is expected to arrive around midway through the latter half of the game. It is assumed that the player will accumulate gold in preparation for this.
-If a Pokemon requires a very high IV to fully evolve, it is not considered compatible.
-Link cutoff is 88% at rank II for warlords, and 68% for regular warriors. Anything lower will not be listed as compatible. Only warriors that you can use in this episode are listed.
S tier - These Pokemon contribute significantly from start to finish in nearly all major battles.
A tier - These Pokemon are significant contributors in a reasonable number of major battles.
B tier - These Pokemon have noticeable flaws, though not crippling, and can be brought to specific battles against which they have a positive matchup.
-No passwords will be used.
-Naturally-occurring swarms will not be considered.
-Pokemon are rated on their own merit, and not that of the warrior they are linked with. However, Pokemon with good compatibility with useful warriors will be rated higher than those that do not.
-Power Wristbands will be equipped during major battles.
-Invasion order: Greenleaf>Fontaine>Violight>Chrysalia>Pugilis>Terrera/Illusio>Cragspur>Yaksha>Viperia>Avia>Spectra>Valora>Nixtorm>Dragnor. Slight deviations may be considered.
-A Pokemon's third ability (and starter Eevee's first/second ability) is considered available only after conquering Valora.
-A Traveling Merchant is expected to arrive around midway through the latter half of the game. It is assumed that the player will accumulate gold in preparation for this.
-If a Pokemon requires a very high IV to fully evolve, it is not considered compatible.
-Link cutoff is 88% at rank II for warlords, and 68% for regular warriors. Anything lower will not be listed as compatible. Only warriors that you can use in this episode are listed.
S tier - These Pokemon contribute significantly from start to finish in nearly all major battles.
Starting:
Munezane (52%), Takayori (54%)
Compatible warriors:
Nobuchika (100%), Takeyoshi (100%), Muneshige (82-90%), Yukimura (78-90%), PlayerM (88-90%)
Go, Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Takatora, Morichika, Chikamasa, Norishige, Dosetsu, Sadamitsu, Yoshitaka (70%)
Earliest availability:
Fontaine (warrior), Violight (wild)
Evolution: 27-60%
Magikarp itself is of course useless, so it is recommended to delay its obtainment until it can be evolved immediately. In practice, this is not a significant delay. The average Magikarp will evolve at 38% with max energy and as low as 27% with perfect Attack IVs, meaning that you can gain access to Gyarados extremely early for how powerful it is. (It is the earliest possible stat-based evolution, in fact.) It is highly recommended to reset for a Magikarp with a high attack IV to obtain Gyarados as fast as possible; training with Takayori's starting Magikarp is not advised. Gyarados's Aqua Tail has very good neutral coverage into east Ransei, and its ability to knock targets back gives it some interesting utility on maps with banners or hazards. On top of this, Gyarados is a flying unit, which gives it a tactical advantage on the vast majority of maps.
Munezane (52%), Takayori (54%)
Compatible warriors:
Nobuchika (100%), Takeyoshi (100%), Muneshige (82-90%), Yukimura (78-90%), PlayerM (88-90%)
Go, Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Takatora, Morichika, Chikamasa, Norishige, Dosetsu, Sadamitsu, Yoshitaka (70%)
Earliest availability:
Fontaine (warrior), Violight (wild)
Evolution: 27-60%
Magikarp itself is of course useless, so it is recommended to delay its obtainment until it can be evolved immediately. In practice, this is not a significant delay. The average Magikarp will evolve at 38% with max energy and as low as 27% with perfect Attack IVs, meaning that you can gain access to Gyarados extremely early for how powerful it is. (It is the earliest possible stat-based evolution, in fact.) It is highly recommended to reset for a Magikarp with a high attack IV to obtain Gyarados as fast as possible; training with Takayori's starting Magikarp is not advised. Gyarados's Aqua Tail has very good neutral coverage into east Ransei, and its ability to knock targets back gives it some interesting utility on maps with banners or hazards. On top of this, Gyarados is a flying unit, which gives it a tactical advantage on the vast majority of maps.
Starting:
Muneshige (90-100%), Kagetsuna (66%), Shigezane (66%), Tokitaka (42%), Bokuden (42%)
Compatible warriors:
Munezane (100%), Oichi (90%), Player (90%), Yukimura (78-90%)
Chacha, Go, Takatora, Tsunenaga, Iroha, Yoshitatsu, Genba, Danzo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 29-36% / 46-55%
Starly is a highly mobile but otherwise mediocre Pokemon, though it is still better than Jigglypuff. It evolves quickly into Staravia, a serviceable Flying-type that enjoys several favorable type matchups immediately after evolving. Staraptor provides a significant power spike; its superlative damage output more than offsets the drawbacks of Brave Bird. Its remaining type matchups are mixed, but it hits so hard (especially with Vanguard unlocked after Valora) that neutral targets might as well be weak to it. While Muneshige is the most obvious choice, Oichi also makes for a fine Staraptor user.
Muneshige (90-100%), Kagetsuna (66%), Shigezane (66%), Tokitaka (42%), Bokuden (42%)
Compatible warriors:
Munezane (100%), Oichi (90%), Player (90%), Yukimura (78-90%)
Chacha, Go, Takatora, Tsunenaga, Iroha, Yoshitatsu, Genba, Danzo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 29-36% / 46-55%
Starly is a highly mobile but otherwise mediocre Pokemon, though it is still better than Jigglypuff. It evolves quickly into Staravia, a serviceable Flying-type that enjoys several favorable type matchups immediately after evolving. Staraptor provides a significant power spike; its superlative damage output more than offsets the drawbacks of Brave Bird. Its remaining type matchups are mixed, but it hits so hard (especially with Vanguard unlocked after Valora) that neutral targets might as well be weak to it. While Muneshige is the most obvious choice, Oichi also makes for a fine Staraptor user.
Starting:
Rikyu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 50%
It's just as well that this is the only Darumaka you get, because if you could link with wild Darumaka, the optimal team comp would probably consist of at least three of these. Darumaka itself is a very strong earlygame Pokemon with higher offensive prowess than Charmeleon, and at 50% it evolves into a Pokemon that hits seven squares at once with a high-powered attack with no drawbacks coming off the same Attack stat as Rhyperior. What more needs to be said? Even at 68%, it is stronger than most Pokemon will be at 90%. It even compares favorably to most legendary Pokemon.
Rikyu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 50%
It's just as well that this is the only Darumaka you get, because if you could link with wild Darumaka, the optimal team comp would probably consist of at least three of these. Darumaka itself is a very strong earlygame Pokemon with higher offensive prowess than Charmeleon, and at 50% it evolves into a Pokemon that hits seven squares at once with a high-powered attack with no drawbacks coming off the same Attack stat as Rhyperior. What more needs to be said? Even at 68%, it is stronger than most Pokemon will be at 90%. It even compares favorably to most legendary Pokemon.
Starting:
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Ginchiyo (98%), Oichi (90%)
Chacha (70%), Akizane, Takatane, Kiyo (68%)
Earliest availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Thunderstone (cutscene after Cragspur)
The best Electric-type in the game. It only reaches its full potential after Valora, where its ability can be changed to Vanguard. All of its remaining matchups except for Dragnor are fair to good. If you chose to evolve your starting Eevee into something other than Jolteon, there are several other candidates for a Jolteon user if you get the Park Eevee event, Ginchiyo being the most notable.
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Ginchiyo (98%), Oichi (90%)
Chacha (70%), Akizane, Takatane, Kiyo (68%)
Earliest availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Thunderstone (cutscene after Cragspur)
The best Electric-type in the game. It only reaches its full potential after Valora, where its ability can be changed to Vanguard. All of its remaining matchups except for Dragnor are fair to good. If you chose to evolve your starting Eevee into something other than Jolteon, there are several other candidates for a Jolteon user if you get the Park Eevee event, Ginchiyo being the most notable.
Starting:
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Oichi (90%)
Chacha (70%)
Earliest availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Water Stone (cutscene after Cragspur)
It provides the most immediate power of any Eeveelution, though it is held back by the shaky accuracy of Hydro Pump. It has a similar matchup spread to Jolteon, just slightly worse into Avia and Nixtorm and better into Valora. Since it is not the best Water-type in the game, most players would choose to evolve non-starter Eevee into something else given how rare they are to encounter.
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Oichi (90%)
Chacha (70%)
Earliest availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Water Stone (cutscene after Cragspur)
It provides the most immediate power of any Eeveelution, though it is held back by the shaky accuracy of Hydro Pump. It has a similar matchup spread to Jolteon, just slightly worse into Avia and Nixtorm and better into Valora. Since it is not the best Water-type in the game, most players would choose to evolve non-starter Eevee into something else given how rare they are to encounter.
Starting:
Kenshin (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Kagekatsu (100%), Kanetsugu (90%), Yoshihiro (72-90%)
Tomonori, Chikamasa, Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Tadamoto, Tomonobu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Ujichika, Tsunashige, Munenori (70%), Takahiro (68%)
Earliest availability:
Terrera/Illusio (guaranteed recruit)
Kenshin's Gallade is the only one of any potential relevance in The Legend of Ransei. Its offensive typing is neutral to poor against most of the remaining kingdoms, and it is stuck with the mediocre Bustle skill, but it has excellent stats compared to most of your units when first obtained and it never falls off. The majority of Pokemon in this game have some sort of babying stage, and it's nice that Gallade doesn't. Gallade is essentially what Espeon could have been if it had a reasonable evolution requirement.
Kenshin (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Kagekatsu (100%), Kanetsugu (90%), Yoshihiro (72-90%)
Tomonori, Chikamasa, Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Tadamoto, Tomonobu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Ujichika, Tsunashige, Munenori (70%), Takahiro (68%)
Earliest availability:
Terrera/Illusio (guaranteed recruit)
Kenshin's Gallade is the only one of any potential relevance in The Legend of Ransei. Its offensive typing is neutral to poor against most of the remaining kingdoms, and it is stuck with the mediocre Bustle skill, but it has excellent stats compared to most of your units when first obtained and it never falls off. The majority of Pokemon in this game have some sort of babying stage, and it's nice that Gallade doesn't. Gallade is essentially what Espeon could have been if it had a reasonable evolution requirement.
Starting:
Nagayasu (60%)
Compatible warriors:
Player (90%), Oichi (90%)
Go, Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Nobuchika, Morichika, Chikamasa, Norishige, Takeyoshi (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (wild)
Evolution: 29-38%
This takes some explaining. It turns out that the Simple ability also affects the Attack you gain from equipping a Power Wristband, so instead of being boosted by 1.5 times, Bidoof's Attack stat is TRIPLED. This means that the average Bidoof has the same base Attack stat as Carnivine when holding a Power Wristband. And when it evolves into Bibarel, which occurs fairly early, it has a higher base Attack stat than Mega Heracross. Bibarel is disgustingly powerful and deals the equivalent of super-effective damage against anything that doesn't resist Normal. Of course, it is the Pokemon that has the most to lose from its Power Wristband breaking at random, and it especially hates being hit by Mud-Slap and Intimidate. But its power is absolutely no joke, despite how funny it is. It can be used unironically as a Jigglypuff replacement for Oichi, and is the strongest immediately available option for not just her, but anyone who can link with it. Just be sure to check that Bidoof actually has the Simple ability. Without it, Bibarel is barely better than Wigglytuff.
Nagayasu (60%)
Compatible warriors:
Player (90%), Oichi (90%)
Go, Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Nobuchika, Morichika, Chikamasa, Norishige, Takeyoshi (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (wild)
Evolution: 29-38%
This takes some explaining. It turns out that the Simple ability also affects the Attack you gain from equipping a Power Wristband, so instead of being boosted by 1.5 times, Bidoof's Attack stat is TRIPLED. This means that the average Bidoof has the same base Attack stat as Carnivine when holding a Power Wristband. And when it evolves into Bibarel, which occurs fairly early, it has a higher base Attack stat than Mega Heracross. Bibarel is disgustingly powerful and deals the equivalent of super-effective damage against anything that doesn't resist Normal. Of course, it is the Pokemon that has the most to lose from its Power Wristband breaking at random, and it especially hates being hit by Mud-Slap and Intimidate. But its power is absolutely no joke, despite how funny it is. It can be used unironically as a Jigglypuff replacement for Oichi, and is the strongest immediately available option for not just her, but anyone who can link with it. Just be sure to check that Bidoof actually has the Simple ability. Without it, Bibarel is barely better than Wigglytuff.
Starting:
Kagekatsu (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Kanetsugu (90-100%), Takahiro (100%), Player (88-90%), Oichi (90%), Kenshin (90%)
Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Tomonobu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Hana, Sen (70%), Tsunashige (68%)
Earliest availability:
Illusio (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 31-36% / 55%
Abra functionally has no dud phase because it can always be found at a high enough link to immediately evolve into an above-average Psychic attacker, and its stats are distributed exactly where you'd want them to be. It is frail compared to Gallade, but its offensive stats and attack range are slightly better after it evolves into Alakazam. And if it has Life Force, it becomes quite resistant to being chipped down neutrally (though it still gets vaporized by strong super-effective attacks).
Kagekatsu (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Kanetsugu (90-100%), Takahiro (100%), Player (88-90%), Oichi (90%), Kenshin (90%)
Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Tomonobu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Hana, Sen (70%), Tsunashige (68%)
Earliest availability:
Illusio (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 31-36% / 55%
Abra functionally has no dud phase because it can always be found at a high enough link to immediately evolve into an above-average Psychic attacker, and its stats are distributed exactly where you'd want them to be. It is frail compared to Gallade, but its offensive stats and attack range are slightly better after it evolves into Alakazam. And if it has Life Force, it becomes quite resistant to being chipped down neutrally (though it still gets vaporized by strong super-effective attacks).
Starting:
Chikamasa (70%), Tadasumi (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Go (100%), Player (90%), Oichi (80-90%), Kanetsugu (90%)
Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Nobuchika, Morichika, Takayori, Takeyoshi, Kagekatsu (70%)
Earliest availability:
Fontaine (warrior)
Evolution: 30-38% / 47-56%
Piplup is a good Pokemon that unfortunately might only see limited use, because between the time you obtain Piplup and the time you're strong enough to encounter a Magikarp that will immediately evolve and outclass it, there are zero major battles where you need a Water-type attacker. You can bring Prinplup to Terrera to terrorize the Ground- and Fire-types, and it is quite good there, but it does not take a Rally-boosted Rock Wrecker any better than Gyarados does. Empoleon has one of the best defensive typings in the game and equivalent offenses to Vaporeon, and is a solid Water-type for the endgame. It will always be competing for a team slot with Gyarados, but on some maps there's a case to be made for bringing both.
Chikamasa (70%), Tadasumi (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Go (100%), Player (90%), Oichi (80-90%), Kanetsugu (90%)
Kazumasu, Yoshitaka, Nobuchika, Morichika, Takayori, Takeyoshi, Kagekatsu (70%)
Earliest availability:
Fontaine (warrior)
Evolution: 30-38% / 47-56%
Piplup is a good Pokemon that unfortunately might only see limited use, because between the time you obtain Piplup and the time you're strong enough to encounter a Magikarp that will immediately evolve and outclass it, there are zero major battles where you need a Water-type attacker. You can bring Prinplup to Terrera to terrorize the Ground- and Fire-types, and it is quite good there, but it does not take a Rally-boosted Rock Wrecker any better than Gyarados does. Empoleon has one of the best defensive typings in the game and equivalent offenses to Vaporeon, and is a solid Water-type for the endgame. It will always be competing for a team slot with Gyarados, but on some maps there's a case to be made for bringing both.
Starting:
Masatoyo (70%), Yataro (50%)
Compatible warriors:
Kei (100%), Ume (100%), Shingen (90%)
Nobufusa (70%), Tomonori (70%), Tadatsugu (68%)
Availability:
Terrera (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 44-51%
Although the offensive efficiency of Dig is questionable, Drilbur is very much worth evolving as Excadrill is the only decent user of a Ground-type move. It is the absolute best Pokemon to use against Zekrom, and also crushes Valora as long as it's deployed in slot 4-6 to make it spawn at the top right corner. Run Up is its only useful ability and it is almost certainly overkill.
Masatoyo (70%), Yataro (50%)
Compatible warriors:
Kei (100%), Ume (100%), Shingen (90%)
Nobufusa (70%), Tomonori (70%), Tadatsugu (68%)
Availability:
Terrera (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 44-51%
Although the offensive efficiency of Dig is questionable, Drilbur is very much worth evolving as Excadrill is the only decent user of a Ground-type move. It is the absolute best Pokemon to use against Zekrom, and also crushes Valora as long as it's deployed in slot 4-6 to make it spawn at the top right corner. Run Up is its only useful ability and it is almost certainly overkill.
Starting:
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Oichi (90%), Yukimura (90%), Chacha (70%), Nagayasu (70%)
Availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Fire Stone (cutscene after Cragspur)
Despite Flareon's terrible reputation, even the worst stone Eeveelution contributes far more to an efficient Pokemon Conquest playthrough than an unevolved Eevee does, and if you want to delay evolution in the hopes of getting an Eeveelution other than Vaporeon, Jolteon, or Flareon, an unevolved Eevee is essentially what you have chosen. (You would also be forfeiting the opportunity to receive additional Eevee through the random event.) Flareon does not have any especially great matchups in the remainder of the game, but it doesn't have any disastrous ones either, which is not a bad trait to have for a unit that must be brought to every major battle. Fire Fang may not be impressive, but would you rather be using Quick Attack?
Player (100%)
Compatible warriors:
Oichi (90%), Yukimura (90%), Chacha (70%), Nagayasu (70%)
Availability:
Aurora (starter), Cragspur (random event)
Evolution: Fire Stone (cutscene after Cragspur)
Despite Flareon's terrible reputation, even the worst stone Eeveelution contributes far more to an efficient Pokemon Conquest playthrough than an unevolved Eevee does, and if you want to delay evolution in the hopes of getting an Eeveelution other than Vaporeon, Jolteon, or Flareon, an unevolved Eevee is essentially what you have chosen. (You would also be forfeiting the opportunity to receive additional Eevee through the random event.) Flareon does not have any especially great matchups in the remainder of the game, but it doesn't have any disastrous ones either, which is not a bad trait to have for a unit that must be brought to every major battle. Fire Fang may not be impressive, but would you rather be using Quick Attack?
Starting:
none
Compatible warriors:
Tsunamoto (100%), Kunoichi (82-90%), Aya (90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Dosetsu, Hidemitsu, Toshimitsu, Shigemoto, Mitsutada, Fujitaka, Sessai (70%), Tadaoki, Tenkai (68%)
Earliest availability:
Nixtorm (wild)
Evolution: 49-56%
Does basically the same thing that Glaceon does, with one incredibly important distinction: unlike Glaceon, it does not force you to carry its useless pre-evolved form as a millstone around your neck for six major battles. Bring your strongest squad, link a wild Snorunt to any compatible warrior, and you're good to go for Dragnor. Your accuracy against Rayquaza might be a bit iffy, but it'll still be better than what Glaceon's would have been. And you can use Dosetsu if you're worried about missing. The fact that Glalie dies to Fire Spin doesn't matter because you only need it to take out one target anyway. It's a mediocre Pokemon overall, but it is the best option for an Ice-type, and an Ice-type should be on every endgame team.
none
Compatible warriors:
Tsunamoto (100%), Kunoichi (82-90%), Aya (90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Dosetsu, Hidemitsu, Toshimitsu, Shigemoto, Mitsutada, Fujitaka, Sessai (70%), Tadaoki, Tenkai (68%)
Earliest availability:
Nixtorm (wild)
Evolution: 49-56%
Does basically the same thing that Glaceon does, with one incredibly important distinction: unlike Glaceon, it does not force you to carry its useless pre-evolved form as a millstone around your neck for six major battles. Bring your strongest squad, link a wild Snorunt to any compatible warrior, and you're good to go for Dragnor. Your accuracy against Rayquaza might be a bit iffy, but it'll still be better than what Glaceon's would have been. And you can use Dosetsu if you're worried about missing. The fact that Glalie dies to Fire Spin doesn't matter because you only need it to take out one target anyway. It's a mediocre Pokemon overall, but it is the best option for an Ice-type, and an Ice-type should be on every endgame team.
Starting:
Kanetsugu (90%), Sen (70%), Saizo (44%)
Compatible warriors:
PlayerM (84-90%), PlayerF (86-88%), Kenshin (90%)
Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Kagekatsu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Hana, Ujichika (70%), Takahiro (68%)
Earliest availability:
Illusio (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 32-43% / 42-52%
Ralts is so terrible that it is debatable whether its ability to attack outweighs the movement range and Teleport utility of Abra. The good news is that it is likely to evolve immediately; the bad news is that Kirlia is still fairly weak. Gardevoir does fulfill the role of a strong Psychic-type attacker, but in the latter half of the episode, there is essentially no demand for this role. Gallade and Alakazam barely get a pass due to being usable right away. With Gardevoir, you're stuck with a useless Kirlia for essentially the same payoff. But the payoff itself is fine, and Gardevoir will defeat most targets that it can hit neutrally.
Kanetsugu (90%), Sen (70%), Saizo (44%)
Compatible warriors:
PlayerM (84-90%), PlayerF (86-88%), Kenshin (90%)
Tadaoki, Fujitaka, Kagekatsu, Sadamitsu, Saneyori, Hana, Ujichika (70%), Takahiro (68%)
Earliest availability:
Illusio (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 32-43% / 42-52%
Ralts is so terrible that it is debatable whether its ability to attack outweighs the movement range and Teleport utility of Abra. The good news is that it is likely to evolve immediately; the bad news is that Kirlia is still fairly weak. Gardevoir does fulfill the role of a strong Psychic-type attacker, but in the latter half of the episode, there is essentially no demand for this role. Gallade and Alakazam barely get a pass due to being usable right away. With Gardevoir, you're stuck with a useless Kirlia for essentially the same payoff. But the payoff itself is fine, and Gardevoir will defeat most targets that it can hit neutrally.
Starting:
Ginchiyo (98-100%)
Compatible warriors:
Dosetsu (100%), Takatane (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%)
Norishige, Takayori, Tadasumi, Shoun, Akizane, Kiyo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 28-38% / 43-50%
Shinx is barely strong enough to 2HKO Sessai's Spheal in Chrysalia, but thankfully it evolves very quickly into Luxio, which is the crown jewel of its evolutionary line and should not be permitted to evolve into Luxray. Luxio dunks on Pugilis with AoE Discharge and does an okay job of safely chipping down Gallade should you choose to invade Illusio instead of Terrera for whatever reason. It will likely attempt to evolve around Yaksha or Viperia, and this is when you may start to notice Luxio's lack of bulk. It's recommended to hold out for a while longer as Luxio before switching to Galvantula, since Galvantula has a higher evolution requirement than Luxray, and Luxio is still a lot better than Joltik. Luxio will have a power spike in the form of Run Up if it is still unevolved by the time Valora's Mystery Spring is unlocked, but this is of questionable value.
Ginchiyo (98-100%)
Compatible warriors:
Dosetsu (100%), Takatane (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%)
Norishige, Takayori, Tadasumi, Shoun, Akizane, Kiyo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 28-38% / 43-50%
Shinx is barely strong enough to 2HKO Sessai's Spheal in Chrysalia, but thankfully it evolves very quickly into Luxio, which is the crown jewel of its evolutionary line and should not be permitted to evolve into Luxray. Luxio dunks on Pugilis with AoE Discharge and does an okay job of safely chipping down Gallade should you choose to invade Illusio instead of Terrera for whatever reason. It will likely attempt to evolve around Yaksha or Viperia, and this is when you may start to notice Luxio's lack of bulk. It's recommended to hold out for a while longer as Luxio before switching to Galvantula, since Galvantula has a higher evolution requirement than Luxray, and Luxio is still a lot better than Joltik. Luxio will have a power spike in the form of Run Up if it is still unevolved by the time Valora's Mystery Spring is unlocked, but this is of questionable value.
Starting:
Genba (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Hatsume (100%), Hidetada (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (80-90%), Kunoichi (90%), Yukimura (84-90%), Shingen (78-88%)
Tomonori, Morichika, Chikamasa, Sorin, Chiyome, Takahiro, Ittetsu, Shimoyama, Genba, Isuke, Tadatsugu, Kazumasa, Munenori, Hisahide, Bokuden (70%), Kame (68%)
Earliest availability:
Yaksha (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 53-62%
Pawniard has a very late evolution, which is unfortunate. However, Pawniard itself is a perfectly fine Dark-type attacker with better offensive stats and a better typing than Umbreon. It is very easy to set up the bonus damage of Assurance in a 6v6 battle, and when you're hitting with bonus damage on Assurance, it effectively has higher base power than Rock Wrecker. Pretty much every Dark-type specialist who intends to use the Dark type offensively should immediately switch to Pawniard when it becomes available. It is the gold standard of Dark-type damage among both the unevolved and fully-evolved.
Genba (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Hatsume (100%), Hidetada (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (80-90%), Kunoichi (90%), Yukimura (84-90%), Shingen (78-88%)
Tomonori, Morichika, Chikamasa, Sorin, Chiyome, Takahiro, Ittetsu, Shimoyama, Genba, Isuke, Tadatsugu, Kazumasa, Munenori, Hisahide, Bokuden (70%), Kame (68%)
Earliest availability:
Yaksha (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 53-62%
Pawniard has a very late evolution, which is unfortunate. However, Pawniard itself is a perfectly fine Dark-type attacker with better offensive stats and a better typing than Umbreon. It is very easy to set up the bonus damage of Assurance in a 6v6 battle, and when you're hitting with bonus damage on Assurance, it effectively has higher base power than Rock Wrecker. Pretty much every Dark-type specialist who intends to use the Dark type offensively should immediately switch to Pawniard when it becomes available. It is the gold standard of Dark-type damage among both the unevolved and fully-evolved.
Starting:
Yoshihiro (90-100%), Tadamoto (70%), Kanemori (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Takahisa (100%), Tokitaka (100%), Koroku (100%), Kenshin (82-90%)
Takanobu, Nagayoshi, Takeyoshi, Tadamoto, Tadatsune, Hisaaki, Masatoshi, Soun, Tsunashige (70%)
Earliest availability:
Pugilis (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 38-45% / 60%
Gurdurr's main contributions to your playthrough will likely be as a Gurdurr. While the Fighting type has its ups and downs, it is usually pretty obvious when you should be fielding it and when you should not. It is unfortunately held back by its low Speed stat in the final battles, but it is a solid damage dealer in the midgame, and can still be brought to the endgame if you're willing to accept that it will either score the jackpot or do absolutely nothing. Superpower's stat drops do not stack, so you don't have to worry about dropping to -6.
Yoshihiro (90-100%), Tadamoto (70%), Kanemori (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Takahisa (100%), Tokitaka (100%), Koroku (100%), Kenshin (82-90%)
Takanobu, Nagayoshi, Takeyoshi, Tadamoto, Tadatsune, Hisaaki, Masatoshi, Soun, Tsunashige (70%)
Earliest availability:
Pugilis (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 38-45% / 60%
Gurdurr's main contributions to your playthrough will likely be as a Gurdurr. While the Fighting type has its ups and downs, it is usually pretty obvious when you should be fielding it and when you should not. It is unfortunately held back by its low Speed stat in the final battles, but it is a solid damage dealer in the midgame, and can still be brought to the endgame if you're willing to accept that it will either score the jackpot or do absolutely nothing. Superpower's stat drops do not stack, so you don't have to worry about dropping to -6.
Starting:
Takahisa (70%), Tsunashige (70%), Munetoki (46%), Motozane (46%), Dosetsu (42%)
Compatible warriors:
Tadatsune (100%), Masatoshi (100%), Yoshihiro (90%), Kenshin (82-90%)
Takanobu, Kazumasu, Nagayoshi, Koroku, Takeyoshi, Tadamoto, Hisaaki, Kanemori, Saizo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Pugilis (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 41-48% / 60%
Machop is extremely similar to Timburr in both its first and second stages, but Machamp has significantly better endgame potential than Conkeldurr. Unlike Conkeldurr who becomes weaker for a turn after it attacks, Machamp becomes stronger for the rest of the battle after it attacks and KOs an opponent if it has the Conqueror ability (which Thrust becomes upon evolution). The only disadvantage is that Machop needs to reach 44% to evolve and catch up to Gurdurr, but it's not like Machop is a weak Pokemon at all. The most efficient approach is to use Gurdurr, then switch to Machop when it can be encountered at a high enough level to evolve immediately. The accuracy of Cross Chop can be disappointing, but Machamp does have the means to improve it slightly by getting a Conqueror boost, and most of its Fighting-weak targets are slow enough for it to not be a huge problem.
Takahisa (70%), Tsunashige (70%), Munetoki (46%), Motozane (46%), Dosetsu (42%)
Compatible warriors:
Tadatsune (100%), Masatoshi (100%), Yoshihiro (90%), Kenshin (82-90%)
Takanobu, Kazumasu, Nagayoshi, Koroku, Takeyoshi, Tadamoto, Hisaaki, Kanemori, Saizo (70%)
Earliest availability:
Pugilis (warrior, wild)
Evolution: 41-48% / 60%
Machop is extremely similar to Timburr in both its first and second stages, but Machamp has significantly better endgame potential than Conkeldurr. Unlike Conkeldurr who becomes weaker for a turn after it attacks, Machamp becomes stronger for the rest of the battle after it attacks and KOs an opponent if it has the Conqueror ability (which Thrust becomes upon evolution). The only disadvantage is that Machop needs to reach 44% to evolve and catch up to Gurdurr, but it's not like Machop is a weak Pokemon at all. The most efficient approach is to use Gurdurr, then switch to Machop when it can be encountered at a high enough level to evolve immediately. The accuracy of Cross Chop can be disappointing, but Machamp does have the means to improve it slightly by getting a Conqueror boost, and most of its Fighting-weak targets are slow enough for it to not be a huge problem.
Starting:
Takatora (70%), Kei (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Yukimura (90-100%), Masakage (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%), Shingen (80-90%), Muneshige (80-90%)
Rikyu, Hideyori, Nagayasu, Hideaki, Hatsume, Tokitaka, Dosan, Jinpachi (70%), Motoharu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 30-37% / 47-58%
In contrast to Darumaka, Charmander's performance is more in line with what you'd expect from an earlygame Fire-type. Its ranged attack is decent for chipping enemies without getting in the way of your melee attackers, and its high movement is useful in general. It's also helpful that your first accessible Charmander has a 40% burn rate with Added Bonus, and burn is the most impactful non-volatile status condition and allows it to cheese some difficult enemies. It's a shame that it loses 1 range upon evolving into Charmeleon. It's also a shame that it loses 1 range upon evolving into Charizard. Charizard definitely suffers from its terrible movement range, but unlike many 2 range Pokemon, its range is its only major flaw. It still has decent endgame matchups into Nixtorm and Valora, and thanks to its Flying movement, it suffers less from these awful maps than your grounded 3 range Pokemon might.
Takatora (70%), Kei (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Yukimura (90-100%), Masakage (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%), Shingen (80-90%), Muneshige (80-90%)
Rikyu, Hideyori, Nagayasu, Hideaki, Hatsume, Tokitaka, Dosan, Jinpachi (70%), Motoharu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 30-37% / 47-58%
In contrast to Darumaka, Charmander's performance is more in line with what you'd expect from an earlygame Fire-type. Its ranged attack is decent for chipping enemies without getting in the way of your melee attackers, and its high movement is useful in general. It's also helpful that your first accessible Charmander has a 40% burn rate with Added Bonus, and burn is the most impactful non-volatile status condition and allows it to cheese some difficult enemies. It's a shame that it loses 1 range upon evolving into Charmeleon. It's also a shame that it loses 1 range upon evolving into Charizard. Charizard definitely suffers from its terrible movement range, but unlike many 2 range Pokemon, its range is its only major flaw. It still has decent endgame matchups into Nixtorm and Valora, and thanks to its Flying movement, it suffers less from these awful maps than your grounded 3 range Pokemon might.
Starting:
Hideaki (70%), Hideyori (70%), Koroku (70%), Yukimura (90%)
Compatible warriors:
Yoshihiro (90%), Shingen (82-90%), Kenshin (80-90%)
Takanobu, Nagayoshi, Rikyu, Nagayasu, Tadamoto, Tadatsune, Takahisa, Hisaaki, Masatoshi, Kanemori, Tokitaka, Masakage, Kei, Soun, Tsunashige (70%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 31-40% / 48-55%
Hideaki's Tepig is the third-best (i.e. worst) Fire type you can obtain before linking is unlocked, and since you are unlikely to need more than two Fire-types at the same time, you will probably not be fielding it outside of maybe Greenleaf. Your first real exposure to the Tepig line comes with Yukimura, whose Tepig immediately evolves into Pignite. Even if you were using Hideaki up until now, you should switch to Yukimura because Yukimura has a much better skill and Hideaki's stats are very bad. Surprisingly, Pignite is a very strong Pokemon with a solid Attack stat and a powerful move in Heat Crash. And that's where this evolutionary line peaks, because Emboar, like many others, is severely hindered by its movement range of 2, which is a real shame because otherwise it would essentially be like running an off-brand version of Darmanitan. But even off-brand Darmanitan with a torn ACL can hold its own in combat purely on the merits of being a Fire Blast user. While starter Tepig always come with Blaze, wild Tepig have a roughly 50% chance to have the overpowered Spirit ability, so it may be worth considering swapping to a wild one.
Hideaki (70%), Hideyori (70%), Koroku (70%), Yukimura (90%)
Compatible warriors:
Yoshihiro (90%), Shingen (82-90%), Kenshin (80-90%)
Takanobu, Nagayoshi, Rikyu, Nagayasu, Tadamoto, Tadatsune, Takahisa, Hisaaki, Masatoshi, Kanemori, Tokitaka, Masakage, Kei, Soun, Tsunashige (70%)
Earliest availability:
Ignis (warrior)
Evolution: 31-40% / 48-55%
Hideaki's Tepig is the third-best (i.e. worst) Fire type you can obtain before linking is unlocked, and since you are unlikely to need more than two Fire-types at the same time, you will probably not be fielding it outside of maybe Greenleaf. Your first real exposure to the Tepig line comes with Yukimura, whose Tepig immediately evolves into Pignite. Even if you were using Hideaki up until now, you should switch to Yukimura because Yukimura has a much better skill and Hideaki's stats are very bad. Surprisingly, Pignite is a very strong Pokemon with a solid Attack stat and a powerful move in Heat Crash. And that's where this evolutionary line peaks, because Emboar, like many others, is severely hindered by its movement range of 2, which is a real shame because otherwise it would essentially be like running an off-brand version of Darmanitan. But even off-brand Darmanitan with a torn ACL can hold its own in combat purely on the merits of being a Fire Blast user. While starter Tepig always come with Blaze, wild Tepig have a roughly 50% chance to have the overpowered Spirit ability, so it may be worth considering swapping to a wild one.
Starting:
Sadatoshi (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Murashige (100%), Takakage (100%), Yataro (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Urakusai, Rikyu, Motoharu, Terumoto, Takeyoshi, Ekei, Takamoto, Soun, Dosan, Yoshiaki (70%)
Earliest availability:
Greenleaf (warrior)
Evolution: 31-37% / 48-56%
Treecko is what you use if you want to bring a Grass-type to the endgame. You probably don't want to bring a Grass-type to the endgame, but its midgame contributions as a Grovyle are solid enough for it to be worth considering if you want some variety besides just Carnivine. Leaf Blade hits respectably hard even neutrally, and Grovyle has a better defensive typing against Cragspur than Gyarados. (Pansear's Flame Burst is not scary at all due to the incompetent AI not recognizing that the middle tile of Flame Burst deals more damage.) Sceptile is a bit disappointing, but it has its uses. It's not terrible against Nixtorm since you can nuke Lapras with Mighty Blow if you linked it to Motoharu, and possibly even survive the next turn since the only Ice-types remaining have bad Speed stats.
Sadatoshi (70%)
Compatible warriors:
Murashige (100%), Takakage (100%), Yataro (100%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Urakusai, Rikyu, Motoharu, Terumoto, Takeyoshi, Ekei, Takamoto, Soun, Dosan, Yoshiaki (70%)
Earliest availability:
Greenleaf (warrior)
Evolution: 31-37% / 48-56%
Treecko is what you use if you want to bring a Grass-type to the endgame. You probably don't want to bring a Grass-type to the endgame, but its midgame contributions as a Grovyle are solid enough for it to be worth considering if you want some variety besides just Carnivine. Leaf Blade hits respectably hard even neutrally, and Grovyle has a better defensive typing against Cragspur than Gyarados. (Pansear's Flame Burst is not scary at all due to the incompetent AI not recognizing that the middle tile of Flame Burst deals more damage.) Sceptile is a bit disappointing, but it has its uses. It's not terrible against Nixtorm since you can nuke Lapras with Mighty Blow if you linked it to Motoharu, and possibly even survive the next turn since the only Ice-types remaining have bad Speed stats.
Starting:
Masakage (70%)
Earliest availability:
Terrera (warrior)
Evolution: Metal Coat (merchant)
Scyther itself is a perfectly capable battler even at 40%, but that's exactly the issue. Until you can buy a Metal Coat for it, it's capped at 40%, and it will have to catch up with the rest of your army after evolving into Scizor. Thankfully, Scizor is strong enough that it never feels like you have to baby it, and it is by far the best user of a Bug-type move in the entire episode. Also, if you bought an extra Metal Coat, you can equip it to Scizor and it will act as an unbreakable Power Wristband. It's recommended to just use Masakage as a mining mule until an opportunity to evolve Scyther presents itself.
Masakage (70%)
Earliest availability:
Terrera (warrior)
Evolution: Metal Coat (merchant)
Scyther itself is a perfectly capable battler even at 40%, but that's exactly the issue. Until you can buy a Metal Coat for it, it's capped at 40%, and it will have to catch up with the rest of your army after evolving into Scizor. Thankfully, Scizor is strong enough that it never feels like you have to baby it, and it is by far the best user of a Bug-type move in the entire episode. Also, if you bought an extra Metal Coat, you can equip it to Scizor and it will act as an unbreakable Power Wristband. It's recommended to just use Masakage as a mining mule until an opportunity to evolve Scyther presents itself.
Starting:
Soun (44%)
Compatible warriors:
Yasutomo (100%), Motozane (100%), Ginchiyo (98%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%), Yoshimoto (90%)
Hideaki, Norishige, Takayori, Tadasumi, Dosetsu, Shoun, Akizane, Takatane, Kiyo, Shigezane, Ujichika, Ujizane, Masatsuna, Ujihiro, Tsunashige, Munenori, Kame (70%), Motoharu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (wild)
Evolution: 47-58%
Joltik is the best available unevolved Electric-type, and Galvantula is the best fully-evolved Electric-type aside from Jolteon. The issue is that Joltik has a poor midgame compared to Luxio or even Flaaffy. Even with Electro Ball's fairly generous damage formula, those stats are just too low for it to deal meaningful damage when not hitting super effectively. That said, it's probably a good idea to bring it to Avia and feed it some cherry-picked KOs, because once it reaches Galvantula, it is very good. It does decent damage, spreads paralysis easily, and forms a neat synergy with Jolteon by triggering its own Sequence ability while also healing Jolteon through Volt Absorb. Every Electric-type specialist without a Jolteon should eventually be using this.
Soun (44%)
Compatible warriors:
Yasutomo (100%), Motozane (100%), Ginchiyo (98%), PlayerM (90%), PlayerF (88-90%), Oichi (82-90%), Yoshimoto (90%)
Hideaki, Norishige, Takayori, Tadasumi, Dosetsu, Shoun, Akizane, Takatane, Kiyo, Shigezane, Ujichika, Ujizane, Masatsuna, Ujihiro, Tsunashige, Munenori, Kame (70%), Motoharu (68%)
Earliest availability:
Violight (wild)
Evolution: 47-58%
Joltik is the best available unevolved Electric-type, and Galvantula is the best fully-evolved Electric-type aside from Jolteon. The issue is that Joltik has a poor midgame compared to Luxio or even Flaaffy. Even with Electro Ball's fairly generous damage formula, those stats are just too low for it to deal meaningful damage when not hitting super effectively. That said, it's probably a good idea to bring it to Avia and feed it some cherry-picked KOs, because once it reaches Galvantula, it is very good. It does decent damage, spreads paralysis easily, and forms a neat synergy with Jolteon by triggering its own Sequence ability while also healing Jolteon through Volt Absorb. Every Electric-type specialist without a Jolteon should eventually be using this.
Starting:
none
Compatible warriors:
Yoshitatsu (100%), Bokuzen (100%), Saizo (100%), Yoshimoto (80-90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Sandayu, Morikiyo, Kashinkoji, Seikuro, Soun, Dosan, Morinari, Omi, Asa, Yazaemon, Tenkai, Jinpachi (70%)
Earliest availability:
Viperia (wild)
Evolution: 39-44% / 60%
Lick is not a strong move, but since it's coming from a Pokemon with the same Attack stat as Carnivine, it is not as laughable as it is in the main series. Gastly is at least capable of defeating targets that it has a type advantage against. And once it evolves into Haunter, it becomes a fully functional offensive unit, if a bit on the frail side. Hex is quite powerful coming off Haunter's mighty Attack stat and cleanly OHKOs Mismagius if it gets statused, and several other maps have status-inflicting stage hazards that you can take advantage of. It's not really blowing you away in the endgame either as a Haunter or a Gengar, but it is the best Pokemon that most Poison-type specialists get.
none
Compatible warriors:
Yoshitatsu (100%), Bokuzen (100%), Saizo (100%), Yoshimoto (80-90%), PlayerF (86-88%)
Sandayu, Morikiyo, Kashinkoji, Seikuro, Soun, Dosan, Morinari, Omi, Asa, Yazaemon, Tenkai, Jinpachi (70%)
Earliest availability:
Viperia (wild)
Evolution: 39-44% / 60%
Lick is not a strong move, but since it's coming from a Pokemon with the same Attack stat as Carnivine, it is not as laughable as it is in the main series. Gastly is at least capable of defeating targets that it has a type advantage against. And once it evolves into Haunter, it becomes a fully functional offensive unit, if a bit on the frail side. Hex is quite powerful coming off Haunter's mighty Attack stat and cleanly OHKOs Mismagius if it gets statused, and several other maps have status-inflicting stage hazards that you can take advantage of. It's not really blowing you away in the endgame either as a Haunter or a Gengar, but it is the best Pokemon that most Poison-type specialists get.
Starting:
Takeyoshi (58%), Omi (44%), Kiyo (38%)
Compatible warriors:
Ekei (100%), Yoshiaki (100%)
Urakusai, Murashige, Takatora, Rikyu, Takakage, Terumoto, Takamoto, Sadatoshi, Yataro, Shimoyama (70%)
Earliest availability:
Greenleaf (warrior)
Carnivine is one of the more surprising tiering anomalies in Pokemon Conquest. As the first fully-evolved Pokemon the player can access, it overwhelms the earlygame with its sheer stats and is by far the strongest Pokemon you will likely have. Apart from destroying Fontaine, it also has a good matchup into Violight and Pugilis simply because it ignores the maps' main gimmicks with Levitate. Cragspur is its last good matchup; afterwards, you have no need for Carnivine, nor any Grass-type for that matter. Takeyoshi's Carnivine should be used as the playthrough's main Carnivine until he is ready to transition into Gyarados.
Takeyoshi (58%), Omi (44%), Kiyo (38%)
Compatible warriors:
Ekei (100%), Yoshiaki (100%)
Urakusai, Murashige, Takatora, Rikyu, Takakage, Terumoto, Takamoto, Sadatoshi, Yataro, Shimoyama (70%)
Earliest availability:
Greenleaf (warrior)
Carnivine is one of the more surprising tiering anomalies in Pokemon Conquest. As the first fully-evolved Pokemon the player can access, it overwhelms the earlygame with its sheer stats and is by far the strongest Pokemon you will likely have. Apart from destroying Fontaine, it also has a good matchup into Violight and Pugilis simply because it ignores the maps' main gimmicks with Levitate. Cragspur is its last good matchup; afterwards, you have no need for Carnivine, nor any Grass-type for that matter. Takeyoshi's Carnivine should be used as the playthrough's main Carnivine until he is ready to transition into Gyarados.
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