oh boy time to commit seppuku because the lza release really screwed up the sudoku i had to do with starters for a project i'm planning
because the criteria I set for potential starters are
>not shillmons or highly likely to be picked more (or less) than the others
>all 9 are uniquely dualtyped so that each type gets exactly 1 starter
>typing is both innately dualtype and not any of the following specific combinations: Water/Dark, Ice/Fairy, Dragon/Ground, Normal/Ghost, Grass/Psychic, Rock/Fighting, Electric/Flying, Steel/Poison, Fire/Bug, Grass/Fire, Fire/Water, Water/Grass
>not a total shitmon but also not some OP competitive threat since I want to keep the choices actually balanced
>line is multiple stages (evolution methods aren't considered as i'm changing all 9 starter options to be fully evolved before the fourth gym anyways) and isn't a split evolution or otherwise has multiple mechanically different forms it can evolve into
>nothing that already has a mega evolution or is on the alleged DLC mega list
>not entirely reliant on its abilities to function
>not a pseudo legendary
>not an official starter
>and ideally changing types or adding entirely new evolutions would be an absolute last resort

as for the starter list I had planned before LZA torpedoed it twice
>Magnemite
>Shroomish
>Zigzagoon-Galar
>Tyrunt
>Swinub
>Natu
>Feebas (with Milotic changed to Water/Fairy)
and lastly, the two that got megas in LZA and forced me to redo the list
>Venipede
>Litwick

any ideas for this? my current draft has Magnemite/Shroomish/Zigzagoon-Galar/Tyrunt/Swinub/Natu/Cutiefly/Qwilfish (regional overqwil will exist)/Litwick before I realized that also gets a mega now
zigzagoon is staying no matter what since it's one of the few normal types that'd fit my criteria and more importantly i want it as a starter because I got a natural shiny of one in go 3 years ago
and ideally swinub gets to stay too because i already wrote the showderp sidequest with special dialog if you pick it