Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
70
|
- |
145 |
177 |
- |
| Atk |
65
|
76 |
85 |
117 |
128 |
| Def |
60
|
72 |
80 |
112 |
123 |
| SpA |
90
|
99 |
110 |
142 |
156 |
| SpD |
75
|
85 |
95 |
127 |
139 |
| Spe |
90
|
99 |
110 |
142 |
156 |
Overview
Venomoth is usually considered inferior to other Pokemon, due to its NU status and Bug typing. If one looks past these "disadvantages", however, one will find that Venomoth can prove to be a consistently useful team member. This fragile-looking moth has many assets, the most prominent being Tinted Lens, an ability that helps Venomoth hit so-called counters hard, by turning 4x resistances into 2x resistances and 2x resistances into neutral hits. Tinted Lens gives Venomoth unresisted coverage against every UU and NU Pokemon except Shedinja. Combine that coverage with respectable Special Attack and Speed stats, and Venomoth becomes a force to be reckoned with. Venomoth's usefulness doesn't end with offense, though. It can also prove to be a good supporting Pokemon, boasting 4x resistances to Grass- and Fighting-type attacks, Sleep Powder, Toxic Spikes, Stun Spore, Baton Pass, and Sunny Day. With a number of ways to fit into a team, Venomoth is living proof that Bug-types aren't as weak as they are commonly thought to be.
What sets Venomoth apart from other Bug-types is its ability, Tinted Lens, which allows it to have an easier time sweeping. In conjunction with its ability, Venomoth can run a sweeping set with Bug Buzz and Psychic, two of Venomoth's most powerful attacks. Venomoth also has Sleep Powder to put enemies that attempt to counter the moth to sleep. Roost allows Venomoth to heal off damage from Life Orb, entry hazards, and the Grass- or Fighting-type attacks that Venomoth will be switching into. Substitute can be used over Psychic to ease prediction, but it takes away the coverage that Psychic provides alongside Bug Buzz.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Rapid Spin support is useful due to Venomoth's Stealth Rock weakness in addition to Life Orb's recoil. Hitmontop is Venomoth's best partner, removing Stealth Rock, Chansey, and Registeel all by itself. Donphan is a viable alternative to Hitmontop, as it possesses essentially the same attributes and is immune to Thunder Wave. This set also appreciates Wish support, since it will be steadily losing health with each attack. Clefable and Chansey are both excellent choices, especially since their lone Fighting-type weakness is covered by Venomoth's 4x resistance.
Other Fighting-types, most notably Hitmonlee, Hariyama, and Blaziken, can help finish off Pokemon that Venomoth can't kill and benefit from Venomoth's ability to cripple a team. Rhyperior deals with Fire-, Flying-, and Rock-types, while also luring in Fighting- and Grass-types for Venomoth to switch into; Rhyperior also appreciates Venomoth's ability to soften up the opponent's team. Dugtrio kills off Chansey and Registeel easily and can absorb incoming Thunder Waves. Claydol can switch into Rock- and Psychic-type attacks, while also spinning away Stealth Rock and setting up its own. It also threatens the Chansey and Registeel duo, with Explosion for the former and STAB Earth Power for the latter. Ludicolo and Lanturn can defeat Milotic easily, while also deterring Fire-types from switching in. Ironically, Milotic makes a good teammate, defeating Fire-types such as Arcanine and Moltres, while luring in Grass-types which are beaten by Venomoth.
While Choice sets are dangerous on many Pokemon, Choiced Venomoth is far more dangerous; this is thanks to Tinted Lens, which makes it harder for opponents to switch in on predicted moves. Bug Buzz and Psychic are Venomoth's main attacking moves, as they provide great coverage with Tinted Lens and power. U-turn allows Venomoth to scout the opponent, allowing you to switch in a counter and gain momentum. Sleep Powder rounds off the set by allowing Venomoth to cripple enemies, giving other teammates the chance to sweep.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maxing Speed and Special Attack allow Venomoth to outpace many Pokemon, such as Nidoking and Blaziken, while hitting as hard as possible. The four remaining EVs are dumped into Defense so that Venomoth can switch into Stealth Rock four times without fainting. If a Choice Scarf is being used, the nature can be changed to Modest, since Venomoth will still outrun every non-boosted Pokemon in UU, including Hasty Electrode.
Once again, Venomoth greatly appreciates Rapid Spin support. Hitmontop is still a prime candidate as a teammate, because it can do severe damage to both Registeel and Chansey, Venomoth's best counters, while keeping Stealth Rock off the field. Donphan is an excellent option as it can also perform the same job as Hitmontop. Houndoom can switch into Psychic- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Venomoth and can also hurt Registeel, but is helpless against Chansey.
Venomoth is one of the only viable users of Toxic Spikes, and it has reliable ways of preventing the enemy from foiling its plan. Sleep Powder puts the enemy to sleep, giving Venomoth the opportunity to set up Toxic Spikes on the switch. Bug Buzz and Psychic are Venomoth's obligatory attacking moves, and Psychic has the additional advantage of discouraging opposing Poison-types from switching in to absorb your Toxic Spikes. Roost can be used over Psychic if you are worried about Venomoth's survivability.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set can function as an effective lead with Focus Sash as the item, but Venomoth will want Leftovers for supporting the team mid-game. 156 HP EVs give Venomoth some bulk and a Leftovers number. 232 Speed EVs allow Venomoth to outrun Hitmonlee, and the rest are dumped into Special Attack for more offensive potential. These Special Attack EVs can be placed in one of Venomoth's defenses if more bulk is desired.
Dugtrio is an excellent partner to this Venomoth, as it can trap and KO most Poison-types that would otherwise absorb Toxic Spikes. Venomoth can probably deal with them on its own, though, thanks to Psychic and Sleep Powder. Venomoth also appreciates Houndoom and Blaziken as partners, as they can deal with opponents crippled by Toxic, most notably Milotic. Nidoking can defeat grounded Poison-types easily, and it can also sweep a team that has been sufficiently worn down by Venomoth.
While Sleep Powder is Venomoth's main status move, it also has access to Stun Spore, allowing Venomoth to become an effective double status user. After being slept, many enemies believe that they can switch in on a predicted Toxic Spikes or double switch, only to become crippled by Stun Spore. Bug Buzz and Psychic allow Venomoth to hurt debilitated opponents, leaving the opponent's team vulnerable for another teammate to sweep. Roost can be used over Psychic to give Venomoth a reliable recovery move so that it can survive longer.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Timid makes Venomoth fast enough to accomplish its job, and max Special Attack, combined with Tinted Lens, allow it to hit as hard as possible. Leftovers allows Venomoth to survive longer so that it can cripple more members of the opposing team. Wide Lens can be used if Roost has replaced Psychic, and if you are worried about Sleep Powder and Stun Spore's accuracy. If more power is desired, Life Orb can be used, although Venomoth's other sets are able to make better use of it. An alternative spread of 240 HP / 16 SpA / 252 Spe will result in Venomoth being bulkier, so that it can at least survive some hits should its status moves miss.
This Venomoth should be paired with a Pokemon that can take advantage of a mostly-disabled opposing team. Blaziken, Arcanine, and Houndoom can switch into Fire-type attacks relatively easily and take advantage of the opponent's switch. Houndoom has the added bonus of being immune to the Psychic-type attacks that could easily KO Venomoth. Rapid Spinners such as Hitmontop and Donphan can keep Venomoth alive longer by removing Stealth Rock. Finally, Wish support from Clefable or Chansey, both of which can also take special Fire- and Psychic-type attacks with ease, will allow Venomoth to keep switching in to hurt or cripple opponents.
Other Options
Venomoth has a healthy number of options it can use other than the ones listed in the sets. Shield Dust, Venomoth's other ability, allows Venomoth to take on moves such as Hariyama's Force Palm without fear of secondary effects. It can also use Silver Powder or Insect Plate over Life Orb on attacking sets, but the damage output will be noticeably lower. A Baton Pass set is viable on Venomoth, and works very well with Agility. Unfortunately, Sleep Powder is the only niche that separates Venomoth from other Baton Passers. Sludge Bomb is a good choice on the offensive sets, as it gets STAB and is pretty powerful, though it doesn't mesh well with Tinted Lens's effect. Protect and U-turn can be used along with Sleep Powder and Toxic Spikes to create a lead set, allowing Venomoth to function as a scout, though Venomoth really isn't bulky enough to reliably perform this role over the course of a match. Venomoth also can use Sunny Day pretty well, and it can learn SolarBeam and Morning Sun to benefit from it, but this only increases the danger of enemy Fire-types switching in. Energy Ball is another option, but it is only useful against bulky Water- and Rock-types, and offers mostly redundant coverage with Venomoth's primary attacking moves.
Checks and Counters
Chansey takes Venomoth's special attacks comfortably, thanks to its massive HP and high Special Defense stats, as well as access to instant recovery with Wish and Softboiled. It also threatens Venomoth with Thunder Wave, drastically reducing the fragile moth's effectiveness. Additionally, it can take Sleep Powder with no troubles at all as a result of Natural Cure. Registeel also takes on Venomoth's attacks easily, and threatens it with Iron Head against Venomoth's weaker Defense stat. Like Chansey, it can Thunder Wave Venomoth and set up Stealth Rock to discourage it from switching in again. The iron giant doesn't appreciate being slept, though.
Drapion also has the potential to ruin Venomoth's fun. It can get a free switch-in on Psychic, proceed to outspeed Venomoth, and then threaten it with Earthquake. As a plus, Drapion has the advantage of absorbing Toxic Spikes upon switching in, making all of Venomoth's set-up go to waste. Milotic, with its high HP and Special Defense stats, can wall Venomoth, and being slept makes it even harder to defeat with physically attacking teammates, though it doesn't like Toxic Spikes. Moltres hates being put to sleep, but if another teammate can take Sleep Powder for it, then Venomoth really can't do anything in return without dying painfully.
