taking over for Calm Pokemaster taking over from drcossack. The old thread got through QC so this can straightaway be put in Copyediting, where jc104 already gave it a check here
Venusaur
[Overview]
<p>Venusaur hit the jackpot in BW as it received Chlorophyll from the Dream World, making it a dangerous offensive threat under the sun even in Ubers. Growth also provides a +2 boost to both Attack and Special Attack in sun, which means Venusaur's offensive stats skyrocket to over 500 with just one use of Growth. With Groudon reliably providing everlasting sun, all Venusaur needs is one turn of setup to wreak havoc with its boosted attacks. Access to Sleep Powder sets Venusaur apart from other Chlorophyll users such as Shiftry, making it much easier for Venusaur to set up. Venusaur's Poison typing also allows it to absorb Toxic Spikes, letting it support the rest of its team while also maintaining a strong offensive presence. Unfortunately, all is not sunshine for our giant plant monster: weather changers, which can instantly remove Venusaur's valuable sun, are prominent in Ubers. Moreover, Venusaur's offensive stats are simply not good enough for it to significantly damage titanic walls such as Lugia and Giratina. Its STAB attacks are also resisted by common Dragon- and Steel-type Pokemon, which can sponge even boosted hits. Despite these flaws, Venusaur is not to be underestimated, as, with proper support, it can mow through entire teams with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a powerful STAB Seed Bomb, Earthquake to hit grounded Steel-types that sponge its STAB attacks, and Sleep Powder to incapacitate the opponent and nab it a free turn of setup, Venusaur makes a fantastic Swords Dance user. Sleep Powder sets it apart from other run-of-the-mill Chlorophyll users, and becomes massively useful with the new sleep mechanics: Venusaur can come in, put the opponent to sleep, and set up Swords Dance with impunity. Seed Bomb is Venusaur's most powerful STAB attack, decimating anything that doesn't resist it. After a Swords Dance, Seed Bomb OHKOes Kyogre and all but the most defensive variants of Groudon. Earthquake complements Seed Bomb nicely, as it hits the Dragon- and Steel-types that resist the former move very hard; specifically it 2HKOes Dialga, most Ferrothorn, and Steel Arceus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Venusaur's Attack, letting it hit a massive 578 after a Swords Dance. 216 EVs are invested in Speed to let Venusaur outspeed Scarf Garchomp under the sun, while the remaining EVs are dumped in HP to slightly increase its bulk. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it ensures crucial OHKOes on most Groudon and 2HKOes on most Ferrothorn.</p>
<p>To function effectively, Venusaur needs quite some team support. It is glaringly obvious that Groudon needs to be around with its everlasting sunlight for Venusaur to actually do anything, making it a compulsory teammate. Weather changers such as Tyranitar and the ubiquitous Kyogre will remove the sun that Venusaur needs, though they need to be careful when switching in as they will get wrecked by a boosted Seed Bomb. Thus, Pokemon who can eliminate these threats will make great teammates for Venusaur. Blaziken can smash Tyranitar with Hi Jump Kick, and fits into sun teams very well, but it can finish off only weakened Kyogre. Zekrom OHKOes Kyogre and 2HKOes Tyranitar with Bolt Strike while taking unboosted Stone Edges from the latter with ease.</p>
<p>Lugia and Giratina put a full stop to Venusaur's sweep, as they can sponge its boosted attacks with ease and phaze it with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail. Pokemon who can deal with the aforementioned Pokemon will help Venusaur immensely. Darkrai comes to mind immediately, as it can put them to sleep with Dark Void, set up with Nasty Plot, and 2HKO with STAB Dark Pulse (thus nullifying the sleep clause for Venusaur); however, Giratina commonly runs Sleep Talk and has a small chance of phazing Darkrai with Dragon Tail. Mewtwo can hurt both of the previously mentioned Pokemon significantly with Ice Beam, but will get phazed before it can KO them. Entry hazard support also greatly helps Venusaur, ensuring the OHKO on every Groudon variant under the sun and making even the most desperate of users think twice before switching in Ho-Oh. Deoxys-S makes a great choice for setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes thanks to its massive base 180 Speed. Forretress, although it compounds Venusaur's Fire-type weakness, can lay down Toxic Spikes (though you should be wary of the status overlap preventing the use of Sleep Powder) in addition to spinning away entry hazards that trouble Venusaur.</p>
<p>Venusaur also has a few alternative options it can use. Growth can be used to bluff a mixed set and lure in threats which Venusaur can promptly shut down with Sleep Powder. However, since rain is pretty common in Ubers, Venusaur could find itself boosting much less quickly, making Swords Dance the better choice most of the time. Since Ho-Oh poses a massive threat to Venusaur, Double-Edge can be used to smack it hard on the switch-in, but the recoil damage will cause Venusaur's early demise, and Venusaur will have to drop either Sleep Powder or a superior coverage option to accommodate it.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Special Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes full use of Venusaur's respectable base 100 Special Attack and decent special movepool. With the given EVs, Venusaur's Special Attack shoots up to a jaw-dropping 656 after just one Growth, allowing it to hit a wide range of threats very hard with its attacks. STAB Grass Knot will almost always hit the heavy Ubers behemoths with 120 Base Power, letting Venusaur OHKO Groudon, Kyogre, and Palkia without breaking a sweat. Sludge Bomb, Venusaur's secondary STAB attack, hits the Dragon-types that resist Venusaur's STAB Grass-type moves and also OHKOes Shaymin-S and 2HKOing Lugia at +2. There are two options for the last slot: Hidden Power Ground dents Dialga (Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes are required for a chance to OHKO) and still 2HKOes most Ferrothorn, but this means that Venusaur will be completely walled by Skarmory. To remedy this, sun-boosted Hidden Power Fire can be used instead, to roast Skarmory and Ferrothorn. However, Hidden Power Fire will make Venusaur walled by Dialga, as Dialga can survive a boosted Hidden Power Fire with ease and OHKO Venusaur in return with Draco Meteor. Thus, if Venusaur's teammates can deal with Dialga, Hidden Power Fire is the better choice; otherwise, Hidden Power Ground should be used.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread, in conjunction with a Modest nature, maximizes Venusaur's Special Attack. Once again, 216 EVs are invested in Speed to let Venusaur outspeed Scarf Garchomp under the sun; the remaining 40 EVs are put in HP. Life Orb jacks up the power of Venusaur's attacks, and is thus the best choice for an item. Leftovers seems like a good option on paper, but Venusaur misses the power boost provided by Life Orb, and won't be taking too many hits anyway.</p>
<p>Once again, Groudon is a vital teammate, setting up the sun which allows Venusaur to sweep. Whichever Hidden Power Venusaur chooses, it will be walled cold by special sponges such as Chansey, making hard-hitting Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Fighting Arceus great teammates for Venusaur. Since this variant of Venusaur lacks Sleep Powder, teammates who can help it set up aid it enormously. Despite the Encore nerf, Wobbuffet can lock the opponent into a harmless move such as Stealth Rock, giving Venusaur a free turn to set up Growth. Darkrai can do the same with Dark Void, though its inaccuracy can cause issues. Even though Lugia is 2HKOed by Sludge Bomb and needs prediction to switch in safely, Giratina is as big a roadblock as ever for Venusaur, taking all of its boosted attacks with ease. Darkrai comes to Venusaur's aid once again in this regard, setting up on Giratina with Dark Void and Nasty Plot and finishing it off with Dark Pulse, though it does need to be wary of Sleep Talk. Finally, entry hazard support is always welcome, making Deoxys-S and Forretress great teammates.</p>
<p>Since Venusaur will sometimes find it hard to set up Growth, Sludge Bomb can be dropped for Sleep Powder. This will enable Venusaur to set up much more easily as well as allow it to take a Pokemon out of the game. However, Venusaur will then lose a lot of coverage, and will be walled easily by Pokemon such as Lugia. Lastly, Hidden Power Rock can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh, but has little use otherwise.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Mixed Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Lonely
evs: 44 HP / 160 Atk / 88 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Venusaur can run a mixed set very well: Growth doubles both its Attack and Special Attack under sun, letting it hit hard with a greater choice of moves. After a Growth, Venusaur's Attack and Special Attack both climb above 500, hitting 528 and 516 respectively with the given EVs. STAB Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb give it coverage on a wide range of threats, and are Venusaur's most powerful attacks. After a Growth, Seed Bomb OHKOes Kyogre and 2HKOes Groudon with ease, while Sludge Bomb maims the Dragon-types who resist Seed Bomb in addition to OHKOing Shaymin. Earthquake offers excellent neutral coverage along with Venusaur's other moves, smacking the Steel-types who sponge Venusaur's STAB attacks hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs balance out Venusaur's offenses while enabling it to reach 500 Speed in sun. Since this set does not maximize either of Venusaur's offensive stats, it needs team support to take down defensive behemoths such as Giratina and Lugia, who can sponge all of its attacks with ease. Darkrai can set up on them with Dark Void and Nasty Plot, and 2HKO both with Dark Pulse after a Nasty Plot boost. Venusaur also needs entry hazard support to give it a chance of OHKOing Groudon and Palkia with a Growth-boosted Seed Bomb. Once again, Forretress, with its great bulk, and Deoxys-S, with its massive Speed, are the prime candidates for this role. Pokemon who can help Venusaur set up, such as the abovementioned Darkrai and Wobbuffet, make good teammates as well. Darkrai can incapacitate the opponent with Dark Void and give Venusaur a free turn to set up Growth, while Wobbuffet does the same with Encore.</p>
<p>Venusaur can run some other moves on this set: Grass Knot can be used to guarantee the OHKO on Groudon, though Venusaur will then miss out on OHKOing Kyogre. Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Ferrothorn after a Growth, but Venusaur will have trouble fitting it on this set. Similiarly, Hidden Power Ice can be used to KO Rayquaza as it switches in to revenge kill Venusaur. Hidden Power Rock OHKOes Ho-Oh, but is generally inferior. Finally, Sleep Powder can be used for easier setting up, but Venusaur will miss out on a significant degree of coverage.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With its decent bulk, Venusaur can run a SubSeed set in the sun effectively. Leech Seed will heal a good chunk of Venusaur's HP every turn thanks to the high HP stats of many Pokemon in Ubers. This set can function well with Toxic Spikes support, but Venusaur is outclassed in this role by Ferrothorn, who has significantly better bulk and a better set of resistances thanks to its Steel typing.</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, Venusaur can run a few alternative Hidden Powers to surprise a would-be check. Hidden Power Rock OHKOes Ho-Oh, Hidden Power Ice deals with Rayquaza, and Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Ferrothorn. Venusaur can also run Giga Drain to heal itself, but it has a low Base Power. Similarly, Leaf Storm can be used for a very powerful STAB attack, but Venusaur will be forced to switch after using it. Venusaur also gets access to Power Whip and Outrage, but sadly, they are currently illegal with Chlorophyll.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Weather changers such as Kyogre are the bane of Venusaur's existence, depriving it of its Speed boost and OHKOing it with Ice Beam. Tyranitar is in a similar boat, but is outsped by Venusaur and cannot guarantee an OHKO. Regardless, they need to be careful when switching in, as they will dislike eating a boosted Seed Bomb or Sleep Powder. Although rare, Abomasnow can remove the sun too and wreck Venusaur with STAB Blizzard, though it needs to watch out for Sludge Bomb. Rayquaza will also remove Venusaur's Speed boost with Air Lock, and can KO it with Fire Blast or Outrage.</p>
<p>Venusaur will also find itself walled most of the time by Lugia, Giratina, Ho-Oh, and Steel-types such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Lugia resists Venusaur's Grass-type moves, has access to reliable recovery in Roost, and can phaze Venusaur while comfortably sponging its boosted moves. Giratina packs Dragon Tail, and can take boosted hits as well, though it has no recovery outside of Rest. Ho-Oh is immune to Earthquake, and laughs at both Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb while reducing Venusaur to a pile of ashes with Sacred Fire. Skarmory and Ferrothorn will also wall Venusaur with ease: they are immune to Sludge Bomb and barely get scratched by Venusaur's Grass-type attacks, and can KO it with Brave Bird and Gyro Ball, respectively. However, they need to watch out for Hidden Power Fire and, in the case of Ferrothorn, Earthquake. Finally, the special set is walled cold by Chansey, which can cripple Venusaur with Thunder Wave.</p>
Venusaur
[Overview]
<p>Venusaur hit the jackpot in BW as it received Chlorophyll from the Dream World, making it a dangerous offensive threat under the sun even in Ubers. Growth also provides a +2 boost to both Attack and Special Attack in sun, which means Venusaur's offensive stats skyrocket to over 500 with just one use of Growth. With Groudon reliably providing everlasting sun, all Venusaur needs is one turn of setup to wreak havoc with its boosted attacks. Access to Sleep Powder sets Venusaur apart from other Chlorophyll users such as Shiftry, making it much easier for Venusaur to set up. Venusaur's Poison typing also allows it to absorb Toxic Spikes, letting it support the rest of its team while also maintaining a strong offensive presence. Unfortunately, all is not sunshine for our giant plant monster: weather changers, which can instantly remove Venusaur's valuable sun, are prominent in Ubers. Moreover, Venusaur's offensive stats are simply not good enough for it to significantly damage titanic walls such as Lugia and Giratina. Its STAB attacks are also resisted by common Dragon- and Steel-type Pokemon, which can sponge even boosted hits. Despite these flaws, Venusaur is not to be underestimated, as, with proper support, it can mow through entire teams with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a powerful STAB Seed Bomb, Earthquake to hit grounded Steel-types that sponge its STAB attacks, and Sleep Powder to incapacitate the opponent and nab it a free turn of setup, Venusaur makes a fantastic Swords Dance user. Sleep Powder sets it apart from other run-of-the-mill Chlorophyll users, and becomes massively useful with the new sleep mechanics: Venusaur can come in, put the opponent to sleep, and set up Swords Dance with impunity. Seed Bomb is Venusaur's most powerful STAB attack, decimating anything that doesn't resist it. After a Swords Dance, Seed Bomb OHKOes Kyogre and all but the most defensive variants of Groudon. Earthquake complements Seed Bomb nicely, as it hits the Dragon- and Steel-types that resist the former move very hard; specifically it 2HKOes Dialga, most Ferrothorn, and Steel Arceus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Venusaur's Attack, letting it hit a massive 578 after a Swords Dance. 216 EVs are invested in Speed to let Venusaur outspeed Scarf Garchomp under the sun, while the remaining EVs are dumped in HP to slightly increase its bulk. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it ensures crucial OHKOes on most Groudon and 2HKOes on most Ferrothorn.</p>
<p>To function effectively, Venusaur needs quite some team support. It is glaringly obvious that Groudon needs to be around with its everlasting sunlight for Venusaur to actually do anything, making it a compulsory teammate. Weather changers such as Tyranitar and the ubiquitous Kyogre will remove the sun that Venusaur needs, though they need to be careful when switching in as they will get wrecked by a boosted Seed Bomb. Thus, Pokemon who can eliminate these threats will make great teammates for Venusaur. Blaziken can smash Tyranitar with Hi Jump Kick, and fits into sun teams very well, but it can finish off only weakened Kyogre. Zekrom OHKOes Kyogre and 2HKOes Tyranitar with Bolt Strike while taking unboosted Stone Edges from the latter with ease.</p>
<p>Lugia and Giratina put a full stop to Venusaur's sweep, as they can sponge its boosted attacks with ease and phaze it with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail. Pokemon who can deal with the aforementioned Pokemon will help Venusaur immensely. Darkrai comes to mind immediately, as it can put them to sleep with Dark Void, set up with Nasty Plot, and 2HKO with STAB Dark Pulse (thus nullifying the sleep clause for Venusaur); however, Giratina commonly runs Sleep Talk and has a small chance of phazing Darkrai with Dragon Tail. Mewtwo can hurt both of the previously mentioned Pokemon significantly with Ice Beam, but will get phazed before it can KO them. Entry hazard support also greatly helps Venusaur, ensuring the OHKO on every Groudon variant under the sun and making even the most desperate of users think twice before switching in Ho-Oh. Deoxys-S makes a great choice for setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes thanks to its massive base 180 Speed. Forretress, although it compounds Venusaur's Fire-type weakness, can lay down Toxic Spikes (though you should be wary of the status overlap preventing the use of Sleep Powder) in addition to spinning away entry hazards that trouble Venusaur.</p>
<p>Venusaur also has a few alternative options it can use. Growth can be used to bluff a mixed set and lure in threats which Venusaur can promptly shut down with Sleep Powder. However, since rain is pretty common in Ubers, Venusaur could find itself boosting much less quickly, making Swords Dance the better choice most of the time. Since Ho-Oh poses a massive threat to Venusaur, Double-Edge can be used to smack it hard on the switch-in, but the recoil damage will cause Venusaur's early demise, and Venusaur will have to drop either Sleep Powder or a superior coverage option to accommodate it.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Special Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes full use of Venusaur's respectable base 100 Special Attack and decent special movepool. With the given EVs, Venusaur's Special Attack shoots up to a jaw-dropping 656 after just one Growth, allowing it to hit a wide range of threats very hard with its attacks. STAB Grass Knot will almost always hit the heavy Ubers behemoths with 120 Base Power, letting Venusaur OHKO Groudon, Kyogre, and Palkia without breaking a sweat. Sludge Bomb, Venusaur's secondary STAB attack, hits the Dragon-types that resist Venusaur's STAB Grass-type moves and also OHKOes Shaymin-S and 2HKOing Lugia at +2. There are two options for the last slot: Hidden Power Ground dents Dialga (Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes are required for a chance to OHKO) and still 2HKOes most Ferrothorn, but this means that Venusaur will be completely walled by Skarmory. To remedy this, sun-boosted Hidden Power Fire can be used instead, to roast Skarmory and Ferrothorn. However, Hidden Power Fire will make Venusaur walled by Dialga, as Dialga can survive a boosted Hidden Power Fire with ease and OHKO Venusaur in return with Draco Meteor. Thus, if Venusaur's teammates can deal with Dialga, Hidden Power Fire is the better choice; otherwise, Hidden Power Ground should be used.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread, in conjunction with a Modest nature, maximizes Venusaur's Special Attack. Once again, 216 EVs are invested in Speed to let Venusaur outspeed Scarf Garchomp under the sun; the remaining 40 EVs are put in HP. Life Orb jacks up the power of Venusaur's attacks, and is thus the best choice for an item. Leftovers seems like a good option on paper, but Venusaur misses the power boost provided by Life Orb, and won't be taking too many hits anyway.</p>
<p>Once again, Groudon is a vital teammate, setting up the sun which allows Venusaur to sweep. Whichever Hidden Power Venusaur chooses, it will be walled cold by special sponges such as Chansey, making hard-hitting Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Fighting Arceus great teammates for Venusaur. Since this variant of Venusaur lacks Sleep Powder, teammates who can help it set up aid it enormously. Despite the Encore nerf, Wobbuffet can lock the opponent into a harmless move such as Stealth Rock, giving Venusaur a free turn to set up Growth. Darkrai can do the same with Dark Void, though its inaccuracy can cause issues. Even though Lugia is 2HKOed by Sludge Bomb and needs prediction to switch in safely, Giratina is as big a roadblock as ever for Venusaur, taking all of its boosted attacks with ease. Darkrai comes to Venusaur's aid once again in this regard, setting up on Giratina with Dark Void and Nasty Plot and finishing it off with Dark Pulse, though it does need to be wary of Sleep Talk. Finally, entry hazard support is always welcome, making Deoxys-S and Forretress great teammates.</p>
<p>Since Venusaur will sometimes find it hard to set up Growth, Sludge Bomb can be dropped for Sleep Powder. This will enable Venusaur to set up much more easily as well as allow it to take a Pokemon out of the game. However, Venusaur will then lose a lot of coverage, and will be walled easily by Pokemon such as Lugia. Lastly, Hidden Power Rock can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh, but has little use otherwise.</p>
[SET]
name: Uber Mixed Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Lonely
evs: 44 HP / 160 Atk / 88 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Venusaur can run a mixed set very well: Growth doubles both its Attack and Special Attack under sun, letting it hit hard with a greater choice of moves. After a Growth, Venusaur's Attack and Special Attack both climb above 500, hitting 528 and 516 respectively with the given EVs. STAB Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb give it coverage on a wide range of threats, and are Venusaur's most powerful attacks. After a Growth, Seed Bomb OHKOes Kyogre and 2HKOes Groudon with ease, while Sludge Bomb maims the Dragon-types who resist Seed Bomb in addition to OHKOing Shaymin. Earthquake offers excellent neutral coverage along with Venusaur's other moves, smacking the Steel-types who sponge Venusaur's STAB attacks hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs balance out Venusaur's offenses while enabling it to reach 500 Speed in sun. Since this set does not maximize either of Venusaur's offensive stats, it needs team support to take down defensive behemoths such as Giratina and Lugia, who can sponge all of its attacks with ease. Darkrai can set up on them with Dark Void and Nasty Plot, and 2HKO both with Dark Pulse after a Nasty Plot boost. Venusaur also needs entry hazard support to give it a chance of OHKOing Groudon and Palkia with a Growth-boosted Seed Bomb. Once again, Forretress, with its great bulk, and Deoxys-S, with its massive Speed, are the prime candidates for this role. Pokemon who can help Venusaur set up, such as the abovementioned Darkrai and Wobbuffet, make good teammates as well. Darkrai can incapacitate the opponent with Dark Void and give Venusaur a free turn to set up Growth, while Wobbuffet does the same with Encore.</p>
<p>Venusaur can run some other moves on this set: Grass Knot can be used to guarantee the OHKO on Groudon, though Venusaur will then miss out on OHKOing Kyogre. Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Ferrothorn after a Growth, but Venusaur will have trouble fitting it on this set. Similiarly, Hidden Power Ice can be used to KO Rayquaza as it switches in to revenge kill Venusaur. Hidden Power Rock OHKOes Ho-Oh, but is generally inferior. Finally, Sleep Powder can be used for easier setting up, but Venusaur will miss out on a significant degree of coverage.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With its decent bulk, Venusaur can run a SubSeed set in the sun effectively. Leech Seed will heal a good chunk of Venusaur's HP every turn thanks to the high HP stats of many Pokemon in Ubers. This set can function well with Toxic Spikes support, but Venusaur is outclassed in this role by Ferrothorn, who has significantly better bulk and a better set of resistances thanks to its Steel typing.</p>
<p>As mentioned earlier, Venusaur can run a few alternative Hidden Powers to surprise a would-be check. Hidden Power Rock OHKOes Ho-Oh, Hidden Power Ice deals with Rayquaza, and Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Ferrothorn. Venusaur can also run Giga Drain to heal itself, but it has a low Base Power. Similarly, Leaf Storm can be used for a very powerful STAB attack, but Venusaur will be forced to switch after using it. Venusaur also gets access to Power Whip and Outrage, but sadly, they are currently illegal with Chlorophyll.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Weather changers such as Kyogre are the bane of Venusaur's existence, depriving it of its Speed boost and OHKOing it with Ice Beam. Tyranitar is in a similar boat, but is outsped by Venusaur and cannot guarantee an OHKO. Regardless, they need to be careful when switching in, as they will dislike eating a boosted Seed Bomb or Sleep Powder. Although rare, Abomasnow can remove the sun too and wreck Venusaur with STAB Blizzard, though it needs to watch out for Sludge Bomb. Rayquaza will also remove Venusaur's Speed boost with Air Lock, and can KO it with Fire Blast or Outrage.</p>
<p>Venusaur will also find itself walled most of the time by Lugia, Giratina, Ho-Oh, and Steel-types such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Lugia resists Venusaur's Grass-type moves, has access to reliable recovery in Roost, and can phaze Venusaur while comfortably sponging its boosted moves. Giratina packs Dragon Tail, and can take boosted hits as well, though it has no recovery outside of Rest. Ho-Oh is immune to Earthquake, and laughs at both Seed Bomb and Sludge Bomb while reducing Venusaur to a pile of ashes with Sacred Fire. Skarmory and Ferrothorn will also wall Venusaur with ease: they are immune to Sludge Bomb and barely get scratched by Venusaur's Grass-type attacks, and can KO it with Brave Bird and Gyro Ball, respectively. However, they need to watch out for Hidden Power Fire and, in the case of Ferrothorn, Earthquake. Finally, the special set is walled cold by Chansey, which can cripple Venusaur with Thunder Wave.</p>
