Overview
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With access to Compound Eyes and Sleep Powder, Venonat can become a huge disruption for the opponent. Its ability to Baton Pass an Agility boost after putting the foe to sleep is only more of a plus. Add a nifty resistance to Fighting- and Fairy-type moves into the picture, and you have a unique and enjoyable Pokemon to use. However, Venonat does suffer from its Bugtyping by being weak to Stealth Rock, Rock-types, Fire-types and Flying-types, all of which are rather common in Little Cup. It's also obliterated by Fletchling and is usually inferior to Torchic when it comes to Baton Passing speed boosts. All in all, Venonat can still function as a good user of Baton Pass with its unique advantages.
Baton Pass
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name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Agility / Substitute
move 3: Sleep Powder
move 4: Bug Bite / Substitute / Morning Sun / Protect
ability: Compound Eyes
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice / Focus Sash
evs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Baton Pass is the highlight of the set because, well, it's a Baton Pass set. Agility is Venonat's boosting move of choice and can be passed to slow sweepers such as Cranidos and Corphish. Sleep Powder is fantastic when combined with Compound Eyes, which boosts its accuracy to 97%, making it much easier for Venonat to set up an Agility and Baton Pass to a teammate. The final moveslot can vary, and each move works in tandem with one of Venonat's item options. Bug Bite prevents Venonat from being entirely crippled by Taunt, Morning Sun allows for reliable recovery, and Protect is nice for blocking a Fake Out intended to break Venonat's Focus Sash. Substitute can be used to block status moves and in particular, set up on Pokemon such as Foongus and Ferroseed.
Set Details
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The EVs give Venonat a 24/12/12 spread and it hits 15 speed with a Jolly Nature. The item is up to personal preference and team structure. A more fast-paced team might lean towards Focus Sash + Protect while a bulkier team might prefer Eviolite. Berry Juice is best used in conjunction with Substitute, to provide a reliable means of recovery.
Usage Tips
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The moveset is rather simple to use. If you have it, use Protect on the first turn to block a possible Fake Out, then proceed to use Sleep Powder. Set up an Agility and then Baton Pass it to a powerful Pokemon and attempt to sweep the opposing team -- this is particularly helpful for giving slower offensive Pokemon a means to sweep. If using a Substitute set, Venonat can still successfully set up on Pokemon such as Foongus which could otherwise stop Venonat in its tracks. Venonat can also switch in and set up on Pokemon such as Spritzee and Croagunk, both of which are rather common in the current metagame.
Team Options
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Venonat appreciates any means of entry hazard removal so it can keep its Focus Sash intact. A good Baton Pass recipient is crucial if you intend to pass Agility boosts; slow but powerful Pokemon, such as Cranidos and Darumaka, can make great use of +2 Speed to sweep the opposing team. If you intend to make a Baton Pass chain, other Pokemon with boosting moves and Baton Pass are great partners, especially if they can cover some of Venonat's weaknesses; Pokemon such as Mienfoo, Torchic and Mime Jr. accomplish this quite nicely.
Other Options
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Venonat has access to Disable, which, when paired with Substitute, can lead to some fun shenanigans. Skill Swap can be used to give the user some unique options, like getting Regenerator from an opposing Slowpoke to aid in Venonat's longevity. Stun Spore is an option if you decide to take the utility route with Venonat, letting it spread paralysis and sleep throughout the opponent's team. Toxic Spikes can also be used, and it can easily be set up after putting the active foe to sleep.
Checks and Counters
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**Flying-types**: If Venonat's Focus Sash is broken, or if it's running Eviolite, it can easily be KOed by a strong Flying-type move, and although it can still use Sleep Powder and Baton Pass Agility boosts in some cases, it's usually too risky against these types of enemies. Vullaby is a Flying-type that threatens Venonat for reasons other than simply its typing.
**Fast Taunt Users**: Anything that can outspeed Venonat and use Taunt instantly shuts it down, especially if the Taunt-user resists Venonat's Bug-type STAB move, such as Mienfoo and Gastly.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-type Pokemon, such as Cottonee and Foongus, are unaffected by Sleep Powder and can Encore or Spore Venonat, respectively. However, both of these Pokemon have secondary typings that neutralize their Bug-type weakness.
**Phazing Moves**: Moves such as Roar and Whirlwind will nullify Venonat's stat boosts, and if entry hazards are set up, phazing can result in a broken Focus Sash later in the game.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon can easily take a hit from Venonat, and faster Pokemon, such as Onix and Dwebble, can knock out Venonat with Rock Blast regardless of whether it has a Focus Sash or not.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock puts a damper on Venonat's longevity, limiting the amount of times it can switch in and Baton Pass boosts.
**Early Bird Houndour**: Early Bird Houndour is a solid check to Venonat, not caring too much about Sleep Powder and being able to easily OHKO with Fire Blast, all while being able to hit the Baton Pass recipient with a strong STAB move.
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