QC 3/3 [Kingslayer2779 E4 Flint Pikachuun]
GP 2/2 [The Dutch Plumberjack P Squared]
[OVERVIEW]
Venusaur is a unique Pokemon. While its subpar stats may cause many players pass over it without thinking twice, its Grass / Poison typing has interesting defensive properties that grant it a niche in Balanced Hackmons. The most obvious of these is an immunity to Spore, Leech Seed, and Toxic, all without the need to run an item like Safety Goggles or an ability like Sap Sipper or Magic Guard. A less blatant effect is a resistance to Fairy moves, allowing it to check many threats like Moonblast Kyogre or Pixilate Mega Diancie. However, that same typing gives it crippling weaknesses to three extremely common attacking types. The weaknesses to Flying and Ice are extremely problematic, as Venusaur cannot run an ability to make it immune to either one. Its weakness to Psychic is not as harmful, though, as Venusaur usually does not like to stay in on Pokemon that use Psychic attacks anyway.
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Trick
move 2: Recover
move 3: Spore / Leech Seed / Topsy-Turvy
move 4: Giga Drain / Destiny Bond
item: Black Sludge / Choice Scarf
ability: Prankster
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick swaps items between Mega Venusaur and its foe, indefinitely crippling Pokemon such as Chansey and Shedinja. A recovery move grants Mega Venusaur longevity should Venusaur be needed late-game. Spore can quickly incapacitate an opposing Pokemon and cannot harm Venusaur if it is reflected by Magic Coat or Magic Bounce. Leech Seed can be chosen to sap the enemy's health and will KO all Shedinja that switch into Mega Venusaur, whereas Topsy-Turvy is an option to quickly stop a boosted foe before it gets out of control, and it does not require sacrificing Venusaur to do it. Heart Swap can be considered instead of Topsy-Turvy if running Baton Pass as a fourth move, but this isn't always wise, as Venusaur already has four-moveslot syndrome. Giga Drain stops Venusaur from being complete Taunt bait, but it is rather weak. Finally, Destiny Bond can bring something down when Venusaur is not needed anymore.
Set Details
========
Black Sludge is the preferred item instead of Choice Scarf for several reasons. Not only can Venusaur function perfectly well while still holding it, but it is also generally more harmful to most Pokemon in the Balanced Hackmons environment. As Venusaur has the option to run Metal Burst, 0 Speed IVs and a Sassy nature can be used if choosing to use that move. A specially defensive spread and a Calm nature are chosen because a lot of the Pokemon threatened by Venusaur are biased towards special attacks. Prankster gives priority to all of the listed moves bar Giga Drain, allowing Venusaur to surprise its foe before it can even move.
Usage Tips
========
At Team Preview, try to evaluate which opposing Pokemon are hurt the most by Black Sludge or by Spore and how you can deal with them if you mispredict. Because you only get one chance to Trick Black Sludge, mispredicting can be costly. If you do Trick it onto your intended target, be cautious about scrambling enemy items, as your opponent may try to get their Black Sludge Tricked away from them. However, Venusaur can safely hold many otherwise hazardous items, so feel free to scramble Toxic Orbs among the enemy's team. When you are finished swapping items around, Destiny Bond can easily stop out-of-control sweepers without risking a Speed tie with an Imposter user.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that appreciate their few checks being crippled by Spore or a hazardous item are good teammates for Venusaur. Mega Venusaur's ability to remove Plates from Judgment users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Gengar tends to make Giratina a good teammate, especially as it can carry a Griseous Orb to become immune to an Imposter user's Trick. Pokemon that appreciate the free switches Venusaur causes, such as Mega Tyranitar, Tinted Lens Dialga, and the Mega Mewtwo formes, also make for good partners. Because Venusaur is weak to Ice and Flying, Pokemon that can beat Aerilate and Refrigerate users are a necessity, with Flash Fire Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash in particular being great teammates for Prankster Venusaur. Lastly, Pokemon that are immune to Trick (and the other moves Venusaur carries) make for good partners due to their ability to counter Imposters trying to Trick their items away. A Magic Bounce Pokemon with an un-Trickable item such as Mail is usually a good answer.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
While there are a massive number of moves Venusaur can run that benefit from Prankster, only some are worth consideration. Haze is an alternative to Topsy-Turvy or Heart Swap that has more PP than both, is not reflected by Magic Bounce, does not leave Venusaur less bulky if the opponent has used Shell Smash, and goes through Substitutes. However, Haze doesn't leave the opponent at a disadvantage, so it is generally not preferred. Aromatherapy and Stealth Rock can support the rest of the team but can just as easily be run on a teammate. Taunt and Encore can disrupt an opponent and provide free switches in. Infestation is an alternative to Leech Seed that can trap a foe to ease prediction with Trick while going through Magic Bounce at the cost of recovery. Venusaur can use switching moves like Parting Shot and Baton Pass effectively to gain momentum. Venusaur can also run a Toxic Orb to Trick onto the foe, although due to the prominence of Poison Heal and Steel-type Pokemon, this is largely outclassed by Black Sludge.
Venusaur can effectively run a Flash Fire set that can counter many threatening Pokemon like Mega Diancie effectively due to its resistances. The set consists of Roost, Thousand Waves, Giga Drain, and Entrainment with a specially defensive spread to counter Poison Heal Kyogre with Ice Beam or a mixed spread of 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 SpD with a Bold nature to better check Poison Heal Arceus and Tyranitar. Running Venusaurite is also an option on this set, as it makes Venusaur immune to Trick.
Venusaur is easily outclassed in terms of stats alone, so its best sets take advantage of its unique defensive typing in the Balanced Hackmons metagame. When designing your own Venusaur set, check to see if your set can work better on a different Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Aerilate or Refrigerate Users**: No abilities exist that grant immunity to Flying or Ice moves, and Venusaur's bulk is merely average, meaning Aerilate and Refrigerate users have no problem eliminating it.
**Anti-Trick Pokemon**: Certain items block the use of Trick when held by certain Pokemon. These items include all Mega Stones and Primal Orbs, the Griseous Orb, Genesect's Drives, all Plates on Arceus, and Mail, which is the only item out of these that can be Knocked Off. Primal Groudon is immune to Trick and, while it fears Spore, can easily threaten Venusaur with a high-powered Fire move.
**Imposter Users**: Imposter Pokemon can switch into Venusaur and stall out a decent portion of its PP while not fearing any of its moves. Additionally, if Venusaur has no teammates that are immune to Trick, it runs the risk of an Imposter Pokemon giving its Black Sludge to one of Venusaur's own teammates.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Mega Rayquaza gets special mention due to the fact that it both 4x resists Giga Drain and has incredibly high-powered priority STAB moves that can often OHKO Venusaur. It does fear Spore while switching in, however.
**Substitute**: While the move is uncommon, Venusaur cannot do anything to a target behind a Substitute.
GP 2/2 [The Dutch Plumberjack P Squared]
[OVERVIEW]
Venusaur is a unique Pokemon. While its subpar stats may cause many players pass over it without thinking twice, its Grass / Poison typing has interesting defensive properties that grant it a niche in Balanced Hackmons. The most obvious of these is an immunity to Spore, Leech Seed, and Toxic, all without the need to run an item like Safety Goggles or an ability like Sap Sipper or Magic Guard. A less blatant effect is a resistance to Fairy moves, allowing it to check many threats like Moonblast Kyogre or Pixilate Mega Diancie. However, that same typing gives it crippling weaknesses to three extremely common attacking types. The weaknesses to Flying and Ice are extremely problematic, as Venusaur cannot run an ability to make it immune to either one. Its weakness to Psychic is not as harmful, though, as Venusaur usually does not like to stay in on Pokemon that use Psychic attacks anyway.
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Trick
move 2: Recover
move 3: Spore / Leech Seed / Topsy-Turvy
move 4: Giga Drain / Destiny Bond
item: Black Sludge / Choice Scarf
ability: Prankster
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick swaps items between Mega Venusaur and its foe, indefinitely crippling Pokemon such as Chansey and Shedinja. A recovery move grants Mega Venusaur longevity should Venusaur be needed late-game. Spore can quickly incapacitate an opposing Pokemon and cannot harm Venusaur if it is reflected by Magic Coat or Magic Bounce. Leech Seed can be chosen to sap the enemy's health and will KO all Shedinja that switch into Mega Venusaur, whereas Topsy-Turvy is an option to quickly stop a boosted foe before it gets out of control, and it does not require sacrificing Venusaur to do it. Heart Swap can be considered instead of Topsy-Turvy if running Baton Pass as a fourth move, but this isn't always wise, as Venusaur already has four-moveslot syndrome. Giga Drain stops Venusaur from being complete Taunt bait, but it is rather weak. Finally, Destiny Bond can bring something down when Venusaur is not needed anymore.
Set Details
========
Black Sludge is the preferred item instead of Choice Scarf for several reasons. Not only can Venusaur function perfectly well while still holding it, but it is also generally more harmful to most Pokemon in the Balanced Hackmons environment. As Venusaur has the option to run Metal Burst, 0 Speed IVs and a Sassy nature can be used if choosing to use that move. A specially defensive spread and a Calm nature are chosen because a lot of the Pokemon threatened by Venusaur are biased towards special attacks. Prankster gives priority to all of the listed moves bar Giga Drain, allowing Venusaur to surprise its foe before it can even move.
Usage Tips
========
At Team Preview, try to evaluate which opposing Pokemon are hurt the most by Black Sludge or by Spore and how you can deal with them if you mispredict. Because you only get one chance to Trick Black Sludge, mispredicting can be costly. If you do Trick it onto your intended target, be cautious about scrambling enemy items, as your opponent may try to get their Black Sludge Tricked away from them. However, Venusaur can safely hold many otherwise hazardous items, so feel free to scramble Toxic Orbs among the enemy's team. When you are finished swapping items around, Destiny Bond can easily stop out-of-control sweepers without risking a Speed tie with an Imposter user.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that appreciate their few checks being crippled by Spore or a hazardous item are good teammates for Venusaur. Mega Venusaur's ability to remove Plates from Judgment users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Mega Gengar tends to make Giratina a good teammate, especially as it can carry a Griseous Orb to become immune to an Imposter user's Trick. Pokemon that appreciate the free switches Venusaur causes, such as Mega Tyranitar, Tinted Lens Dialga, and the Mega Mewtwo formes, also make for good partners. Because Venusaur is weak to Ice and Flying, Pokemon that can beat Aerilate and Refrigerate users are a necessity, with Flash Fire Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash in particular being great teammates for Prankster Venusaur. Lastly, Pokemon that are immune to Trick (and the other moves Venusaur carries) make for good partners due to their ability to counter Imposters trying to Trick their items away. A Magic Bounce Pokemon with an un-Trickable item such as Mail is usually a good answer.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
While there are a massive number of moves Venusaur can run that benefit from Prankster, only some are worth consideration. Haze is an alternative to Topsy-Turvy or Heart Swap that has more PP than both, is not reflected by Magic Bounce, does not leave Venusaur less bulky if the opponent has used Shell Smash, and goes through Substitutes. However, Haze doesn't leave the opponent at a disadvantage, so it is generally not preferred. Aromatherapy and Stealth Rock can support the rest of the team but can just as easily be run on a teammate. Taunt and Encore can disrupt an opponent and provide free switches in. Infestation is an alternative to Leech Seed that can trap a foe to ease prediction with Trick while going through Magic Bounce at the cost of recovery. Venusaur can use switching moves like Parting Shot and Baton Pass effectively to gain momentum. Venusaur can also run a Toxic Orb to Trick onto the foe, although due to the prominence of Poison Heal and Steel-type Pokemon, this is largely outclassed by Black Sludge.
Venusaur can effectively run a Flash Fire set that can counter many threatening Pokemon like Mega Diancie effectively due to its resistances. The set consists of Roost, Thousand Waves, Giga Drain, and Entrainment with a specially defensive spread to counter Poison Heal Kyogre with Ice Beam or a mixed spread of 248 HP / 84 Def / 176 SpD with a Bold nature to better check Poison Heal Arceus and Tyranitar. Running Venusaurite is also an option on this set, as it makes Venusaur immune to Trick.
Venusaur is easily outclassed in terms of stats alone, so its best sets take advantage of its unique defensive typing in the Balanced Hackmons metagame. When designing your own Venusaur set, check to see if your set can work better on a different Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Aerilate or Refrigerate Users**: No abilities exist that grant immunity to Flying or Ice moves, and Venusaur's bulk is merely average, meaning Aerilate and Refrigerate users have no problem eliminating it.
**Anti-Trick Pokemon**: Certain items block the use of Trick when held by certain Pokemon. These items include all Mega Stones and Primal Orbs, the Griseous Orb, Genesect's Drives, all Plates on Arceus, and Mail, which is the only item out of these that can be Knocked Off. Primal Groudon is immune to Trick and, while it fears Spore, can easily threaten Venusaur with a high-powered Fire move.
**Imposter Users**: Imposter Pokemon can switch into Venusaur and stall out a decent portion of its PP while not fearing any of its moves. Additionally, if Venusaur has no teammates that are immune to Trick, it runs the risk of an Imposter Pokemon giving its Black Sludge to one of Venusaur's own teammates.
**Mega Rayquaza**: Mega Rayquaza gets special mention due to the fact that it both 4x resists Giga Drain and has incredibly high-powered priority STAB moves that can often OHKO Venusaur. It does fear Spore while switching in, however.
**Substitute**: While the move is uncommon, Venusaur cannot do anything to a target behind a Substitute.
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