[OVERVIEW]
* Access to one of the best set-up moves in the game, Quiver Dance, along with a great ability in Tinted Lens make Venomoth a potent late game sweeper or wallbreaker.
* With the introduction of Z-moves Venomoth is now armed with an extremely powerful nuke, capable of breaking though almost all of its resists.
* Despite having many offensive tools, Venomoth suffers from lackluster 70 / 60 / 75 defenses making it weak to many forms of priority.
* Bug/Poison tying also makes Venomoth weak to rocks, limiting its opportunities to come in and set up.
* However, Poison typing is helpful to weaken common Fairy type Pokemon such as Togekiss and Clefable.
[SET]
name: Buginium-Z
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Sleep Powder/Roost/Psychic
item: Buginium-Z
ability: Tinted Lens
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Quiver Dance is arguably the best set-up move in the game, boosting Venomoths Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to +1
* Bug Buzz is Venomoth's Bug Type STAB, also allowing us to use the 175bp Bug Z-Move Savage Spin Out
* Sludge Bomb is the Poison Type STAB allowing Venomoth to deal massive damage to Fairies and other types that resist Bug, such as Fire Types and Fighting Types
* Sleep Powder is a good utility move to put to something to sleep and give you a free turn to set up a Quiver Dance or sleep something that might be able to take a hit and phase you out such as Hippowdon.
* Roost is another option which allows Venomoth to heal 50% It can be useful in Calm Mind wars or to just heal in general if you have taken chip damage.
* Psychic can be used as another coverage move to hit mons such as Crobat or Amoonguss who resist Venomoth's STAB attacks
Set Details
========
* Buginium-Z is the item, allowing Venomoth to use a 175bp Bug Z-Move as a massive nuke to break down its resists
* Tinted Lens is the ability of choice because it ignores resistances. This means that any mon that would normally resist an attack now takes neutral damage.
* The EV spread is pretty basic. Max Special attack to do the most damage possible and Max Speed to make sure Venomoth is in a good position to sweep after a boost.
* Timid Nature is important to make sure Venomoth can outspeed Mega-Aerodactyl after a +1 Speed boost
Usage Tips
========
* The goal of this set is to set up a Quiver Dance and proceed to either sweep the rest of your opponents team or at least break through defensive cores.
* Be careful about when you go for Quiver Dance. Venomoth is relatively frail and cant afford to take strong hits. Try to Quiver Dance up on a mon that cant hurt you too badly or something that you put to sleep first.
* Think before using your Z-Move, it is a one time use and your opponent might try to bait it out and make you waste it on a target you don't want to hit.
* Try to eliminate the priority users before trying to sweep. Things like Banded Entei can revenge kill you with Extreme Speed
Team Options
========
* If you are using Venomoth as a late game sweeper, hazards make sweeping much easier so hazard users work well as teammates.
* Dedicated leads work well setting up hazards for Venomoth. Azelf or Aerodactyl can both set up rocks and prevent rocks with taunt. Froslass is a good lead spike user that would work as well.
* Alolan Ninetails in another good teammate due to it being able to set up Aurora Veil which can allow Venomoth to Quiver Dance up with much more saftey.
* Bisharp is a great teammate because it can punish defog users and get rid of ghost types who resist Venomoth's attacks. While Venomoth can lure steel types such as Cobalion and kill them with its Z-Move making it easier for Bisharp to pick apart opposing teams.
* Venomoth can also fuction as a wall breaker on more balanced teams. So mons that appreciate Steel or Flying types being lured in and killed are good partners.
* Nasty Plot Celebi is a partner who likes having Flying Types like Mega-Aerodactyl and Togekiss out of the way. Mega-Sharpedo also likes having Fairies and bulky Steel Types removed so that it can sweep.
* Latias is another good partner because it resists the Psychic and Fire moves that threaten Venomoth, is immune to Ground type moves, and can also defog away hazards.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* If you already have a Z-Move user on your team Venomoth can use some other items such as Lum Berry to get rid of a status or Life Orb for more powerful attacks.
* Choice Specs Venomoth with four attacks is another option to use that gives you instant powerful attacks without set-up but limits your utility and sweeping capabilities
* A set using Black Sludge and Substitute can be used to allow Venomoth to set up and not have to worry as much about getting burnt or paralyzed and also be safe from priority attacks.
* Venomoth can also run a mono-attacking set with Bug Buzz as its only attack but in this meta full of strong Fairy Types losing the Poison STAB normally is not worth it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Steel Types**: Although Venomoth can break through most bulky Steel Types, such as Cobalion and Scizor, by using its Z-Move. The Z-Move is a one time use and if your opponent can get you to waste it then it becomes very difficult to get through the remaining resists.
**Massive Special Walls**: Dedicated special walls such as Blissey and Porygon2 are a big problem for Venomoth and can only be beaten by getting up multiple Quiver Dances which can be difficult.
**Priority Users**: Venomoth does not have a great bulk and is at risk of taking large amounts of damage from priority moves like Bullet Punch from Scizor or Sucker Punch from Bisharp. However, it is possible to predict around Sucker Punch users so keep that in mind if faced with one.
**Faster Choice Scarf Users**: Venomoth only has base 90 Speed so anything that has base 90 Speed or higher using a choice scarf can outspeed you if you have only one Quiver Dance boost. Hydreigon, Infernape, and Darmanitan are all relatively common scarf users to look out for.
* Access to one of the best set-up moves in the game, Quiver Dance, along with a great ability in Tinted Lens make Venomoth a potent late game sweeper or wallbreaker.
* With the introduction of Z-moves Venomoth is now armed with an extremely powerful nuke, capable of breaking though almost all of its resists.
* Despite having many offensive tools, Venomoth suffers from lackluster 70 / 60 / 75 defenses making it weak to many forms of priority.
* Bug/Poison tying also makes Venomoth weak to rocks, limiting its opportunities to come in and set up.
* However, Poison typing is helpful to weaken common Fairy type Pokemon such as Togekiss and Clefable.
[SET]
name: Buginium-Z
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Sleep Powder/Roost/Psychic
item: Buginium-Z
ability: Tinted Lens
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Quiver Dance is arguably the best set-up move in the game, boosting Venomoths Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to +1
* Bug Buzz is Venomoth's Bug Type STAB, also allowing us to use the 175bp Bug Z-Move Savage Spin Out
* Sludge Bomb is the Poison Type STAB allowing Venomoth to deal massive damage to Fairies and other types that resist Bug, such as Fire Types and Fighting Types
* Sleep Powder is a good utility move to put to something to sleep and give you a free turn to set up a Quiver Dance or sleep something that might be able to take a hit and phase you out such as Hippowdon.
* Roost is another option which allows Venomoth to heal 50% It can be useful in Calm Mind wars or to just heal in general if you have taken chip damage.
* Psychic can be used as another coverage move to hit mons such as Crobat or Amoonguss who resist Venomoth's STAB attacks
Set Details
========
* Buginium-Z is the item, allowing Venomoth to use a 175bp Bug Z-Move as a massive nuke to break down its resists
* Tinted Lens is the ability of choice because it ignores resistances. This means that any mon that would normally resist an attack now takes neutral damage.
* The EV spread is pretty basic. Max Special attack to do the most damage possible and Max Speed to make sure Venomoth is in a good position to sweep after a boost.
* Timid Nature is important to make sure Venomoth can outspeed Mega-Aerodactyl after a +1 Speed boost
Usage Tips
========
* The goal of this set is to set up a Quiver Dance and proceed to either sweep the rest of your opponents team or at least break through defensive cores.
* Be careful about when you go for Quiver Dance. Venomoth is relatively frail and cant afford to take strong hits. Try to Quiver Dance up on a mon that cant hurt you too badly or something that you put to sleep first.
* Think before using your Z-Move, it is a one time use and your opponent might try to bait it out and make you waste it on a target you don't want to hit.
* Try to eliminate the priority users before trying to sweep. Things like Banded Entei can revenge kill you with Extreme Speed
Team Options
========
* If you are using Venomoth as a late game sweeper, hazards make sweeping much easier so hazard users work well as teammates.
* Dedicated leads work well setting up hazards for Venomoth. Azelf or Aerodactyl can both set up rocks and prevent rocks with taunt. Froslass is a good lead spike user that would work as well.
* Alolan Ninetails in another good teammate due to it being able to set up Aurora Veil which can allow Venomoth to Quiver Dance up with much more saftey.
* Bisharp is a great teammate because it can punish defog users and get rid of ghost types who resist Venomoth's attacks. While Venomoth can lure steel types such as Cobalion and kill them with its Z-Move making it easier for Bisharp to pick apart opposing teams.
* Venomoth can also fuction as a wall breaker on more balanced teams. So mons that appreciate Steel or Flying types being lured in and killed are good partners.
* Nasty Plot Celebi is a partner who likes having Flying Types like Mega-Aerodactyl and Togekiss out of the way. Mega-Sharpedo also likes having Fairies and bulky Steel Types removed so that it can sweep.
* Latias is another good partner because it resists the Psychic and Fire moves that threaten Venomoth, is immune to Ground type moves, and can also defog away hazards.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* If you already have a Z-Move user on your team Venomoth can use some other items such as Lum Berry to get rid of a status or Life Orb for more powerful attacks.
* Choice Specs Venomoth with four attacks is another option to use that gives you instant powerful attacks without set-up but limits your utility and sweeping capabilities
* A set using Black Sludge and Substitute can be used to allow Venomoth to set up and not have to worry as much about getting burnt or paralyzed and also be safe from priority attacks.
* Venomoth can also run a mono-attacking set with Bug Buzz as its only attack but in this meta full of strong Fairy Types losing the Poison STAB normally is not worth it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Steel Types**: Although Venomoth can break through most bulky Steel Types, such as Cobalion and Scizor, by using its Z-Move. The Z-Move is a one time use and if your opponent can get you to waste it then it becomes very difficult to get through the remaining resists.
**Massive Special Walls**: Dedicated special walls such as Blissey and Porygon2 are a big problem for Venomoth and can only be beaten by getting up multiple Quiver Dances which can be difficult.
**Priority Users**: Venomoth does not have a great bulk and is at risk of taking large amounts of damage from priority moves like Bullet Punch from Scizor or Sucker Punch from Bisharp. However, it is possible to predict around Sucker Punch users so keep that in mind if faced with one.
**Faster Choice Scarf Users**: Venomoth only has base 90 Speed so anything that has base 90 Speed or higher using a choice scarf can outspeed you if you have only one Quiver Dance boost. Hydreigon, Infernape, and Darmanitan are all relatively common scarf users to look out for.
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