[Overview]
<p>At first glance, it may seem unwise to use Venusaur over Roserade, who has higher speed, better Special Attack, and the ability to set up Toxic Spikes. However, Venusaur has a few unique tricks up it's its sleeves which allow it to function well in the metagame. Venusaur is much bulkier than Roserade, allowing it to take hits, which Roserade wouldn’t have been able to. Venusaur also has access to Swords Dance and Power Whip, turning it into a frightening sweeper. Those reasons alone warrant the use of Venusaur. Other Grass-types such as Shaymin and Celebi don’t outclass Venusaur either, because Venusaur's Poison typing allows it to absorb Toxic Spikes that are on the field, allowing teammates to switch in without being crippled by poison. Overall, Venusaur has it's its own niche, allowing it to do function well in the tier.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Leech Seed
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Leaf Storm / Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Sludge Bomb
item: Leftovers / Black Sludge
evs: 252 HP / 24 SpA / 176 SpD / 56 Spe
nature: Calm
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Venusaur can become a great preform greatly as a Leech Seeder, thanks to it's its great bulk, coupled with being able the ability to incapacitate a counter or check with Sleep Powder. Leech Seed provides Venusaur with some form of recovery, while weakening the opposing Pokemon at the same time. Leaf Storm offers a powerful STAB move that hits many Pokemon hard, but lowers its Special Attack after every use. Grass Knot is a great alternative, still hitting quite hard, thanks to plenty of heavy Pokemon that reside in the tier. Hidden Power Fire allows Venusaur to hit Steel-types who would otherwise wall this set. Since Scizor is one of the most common switch-ins to Venusaur, and can also not get harmed by Leech Seed thanks to U-turn, it can easily switch in and hit Venusaur hard or allow the opposing team to gain momentum. Sludge Bomb can be used instead of Hidden Power Fire for a secondary STAB move, but Venusaur loses out on the ability to hit Steel-types hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hidden Power Ground is an option in the last slot to hit Heatran. If it is used, Timid nature along with 252 Speed EVs should be used to outspeed Heatran, and be able to nail it with Hidden Power Ground. Note that a lot of bulk will be sacrificed if Venusaur is to run maximum Speed. Synthesis can be used over Leech Seed, as it offers more recovery. Unfortunately, sandstorm is such a common effect in the metagame, and very often, Venusaur will only be healing a meager 33% health. The EVs are tailored to give Venusaur a lot of special bulk, while being able to outspeed 4 Speed Suicune, Gyarados, Rotom-a, and 132 Speed Metagross. The 24 Special Attack EVs allow Venusaur to break Gengar's Substitute with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Unless Hidden Power Ground is used, Heatran is a great counter, being able to switch in on anything but Sleep Powder (which can be easily dealt with using a status absorber) and force it out with a STAB Fire-type attack. Infernape functions similarly, being able to outspeed Venusaur and take it out with Fire Blast. Bulky Gyarados is a good teammate to counter the aforementioned threats, being able to take Fire Blast easily while also being immune to Earth Power (In Heatran's case). Gyarados can force both of them out, and use Dragon Dance on the switch. Neither Pokemon has anything that can be used to threaten Gyarados with bar the very rare Hidden Power Electric.</p>
[SET]
name: OU Swords Dance
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Power Whip
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Venusaur can effectively run a Swords Dance set, and is not outclassed by other Grass-types because neither Shaymin or Celebi can run a viable Swords Dance set, while other Swords Dance sweepers such as Lucario do not have the bulk that Venusaur has. Sleep Powder allows Venusaur to incapacitate a check or counter that switches in. This gives Venusaur a free turn to set up Swords Dance without being hurt. From there, Venusaur can fire off powerful STAB Power Whip backed by 526 Attack and Life Orb. Earthquake provides good coverage alongside Power Whip, hitting Steel-type Pokemon for super effective damage, with the exception of Skarmory and Bronzong Skarmory, Bronzong, Scizor, and Forretress.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Occa Berry is an option over Life Orb, allowing Venusaur to take a Fire-type move from the likes of Choice Scarf Heatran, and take it out with Earthquake. Venusaur outspeeds non-Choice Scarf Heatran and Adamant Lucario, allowing Venusaur to nail them both with Earthquake before neither either of them can attack. Sludge Bomb can be used over Sleep Powder, allowing Venusaur to 2HKO Shaymin and Celebi, and also OHKO Breloom, even with a Jolly nature. Return can be used to hit Dragonite, Zapdos, and other Grass-types for more damage. The EV spread is a standard offensive spread, maximizing Attack and Speed so Venusaur can hit harder and outspeed more foes, while the remaining 4 EVs are put into HP to increase it's its bulk.</p>
<p>Most Pokemon will take a lot of damage from boosted Power Whips. Even Pokemon who resist it lose a chunk of health. Therefore, not many Pokemon can be called a counter. Celebi is also a great counter, resisting both Power Whip and Earthquake, being able to switch out to avoid falling asleep if necessary thanks to Natural Cure, and has access to Psychic and Recover, allowing it to hurt Venusaur, and heal itself when in need. Since Celebi and Skarmory are both problematic Pokemon, Choice Scarf Scizor and Magnezone can become a great assets. With a Choice Scarf, Scizor can easily switch into a Psychic, without fear of getting KOed by Hidden Power Fire the next turn, and proceed to U-turn to either knock out Celebi, or gain momentum. If the opponent also happens to have Skarmory, Scizor can U-turn out to Magnezone, who traps Skarmory thanks to Magnet Pull, and can KO it with Thunderbolt.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Venusaur does not have many viable options in the higher tier. Growth can be used to boost Venusaur's Special Attack, and with a set of Grass Knot, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground, Venusaur should not be taken lightly. Hidden Power Ice is another option, hitting Zapdos, Dragonite, and also hits other Grass-types hard. Light Screen can be used to lower the damage output of special attacks, and can be helpful for Venusaur's teammates also. Roar can be used, allowing Venusaur to phaze threats. Finally, Toxic can be used to cripple a bulky wall, preventing them from doing their job.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Though Venusaur has quite a few counters that can dispose of it, all checks and counters must beware of a potential Sleep Powder, which could severely cripple it. For that reason, it would be wise to switch in a status absorber to take the Sleep Powder before switching to your counter. Once sleep clause has been activated, Venusaur becomes much easier to counter, as there are a number of Pokemon who resists both of Venusaur's attacks. Skarmory is without a doubt the best counter to the Swords Dance set. Even boosted Power Whips don’t bother it thanks to it's typing, which 4x resists Power Whip. It is also immune to Earthquake, meaning that there is nothing Venusaur can do to hurt Skarmory. In return, Skarmory can easily set up three layers of Spikes if Venusaur decides to stay in, Roosting when getting low on health, and either severely damaging Venusaur with Brave Bird, or phazing it with Whirlwind. Zapdos can switch in to Venusaur, and either set up a Substitute or fire off a powerful Heat Wave. Dragonite is also not weak to any of Venusaur's attacks, and can blast Venusaur away with Outrage. Note that Venusaur may carry Hidden Power Ice, which will severely hurt Dragonite, but will not knock it out. Choice Scarf Heatran can switch in on anything but Earthquake and Hidden Power Ground, and use Fire Blast. Celebi is immune to Leech Seed, resists Grass- and Ground-type attacks, and can hurt Venusaur with STAB super effective Psychic. Note that Venusaur will often be packing Hidden Power Fire or Sludge Bomb, which Celebi will lose a chunk of health from.</p>
Damage Calculations:
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 252/252 Bold Blissey: 94.7% - 111.5%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 252/252 Impish Hippowdon: 114.3% - 134.8%
+1 Life Orb Power Whip vs 248/252 Impish Gyarados: 59.5% - 70.2%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 252/252 Bold Rotom-A: 84.2% - 99.7%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 252/4 Jolly Gliscor: 86.4% - 102%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 12/0 Breloom:85.2% - 100%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 0/0 Gengar 107.3% - 126.4%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 240/0 Machamp 118.1% - 138.8%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 4/0 Celebi / Shaymin 54.4% - 64%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 248/228 Bold Zapdos: 39.9% - 47%
+2 Life Orb Power Whip vs 248/0 Zapdos: 55.6% - 65.8%
+2 Life Orb Earthquake vs 248/0 Scizor 60.6% - 71.1%
+2 Life Orb Earthquake vs 252/224 Bold Jirachi 75.7% - 89.1%
+2 Life Orb Earthquake vs 0/0 Jirachi 122% - 143.7%
( For damage calculations, put this on top of the calcs: <ul class="damage_calculation">. <li> at the start of a calculation, </li> at the end, and </ul> at the bottom of the calcs.)
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Venusaur (OU Analysis)
- Thread starter ShinyAzelf
- Start date
Implemented, thank you!
Nature and EVs should be swapped around.
[SET]
name: OU Leech Seed
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Leaf Storm / Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Sludge Bomb
item: Leftovers / Black Sludge
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 24 SpA / 176 SpD / 56 Spe
nature: Calm
A few more nitpicks and I'll call it a stamp.
Leech Seed's second AC: "Bulky Gyarados is a good teammate to counter the aforementioned threats, being able to take Fire Blast easily while also being immune to Earth Power (in Heatran's case)."
And uh, can you spice up/change Swords Dance AC's first paragraph? Just two of the 3 first sentences, because they keep repeating "allowing" and it's getting weird.
For Swords Dance AC's second paragraph: "...great counter, since it resists both Power Whip and Earthquake, being is able to switch out to avoid falling asleep if necessary thanks to Natural Cure, and has access to..."
Other Options: "Light Screen can be used to lower the damage output of special attacks that are directed at your team, and can be helpful for Venusaur's teammates also."
Other Options in general needs to avoid repeating "can be used" so much. Try to change it up a bit.
Also, if you're using "it", you're not using "who", so switch them to that/which when you see them (use "which" when there's a comma).
Counters: "Even boosted Power Whips don’t bother it thanks to its typing,"
"Zapdos can switch into Venusaur"
I'll let the next GPer go for prose. Here you go!
[SET]
name: OU Leech Seed
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Leaf Storm / Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Sludge Bomb
item: Leftovers / Black Sludge
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 24 SpA / 176 SpD / 56 Spe
nature: Calm
A few more nitpicks and I'll call it a stamp.
Leech Seed's second AC: "Bulky Gyarados is a good teammate to counter the aforementioned threats, being able to take Fire Blast easily while also being immune to Earth Power (in Heatran's case)."
And uh, can you spice up/change Swords Dance AC's first paragraph? Just two of the 3 first sentences, because they keep repeating "allowing" and it's getting weird.
For Swords Dance AC's second paragraph: "...great counter, since it resists both Power Whip and Earthquake, being is able to switch out to avoid falling asleep if necessary thanks to Natural Cure, and has access to..."
Other Options: "Light Screen can be used to lower the damage output of special attacks that are directed at your team, and can be helpful for Venusaur's teammates also."
Other Options in general needs to avoid repeating "can be used" so much. Try to change it up a bit.
Also, if you're using "it", you're not using "who", so switch them to that/which when you see them (use "which" when there's a comma).
Counters: "Even boosted Power Whips don’t bother it thanks to its typing,"
"Zapdos can switch into Venusaur"
I'll let the next GPer go for prose. Here you go!
All right, implemented everything in your post.
Also, I PM'd Rising_Dusk to get it on the GP queue, so it should be fairly soon.
Thanks Flora!
Also, I PM'd Rising_Dusk to get it on the GP queue, so it should be fairly soon.
Thanks Flora!
Haha, yeah I took over the update of Meganium =P
Anyways, I've implemented the changes. Thanks!
Anyways, I've implemented the changes. Thanks!
Fine, fine, let's go ahead and get this on-site.
EDIT:
Ok, that took more work than I would've liked. There were lots of weird content errors, such as mistakes in why specific EVs were chosen or strange comparisons to Pokemon like Lucario. You were also very repetitive with "being able" and other such phrases, which made the writing slightly painful to dredge through. You should be more mindful of these things in the future and not rush through writing up analyses. Anyway, this is now uploaded.
EDIT:
Ok, that took more work than I would've liked. There were lots of weird content errors, such as mistakes in why specific EVs were chosen or strange comparisons to Pokemon like Lucario. You were also very repetitive with "being able" and other such phrases, which made the writing slightly painful to dredge through. You should be more mindful of these things in the future and not rush through writing up analyses. Anyway, this is now uploaded.