Blast
Member of the Alien Nation
Plant Eater
[Overview]
name: Sun Sweeper
move 1: SolarBeam
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Growth / Sleep Powder
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- One of the best sun sweepers thanks to Chlorophyll + high-power moves
- Excellent offensive typing, giving it great coverage with its STABs alone
- Access to cool coverage moves like Weather Ball and priority in Sucker Punch
- Reliance on sun to be effective: sweep is always on a timer, and it's screwed if you're unable to set up sun for it
- Mediocre at best Speed outside of sun, and super frail
name: Sun Sweeper
move 1: SolarBeam
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Growth / Sleep Powder
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Only works on a dedicated sun team, but deadly there
- Keep in mind that the sun needs to be up to be effective, however
- SolarBeam is a strong Grass STAB that can easily clean up teams once sun is up
- Weather Ball is boosted by sun and gets good coverage against most Grass resists
- Sludge Bomb gets pretty much perfect coverage (esp. against Dragons / Zard), and gives you an additional strong STAB if you're unable to set up sun
- Growth isn't always necessary, but if you manage to sneak one in you smash everything
- Uses threat level to set up rather than bulk
- Sleep Powder can dismantle a check and then hit the next switch-in hard
- Good teammates are those that can set up sun for it
- Golem, Regirock, and Probopass can set up sun + SR, and kill bulky Poisons
- Probopass can also utilize Volt Switch to bring it in safely
- Volbeat / Liepard are good options on a full sun team thanks to Prankster + U-turn
- Jumpluff is manly w/ Sleep Powder + Memento to allow you to set up Growth
- Other sun sweepers, such as Zard, are useful to take advantage of sun
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Most effective set outside of sun
- Can be a decent hole-puncher with its great coverage + Sleep Powder
- Sleep Powder is a key move, letting it incapacitate a check and hit the next switch-in hard
- Leaf Storm is strong, denting everything that doesn’t resist
- Sludge Bomb is another STAB with great coverage, hitting Grass-types and most Leaf Storm resists hard
- Sucker Punch picks off weakened threats that attempt to revenge kill, somewhat mitigating its low Speed
- HP Fire for Metang, but that’s basically all it hits and the other moves are too important
- Encore for further disruption, but Sleep Powder usually gets the job done
- Very dangerous if it gets a free switch-in, but can’t switch in often due to its frailty
- A slow pivot (Eel, Probo, Mush) are good partners to help this case
- SR support is great to secure the 2HKO on Mandibuzz w/ Sludge Bomb, as well as 2HKO Mush w/ Leaf Storm
- Ground-types can set up SR while also dealing with bulky Poisons
- Fighting-types like Sawk / Gurdurr can smash special walls
- Samurott / Carracosta can threaten Charizard as well as Steels, while luring in walls such as Alomomola / Tangela
- SD can surprise special walls and use Sleep Powder to set up, but outclassed by Shiftry
- Manual sun, but Ludicolo is a better standalone sweeper
- Giga Drain > SolarBeam or Leaf Storm, but the power is more important and it’s too frail to really make use of the recovery
- Power Whip, but doesn’t hit anything the other moves don't
- Stun Spore, but it’s too frail to spread paralysis
- Hard to directly counter w/ its powerful moves, doubled Speed, and Sleep Powder
- Probopass can take any one hit, but can't switch in repeatedly and can't do /too/ much back
- Bulky Poisons like Garbodor / Muk can take a hit and hurt it back
- Roselia even has Natural Cure to shrug off Sleep Powder, though Weather Ball hurts
- Bulky Dragons are great counters, as Zweilous and Dragonair can absorb sleep and either set up or phaze
- If not in the sun, much easier to check w/ its low Speed and frailty
- Faster things that can take a Sucker Punch can check it, such as Charizard / Braviary
- Sawk / Primeape resist Sucker Punch and can dent w/ Ice Punch (Primeape even has Vital Spirit lol)
- Priority users, such as Kanga / Skunk, can revenge kill it on relatively low health
- Audino / Lickilicky can take a hit, but must watch out for boosted SolarBeams and Sleep Powder
[Overview]
<p>Victreebel is one of the most dangerous sun sweepers in the tier thanks to its ability, Chlorophyll, and its fantastic offensive capabilities. Its access to powerful STAB moves such as SolarBeam and Sludge Bomb alongside great coverage moves such as Weather Ball makes it a devastating force under the sun. Unfortunately, its absolute reliance on the sun is also its greatest downfall; reliance on moves such as SolarBeam and Weather Ball means it simply cannot function outside its element, and its sweep can be cut short should the sun turns run out. In general, Victreebel struggles to carve itself a niche outside of dedicated sun teams, as its frailty and mediocre Speed outside of sun often prevent it from being effective. Victreebel can be a terrifying force when supported properly, but keep in mind that it won't always find a spot on your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Sun Sweeper
move 1: SolarBeam
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Growth / Sleep Powder
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Say hello to one of the deadliest sun sweepers in NU. Under the sun, Victreebel becomes a force to be reckoned with—with doubled Speed and high-powered moves coming off of a base 100 Special Attack, Victreebel can clean up weakened teams with ease. Do note, however, that Victreebel absolutely requires support from teammates to set up sun for it to function. SolarBeam is Victreebel's most powerful drawback-free STAB attack, barreling through anything that does not resist it. Weather Ball is an interesting and unique coverage move Victreebel has access to; it attains excellent coverage with SolarBeam, while also receiving a boost from sun. Sludge Bomb rounds out this set's coverage, providing a strong attack to use against Dragon-types and Charizard while also giving Victreebel a strong STAB move to use if sun is not up. The last slot is generally reserved for Growth; while Victreebel is usually strong enough to sweep without it, if it does manage to set up, it will become almost impossible to wall. Due to Victreebel's frailty, however, it often does not find the opportunity to do this and must resort to offensive pressure. On the other hand, Sleep Powder can also be used as a way to cripple a check, setting Victreebel up to hit the next switch-in hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>It cannot be stressed enough that partners for Victreebel must be able to set up sun for it—Pokemon such as Golem, Regirock, and Probopass can do this while also setting up Stealth Rock and can deal with bulky Poison-types that Victreebel struggles against. Probopass in particular makes for a good partner, as it can utilize Volt Switch to bring in Victreebel safely. Prankster users such as Volbeat and Liepard are also fine choices to set up sun as they can disrupt opposing teams and support Victreebel with Encore and U-turn. Liepard can also threaten Psychic-types, most importantly Trace Gardevoir, with STAB Sucker Punch. Jumpluff is another interesting partner to consider; not only can it set up sun thanks to its high Speed, but it can utilize support moves such as Sleep Powder and Memento, both of which give Victreebel setup opportunities with Growth. Other sun sweepers such as Charizard are also useful to take advantage of the weather.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Leaf Storm
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Rash
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A mixed attacking set is Victreebel's most effective set when it is used outside of a dedicated sun team. Victreebel can punch holes in many teams, thanks to the sheer power of its moves and Sleep Powder. Sleep Powder is the main move of the set, allowing it to cripple an opposing Pokemon and hit the next switch-in hard; it is also what distinguishes Victreebel from Shiftry, who would otherwise be a superior choice. Leaf Storm is Victreebel's most powerful STAB move, and is chosen over Giga Drain due to its immense and immediate power. Sludge Bomb provides great coverage, hitting most Pokemon that resist Leaf Storm hard while also providing a more reliable STAB move. Sucker Punch can catch many threats that attempt to revenge kill Victreebel off guard, somewhat mitigating Victreebel's low Speed.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hidden Power Fire can be considered because of its ability to hit Metang hard, but it doesn't really cover anything else. Encore can potentially be useful to support teammates and disrupt the opposing team, but Sleep Powder generally accomplishes this already. Victreebel appreciates free switch-ins due to its frailty, making slow pivots such as Probopass, Eelektross, and Musharna useful teammates. Probopass can also set up Stealth Rock, allowing Victreebel to secure the 2HKO against standard Mandibuzz with Sludge Bomb and 2HKO Musharna with Leaf Storm (factoring in the Special Attack drop). Ground-types are also good teammates to set up Stealth Rock, as aside from this role they are also able to deal with bulky Poison-types such as Muk that can give Victreebel problems. Fighting-types such as Sawk and Gurdurr can handle special walls for Victreebel, making them solid partners. Water-types such as Samurott and Carracosta are also good options, being able to deal with Steel-types such as Metang and lure in walls such as Alomomola and Tangela for Victreebel to take advantage of.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Swords Dance set might seem plausible at first, surprising special walls and using Sleep Powder to set up, but Shiftry better performs this role due to its access to Nature Power and STAB Sucker Punch. Victreebel can also use Sunny Day to become a self-supporting sweeper, but Rain Dance Ludicolo is a better Pokémon for this role as it has a much easier time setting up with its better bulk and can use rain-boosted Hydro Pumps to clean up. Giga Drain can provide a more reliable Grass-type STAB move and HP recovery, but SolarBeam and Leaf Storm are superior as the power is more important and Victreebel is too frail to make good use of the recovery. Power Whip can be used on either set, but doesn't hit anything harder than Victreebel's other moves would. Stun Spore can spread paralysis, but Victreebel is too frail for this to be worth using.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>It is difficult to truly counter Victreebel, especially under sun. Dragon-types such as Dragonair, Altaria, and Zweilous are by far the best counters to Victreebel, as they do not fear Sleep Powder and can either set up on it or phaze it out. Bulky Poison-types such as Garbodor and Muk make for solid responses, as they can tank any one hit and retaliate back with their respective STAB moves. Roselia can even absorb Sleep Powder thanks to Natural Cure, though Weather Ball easily 2HKOes it. Probopass can also tank a hit or two from Victreebel, though it cannot do much back in return.</p>
<p>Without the sun, however, Victreebel becomes much easier to handle, as it is relatively slow and quite frail. Faster Pokemon that can take a Sucker Punch, such as Charizard and Braviary, can easily check it. Sawk and Primeape resist Sucker Punch and can retaliate with Ice Punch—with proper prediction, Primeape can even switch in on Sleep Powder thanks to Vital Spirit. Priority users such as Kangaskhan and Skuntank make for great checks, easily picking off a weakened Victreebel. Audino and Lickilicky can take hits from it rather well, though they must watch out for boosted SolarBeams and Sleep Powder.</p>
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