[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-5 points
**Overview**: Vileplume is a defensive Pokemon with a lot of good traits that can make it a good low-tier pick on a lot of drafts. It can use its good Grass / Poison typing alongside Effect Spore and Strength Sap to be very annoying for physical attackers, and it can help deal with some top-tier picks like Palafin, Iron Valiant, and Urshifu-R by resisting their attacks. However, Vileplume can struggle due to its somewhat middling bulk, letting some Pokemon overpower it with super effective coverage. It also has severe coverage issues, leading to it being walled by most Steel- and Poison-types, although it still has options to hinder them like Leech Seed and Sleep Powder.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Wall**: Vileplume can use its good defensive typing with Strength Sap, good STAB attacks, and its great utility movepool to function as a good physical wall to certain threats, and it can be punish some of the most used physical attacks like Knock Off and U-turn thanks to Effect Spore.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Leaf Storm, Sludge Wave, Grass Knot, Energy Ball
**Setup Moves**: Growth
**Utility Moves**: Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Toxic, Leech Seed, Synthesis, Strength Sap, Substitute
**Coverage**: Moonblast, Pullen Puff, Tera Blast, Weather Ball
Niche Moves
========
**Sunny Day**: Vileplume can use Sunny Day to override opposing weather and set up sun for itself to gain Speed with Chlorophyll.
**Physical Attacks**: Solar Blade or Petal Blizzard can be used alongside Growth or Swords Dance to hit opposing physically frail Pokemon that can take Vileplume's special moves, but this is usually not recommended because of its middling Attack stat.
**Endure**: Endure can be used to survive a hit that would normally KO Vileplume, allowing for more Rocky Helmet chip damage and an extra chance for Effect Spore to occur against a physical attack.
**Acid Spray**: Vileplume can use Acid Spray to weaken its checks for it or a teammate to take advantage of.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is great for punishing U-turn and other weak physical attacks alongside Effect Spore. This is also an ideal item when Vileplume is expected to be hit with a Knock Off.
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Vileplume can use Black Sludge or Leftovers to help its longevity throughout a game. This helps it stick around and not be as reliant on Strength Sap for recovery.
**Heavy-Duty Boots** Vileplume can use Heavy-Duty Boots in certain matchups where removing entry hazards can be hard to pull off so that it can switch around more freely.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can sometimes be used for a burst of healing to help Vileplume survive a hit when it would otherwise be 2HKOed.
**Life Orb**: Vileplume can make use of Life Orb on Chlorophyll sets to give a boost in damage that is often needed to achieve KOs.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries can be used to lure certain offensive mons that would usually be able to KO Vileplume with a coverage move, allowing it to retaliate back with status or an attack.
Tera
========
Vileplume doesn't need to be a Tera Captain to function well, and it is often outclassed by other cheap secondary Tera Captains, although it can use good defensive Tera types like Tera Water, Fairy, and Steel to wall some Pokemon that it would normally struggle against. It can also on occasion use Tera offensively on Chlorophyll sets for boosted STAB attacks or Tera Fire for strong Weather Ball in sun.
Draft Strategy
========
Vileplume can be a good, relatively cheap option to help out its team's defensive core, using its good typing to help check some big threats. Due to its somewhat middling bulk, it shouldn't be the centerpiece of a teams defense, but rather a good wall to be used in certain matchups.
**Wallbreakers**: Vileplume is usually geared more defensively, so it should be paired with strong offensive Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Garchomp, and Great Tusk that can take advantage of the Poison- and Steel-types that often switch into it.
**Special Walls**: Due to Vileplume usually favoring investing in Defense, it likes to be paired with strong special walls like Slowking, Primarina, and Corviknight that are able to take the super effective hits aimed at it.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Vileplume can force switches thanks its decent STAB and status moves, so it likes being paired with entry hazard setters like Garchomp and Ting-Lu to wear down its checks. It also benefits from strong entry hazard control like Great Tusk and Corviknight to avoid being worn down by opposing hazards when it is not using Heavy-Duty Boots.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel- and Poison-types**: Many Steel and Poison-types like Gholdengo, Heatran, and Galarian Slowking can easily take Vileplume's STAB moves, although they can still be threatened by its status moves outside of Gholdengo.
**Protective Pads / Punching Glove**: Physical attackers can use Protective Pads or Punching Glove to ignore Effect Spore and Rocky Helmet, which is commonly ran on Vileplume.
**Substitute**: A faster Pokemon can use Substitute to block Vileplume's status moves as well as Strength Sap. Foes that resist its attacks can also freely set a Substitute and set up afterwards.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Latios and Iron Moth can easily break through Vileplume's defenses with their super effective hits. Strong neutral hits from Pokemon like Ursaluna-B and Landorus can also threaten 2KHOs, especially if it is invested in the opposing defense.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zebstrikemdown.547666/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-5 points
**Overview**: Vileplume is a defensive Pokemon with a lot of good traits that can make it a good low-tier pick on a lot of drafts. It can use its good Grass / Poison typing alongside Effect Spore and Strength Sap to be very annoying for physical attackers, and it can help deal with some top-tier picks like Palafin, Iron Valiant, and Urshifu-R by resisting their attacks. However, Vileplume can struggle due to its somewhat middling bulk, letting some Pokemon overpower it with super effective coverage. It also has severe coverage issues, leading to it being walled by most Steel- and Poison-types, although it still has options to hinder them like Leech Seed and Sleep Powder.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Wall**: Vileplume can use its good defensive typing with Strength Sap, good STAB attacks, and its great utility movepool to function as a good physical wall to certain threats, and it can be punish some of the most used physical attacks like Knock Off and U-turn thanks to Effect Spore.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, Leaf Storm, Sludge Wave, Grass Knot, Energy Ball
**Setup Moves**: Growth
**Utility Moves**: Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Toxic, Leech Seed, Synthesis, Strength Sap, Substitute
**Coverage**: Moonblast, Pullen Puff, Tera Blast, Weather Ball
Niche Moves
========
**Sunny Day**: Vileplume can use Sunny Day to override opposing weather and set up sun for itself to gain Speed with Chlorophyll.
**Physical Attacks**: Solar Blade or Petal Blizzard can be used alongside Growth or Swords Dance to hit opposing physically frail Pokemon that can take Vileplume's special moves, but this is usually not recommended because of its middling Attack stat.
**Endure**: Endure can be used to survive a hit that would normally KO Vileplume, allowing for more Rocky Helmet chip damage and an extra chance for Effect Spore to occur against a physical attack.
**Acid Spray**: Vileplume can use Acid Spray to weaken its checks for it or a teammate to take advantage of.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is great for punishing U-turn and other weak physical attacks alongside Effect Spore. This is also an ideal item when Vileplume is expected to be hit with a Knock Off.
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Vileplume can use Black Sludge or Leftovers to help its longevity throughout a game. This helps it stick around and not be as reliant on Strength Sap for recovery.
**Heavy-Duty Boots** Vileplume can use Heavy-Duty Boots in certain matchups where removing entry hazards can be hard to pull off so that it can switch around more freely.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can sometimes be used for a burst of healing to help Vileplume survive a hit when it would otherwise be 2HKOed.
**Life Orb**: Vileplume can make use of Life Orb on Chlorophyll sets to give a boost in damage that is often needed to achieve KOs.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries can be used to lure certain offensive mons that would usually be able to KO Vileplume with a coverage move, allowing it to retaliate back with status or an attack.
Tera
========
Vileplume doesn't need to be a Tera Captain to function well, and it is often outclassed by other cheap secondary Tera Captains, although it can use good defensive Tera types like Tera Water, Fairy, and Steel to wall some Pokemon that it would normally struggle against. It can also on occasion use Tera offensively on Chlorophyll sets for boosted STAB attacks or Tera Fire for strong Weather Ball in sun.
Draft Strategy
========
Vileplume can be a good, relatively cheap option to help out its team's defensive core, using its good typing to help check some big threats. Due to its somewhat middling bulk, it shouldn't be the centerpiece of a teams defense, but rather a good wall to be used in certain matchups.
**Wallbreakers**: Vileplume is usually geared more defensively, so it should be paired with strong offensive Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Garchomp, and Great Tusk that can take advantage of the Poison- and Steel-types that often switch into it.
**Special Walls**: Due to Vileplume usually favoring investing in Defense, it likes to be paired with strong special walls like Slowking, Primarina, and Corviknight that are able to take the super effective hits aimed at it.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Vileplume can force switches thanks its decent STAB and status moves, so it likes being paired with entry hazard setters like Garchomp and Ting-Lu to wear down its checks. It also benefits from strong entry hazard control like Great Tusk and Corviknight to avoid being worn down by opposing hazards when it is not using Heavy-Duty Boots.
Checks and Counters
========
**Steel- and Poison-types**: Many Steel and Poison-types like Gholdengo, Heatran, and Galarian Slowking can easily take Vileplume's STAB moves, although they can still be threatened by its status moves outside of Gholdengo.
**Protective Pads / Punching Glove**: Physical attackers can use Protective Pads or Punching Glove to ignore Effect Spore and Rocky Helmet, which is commonly ran on Vileplume.
**Substitute**: A faster Pokemon can use Substitute to block Vileplume's status moves as well as Strength Sap. Foes that resist its attacks can also freely set a Substitute and set up afterwards.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Latios and Iron Moth can easily break through Vileplume's defenses with their super effective hits. Strong neutral hits from Pokemon like Ursaluna-B and Landorus can also threaten 2KHOs, especially if it is invested in the opposing defense.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zebstrikemdown.547666/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
