Venusaur is one of the strongest Grass-type Pokémon in VGC. Its famous Ability, Chlorophyll, doubles its Speed stat in harsh sunlight. This is great since Pokémon like Groudon and Torkoal can set up said sunlight to boost Venusaur’s Speed for free! With its Speed stat doubled, Venusaur can even outspeed Regieleki (who is one of the fastest Pokémon there is under normal circumstances)! In VGC, Venusaur is also capable of using G-Max Vine Lash. In addition to dealing damage, the move saps enemies of 1/6 their maximum HP at the end of each turn. Not only can Venusaur dish out damage, it can also immobilize opponents with Sleep Powder. This Pokémon is a great choice for your team, even if you don’t have a sun setter — it can take advantage of opposing sun teams either way.
Venusaur Moveset Guide
Venusaur is a solid pick, as opposing Water-types have trouble disposing of it. It’s versatile, so it can run multiple items. Bulkier variants can run Weakness Policy or Assault Vest, while offensive variants can go with Life Orb instead. Even without a Life Orb, Venusaur hits hard with G-Max Vine Lash when Gigantamaxed; Leaf Storm hits just as hard if Venusaur hasn’t had the chance to supersize itself.
Leaf Storm aside, Venusaur generally picks from three other offensive moves. Weather Ball turns into a Fire-type move in harsh sunlight, making it key for KOing other Grass-types as well as nailing Steel- and Ice-types. Sludge Bomb has a chance of inflicting poison, but more importantly, it can increase Venusaur’s Sp. Atk when used as Max Ooze. Earth Power becomes Max Quake when Dynamaxed, allowing Venusaur to raise its Sp. Defense and become even bulkier.
Most of the time, Venusaur won’t be dedicating all four of its moves to attacks. You’re going to want to pick three of these four and then choose between Sleep Powder and Protect for your fourth slot. Ideally, you’ll always Gigantamax Venusaur; in instances where it can’t, you can simply harass opponents with Sleep Powder. If you choose to run an offensive Venusaur, you can maximize its Sp. Attack and Speed EVs with a Timid nature; otherwise, a bulky spread with 196 HP / 100 Sp. Attack / 212 Speed works just fine.
If you have any questions about how to use Venusaur that weren’t answered here, feel free to drop by our Discord community! We have plenty more Pokémon guides – both for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus – that you can access via the link below. Good luck, and happy training!
If you would like to read more Pokémon guides, please follow this link.
