With Roselia Community Day around the corner, it’s time to discuss Roserade and find out how well it can perform in PvP and PvE to determine whether it has versatility in battle.
For the first time ever, a featured Pokémon will learn two exclusive moves at one time
during its Community Day.
On Feb 7, 2021 (11 AM – 5 PM local time) Roselia, the Thorn Pokémon will be appearing more in the wild & will learn Bullet Seed & Weather Ball Fire when evolved to the Bouquet Pokémon, Roserade. The event bonus will be ¼ Egg Hatching distance with Budew hatching from Eggs.
The combination of Bullet Seed and Weather Ball Fire can be a strong moveset which combines a fast energy gain with a spammy nuke which synergizes well verses current meta Pokémon.
Stats and Moves
| Max CP | Attack | Defense | Stamina |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3359 | 243 | 185 | 155 |
Roserade has 4 weaknesses being Fire, , Ice and Psychic and 5 resistances which are Grass, Electric, Fairy, Fighting and Water.
| Quick move | Damage | EPS | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razor Leaf | 13 | 7 | 15.6 |
| Poison Jab | 10 | 8.8 | 15 |
| Charge move | Damage | EPS | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzling Gleam | 100 | -14.3 | 28.6 |
| Sludge Bomb | 80 | -21.7 | 41.7 |
| Solar Beam | 180 | -20.4 | 44.1 |
| Grass Knot | 90 | -19.2 | 41.5 |
PvP Leagues
Great League:
The first thing that comes to mind with these new moves to Roserade is the comparison to Sunny Cherim which also has access to Bullet Seed and Weather Ball Fire. From the stats listed above, we can see that Roserade’s Attack stat is its selling point a whopping 243, which in fact might sound enticing, however, keep in mind that it does not have the bulk needed to survive charge moves from the majority of the current meta.
In this case, shields are almost mandatory in order for Roserade to shine. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although when it comes to using Roserade to ‘counter swap’ a Pokémon, a lot of the time it will need to burn shields in order to keep switch advantage.
You may be thinking “But what about Grass Knot?” and although it may be a decent Grass nuke, it falls short of one-shotting an Azumaril which means an Ice Beam will still take out Roserade without the use of a shield.
If you’re thinking of running Roserade with Grass Knot just keep in mind that Pokémon such as Venusaur and Tropius are better alternatives as Grass type users in Great League due to their bulk and consistent damage output. Roserade may not fit into the Great League section comfortably but this does not mean it is not a solid pick in every league, which brings us to our next format…
Ultra League (Open & Premier):
Roserade might just have a spot at being an anti-meta killer in the Ultra League, both Open and in the Premier format. The thought of a Grass + Poison type Pokémon that will now have access to a Fire type move, may cause a threatening presence against the current UL meta which includes Pokémon seen in almost every game such as Magnezone, Swampert, Venusaur, Abomasnow, Escavalier, Melmetal and Registeel.
Having access to Sludge Bomb also provides a possible solution for its counters which include Charizard, Exeggutor, and everyone’s favourite Charm users such as Togekiss and Clefable.
These matchups may sound favourable, however, take into consideration that Roserade is not played as a standard Grass user and has a lot more versatility into a carefully structured team rather than an alternative to standard Grass users played in UL.
With the right team composition, Roserade does have potential to shine but is in no terms, a replacement to any existing Pokémon as it has a unique moveset that provides shield pressure and frightful nuke damage.
Master League:
Roserade does not have much potential in Master League unfortunately despite its CP being able to reach 3359 (at level 50). It only has a few positive matchups being Magnezone, Excadrill and Swampert. In a meta highly inhabited by Dragon types, Roserade just does not seem to fit into this league well. Weather Ball Fire can be useful against Metagross but again, it will need shields in order to keep this fragile flower alive.
PvP Conclusion:
From what we can gather from this information, it is clear that Roserade shines brightest in the Ultra League due to the meta and its versatility. If PvP is your niche, then it is recommended to hunt for a decent IV one on Community Day (0 Attack, 11 Defence, 14 Stamina for PvP) with the exclusive moveset as it will have some solid play in PvP, mainly UL.
PvE Analysis
If PvP is not your thing, then hear this. Roserade currently has the highest Attack stat out of any non-legendary Grass type Pokémon. This means that XL Roserade will be a beast in Raids, Gym Battles and Team GO Rocket Grunts/Leaders. It is considered a ‘glass cannon’ meaning it will be able to dish out insane damage, but its defences are low when it comes to getting hit. Most things will one-shot Roserade if not shielded or dodging in Raids.
Against Pokémon weak to Grass type moves, Razor Leaf will be the better Fast Move as it will provide a higher damage output compared to Bullet Seed. On the other hand, Bullet Seed will generate energy faster which means you will get to your charge moves quicker which can also provide a reliable damage output.
Conclusion
In retrospect, this Community Day may not be as big of a waste of time that many people thought from the announcement of this event. Roserade will help take down raid bosses quickly and has usability in PvP which is a win-win situation.
Remember to stay safe and maintain social distancing while out playing if you can leave your house.
Best of luck hunting Rosellia and may the shiny gods be with you!
