The OG Grass type, Venusaur, has always managed to impress. In the main series, Venusaur’s peers (Charizard and Blastoise) have seen more preference. But most Pokémon trainers have time and again testified for Venusaur being the best of the trio. Pokémon Go joins the bandwagon and shows why this giant plant frog is indeed the best of the trio.
Possessing some of the most balanced stats among the starter Pokémon final evolutions, Venusaur has found itself a place in the teams of anyone who’s serious about PvP. With a wonderful moveset following its Community Day, Venusaur may not be the absolute best among the Grass type Pokémon in the game. However, it is definitely the most reliable of the lot. When it comes to PvP in the Great and the Ultra League, it is an absolute beast!
Let us take a look into what makes Venusaur a deadly addition to your Great and Ultra PvP line-up.
Type and Matchups:
Venusaur has a Maximum CP of 2720 at Level 40. It has a dual typing of Grass and Poison and as such, is weak to Fire Psychic Ice and
Its set of resistances include Grass Electric Fairy Water and Fighting type.
Stats:
Venusaur has the following stat distribution:
Venusaur
GrassPoison
|
|||||
| Max CP 2720 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATK 198 | DEF 189 | HP 190 | |||
| Weak to | Strong Against | ||||
| Fire Ice Psychic | Water Ground Rock Fairy Grass | ||||
Moveset:
Venusaur can learn the following moves in Pokémon Go:
| Fast Moves | Charged Moves |
| Vine Whip Grass | Frenzy Plant Grass |
| Razor Leaf Grass | Solar Beam Grass |
| Petal Blizzard Grass | |
| Sludge Bomb Poison | |
| Return Normal |
Performance in the Great League:
Venusaur can be designated as a “high level threat” in the Great League. With its CD exclusive move Frenzy Plant, it literally wreaks havoc in this league. Venusaur has the right fast moves to either deal massive amounts of damage or charges up Frenzy Plant super quick. The icing on the cake is the fact that Venusaur is a tank. You can totally rely on it to save up on your shields and take hits, even if it is a super-effective charge move.
Venusaur’s secondary Poison typing gives it an upper hand against other Grass types. It is also the most formidable counter to any of the ‘mud bois’. However, it doesn’t perform that well against some of the top and Psychic types used in this meta. Venusaur just hates, absolutely hates Confusion users. Consider switching out in such cases.
With that being said, its moveset again shines against many of the common Pokémon out here. The Water types, in particular, enjoy a good showing, but Venusaur is quite possibly their greatest fear. Expect to enjoy quite a number of wins in the Great League courtesy of Venusaur.
Performance in the Ultra League:
Venusaur continues its remarkable performance even in the Ultra League. Its tankiness plays a vital role in cementing its position as one of the best Pokémon in this league. Its stat distribution of just below 200 makes it an amazing pick here.
While it is more suitable as a lead in the Great League, it is recommended to use Venusaur as a supporting team member to your remaining two Pokémon. Its typing helps it to take resisted damage against many of the top attackers in this meta.
Swampert has been insanely crazy since its very own CD, and the resulting possession of Hydro Cannon. Almost everyone has become wary of this dangerous mud boi.
How do you check it?
Venusaur, of course!
Venusaur shreds down Swampert, and does it better than the others. It also fares really well against many others. There is a reason why CD Venusaur is still considered among the best. PvP will show you why.
Do exercise caution against Charizard and those irksome Psychic types that figure out here and there.
Moveset analysis:
Venusaur had one of the best Community Day for itself. Even though it doesn’t shell out the highest DPS or TDO when compared to its grassy brethren, it offers a nice balance between the two.
Frenzy Plant is the obvious choice among its moves. This is an insanely powerful move that can even deal appreciable damage even when resisted. Furthermore, it doesn’t take too much energy to charge up.
Vine Whip is truly a ‘fast’ move and helps to charge up Frenzy Plant pretty quick. This helps to constantly put shield pressure on your opponents.
Razor Leaf is one of the hardest-hitting fast moves in the game. It hit with massive damage on opponents that are weak to Grass type. However, it gains energy really slowly and can pull back Venusaur from potentially winning certain matchups.
Solar Beam is one of Venusaur’s iconic moves and is super powerful in Pokémon Go. The only drawback is that it is a 1-bar charge move and takes up a lot of time to charge up (similar to the main series).
Petal Blizzard is once again a 1-bar charge move. Furthermore, it pales in comparison to Venusaur’s other Grass type moves. You are way better off using Frenzy Plant.
Sludge Bomb is a useful 2-bar charge move that gives Venusaur some useful coverage against other Grass types and a Fairy type like Clefable.
Return, Venusaur’s acquired purified charge move, lacks STAB and is too weak to make an impact.
Should you unlock a second charge move for Venusaur?
Venusaur is designed to spam out Frenzy Plant. This very move makes Venusaur the threat that it is today. However, since unlocking a second charge move is cheap for Venusaur, you may consider giving it Sludge Bomb for coverage and the fact that it is a 2-bat charge move.
As such, Venusaur’s ideal moveset is Vine Whip paired with Frenzy Plant and Sludge Bomb.
Conclusion
A tank with a powerful moveset and good matchups? Yes, please!
Venusaur is an evergreen addition to your PvP team. It fulfils many useful roles that include significant damage output, shield baiting and defensive support.
While it does have to worry about a good number of Pokémon, it can definitely put up an impressive outing in most battle situations.
If a PvP tournament allows the usage of Grass and/or Poison types, Venusaur is your unanimous choice. It is considered as the best Kanto starter by many critics. Guess it is easy to see why!
