Pokemon Focus: #71 - Victreebel

Introduction

Victreebel is a Grass-type Pokemon who has struggled a bit with having the right moves for its stat distribution. Having such high Attack was okay last generation when Poison was physical, but the lack of type coverage hurt. Its Special Attack is still high enough that special attacks work, which is definitely a good thing since in the generation shift, Sludge Bomb became Special and aside from Razor Leaf, Victreebel got none of the new physical Grass moves, nor did it get Poison Jab. That has since been rectified with the addition of Leaf Blade.

Past that, though, it has some interesting options. Sunny Day is almost a given, and its strong attacking stats on both ends give it a fair amount of options to work with. Having access to Sleep Powder, the most reliable Sleep move this side of Spore/Dark Void, is also great for this Pokemon. Overall, it's a fun Pokemon to use, and should by no means be underestimated.

Capture/Training

These guys are everywhere. Just catch one.

Weepinbell, for whatever reason, learns moves at the same rate as Bellsprout. Victreebel has its movepool limited, but since Razor Leaf is Heart Scale-able, you don't need to wait too long. Ironically, the only move worth delaying Weepinbell's evolution for is Knock Off, learned at Level 27, which can be a useful support move, particularly in the Battle Tower. All-in-all, not hard to manage if you want it.

Stats

80 HP, 105 Atk, 65 Def, 100 SpA, 60 SpD, 70 Spe

Pretty good stats overall. Attacking stats are nice and high. Speed can be an issue, but Chlorophyll can resolve that.

Ability

Chlorophyll doubles Victreebel's speed in sunlight, solving its low speed issue and letting it slot nicely into Sunny Day teams.

Moves

On the physical side, Leaf Blade is the only option really worth considering, considering it has the same PP and accuracy as Seed Bomb but with more power and an increased crit rate. On the special side, the usual options are available: Energy Ball for consistency, Grass Knot to hit heavyweights, Leaf Storm to hit hard once, and, of course, SolarBeam in the sun. Remembering that Victreebel has no physical Poison moves to work with, on the special side Sludge Bomb is still quite powerful.

Going into its secondary movepool, Victreebel somehow has access to Sucker Punch. Being a priority move on par with ExtremeSpeed, it will do great damage to those who don't resist it (particularly Psychic-types) and helps compensate for its low Speed, so long as you predict an attack correctly. It doesn't have any other notable physical moves, though, other than Return. On the special side, one of Victreebel's more interesting options is Weather Ball. In sunlight, it becomes a Fire-type attack, gets the Sunlight boost, and helps take care of those Steel-types that tend to stop Victreebel in its tracks. Like its physical side, though, it doesn't have any alternate Special attacks besides Hidden Power.

Victreebel also has access to various status moves. Sleep Powder is one of the best at what it does, although Stun Spore also has its uses, particularly if you think Victreebel is moving a bit too slow. It also has Toxic and Teeter Dance.

Swords Dance is Victreebel's method of kicking up its Attack power. It also has Growth if it wants to increase its Special Attack, albeit at a slower rate. Stockpile can help with defenses.

Knock Off is a good support move, removing an item from the opponent's hands.

Victreebel can cripple opponents with Encore, as well. Gastro Acid and Worry Seed mess up Pokemon reliant on their abilities.

Synthesis gets a mention as a healing move, although Victreebel is a bit fragile to use it much.

Effective Movesets

1. Sunny Day

- Sunny Day

- SolarBeam

- Weather Ball

- Sleep Powder

Item: Life Orb/Heat Rock

2. Swords Dance

- Swords Dance

- Leaf Blade

- Sucker Punch

- Sleep Powder

3. Mixed Swords Dance

- Swords Dance

- Leaf Blade

- Sucker Punch

- Leaf Storm

Note: Differentiated from the above, as this set should not use a Sp. Atk-hindering nature, instead opting for a nature like Naughty.

4. Choice Specs

- Leaf Storm

- Sludge Bomb

- Weather Ball

- Sleep Powder

Item: Choice Specs

5. Support

- Knock Off

- Sleep Powder

- Stun Spore

- Energy Ball

Closing Notes

The generation shift was a bit slow to give Victreebel what it needed to work, but it got some good attacks and now has various ways it can mess up its opponents. Have fun with it.