McCoolDude
Just a fat shark
BIG OL' BEL
[OVERVIEW]
Victreebel is a decent, if unreliable, setup wallbreaker. Thanks to its access to Sleep Powder and a powerful Grass-type STAB attack, it is capable of scaring out many prominent Pokemon, including common Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon and Sandslash, and setting up with Swords Dance. It even has Sucker Punch in order to pick off frail or weakened Pokemon that could otherwise outspeed and KO it, like Mega Alakazam and Starmie. Victreebel's main flaw is its lack of coverage, which leaves it walled and destroyed by the omnipresent Melmetal. Outside of its offenses, Victreebel's stats are extremely lacking, meaning most fast Pokemon can KO it easily if they survive a Sucker Punch, and most bulky Pokemon can do the same if they survive Power Whip.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Power Whip
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Sleep Powder / Poison Jab
item: No Item
nature: Adamant
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Sucker Punch allows Victreebel to overcome its poor Speed stat by outprioritizing the faster Pokemon that attempt to deal with it offensively such as Mega Venusaur, Mega Beedrill, Starmie, and Mega Alakazam. Power Whip threatens Pokemon like Rhydon, Golem, and Sandslash with an OHKO and forces them out. Swords Dance allows Victreebel to attain an immense Attack stat and forces the opponent to play around the possibility of a +2 Sucker Punch and a +2 Power Whip at the same time. While somewhat unreliable, Sleep Powder allows Victreebel to put any non-Grass-type out of commission as it comes in to deal with Victreebel, granting it turns to set up and become extremely offensively threatening. Poison Jab forgoes these turns in favor of a strong, spammable STAB move that can be useful against slower teams and notably helps with KOing weakened Zapdos and Dragonite. While an Adamant nature is preferred for its significant power increase, a Jolly nature can be useful for avoiding a Speed tie with Poliwrath and outspeeding neutral natured Nidoqueen and Eevee-S.
Usage Tips
========
Victreebel is generally very prediction reliant and only becomes truly threatening versus neutral targets when it has set up with Swords Dance. Due to this, Victreebel should be brought in versus Stealth Rock or Toxic users that are slower than it, like Rhydon and Poliwrath, on the turn they use their status moves. Setting up Victreebel when there are obvious Grass-type answers like Venusaur on your opponent's team is a good idea, as at +2, Victreebel can beat them one-on-one with Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock is up. If your opponent lacks a Grass-type but has an otherwise excellent switch-in for Victreebel, like Charizard or Melmetal, using Sleep Powder can not only shut down a potent threat but also give you several turns to swap around or boost. In situations where the opposing Pokemon is in range of a Sucker Punch and you've already revealed it, using Sleep Powder or Power Whip can be a good way to punish a cheeky switch.
Team Options
========
Mega Aerodactyl appreciates Victreebel's ability to draw in Melmetal and Venusaur and chip them into range of its moves with Power Whip and Sucker Punch, respectively. Zapdos benefits from Victreebel's ability to pressure Ground-types like Rhydon and Sandslash, and, in return, Victreebel appreciates Zapdos's U-turn for free entry into a favorable matchup against incoming Ground-types. In addition, Zapdos is one of the only Pokemon in the metagame that can switch into all of Melmetal's attacks, which Victreebel lets in for free. Mega Beedrill is a powerful U-turn user that can bring Victreebel into favorable matchups, as it tends to bait in Rhydon. It also appreciates Victreebel's ability to lure in Melmetal and put it to sleep, hindering its ability to counter Mega Beedrill throughout the game.
Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Charizard X, and Sandslash particularly appreciate Starmie being removed, which Victreebel is capable of baiting in and OHKOing with a +2 Sucker Punch. Other Water-types, like Mega Gyarados and Vaporeon, can be heavily pressured by Victreebel, but it generally cannot safely come in on either.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Leech Life is an option for Victreebel over Poison Jab or Sleep Powder, as combined with Swords Dance, the recovery it provides can allow Victreebel to survive an extra attack from tanks like Alolan Muk. However, the move's typing does not do Victreebel many favors offensively, and dropping STAB move for it is generally not recommended.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Melmetal**: Melmetal can take any attack Victreebel throws at it, even at +2. It also threatens an OHKO after Stealth Rock with Double Iron Bash.
**Gengar**: Gengar commonly carries Will-O-Wisp and resists all of Victreebel's STAB attacks, allowing it to shut down Victreebel without being consistently beaten by Sucker Punch. In addition, Gengar can take advantage of a predicted Sucker Punch or Sleep Powder by setting up Substitute and become difficult to remove without sacrificing a Pokemon.
**Dragonite**: Dragonite can use its resistance to Power Whip to set up Agility and heal off any damage with Roost, though it must be wary of taking a Sleep Powder or +2 Poison Jab.
**Mew**: Mew is the only viable Psychic-type in the tier that is not OHKOed by a +2 Sucker Punch. It also frequently carries Taunt, Roost, and Will-O-Wisp to stop Victreebel from punishing it with Sleep Powder or Sucker Punch.
**Drill Peck Zapdos**: Zapdos resists Power Whip, has excellent bulk, and carries Roost, so it can frequently stop Victreebel from running rampant.
**Mega Aerodactyl**: If Mega Aerodactyl is carrying Wing Attack, it is capable of OHKOing Victreebel after Stealth Rock. However, Mega Aerodactyl must be cautious, as attempting to outplay Sucker Punch with Roost can lead to a guaranteed OHKO from Power Whip, even if Victreebel has not set up.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272] , [Vengeance417, 198446], [Lilburr, 481709]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
[OVERVIEW]
Victreebel is a decent, if unreliable, setup wallbreaker. Thanks to its access to Sleep Powder and a powerful Grass-type STAB attack, it is capable of scaring out many prominent Pokemon, including common Stealth Rock setters like Rhydon and Sandslash, and setting up with Swords Dance. It even has Sucker Punch in order to pick off frail or weakened Pokemon that could otherwise outspeed and KO it, like Mega Alakazam and Starmie. Victreebel's main flaw is its lack of coverage, which leaves it walled and destroyed by the omnipresent Melmetal. Outside of its offenses, Victreebel's stats are extremely lacking, meaning most fast Pokemon can KO it easily if they survive a Sucker Punch, and most bulky Pokemon can do the same if they survive Power Whip.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Power Whip
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Sleep Powder / Poison Jab
item: No Item
nature: Adamant
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Sucker Punch allows Victreebel to overcome its poor Speed stat by outprioritizing the faster Pokemon that attempt to deal with it offensively such as Mega Venusaur, Mega Beedrill, Starmie, and Mega Alakazam. Power Whip threatens Pokemon like Rhydon, Golem, and Sandslash with an OHKO and forces them out. Swords Dance allows Victreebel to attain an immense Attack stat and forces the opponent to play around the possibility of a +2 Sucker Punch and a +2 Power Whip at the same time. While somewhat unreliable, Sleep Powder allows Victreebel to put any non-Grass-type out of commission as it comes in to deal with Victreebel, granting it turns to set up and become extremely offensively threatening. Poison Jab forgoes these turns in favor of a strong, spammable STAB move that can be useful against slower teams and notably helps with KOing weakened Zapdos and Dragonite. While an Adamant nature is preferred for its significant power increase, a Jolly nature can be useful for avoiding a Speed tie with Poliwrath and outspeeding neutral natured Nidoqueen and Eevee-S.
Usage Tips
========
Victreebel is generally very prediction reliant and only becomes truly threatening versus neutral targets when it has set up with Swords Dance. Due to this, Victreebel should be brought in versus Stealth Rock or Toxic users that are slower than it, like Rhydon and Poliwrath, on the turn they use their status moves. Setting up Victreebel when there are obvious Grass-type answers like Venusaur on your opponent's team is a good idea, as at +2, Victreebel can beat them one-on-one with Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock is up. If your opponent lacks a Grass-type but has an otherwise excellent switch-in for Victreebel, like Charizard or Melmetal, using Sleep Powder can not only shut down a potent threat but also give you several turns to swap around or boost. In situations where the opposing Pokemon is in range of a Sucker Punch and you've already revealed it, using Sleep Powder or Power Whip can be a good way to punish a cheeky switch.
Team Options
========
Mega Aerodactyl appreciates Victreebel's ability to draw in Melmetal and Venusaur and chip them into range of its moves with Power Whip and Sucker Punch, respectively. Zapdos benefits from Victreebel's ability to pressure Ground-types like Rhydon and Sandslash, and, in return, Victreebel appreciates Zapdos's U-turn for free entry into a favorable matchup against incoming Ground-types. In addition, Zapdos is one of the only Pokemon in the metagame that can switch into all of Melmetal's attacks, which Victreebel lets in for free. Mega Beedrill is a powerful U-turn user that can bring Victreebel into favorable matchups, as it tends to bait in Rhydon. It also appreciates Victreebel's ability to lure in Melmetal and put it to sleep, hindering its ability to counter Mega Beedrill throughout the game.
Alolan Dugtrio, Mega Charizard X, and Sandslash particularly appreciate Starmie being removed, which Victreebel is capable of baiting in and OHKOing with a +2 Sucker Punch. Other Water-types, like Mega Gyarados and Vaporeon, can be heavily pressured by Victreebel, but it generally cannot safely come in on either.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Leech Life is an option for Victreebel over Poison Jab or Sleep Powder, as combined with Swords Dance, the recovery it provides can allow Victreebel to survive an extra attack from tanks like Alolan Muk. However, the move's typing does not do Victreebel many favors offensively, and dropping STAB move for it is generally not recommended.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Melmetal**: Melmetal can take any attack Victreebel throws at it, even at +2. It also threatens an OHKO after Stealth Rock with Double Iron Bash.
**Gengar**: Gengar commonly carries Will-O-Wisp and resists all of Victreebel's STAB attacks, allowing it to shut down Victreebel without being consistently beaten by Sucker Punch. In addition, Gengar can take advantage of a predicted Sucker Punch or Sleep Powder by setting up Substitute and become difficult to remove without sacrificing a Pokemon.
**Dragonite**: Dragonite can use its resistance to Power Whip to set up Agility and heal off any damage with Roost, though it must be wary of taking a Sleep Powder or +2 Poison Jab.
**Mew**: Mew is the only viable Psychic-type in the tier that is not OHKOed by a +2 Sucker Punch. It also frequently carries Taunt, Roost, and Will-O-Wisp to stop Victreebel from punishing it with Sleep Powder or Sucker Punch.
**Drill Peck Zapdos**: Zapdos resists Power Whip, has excellent bulk, and carries Roost, so it can frequently stop Victreebel from running rampant.
**Mega Aerodactyl**: If Mega Aerodactyl is carrying Wing Attack, it is capable of OHKOing Victreebel after Stealth Rock. However, Mega Aerodactyl must be cautious, as attempting to outplay Sucker Punch with Roost can lead to a guaranteed OHKO from Power Whip, even if Victreebel has not set up.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[McCoolDude, 469684]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272] , [Vengeance417, 198446], [Lilburr, 481709]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Rabia, 336073]]
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