[OVERVIEW]
Venomoth is a unique mon in the LGPE meta. It is the most viable mon that knows quiver dance, as the other one, butterfree, is 4 times weak to rocks. While it has bad physical bulk it can't boost and weaknesses to common types in the meta, such as rock, psychic, and flying, it can still destroy teams with its traits that can truly bug some teams.
[SET]
name: Offensive Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Pyschic/Substitutue/Roost
item: N/A
nature: Modest/Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========
This set takes full advantage of Venomoth's superb dancing skills, allowing it to potentially clean entire teams. Quiver Dance is the set up move that gives Venomoth its role, allowing it to become a strong threat real quick. Sleep Powder allows Venomoth to set a lot of quiver dances without repeatedly tanking hits, something it can't do. Bug Buzz is STAB that allows it to hit most things neutrally or super effectively, stuff like Alakazam, Cloyster, Mew, Muk-Alola, Starmie, Mega-Gyarados and Venusaur. Psychic is for coverage against stuff like Aerodactyl, Gengar, Zapdos and Rapidash. It also chooses to run a Modest nature since it'll be boosting its speed up anyway. After a boost, it can tie with Mega-Beedrill and outspeed everything else except Mega-Aerodactyl, Mega-Alakazam, and Electrode.
Usage Tips
========
Venomoth is most commonly a mid or late game cleaner, finishing off weakened teams. Its great matchups against Mew, Mega-Gyardos, and Mega-Alakazam if it can obtain multiple boosts gives it the advantage if it sets up late game. Doing so also allows you to force your way though Muk-Alola if it was burnt. Its also able to try and gain enough setup from sleeping a threatening pokemon but that can only guarantee a single boost. While Zapdos isn't usually a good switch thanks to drill peck being on a lot of sets, the sets without drill peck have trouble getting by, as Venomoth can absorb toxic, handle thunderbolt or thunder by boosting its special defense more, and not care about paralysis if its running substitute. Another safe entry point is Mega-Gyarados, who has nothing for Venomoth besides extremely niche fire coverage. Venomoth can also switch in when a team. Once its there, it can sleep the opponent if it causes problems and set up on it if it doesn't. You also need to be wary of pokemon switching in from a sleeped mon, since there is a sleep clause.
Team Options
========
Starmie is a pretty good teammate as it can ward off most common rockers as well as handle Maga-Aerodactyl quite well. It can also survive a Mega-Alakazam Shadow Ball and paralyze it. Mega-Alakazam is also good as it can help with the Mega-Aerodactyl weakness as well as take advantage of venomoth removing dark types and Muk-Alola can help deal with Mega-Alakazam. Another good teammate is Sandslash, which can set its own rocks, tank physical moves well, and beat steel and rock type rockers with earthquake, helping to stop stealth rocks from going up. Melmetal is also nice against rocks as it beats the rock type rockers, packs earthquake for the others, and packs the bulk to take quakes. Another good team member is Zapdos, which is a solid wall to Melmetal, one of the things stopping Venomoth from doing anything.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Venomoth can potentially run substitute instead of psychic to further safeguard itself from hits, as this allows it to set up more boosts to make it through threats psychic is supposed to cover with raw power. Roost is also an option, allowing it to heal off the damage from stealth rocks to survive more hits. It can also run Timid nature, outspeeding Mega-Beedrill, Adamant Mega-Aerodactyl, and Modest Mega-Alakazam after 1 boost.
Checks and Counters
===================
Melmetal: Oh boy is this mon a pain for our moth friend. It can break through substitute and still hit with its signature move, that move can also usually KO it while it can do basically nothing to reduce the blow, sleep turn inconsistancy means that there's a good chance melmetal will wake up in one turn and immediately KO, it resists all of venomoth's moves. Literally the only advantage Venomoth has is that it can outspeed it.
Other steels: These mons are still a problem, resisting all of venomoth's moves and having tools to easily kill it, but their lower hp's allow venomoth to still potentially win if they're weakened.
Psychic types: While the issue can be sort of circumvented by having a lot of quiver dance boosts, unboosted Venomoth is prone to getting cleanly knocked out by most psychic types, especially since practically all of them outspeed, with Timid Mega-Alakazam still outspeeding even after a boost as Timid yourself and most psychic types carrying paralysis really doesn't help.
Mega-Aerodactyl: This thing can outspeed venomoth after 1 boost no matter the nature if its Jolly and Venomoth needs to be Timid to be able to outspeed Adamant Mega-Aerodactyl after a boost. It also can easily OHKO it with either rock slide or stone edge.
Most other flying types: Zapdos does basically nothing noteworthy to Venomoth unless it has drill peck, when it will absolutely demolish Venomoth. Dragonite is dangerous for Venomoth over here as well, as its raw power and ability to surpass Venomoth in speed with agility make it hard to stop with our bug.
Venomoth is a unique mon in the LGPE meta. It is the most viable mon that knows quiver dance, as the other one, butterfree, is 4 times weak to rocks. While it has bad physical bulk it can't boost and weaknesses to common types in the meta, such as rock, psychic, and flying, it can still destroy teams with its traits that can truly bug some teams.
[SET]
name: Offensive Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Pyschic/Substitutue/Roost
item: N/A
nature: Modest/Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========
This set takes full advantage of Venomoth's superb dancing skills, allowing it to potentially clean entire teams. Quiver Dance is the set up move that gives Venomoth its role, allowing it to become a strong threat real quick. Sleep Powder allows Venomoth to set a lot of quiver dances without repeatedly tanking hits, something it can't do. Bug Buzz is STAB that allows it to hit most things neutrally or super effectively, stuff like Alakazam, Cloyster, Mew, Muk-Alola, Starmie, Mega-Gyarados and Venusaur. Psychic is for coverage against stuff like Aerodactyl, Gengar, Zapdos and Rapidash. It also chooses to run a Modest nature since it'll be boosting its speed up anyway. After a boost, it can tie with Mega-Beedrill and outspeed everything else except Mega-Aerodactyl, Mega-Alakazam, and Electrode.
Usage Tips
========
Venomoth is most commonly a mid or late game cleaner, finishing off weakened teams. Its great matchups against Mew, Mega-Gyardos, and Mega-Alakazam if it can obtain multiple boosts gives it the advantage if it sets up late game. Doing so also allows you to force your way though Muk-Alola if it was burnt. Its also able to try and gain enough setup from sleeping a threatening pokemon but that can only guarantee a single boost. While Zapdos isn't usually a good switch thanks to drill peck being on a lot of sets, the sets without drill peck have trouble getting by, as Venomoth can absorb toxic, handle thunderbolt or thunder by boosting its special defense more, and not care about paralysis if its running substitute. Another safe entry point is Mega-Gyarados, who has nothing for Venomoth besides extremely niche fire coverage. Venomoth can also switch in when a team. Once its there, it can sleep the opponent if it causes problems and set up on it if it doesn't. You also need to be wary of pokemon switching in from a sleeped mon, since there is a sleep clause.
Team Options
========
Starmie is a pretty good teammate as it can ward off most common rockers as well as handle Maga-Aerodactyl quite well. It can also survive a Mega-Alakazam Shadow Ball and paralyze it. Mega-Alakazam is also good as it can help with the Mega-Aerodactyl weakness as well as take advantage of venomoth removing dark types and Muk-Alola can help deal with Mega-Alakazam. Another good teammate is Sandslash, which can set its own rocks, tank physical moves well, and beat steel and rock type rockers with earthquake, helping to stop stealth rocks from going up. Melmetal is also nice against rocks as it beats the rock type rockers, packs earthquake for the others, and packs the bulk to take quakes. Another good team member is Zapdos, which is a solid wall to Melmetal, one of the things stopping Venomoth from doing anything.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Venomoth can potentially run substitute instead of psychic to further safeguard itself from hits, as this allows it to set up more boosts to make it through threats psychic is supposed to cover with raw power. Roost is also an option, allowing it to heal off the damage from stealth rocks to survive more hits. It can also run Timid nature, outspeeding Mega-Beedrill, Adamant Mega-Aerodactyl, and Modest Mega-Alakazam after 1 boost.
Checks and Counters
===================
Melmetal: Oh boy is this mon a pain for our moth friend. It can break through substitute and still hit with its signature move, that move can also usually KO it while it can do basically nothing to reduce the blow, sleep turn inconsistancy means that there's a good chance melmetal will wake up in one turn and immediately KO, it resists all of venomoth's moves. Literally the only advantage Venomoth has is that it can outspeed it.
Other steels: These mons are still a problem, resisting all of venomoth's moves and having tools to easily kill it, but their lower hp's allow venomoth to still potentially win if they're weakened.
Psychic types: While the issue can be sort of circumvented by having a lot of quiver dance boosts, unboosted Venomoth is prone to getting cleanly knocked out by most psychic types, especially since practically all of them outspeed, with Timid Mega-Alakazam still outspeeding even after a boost as Timid yourself and most psychic types carrying paralysis really doesn't help.
Mega-Aerodactyl: This thing can outspeed venomoth after 1 boost no matter the nature if its Jolly and Venomoth needs to be Timid to be able to outspeed Adamant Mega-Aerodactyl after a boost. It also can easily OHKO it with either rock slide or stone edge.
Most other flying types: Zapdos does basically nothing noteworthy to Venomoth unless it has drill peck, when it will absolutely demolish Venomoth. Dragonite is dangerous for Venomoth over here as well, as its raw power and ability to surpass Venomoth in speed with agility make it hard to stop with our bug.
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