Virizion Movesets & Competitive Sets

Virizion is a fast Choice Scarf user for Grass teams, being able to revenge kill threats such as Dragon Dance Kyurem-B, Galarian Darmanitan, Choice Scarf Charizard, and Choice Scarf Duraldon. Close Combat is its primary STAB attack and most spammable move, taking on the aforementioned Ice- and Steel-type Pokemon. It also can hit Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon such as Indeedee, Diggersby, Tyranitar, Weavile, Bisharp, and Hydreigon. Stone Edge mainly allows it to revenge kill Choice Scarf Charizard, which is a menace to Grass teams, as well as being able to hit an assortment of Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon such as Togekiss, Noivern, Cinderace, Darmanitan, and Chandelure. Megahorn specifically picks up an OHKO on Celebi, while Smart Strike OHKOes Alolan Ninetales, preventing Aurora Veil from being set up. Sunny Day allows Virizion to support its offensive teammates on Grass teams centered around the sun. Toxic allows it to punish Pokemon that can switch into its attacks such as Mandibuzz and Dragapult. Choice Scarf, alongside a Jolly nature and maximum Attack and Speed investment, allow it to act as best a revenge killer as possible. The main uses for Virizion should be to come in and kill a threat for the team or set the sun for its teammates. All of Virizion's teammates appreciate its ability to revenge kill threats such as Dragon Dance Kyurem-B and Choice Scarf Charizard. Virizion itself appreciates Ferrothorn's ability to set up entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, allowing it to break through foes more easily. It also enjoys Ferrothorn's ability to take on Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mimikyu and Grimmsnarl. Appletun and Ferrothorn can act as defensive pivots for Virizion and provide Leech Seed support while the former can switch into Fire-type attacks for it as well. Teammates such as Venusaur and Shiftry appreciate its ability to keep faster foes in check outside of the sun. On the flip side, Virizion appreciates Venusaur and Shiftry's ability to relieve its duty as sole revenge killer under the sun. It also appreciates Venusaur's ability to take on Fairy-type Pokemon such as Primarina and Hatterene, while Shiftry can take care of Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mew, Jirachi, and Dragapult. Whimsicott can switch into Dragon-type attacks and can take them on with Moonblast, as well as providing support with Encore, locking setup Pokemon such as Kyurem-B into Dragon Dance. Celebi and Venusaur are strong special attackers that can break physical walls for Virizion such as Corviknight and Toxapex thanks to their coverage in Weather Ball and Earth Power.

Moves Virizion doesn't hit hard initially, making Swords Dance a good way to boost Virizion's Attack stat by two stages. Leaf Blade is a good STAB attack that also has a high critical hit ratio. Close Combat is another good STAB attack that has a high Base Power of 120, although it lowers Virizion's defenses, making Virizion more prone to being revenge killed. Stone Edge is a good coverage move that allows Virizion to hit Flying-types and Chandelure, which wall Virizion otherwise, for super effective damage. X-Scissor specifically targets Celebi which would otherwise stop Virizion cold. Zen Headbutt allows Virizion to hit Poison-types, which resist Virizion's STAB types, for super effective damage. Set Details A Lum Berry is chosen as Virizion's held item, as it allows Virizion to have a one-time immunity to status. A Life Orb can be used over this to give Virizion more immediate attacking power, but this makes it harder for Virizion to switch into bulky Water-types. 252 EVs are put into Attack and Speed to maximize Virizion's sweeping potential. A Jolly nature is used in order to Speed tie with other positive-natured base 108 Speed Pokemon, namely Cobalion and Infernape. Usage Tips Virizion should be sent in mid- or late-game to have the easiest time sweeping. Virizion should also take advantage of its typing by using bulky Water-types as setup fodder. Flying-types tend to switch into Virizion, so attempt to take advantage of that by either switching to the appropriate Pokemon or using Stone Edge on a predicted switch. Team Options Wallbreakers make for excellent partners, as they allow Virizion to sweep with ease, so consider using Choice Specs Hydreigon or Choice Band Heracross alongside it. Virizion appreciates entry hazard support, making entry hazard setters such as Forretress and Nidoqueen good teammates. Cleaners, such as Speed Boost Yanmega and Mega Sharpedo, make for good teammates as well, as they can capitalize on Virizion's ability to weaken a team during a sweep. Lastly, Rock-types, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Tyrantrum, make for good teammates, as they can threaten the Flying-, Bug-, and Fire-type Pokemon that can force Virizion out.

Moves Close Combat is Virizion's main damage output and can OHKO Mega Kangaskhan and most Steel- and Rock-types. Close Combat, being a powerful move, will deal decent damage even to neutral targets. Leaf Blade is Virizion's secondary STAB move and will deal super effective damage to Water-types, considerably denting, if not OHKOing most of them. The third slot is reserved for either Stone Edge or Quick Guard. Stone Edge lets Virizion take on Flying-types, such as Mega Charizard Y and Thundurus, patching up its mediocre coverage; however, it only has 80% accuracy and is somewhat unreliable. Quick Guard blocks all priority moves, most importantly slower Fake Outs and Talonflame's Brave Bird. Quick Guard lets Virizion provide useful team support that it otherwise lacks. Protect blocks all attacks, allowing Virizion's partner to take down a threat for Virizion. Set Details 252 EVs in Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature works fine, as Virizion is primarily trying to deal damage quickly. Life Orb ensures that Virizion can pick up the OHKO on Mega Kangaskhan with Close Combat. Justified boosts Virizion's Attack by one stage when hit by a Dark-type move; this ability is highly situational, but it can be useful. Usage Tips With Quick Guard and Virizion's high Speed, it can block most Fake Outs, which makes it a good lead. By being able to stop the use of Fake Out, Virizion allows its partner to get off an attack that it otherwise wouldn't be able to. This can create a lot of momentum on turn one. Because Virizion is specific in what it checks, being Mega Kangaskhan, priority users, and Water-types, it is important to play with it conservatively until these goals have been achieved. This is to ensure that it isn't a wasted Pokemon. Being reasonably fast and strong, Virizion can clean up games with some support; Tailwind is particularly useful. Team Options Heatran is capable of beating a lot of the Pokemon that Virizion can not touch, primarily Aegislash and Amoonguss. On top of that, Heatran's ability, Flash Fire, deters the use of Heat Wave and Fire-type moves in general. Suicune can set up Tailwind for Virizion, and Tailwind makes Virizion faster than the entire unboosted metagame and faster than many Pokemon with boosted Speed. Suicune's Water typing lets it take on the Fire-types that threaten Virizion. Virizion, Heatran, and Suicune make a decent Fire / Water / Grass core together. Psychic-types, such as Latios and Mega Metagross, beat the Poison-types that threaten Virizion. Latios is also able to set up Tailwind for Virizion, and Mega Metagross threatens the Fairy-types that aim to check Virizion.

Virizion's special attacking set is similar to its physical set, except that with Hidden Power Rock, the deer achieves perfect neutral coverage. The given three moves hit many common Pokemon for super effective damage. Focus Blast, while risky, nets OHKOes against Pokemon with low Special Defense. Grass Knot hits Jellicent hard, and generally anything that resists Focus Blast. Chandelure, Thundurus, Tornadus, and many other threats that resist Virizion's STAB attacks are hit hard by Hidden Power Rock. Life Orb or a Modest nature make Virizion's base 90 Special Attack workable. Focus Blast's accuracy is an issue. On the other hand, special attacking Virizion is not susceptible to Intimidate. Bulkier Jellicent and Chandelure may not be OHKOed all of the time, especially when using a Timid nature without a Life Orb. Hidden Power Ice may be used over Hidden Power Rock. Using Hidden Power Ice, Virizion would be able to have a 31 IV in Speed. Hidden Power Ice also hits many of the same targets as Hidden Power Rock does. It damages Landorus harder, but note that Virizion will now be walled by Chandelure.

This set aims to support Virizion's teammates while maintaining offensive momentum with Close Combat and Leaf Blade. These two moves are the strongest of Virizion's STAB options, and the Fighting Gem powers up Close Combat to compensate for Virizion's middling base 90 Attack. Close Combat and Leaf Blade do not have the best coverage, but they hit certain threats hard enough. For example, Jellicent's Water Spout does next to nothing after it takes a hit from Leaf Blade. Light Screen helps out against the numerous special attackers in VGC, and increases Virizion's ability to handle Discharge, Surf, and Water Spout. Safeguard stops Amoonguss cold, a great asset when considering Amoonguss's resistances to Virizion's STAB attacks. Stone Edge can replace either attacking move, but has imperfect accuracy and only hits one target. It does get better coverage, though. Fighting Gem works well against Scrafty, Conkeldurr, Hydreigon, and other bulky Pokemon. Without the boost from the Fighting Gem, these Pokemon might not be KOed. However, Lum Berry should be held if Virizion does not have Safeguard. Another option here is Fast Guard, which can stop Sucker Punch, Fake Out, and Mach Punch. Its a valuable move, considering that many of Virizion's ideal partners are hit for super effective damage by these priority moves. Helping Hand is another viable move, since Virizion can survive long enough to boost a teammate's move a few times. Hydreigon is an excellent choice for a partner, as it resists Heat Wave and threatens most of Virizion's checks. Jellicent also does this job, but more on the defensive side. Any Pokemon that can finish off or weaken bulkier Pokemon also works well. Frail Pokemon can make good use of Light Screen in order to survive an extra turn.

With a Special Attack stat equal to its decent Attack stat, Virizion can also run a set that capitalizes on its specially based movepool. Giga Drain provides Virizion with a strong Grass-type STAB in addition to recovery, which is something the physical set lacks. Focus Blast is Virizion's only special Fighting-type move, and its low accuracy is a major detriment to the set. However, thanks to its 120 Base Power, Focus Blast hits very hard and makes up for Virizion's merely decent offensive stat. Hidden Power Ice provides coverage against Salamence, Garchomp, and Landorus, all of which Virizion outspeeds. Protect allows Virizion to scout for moves and protect itself from damage for a turn. Once again, Life Orb is the recommended item for Virizion. The attack boost is appreciated because Virizion's Speed stat requires it to use a Speed-boosting nature in order to keep up with common metagame threats such as Infernape, Terrakion, Garchomp, and Landorus. If the 10% recoil is unappealing, Expert Belt is once again a viable item to boost Virizion's super effective attacks by 20% at no cost. Grass Gem and Fighting Gem are also options, but their one-time-use might make them unappealing. The EVs maximize Virizion's Special Attack and Speed, which allows it to hit hard while keeping pace with speedy metagame threats. If you want Virizion to be slightly bulkier, a spread of 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe is viable; however, the reduced Speed only allows Virizion to outspeed base 105 Speed Pokemon, such as Mienshao. Virizion will appreciate partners that can break through special walls, such as Cresselia and Blissey, whom it fares poorly against; the likes of Tyranitar and Hitmontop fill this role excellently. Tyranitar resists Flying-, Fire-, and Psychic-type moves, and can hit those three types for super effective damage with its STAB moves, while Hitmontop has access to Fake Out, Sucker Punch, Wide Guard, and Close Combat, which either dent special walls or prevent spread moves and normal attacks from harming Virizion. Virizion is very susceptible to weather when running this particular set, and particularly dislikes the Special Defense boost Tyranitar gains from sandstorm. Therefore, physical attackers who can OHKO Tyranitar, such as Hitmontop and other Fighting-types, make for very useful teammates.

This set takes advantage of Virizion's vast support movepool. Reflect and Light Screen help lessen the damage that Virizion and its teammate might take. Virizion's Speed enables it to get these screens up before many strong slower attackers get a chance to move. Giga Drain stops Virizion from becoming Taunt bait, and also enables it to recover HP as it attacks, while Helping Hand can aid its partner in getting OHKOs it might not have been able to score without the boost, which makes Virizion a powerful ally. However, if Helping Hand isn't needed, Protect is a valuable tool to help keep Virizion safe from harm. The EVs and nature enable Virizion to outspeed Pokemon with base 105 Speed or less, and provide ample bulk to cushion hits. Other support options include Taunt, Quick Guard, and Safeguard, all of which might be worth considering over a screen if your team isn't particularly weak to either physical or special hits. Virizion can also run Sacred Sword instead of Giga Drain to hit a little harder, but without Giga Drain's HP recovery, Virizion will be forced to run Leftovers, which is usually an inferior option to Sitrus Berry. Leftovers can replace Sitrus Berry if it is being used by another Pokemon, but seeing as VGC matches don't run for very many turns, Sitrus Berry is preferred. As Virizion is a supporting Pokemon, its teammates will have to make up for its lack of offensive presence. Strong attackers, such as Dragonite, Latios, Terrakion, Volcarona, and Metagross, all appreciate screen support and Helping Hand's boosts to pick up a few extra KOs. Without a strong offensive partner, Virizion's support efforts will generally be wasted.

Leaf Blade is Virizion's only physical Grass-type attack, and allows it to take down many common members of rain teams, such as Politoed, Jellicent, and Gastrodon, as well as other Water-types, such as Slowbro, Suicune, and Starmie. Leaf Blade also hits many Pokemon commonly found on sand teams, such as Hippowdon, Krookodile, Tyranitar, and Rhyperior, very hard. Sacred Sword and Close Combat provide Virizion with a strong Fighting-type STAB. Close Combat hits much harder and can gain KOs that Sacred Sword would miss out on, but the Defense and Special Defense drops leave Virizion extremely vulnerable to most attacks. Thanks to its Fighting-type coverage, Virizion is able to hit Excadrill and Heatran for super effective damage, and also dent other common Pokemon, such as Metagross. Although its accuracy is shaky at best, Stone Edge provides coverage against Flying-type Pokemon, such as Togekiss, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Zapdos. If Stone Edge doesn't cut it for you, X-Scissor is another option that allows Virizion to hit Grass- and Psychic-types, such as Ludicolo, Latios, Latias, and Cresselia, for super effective damage. Protect is a vital move in VGC that enables Virizion to avoid a turn of damage while its partner takes out an imminent threat. Life Orb is the preferred item for this set thanks to the 30% boost it gives to all of Virizion's attacks; however, if you find the 10% recoil unappealing, Grass Gem or Fighting Gem are both viable options to boost one of Virizion's STAB moves for a one-time hit. Expert Belt is another option that boosts Virizion's super effective hits without any drawbacks. Maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature enable Virizion to Speed tie with other base 108 Speed Pokemon, such as Infernape and Terrakion. Virizion can also run Safeguard or Helping Hand in place of X-Scissor, Stone Edge, or Protect; however, losing the coverage or protection granted by those moves can be dangerous and might not be worth your while. Virizion can also run Hidden Power Ice with a Naive nature to hit Landorus, Garchomp, and other Dragon- and Flying-types super effectively. Fire-types are good partners thanks to their ability to take down Ice-type Pokemon that threaten Virizion. Heatran and Chandelure make for exceptional partners to Virizion due to their Flash Fire ability, which gives them immunity to Fire-type moves, as well as their resistance to Ice-type moves. Virizion also appreciates Fake Out support, as it allows Virizion to take out threats while they are incapable of attacking; Hitmontop therefore makes for an excellent partner thanks to its access to both Fake Out and Wide Guard. Wide Guard can block the Heat Waves and Blizzards that plague Virizion, and Fake Out can give it a free turn in which to attack. Hitmontop also has Intimidate, which makes up for Virizion's lack of physical bulk. Furthermore, Hitmontop's access to Sucker Punch allows it to take out Chandelure and Latios, who pose major threats to Virizion. Follow Me and Rage Powder users can make for good partners to Virizion as well; however, Rage Powder users tend to be Bug-type Pokemon, who might be weak to the Flying-type moves that they are redirecting.