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Moves Power Whip is Victreebel's strongest physical Grass-type STAB move, giving it the ability to score KOs against specially defensive targets such as Assault Vest Eelektross and Crabominable after a boost, and Cryogonal after Stealth Rock damage. Set Details A Jolly nature is preferred to outspeed neutral-natured Stoutland, Ludicolo, and Absol, while an Adamant nature can be used to pressure threats like Eelektross and Gurdurr more heavily, notably giving Victreebel a higher chance to OHKO the former with Grassium Z-boosted Power Whip. Grassium Z allows Victreebel to take out Mudsdale from full health and Eelektross and Regirock after slight chip damage even without a Swords Dance boost, as well as Torterra after a Swords Dance boost. Alternatively, Lum Berry prevents Victreebel from getting crippled by Will-O-Wisp users like Jellicent and Sableye, as well as Scald users that it otherwise switches into easily like bulky Lanturn and Gastrodon. Usage Tips Early-game, Victreebel should take advantage of opposing Pokemon like Cryogonal and Audino that expect to switch into specially offensive sets and heavily damage them with Power Whip. Rather than throwing out attacks with Victreebel early-game, conceal the fact that Victreebel is physically offensive rather than specially offensive and gauge the opponent's response to Victreebel before unleashing Bloom Doom. Victreebel should preferably be brought in by VoltTurn partners or to revenge kill foes whenever possible to make it less reliant on Strength Sap to preserve its longevity and ability to counter Pokemon like Mudsdale repeatedly. Against more offensive teams or in the presence of a counter to Victreebel like Oricorio-G or Alolan Sandslash, Victreebel should prioritize recovering health lost from countering Pokemon like Gurdurr and Regirock with Strength Sap or performing double switches out of its counters. When it can force a switch, Victreebel should attempt to boost its Attack with Swords Dance so it can wallbreak more efficiently. Team Options Victreebel fits well on VoltTurn teams than can provide it with opportunities to come in safely on targets such as Eelektross, Jellicent, Golurk, and Audino and proceed to wallbreak or set up on forced switches, with ideal partners including Eelektross, Lanturn, Primeape, and Alolan Persian. Eelektross and Lanturn can assist Victreebel by pressuring Flying-types like Oricorio-G, Dodrio, and Swanna with super effective coverage. In addition, Eelektross can take out Steel-types that Victreebel struggles with such as Ferroseed, Metang, and Alolan Sandslash with Flamethrower, and Lanturn can check Fire-types like Simisear and Combusken and heal Victreebel of burns with Heal Bell. Primeape highly appreciates Victreebel's ability to check Pokemon that it struggles to break through, like Mudsdale, Regirock, Jellicent, and Tangela, and in return, Primeape can check faster targets that threaten Victreebel like Kangaskhan, Simisear, and Choice Scarf Aurorus, as well as Steel-types like Alolan Sandslash. Alolan Persian can assist Victreebel by pressuring Psychic-types such as Musharna, Alolan Raichu, and Metang and by giving it opportunities to set up thanks to Parting Shot, and in return, it appreciates Victreebel checking Fighting-types like Gurdurr and Hitmonchan. Victreebel appreciates Stealth Rock support from setters like Regirock, Mudsdale, and Torterra, as the chip damage from entry hazards helps it check targets like Articuno, Drampa, Gurdurr, and Torterra more easily. Regirock in particular has great synergy with Victreebel, as it is able to check Ice-types like Alolan Sandslash and Cryogonal, Flying-types like Oricorio-E and Dodrio, and faster Normal-types like Kangaskhan, while Victreebel can threaten Water-types like Lanturn as well as opposing Grass-types like Tangela and Lurantis. Cryogonal also has excellent synergy with Victreebel, as it is able to switch in reliably on threats to Victreebel like Oricorio-E, Oricorio-G, and Swanna, and it also assists it by pressuring shared targets such as Torterra, Drampa, and Jellicent. In return, Victreebel can reliably switch into and threaten Pokemon that Cryogonal is incapable of handling, such as Gurdurr and Regirock, as well as pressure other physical attackers such as Stoutland, Skuntank, and Hitmonchan. Fire-types like Combusken and Simisear highly appreciate Victreebel taking out bulky Water- and Rock-types such as Jellicent, Lanturn, and Regirock, allowing them to function as late-game cleaners more easily. They can also pressure Steel-types like Alolan Sandslash and Metang as well as Ice-types like Cryogonal and Abomasnow that threaten Victreebel. Jellicent benefits from Victreebel's ability to lure and take out specially defensive walls such as Cryogonal and Audino and threaten opposing Water-types such as Lanturn and Gastrodon. In return, it assists Victreebel by reliably switching into Alolan Sandslash and checking Fire-types like Simisear and Combusken. Musharna can use Future Sight to enhance Victreebel's wallbreaking potential further, as there are very few Pokemon that can comfortably take both Future Sight and a boosted Power Whip, as well as support it with Healing Wish, creating more opportunities for it to wallbreak or set up and alleviating the pressure of having to use Strength Sap for recovery.

Moves Leaf Storm is Victreebel's strongest STAB move, allowing it to take out slower targets like Mudsdale, Regirock, Jellicent, Carracosta, and Aggron easily; pressure others like Eelektross, Stoutland, and Gurdurr; and prevent faster threats like Kangaskhan and Choice Scarf Aurorus from switching in safely. Hidden Power Fire threatens Steel-types like Alolan Sandslash and Ferroseed that can otherwise wall Victreebel. Set Details A Timid nature, along with maximum investment in Speed, enables Victreebel to outspeed neutral-natured Stoutland and Ludicolo as well as positive-natured Alolan Sandslash. Alternatively, a Modest nature can be used to increase Victreebel's power, notably raising its chance of OHKOing targets like Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Claydol with Leaf Storm. Grassium Z enables Victreebel to KO targets such as Lanturn and to avoid the drop in Special Attack from Leaf Storm when targeting bulky Pokemon like Eelektross or using its Grass-type move on consecutive turns. If your team's Z-Move slot is already occupied, Victreebel can use Rocky Helmet to further pressure Pokemon that use contact moves like Gurdurr, Stoutland, and Skuntank, allowing it to deal residual damage while simultaneously using Strength Sap to replenish its HP. Usage Tips Victreebel can be brought in on targets that don't threaten it like Mudsdale, Regirock, Gurdurr, and Lurantis, as well as on Choice item users like Stoutland and Absol locked into unfavorable moves so it can proceed to either attempt to wallbreak or recover health with Strength Sap. However, it should be wary of using Strength Sap against Primeape, as it is able to 2HKO Victreebel with any of its moves after an Attack boost from Defiant. Otherwise, it should be brought in by pivots on targets that it can't switch in on easily or that threaten it with their potential coverage options like Hitmonchan and Golurk. Early-game, when counters to Victreebel like Oricorio-G and Cryogonal are on the field, it should prioritize using Strength Sap to secure additional opportunities to switch in or perform aggressive double switches out of its counters. Additionally, Victreebel should be preserved or kept healthy via Strength Sap if it needs to stick around to counter Pokemon like Gurdurr late-game. Bloom Doom should be reserved for mid- or late-game, ideally until counters like Cryogonal are KOed or in the move's KO range. It should also be used as a means of avoiding the Special Attack drop from Leaf Storm to guarantee a 2HKO on bulky Pokemon like Eelektross. Victreebel should use its Poison typing to sponge Toxic for its teammates, as well as remove Toxic Spikes from the field upon switching in. Team Options Victreebel highly benefits from pivots such as Lanturn, Primeape, Rotom-F, and Silvally-Fairy that can bring it in safely with Volt Switch, U-turn, or Parting Shot on targets that it can't switch into freely such as Stoutland, Jellicent, and Claydol. Lanturn is a particularly good teammate for Victreebel, as its typing and bulk allow it to switch comfortably into threats like Oricorio-E, Rotom-F, non-Grassium Z Simisear, Swanna, and Floatzel, while it appreciates Victreebel taking care of Grass- and Ground-types such as Lurantis and Mudsdale as well as opposing Lanturn. Rotom-F and Silvally-Fairy can also provide Defog support in addition to Volt Switch and Parting Shot; the former can also pressure Oricorio-G and Oricorio-E and appreciates Victreebel's ability to check Gurdurr and Lanturn, and the latter can act as a secondary Fighting-type check and ease pressure off Victreebel by checking Gurdurr and Hitmonchan. Jellicent can support Victreebel defensively by alleviating the pressure of checking Fighting-types like Primeape and Hitmonchan while also taking on various checks to Victreebel such as Alolan Sandslash, Combusken, and Scyther. Victreebel appreciates entry hazard support from Stealth Rock setters such as Regirock, Torterra, and Mudsdale, as they help it pressure Flying- and Ice-types such as Oricorio-E and Cryogonal as well as ease its task of taking out Pokemon such as Torterra and Silvally-Fairy. Regirock can also switch in reliably on Pokemon like Oricorio-G, Cryogonal, and Articuno, and Torterra helps Victreebel pressure mutual targets like Eelektross. Cryogonal and Alolan Sandslash provide Victreebel with reliable entry hazard removal, as well as a solid specially defensive backbone by switching in on threats like Oricorio-E and Oricorio-G. In return, Victreebel can check Fighting-types like Gurdurr and Hitmonchan for them. Stoutland, as well as offensive variants of Alolan Sandslash, stand out as excellent offensive partners to Victreebel, as they can reliably take out some of Victreebel's counters such as Cryogonal, Articuno, Audino, and Altaria, while Victreebel is capable of reliably switching into and taking out threats that Stoutland and Alolan Sandslash struggle with such as Gurdurr, Regirock, Mudsdale, and Tangela. Additionally, they assist each other by pressuring shared targets such as Eelektross for Stoutland and Torterra for Alolan Sandslash. Rock-types like Carracosta and Lycanroc appreciate Victreebel taking out Pokemon that can wall them, stop them from setting up, or cripple them with Will-O-Wisp, like Tangela, Jellicent, and Sableye. In return, they can force out threats to Victreebel like Oricorio-G and Cryogonal and can threaten Fire-types like Combusken and Simisear with unboosted priority moves after slight chip damage. Choice Scarf Aurorus can notably outspeed and threaten a wide array of Pokemon that can check Victreebel, such as Oricorio-G, Silvally-Dragon, and Drampa, as well as lure in Cryogonal and Rotom-F and weaken them with Stone Edge. In exchange, Victreebel can check Stealth Rock setters that wear Aurorus down like Regirock and Carbink, as well as Fighting-types like Gurdurr and Primeape. Skuntank appreciates Victreebel checking physical walls like Mudsdale and Regirock, and in return, it is able to check and Pursuit trap Psychic-types that Victreebel struggles with such as Musharna, Alolan Raichu, Jynx, and Bronzor. Simisear highly appreciates Victreebel pressuring Pokemon like Lanturn as well as chipping Dragon-types like Drampa, Altaria, and Silvally-Dragon with Sludge Bomb, making it easier for Simisear to break past them late-game.

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.

Solar Beam is Victreebel's most powerful attack and does not have a charge turn while under sun, so it functions as the primary STAB option. Sludge Bomb is a secondary STAB option for threats that resist Grass, such as Flying-types like Natu and Dragon-types like Zweilous. Sun-boosted Weather Ball gives Victreebel coverage for Steel-types like Klang and Bronzor while also hitting Grass-types like Vileplume hard. The last move is recommended to be Sunny Day, so Victreebel can set itself up and sweep. However, if Victreebel finds itself on a dedicated sun team, it can use Hidden Power Ground for additional coverage against Fire- and Poison-types like Monferno and Arbok. Growth is also an option for the fourth moveslot to give Victreebel even more power, but this uses a valuable sun turn, and the extra power is really only of use against particularly bulky teams. The most notable partner for Victreebel is the best weather setter in the format, Volbeat, and together they make the beginnings of a dedicated sun team. Other choices for dedicated sun teams include Onix as a reliable suicide lead that can set up sun for Victreebel and Rapidash as a sun wallbreaker that can break down special walls that Victreebel might struggle with. In general, Zebstrika makes for a good partner that can pivot in Victreebel while checking some key threats like Jumpluff and Klang very well. Sun teams generally cannot afford defensive teammates, but outside of those kinds of teams, teammates like Stunfisk and Tentacool are great at checking offensive threats such as Purugly and Simisear. Monferno is another notable partner, as it is able to get rid of high-value specially defensive walls like Audino, Scraggy, and Zweilous that would wall Victreebel otherwise. One last interesting partner is Weepinbell; while it does not contribute at all to defensive synergy, having what is effectively a slightly weaker second Victreebel makes for an interesting offensive combo that banks on the fact that most teams can barely handle Victreebel by itself.

This is the ultimate sun attacker; after a Growth boost, Victreebel is capable of OHKOing or 2HKOing everything in RU. As the intent of the set is to cover the entirety of the tier, Victreebel's two STAB options, Leaf Blade and Sludge Bomb, attack off both the physical and special side, leaving nothing safe from its deadly assaults. Weather Ball is the key to this set, giving Victreebel perfect coverage, as well as a 100 Base Power Fire-type move under the sun, allowing it to gain a pseudo-STAB from the weather. The power this set provides is ridiculous, with only maximum Defense Munchlax, a niche option at best, able to withstand Victreebel's onslaught. Chlorophyll is the crux of any Victreebel set, doubling its Speed underneath the sun. Full investment in Speed ensures that Victreebel is able to outspeed Choice Scarf variants of base 95 Speed Pokemon, outspeeding and KOing threats such as Moltres and Sawsbuck. The given offensive EVs ensure that Victreebel will always OHKO Moltres and Entei with Sludge Bomb at +2 Special Attack, and will always 2HKO Munchlax with Leaf Blade after a Growth boost, which is important since those three Pokemon are the greatest threats to Victreebel's sweep. Victreebel's perfect type coverage is enhanced further by the use of Life Orb, ensuring that its one and two hit KOs remain as such. In terms of alternative moveset options, Solar Beam can be used over Leaf Blade, along with a purely specially-based EV spread. This makes the most of its destructive power and lets it take full advantage of the sun. With the additional EVs, Solar Beam is almost equally as effective as Leaf Blade in accomplishing a sweep, although it may force Victreebel to struggle more against dedicated special walls. Sleep Powder is a useful move on Victreebel, granting it the ability to incapacitate one of its counters. However, this choice gives it significant coverage issues, hindering a potential sweep. An alternative moveset utilizing Power Whip and Hidden Power Fire can be used in place of Leaf Blade and Weather Ball, as Power Whip and Weather Ball are an illegal breeding combination. This trades the power Weather Ball provides in favor of the sheer destruction Power Whip allows for, OHKOing almost anything that doesn't resist it. Despite the ridiculous power Victreebel has, it is quite frail, and almost any attacker is capable of at least 2HKOing it. Additionally, it absolutely requires Sunny Day support to function. To this end, Uxie makes an amazing partner for Victreebel, capable of setting up Sunny Day before U-turning out, as well as setting up Reflect and Light Screen, aiding Victreebel's set up. Victreebel also loves support from entry hazards, especially Spikes, as it turns many of the 2HKOs on opposing Pokemon into outright kills. Therefore, Qwilfish is an excellent partner thanks to its ability to set up Spikes, while also checking the opposing Fire-type Pokemon that give sun teams pause.

After a Growth in the sun, Victreebel is almost unstoppable, hitting 578 Attack, 596 Special Attack, and 450 Speed. At this point, Victreebel will come out on top against virtually every Pokemon in UU. However, getting to this position is hardly easy--Victreebel is terribly frail, making it hard to set up a Growth, and 8 turns of sun can vanish surprisingly fast. Nonetheless, Victreebel has excellent coverage, better than that of almost any Chlorophyll Pokemon. Though Leaf Blade is the main STAB move, Weather Ball, which works out to be more powerful in the sun, is what really sets this apart, OHKOing common Pokemon such as 252/0 Hitmontop and Zapdos after a Growth. Sludge Bomb provides neutral coverage against Fire- and Flying-type opponents, including Arcanine and Victini; boosted by STAB, this also gives you a great special option outside of the sun. As for other options, you may run Power Whip over Leaf Blade; the increase in power is significant, but legality issues then plague Victreebel. Weather Ball, normally Victreebel's most powerful move, is illegal alongside Power Whip, forcing you to run Hidden Power Fire. However, you do gain advantage against some of Victreebel's checks; for example, with max Attack Victreebel can OHKO Jolly Scarf Flygon on the switch. In the fourth slot, Sleep Powder provides an excellent alternative if you are not already using sleep moves elsewhere on your team. It can potentially cripple a counter to Victreebel, while allowing it to set up a Growth uninhibited. It is worth remembering, however, that Tangrowth, though a lot slower, can probably use Power Whip / Hidden Power Fire / Sleep Powder to greater effect. The spread on this set is fairly flexible; the Speed EVs let Victreebel outrun neutral +1 base 100 Speed Pokemon, as well as max Speed Choice Scarf Rotom-A, in the sun. The Attack and Special Attack EVs give a fairly even split between Victreebel's offensive stats. If you choose to use Power Whip, you probably want to capitalize more on Attack; for instance, if you maximize Victreebel's Attack, it can OHKO Flygon on the switch. If you want superior overall power though, stick with Leaf Blade and Weather Ball. The nature can also be changed; currently the nature lowers Special Defense largely because most priority moves are physical, but Victreebel can set up on Special Attacks better with a Mild nature if you prefer. You can also use a Naive or Hasty nature, allowing Victreebel to outrun +1 positive-natured base 100s, but the power drop is very noticeable. As far as alternative moves go, you might consider Hidden Power in the fourth slot; Hidden Power Rock hits Fire- and Flying-types super effectively, while Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types. However, these moves are weaker when super effective than a neutral Weather Ball, and only slightly more powerful than a neutral Sludge Bomb. Sunny Day is not recommended, as Victreebel is too frail to set it up. When looking for teammates, sun support should be considered over everything else. Generally, bulky Pokemon carrying Heat Rock should be used; ideally they should also benefit somehow from the sun. Fire-types and other Chlorophyll Pokemon are obvious examples. Additionally, you should also be looking to aid Victreebel in setting up. Uxie, for example, can set up sun and then offer a free switch-in and setup with Memento. Otherwise, Stealth Rock is important to Victreebel too, as it does have some issues with Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon. Uxie is an excellent user here too.

Thanks to Chlorophyll and Victreebel's great Attack, a Swords Dance set is perfectly viable. Leaf Blade, which receives STAB and a nifty increased critical hit rate, is Victreebel's main attack, OHKOing a lot of Pokemon that don't resist it after a Swords Dance boost. Sucker Punch is one of the strongest priority moves in the game, and is used to defeat some frail Pokemon such as Mismagius, Alakazam, and weaker Choice Scarf users. As priority is uncommon on sun teams, Sucker Punch can be a nasty surprise for your opponent both in and out of the sun. Return can also be run on the set, as it grants Victreebel strong neutral coverage. Sleep Powder allows Victreebel to incapacitate an enemy Pokemon before proceeding to use Swords Dance without harm. Alternatively, Weather Ball is great for coverage, as it allows Victreebel to beat not only Ice- and Grass-type Pokemon, but also Steel-types who resist Victreebel's other moves. The given EV spread and an Adamant nature maximize Victreebel's Attack, and, in conjunction with sun, allow it to outrun every Pokemon in the tier that doesn't have a Choice Scarf, and even some that do, including Timid Venusaur and Modest Rotom and Moltres. The rest is put into HP to give Victreebel a little bit more survivability. When using Weather Ball, one should use a Naughty nature instead to prevent lowering Victreebel's Special Attack stat. The HP EVs can be shifted to Special Attack to boost the power of Weather Ball. Life Orb is the item of choice, as it gives a power boost to Victreebel's attacks. Sunny Day support is very important, as if it isn't up, Victreebel won't be able to sweep due to its below average Speed. Porygon2, Uxie, Mesprit, and Regirock are good teammates who can set up Sunny Day reliably. Entry hazard support is also important to net Victreebel some KOs and to discourage your opponent from switching. Since Victreebel attracts many Fire-type attacks, Arcanine and Houndoom are good partners as they can switch in with impunity thanks to Flash Fire. This set has problems against Steel-, Poison-, and Fire-type Pokemon such as Registeel, Steelix, Arcanine, Weezing, and Aggron who resist Victreebel's attacks. Steel-types can be somewhat dealt with with Weather Ball. With Arena Trap, Dugtrio can trap the aforementioned Pokemon bar Weezing and maim them with STAB Earthquake. Other Ground- and Water-type Pokemon such as Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Rhyperior also work well, carrying dangerous dual STABs for Victreebel's counters.

With Sunny Day up, Victreebel can become a very powerful special sweeper, abusing its decent base 100 Special Attack stat and doubled Speed thanks to Chlorophyll. Solar Beam is its main attack since Victreebel doesn't have to expend a turn on charging up the move while the sun is out. With 120 Base Power backed by STAB, it is easily capable of devastating Pokemon who don't resist it. Weather Ball is great on Victreebel as with Sunny Day active, it becomes a 100 Base Power Fire-type move receiving a 1.5x damage boost due to the sun, allowing Victreebel to destroy Grass-, Steel-, and Ice-type Pokemon. Sleep Powder can incapacitate one of its counters, allowing Victreebel to safely switch out to an appropriate answer to its counter. Hidden Power Rock hits Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon for super effective damage, who would otherwise cause problems for Victreebel. The EV spread lets Victreebel outspeed Choice Scarf Rotom under the sun, while the rest of the EVs are placed into HP for added bulk. Victreebel has many options for coverage. Hidden Power Ice allows Victreebel to defeat Dragon-type Pokemon that are resistant to Weather Ball and Solar Beam, such as Altaria. You can also use Sludge Bomb in the last slot as secondary STAB, as it is quite strong, and deals a lot of damage to Pokemon who resist its other moves. Life Orb gives Victreebel some much needed power. With Life Orb, you will always OHKO Electrode with Solar Beam, and always 2HKO 252 HP / 4 SpD Uxie after Stealth Rock damage, and do 57.1% - 67.6% to 252 HP / 252 SpD Careful Registeel. Without the sun, a lot of Pokemon can outspeed and OHKO Victreebel. However, if Sunny Day is up, Victreebel outspeeds almost every Pokemon in the tier, and can put its counters to sleep with Sleep Powder, which is why Sunny Day support is essential. Moltres, Meganium, Uxie, and Porygon2 are fantastic choices to set up Sunny Day as they have reasonable bulk. Moltres can use Sunny Day to sweep or to support its teammates. Meganium is bulky and can use Sunny Day very well. Uxie has fantastic defenses, and it almost always can set up Sunny Day. Porygon2 is bulky and sets up Sunny Day well. It can also trace Flash Fire and then beat Arcanine and Houndoom. Fast Fire-types with a Choice Scarf, such as Typhlosion, outspeed Victreebel and can knock it out with their powerful STAB attacks. For this reason, one might want to pack counters to Fire-type Pokemon on their team. Dugtrio can trap and KO most Fire-types, as well as Registeel, Chansey, and Clefable, making it a very good partner. Grumpig is an ideal counter to Fire-types due to Thick Fat, which halves damage from Fire-type moves, and a high Special Defense stat, allowing it to take their STAB attacks and hit back with STAB Psychic. Grumpig has the added bonus of resisting Ice-type attacks as well, which Victreebel often attracts. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Slowking are good counters to Fire-type Pokemon due to their high defensive stats and access to instant recovery. However, it must be noted that the damage output of Surf will be halved under the sun. Thanks to Flash Fire, Houndoom and Arcanine, can switch in on a Fire-type attack aimed at Victreebel, and try to sweep. Regirock and Rhyperior both resist Fire-type attacks, and can deal huge amounts of damage to Fire-types with Stone Edge or Earthquake. This set has problems taking out Clefable and Chansey due to their high Special Defense. These Pokemon have the added bonus of being able to stall out the remaining turns of Sunny Day with the combination of Wish and Protect. For this reason, Fighting-type Pokemon are great teammates for Victreebel. Hariyama, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, and Primeape are all examples of Pokemon that cause problems to the aforementioned Pokemon, as their STAB Fighting-type moves will devastate both of them. As with all offensive Pokemon, Stealth Rock and Spikes support is greatly appreciated. Registeel, Cloyster, and Uxie can set up entry hazards with relative ease. Registeel's defenses let it take a lot of attacks and set up Stealth Rock. Uxie is also a great support Pokemon, since it almost always sets up Stealth Rock thanks to its high defenses and good Speed.

Set Description Victreebel is usually not worth using in UU due to it being outclassed by Vileplume, which is far bulkier and thus leverages its typing better defensively. However, Victreebel is more functional as a Swords Dance user due to its higher Attack and Speed, making it potentially threatening if faster checks can be removed; it even has a small edge over Tentacruel in this role thanks to Sleep Powder, although its middling Speed and poor coverage make it relatively easy to stop regardless. Sludge Bomb's damage output is quite good even against neutral targets, especially after a boost; at +2 it notably OHKOes common threats like Ampharos, Lanturn, specially defensive Vileplume, and offensive Kangaskhan after Spikes damage. Sludge Bomb's poison chance also lets it exert pressure even on reliable switch-ins like Scyther and Arcanine. Hidden Power Ground provides crucial coverage for Rock-, Steel-, and opposing Poison-types such as Omastar, Aggron, and Tentacruel, although it leaves Victreebel walled by Gligar as well as common Levitate users such as Misdreavus and Solrock. Sleep Powder is the preferred fourth move, being an extremely valuable tool for creating setup opportunities and disrupting the opponent's defensive core, and it has little opportunity cost since Victreebel has no useful coverage options beyond Hidden Power. However, if you don't enjoy the risk of missing Sleep Powder, Encore is similarly helpful for locking slower foes into unfavorable moves such as Toxic. Synthesis is another usable option to enhance Victreebel's longevity, but its frailty limits the move's effectivenenss. Good teammates for Victreebel generally fall into two categories: supportive Pokemon that can help it sweep or handle its checks, and other offensive Pokemon that can take advantage of Sleep Powder. Omastar is a great example of the former, switching into threatening Normal- and Flying-type attacks for it from the likes of Kangaskhan, Granbull, and Scyther, and setting up the Spikes that are necessary to make lasting progress against common checks like Arcanine and bulky Water-types. Solrock has a similarly useful defensive profile while also checking Gligar and pivoting around Psychic-type attacks for Victreebel. Having a plan for faster checks like Scyther, Arcanine, and Haunter is also important, with this usually being done via paralysis support from a lure like Body Slam Kangaskhan or, on hyper offense teams, with an even faster threat like Electrode, one's own Scyther, or Rain Dance Gorebyss. On the topic of Gorebyss, any frail sweeper that appreciates a free turn of setup will enjoy Victreebel's Sleep Powder; this can also include Rain Dance Omastar as well as Swords Dance Scyther, Calm Mind Grumpig, and Dragon Dance Pupitar among others.

Set Description Thanks to its middling Speed, Victreebel can threaten about half of the tier with Sleep Powder. In general, Victreebel is most effective as a sleeper when it can get in against a slower foe with minimal risk. For example, when Chansey is likely to use Soft-Boiled or Snorlax is about to wake up from Rest, Victreebel can usually sneak in and use Sleep Powder. Likewise, if a Pokemon such as Exeggutor or Slowbro is likely to come in, Victreebel can usually find an entry point. From there, Victreebel can pivot with Wrap or pressure slower Pokemon like Snorlax with Razor Leaf and Wrap. While going for sleep early on is a viable strategy, Victreebel frequently shines late-game, as revealing it too early may make paralyzing some of your opponent's faster Pokemon more difficult. Therefore, Sleep Powder is often an endgame tool that it can use to threaten Tauros and other common endgame Pokemon. Wrap makes Victreebel a capable pivot and occasional sweeper; it can use the move to quickly get its teammates great matchups with little risk. For example, using Wrap against Chansey can provide entrance for Snorlax and using it against Exeggutor can provide entrance for Cloyster. Faster Pokemon are also vulnerable; if a foe like Alakazam, Starmie, or Zapdos tries to switch into Wrap and threaten paralysis, then a teammate like Snorlax, Jolteon, or Rhydon can come in for free. Finally, if the opposing team is made entirely slower than Victreebel, either by KOing or paralyzing every faster Pokemon, Victreebel can gradually chip away the team's health with Wrap until it can pick foes off with its attacks or swap out to a sweeper like Tauros to finish the job. Razor Leaf is Victreebel's strongest STAB move and primary attacking move. Water- and Rock-type Pokemon typically fold after just a hit or two, allowing Victreebel to reliably force switches when facing Pokemon like paralyzed Starmie, paralyzed or Resting Cloyster, Slowbro, and Rhydon. In the case of Slowbro, Razor Leaf's near-guaranteed critical hit enables Victreebel to deal hefty damage regardless of how many times it has used Amnesia. Victreebel's ability to pressure both Starmie and Rhydon is fairly unique and one of the key traits that allowed it to rise to OU. Victreebel's last move is its least important and most flexible. Stun Spore improves Victreebel's utility with Wrap and gives it the ability to pressure faster Pokemon even after Sleep Clause has taken effect. This is especially potent when the opponent's only Pokemon faster than Victreebel is Tauros. Hyper Beam makes Victreebel a more effective sweeper in late-game scenarios, picking up early KOs on Pokemon like Chansey and Alakazam. Depending on how Victreebel is played, it has a number of strong potential teammates. Starmie and Rhydon are typical partners, as they create a potent offensive core. Starmie can stymie Pokemon that threaten Victreebel like Alakazam, Jynx, Cloyster, and Articuno, while Victreebel can take advantage of Starmie’s ability to spread paralysis by using Wrap and applying pressure to Starmie’s strongest check, Chansey. Rhydon rounds out the core by handling Electric-type Pokemon, particularly Zapdos, which heavily threaten both Starmie and Victreebel. Rhydon also benefits from paralysis spread by these allies. Electric-type Pokemon also tend to work well with Victreebel on offensive teams, as Wrap can be a valuable tool for allowing them to switch in safely; Zapdos and Jolteon are quite good at finishing off a team that has been chipped by Wrap. Victreebel can also punish the switches to Rhydon or Golem that Electric-type Pokemon tend to encourage. Victreebel is also a fixture of Wrap teams. While a less common strategy in competitive play, Victreebel can be paired with Pokemon such as Cloyster and Dragonite to easily maintain momentum and annihilate paralyzed teams. Due to the many free switches generated by Wrap, such teams often feature multiple fast offensive Pokemon such as Tauros, Zapdos, Jolteon, and Alakazam.

Set Description While Victreebel often gets the most value from a utility set based around pivoting and spreading status, it can make use of a Swords Dance set. Victreebel boasts an above-average Attack stat and can secure many important KOs after a Swords Dance. Frailer Pokemon such as Alakazam and Jynx drop to a single +2 Hyper Beam and Chansey will drop from full health about 17.9% of the time. Thanks to its decent Speed tier, Victreebel can severely weaken or outright sweep a team with Swords Dance after only a little chip damage and paralysis. Razor Leaf complements Hyper Beam quite well, as it threatens many of the most physically bulky Pokemon in the tier, such as Rhydon, Cloyster, and Slowbro. The final move on the set largely comes down to team structure and personal preference. Wrap remains useful as a pseudo-pivot move and can help Victreebel get a little more chip damage on a Pokemon to bring it into range of Hyper Beam or Razor Leaf. Sleep Powder helps Victreebel find turns to set up with Swords Dance and punish Pokemon that might be brought in to stop a sweep, like Tauros or Electric-type Pokemon. Stun Spore acts similarly, heavily punishing common late-game switch-ins. While paralysis is generally weaker than sleep, Stun Spore has a case over Sleep Powder, as it is not inhibited by Sleep Clause and can be used at any point in the match. Moreover, because Victreebel is often best at switching in and setting up on Pokemon that are already asleep, Sleep Powder may be redundant. While Victreebel can succeed with this set, it has several notable limitations. Victreebel’s poor typing, underwhelming bulk, and vulnerability to paralysis make setting up quite difficult, forcing Victreebel to rely on free turns from sleep and risky double switches. Victreebel needs a lot of support to not only set up with Swords Dance, but also to weaken the opposing team enough that Victreebel can do real damage. This generally means all Psychic-type Pokemon on the opposing team need to be paralyzed and hard walls like Gengar need to be eliminated. Finally, while Victreebel is arguably the best user of Swords Dance in the tier, it is not necessarily the best fit for every team. Pokemon like Sandslash, Kingler, Venusaur, Pinsir, and Kabutops all offer a variety of positive traits and give Victreebel pretty stiff competition for an already niche role.

Other Options: Body Slam / Substitute

Set Description Sleep Powder in conjunction with Wrap makes Victreebel effective at forcing a foe to sleep. If a paralyzed Pokemon attempts to block Victreebel's Sleep Powder, then Victreebel can use Wrap to chip and force out the paralyzed foe and threaten sleep again. Victreebel's ability to push sleep past paralyzed Pokemon allows its teammates to spread paralysis before Victreebel lands Sleep Powder. Stun Spore allows Victreebel to spread paralysis after landing Sleep Powder, which is useful on faster foes such as Tauros and Mew. Razor Leaf lets Victreebel OHKO the Normal-resistant Rhydon and deal massive damage to Water-types, such as Starmie, Cloyster, and Slowbro. It is also a great tool at damaging neutral targets like Snorlax. Razor Leaf's near-guaranteed critical hit chance means it can bypass the Special boost from Mewtwo and Slowbro's Amnesia as well, although Victreebel should usually only do this if Mewtwo is already paralyzed and at low HP. Victreebel generally has trouble switching in due to a poor defensive typing and fear of getting paralyzed. It most commonly finds entry on a double switch or a predicted recovery turn from Chansey, Mew, or paralyzed Mewtwo. This is still risky, though, as a missed prediction can result in Victreebel taking paralysis or heavy damage. Victreebel's easiest entry point is on a Pokemon using Rest, such as Snorlax or Slowbro. However, Rest on Snorlax is uncommon in Ubers, making this hard to come by. In dire situations, Victreebel can switch directly into Body Slam from Snorlax or Earthquake from Rhydon, but the paralysis chance of the former and heavy damage of the latter make this option a last resort. Victreebel can use Wrap as a pivoting tool, switching out while the foe is immobilized so that Victreebel's teammates can hit the field safely. Though all of Victreebel's teammates appreciate being able to switch for free, those that have good offensive potential but trouble switching into moves, such as Tauros and Rhydon, benefit most heavily from this. Victreebel can also use Wrap's chip damage to get Pokemon into certain ranges for its teammates, such as getting Mewtwo into KO range of Snorlax's Self-Destruct, Water-types such as Starmie and Slowbro into KO range of Victreebel's own Razor Leaf, or Snorlax into KO range of +4 Mewtwo's Psychic. Victreebel's best teammates are those that can spread paralysis throughout an opposing team, as this enables its Wrap antics. Thunder Wave variants of Mew and Mewtwo are great teammates for Victreebel, since their high damage output often forces the opponent's Mew or Mewtwo in, which they can then paralyze. Zapdos is also an effective paralysis spreader, making it a good teammate. Victreebel helps Zapdos against Rhydon; although Victreebel cannot directly switch in, its Razor Leaf threatens Rhydon immensely. Chansey is able to switch into Alakazam, Starmie, and unboosted Mewtwo and threaten paralysis, while Slowbro can switch into Mewtwo sets that lack Thunderbolt. Dragonite can be used with Victreebel for a more Wrap-dedicated teamstyle, allowing Victreebel and Dragonite to enable each other and tear apart paralyzed teams. However, it is important to note that using Victreebel and Dragonite together stacks weaknesses to Ice-type moves, so having teammates that alleviate this is important.