Beedrill Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves U-turn is a strong STAB attack when backed by Beedrill's high Attack stat and Adaptability and is useful for both gaining momentum and inflicting heavy chip damage on foes. Poison Jab is a strong secondary STAB attack that Beedrill can use to apply heavy offensive pressure to a plethora of Pokemon, including Primarina, Togekiss, Blissey, and Mega Sceptile. Drill Run offers excellent coverage alongside Mega Beedrill's STAB attacks, punishing common Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon such as Klefki, Cobalion, and Volcanion. Knock Off burdens common switch-ins like Hippowdon and Alomomola with the removal of their items while also pressuring Ghost-type checks like Jellicent and Doublade. Toxic Spikes is a move Mega Beedrill can use, as it forces switches to potentially spread poison around the opposing team, adequately wearing down some of its defensive checks. Lastly, Pursuit can be used to trap and either weaken or KO a few Pokemon Beedrill forces out, such as Mega Sceptile, Celebi, and non-Choice Scarf Latias. Set Details Full investment in Attack maximizes Beedrill's offensive presence with a neutral nature. Full investment in Speed with a Jolly nature makes it as fast as possible, only leaving it outsped by Mega Aerodactyl and most Choice Scarf users and Speed tied with Timid Mega Sceptile. Adaptability is an extremely useful ability acquired upon Mega Evolution that puts immense power behind Mega Beedrill's STAB attacks. Usage Tips Mega Beedrill is best used as an offensive pivot due to its ability to force switches and gain momentum with U-turn throughout the entire match. U-turn should be used frequently early-game in order to sufficiently chip members of the opposing team. Upon forcing switches, Mega Beedrill can attempt to use either super effective coverage or Toxic Spikes rather than U-turn, depending on what it believes to be switching in or the team it's against. If a Ghost-type check or a Pokemon reliant on its item, like Swampert or Hippowdon, is predicted to come in, Knock Off is ideal to use in order to cripple them. However, Toxic Spikes can also be used as passive foes switch in due to Beedrill's ability to easily pivot out of play after setting a layer of them. Due to its frailty, Mega Beedrill should generally refrain from directly switching in, and instead it is better brought into play with the support of a pivot or after a teammate has fainted. Entry hazards should also be removed prior to switching Mega Beedrill in, as its Stealth Rock weakness in tandem with its frailty is quite capable of limiting its longevity. Mega Beedrill should refrain from staying in on priority users like Scizor, Zygarde-10%, and Mega Absol due to its aforementioned frailty. Team Options Pokemon capable of pivoting with either U-turn or Volt Switch can form a VoltTurn core with Mega Beedrill and fit on VoltTurn offense with it extremely well. Examples include Infernape, Scizor, and Rotom-C, which is particularly good as a teammate due to its ability to pressure both bulky Water- and Ground-types extremely reliably for Mega Beedrill. Entry hazard support from the likes of Klefki, Nihilego, and Azelf can be useful for allowing Mega Beedrill to punish switches while more easily breaking past bulkier foes. Entry hazard removal from teammates like Latias, Starmie, and Tentacruel is also quite important due to Mega Beedrill's Stealth Rock weakness otherwise compromising its pivoting capabilities. Wallbreakers like Hydreigon, Volcanion, and Kyurem can aid Mega Beedrill in dealing with especially bulky threats such as Alomomola and Hippowdon while also appreciating the Toxic Spikes support it can provide. Rock-type Choice Scarf users such as Terrakion and Nihilego are specific yet useful partners to Mega Beedrill due to their ability to offensively check two of its biggest annoyances in Mega Aerodactyl and Crobat. Other checks to Flying-types, such as Rhyperior and Doublade, can deal with Mega Aerodactyl and Crobat as well while providing Stealth Rock support in the case of the former and sponging physical attacks in the case of the latter.

Set Information U-turn does heavy damage to Pokemon such as Mew and Starmie as well as respectable damage to switch-ins such as Melmetal and Rhydon to weaken them into KO range of Mega Beedrill's other coverage moves or its teammates' attacks. Poison Jab is Mega Beedrill's second STAB attack, which is important to hit Pokemon that resist U-turn such as Zapdos and Poliwrath. Poison Jab also comes with a chance to poison foes, which can help wear down your opponent's team even more. Drill Run provides excellent coverage to hit Melmetal and Rhydon for solid damage on a predicted switch. It also OHKOes Alolan Dugtrio from full health. Roost is used to heal off Stealth Rock damage on a predicted switch by the opponent while also maintaining Mega Beedrill's ability to pivot with U-turn in the longer run, taking advantage of the switches Mega Beedrill will force as opportunity to heal. An Adamant nature is chosen because Mega Beedrill only misses out on outspeeding Modest Mega Alakazam and Adamant Mega Aerodactyl, which are quite rare. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed these threats, but the power difference is noticeable. 29 HP IVs allow Mega Beedrill to switch into Stealth Rock four times without fainting. Usage Tips Early-game, attempt to wear down Mega Beedrill's checks with U-turn while gaining momentum for yourself. Beedrill generally shouldn't be brought in on any attack because of its frailty, so another U-turn or Teleport user is ideal to bring it in such as Mew, Zapdos, or Alolan Exeggutor. Try to keep Stealth Rock off the field for as long as possible, as it wears down Beedrill extremely fast because of U-turn bringing it in and out of the field very frequently. Playing aggressively and clicking Drill Run on predicted switches to Melmetal or Rhydon can also pay off if you have another sturdy switch-in to them that you can bring in with U-turn on the next turn, as this wears them down much faster than just spamming U-turn. Team Options Dragonite is a very potent partner of Mega Beedrill because of its ability to clean late-game after Beedrill wears down Melmetal into range of its Earthquake. Rhydon is the preferred Ground-type to pair with Mega Beedrill because of its ability to take on Mega Aerodactyl as well as consistently set Stealth Rock for Beedrill to take advantage of. Mew is an excellent partner for Beedrill because of its ability to form a U-turn core with it by coming in on common Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Melmetal that had previously switched into Beedrill's U-turn. Mega Beedrill can also help check threats to Mew such as Mega Gyarados and Gengar. Alolan Exeggutor is a good partner for a similar reason to Mew, being able to beat Poliwrath and do heavy damage to Melmetal while potentially making use of Teleport to bring Mega Beedrill right back in or dish out an attack depending on the situation.

Mega Beedrill is a fast and powerful offensive threat thanks to Adaptability. Its powerful U-turns also make it a good scout, and it even has the option to use Fell Stinger to boost its attack while picking off weakened threats. Drill Run and Knock Off ensure that Mega Beedrill isn't walled by Ghost-types, which is a major selling point over Pheromosa. However, using a Mega slot on such a frail Pokemon can be risky, and it doesn't do very well against stall teams.

Moves Toxic Spikes wears down bulky Pokemon that could otherwise wall your team. Endeavor lets Beedrill heavily weaken a foe, as once Beedrill's down to its Focus Sash, the move leaves the foe with exactly 1 HP. X-Scissor is a nice STAB attack to get chip damage before Beedrill faints. Finally, Tailwind lets Beedrill outspeed Pokemon like Simipour and Monferno and give its teammates a Speed boost before it faints. Set Details Focus Sash lets Beedrill survive one attack and set up at least one layer of Toxic Spikes before fainting. Maximum Speed with a Jolly nature lets Beedrill outspeed other leads and get entry hazards up quickly. Maximum Attack lets Beedrill deal decent damage with X-Scissor so its teammates can sweep. Swarm buffs X-Scissor once Beedrill is down to its Focus Sash. Usage Tips Use Beedrill as a lead, as that's all it's good at doing, but beware of fast Taunt users and Pokemon with multi-hit moves. If your opponent leads with a faster Pokemon like Raichu, have Beedrill use Tailwind immediately and go for a layer of Toxic Spikes on the next turn. Otherwise, go for Toxic Spikes right away. If up against a really fast foe like Ninjask, leave Beedrill in as death fodder so nothing viable takes damage. Generally, one layer of Toxic Spikes is preferred against offensive teams, but you should attempt to set up two layers against defensive teams because bulkier Pokemon tend to stay in for more turns. Team Options Pawniard, Purugly, and spinblockers such as Gourgeist-XL and Misdreavus can deter or outright stop hazard removers, keeping Beedrill's entry hazards on the field. Fast, strong offensive Pokemon like Kadabra appreciate Toxic Spikes support to wear down bulky Pokemon like Audino. Stealth Rock setters such as Gabite can set up their entry hazards alongside Beedrill's for a really annoying combination that wears foes down every turn. Finally, late-game cleaners such as Mightyena appreciate Toxic Spikes support, as it makes it easier for them to sweep by crippling the opposing team.

Moves U-turn is Beedrill's main STAB move, as it nets Beedrill offensive momentum with little trouble and is useful to get some chip damage. Protect is used so that Beedrill can get the Speed boost from Mega Evolving without taking any damage and is also useful to scout for foes' movesets and potential Choice items. Poison Jab is Beedrill's strongest attack, as well as its main Poison-type STAB attack, and it has a fairly high chance to poison the target, which works well in conjunction with Protect to rack up damage on the foe while scouting for its moveset. Knock Off hits Ghost-types such as Chandelure for super effective damage and also cripples Pokemon reliant on their item. Drill Run is mainly used for coverage, as it hits Poison- and Steel-types that resist Beedrill's STAB attacks, such as Tentacruel, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Lucario, for super effective damage. Set Details A standard EV spread is used to max out Beedrill's offensive prowess, with the remaining EVs in Defense so it can maintain an odd HP number. A Jolly nature is used so Beedrill can Speed tie with other base 145 Speed Pokemon, such as Mega Sceptile and opposing Beedrill. An Adamant nature can be used instead to give Beedrill a little extra power. Usage Tips Protect should be used the first turn Beedrill is sent out if the opposing Pokemon is faster, as it lets Beedrill safely Mega Evolve and attain the Speed boost without taking damage, scouting the foe's moveset in the process. Although it has poor defensive stats, Beedrill's decent defensive typing gives it 4x resistances it can use to switch in. However, some powerful physical moves such as Mienshao's Reckless High Jump Kick have a shot at 2HKOing it, although Beedrill can use Protect to scout and potentially make Mienshao take crash damage. Beedrill can grab momentum with little trouble thanks to its strong U-turn and high Speed stat, so pairing it with entry hazard users is a good idea. Keeping entry hazards off your side of the field is appreciated, as Beedrill will be switching out more than often due to U-turn and can be KOed by priority users after Stealth Rock damage. Team Options Entry hazard support is appreciated, as Beedrill can force out a good portion of the tier and grab offensive momentum easily with U-turn. As such, entry hazard setters such as Swampert, Roserade, Froslass, and Chesnaught are good partners for Beedrill. Spikes in particular also works well with Beedrill, as it weakens most of Beedrill's grounded checks. Entry hazard removers also work well with Beedrill, as it is weak to Stealth Rock and will be switching in and out very often, so Empoleon, Donphan, and Gligar, the latter forming a nice momentum core with Beedrill, are good partners for it. Other U-turn and Volt Switch users, such as Crobat, work like a charm when paired up with Beedrill, as they can pivot out to Beedrill with little trouble and keep up offensive momentum.

Moves Protect lets Beedrill safely gain its boost in Speed when it Mega Evolves; it also lets Mega Beedrill scout for coverage moves that the foe might have or for potential Choice items. U-turn takes care of Psychic-, Grass-, and Dark-types such as Meloetta, Mega Slowbro, Serperior, and Hoopa-U, and it lets Mega Beedrill gain momentum. Gunk Shot is Mega Beedrill's strongest move, and it lets it easily take care of Grass- and Fairy-types such as Serperior and Clefable; its chance to poison foes is also very useful. Drill Run lets Mega Beedrill KO Steel- and Rock-types such as Heatran, Excadrill, Klefki, Magnezone, and Terrakion, while Knock Off lets it remove items from bulky Pokemon such as Shed Shell Skarmory, Rocky Helmet Landorus-T, and Leftovers Heatran, which cripples them severely, in addition to OHKOing Gengar. Megahorn can be used over U-turn to let Mega Beedrill hit extremely hard; however, while U-turn lets Mega Beedrill gain momentum, Megahorn lets it KO walls such as Mega Sableye and Hippowdon more easily. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature let Mega Beedrill hit as hard and move as fast as possible, letting it outspeed Aerodactyl and Choice Scarf users such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Aerodactyl, and Hoopa-U and Speed tie with Mega Sceptile. Adaptability lets Mega Beedrill hit extremely hard with its STAB moves to KO a plethora of Pokemon. Usage Tips Try to get Mega Beedrill into the field after a teammate is KOed or with a pivoting move. Use Protect while Mega Evolving to safely gain the needed boost in Speed; you don't need to use Protect when Mega Evolving against Pokemon that are slower than Beedrill. Early-game, try to U-turn out of physical walls such as Mega Scizor, Mega Slowbro, and Landorus-T and to scout for moves and allow teammates to have better matchups. Use Gunk Shot to KO Fairy- and Grass-types and to break down walls. Avoid priority users such as Prankster Sableye with Will-O-Wisp or Parting Shot, Water Shuriken Azumarill, Fake Out + Extreme Speed Mega Lopunny, and Talonflame and Choice Scarf users such as Terrakion, so that Mega Beedrill isn't KOed. Team Options Physical walls and bulky Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Heatran, and Hippowdon are good teammates because of their ability to switch into Fake Out + Extreme Speed users. Entry hazard clearers such as Landorus-T, Excadrill, Latias, and Starmie help Mega Beedrill survive longer. Entry hazard setters such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Garchomp give Mega Beedrill an easier time KOing threatening foes. Fire-types such as Heatran and Rotom-H take care of the Steel-types that aren't weak to Drill Run in Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Fake Out + Extreme Speed users such as Porygon-Z and Porygon2, as well as Gale Wings Talonflame, are good for handling Choice Scarf users such as Keldeo. Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Keldeo take care of opposing Rock- and Steel-types such as Terrakion and Bisharp. Magnezone and Magneton can be used as partners, as they can easily trap Steel-types and KO or damage them. Terrakion also handles Fake Out + Extreme Speed users such as Porygon-Z and Stoutland. Other U-turn, Parting Shot, and Volt Switch users such as Landorus-T, Sableye, and Rotom-W help gain momentum too and absorb Fake Out + Extreme Speed.

A somewhat uncommon Poison typing allows Mega Beedrill to remove Toxic Spikes upon switching in. U-turn takes advantage of Mega Beedrill's Speed, allowing it to maintain momentum against the likes of Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Latios, Mega Gyarados, Meloetta, Cresselia and allows you to pivot out from magic bounce users such as Giratina while doing immense damage with its high Attack stat. U-turn also pivots it out against Magic Bounce users such as Giratina. Gastro Acid with its amazing Speed prevents damage from slower Mold Breaker users not carrying a Super effective attack, as well as most Wonder Guard users. Additionally, Gastro Acid’s effect persisting through Baton Pass often forces slow-pivot Wonder Guard users to hard switch, allowing Mega Beedrill to further maintain momentum. Trick alongside Black Sludge hinders Substitute + Baton Pass users like Wonder Guard Xerneas and Mega Manectric for the entirety of the games. Also, it continually chips passive foes and deprives them of their Shed Shells, Safety Goggles, or Leftovers. Spikes and Stealth Rock wear down opposing Pokemon without recovery, such as many Mold Breaker users, Mega Gyarados, and most Shadow Tag users, while hindering Substitute + Baton Pass and Magic Bounce users and magic bounce users. Taunt forces out opposing support Wonder Guard users and Prankster Giratina, and it has excellent synergy with Spikes or Stealth Rock, allowing multiple layers of Spikes to go up while denying opposing Defog. Toxic and Will-O-Wisp both provide heavy chip damage. Will-O-Wisp can cause nasty burns that hinder most Physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Gyarados, or Mega Rayqauza. However Toxic finds itself usually as the preferred option due to the fact it has higher accuracy, doesn't get thrown back at you from Magic bounce Pokemon and is much stronger chip damage, and places a timer on opponents. Finally, Destiny Bond is an option that can often take a surprise KO thanks to Mega Beedrill’s high Speed. Black Sludge offsets chip damage from hazards and status and is doubly useful if Mega Beedrill is making use of Trick. Shed Shell improves Mega Beedrill’s matchup versus Choice Scarf Shadow Tag users like Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza. Support Wonder Guard Mega Beedrill works well on a variety of team archetypes, but especially balance, offense and bulky offense teams, which appreciate it forcing switches with Taunt, Trick, or Gastro Acid and setting entry hazards. Additionally, they especially appreciate Mega Beedrill’s ability to soak up Toxic Spikes upon switching in. Mega Beedrill greatly appreciates Wish and slow pivoting support from other support Wonder Guard users like Primal Kyogre and Blissey, particularly if it forgoes Black Sludge. The capacity for Trick + Black Sludge variants to remove Shed Shells synergizes well with Shadow Tag users, like Choice Band Mega Mewtwo X, Perish Song Lugia, Choice Scarf Rayquaza, and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon. Mega Gyarados with Water Shuriken and Pursuit can revenge kill Primal Groudon variants that can trap Mega Beedril, as well as Pursuit trapping Giratina, which can stop Beedrill's antics with Prankster, Encore, and Will-O-Wisp. Finally, Substitute + Baton Pass Wonder Guard users like Xerneas and Mega Manectric appreciate Mega Beedrill forcing out Mold Breaker users and Giratina with Gastro Acid and Taunt, respectively, as this often gives them a free Substitute turn.

Moves U-turn is Mega Beedrill's main STAB move. It hits like a truck and allows Mega Beedrill to switch out of almost anything that threatens it. Poison Jab is another powerful STAB move that hits several Fairies for super effective damage. Protect allows Mega Beedrill to Mega Evolve safely so it can boost its Speed and scout for moves that threaten it. However, it can be dropped for Swords Dance to turn Mega Beedrill into an amazing wallbreaker. Drill Run deals with Steel-types that can wall Mega Beedrill, such as Heatran and Klefki. Alternatively, Knock Off hits Ghost-types for super effective damage and cripples Pokemon that rely on their item, such as Chansey and Porygon2. Set Details 36 Defense EVs allow Mega Beedrill to take a hit from important priority moves, such as Adamant Mega Kangaskhan's Sucker Punch and Choice Band Azumarill's Aqua Jet. 244 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature allow it to outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Gengar, and the like. The remaining EVs are put into Attack so that it hits as hard as possible. Usage Tips Mega Beedrill can be used as a scouting lead; Protect can scout the foe's move and allow Beedrill to Mega Evolve safely unless the extra Speed isn't necessary, in which case it should U-turn out or KO the foe. Exercise caution when you know the foe has a priority move; if you know it'll KO Mega Beedrill, hard switch into a teammate that can absorb that hit. Maintaining offensive momentum is imperative, as that's what Mega Beedrill does best. Don't switch Mega Beedrill in on a hit that it doesn't resist; instead, wait for a free switch or Volt Switch or U-turn into it safely. Team Options Powerful wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Hydreigon and Belly Drum Azumarill can aid Mega Beedrill in its sweep, getting rid of important checks such as Mega Slowbro and Ferrothorn. Any Pokemon that can make use of a Lum Berry is a great teammate because Beedrill has a hard time dealing with paralysis, burn, and sleep. One good user of Lum Berry is Garchomp, which can deal with some of Beedrill's checks, such as Talonflame. Anything with Volt Switch forms a great core with Beedrill. Rotom-W in particular stands out because of how physically bulky it is. They can both switch out of their checks repeatedly. Magnezone is also a good partner because it can trap Steel-types and crush them. In return, Mega Beedrill can run Drill Run to deal with Heatran so that it doesn't pose an issue to Magnezone. Both of these Pokemon deal with Talonflame, an important check to Beedrill. Though Beedrill is hyper-offensive in nature, pairing it with a defensive Pokemon that can cover its weaknesses might be beneficial; Suicune is a good example, as it can deal with Fire- and Ice-types. Entry hazard support from the likes of Landorus-T and Hippowdon helps Beedrill wear down some of its checks.

Beedrill's access to Swords Dance, excellent Attack, and Swarm cement it as one of the most frightening setup sweepers. Substitute is integral, as it provides Beedrill with a more reliable way to activate its Salac Berry and more opportunities to use Swords Dance, since it can get free turns on Pokemon like Gloom and Koffing or on a predicted switch out. Swords Dance allows Beedrill to OHKO Pokemon it otherwise wouldn't such as Seaking, Aipom, and Flaaffy. Hidden Power Bug packs a huge punch when Swarm is active and allows Beedrill to sweep effectively, since it can pick up the 2HKO on Porygon and the OHKO on Anorith. Sludge Bomb makes it difficult for would-be switch-ins like Wartortle, Corsola, and Onix to come in unscathed due to its high chance to poison. It also provides Beedrill with a more powerful STAB option if Swarm has not been activated. The EV spread allows Beedrill's Substitute to withstand a Sludge Bomb from Gloom and Koffing and outspeed maximum Speed Voltorb with a Salac Berry boost. Beedrill fits best on balance and offense teams in need of a dedicated cleaner or wincon. Fire-resistant Pokemon such as Wartortle, Seaking, and Flash Fire Ponyta all pair well with Beedrill, since they can take on Quilava and opposing Ponyta for it. Wartortle is a notable teammate, as it can remove Spikes for Beedrill while reliably checking both Ponyta and Quilava. Physical wallbreakers such as Aipom, Seaking, and Doduo are able to weaken Beedrill's defensive checks like Wartortle, Onix, and Corsola. Choice Band Seaking is a notable partner, as it can act as a complementary wallbreaker for Beedrill with its good bulk and resistance to Fire. Aipom's Speed allows it to function as a secondary cleaner. Strong special attackers like Abra, Quilava, and Wailmer are able to heavily threaten some of Beedrill's defensive checks like Koffing, Ariados, and Corsola; in return, Beedrill can break down special walls like Noctowl and Porygon.