Venipede Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Spikes lets Venipede function as an entry hazard setter and aid its team by dealing damage to foes every time they switch in as well as breaking Sturdy. Solar Beam, although not a very good move on its own, can be used with Grassium Z to give Venipede a powerful Bloom Doom, KOing Onix, most Staryu sets, standard Drilbur variants, and Weak Armor Dwebble after a Pin Missile. Alternatively, Toxic Spikes may be used instead of Bloom Doom to give Venipede more hazards to set. Protect allows Venipede to keep itself from taking damage while gaining a Speed boost. Pin Missile utilizes Little Cup's damage rolls to deal a significant amount of damage, OHKOing Abra despite its Focus Sash. Set Details 148 Speed EVs give Venipede the ability to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in Little Cup after one Speed boost. 36 Special Attack EVs let it OHKO most Staryu and Drilbur and KO Weak Armor Dwebble after a Pin Missile. 204 Defense EVs are used to let Venipede survive two Iron Fist-boosted Ice Punches into a Mach Punch from Timburr. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack and Special Defense to boost Venipede's attacking power and longevity, respectively. Since all of Venipede's stats are equally important, a neutral nature is recommended. As mentioned above, Grassium Z allows Venipede to use Bloom Doom; however, if using Toxic Spikes, an alternative EV spread of 76 Atk / 124 Def / 124 SpD / 148 Spe, Eviolite, and an Impish nature should be used to maximize Venipede's defenses and reach Eviolite numbers. Usage Tips If the opponent has an antilead to Venipede, such as Dwebble, Venipede should be saved until it can be brought in and utilized safely. If the opponent leads with Mienfoo or any other Fake Out user, using Protect immediately can stop Venipede from taking unnecessary damage. Bloom Doom allows Venipede to function as a lure to common Rapid Spin users, but because Venipede outspeeds them thanks to Speed Boost anyway, it should set up entry hazards first and use Bloom Doom only after they have switched in. If Venipede needs to outspeed threats or set hazards for any reason, it should use Protect to gain extra Speed. However, if any of these threats commonly carry Substitute or can boost further, it may be better to attack and surprise them instead. Due to its primary role as a hazard setter, Venipede should usually focus on this instead of attempting to deal chip damage, unless this chip damage is essential for its teammates to score KOs. Team Options Sweepers appreciate hazard support from Venipede, with some of the best including Nasty Plot Vullaby, Shellder, and Snivy. Other threatening Pokemon that force switches, Doduo especially, can force foes to take extra damage every time they switch into a check. Late-game cleaners such as Choice Scarf Mienfoo can overcome threats more easily with hazards set up. Phazers, namely Hippopotas and Onix, can force foes to switch and therefore take extra damage from Venipede's hazards. Stealth Rock setters such as Pawniard, Ferroseed, and especially Onix can set up Stealth Rock to stack on top of Venipede's Spikes. Pawniard also deters Defog for Venipede, whereas Ghost-types such as Pumpkaboo-XL, Gastly, and Frillish can block Rapid Spin. If Venipede is running Toxic Spikes, Hex Gastly greatly appreciates its support and can also block Rapid Spin for Venipede.

Moves Speed Boost helps Venipede lay down at least a few layers of Spikes and Toxic Spikes, the latter of which is a rare, unexpected entry hazard in LC. Toxic Spikes's presence also helps boost the effectiveness of other Pokemon using Venoshock or Hex, and chip damage helps sweeping teammates. Protect confers free Speed boosts and protection against Fake Out. Endeavor can be used toward the end of Venipede's life, such as when Focus Sash activates, to weaken the foe so that it can be KOed easily, especially with Pin Missile. STAB Pin Missile does a fair amount of damage, breaking possible Focus Sashes. Set Details A Jolly nature and max Speed EVs allow Venipede to outspeed most Pokemon without needing to Protect, and max Attack EVs maximize the effectiveness of Pin Missile. The remaining EVs go into Defense for extra bulk, though they could be left out to get Venipede's HP down to 1 quicker for maximum power Endeavor; if you do this, you might as well lower the IVs to 0 as well. Usage Tips Venipede is only really good for setting up Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and although it's tempting to lead with it, most leads can stop Venipede, so if the foe has a counter such as Dwebble, save Venipede for mid- or late-game. Protect should be used to stop Fake Out and to gain enough Speed to outspeed the foe. Venipede can stack entry hazards effectively against walls that often fail to deal enough damage to 3HKO it. Pokemon such as Spritzee, Snubbull, Foongus, and non-Bulk Up Timburr are examples of Pokemon Venipede can switch into. It's ideal to save Venipede until all Defoggers and Spinners are gone before entry hazard stacking. Team Options Pokemon that appreciate general chip damage, such as Zigzagoon, or any other setup sweeper, such as Fletchling or Timburr, make good teammates. Venipede's primary role is neutered by Rapid Spinners and Defoggers such as Staryu and Drilbur, so spinblockers and Defiant users such as Pumpkaboo and Pawniard, respectively, make great teammates. Gastly is a more offensive option instead of Pumpkaboo for a spinblocker. Although it is frail, Gastly benefits greatly from the presence of entry hazards, as it can fire off a 130 Base Power STAB Venoshock if the target is poisoned, which Venipede can ensure by setting up Toxic Spikes. More stall-oriented Pokemon such as Spritzee, Lickitung, and Hippopotas make good teammates because of the switches they force, so the entry hazard damage will add up while they can recover off stray damage.