Pokémon is a wonderful and mythical world of fantastical creatures that has survived for a quarter century in the form of anime, playing cards, collectible toys, and of course, a role-playing video game. Longtime fans can name a large percentage of the 896 creatures that either have been released or announced for release with the next round of DLC for Sword and Shield. Some people’s knowledge of Pokémon begins and ends with Pikachu. There is nothing at all wrong with that kind of casual fandom, but I feel like I must do a service and at least let you know about the other wonderful creatures you can raise in the universe where these monsters do battle, play, work, and keep people company. It’s time to play WHO’S THAT POKÉMON???!?!?
VENUSAUR (No. 003)
Evolution line – Bulbasaur (001) → Ivysaur (002) → Venusaur (003)
Type – Grass/Poison
Introduced in…Pokémon Red/Green (JP)/Blue (US)
Venusaur is the final form of the first Pokémon in the National Dex, Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur, along with Squirtle and Charmander, are your choices at the start of your adventure in the Kanto region. Being a starter Pokémon, especially in the first set of games, comes with a certain set of advantages. You start out with a strong, sturdy partner that is meant to grow with you on your journey to become Champion. The Grass starter doesn’t have the cool factor of the Fire-type or the general utility of the Water-type, but it does carry a certain flair for those who like strategy and trickery.
Aesthetics and Biology – Venusaur is, what meme-poisoned folks like myself would call, a chonky boi. Based on the lumbering bulk of land-dwelling herbivore dinosaurs, Venusaur’s manifestation of its Grass-type je ne se quoi is the gigantic flower on their back. Big red petals adorn a prehistoric-looking bulb at the center. Female Venusaur have a seed lodged in the top of their bulb. Their eternally bloodshot eyes and sharp teeth show great ferocity, giving a paradoxical combination of beauty and terror. Overall, they are an appropriate representation of the fantastical world in which Pokémon reside.
The flower on the back isn’t just for show either. As flowers and plants tend to do to gain sustenance, Venusaur is able to eschew eating by using that big plant to photosynthesize some energy. Not only is Venusaur a handy partner, they are environmentally sustainable. Additionally, according to various PokéDex entries over the years, that big flower smells so sweet that it invariably attracts other Pokémon to their vicinity. I guess that would be a big reason why in at least one episode of the anime, Venusaur is able to be a cult leader for other Bulbasaur.
In The Games – Venusaur appears as an integral part in two of the generations of Pokémon RPG games. Obviously, it plays a part in the original games as it is the end evolution of the Grass-starter. It also makes an appearance in the sixth Generation, Pokémon X and Y. In addition to your local starters in the Kalos region, you can select one of the three Kanto starters as an entrée into Mega Evolution. Mega Venusaur grows from “chonky” to “OH LAWD, HE COMIN’,” and the flower on their back blooms to enormous plumage.
Of course though, the Gen VI appearance in the main thrust of games was just a nice little upgrade. Venusaur’s time to shine was as the tank-like Grass starter in the first games. Basically, picking Bulbasaur was the “easy mode” for the first couple of gyms or so. You had an offensive advantage on the first two Gyms and a defensive one in the third. Of course, the game got less kind as it went on, but by the time you reached Blaine in Cinnabar Gym with his Fire-type team, you should already have had a stout Water-type to balance your team out. No matter what the opponent threw at you, Venusaur had an awesome weapon in Razor Leaf, an attack whose critical hit ratio was broken to death. Every attack that landed (it had/has a 95 percent accuracy rate) was a critical hit. They nerfed that crit-rate in future generations though. Still, Venusaur remained a stout option for teams that only got better as it got new toys with which to play.
The Nerd Section – As with any game that has a robust multiplayer option, there are two distinct “games” within any main series RPG – the game and the metagame. The latter is the basis for competitive play between players around the globe, and it has spawned a cottage industry for analysts and capitalists alike. Seriously, you can buy buffed-stat Pokémon or items online now for real, fungible cash. Will wonders ever cease?
Venusaur, as with any Pokémon, has two different profiles, one for the fun players who go through the RPG and don’t care about things like “IVs” or “EVs” and the super nerds like me who obsess over breeding and movesets and the like. Over the years, Venusaur’s profile has risen in the ranks of the metagame, mostly due to receiving a good Hidden Ability and the rise in prominence of its secondary Poison typing. I will give you two builds, one is bog standard according to traditional wisdom, and one is of my own concoction that explores their versatile pool of moves.
Standard Set – Chlorophyll Sweeper
Modest Nature
EVs – 4 HP/252 Special Attack/252 Speed
Ability – Chlorophyll (doubles speed in sunlight)
Hold Item – Life Orb
Moves:
- Solarbeam
- Sludge Bomb
- Weather Ball
- Growth
Okay, so a few notes for people who are new to metagame Pokémon discussion. First, every Pokémon has a nature. Natures were introduced in Generation III. Natures decide which of the five non-HP stats are boosted and also which one of those stats grow more slowly. There are five neutral natures, but they’re no fun. Modest nature grows the Special Attack 10 percent greater than it would be at the detriment of the regular Attack stat, which has a 10 percent handicap.
Effort Values, or EVs, are earned growth in a statistic. Every Pokémon defeated in the RPG portion of the game, wild or a computer-generated trainer, yields an EV. Every four EVs equal an earned point in a given statistic. For example, for every four Gastly defeated in battle, the subject Pokémon gains one point in Special Attack. One Pokémon can only earn 255 EVs in a given stat, and they can only earn 510 overall. However, 255 isn’t divisible by four, so it’s not prudent to max a given stat out. Two-hundred and fifty-two EVs are the highest number divisible by four, which translates to 63 extra points in any given stat. The base strategy is to max out two stats and throw the four other EVs into HP or one of the defensive stats. There are some other sophisticated builds, like putting just enough Speed EVs into a build to outrun a specific Pokémon or, as I like to do, only put enough EVs in HP to have it at its largest amount divisible by 16. But the good shorthand rule is 252 in two stats and four in another.
Finally, every Pokémon has at least one ability, if not three. That ability allows them a special power. For example, a Pokémon with the Levitate ability is immune to Ground-type attacks. Some creatures have two “regular” abilities that are naturally occurring in the wild. Nearly every Pokémon has a “hidden” ability that takes a little more effort to find. Some abilities are useless. Others can change the tide of a battle.
Now, getting to this particular build for Venusaur, this set takes advantage of the hidden ability, Chlorophyll, and is an incredible attacker on teams built around using the Drought ability or the move Sunny Day. Not only does Venusaur have off-the-charts speed, the sunlight turns Solarbeam from a two-turn attack into only one turn. Sludge Bomb helps knock out some pesky bulky Fairy-types, and under sunlight, Weather Ball turns into a 100 base power Fire-type attack that allows Venusaur to stay in and attack Steel-type Pokémon instead of needing to retreat. The last slot is reserved for Growth, which allows for Special Attack boosting and even more power behind those already hefty moves. The Life Orb adds even more oomph even at the cost of some HP.
And now, a personal favorite build…
My Set – Slow Death
Calm Nature
EVs – 204 HP/52 Special Attack/252 Special Defense
Ability – Overgrow (increases power of Grass-type attacks when user is at 25 percent or less HP)
Hold Item – Leftovers/Venusaurite
Moves:
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Protect
This set is based off the idea of attrition. The EV spread takes advantage of Venusaur’s Special Defense and access to recovery-based moves. Giga Drain takes HP in chunks, while Leech Seed saps it over time. Toxic may not be a recovery move, but the progressive poison damage can take down even the bulkiest walls. Protect allows you to play keep-away and get some free healing from Leech Seed and Leftovers currently. While Venusaurite in Sword and Shield is unavailable, playing in older games allows you to access Mega Venusaur’s clutch ability Thick Fat, which halves damage from both Fire and Ice. Basically, it nerfs two super effective attacks, upping your defensive stamina big-time. The bog standard ability, Overgrow, works here because when you’re down in the danger zone, Giga Drain gets powered up to sap even more HP. It’s a winning combo!
Finale – Venusaur doesn’t have the cache that Charizard has among the three Kanto starters, but it holds a special place in my heart. A lot of my love for the big galoot comes from the fact that I wrecked shit in Pokémon Blue as a high schooler with a Game Boy with them. Venusaur inspired me to pick the Grass starter the first run through each generation, no matter how hard picking that Grass-type would make the game at the outset. Besides, Charizard is kinda played out anyway. Venusaur has the same reptilian appeal and it captures a certain zeitgeist given its floral nature and connection to conservational politics. What better mascot for, say, the Green New Deal than a chonky boi with a big flower on their back? Thought so.