Utility
Balanced
305Low
45Very Slow
DTier

Venonat is technically a pre-evolution of Venomoth, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Tinted Lens makes resisted hits deal full damage, adding extra value. Only weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. Known as the Insect Pokemon.

Venonat's stats barely vary. 0 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 1 Sp. Def EV, medium-fast 1M XP curve to max.

Base Stats
305Avg
HP60
C
Attack55
D
Defense50
D
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed45
D
Total305
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Venonat yields +1 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Fast1M XP1m / 3'03"30kg / 66.1 lbs61Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Poison oozes from all over its body. It catches small bug Pokémon at night that are attracted by light.

Scarlet

Its eyes act as radar, enabling it to be active in darkness. The eyes can also shoot powerful beams.

Violet

Venonat Weakness

Avg

Venonat is weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock-type moves. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. 4 weaknesses is about average, nothing too hard to play around.

4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
0xImmunei
None
4Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei-1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Compound EyesIncreases moves' accuracy to 1.3×.
Tinted LensDoubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.
Run AwayHAEnsures success fleeing from wild battles.

Venonat evolves into Venomoth. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 145 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Venonat
BugPoison
Venomoth
BugPoison
HP
60
70+10
ATK
55
65+10
DEF
50
60+10
SP.ATK
40
90+50
SP.DEF
55
75+20
SPE
45
90+45
BST
305D-Tier
450C-Tier+145
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Special
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Venonat easily with 91 breeding partners from the Bug egg group.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
flygondrapionmasquerainvolbeatillumiseparasectvibravaskorupiparastrapinchsurskitshuckle

Eviolite buys the setup turn. Venonat clicks Agility, then starts cleaning with Leechlife and utility options. Adamant nature with a spread EV build EVs makes sure nothing tanks a boosted hit comfortably.

Best Build

Physical Attacker
Ability
Compoundeyes
Item
EvioliteBULK
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Venonat Moveset

  • Leech LifeSTAB
  • Sleep Powder
  • AgilitySetup
  • SubstituteUtility
All 19 games

TMs define Venonat's movepool. The natural moves cover basics with Bug Buzz and Sludge Bomb, but the real versatility comes from technical machines giving it Normal and Psychic coverage and more. That's where the options open up.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Disable
10020Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 5
Supersonic
5520Normal
Lv 11
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 13
Poison Powder
7535Poison
Lv 17
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Lv 23
Stun Spore
7530Grass
Lv 25
Bug Buzz
9010010Bug
Lv 29
Sleep Powder
7515Grass
Lv 35
Leech Life
8010010Bug
Lv 37
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic
Lv 41
Poison Fang
5010015Poison
Lv 47
Psychic
9010010Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM13
Acid Spray
4010020Poison
TM04
Agility
30Psychic
TM132
Baton Pass
40Normal
TM182
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
TM162
Bug Buzz
9010010Bug
TM17
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
TM205
Endeavor
1005Normal
TM47
Endure+4
10Normal
TM119
Energy Ball
9010010Grass
TM25
Facade
7010020Normal
TM111
Giga Drain
7510010Grass
TM95
Leech Life
8010010Bug
TM185
Lunge
8010015Bug
TM42
Night Shade
10015Ghost
TM21
Pounce
5010020Bug
TM07
Protect+4
10Normal
TM16
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
TM120
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM228
Psychic Noise
7510010Psychic
TM85
Rest
5Psychic
TM98
Skill Swap
10Psychic
TM219
Skitter Smack
709010Bug
TM70
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM148
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM168
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM15
Struggle Bug
5010020Bug
TM103
Substitute
10Normal
TM49
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM32
Swift
6020Normal
TM01
Take Down
908520Normal
TM171
Tera Blast
8010010Normal
TM18
Thief
6010025Dark
TM175
Toxic
9010Poison
TM91
Toxic Spikes
20Poison
TM45
Venoshock
6510010Poison
TM59
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Venonat doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Venonat can't learn any Tutor moves
All 19 games

decent spawn rates for Venonat across 10 locations in mid-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.

Best Locations

You can catch Venonat through 10 walking encounters from Lv. 17-25, but availability differs between Scarlet and Violet. Some spots are exclusive to one version.

East Province (Area One) - Forest
ScarletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
East Province (Area One) - Forest
VioletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
East Province (Area Two) - Forest
ScarletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
East Province (Area Two) - Forest
VioletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
North Province (Area One) - Forest
VioletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
North Province (Area One) - Forest
ScarletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
North Province (Area Two) - Forest
VioletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
North Province (Area Two) - Forest
ScarletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidRoute
EASY
Tagtree Thicket - Forest
VioletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidForest
EASY
Tagtree Thicket - Forest
ScarletOverworldLv.17-2524%MidForest
EASY
  • Venonat isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Venomoth to unlock its full potential. At 305 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Venonat's biggest threats include Charizard (Fire), Aerodactyl (Flying), and Alakazam (Psychic), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Venonat evolves into Venomoth at level 31. Venonat is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Run Tinted Lens on Venonat. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Venonat also gets Compound Eyes and Run Away, but they don't compare.

  • Venonat fills the balanced role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 55 Attack). Base 45 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Venonat appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Venonat has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.