Special
Pivot
450Average
90Moderate
CTier

As a Bug/Poison-type, Venomoth fills a straightforward role. 5 type weaknesses to keep in mind. Known as the Poison Moth Pokémon. Known as the Poison Moth Pokemon. Can go either physical or special depending on the set.

Sp. Atk and Speed carry most of Venomoth's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Sp. Atk and Speed EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
450Above
HP70
C
Attack65
C
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk90
B
Sp. Def75
C
Speed90
B
Total450
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Venomoth yields +1 SpA, +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpA+1SpDSpe+1
Details
Catch75Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1.5m / 4'11"•12.5kg / 27.6 lbs•158Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The powdery scales on its wings are hard to remove. They also contain poison that leaks out on contact.

Yellow

Venomoth Weakness

Fragile

Fire, Flying, Psychic, Bug, and Rock-type moves hit Venomoth for super-effective damage. Venomoth leans toward special offense (base 90 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
FireFlyingPsychicBugRock
½xResisti
None
¼xResisti
GrassFighting
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
GrassPoisonBug
5Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Scorei-6
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Shield DustProtects against incoming moves' extra effects.
Tinted LensDoubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.
Wonder SkinHALowers incoming non-damaging moves' base accuracy to exactly 50%.

You get Venomoth from Venonat at level 31. This Bug/Poison type hits 450 total but remains in the Undiscovered group. Sp.Atk grew the most through evolution (+50 over Venonat), and Venomoth peaks at 450 total stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Venonat
#048Venonat
31
Level 31
Venomoth
#049Venomoth
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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

The recommended build leans into Venomoth's strengths as an attacker. An item provides extra utility, and flexible EVs EVs back that up. An ability rounds out the package.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Venomoth Moveset

  • Sleep Powder
  • Stun Spore
  • PsychicCoverage
  • Mega Drain

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosDecent
Clefable
ClefableDecent
Persian
PersianDecent

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Venomoth. TMs unlock Psychic and Normal coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Leech Life into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 1
Disable
—5520Normal
Lv 1
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 22
Poison Powder
—7535Poison
Lv 27
Leech Life
2010010Bug
Lv 30
Stun Spore
—7530Grass
Lv 38
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Lv 43
Sleep Powder
—7515Grass
Lv 50
Psychic
9010010Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
HM05
Flash
—7020Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM21
Mega Drain
4010010Grass
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM46
Psywave
—10015Psychic
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM02
Razor Wind
8010010Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM30
Teleport-6
——20Psychic
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM04
Whirlwind-6
——20Normal

Egg Moves

Venomoth doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Venomoth can't learn any Tutor moves

Venomoth tops out at moderate rates across 3 locations in mid-game routes. The encounters below are sorted by rate so you can see exactly what you're working with.

Where To Catch Venomoth in Yellow

To get Venomoth, start by catching Venonat through walking encounters at Lv. 13-54. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Venonat
    Step 1Catch Venonat
    Route 24
    GrassLv.13-16UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 25
    GrassLv.13-16UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 14
    GrassLv.24-27UncommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 15
    GrassLv.24-27UncommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Venomoth
    Step 2Venomoth ✓
    Route 14
    GrassLv.30RareMidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Route 15
    GrassLv.30RareMidRoute
    CHALLENGING
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    GrassLv.54RarePostCave
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Venonat (Step 1)

  • Tinted Lens changes the entire equation for Venomoth. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as a pivot.

  • Watch for Arcanine (Fire), Dodrio (Flying), and Starmie (Psychic) when using Venomoth. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Bug and Rock-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Venonat evolves into Venomoth at level 31. Venomoth is the fully evolved form. It sits at 450 BST in its evolved form.

  • Base 90 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Venomoth is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a pivot.

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

One of the original 151, Venomoth has appeared in 19 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.