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. Only weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. Known as the Insect Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

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

Its eyes also function as radar units. It catches and eats small bugs that hide in darkness.

Gold

Poison oozes from all over its body. It catches and eats small bugs at night that are attracted by light.

Silver

Venonat Weakness

Avg

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

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
0xImmunei
None
4Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei-2
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. A decent partner pool 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 23 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Baton Pass, Giga Drain, Screech to offspring.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
3moves
Breed With (best first)
parasectparasshuckleforretressvenomothgligarariadosbutterfreebeedrillledianyanmavenonat

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Breeding opens up real options for Venonat. Baton Pass and Giga Drain come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Sludge Bomb and Leech Life and Normal and Psychic coverage and more.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Disable
5520Normal
Lv 1
Foresight
10040Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 9
Supersonic
5520Normal
Lv 17
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 20
Poison Powder
7535Poison
Lv 25
Leech Life
2010010Bug
Lv 28
Stun Spore
7530Grass
Lv 33
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Lv 36
Sleep Powder
7515Grass
Lv 41
Psychic
9010010Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM12
Sweet Scent
10020Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Baton Pass
40Normal
Egg
Giga Drain
751005Grass
Egg
Screech
8540Normal

Tutor Moves

Venonat can't learn any Tutor moves

Venonat's scattered across 14 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.

Best Locations

Venonat appears in 14 walking locations at Lv. 8-16 across Gold and Silver. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.

Route 24
GoldGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 24
SilverGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 25
SilverGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 25
GoldGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 25
SilverGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteMorning
EASY
Route 25
GoldGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteMorning
EASY
National Park - Bug Catching Contest
SilverGrassLv.10-16UncommonEarlyFacility
EASY
National Park - Bug Catching Contest
GoldGrassLv.10-16UncommonEarlyFacility
EASY
Route 24
GoldGrassLv.8RareEarlyRouteMorning
CHALLENGING
Route 24
SilverGrassLv.8RareEarlyRouteMorning
CHALLENGING
Route 43
GoldGrassLv.16UncommonMidRouteNight
EASY
Route 43
SilverGrassLv.16UncommonMidRouteNight
EASY
Route 43
GoldGrassLv.16RareMidRouteMorning
CHALLENGING
Route 43
SilverGrassLv.16RareMidRouteMorning
CHALLENGING
  • 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.

  • 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.