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.
Poison oozes from all over its body. It catches small bug Pokémon at night that are attracted by light.
Its eyes act as radar, enabling it to be active in darkness. The eyes can also shoot powerful beams.
Venonat Weakness
AvgVenonat 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.
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
Breed Venonat easily with 50 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Agility, Baton Pass, Bug Bite and 5 more to offspring.
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
Best Venonat Moveset
- Leech Life
- Sleep Powder
- Agility
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Breeding opens up real options for Venonat. Agility and Baton Pass come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Bug Buzz and Sludge Bomb and Normal and Psychic coverage and more.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
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.
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.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen IIGS

Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW

Black & White - Gen VB2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY

X & Y - Gen VIORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM

Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A
