Bulbasaur is the very firstPokemonin the Pokedex and was one of the first starters in the franchise alongside Squirtle and Charmander in then Gen I games. They’ve been around for a long time, and trainers have tried every possible tactic and strategy with this Grass andPoison-type pocket monster.
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Trainers seeking to make the most out of their partnership with a Bulbasaur should keep a few things in mind when training and battling beside one. Mostly, how to take advantage of this stater pokemon’s strategically inclined moveset, specially oriented stats, as well as other beneficial and unique traits.
10Treating Bulbasaur Like A Pure Grass-Type
Bulbasaur is a dual-type Grass and Poison pokemon, meaning that their match-ups against some adversaries will be different thanGrass pokemon who do not have secondary typing. The Poison typing gives Bulbasaur more resistances and fewer weaknesses, and one of these changes is a more favorable match-up against many other Grass-types.
9Not Making Use Of Their Potential Abilities
Most Bulbasaurs will have Overgrow as their ability, as withmost Grass-type starter pokemon. This increases the Attack or Special Attack while usinga Grass-type movewhile under 33% of one’s max HP. This can mean the difference between staying in to finish off a foe or retreating to let an ally take over. Bulbasaur’s hidden ability is Chlorophyll, which doubles their Speed stat while Strong Sunlight is affecting the battlefield, and makes this pokemon a decent choice for a sunlight-focused team.
8Breeding Without Planning
Appropriately for their appearance, biology, and Pokedex entries, Bulbasaur belongs to both theMonster and Grass egg groups. This pairing grants the seed pokemon access to some surprising moves for a dual Grass and Poison-type that can be used for increased coverage and viability. Just keep in mind that each egg for this species will take between 5,140 and 5396 steps to hatch, so planning accordingly can save a lot of time.
7Misusing Bulbasaur’s Stats
Since Bulbasaur’s stats are spread more towards Special Attack and Special Defense, it’s clear that this species is meant to use moves of this nature for offense and defense. Bulbasaur can learn quite a few physical moves, though, these should be passed up for special ones. Knowing a pokemon’s strengths is immensely important for success in any battle, so take note of this pocket monster’s base stats.
Bulbasaur’s Base Stats
6Missing Out On Great Level-Up Moves
While Bulbasaur’s level-up moves consist of mostly physical attacks, many should be ignored in favor of special ones that can be learned via TM or TR, however,this seed monstercan learn some great status ones that can be used strategically.
Bulbasaur’s Generation VIII Moveset By Leveling Up
5Avoiding Needed TM & TR Moves
Due to Bulbasaur not learning any special Grass or Poison-type moves while leveling up, their trainer will need to seek out TMs and TRs totruly unlock their starter’s potential. There is thankfully a large variety that can give Bulbasaur much-needed special attacks that will benefit from their dual Same Type Attack Bonuses (STABs).
Bulbasaur’s Generation VIII Moveset By TM & TR
4Bypassing Bulbasaur’s Other Move-Learning Methods
In addition to learning moves by leveling up as well as by TM or TR, Bulbasaur can learn moves depending on who their parents are, if they get tutored, and if one is transferred from a previous generation. Depending on one’s planned build, there could be some greatly useful moves via one of these less pondered upon methods.
Bulbasaur’s Generation VIII Moveset By Transfer From An Older Game
3Evolving Bulbasaur Too Soon
Like most starters, Bulbasaur can evolve into their second stage at level 16. When, as Ivysaur, they reach level 32, they can evolve again into the stalwart Venusaur. However, one should not rush to evolve their Bulbasaur, as all pokemon learn their level-up moveset much faster prior to evolving. For a frame of reference, the last move that Bulbasaur can learn naturally is Solar Beam, which they can acquire upon reaching level 36. By comparison, this is much sooner than Venusaur, who learns this powerful Grass-type attack at level 58.
2Giving Them Improper Items
It will be tempting to give one’s Bulbasaur (or Venusaur, after it fully evolves) one of the popular held items in competitive play, like Choice Specs for greater special attack damage or Choice Scarf for much greater speed. However, since Bulbasaur is a more strategically inclined pokemon, it would be best to give them an item that helps enhance specific tactics rather than buffing a stat. For example, builds that are intending to make use of Ingrain, Leech Seed, and Giga Drain would be well suited to hold a Big Root, which will increase all healing effects by a huge 30%.
1Battling Unstrategically
As mentioned before, Bulbasaur is a pokemon with a wide variety of specific and niche strategies that can allow it to be an offensive threat, defensive wall, or a supportive ally for the rest of the team. Most of the best tactics involve infliction status ailments, healing, and slamming the enemy with powerful Grass and Poison-type attacks. While battling alongside a Bulbasaur, brains always prevail over brawn.
