The Best Bug Type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet


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The Best Bug Type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet

It’s no secret that Bug-type Pokémon are often considered one of if not the worst type of Pokémon in terms of competitive battling. This is mostly due to the type having weaknesses to three of the most common offensive types in the game, Fire, Rock, and Flying. Bug-type attacks are also weak to seven different types of Pokémon, making the type less viable as an offensive type. Even with these things in mind, some Bug-types still prove useful and are worth considering when building your team.

The Top Bug Type Pokémon Ranked Good to Best

Let’s dive into number 6!

#6 Vespiquen

Aaron_and_Vespiquen Pokemon
Image: The Pokémon Company

Consider Vespiquen the best of the worst of the Bug-types in Scarlet and Violet. It just barely makes the top six mostly because all the other Bug-type in the game are just that bad. Vespiquen is a Bug/Flying type Pokémon that can only be obtained by getting a female combe to level 21 or higher. 

This Pokémon is very defensive with a base stat total of 102 in both physical and special defense. Its lowest stat is its speed at a base of 40. Vespiquen has decent physical and special attack stats that allow it to deal pretty good damage based on which of the two stats you decide to focus on.  Vespiquen’s abilities are Pressure and Unnerve, both being very situational. 

Pressure makes the opposing Pokémon use two PP for each of their moves instead of one. This can be pretty good when fighting a Pokémon that is using a move with low PP, but most moves have anywhere between 10 and 20 PP which makes this ability less viable against most moves. Unnerve is much better. It prevents the opposing Pokémon from eating berries. This can be really strong given the number of useful berries in the game.

Where Vespiquen actually shines is its move pool. It has two signature moves, Attack Order and Defense Order. Attack Order is a 90 base power Bug-type move that has a higher base critical hit ratio than average, ⅛ instead of 1/24. Defense Order raises the user’s physical and special attack stats by one stage. Vespiquen also has access to great status moves like Toxic, Confuse Ray, Roost, and Spikes. This Pokémon can be pretty strong in the right circumstances, so it will require a talented player to use it properly.

#5 Forretress

Forretress Pokemon
Image: The Pokémon Company

Forretress is a Bug/Steel-type Pokémon with a ridiculously high physical defense stat of 140, followed by an attack stat of 90. Forretress is an example a defensive Pokémon done right. While its special defense is on the lower side, it more than makes up for it with its physical defense stat and its dual typing. Forrestress is only weak to Fire-type attacks, having a 4x weakness to them. Even so, it has resistance to eight types and immunity to the Poison-type. 

Forretress has two abilities but only one of them is actually relevant for competitive battling and that is Sturdy. Sturdy prevents the user from fainting from a single hit move. This includes One-Hit-KO moves like Fissure and Sheer Cold. This ability will not protect the user from multi-hitting moves. With this ability, Forretress is almost guaranteed to survive its opening turn which can be used to set up some kind of hazard or status condition.

While Forretress can’t learn Toxic, it can learn Toxic Spikes, which can poison multiple opposing Pokémon whenever they switch into battle. It also learns regular Spikes, Light Screen, Reflect, and all of the weather moves except snow. Two of its other utility moves are Thunder Wave and Rapid Spin. Thunder Wave can be used to slow down a single enemy Pokémon and Rapid Spin can clear any hazards the opponent may have set of your side of the field. Overall, Forretress is a pretty solid utility Pokémon that can be used to stall enemies out. Definitely worth running when paired with the right team composition.

#4 Slither Wing

Slither Wing Pokemon
Image: GameFreak

Slithering marks the shift into the really good section of the Bug-type list. It’s a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon with very high attack and special defense stats. This combo actually allows Slither Wing to survive a decent amount of super-effective moves while also dishing out crazy damage. 

Slither Wing only has one ability, that being Protosynthesis. This ability boosts the user’s highest stat by one stage in harsh sunlight or while that Pokémon is holding a Booster Energy. This boost isn’t based solely on the Pokémon’s highest base stat, instead, it is determined by the Pokémon’s current highest stat, so EV training will affect this ability.

Slither Wing may have a number of weaknesses but it makes up for it with a very solid move pool and an attack stat that can back those moves up. It has moves like Lunge, Superpower, Dual Wingbeat, First Impression, Leech Life, and many more powerful attacking moves. Slither Wing also has access to a few utility moves, like Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Bulk-Up, Will-O-Wisp, and Morning Sun. This Pokémon can work really well on its own but really shines when paired with a speed control team.

#3 Volcarona

Volcarona Pokemon
Image: The Pokémon Company

Volcarona is the classic example of a great Bug-type Pokémon. This Pokémon has a very high special attack stat of 135. It also has high special defense and speed stats at 105 and 100 respectively. These stats allow it to make great use of its secondary Fire-typing. Its resistances are pretty good and its 3 weaknesses aren’t too hard to play around. 

Volcarona has two abilities, Flame Body and Swarm. Flame Body grants the user a 30% chance to burn opposing Pokémon if the opposing Pokémon uses a move that makes physical contact with the user. This ability is nice but not ideal for a Pokémon like Volcarona since it doesn’t have a very high physical defense stat. Swarm is a bit better as it increases the power of the user’s bug-type moves by 50% whenever the user falls below ⅓ of their total HP.

Volcarona’s moveset is really the star of the show. Its signature move is called Firery Dance and it has a 50% chance to raise the user’s special attack stat by one stage. With a base damage of 80 this is easily Volcarona’s go-to move for fire damage. Volcarona also has access to moves like Tailwind, Will-O-Wisp, Bug Buzz, String Shot, Amnesia, and so much more. If you’re looking for a fast special attacking Bug-type, Volcarona is a pretty safe choice.

#2 Heracross

Heracross Pokemon
Image: The Pokémon Company

Another classic Bug-type Pokémon that defies the usual trend of Bug-types being lackluster. Heracross is a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon with a high attack stat of 125. Its second-highest stat is special defense at 95. With its lowest stat being its special attack stat at 40. As its stat line suggests, you’re going to want to use this Pokémon as a hard-hitting physical attacker. All three of Heracross’s abilities also support this physically aggressive playstyle. 

Heracross has three abilities, Swarm, Guts, and Moxie. We have already discussed the benefits provided by Swarm so let’s focus on the other two. Guts raise the user’s Attack stat by 50% while they are affected by a major status condition, i.e. Poison, Paralysis, Burn, etc. This is a really powerful ability thanks to the prevalence of status moves in competitive PvP and access to items like the Toxic Orb and the Flame Orb. 

Moxie might be slightly better or worse than Guts depending on the situation. Moxie raises the user’s attack stat by one stage each time they KO an opponent’s Pokémon. Both of these abilities can easily turn your Heracross into a team sweeper by raising its already crazy attack stat.

Pushing this Pokémon to even grander heights is its move pool. Heracross learns some pretty scary moves like Thrash, Close Combat, Swords Dance, Throat Chop, Pounce, Trail Blaze, Stone Edge, and even Earthquake. This is a Pokémon that has a move pool that allows it to cover almost every type in the game as a result there is always room for a Heracross on any team looking for a strong physical attacker.

#1 Scizor

Scizor Pokemon
Image: The Pokémon Company

Last but certainly not least is Scizor, our #1 pick and debatably the best Bug-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. Scizor is a Bug/Steel-type Pokémon with a crazy high attack stat of 130. Just like Forretress, Scizor is only weak to one type which is Fire. This allows Scizor to switch in on non-Fire-type attacks and be relatively safe. It also allows Scizor to generally get at least one setup move off before being KO’d.

Its defensive typing is not enough to bring it up to the number one slot, no no, the main contributing factor for Scizor being number one is its absolutely broken ability Technician. Scizor does have two other abilities, those being Swarm and Light Metal, but both are infinitely less useful than Technician. Technician boosts the power of moves that have a base power of 60 or below by 50%. This effectively turns all 60 power moves into 90 power moves and there are some really powerful 60 power moves.

To round out Scizor’s broken ability, it also has access to plenty of powerful base 60 power or below moves. Some of these moves include Thief, Trailblaze, Pounce, Aerial Ace, Metal Claw, and most importantly, Bullet Punch. Bullet Punch with Technician goes from 40 base power to 60. This might not seem like a lot but 20% can mean the difference between two and three shooting a Pokémon. 

The final move that makes Scizor the best Bug-type Pokémon is Swords Dance which raises the user’s attack stat by two stages. Just one of these turns your Bullet Punch into a 120-power move that has priority. Scizor is 100% worth putting on any team that needs a late-game sweeper and can absolutely win games on its own with the right setup.

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There you have the six best Bug-type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. What are your picks for best/favorite Bug-types? Are you looking for more Pokémon guides? Consider signing up for our newsletter today and join the high ground!

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