#15 BEEDRILL, THE POISON BEE POKEMON
Beedrill is a pretty cool Pokemon, being among my top ten of all time. It's design, cry, and the fact that it's a giant bee made it easy for me to love it. Sadly, until Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it was arguably one of the worst Pokemon in the game, using one was effectively a death sentence, as even the lightest tap would at the very least 2HKO, yet I almost always had one on my team whenever possible, and it was always one of the mainstays.
COMPETITIVE OVERVIEW
As stated before, prior to the 3DS games, Beedrill was an absolutely terrible Pokemon that was outclassed in just about everything it could've done. Needed a suicide lead that can use Toxic Spikes? You can easily opt for Accelgor over the Beedrill. Need a great Endeavor user? Keep looking, go for Swellow instead. Need a usable Bug- and Poison-type Pokemon? Use Venomoth, or literally just about any other Pokemon. You're probably asking yourself a few things; "Is Beedrill good for anything? Is it worth a moveslot?" Yes, it has a few uses, but it's pretty much outclassed by just about everything else. Using Beedrill isn't easy and it usually isn't the right choice, but it can be an effective choice if it's given ample support from its teammates.
RECOMMENDED SET
Beedrill has a very limited movepool that has a few nice options, but like I mentioned above, it's a very outclassed Pokemon that has little reason to be used for anything besides a joke, or perhaps you were simply dared to use it. Regardless, it has a few usable options and in order to use it effectively, it'll require a lot of team support, things that can remove Stealth Rock or faster threats... and slower threats.
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves:
- Toxic Spikes
- X-Scissor
- Endeavor
- Tailwind
This set allows Beedrill to make use of whatever few positives it has. The Focus Sash allows it to avoid the inevitable OHKO and allow it to get in at least a layer of Toxic Spikes, offer support with Tailwind, or simply attack with Endeavor or X-Scissor. The given spread allows it to outspeed as much as possible while doing as much damage as possible. Swarm allows X-Scissor to power up slightly after taking a hit and potentially allowing him to net a KO or get the opponent low enough for another Pokemon to take out. You can also opt for U-Turn, but often times Beedrill isn't worth using to gain momentum from the team. Teammates that clean up opposing Flying-, Steel-, and Poison-types are appreciated, ones that can clean up entry hazards are also quite useful.
CHECKS AND COUNTERS
Faster Pokemon: Faster Pokemon can easily prey upon Beedrill's terrible defenses and KO it without worrying about taking much damage.
Slower Pokemon: Slower Pokemon can also easily prey upon Beedrill's terrible defenses without worrying too much.
MEGA EVOLUTION CORNER
In spite of what all of its negatives would suggest, Beedrill does have a saving grace that prevents it from being utterly and completely outclassed by just about everything in the game. Its Mega Evolution turns what is arguably one of the worst fully evolved Pokemon into a terrifying glass cannon with an amazing Attack and Speed stat coupled with a fantastic ability in Adaptability. This allows Beedrill to hit quickly and hit hard, however it still suffers from the same problems its base form, namely its limited movepool and paper-thin defenses hold it back from doing everything it'd like to do.
Item: Beedrillite
Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Special Attack)
Ability: Swarm (Will be Adaptability upon Mega Evolution)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves:
- U-Turn
- Poison Jab
- Drill Run/Pursuit
- Knock Off/Toxic Spikes
While Beedrill's movepool is very limited, this set works perfectly in conjunction with its high Attack and high Speed. U-Turn helps it gain some momentum for its team and allows it switch out against opponents that would otherwise prey upon its terrible defenses. If gaining momentum isn't a priority, you can opt for X-Scissor for extra power, and thanks to Adaptability, it'll do plenty of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Poison Jab is a useful STAB that hits obscenely hard and has a nice chance to poison to opponent, while quickly taking out Fairy- and Grass-type Pokemon. Be wary of Steel-types and opposing Poison-types however. Drill Run can be used to nail opposing Steel-, Poison-, and Rock-types that would otherwise wall Beedrill to hell and back. However, Pursuit can be used over it in order to trap Pokemon before they switch out, but it generally isn't worth the moveslot. Knock Off can used to rid an opposing Pokemon of their items and potentially ruin their sweep, though Toxic Spikes can be used given Beedrill's high speed, meaning it'll be able to get at least a single layer down, but due to Beedrill's poor defenses, it isn't worth using.
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