Orbeetle, introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield, is a unique Bug/Psychic-type Pokémon. So, how good is this Seven Spot pocket monster? Let’s take a look at its strengths and weaknesses in detail.

First, we’ll consider Orbeetle’s greatest strengths, which are its defense and modest speed. Orbeetle has an impressive base Special Defense stat of 120, making it very resilient against special attacks. It also features a base Speed of 90 and a base physical Defense of 110. So, Orbeetle can outspeed many threats and take physical hits reasonably well.

Orbeetle enjoys a choice of three different abilities, one of them hidden. One is Swarm, which boosts the power of Bug-type moves by 50% when Orbeetle’s HP is below a third. Another is Frisk, which reveals the opponent’s held item upon entering battle, allowing you to scouting the opponent’s held items; this can help inform your strategic decisions and predictions. Its Hidden Ability is Telepathy, which avoids damage from allies’ moves in double battles, useful in competitive formats. So, Frisk is particularly good in competitive singles, and Telepathy is quite good in doubles.

The Bug/Psychic Pokemon also enjoys a versatile movepool. It has access to support moves like Sticky Web, Light Screen, Reflect, and Recover. These options allow Orbeetle to function effectively as a support Pokémon. But, Orbeetle also has decent offensive moves, too, including Psychic, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, and Shadow Ball. These provide good coverage, making Orbeetle a respectable special attacker. Most Orbeetle would likely split their four move slots between two support and two offensive moves, depending on the trainer’s team construction.

Orbeetle is also one of a few select Pokemon with a special Gigantamax Form. When in Gigantamax mode, its Psychic move is replaced by the G-Max move, G-Max Gravitas. This move is essentially the move Gravity, which negates the use of moves like Fly and Bounce and the Ability Levitate.

For all its strengths, however, Orbeetle has some considerable weaknesses. First is its Bug/Psychic typing, which suffers weaknesses to common offensive types such as Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, Dark, and Bug. It’s also doubly weak to Bug-type moves, despite being a Bug itself, which can be problematic against certain matchups.

Also, despite its potentially useful G-Max special move, Orbeetle is otherwise limited. It has a low base physical Attack stat of 45, making it almost unusable for physical attacks. Overall, this isn’t an issue, but it also has a very average base Special Attack of 80. Because of this, Orbeetle isn’t the most powerful special attacker, either, requiring strategic use of its moveset to deal significant damage.

Does Orbeetle See Usage in Competitive Play?

In the only generation in which it appears, Generation 8, Orbeetle is often used in a support role in competitive play, where its defensive stats and utility moves can shine. Some potential team roles include:

• Sticky Web Setter: Orbeetle can set up Sticky Web to slow down the opposing team, giving its allies a speed advantage.
• Dual Screens: Light Screen and Reflect can be set up to bolster the team’s defenses, allowing for safer switch-ins and prolonged battles.

While G-Max Gravitas is a pretty decent move, and it simply replaces one of the screen moves (Light Screen or Reflect) it’s extremely niche and only useful against certain teams. So, an Orbeetle with dual screens, Sticky Web, and one offensive move for coverage, likely Psychic or Bug Buzz for the 50 percent same-type attack bonus, is a decent Pokemon. But, it’s hardly ever going to see play at any higher competitive level. Indeed, according to Smogon, Orbeetle sees play only in the lowest tier of all, ZU (aka Zero-Used).

However, Smogon University also offers an alternative way to run Orbeetle that takes advantage of some of its more obscure moveset options. This Orbeetle build is based on the Psychic type move Stored Power, which becomes more powerful as you buff certain stats. Therefore, you run both Agility and Iron Defense, which give you two buffs in Speed and Defense, respectively. You also run Body Press, which uses the Defense stat for damage calculation instead of Attack. It’s creative, and likely quite unexpected by most opponents. It won’t win any big events, but it’s a fun way to build this Pokemon nonetheless.

So, Orbeetle is a solid Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield, particularly excelling in supportive roles due to its high defenses and access to useful utility moves. While its offensive presence is limited, it can still contribute to the team through strategic play and support, or as the Stored Power Sweeper mentioned above. While probably underpowered in competitive formats, Orbeetle can be a valuable asset, especially in double battles where its abilities and movepool can be fully utilized.

Sadly, Orbeetle isn’t available in Generation 9’s Scarlet and Violet. Rabsca is that generation’s Bug/Psychic type, one that we’ve written about previously. Hopefully, one day, we’ll get to play with Rabsca again, hopefully with some further buffs to its movepool.

~ Amelia Desertsong

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