In Diamond and Pearl, Budew is available on Routes 204 and 212, as well as Eterna Forest and the Great Marsh, while Roselia can be found on Routes 212 and 221 as well as the Trophy Garden and the Great Marsh. In Platinum, Budew can be found on Routes 204, 205 and 208, as well as Eterna Forest, while Roselia can be found on Routes 208 through 210, 212 and 221, as well as the Trophy Garden and the Great Marsh.
A Shiny Stone is available in Iron Island or, only in Platinum, on Route 210. Further Shiny Stones may be obtained via Pickup.
One would think that a substantial lack of Fire-types throughout the region would make Grass-types look a lot better, but this sadly is not the case; the fairly widespread presence of Steel- and Ice-types in Sinnoh is still a strong obstacle for the grassy kind. Roserade does, however, offer more opportunities and raw power than most of the available Grass Pokémon do, thanks to its three-stage evolutionary line and Weather Ball access, which may be boring to use, but actually works very well when viable. Roselia is pretty good in the beginning, and becomes even better if evolved very early, thanks to having access to fairly strong moves for its level; it also does lose steam, however, by the time its sworn enemies come about. The evolution into Roserade gives it the boost it needs, and it can become very versatile with enough Heart Scales, to the point of even being able to take on Cynthia's Garchomp with prior Hail setup, at least in a nuzlocker's wildest dreams. Crazy strategies aside, it is still a solid Pokémon to have, and for its unfortunate typing it is surprisingly not that bad.
Rival (Route 203): Budew has an awful matchup against everything but Piplup here. Unless Chimchar was picked, do not use it in this fight at all.
Gym #1 - Roark (Oreburgh City, Rock-type): Budew is excellent against Geodude and Onix, both of which are OHKOed by Mega Drain without an issue, but at a considerable risk against Cranidos: it only has a 2HKO chance, whilst Cranidos 2HKOs for certain with Headbutt, not to mention it is faster and it may cause flinching. Budew might manage a solo if its Mega Drain is strong enough to recover the necessary HP to survive another Headbutt, but this is not guaranteed. On the other hand, this gym is a cakewalk for an already evolved Roselia; Mega Drain is still a 2HKO, but Cranidos is less likely to 2HKO back and Roselia can outspeed it.
Mars (Valley Windworks): Neither Budew nor Roselia are suitable to fight Zubat. Budew will not stand a chance against Purugly, either; Roselia has much better chances of surviving its hits, as any of its moves can only 4HKO, and it can respond with Stun Spore before slowly chipping away Purugly's health with Leech Seed and Mega Drain. While Roselia deals less direct damage, it can easily win through strategy.
Gym #2 - Gardenia (Eterna City, Grass-type): A Roselia will be needed here to perform well, and even Roselia cannot do all that much without a massive setup. Using six Growth in a row, supported by Stun Spore to avoid being hit too often, is the best option; Cherubi will be OHKOed after Roselia is done Growing, but even at +6, Magical Leaf is quite unlikely to OHKO Turtwig, bringing it to healing range in most cases. If this happens, that is good, since Gardenia will have less healing items to use on Roserade. Defeating Roserade with this strategy will still turn out to be excruciatingly painful, as Magical Leaf oscillates between 4-5HKO even with a maxed out Special Attack. Thankfully, it is completely risk-free, since Roserade itself does not have Growth and can deal next to no damage with Magical Leaf and Grass Knot.
Jupiter (Galactic Eterna Building): Not for Roselia. Zubat is not worth it and has Wing Attack, and Skuntank resists Grass and can hit really hard with Night Slash, OHKOing either with a critical hit or after one Screech. Avoid this battle.
Rival (Hearthome City): Roselia's Magical Leaf can dispose of Buizel or Prinplup easily. The rival's Roselia or Grotle can be beaten with the same strategy as Gardenia, by spamming Growth and then eventually KOing; however, in presence of better options, Roselia should not be used, if anything because it would take a long time for it to win the matchup. Starly, Ponyta and Monferno all outdamage Roselia and should not be fought.
Gym #3 - Maylene (Veilstone City, Fighting-type): The Fighting resistance helps Roselia, but it is not everything. Meditite is relatively non-threatening even with Confusion, a 3-4HKO, thanks to its low offensive stats, and can be easily 2HKOed with Giga Drain; Machoke is stronger, but Giga Drain still outdamages Brick Break (its best move) and provides Roselia some welcome HP recovery in between turns, permitting it to eventually win. Leech Seed will also help, but do not use status alteration moves against Machoke, because they will activate Guts; be wary of multiple Leers from Machoke as well, anywhere from -2 Defense or below. Be sure to weasel out as soon as Lucario comes about, it resists Grass and its Metal Claw and Bone Rush are unforgiving; at best, Roselia can Stun Spore or Leech Seed it before switching out, since it can thankfully take a hit, even a five-round Bone Rush.
Gym #4 - Crasher Wake (Pastoria City, Water-type): Gyarados outdamages Roselia with Bite, but Roselia can try to work around that by using Stun Spore first, and then Leech Seed. Since Bite is a 3HKO, Roselia can be healed as needed whenever Gyarados hits and brings its health far too down to take another hit. When done with the setup, Giga Drain will supplement the extra damage needed to win. Quagsire is simply OHKOed. Floatzel is a 2HKO and can deal upwards of 70% to 90% with Ice Fang, depending on Roselia's nature and stats, but unless it scores a critical hit Roselia can paralyse or weaken it before switching out.
Rival (Pastoria City): The team is essentially the same as the Hearthome face-off, and Roselia's moveset has not changed significantly, either. Buizel or Prinplup will be a piece of cake with Grass STAB, Roselia or Grotle are doable with Growth but tedious (Roselia especially), whereas Staravia and either Ponyta or Monferno need to be avoided as their moves are far stronger than Roselia's.
Gym #5 - Fantina (Hearthome City, Ghost-type): Not really good for Roselia overall: Drifblim resists Grass, and so does Gengar; they are both more powerful than Roselia which, at best, can hope to heal-stall with Leech Seed and items support. It is still a painful road to walk on, especially with Gengar's Confuse Ray, and Mismagius will also laugh at Roselia's efforts with its Psybeam.
Rival (Canalave City): Staravia and Heracross both have Aerial Ace and resist Grass moves, and Roselia should never do business with them; same for the Fire-type, Ponyta or Monferno. Buizel or Prinplup are easy; Prinplup does have Aerial Ace, but it deals less damage than Roselia's Giga Drain, which remains a clean 2HKO. Roselia or Grotle can be mirrored, but the fight will be long and tedious; a teammate can likely defeat them faster.
Gym #6 - Byron (Canalave City, Steel-type): By evolving Roselia into Roserade and teaching it Sunny Day and Weather Ball, the latter through the Move Reminder, Roserade can pull off an impressive base 150 power super effective Fire move on both Bronzor and Steelix, which will be outsped and OHKOed. Bastiodon should be worn down by combining Leech Seed and Roserade's Grass STAB of choice, instead.
Saturn (Lake Valor): Although Roserade may be evolved now, Kadabra is still impossible to surmount, since it can 2HKO with Psychic and outspeeds Roserade, who cannot OHKO back; Roserade should not fight it. Bronzor and Toxicroak also resist Grass, though they can be disposed of with Sunny Day and Weather Ball; Bronzor is OHKOed by it, and Toxicroak is 2HKOed, but Roserade can take any one hit from it since only a critical Poison Jab will kill.
Mars (Lake Verity): Avoid Golbat; Roserade cannot hope to set up and outdamage it before it wrecks with Air Cutter. Bronzor's Extrasensory is relatively weak, being a 4HKO at best, so Roserade can put up Sunny Day and then use Weather Ball. Purugly can be defeated by spamming Giga Drain, preventing it from 3HKOing with Slash.
Gym #7 - Candice (Snowpoint City, Ice-type): Snover can be OHKOed by Sludge Bomb or, for braver players, used to set up Sunny Day and OHKO all of Candice's team with Weather Ball. While the latter may be tempting, Sneasel will also put a stop to it, as its Ice Shard averagely 2-3HKOs; on top of Snover's Ice Shard damage, Roserade will not be able to solo the gym. In addition to that, Medicham's Ice Punch has an OHKO chance, and Roserade cannot OHKO it by any means short of Sunny Day-supported SolarBeam.
Cyrus (Galactic HQ): Murkrow will be OHKOed by Sludge Bomb if Roserade can outspeed and its Special Attack is not way below average, though it otherwise comes close to OHKOing with Drill Peck; be careful. Golbat and Sneasel will still outdamage Roserade, so avoid them.
Saturn (Galactic HQ): Kadabra can 2HKO with Psychic and Roserade can do no better, so it should be avoided. Bronzor and Toxicroak can be defeated with a combination of Sunny Day and Weather Ball, but not with Grass or Poison moves.
Mars and Jupiter (Spear Pillar, tag battle with rival): This is one of the fights that Roserade should just not take part in. The two Bronzor can fall easily to Fire-type Weather Ball, but that requires one turn to set up, and they will either exploit it to put up Reflect and Light Screen respectively or worse, gang up on Roserade and kill it with two consecutive Extrasensory; in addition to that, Sunny Day is a double-edged sword if it stays for long enough, because Skuntank has Flamethrower. Roserade also hardly has any weapons against the two Golbat, both of which can crit-spam with Air Cutter, and one of them even has Mean Look. Purugly and Skuntank are deadly in combination with one another, as well, as they can nearly KO Roserade with their combined Slash and Flamethrower attacks. Overall, due to the countless risks, Roserade is better off not entering the battlefield at all.
Cyrus (Spear Pillar): Everything on Cyrus' team is capable of OHKOing Roserade from full health except Gyarados, which 2HKOs and still deals far more damage than Roserade ever could. Roserade should not fight here.
Dialga/Palkia (Spear Pillar): Neither Dialga nor Palkia take much damage from Roserade's moves; Petal Dance can at best 3HKO Palkia, which outspeeds and 2HKOs with either Spacial Rend or Dragon Claw. Again, Roserade should not be used in this matchup.
Gym #8 - Volkner (Sunyshore City, Electric-type): Roserade can 2HKO Raichu, Ambipom and Luxray with Sludge Bomb and without problems; Octillery is either OHKOed by Petal Dance or 2HKOed by Giga Drain, and its Aurora Beam is not dangerous even if Ambipom manages to Baton Pass a Nasty Plot, as it will not OHKO from full health even at +2. Roserade should be able to solo this gym.
Rival (Pokémon League): Roserade should not fight Staraptor, Rapidash or Infernape, as they are all faster and have super effective moves to hit with; Heracross, while slower than Roserade, resists Grass and is hard to 2HKO with Sludge Bomb short of getting poisoned, and that is a problem in and of itself due to its Guts ability. It should be avoided too, as its Aerial Ace easily 2HKOs Roserade. Likewise, Snorlax absorbs special hits like there is no tomorrow and can 2HKO Roserade with Body Slam, so avoid that as well. Roserade only has a good matchup against Floatzel, and it can 3HKO Empoleon with Giga Drain if it manages to recover enough HP to survive two of its Aerial Aces; the rival's Roserade should also be 2HKOed by Sludge Bomb, but Torterra will 2HKO with Earthquake for certain and Roserade has no way of outmatching it.
Elite Four Aaron (Pokémon League, Bug-type): Since Roserade will be several levels higher than Aaron's team, it can set up Sunny Day in front of Dustox, then destroy everything with Weather Ball. Dustox's Light Screen will, however, turn the OHKOs into 2HKOs, so stall until the barrier is gone if possible; Dustox's Double Team makes this harder, but at least Roserade is immune to its Toxic. Since Drapion is the only Pokémon on Aaron's team that will not be OHKOed by Weather Ball, make sure Roserade has at least half of its health left by the time Drapion comes around, so that it may survive its Ice Fang.
Elite Four Bertha (Pokémon League, Ground-type): Any Grass STAB will OHKO Quagsire, Sudowoodo, Whiscash and Golem. Hippowdon can only be OHKOed by Petal Dance, but its Earthquake also only 2HKOs; a critical hit will off Roserade, though. If Roserade has a Persim Berry or Lum Berry to heal confusion during battle, it will make soloing easier.
Elite Four Flint (Pokémon League, Fire-type): The only way for Roserade to contribute here at all is to rely on Rain Dance + Weather Ball. This is actually a great combination to use: a rain-boosted Water move OHKOs Rapidash, Steelix and Infernape. Drifblim and Lopunny are only 2HKOed, however, and neither of them should be fought by Roserade: Drifblim can set up Double Teams and use Baton Pass to transfer them to a teammate, even worse if that happens after an Ominous Wind boost, whereas Lopunny is bulky enough to survive a hit and will retaliate with the killer Mirror Coat.
Elite Four Lucian (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): If Roserade knows Shadow Ball, it can 2HKO either Mr. Mime or Alakazam with it, or 2HKO Girafarig with Sludge Bomb; Roserade cannot take more than one Psychic from any of the three, however, so it will only be able to defeat one of them. Bronzong and Medicham are excluded, as the former can foil Roserade's one-hit KO plans with Calm Mind and Psychic whereas the latter may OHKO with Ice Punch, if Roserade's Defense is low enough. Mr. Mime is likely Roserade's easiest opponent, since it will not outspeed - whereas Alakazam might - and its Psychic is not as strong.
Champion Cynthia (Pokémon League): Spiritomb's Psychic is a 2-3HKO, better than anything Roserade can do; Roserade can only hope to beat it by spamming Giga Drain, and hoping Psychic does not cause its Special Defense to drop. Cynthia's Roserade also has Extrasensory, which averagely 2HKOs, giving it an edge over its enemy Roserade. Milotic should be avoided, short of Leech Seed still being on Roserade's moveset: its Ice Beam and Mirror Coat will endanger Roserade whether it attacks or not. Lucario 2HKOs with Psychic, but if Roserade manages to outspeed, it can OHKO with Weather Ball after a Sunny Day. Gastrodon falls to any Grass STAB. Garchomp laughs at Roserade's moves; do not fight it.
Post-Game: Use caution as usual, and remember the many weaknesses of this line. Other than that, Roserade should do fine within its comfort zone.
Rival (Route 203): Budew has an awful matchup against everything but Piplup here. Unless Chimchar was picked, do not use it in this fight at all.
Gym #1 - Roark (Oreburgh City, Rock-type): Budew is excellent against Geodude and Onix, both of which are OHKOed by Mega Drain without an issue, but at a considerable risk against Cranidos: it only has a 2HKO chance, whilst Cranidos 2HKOs for certain with Headbutt, not to mention it is faster and it may cause flinching. Budew might manage a solo if its Mega Drain is strong enough to recover the necessary HP to survive another Headbutt, but this is not guaranteed. On the other hand, this gym is a cakewalk for an already evolved Roselia; Mega Drain is still a 2HKO, but Cranidos is less likely to 2HKO back and Roselia can outspeed it.
Mars (Valley Windworks): Neither Budew nor Roselia are suitable to fight Zubat. Budew will not stand a chance against Purugly, either; Roselia has much better chances of surviving its hits, as any of its moves can only 4HKO, and it can respond with Stun Spore before slowly chipping away Purugly's health with Leech Seed and Mega Drain. While Roselia deals less direct damage, it can easily win through strategy.
Gym #2 - Gardenia (Eterna City, Grass-type): A Roselia will be needed here to perform well, and even Roselia cannot do all that much without a massive setup. Using six Growth in a row, supported by Stun Spore to avoid being hit too often, is the best option; Turtwig will likely set up Sunny Day for Cherrim to profit of later on, but Roselia is faster and can simply stall out the Sunny Day turns until the sun goes down, then finish off Turtwig with Magical Leaf. Beware that at +6, Magical Leaf is very unlikely to OHKO, so it will bring Turtwig in healing range in most cases; if this happens, that is good, since Gardenia will have less healing items to use on Roserade. A Cherrim not backed by Sunny Day will go down in two hits, but defeating Roserade with this strategy will still turn out to be excruciatingly painful, as Magical Leaf oscillates between 4-5HKO even with a maxed out Special Attack. Thankfully, it is completely risk-free, since Roserade itself does not have Growth and can deal next to no damage with Magical Leaf and Grass Knot.
Jupiter (Galactic Eterna Building): Not for Roselia. Zubat is not worth it and has Wing Attack, and Skuntank resists Grass and can hit really hard with Night Slash, OHKOing either with a critical hit or after one Screech. Avoid this battle.
Gym #3 - Fantina (Hearthome City, Ghost-type): Roselia can 2HKO Duskull with Magical Leaf or Giga Drain; Duskull's Future Sight still hits typelessly, too, meaning that even if Roselia does take it, it will deal regularly effective (instead of super effective) damage. Haunter outdamages Roselia with Shadow Claw, resulting in a 3-4HKO against Roselia's certain 4HKO, but this can be worked around by paralysing Haunter with Stun Spore and letting Leech Seed recover part of the damage, supplementing it all with Giga Drain and, in a pinch, using healing items as needed. Avoid Mismagius, as it can easily tear Roselia apart with Psybeam.
Rival (Hearthome City): Roselia's Magical Leaf or Giga Drain can dispose of Buizel or Prinplup easily. The rival's Roselia or Grotle can be beaten with the same strategy as Gardenia, by spamming Growth and then eventually KOing; however, in presence of better options, Roselia should not be used, if anything because it would take a long time for it to win the matchup. Staravia, Ponyta and Monferno all outdamage Roselia and should not be fought.
Gym #4 - Maylene (Veilstone City, Fighting-type): The Fighting resistance helps Roselia, but it is not everything. Meditite is relatively non-threatening even with Confusion, a 3-4HKO, thanks to its low offensive stats, and can be easily 2HKOed with Giga Drain; Machoke is stronger, but Giga Drain still outdamages Strength (its best move) and provides Roselia some welcome HP recovery in between turns, permitting it to eventually win. Leech Seed will also help, but do not use status alteration moves against Machoke, because they will activate Guts. Be sure to weasel out as soon as Lucario comes about, it resists Grass and its Metal Claw and Bone Rush are unforgiving; at best, Roselia can Stun Spore or Leech Seed it before switching out, since it can thankfully take a hit, even a five-round Bone Rush.
Rival (Pastoria City): The team is essentially the same as the Hearthome face-off, and Roselia's moveset has not changed significantly, either. Buizel or Prinplup will be a piece of cake with Grass STAB, Roselia or Grotle are doable with Growth but tedious (Roselia especially), whereas Staravia and either Ponyta or Monferno need to be avoided as their moves are far stronger than Roselia's.
Gym #5 - Crasher Wake (Pastoria City, Water-type): Gyarados outdamages Roselia with Bite, but Roselia can try to work around that by using Stun Spore first, and then Leech Seed. Since Bite is a 3HKO, Roselia can be healed as needed whenever Gyarados hits and brings its health far too down to take another hit. When done with the setup, Giga Drain will supplement the extra damage needed to win. Quagsire is simply OHKOed. Floatzel is a 2HKO and can deal upwards of 70% to 90% with Ice Fang, depending on Roselia's nature and stats, but unless it scores a critical hit Roselia can paralyse or weaken it before switching out.
Cyrus (Celestic Town): This matchup is terrible all around for Roselia, and it should not participate in the battle.
Rival (Canalave City): Staraptor and Heracross both have Aerial Ace and resist Grass moves, and Roselia should never do business with them; same for the Fire-type, now fully evolved either as Rapidash or as Infernape. Floatzel remains easy since it does not have Ice Fang, but Empoleon is now neutral to Grass and can 2HKO Roselia with Aerial Ace; for this reason, it should be avoided. Roserade or Torterra will no longer be viable due to the upgrade: Roserade can now outspeed and outdamage Roselia, and Torterra deals almost twice as much damage with Bite than Roselia can with Giga Drain. Although both of them can be paralysed, they cannot be Seeded, which greatly limits Roselia's usefulness in the matchup.
Gym #6 - Byron (Canalave City, Steel-type): By evolving Roselia into Roserade and teaching it Sunny Day and Weather Ball, the latter through the Move Reminder, Roserade can pull off an impressive base 150 power super effective Fire move on both Magneton and Steelix, which will be outsped and OHKOed. Do not, however, attempt to one-shot Bastiodon as well, as it has Metal Burst: it needs to be taken down with Leech Seed instead.
Saturn (Lake Valor): Although Roserade may be evolved now, Golbat is still hard to surmount, due to its double Grass resistance and Air Cutter; Roserade should not fight it. Bronzor and Toxicroak also resist Grass, though they can be disposed of with Sunny Day and Weather Ball; Bronzor is OHKOed by it, and Toxicroak is 2HKOed, but Roserade can take any one hit from it since only a critical Poison Jab will kill.
Mars (Lake Verity): Avoid Golbat; Roserade cannot hope to set up and outdamage it before it wrecks with Air Cutter. Bronzor's Extrasensory is relatively weak, being a 4HKO at best, so Roserade can put up Sunny Day and then use Weather Ball. Purugly can be defeated by spamming Giga Drain, preventing it from 3HKOing with Slash.
Gym #7 - Candice (Snowpoint City, Ice-type): Piloswine is OHKOed only by Petal Dance; even with the Miracle Seed attached, Giga Drain is not guaranteed to OHKO and its Avalanche is. However, with Petal Dance, Set mode players will have trouble keeping Roserade alive for the rest of the fight: no other Pokémon on Candice's roster is OHKOed by the move and all of them represent a threat for Roserade, to varying degrees. Sneasel will averagely 3HKO with a 2HKO chance, Abomasnow resists Grass and will also OHKO with Avalanche, and while Froslass does not OHKO with Blizzard it can both outspeed and pull off evasion shenanigans with Double Team and Snow Cloak, if Hail is active. Roserade could hypothetically set up Sunny Day and defeat Candice's team with Weather Ball, an OHKO against all of her Pokémon, but it still needs to survive an Avalanche from Piloswine - possible only without a critical hit - and switch out against Froslass, which will otherwise finish the job Piloswine started.
Cyrus (Galactic HQ): All of Cyrus' Pokémon outdamage Roserade and Crobat will even outspeed. Roserade should not fight here.
Saturn (Galactic HQ):Golbat can 3-4HKO with Air Cutter and Roserade can do no better, so it should be avoided. Bronzor and Toxicroak can be defeated with a combination of Sunny Day and Weather Ball, but not with Grass or Poison moves.
Mars and Jupiter (Spear Pillar, tag battle with rival): This is one of the fights that Roserade should just not take part in. The two Bronzor can fall easily to Fire-type Weather Ball, but that requires one turn to set up, and they will either exploit it to put up Reflect and Light Screen respectively or worse, gang up on Roserade and kill it with two consecutive Extrasensory; in addition to that, Sunny Day is a double-edged sword if it stays for long enough, because Skuntank has Flamethrower. Roserade also hardly has any weapons against the two Golbat, both of which can crit-spam with Air Cutter, and one of them even has Mean Look. Purugly and Skuntank are deadly in combination with one another, as well, as they can nearly KO Roserade with their combined Slash and Flamethrower attacks. Overall, due to the countless risks, Roserade is better off not entering the battlefield at all.
Cyrus (Distortion World): Everything on Cyrus' team is capable of OHKOing Roserade from full health except Houndoom and Gyarados, which 2HKO with Flamethrower and Giga Impact respectively and still deal far more damage than Roserade ever could. Roserade should not fight here.
Giratina (Distortion World): Giratina's resistances and massive offensive power allow it to OHKO with Shadow Force or at worst 2HKO with Dragon Claw, taking next to no damage from Roserade's attacks. Again, Roserade should not be used in this matchup.
Gym #8 - Volkner (Sunyshore City, Electric-type): Roserade can 2HKO Jolteon and Raichu with Sludge Bomb and no problems. Luxray is also a 2HKO, although its Fire Fang will hurt, as it 2HKOs Roserade in turn; a critical hit will kill. Electivire is only 3HKOed instead, and should not be attempted as its Fire Punch can nearly one-shot Roserade.
Rival (Pokémon League): Roserade should not fight Staraptor, Rapidash or Infernape, as they are all faster and have super effective moves to hit with; Heracross, while slower than Roserade, resists Grass and is hard to 2HKO with Sludge Bomb short of getting poisoned, and that is a problem in and of itself due to its Guts ability. It should be avoided too, as its Aerial Ace easily 2HKOs Roserade. Likewise, Snorlax absorbs special hits like there is no tomorrow and can 2HKO Roserade with Body Slam, so avoid that as well. Roserade only has a good matchup against Floatzel, and it can 3HKO Empoleon with Giga Drain if it manages to recover enough HP to survive two of its Aerial Aces; the rival's Roserade should also be 2HKOed by Sludge Bomb, but Torterra will 2HKO with Earthquake for certain and Roserade has no way of outmatching it.
Elite Four Aaron (Pokémon League, Bug-type): Since Roserade will be several levels higher than Aaron's team, it can set up Sunny Day in front of Yanmega and take an Air Slash, then destroy everything with Weather Ball. Since Drapion is the only Pokémon on Aaron's team that will not be OHKOed by Weather Ball, make sure Roserade has at least half of its health left by the time Drapion comes around, so that it may survive its Ice Fang.
Elite Four Bertha (Pokémon League, Ground-type): Any Grass STAB will OHKO Whiscash, Golem and Rhyperior. Hippowdon can only be OHKOed by Petal Dance, but its Earthquake also only 2HKOs; a critical hit will off Roserade, though. Gliscor can at best 3HKO with Ice Fang and gets 2HKOed by Petal Dance. If Roserade has a Persim Berry or Lum Berry to heal confusion during battle, it will make soloing easier.
Elite Four Flint (Pokémon League, Fire-type): The only way for Roserade to contribute here at all is to rely on Rain Dance + Weather Ball. This is actually a great combination to use, if it can outspeed Houndoom: a rain-boosted Water move OHKOs everything Flint has. Providing Rapidash does not outspeed and put up Sunny Day again, Roserade will be set.
Elite Four Lucian (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): If Roserade knows Shadow Ball, it can 2HKO either Mr. Mime, Espeon or Alakazam with it; Roserade cannot take more than one Psychic from any of the three, however, so it will only be able to defeat one of them. Bronzong and Gallade are excluded, as the former can foil Roserade's one-hit KO plans with Calm Mind and Psychic whereas the latter OHKOs with Psycho Cut. Mr. Mime is likely Roserade's easiest opponent, since it will not outspeed - whereas Espeon and Alakazam might - and its Psychic is not as strong.
Champion Cynthia (Pokémon League): Spiritomb's Psychic is a 2-3HKO, better than anything Roserade can do; Roserade can only hope to beat it by spamming Giga Drain, and hoping Psychic does not cause its Special Defense to drop. Cynthia's Roserade also has Extrasensory, which averagely 2HKOs, giving it an edge over its enemy Roserade. Milotic should be avoided, short of Leech Seed still being on Roserade's moveset: its Ice Beam and Mirror Coat will endanger Roserade whether it attacks or not. Lucario may only be beaten with Sunny Day and Weather Ball, an OHKO under the sun, but its Stone Edge can still 2HKO if one of the two hits results in a critical hit, and Stone Edge has an increased critical hit ratio. Both Togekiss and Garchomp laugh at Roserade's moves; do not fight them.
Post-Game: Use caution as usual, and remember the many weaknesses of this line. Other than that, Roserade should do fine within its comfort zone.
Moves[]
Budew starts with just Absorb upon capture. It learns Growth at level 4, which is fairly useful in the short term, and Water Sport at level 7, which Roserade will only really consider in monolocke challenges. Another useful move is Stun Spore, which comes at level 10 and compensates for its relative slowness, allowing it to hit foes first. The welcome upgrade to Absorb is Mega Drain, available at level 13; it will then learn Worry Seed at level 16 and this is the last move it learns normally. Roselia, instead, gets Poison Sting at level 7, and Leech Seed at level 16, which may be useful to not pass up; evolve Budew early if Roserade can. The other advantage is Magical Leaf, available shortly after, at level 19. A Roselia at this level with a base 60 power STAB move is very powerful, with its strong base 100 Special Attack. GrassWhistle, at level 22, is far too unreliable, however; Giga Drain, which comes at level 25, is much better. Roserade may or may not wish to keep Toxic Spikes, available starting at level 28; it is a fairly situational move and the spikes will be removed by any Poison-type that enters the battlefield. Not much else is available after that; there is Sweet Scent at level 31, then Ingrain at level 34, which is however very useful for stall sets. Likewise, Toxic, at level 37, is a move that stall players are going to love. The last STAB move it learns by level is Petal Dance, which comes at 40; there are also Aromatherapy at level 43, but useless if healing items are allowed, as well as Synthesis at level 46, which is the crowning of Roserade's stall capabilities. Not much else is available to Roserade, except Weather Ball at level 1, which only really works on Sunny Day or Rain Dance sets, but is also surprisingly useful in them.
Via TM, Roserade gains access to Grass Knot and SolarBeam as STAB alternatives, though the latter is, once again, advised only on weather sets. Energy Ball, instead, is postgame-only. It can also make proficient use of Shadow Ball, which is great coverage to have. Sunny Day is a good option for sets that run Weather Ball; Rain Dance would also work and give Roserade good Water coverage, but without the SolarBeam benefit. Sludge Bomb is another good STAB option, though the Poison coverage is usually bad; it will, however, serve a good purpose against the types that are neutral or weak to it, as a base 90 power move from a beast 125 Special Attack is really strong.
Unlike most Pokémon, absolutely none of the Platinum tutors offer anything noteworthy to Roserade.
The Sunny Day set also works with Rain Dance, Sandstorm and Hail respectively. However, in those cases, SolarBeam needs to be replaced with another Grass move, and Synthesis is no longer viable.
Recommended Teammates[]
Rock-types: Despite their many weaknesses, Rock-types work very well in tandem with Roserade, being able to cover for Fire and Flying; pure Ice-types and some dual Ice-types are also swiftly disposed of, thanks to Rock coverage. Rock-types also tend to have the good physical bulk Roserade is lacking.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Golem, Rampardos, Bastiodon, Sudowoodo, Probopass (Platinum only), Rhyperior (Platinum only)
Steel-types: Psychic-types are difficult to cover for, and that is where Steel-types come in handy. Unlike Dark-types, which have just the Psychic busting job to help Roserade with, Steel-types also provide two welcome additional Flying and Ice resistances that Roserade is sure to appreciate.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Empoleon, Steelix, Bastiodon, Bronzong, Lucario, Probopass (Platinum only), Magnezone (Platinum only), Scizor (Platinum only)
Physical tanks: Roserade is fairly fast and has good special durability, but it is also very frail on the physical side. A Pokémon that is capable of taking strong physical hits is essential on the team, particularly when Roserade needs to be switched out.
Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others:Golem, Steelix, Bastiodon, Whiscash, Bronzong, Sudowoodo, Snorlax, Azumarill, Drapion, Probopass (Platinum only), Lickilicky (Platinum only), Umbreon (Platinum only), Magnezone (Platinum only), Rhyperior (Platinum only)
Other[]
Budew's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
40
100 - 147
190 - 284
Attack:
30
31 - 90
58 - 174
Defense:
35
36 - 95
67 - 185
Sp.Atk:
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
Sp.Def:
70
67 - 134
130 - 262
Speed:
55
54 - 117
103 - 229
Total:
280
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Roselia's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
50
110 - 157
210 - 304
Attack:
60
58 - 123
112 - 240
Defense:
45
45 - 106
85 - 207
Sp.Atk:
100
94 - 167
184 - 328
Sp.Def:
80
76 - 145
148 - 284
Speed:
65
63 - 128
121 - 251
Total:
400
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Roserade's stats[]
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
HP:
60
120 - 167
230 - 324
Attack:
70
67 - 134
130 - 262
Defense:
55
54 - 117
103 - 229
Sp.Atk:
125
117 - 194
229 - 383
Sp.Def:
105
99 - 172
193 - 339
Speed:
90
85 - 156
166 - 306
Total:
505
Other Pokémon with this total
Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.
Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.
Budew Line Ratings
Availability
Matchups
Movepool
Survivability
Type Usefulness
Team Role
Offensive Utility
Defensive Utility
Tankiness
Fun Factor
Overall
What Nature do I want? Modest or Timid. Both of them give it a boost in the stats where Roserade needs it most. Bold and Calm are also okay, and will work even better on stall sets; they are also good for weather sets.
Which Ability do I want? It does not matter much, but Natural Cure is usually better than Poison Point, also because Roserade will generally want its enemies to be badly poisoned, rather than regularly poisoned. Either way, neither ability will activate much at all.
At what point in the game should I be evolved? For the Budew to Roselia passage, as soon as possible, even as soon as before Roark if there is no better answer for his Cranidos. For the Roselia to Roserade passage, it is a wise idea to wait until Petal Dance if possible, unless Roserade is meant to run a stall set, which only really needs Roselia status up to Toxic level. The relative lateness of the Shiny Stone is a mixed blessing: by the time it comes around, Roselia will still be holding its own - as much as a Grass-type can, at least - and it will also have reached the level of its last few useful level-up moves, or almost.
How good is the Budew line in a Nuzlocke? It is a Grass-type, and this alone is the biggest reason for its problems. The lack of a good Poison-type move throughout most of the game also gives it fairly disappointing coverage up to its final evolution, and Weather Ball is its only real redeeming quality. Still, for a redeeming quality, it is also very flexible: Roserade can set up against a good few opponents to properly make it work, and its coverage becomes decent for as long as the weather condition stays up.
