|
-
White Smoke
- The wielder's stats cannot be lowered. Decreases wild encounter rate.
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Shell Armor
- Prevents critical hits.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
70
|
- |
23 |
26 |
- |
| Atk |
85
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
| Def |
140
|
18 |
20 |
23 |
25 |
| SpA |
85
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
| SpD |
70
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Spe |
20
|
7 |
8 |
11 |
12 |
Overview
Not much has changed for Torkoal since DPP. It might have gained access to some interesting new moves, but has the wrong stat distribution to use them. Still, its excellent Defense and usable HP allow Torkoal to ably support its teammates with its decent supporting movepool, which contains gems such as Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Don't get your hopes up, though: it has a bad defensive typing that gives it weaknesses to the very common Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type attacks in the tier. In addition, Torkoal also lacks a reliable recovery move outside of Rest, and its poor Special Defense means it will have to switch a lot to survive, thus risking more damage from entry hazards. As long as you can fit Torkoal on to the correct team though, it will work wonders, and you'll never look back.
Torkoal's good physical bulk allows it to switch into many physical threats and use the opportunities to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, or clear the field of entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a good STAB move that comes with a generous 30% burn rate, allowing Torkoal to do something if it gets Taunted. The final slot is a little more complicated, and depends on your personal preference. Yawn is helpful as it can force switches and rack up damage from entry hazards, also having the ability to disable one of Torkoal's counters for a couple of turns. Toxic can be used to wear down bulkier opponents such as Slowking on the switch, but this may clash with Lava Plume's burn rate. Finally, Earth Power can be used in the last slot to provide extra type coverage against other Fire-types that wall Torkoal, and it turns Torkoal into a more offense-oriented tank. Torkoal's ability is down to personal preference, but Earth Power is illegal with Shell Armor.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
248 HP EVs give Torkoal a total of 343 HP, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock four times before fainting. Maximum Defense is a given for Torkoal to survive even boosted physical attacks, while the remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense for extra bulk. Alternatively, Torkoal can run a specially defensive set with a Calm nature and shift the Defense EVs to Special Defense. The advantage of a specially defensive set is that Torkoal can take on threats such as Moltres and Sceptile a lot easier, while the loss of Defense EVs won't make a huge difference as Torkoal is physically bulky enough already. As for alternative move options, Torkoal may use Protect to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Will-O-Wisp to burn physical threats, and even Explosion when all else fails.
A Ghost-type of your own is helpful as it can block the opponent's attempts at using Rapid Spin. Spiritomb, Misdreavus, and Rotom-A are all good options due to their high defensive stats; Rotom-A also has the benefit of Levitate, making it an ideal switch-in to Ground-type moves aimed at Torkoal. Torkoal's poor typing makes the correct team support essential; Pokemon who can switch into Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks are all great choices. Aerodactyl can switch into Ground-type moves, Poliwrath can switch into Water-type moves and restore health with Water Absorb, and Ferroseed can switch into Water- and Rock-type attacks, while providing Torkoal with Leech Seed support. On the more offensive route, Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Sawsbuck are great for defeating Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types with their STAB moves, and most of them can provide support of some kind as well, whether it be status, Leech Seed, or even simply wiping out the opposing threats. The last thing to consider when using Torkoal is Wish support. Without any way to recover HP outside of Rest, Torkoal requires this support and welcomes it greatly. Clefable is the best option for this role as she has a massive selection of support moves, only one weakness, and her high Special Defense means she can also switch into common Water-type moves aimed at Torkoal.
Other Options
Being the newest addition to Torkoal's movepool, Shell Smash is one of those moves you must have the correct stat distribution for. Unfortunately for Torkoal, Shell Smash isn't a match made in heaven. Its lack of a usable physical Fire-type STAB is a letdown, and even after +2 boosts in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Torkoal's stats are still pretty average. A set comprising of Rest, Sleep Talk, Lava Plume, and Rapid Spin is viable to patch up Torkoal's lack of recovery, but this is still unreliable as it requires two turns before it is able to recover again. Curse can be used on a specially defensive set, but again, the lack of physical STAB, and Torkoal's poor defensive typing is a downfall. Body Slam can be used to abuse the paralysis rate and slow down faster opponents, while Gyro Ball can be used to take advantage of Torkoal's pitiful Speed. Clear Smog gives Torkoal a way to shut down stat boosters, but due to Torkoal's horrible Speed, it will more than likely move last and get knocked out. Overheat can be used for its high Base Power, though this forces Torkoal to switch most of the time due to the cut in Special Attack. Finally, Torkoal's decent defenses mean that it can set up Sunny Day for its teammates, and even abuse it with STAB Fire-type attacks, or if you're feeling risky, SolarBeam too.
Checks and Counters
When facing Torkoal, the first thing you should target is its average Special Defense and weakness to common Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves. Slowking is an excellent counter to Torkoal due to its high Special Defense, access to reliable recovery in Slack Off, as well as a powerful STAB Surf to KO with, only fearing Yawn and Toxic. Clefable can take on most sets which lack physical attacks; Magic Guard ensures that she won't be taking burn or poison damage, her typing means that Torkoal is unable to hit her super effectively, and she has access to Wish and Softboiled to heal off any damage taken. Mandibuzz can take on Torkoal as long as it lacks Stone Edge; its high defenses, when combined with Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic, allow Mandibuzz to slowly wear down Torkoal and restore health or phaze it when necessary. Most bulky Ground- and Rock-types can defeat Torkoal as long as they can avoid being burned. Aerodactyl and Archeops are two great examples as they can withstand a hit or two from Torkoal, and proceed to tear it apart with a super effective, STAB Stone Edge.
