|
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Chlorophyll
- Speed doubles in sun.
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Solar Power
- HP decreases in the sun. Special Attack increases by 50%.
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Harvest
- After each turn, the wielder may receive the Berry it used at a 50% chance (100% if in sun).
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
99
|
- |
339 |
402 |
- |
| Atk |
68
|
154 |
172 |
235 |
258 |
| Def |
83
|
181 |
202 |
265 |
291 |
| SpA |
72
|
162 |
180 |
243 |
267 |
| SpD |
87
|
189 |
210 |
273 |
300 |
| Spe |
51
|
124 |
138 |
201 |
221 |
Overview
Tropius is a Pokemon that has often been brushed under the rug, tossed aside in favor of bulkier or more powerful choices that share its typing. It has a decent defensive typing, with three resistances and an immunity to Ground-type attacks. It also has decent bulk to complement this, boasting 99 / 83 / 87 defenses. So what exactly is it that is stopping Tropius from wreaking havoc everywhere? Well for starters, it is cursed with subpar offensive stats and sluggish Speed. Its typing can be a problem defensively, causing Tropius to have weaknesses to five common attacking types. This problem is made even worse when considering Tropius's weakness to Stealth Rock, severely reducing the amount of times it can safely switch in. However, if after hearing this you still want to use Tropius, you will find there are a few sets it can pull off quite well.
This set plays to Tropius's strengths, using its solid bulk to stall the opponent into oblivion. Leech Seed provides steady, flowing damage, slowly weakening your opponent while healing Tropius. To add to this, an ability in Harvest and a Sitrus Berry as the item can often recover a large amount of Tropius's health. Substitute is useful for blocking status moves, and can be used to try and alleviate Tropius's weaknesses to common attacking types. Protect is a beautiful move for this set; it provides an extra turn for getting Leech Seed recovery, a chance at restoring HP with Sitrus Berry, which will be regained through Harvest, and can help to prolong the "lifespan" of Tropius's Substitutes. The last slot is mainly a filler; Air Slash is Tropius's only form of offense and ensures that it isn't completely shut down by Taunt or Grass-types, whereas Synthesis can give Tropius even more survivability. However, since Tropius will already be gaining back copious amounts of health from Leech Seed and Sitrus Berry, Air Slash will usually be the move of choice here.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum investment in Defense and HP, along with a Bold nature, help to make Tropius as physically bulky as possible. Entry hazard support can be excellent for Tropius, helping it rack up damage and weaken its opponents; Toxic Spikes deserve a mention here, as they are incredible in aiding Tropius's stalling prowess. Speaking of stalling, Toxic is an option in the last slot to greatly bolster Tropius's stalling abilities, just as Toxic Spikes do. Toxic also has the advantage of being able to hit Flying-type Pokemon, as well as opponents with Levitate, which Toxic Spikes cannot do. If Tropius is unfortunate enough to switch in on a status inducing move, and becomes afflicted with paralysis or something of the sort, a cleric can come in handy. Teammates such as Miltank can provide Heal Bell support, curing Tropius of any stray statuses that might come its way. Speaking of teammates, Rapid Spin support is absolutely required. Kabutops makes for a decent teammate here, as while it doesn't have the best defensive stats, its typing pairs indescribably well with Tropius's.
This set is Tropius's best shot at sweeping. Assuming sunlight is present, Growth boosts Tropius's Special Attack and Attack by two stages, and with Chlorophyll, Tropius immediately becomes a lethal offensive threat. SolarBeam is a strong STAB move, and is the best choice since it does not force Tropius to waste a turn charging in sunlight. Air Slash is another specially based STAB attack, and even has the potential to flinch your opponent. Hidden Power Fire rounds off the set, providing extra coverage and gaining a pseudo-STAB from sunlight. Earthquake is an option for hitting Magneton extremely hard, but has trouble dealing good damage to anything else due to Tropius's low Attack stat.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is fairly outclassed by other Chlorophyll users, such as Victreebel, Tangrowth, and Exeggutor, who have better offensive stats. The only bonus to using Tropius is its decent Special Defense, so consider this when choosing it for your team. Maximum Special Attack EVs are used to let Tropius hit as hard as possible, and the Speed EVs, when combined with a Timid nature, let Tropius outspeed Modest Choice Scarf Moltres and Timid Accelgor when under the sun. Timid is the best choice for this set if you aren't using Earthquake, but if you are, Naive would be a better option.
Rapid Spin support greatly extends Tropius's longevity, letting it switch into an opponent without losing a large chunk of health to Stealth Rock. Sandslash is a good choice for spinning away Stealth Rock, due to its resistance to Stealth Rock. Kabutops is another great option for this role, and while it may not have the best defensive stats, it has incredible type synergy with Tropius. Speaking of entry hazards, users of Spikes make great teammates for Tropius, helping it to break through tougher opponents by damaging them every time they switch in. Cleric support is incredibly helpful, curing Tropius of the statuses that it so dearly hates. Sun support is absolutely crucial for this set, no matter what. Without sun, SolarBeam does not function nearly as well, Hidden Power Fire does not get a power boost, Growth does not boost offensive stats by two stages, and Tropius doesn't get the Speed boost from Chlorophyll.
Other Options
Dragon Dance might seem like an excellent option, but Tropius cannot utilize it effectively; Tropius's best physical move is Leaf Blade, which is illegal with Dragon Dance, relegating it to using Razor Leaf and Aerial Ace for STAB moves. Return can be used to provide slightly better neutral coverage, but is generally not needed. Synthesis can be used in the sun for massive healing; however, if the sun fades, Tropius can be in a tight spot. Solar Power shouldn't even be considered, as Tropius is outclassed here in almost every way by Charizard. A Curse set could be used with Trick Room support, but requires a few turns of setup to become effective, and puts Tropius's sweep on somewhat of a short timer. Tropius is able to set up sunlight by itself and sweep with no team support; however, this means giving up a coverage move, so choose wisely. Swords Dance is an option for boosting, but Tropius is somewhat slow outside of sunlight, and in sunlight, Swords Dance is basically just Growth without boosting its Special Attack. A RestTalk set with Curse or Swords Dance alongside Leaf Blade might seem possible, but Tropius is just a little bit lacking in bulk, and Grass-type attacks have somewhat poor coverage. Harvest is an option as an ability on a set other than SubSeed, making sets such as ChestoRest and a Growth set with Sitrus Berry viable. Beware though, these strategies can be risky, and rely on a little bit of luck.
Checks and Counters
Fire- and Poison-type Pokemon can counter Tropius very well, resisting its Grass-type STAB attacks and being able to retaliate with super effective attacks. Moltres and Weezing stand out here, as they are immune to Earthquake. Altaria walls Tropius in almost every respect, and can phaze out Tropius with Roar. Setting up Stealth Rock and either knocking out Tropius's Rapid Spin user or carrying a spinblocker is basically checkmate; Tropius can't switch in many times after that before fainting from residual damage. Clefable is absolutely terrifying, tanking all of Tropius's special attacks and taking no residual damage from Toxic or Leech Seed due to Magic Guard. Mandibuzz can Taunt Tropius into using nothing but special attacks, which Mandibuzz can tank with ease, stalling out Tropius with a combination of Roost, Toxic, and Brave Bird. Keep in mind that even with a cleric on its team, Tropius hates status, so Thunder Wave and Toxic users can greatly help in taking down Tropius. Fire- and Ice-types with decent defensive investment can tear straight through Tropius with their super effective STAB attacks.
