Torkoal isn't a great spinner, being weak to Stealth Rock, but his high Defense and Fire STAB can scare off the likes of Skarmory, Forretress, and Froslass. His other minor selling point is that he does well against one of the best choices for blocking Rapid Spin—Dusknoir. The sturdy ghost can't hurt Torkoal significantly and won't enjoy being burned. Besides spinning away entry hazards, Torkoal can also set them up in the form of Stealth Rock. Lava Plume deals damage while threatening a burn, so it's handy to open up Torkoal's options a little as it negates the need for Will-O-Wisp. Overheat makes up for his rather poor offensive ability and has the potential to OHKO some of the weaker Ghosts, such as Rotom and Gengar. When Torkoal's tanking and supporting abilities are no longer needed, send the fiery tortoise out in a blaze of glory with Explosion.
If your team is not in dire need of spin support, or has another member to take care of those duties, Torkoal can be used to status opponents. Because Pokemon like Quagsire, Nidoking, and Relicanth tend to switch into Torkoal, Will-O-Wisp can easily cripple their offensive capabilities. Toxic is great against bulky Water-types, like Blastoise who often switches in and can spin away Stealth Rock. Yawn combines reasonably well with Stealth Rock, as it often causes switches, which the floating rocks will punish. Overheat is the recommended STAB move, since Will-O-Wisp takes care of physical attackers, and Lava Plume's burn rate conflicts with the other status options. Therefore, the extra attacking power is welcome.
Besides Leftovers, this is the only way Torkoal can recover his HP, and he does make a decent choice to absorb sleep from all those Grass-types flinging Sleep Powder around. Rest also stops him being permanently poisoned when trying to spin away Toxic Spikes. This set doesn't offer as much support as the first ones, but is a usable option nonetheless. Other OptionsFlamethrower and Fire Blast are options for STAB moves, if Lava Plume and Overheat don't appeal to you. Eruption should only be used with Trick Room support, but Camerupt is better suited for that role given his superior offensive prowess. Hidden Power can replace Explosion on the support sets, if you want Torkoal to hurt some potential counters. Hidden Power Grass hits Quagsire and Gastrodon, but doesn't really threaten most other Water-types. Hidden Power Electric does reasonable damage to Mantine, Pelipper and Gyarados, while Hidden Power Ice hurts Dragons. Torkoal does have some physical options, which can be used with Curse. Body Slam is another status inducing option, although it provides little in the way of type coverage. Earthquake and Stone Edge can hurt his fellow Fire-types. Gyro Ball works with his low Speed and could fit on a Curse set, but as it is resisted by Water and Fire-types—two types that commonly switch into Torkoal—it's not an advisable option. EVsYou'll want lots of HP before anything else. You can max out Defense if you want to Torkoal to tank hits more efficiently, or pour your EVs into Special Attack so his STAB moves hit harder. You can aim for 260 Attack (216 EVs) if you want to guarantee Explosion will OHKO a Blissey. Bold nature, or Relaxed if you're using Explosion or another physical attack. If you equip Torkoal with a Passho Berry and set your EVs at 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpD and a Sassy nature, it will survive a Surf from Modest Life Orb Gorebyss with Rain Dance up, and OHKO back with Explosion. Not the most reliable option, but the potential to get a surprise kill against a dangerous foe is worth considering. Opinion"Fire-type" says most of it, since it's such a poor typing for a defensive minded Pokémon. Torkoal's options aren't the best, but it packs a few useful moves in its learnset. His ability to function as Rapid Spinner and massive Defense stat are his only significant advantages over Camerupt, so you should be looking to make use of that. Torkoal is also one of the few Pokemon who can reliably counter Scyther, which is very valuable asset in UU battles. CountersWater-types mostly, especially special based ones since a burn won't hinder them too much. Milotic can even absorb burns for a Marvel Scale boost. Gastrodon works nicely and can Recover off damage, making him a more reliable choice than Quagsire. Mantine is also works well. Walrein won't enjoy a burn if it's a physical attacker, although a Rest/Sleep Talk variant can simply cure itself and shrugs off hits. Lapras has Heal Bell to avoid being permanently statused. Water Veil Wailord and Seaking are immune to Torkoal's attempts to burn them. Altaria won't mind status with Natural Cure or Heal Bell and can use Earthquake or Draco Meteor to finish Torkoal. Grumpig and Hypno can beat it, though being poisoned or burned will hinder their tanking ability. His fellow Fire-types can handle him effectively if he isn't carrying Earthquake or Stone Edge, Flash Fire Pokémon like Houndoom and Heatran can use him to boost their own STAB moves, then bring him down with Dark Pulse or Earth Power. |
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