[Overview]
<p>Torterra, one of the better pokemon in UU in 4th gen, experienced a long fall to rock bottom with the release of Black and White. However, Torterra is very usable in RU, mainly because of its 95-105-85 defenses, access to boosting moves including Rock Polish, Swords Dance, Curse, Stockpile, and Amnesia, and a powerful base 109 attack stat. Torterra also has a large number of support moves like Reflect, Light Screen, and Stealth Rock. </p>
<p>Torterra has its faults, however, A poor base Special Attack prevents it from going mixed, making Torterra fairly predictable. On top of that, it packs a devastating 4x weakness to Ice, making it heavily vulnerable to Glaceon and any user of Ice Shard. Depending on the coverage moves it runs, Torterra can always be walled by one of Gligar, Altaria, Mandibuzz, so packing an Ice type of your own is important. Despite its faults, the land tortoise can tear apart teams with the right support. </p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move1: Rock Polish
move2: Earthquake
move3: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
move4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set uses Rock Polish to allow Torterra to reach 348 Attack and 422 speed after one boost, turning it into a threatening physical sweeper. Earthquake is powerful, reliable STAB, but Wood Hammer vs. Seed Bomb is a more difficult choice. Wood Hammer offers more power but also has recoil damage, which combined with Life Orb will wear Torterra down quickly. Seed Bomb is much less powerful but doesn't have recoil damage. Stone Edge completes the EdgeQuake combo, which combined with Torterra's Grass STAB gives nearly perfect neutral coverage. Paralysis support is also important for this set, as before a boost Torterra is quite slow. Entry hazards are also key to wear down switch ins, especially Toxic Spikes, which can help to wear down Tangrowth and Cofagrigus, both of which stop Torterra in its tracks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Superpower is a decent option instead of Stone Edge, but the attack and defense drops will make Torterra weaker offensively and easier to revenge kill. Rock Slide is also somewhat viable, but Torterra needs all the power it can get on non-STAB moves. Synthesis can replace any of the listed attacking moves, but removing any of them allows Torterra to be easily walled. Finding a specially defensive partner is also important for this set, because +2 Torterra is outsped by Choice Scarf Typlosion, who easily OHKOes the tortoise with Fire Blast. Glaceon is also a serious threat, as it can outspeed Torterra and OHKO it with Ice Beam before Torterra boosts. A good partner for this set is Mantine, who can easily tank most special attacks aimed at Torterra and also switch back to Torterra on Electric attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move1: Earthquake
move2: Stone Edge
move3: Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb
move4: Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant
evs: 44 HP/252 Atk/212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set is extremely powerful off the bat, being able to OHKO or 2HKO many common threats. EdgeQuake is on the set for its amazing coverage. Wood Hammer and Seed Bomb present another choice between reduced power and recoil damage, though Wood Hammer is better on this set because there is no Life Orb recoil to combine with. Superpower is to beat Rotom-F and Balloon Garbodor, who may be fairly rare but can cause trouble for this set. This set suffers from an extreme lack of speed, making it difficult to take out more than one or two pokemon before being eliminated or forced to switch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Using Team Preview correctly is the key to using this set. At the beginning of a match, look at the opponent's team and predict their Torterra switch-in, then use the appropriate move to beat the switch-in when you are predicting a switch. If you already locked in when you predict a switch, simply switch out to another pokemon. Crunch is an option on this set to beat Claydol and Rotom, but Wood Hammer is much more effective. Physically bulky pokemon like Escavalier, Marowak, and Amoonguss who resist one or more of Torterra's moves can also cause trouble if they come in on the right one. </p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Tank
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Synthesis / Substitute
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set is focused more on longevity and reliability than an immediate sweep. The Speed EVs are enough to outspeed uninvested base 80s. Earthquake and Rock Slide provide reliable psuedo-EdgeQuake coverage, while yet another choice between Wood Hammer and Seed Bomb is required. Seed Bomb is generally better paired with Substitute, while Wood Hammer is usually better with Synthesis, to offset the Life Orb and attack recoil. Torterra will also need a partner to tank special attacks and Ice type attacks to keep Torterra alive longer. If you take Substitute in the last slot and combine it with Life Orb, Torterra will need Wish support to avoid being rapidly worn down.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Leftovers is an option on the set over Life Orb, to help Torterra survive even longer, but Torterra will sorely miss the power provided by Life Orb. The nature can also be changed to more bulky ones like Calm or Impish, again at the cost of power. It really depends on personal preference. Toxic Spikes and Paralysis support are both great tools to allow this set to play a more stallish or offensive role, respectively. Toxic Spikes in particular synergizes well with Substitute. </p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move1: Swords Dance
move2: Earthquake
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Stone Edge/Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Torterra becomes ridiculously powerful after a Swords Dance, reaching 696 attack. In combination with Torterra's powerful STAB and type coverage, this set can punch holes in most teams after a boost. Setting up Swords Dance shouldn't be difficult because of Torterra's large number of switchins and the number of pokemon he forces out. Earthquake and Seed Bomb are for powerful dual STAB. The last moveset depends on what you need to beat. Stone Edge is great for taking out Altaria and Gligar, who screw Torterra over, but sacrifices coverage on Bronzor or Steels on balloons, who Superpower can take care of. Paralysis support is also completely necessary for this set, as without it Torterra will be far too slow to accomplish his goal.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> This is by far Torterra's most powerful set, but also his slowest. Torterra has a serious lack of speed without boosting moves, which prevents him from sweeping effectively. Instead, this Torterra should function more like a wallbreaker, punching holes in opposing pokemon so true sweepers can clean up late game. Wood Hammer is much more powerful, but is not recommended because Wood Hammer's recoil goes up with the damage dealt. Bulldoze is also an option to slow opponents down to Torterra's level, but it is highly situational and Torterra will miss Earthquake's power, or the coverage granted by Stone Edge or Superpower. Finally, Synthesis can be used in the last slot to recover off Life Orb recoil, but this allows him to be more easily walled.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Tank
move1: Stealth Rock
move2: Seed Bomb
move3: Earthquake
move4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Overgrow
nature: Impish
evs: 212 HP/252 Def/44 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set trades Torterra's offensive capabilities for great mixed bulk, somewhat comparable to Swampert's bulk in OU. Stealth Rock gives this set good supporting capabilities, as well as making Torterra a decent lead under the right circumstances. Stealth Rock also makes it much more difficult for Altaria and Gligar to switch in on Torterra or other sweepers and ruin their fun. Synthesis and Leftovers help to heal off damage every turn, improving Torterra's walling capabilities. Finally, Earthquake and Seed Bomb are for dual STAB. </p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> The given EVs guarantee that Torterra will never be 2HKOed by Life Orb Rotom's Shadow Ball, assuming Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery. If you already have a rapid spinner in your team, you may want to drop the Special Defense EVs and dump them into Defense. Another possible alternate EV spread is 212 HP/252 Def/44 Spe, to outrun Defensive Omastar, but isn't very useful otherwise. In terms of coverage, Seed Bomb can be replaced by Stone Edge, but this gives bulky water types like Quagsire chances to switch in and set up on Torterra. </p>
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set sacrifices Torterra's impressive attack power for stalling opponents with Substitute and Leech Seed. With the given EVs, Torterra produces extremely bulky 98 HP subs, and can outspeed base 80 speed opponents. The set is hampered somewhat by Torterra's lack of speed compared to other subseeders, but Torterra's immense bulk makes up for it. Earthquake and Stone Edge fill out Torterra's offensive coverage. </p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Ironically, other Torterra are possibly the best check to this set. Other Torterra can switch in on Leech Seed and set up Rock Polish or Swords Dance while Torterra tries in vain to do damage. Superpower can be used over Stone Edge to beat other Torterra, but this allows Altaria and Rotom to come in and OHKO with Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice, respectively. Rotom-F is an excellent partner for this set, as it can come in on an opposing Torterra's Earthquake or an opposing Altaria's Ice Beam and OHKO in return. </p>
[SET]
name: Curse
move1: Curse
move2: Earthquake
move3: Wood Hammer / Stone Edge
move4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set uses Curse in conjunction with Synthesis recovery and Shell Armor to rack up boosts and sweep at the end of battles. Like the infamous CurseLax, this set should be used as the last pokemon, to prevent Torterra from being phazed. Then, set up Curses and heal with Synthesis when necessary. Shell Armor is a massive bonus for this set, as it prevents opposing pokemon from punching through Torterra's boosts with critical hits. Earthquake is a must as Torterra's STAB on this set. Wood Hammer is more reliable than Stone Edge but also has recoil damage that will make it harder for Torterra to perform its role. </p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Bulldoze is possible over Earthquake on this set, but Earthquake is far superior due to its increased power. Bulldoze also falls flat because Curse decreases Torterra's speed anyhow, defeating the purpose of Bulldoze's speed drops. Rock Slide is also a viable option over Stone Edge, but at the cost of damage. Despite the maximum Special Defense on the set, Torterra is still vulnerable to powerful special attackers and Ice Beam users. It is therefore important to ensure that all such pokemon are eliminated before sending in Torterra. </p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p> A RestTalk set with Curse is possible, but any move Torterra chooses will make him easily walled. Torterra also can use Stockpile or Amnesia sets, but both are illegal with Shell Armor, which is the only reason to use them in the first place. Dual Screens are also an option on Torterra, but the land tortoise is too slow to effectively pull off such a role. Crunch is an option on any offensive set, but it serves no purpose outside of OHKOing offensive Rotom.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p> Because most Torterra sets run 3 attacking moves plus a boosting or support move, Torterra often runs into four-moveslot syndrome. Without Stone Edge, Torterra is hard countered by Altaria, who can take all its attacks outside of Stone Edge and OHKO back with Ice Beam. Without a Grass move, Alolomola and Whiscash can absorb all of Torterra's attacks and hit hard with Ice Beam. Without Earthquake, Steelix can come in and wall Torterra completely with its 200 base defense. Glaceon gets a special mention for its ability to come in after a KO and OHKO with Ice Beam. Even with all 3, Tangrowth can sponge all of Torterra's attacks and recover off the damage with Synthesis. </p>
