Tropius
"Hey, boys and girls, I'm Tropius! I am tropical palm tree and I can grow bananas on my neck. How cool is that?!"
[Overview]
<p>Tropius was never considered as a threatening Pokemon in competitive Pokemon. Its Grass / Flying typing, shared only with Hoppip line and Shaymin-S, is pretty unfavorable both defensively and offensively as it leaves Tropius with weakness to a Fire-, Poison-, Rock-, Flying-, and Ice-type moves, most of which are rather common offensive types in the NU tier. As if that isn’t enough, Tropius also boasts weakness to Stealth Rock, reducing its ability to switch in safely. It's not all bad news for Tropius, however. For starters, Tropius's typing grants him resistances to Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks, as well as an immunity to Ground-type ones. While Tropius possesses sluggish speed and has mediocre offensive stats, it also possesses decent bulk with 99 / 83 / 87 defenses. Even with load of drawbacks, Tropius can run few sets to some degree of success.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Air Slash / Roost
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Harvest
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, which utilizes its decent bulk, Tropius can be an annoying Pokemon, stalling its opponents into oblivion. Leech Seed provides steady damage to opponent as well as some extra recovery for Tropius. In addition, the combination of Harvest and Sitrus Berry makes Tropius even more annoying and harder to take down, since it can regain huge amounts of health numerous times. Substitute blocks status moves and provides a chance to stay on Pokemon it wouldn't be able to otherwise. Protect works perfectly with this set; it provides free Leech Seed recovery turn, as well as a chance for Tropius to rise for "second life" by restoring health with Sitrus Berry, which will be regained through Harvest at the end of the turn. The last slot is mainly filler; Air Slash ensures that Tropius isn’t shut down by Taunt or Grass-types, while Roost provides even more recovery. Roost is, however, inferior to Air Slash as Tropius will be gaining massive amount of health from Leech Seed anyways.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and a Bold nature ensures that Tropius is as physically bulky as possible. Entry hazards, such as Toxic Spikes, assist Tropius's ability to stall opponent even further. Toxic is an optional choice in last moveslot as it allows Tropius to rack up even more damage, also giving it a chance against Pokemon with Levitate or Flying-type Pokemon that would avoid Toxic Spikes. Garbodor perfectly fits the role and can support Tropius with both Spikes and Toxic Spikes right away. Tropius can return the favor by coming into Ground-type attacks aimed at Garbodor. If Tropius is unfortunate enough to be afflicted with paralysis or poison, a cleric can offer a helping hand. Miltank and Lickilicky work well with Tropius and provide Heal Bell and Wish support, respectively. Since Tropius is weak to Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin support is a necessity. Both Torkoal and Cryogonal fit the requirements, since they can spin entry hazards away as well as take care of Grass-type Pokemon with their STAB moves. As Tropius always has to be wary of Ice-type attacks, Camerupt can be an excellent partner, threatening Ice-types while having decent offensive synergy; Camerupt takes out Ice-, Grass-, Electric-, and Poison-types that are way too dangerous for Tropius to run SubSeed safely.</p>
[SET]
name: Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: SolarBeam
move 3: Air Slash
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While weather is not very common in NU, this set abuses Sunny Day to its fullest and is Tropius's best shot at sweeping. With Sunny Day support, Tropius becomes a threatening enemy to face. Growth boosts Tropius's Attack and Special Attack by two stages when under sun, and in conjunction with Chlorophyll, makes Tropius a lethal sweeper. SolarBeam is its strongest STAB and requires only one turn to charge in sunlight. Air Slash is Tropius's secondary STAB, and has nice chance to flinch the opponent. Hidden Power Fire provides coverage against Steel-types and gets boost from sunlight, while Earthquake is an option to hit foes, such as Electrode and Magmortar, extremely hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Growth Tropius is highly outclassed by other Chlorophyll users, such as Victreebell and Exeggutor, due to their better offensive stats. Tropius, however, has higher Special Defense than the two Pokemon mentioned above, which is the only bonus over the two that it has. Maximum investment in Special Attack allows Tropius to hit as hard as possible, while the Speed EVs allow Tropius to outspeed Scarf Magmortar and +2 Speed Gorebyss while under the sun. A Naive nature should be used if you are running Tropius with Earthquake, otherwise a Timid one is the best choice.</p>
<p>Sun support is obviously a must for this set. Regirock is a good teammate, because of the near-perfect coverage between the two, and the fact that Regirock can support Tropius with Sunny Day and set up Stealth Rock as well. That being said, any additional damage ensures Tropius easier OHKOs. Garbodor pairs well with Tropius and can lay Spikes and Toxic Spikes as well as absorb the latter ones for Tropius, while Tropius resist Ground-type moves. Bulky Pokemon, such as Misdreavus and Flareon, can also support Tropius with Will-O-Wisp by rendering physical threats useless, as well as providing Heal Bell, Sunny Day and Wish support. Rapid Spin support is crucial, since Tropius will be switching every now and then due to need of renewing sun every time. Torkoal and Cryogonal are wonderful partners for that. Magmortar is an awesome sweeping partner and can take out Pokemon that Tropius is unable to. They also share wonderful coverage between them; Tropius can take Ground-, and Water-type attacks that threaten Magmortar, while Magmortar takes on Flying-, Fire-, and Ice-types with ease.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tropius has a pretty interesting movepool; however, some favorable combinations are illegal. Dragon Dance is a pretty cool move that Tropius can utilize, boosting its mediocre Speed and Attack stats while backed up with its decent defensive stats. Sadly, Tropius is then forced to use Razor Leaf or Bullet Seed as its Grass STAB due to Leaf Blade being illegal. Swords Dance is another option, boosting Tropius's Attack stat two stages, but Tropius is usually stopped by any faster sweeper before it even has a chance to attack. Synthesis might be used in sunlight, but once sun fades, Tropius finds itself in a tight spot. A ResTalk set with Curse or Swords Dance along with Leaf Blade may seem viable, but Tropius lacks the defenses to set up and Grass-type coverage is somewhat poor. Harvest can be used on other sets, such as ChestoRest, or the Growth set with a Sitrus Berry; however, those strategies usually rely on luck, so be aware. Lastly, Solar Power is an option in sunlight, but Chlorophyll paired with Growth is better in any situation.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fire- and Poison-types are Tropius's primary checks, each resisting one STAB move and having the ability to hit back with super effective moves. Weezing and Magmortar counter Tropius very well, but Magmortar has to be cautious for the possible Earthquake. Flying-type Pokemon, such as Scarf Braviary and Swellow, can revenge kill Tropius with some ease. Altaria is one of the best counters to Tropius as well, due to its enormous Special Defense and resistances to Grass- and Fire-type attacks. Rotom-F can counter variants that lack Hidden Power Fire without much effort. Lastly, Electrode can Taunt the SubSeed variant and render it useless, or change the weather and 2HKO with Hidden Power Ice.</p>
"Hey, boys and girls, I'm Tropius! I am tropical palm tree and I can grow bananas on my neck. How cool is that?!"
[Overview]
<p>Tropius was never considered as a threatening Pokemon in competitive Pokemon. Its Grass / Flying typing, shared only with Hoppip line and Shaymin-S, is pretty unfavorable both defensively and offensively as it leaves Tropius with weakness to a Fire-, Poison-, Rock-, Flying-, and Ice-type moves, most of which are rather common offensive types in the NU tier. As if that isn’t enough, Tropius also boasts weakness to Stealth Rock, reducing its ability to switch in safely. It's not all bad news for Tropius, however. For starters, Tropius's typing grants him resistances to Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks, as well as an immunity to Ground-type ones. While Tropius possesses sluggish speed and has mediocre offensive stats, it also possesses decent bulk with 99 / 83 / 87 defenses. Even with load of drawbacks, Tropius can run few sets to some degree of success.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Protect
move 4: Air Slash / Roost
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Harvest
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, which utilizes its decent bulk, Tropius can be an annoying Pokemon, stalling its opponents into oblivion. Leech Seed provides steady damage to opponent as well as some extra recovery for Tropius. In addition, the combination of Harvest and Sitrus Berry makes Tropius even more annoying and harder to take down, since it can regain huge amounts of health numerous times. Substitute blocks status moves and provides a chance to stay on Pokemon it wouldn't be able to otherwise. Protect works perfectly with this set; it provides free Leech Seed recovery turn, as well as a chance for Tropius to rise for "second life" by restoring health with Sitrus Berry, which will be regained through Harvest at the end of the turn. The last slot is mainly filler; Air Slash ensures that Tropius isn’t shut down by Taunt or Grass-types, while Roost provides even more recovery. Roost is, however, inferior to Air Slash as Tropius will be gaining massive amount of health from Leech Seed anyways.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and a Bold nature ensures that Tropius is as physically bulky as possible. Entry hazards, such as Toxic Spikes, assist Tropius's ability to stall opponent even further. Toxic is an optional choice in last moveslot as it allows Tropius to rack up even more damage, also giving it a chance against Pokemon with Levitate or Flying-type Pokemon that would avoid Toxic Spikes. Garbodor perfectly fits the role and can support Tropius with both Spikes and Toxic Spikes right away. Tropius can return the favor by coming into Ground-type attacks aimed at Garbodor. If Tropius is unfortunate enough to be afflicted with paralysis or poison, a cleric can offer a helping hand. Miltank and Lickilicky work well with Tropius and provide Heal Bell and Wish support, respectively. Since Tropius is weak to Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin support is a necessity. Both Torkoal and Cryogonal fit the requirements, since they can spin entry hazards away as well as take care of Grass-type Pokemon with their STAB moves. As Tropius always has to be wary of Ice-type attacks, Camerupt can be an excellent partner, threatening Ice-types while having decent offensive synergy; Camerupt takes out Ice-, Grass-, Electric-, and Poison-types that are way too dangerous for Tropius to run SubSeed safely.</p>
[SET]
name: Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: SolarBeam
move 3: Air Slash
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While weather is not very common in NU, this set abuses Sunny Day to its fullest and is Tropius's best shot at sweeping. With Sunny Day support, Tropius becomes a threatening enemy to face. Growth boosts Tropius's Attack and Special Attack by two stages when under sun, and in conjunction with Chlorophyll, makes Tropius a lethal sweeper. SolarBeam is its strongest STAB and requires only one turn to charge in sunlight. Air Slash is Tropius's secondary STAB, and has nice chance to flinch the opponent. Hidden Power Fire provides coverage against Steel-types and gets boost from sunlight, while Earthquake is an option to hit foes, such as Electrode and Magmortar, extremely hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Growth Tropius is highly outclassed by other Chlorophyll users, such as Victreebell and Exeggutor, due to their better offensive stats. Tropius, however, has higher Special Defense than the two Pokemon mentioned above, which is the only bonus over the two that it has. Maximum investment in Special Attack allows Tropius to hit as hard as possible, while the Speed EVs allow Tropius to outspeed Scarf Magmortar and +2 Speed Gorebyss while under the sun. A Naive nature should be used if you are running Tropius with Earthquake, otherwise a Timid one is the best choice.</p>
<p>Sun support is obviously a must for this set. Regirock is a good teammate, because of the near-perfect coverage between the two, and the fact that Regirock can support Tropius with Sunny Day and set up Stealth Rock as well. That being said, any additional damage ensures Tropius easier OHKOs. Garbodor pairs well with Tropius and can lay Spikes and Toxic Spikes as well as absorb the latter ones for Tropius, while Tropius resist Ground-type moves. Bulky Pokemon, such as Misdreavus and Flareon, can also support Tropius with Will-O-Wisp by rendering physical threats useless, as well as providing Heal Bell, Sunny Day and Wish support. Rapid Spin support is crucial, since Tropius will be switching every now and then due to need of renewing sun every time. Torkoal and Cryogonal are wonderful partners for that. Magmortar is an awesome sweeping partner and can take out Pokemon that Tropius is unable to. They also share wonderful coverage between them; Tropius can take Ground-, and Water-type attacks that threaten Magmortar, while Magmortar takes on Flying-, Fire-, and Ice-types with ease.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tropius has a pretty interesting movepool; however, some favorable combinations are illegal. Dragon Dance is a pretty cool move that Tropius can utilize, boosting its mediocre Speed and Attack stats while backed up with its decent defensive stats. Sadly, Tropius is then forced to use Razor Leaf or Bullet Seed as its Grass STAB due to Leaf Blade being illegal. Swords Dance is another option, boosting Tropius's Attack stat two stages, but Tropius is usually stopped by any faster sweeper before it even has a chance to attack. Synthesis might be used in sunlight, but once sun fades, Tropius finds itself in a tight spot. A ResTalk set with Curse or Swords Dance along with Leaf Blade may seem viable, but Tropius lacks the defenses to set up and Grass-type coverage is somewhat poor. Harvest can be used on other sets, such as ChestoRest, or the Growth set with a Sitrus Berry; however, those strategies usually rely on luck, so be aware. Lastly, Solar Power is an option in sunlight, but Chlorophyll paired with Growth is better in any situation.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fire- and Poison-types are Tropius's primary checks, each resisting one STAB move and having the ability to hit back with super effective moves. Weezing and Magmortar counter Tropius very well, but Magmortar has to be cautious for the possible Earthquake. Flying-type Pokemon, such as Scarf Braviary and Swellow, can revenge kill Tropius with some ease. Altaria is one of the best counters to Tropius as well, due to its enormous Special Defense and resistances to Grass- and Fire-type attacks. Rotom-F can counter variants that lack Hidden Power Fire without much effort. Lastly, Electrode can Taunt the SubSeed variant and render it useless, or change the weather and 2HKO with Hidden Power Ice.</p>
