Torterra [BW2 Update] [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]

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http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/torterra/ru

[Overview]

<p>Torterra is a strange case of a Pokemon. With solid defenses, good Attack, and high-powered STAB options, Torterra can fill quite a few roles in the RU metagame. With its solid Grass / Ground typing, Torterra can take up a defensive role by checking or outright countering many of the common Electric-types in the tier, with Rotom-C, Rotom, and Magneton being the most important ones. Torterra's access to Stealth Rock and Synthesis only make these defensive sets better as it lets Torterra support its team and stay around for a long time. Offensively, Torterra has great STAB options in Wood Hammer and Earthquake, thus allowing it to deal with dangerous threats such as Druddigon, Amoonguss, and Alomomola quite nicely. Torterra also has a great boosting move in Rock Polish to fix its otherwise poor Speed.</p>

<p>In spite of these great attributes, Torterra can find life difficult in RU. Despite its great STAB combination and solid coverage move in Stone Edge, Torterra has no hope of breaking through Tangrowth. Despite its usage quite possibly being lower than it ever has been in the history of RU, Tangrowth's amazing Regenerator ability can make it quite difficult for Torterra's teammates to successfully wear it down. Even after a Rock Polish boost, some Choice Scarf users such as Manectric and Durant can still outspeed Torterra and severely dent or outright KO it. Defensively, Fire-types are extremely common in the tier and Pokemon such as Moltres and Emboar are always ready to pound away at Torterra or one of its teammates. While Torterra can KO or severely dent these Fire-types, it will often have to predict these Fire-types switching in due to them outspeeding Torterra. Status is also a major pain for Torterra, in particular being burns, since this severely limits Torterra's damage output as a defensive Pokemon. However, despite these downfalls, Torterra remains a solid choice for many teams due to its ability to successfully run both defensive and offensive sets.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Overgrow
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although Torterra has high physical defense, a specially defensive set is usually the best way to go with Torterra. With this set, Torterra is able to check most Electric-types and stop their attempts at building momentum with Volt Switch, as well as retaining the ability to check some dangerous physical attackers such as Aggron and Kabutops. Stealth Rock is a great move for any defensive Pokemon, but it is especially useful coming from Torterra as it beats the most common Rapid Spin user in the tier, Kabutops, without many issues. Wood Hammer is a reliable STAB move Torterra can use to deal with bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Slowking and Poliwrath. This also serves to nail Levitate Pokemon, such as Uxie and Rotom. Earthquake is another good STAB option to smash Aggron while also keeping any Fire-type not named Moltres at bay. Synthesis is a great move as it provides reliable recovery so Torterra can continue to come in on powerful offensive threats and set up Stealth Rock again should it be removed by a spinner.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes special bulk while making sure Torterra can switch into Choice Band Aggron's Head Smash without suffering a 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage. Although the given moveset and EV spread is the best to use, there are a couple of things to consider. Leech Seed is an alternative method of healing for Torterra. While it makes it much harder for Torterra to stay healthy, the extra chip damage it provides can be useful for when a sweeper would otherwise fall just short of being able to push past its check. Toxic is useful if only to screw over Tangrowth. It's also nice to chip away at the likes of Moltres and Uxie. Roar can be a neat option if you're using Torterra with Spikes support. Both Toxic and Roar should be seriously considered should your team already have a Stealth Rock user. As a final note, one can use a physically defensive spread with 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with an Impish nature to take on Pokemon such as Aggron, Rhydon, and Golurk with much greater ease. However, this will make it very difficult for Torterra to handle the likes of Rotom-C and the given spread already allows Torterra to sufficiently handle Aggron in most situations.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon are generally good options to use with Torterra as they can take on many of the Fire-type Pokemon in the tier. Alomomola and Qwilfish are both good options. Alomomola can take on many of the tier's physical attackers while Qwilfish is a more reliable check to Escavalier and Durant. If you're more concerned about Moltres being a pain, Slowking is a better option as it can still take on resisted physical attacks while handling Moltres more reliably than Alomomola or Qwilfish ever could. As Torterra isn't just a sitting duck, it isn't a bad idea to run it on balanced teams either. Moltres has great defensive synergy with Torterra as it can take on most Electric- and Rock-types that can force Moltres out. Meanwhile, Moltres can use its powerful attacks to quickly break down the opposing team or even use a Choice Scarf set to pick and choose its spots while having a good fall-back option in Torterra. Offensive Water-types such as Omastar, Kabutops, and Samurott can find their lives much easier with Torterra being a great way to answer most Electric-types in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Torterra's trademark offensive set, and for good reason. The premise of this set is simple: grab a Rock Polish boost on a Pokemon that cannot hit Torterra for significant damage such as Aggron to make Torterra fast enough to outspeed the entire unboosted RU metagame, bar Accelgor, and watch as Torterra shreds through offensive and defensive teams alike with its blistering Speed and fantastic coverage. Earthquake will be Torterra's main attack, as it is still incredibly strong and lacks the recoil Wood Hammer has; however, Wood Hammer's extra power and Grass-type coverage allows it to crush certain Pokemon that Earthquake would be unable to dent, such as Uxie and Mesprit. Wood Hammer also crushes bulky Water-type Pokemon, most importantly Alomomola, thus making Torterra one of the very few physical sweepers that can get past Alomomola with little to no support. Stone Edge rounds off Torterra's coverage by allowing it to nail those pesky Flying-type Pokemon that are immune to Earthquake and resist Wood Hammer. Between these three attacks, Torterra has virtually flawless coverage, and in tandem with its blistering Speed after a Rock Polish, Torterra would appear to have the ability to tear through opposing teams in an instant.</p>

<p>However, things aren't quite so simple for Torterra. As much as it would enjoy the ability to simply Rock Polish up and sweep at any moment, this simply isn't feasible early- or mid-game just because the things that do beat Torterra will likely still be alive and kicking, ready to stop Torterra's sweep in an instant should it attempt it. Furthermore, even though Torterra is a very strong Pokemon offensively, RU is a metagame with numerous bulky Pokemon, and there are a large number of Pokemon that are capable of surviving an Earthquake or Wood Hammer from Torterra at full health. Fortunately, Torterra is not really just a one-trick pony; thanks to its bulk and typing, it can still act as a solid bulky attacker early- and mid-game. By using Torterra in this way, it can actually wear down many of its checks by itself early-game, giving it the opportunity to sweep late-game. For example, while Escavalier can take a hit from Torterra and KO it in return with Megahorn, it is actually 2HKOed by Earthquake; therefore, if you can get Torterra in earlier in the match and hit it with Earthquake as it comes in on a predicted Wood Hammer, you could have easily just opened the door for Torterra to sweep later in the match, should Escavalier have been the opponent's main answer to it. Keep in mind though that most of the time the opponent will carry more than one answer to Torterra simply due to the nature of its coverage and typing. Thus, during Team Preview, it is important to see what answers to Torterra the opponent has, and decide whether or not it is more advantageous to play Torterra as just a bulky attacker or your team's main sweeper.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is generally preferred for this set, as it gives Torterra a much-needed boost in power. With an Adamant nature, Leftovers are the recommended item, as they give Torterra a way to offset the recoil from Wood Hammer and give Torterra more longevity in general. However, Jolly is certainly a respectable option; for example, with a Jolly nature, Torterra is able to outspeed the likes of Accelgor after a Rock Polish, though this comes at the cost of a large amount of power. To circumvent this, you can opt to use a Life Orb in order to make up for the lost power, but unfortunately this will cause Torterra to faint very quickly, especially when coupled with the recoil from Wood Hammer. Still, the increased Speed and power from using a Jolly nature in tandem with Life Orb does make Torterra a much better sweeper, though at the cost of much of its early- to mid-game utility. Overgrow is the ability of choice on this set, as it allows Torterra, in a desperate situation, to unleash one last, devastating Wood Hammer against a slower opponent.</p>

<p>When it comes to sweeping, Torterra absolutely needs Tangrowth out of the picture. Moltres, Emboar, and Sigilyph are all solid options to remove it from play. Slowking is a solid pivot option as it can use Thunder Wave to slow down faster Choice Scarf users while also luring out Electric-type moves for Torterra to gain free access to the battlefield to set up. Although Typhlosion isn't exactly the best Choice Scarf user around, it can outspeed and OHKO Torterra even after it uses Rock Polish, so having a Slowking or Druddigon would be a good idea to ensure it can't inflict much damage on your team when it forces out Torterra. As Tangrowth is the best defensive counter to Rock Polish Torterra, Toxic Spikes aren't a bad idea in order to wear it down faster. Qwilfish is ideal for this role as it can handle Escavalier and Durant without a lot of problems.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Wood Hammer / Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While Torterra can go fully defensive or fully offensive quite effectively, it can also perform as a reliable bulky attacker capable of taking strong attacks and returning the favor with its own strong moves. Stealth Rock is a great move on Torterra as it can keep the Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon that Torterra generally has issues with at bay. Wood Hammer is the primary choice for a STAB move as it deals with bulky Water-type Pokemon, and most importantly ensures Kabutops will have to sacrifice itself to spin away Stealth Rock. However, Earthquake is another solid STAB option. While it is incapable of dealing with Water-types as effectively, it does let Torterra better handle Aggron and it gets better neutral coverage with Torterra's coverage move on this set. Stone Edge gives Torterra solid coverage and ensures that Flying-types, such as Moltres, will always have something to think about before switching in. Synthesis rounds off the set as it allows Torterra to stay healthy and keep taking hits from serious threats such as Aggron and Rotom-C.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes Torterra's damage output and ensures it can outspeed minimum Speed Lanturn. The rest is put into HP for overall bulk. As many bulkier Pokemon such as Golurk also aim for the same Speed tier, it might be worth your while to move a few HP EVs over to Speed in order to ensure Torterra can outspeed and prevent them from doing anything before Torterra strikes. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if the accuracy bugs you, but the loss in power is rarely worth it. Overgrow is the primary ability choice as it gives Wood Hammer a serious power boost for when you just need Torterra to blast the opposing team one final time. Shell Armor is a bit more niche, but an untimely critical hit can quickly spell the end for Torterra, and possibly cost you the game should Torterra be the last thing keeping something like Rotom-C or Aerodactyl from freely using their STAB moves to finish a match.</p>

<p>This Torterra is one of the most reliable offensive responses to Aggron in the entire tier, so Pokemon that loathe the presence of Aggron, such as Uxie, Spiritomb, and Swellow, are good options to use with Torterra. Swellow is especially notable due to Torterra's ability to destroy just about any Rock- or Steel-type in the tier, especially if it runs Earthquake. Bulky Water-type Pokemon are nice choices as they can come in on most Fire- and Ice-type moves aimed at Torterra while it is immune to the Electric-type moves they don't like. Slowking, Alomomola, and Poliwrath are all solid choices in this regard. Torterra really has nothing to stop Tangrowth from switching in at will, so teammates that can handle it are much appreciated. Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier are all capable of handling Tangrowth with relative ease. Toxic Spikes support is another option and Qwilfish is a great option for this considering it can reliably take on Escavalier and Durant for Torterra.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Seed / Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While Torterra is capable of using its offensive prowess to sweep with Rock Polish or utilize it alongside its good bulk, a Choice Band turns Torterra into a very potent wallbreaker. Torterra is capable of 2HKOing the vast majority of the RU tier, but as its STABs have many resistances and immunities, one must play with great prediction to get the absolute most out of this set. Wood Hammer is the primary STAB move as it lacks any immunities and is able to smash many of the bulky Water- and Ground-types in the tier, such as Slowking, Alomomola, and Golurk. Earthquake beats up the Fire- and Steel-type Pokemon expecting to come in on a resisted Wood Hammer, but due to the presence of Levitate users and Flying-type Pokemon, this can be an even riskier move to lock into. Stone Edge is there to crush the Flying-type Pokemon that can otherwise switch-in on Torterra's STAB moves and respond accordingly. With the offensive coverage it really needs in three moves, Torterra can use more of a niche utility move in the last slot. Bullet Seed might seem strange, but it does have the ability to hit through Substitutes, Focus Sashes, and Sturdy. Sleep Talk is never a terrible option in a metagame that is infested with sleep inducers, but one must keep in mind that Torterra can't deal with most of them as effectively as other Sleep Talk users such as Emboar, Escavalier, and Druddigon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes damage output while making sure Torterra will outspeed max Speed Adamant Aggron. As Torterra will rarely ever use the move it chooses in the last slot, there are some other options to look into. Toxic can cripple Tangrowth to help Torterra's teammates wear it down faster. Seed Bomb is a bit stronger than Bullet Seed on average, but it lacks the ability to hit through Substitutes. Superpower is there if you really need to deal with Ferroseed in short order, but Earthquake will usually be enough to handle it. A bulkier spread of 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe can be used if you want more bulk with Torterra, but being outsped by Aggron limits Torterra's ability to reliably beat it since this set lacks any kind of recovery.</p>

<p>Like any other Torterra set, you want something to deal with Tangrowth as it simply doesn't care about anything Torterra runs outside of the rare Toxic. Powerful Fire- and Bug-type Pokemon such as Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier can quickly break down Tangrowth. Alternatively, Spikes support from Qwilfish or Omastar can also be used to wear down Tangrowth and limit the effect Regenerator has. Paralysis support from the likes of Uxie and Slowking can be useful to allow Torterra to have more of an impact against offensive teams. Having sturdy fall-back options for when you overpredict or simply don't predict the correct switch-in is a good idea due to the nature of Torterra's STABs. Aerodactyl has blazing fast Speed and can use its typing to check most Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon. Once Torterra has dented the opposing team enough, Life Orb Aerodactyl can easily clean up with its decent power and amazing Speed. Uxie, Mesprit, and Rotom-C are common Levitate Pokemon that can come in for free on Earthquake. Spiritomb fares well against the former two while Rotom-C can find it difficult to handle the likes of Druddigon, Roselia, and even your own Rotom-C. If you can't afford paralysis support, but still wish to fix the Speed issues, then you can use Trick Room. Slowking happens to be a reliable Trick Room setter and have solid synergy with Torterra. However, keep in mind that this will let Escavalier outspeed Torterra. Make sure to use a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs and to move all Speed EVs to HP when going this route.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Torterra doesn't have a lot of noteworthy options remaining in its movepool that haven't already been discussed. Of these, Swords Dance is probably the most appealing. Although this doubles Torterra's already beefy Attack stat, it does nothing to fix its Speed issues, and this can prove very problematic in a tier full of faster Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon. Torterra gets dual screens, but you're better off using Uxie for this as it is much faster, has much better bulk, and can use either U-turn or Memento to get its teammates in safely. Crunch is the only noteworthy attacking option that hasn't been discussed as it can smack Exeggutor.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>If you haven't noticed a theme yet, Tangrowth is the best answer to Torterra hands down. It can switch into Torterra with relative impunity, threaten to put one of Torterra's teammates to sleep, and then just switch back out to regain any health it lost thanks to Regenerator. Outside of Tangrowth, Flying-types such as Moltres can come in on any STAB move, but a swift Stone Edge can ruin their day. Fire-types such as Typhlosion and Emboar also suffer a similar fate when it comes to trying to switch in, but their STAB Fire-type moves can make quick work of Torterra if they can get in safely. Weezing isn't very common, but it doesn't mind anything Torterra has to offer and it can simply use Will-O-Wisp to cripple any Torterra set. Cryogonal is a bit shaky as Wood Hammer and Stone Edge decimate it, but it is immune to Earthquake and can threaten an OHKO with Ice Beam. Cryogonal can also spin away the Stealth Rock that Torterra sets. Most Fire-types can take out Torterra, but they have a much harder time if Torterra gets a Rock Polish boost under its belt before they're able to deal with it. Some Choice Scarf users, such as Durant, Manectric, and Typhlosion, can outspeed Torterra even after a Rock Polish boost. In general, you're better off using Speed to beat Torterra, as many of RU's top physical walls, such as Rhydon, Alomomola, and Steelix, are hit really hard by Torterra's STAB moves, thus letting it muscle past them most of the time.</p>

[Overview]

  • Solid Grass / Ground typing
  • Able to check dangerous stuff like Aggron, Rotom-C, and most Electric-types reliably
  • Good mixed defenses and above average Attack give it versatility
  • Great support movepool
  • Small, but precise physical movepool
  • Reliable recovery in Synthesis
  • Boosting moves in Rock Polish and Swords Dance
  • Special Attack sucks; can’t go mixed
  • Speed is terrible, but Rock Polish can kinda fix this
  • Weak to Fire-types like Moltres and Emboar; not good
  • Offensive sets are stonewalled by Tangrowth, a top defensive mon
  • Underrated Pokemon that can go offensive or defensive. Good choice for most teams

[SET]
Name: Specially Defensive
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Wood Hammer
Move 3: Earthquake
Move 4: Synthesis
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SDef

[SET COMMENTS]

  • Torterra’s best defensive set, despite the higher Defense stat
  • Checks most Electric-types handily, including Rotom-C, a very common offensive threat
  • Can also check Aggron in a pinch
  • SR needs no explanation. Best move in the game and Torterra reliably sets it and beats Kabutops
  • Wood Hammer is primary choice for the power
  • EQ is cool on most things that get it. Terra is no different. Beats up Fire-types trying to come in (except for Moltres)
  • Synthesis gives reliable recovery; always cool for a defensive mon.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

  • EV spread maxes out HP and hits the final boost point for the nature. Rest in Defense to cushion Rock- and Ground-type moves
  • Physically defensive spread to outright counter the likes of Aggron, Rhydon, and Golurk
  • Toxic to fuk over Tangrowth
  • Roar if you have Spikes support
  • Both can be used over SR if Terra’s team already has a user
  • Great partner for Momo. Fire-types can’t do shit to her while Terra is immune to Electric-type moves
  • Qwilfish is solid. Checks Esca and Durant while Torterra can handle Ground- and Electric-type moves
  • Slowking handles Moltres better if you’re more concerned about it
  • Moltres can demolish shit and fallback on Torterra most times when it’s forced out
  • Water-types such as Omastar, Kabutops, and Samurott love having Terra around to deal with Rotom-C

[SET]
Name: Rock Polish
Move 1: Rock Polish
Move 2: Wood Hammer
Move 3: Earthquake
Move 4: Stone Edge
Item: Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Adamant / Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]

  • Want to sweep with Torterra instead of defend? Here you go
  • Rock Polish fixes Terra’s middling Speed to allow a sweep
  • Wood Hammer and EQ hurt shit. Great STAB moves
  • Stone Edge deals with Moltres, Sigilyph, and other Flying-types so they can’t ruin your fun

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

  • Simple, EV spread is simple
  • Use Adamant with Leftovers and Jolly with Life Orb
  • Man, fuk Tangrowth. Walls this set to hell and back
  • Use stuff like Moltres, Mixed Emboar, and Sigilyph to break it down
  • Slowking can tank out most special attacks for Terra and lures out Electric-type moves for Terra to setup on
  • Scarf Typhlosion sucks, but it still outpaces Terra after a RP
  • Use stuff like Slowking and Druddigon to hold it down
  • Toxic Spikes to wear down Tangrowth is cool
  • Qwilfish is really nice since it handles Emboar, Escavalier, and Durant nicely

[SET]
Name: Tank
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Wood Hammer / Earthquake
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Synthesis
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow / Shell Armor
Evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Nature: Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]

  • Instead of focusing on just defense or offense, this set blends both
  • Come in, tank hits, dish out punishment, heal, rinse and repeat
  • Stealth Rock is really cool. Keeps Fire-types from switching in at will
  • Wood Hammer donks bulky Waters, and most importantly, Kabutops
  • Earthquake is nice for QuakeEdge and it has no recoil. Also lets Terra deal with Aggron more reliably
  • Stone Edge is nice for Flying-types like Moltres and Sigilyph
  • Synthesis gives reliable recovery to let Terra tank out more hits and dish out more damage

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

  • EV spread outpaces minimum Speed Lanturn and maxes out Attack
  • Rest in HP for some added bulk
  • Rock Slide over Stone Edge if the accuracy is a turn off
  • Power drop sucks though
  • Both abilities have niche uses
  • Shell Armor keeps critical hits from ruining your day
  • Overgrow can give some extra muscle to that one final Wood Hammer
  • Very reliable answer to Aggron; great for stuff like Spiritomb, Swellow, and Uxie which hate Aggron
  • Slowking resists Fire- and Ice-type moves while drawing out Electric-type moves
  • Tangrowth easily switches in on this set; use stuff like Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier to deal with it
  • Toxic Spikes from Qwilfish can also wear down Tangrowth
  • Status of any kind sucks. Relies on Speed to beat Aggron handily, burn kills Attack, and poison is just bad.
  • Lanturn is cool enough since it can run Heal Bell

[SET]
Name: Choice Band
Move 1: Wood Hammer
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Bullet Seed / Sleep Talk
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Nature: Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]

  • Hit hard and destroy stuff. OHKOes or 2HKOes most of the RU tier, but very prediction-reliant due to its STABs
  • Wood Hammer crushes bulky Waters and Grounds. Has lots of resists though
  • EQ beats up on Steel- and Fire-type mons. Gives Flying-types and Levitate users a free pass though
  • Stone Edge kills off Flying-types, which resist or are immune to both STAB moves
  • Bullet Seed to break Subs and have a no-recoil Grass STAB move
  • Sleep Talk if your team is in need of a sleep absorber. Note that Terra has a hard time dealing with sleep inducers directly, but sleep will otherwise effectively remove a Pokemon from the match

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

  • You want to hit hard, so max out Attack
  • Outspeeding Adamant Aggron is enough, so 212 Speed EVs do that
  • Rest in HP for some bulk
  • Toxic can cripple Tangrowth
  • Superpower if you really have something against Ferroseed. EQ does good enough against it though
  • Seed Bomb is another non-recoil Grass STAB. Can't break Subs though
  • Toxic is all Terra can do against Tangrowth, so Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier are good options to bring it down as Terra rarely even has room for Toxic
  • Using Spikes support from Qwilfish or Omastar is another way to wear down Tangrowth
  • Paralysis support from Uxie, Slowking, etc. so you can actually outpace offensive teams
  • Trick Room isn't a terrible idea. Slowking is an ideal TR setter for Terra. Use Brave and 0 Speed IVs should you go this route with all Speed EVs moving to HP
  • Have fallback options in case you over predict or don’t predict the correct switch-in
  • Rhydon can set Rocks and absorb Flying- and Fire-type moves reliably
  • Spiritomb dgaf about Mesprit and Uxie should they come in on EQ

[Other Options]

  • Not a lot
  • Swords Dance
  • Leech Seed
  • Stockpile and Amnesia lol
  • RestTalk, but too many Fire- and Flying-types
  • Use Uxie for Dual Screens
  • Crunch if you hate Rotom, but there’s Wood Hammer to deal with it
  • Seed Bomb if you really, really hate Wood Hammer's recoil

[Checks and Counters]

  • Tangrowth. Only fears Toxic and dgaf about anything else. Regen keeps it healthy, so yeah
  • Moltres hates Stone Edge, but dgaf about STABs
  • Sigilyph is even worse. Magic Guard makes it immune to Rocks
  • Weezing cockblocks Torterra, though it isn’t all that common
  • Cryogonal is immune to EQ and can switch-in on SR as well. Can threaten a Rapid Spin or Ice Beam
  • Some Scarf users outspeed even after a boost; Typhlosion, Manectric, and Durant can all cause issues
  • Most common Fire-types can revenge Torterra at worst, though an RP boost makes this harder
  • Better to beat Torterra with Speed as its STABs hit most RU physical walls for super effective damage
 
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Nails

Double Threat
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SR slashed over Stone Edge on Tank, you use turtle because it has rocks and is immune to volt switch without being grass weak, and because it can sr while dumping on waters. I guess also because it donks Kabutops. Anyways, you're almost always going to be better off with rocks than stone edge, though there is something to be said for Moltres being able to switch in as you SR with no counterplay being a bad idea. But I'd still rather drop eq than rocks. Ok yea slash stone edge over eq and keep rocks while mentioning in ac that it can use synth 3 attacks.
<~Nails> Texas
<~Nails> thoughts on rocks/synth/wh/se on turtle
<~Nails> like, offensive turtle w/ a bit of hp/224+ att/outspeed aggron
<~Nails> i think it's better than dropping eq
<~Nails> bc except for steels which you either bone anyways or lose to either way
<~Nails> eq isn't hitting that much
<~Nails> and rocks with nothing to hit moltres = get turtle in on something, rocks the switch to moltres, it uturns to the spinner as you're forced out
<~Nails> so you can never really keep rocks up
<&Texas> seems legit
Also tank turtle should be tanky not squishy. Speed is pretty bad on turtle, though I mean I guess it's kinda nice to outrun drud so you can eq it? Still not really worth though.

Overgrow always, blocking crits isn't worth losing overgrow.

Jynx is a terrible turtle counter as it's donked by any attack, Cryo is a much better counter because you can switch in on eq/rocks and threaten a spin, if you mispredict and they wood hammer they still didn't get rocks up and took a bunch of recoil so you dgf, and if you switch in on rocks they have to respect the spin so ice beam has a reasonable chance of working out for a kill.

Seed Bomb doesn't deserve an AC mention, let alone a slash. It barely deserves OO.

On cb slash sleep talk under toxic. Becuase sleep is broken.

QC APPROVED 1/3

edit: a couple words
 
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yeah, i'd have to agree w/nails on the matter of sr and bulk on tank turtle; sr is really nice overall, and eq is probably the closest thing to a luxury for that particular set tbh, unless you've got a really thorough response to moltres / sigi. as for the spread, the most simple way of going about it may just be with the standard "outpace lanturn" approach, which would be 164 hp / 252 atk / 92 spe, should we be trying to avoid unnecessarily complex ev spreads. also, when i ran tank turtle, i felt lum was a more effective means of coping with status than heal bell, since the latter is a major momentum killer, so i'd mention that in ac or drop the heal bell mention, if not both.

by that same merit @ the tank spread, unless the 40 evs in defense are doing anything in particular for the spdef set, i'd probably just stick to max/max. if somebody could also explain to me the application of leech seed > synthesis there, i'm really curious as to its use :/ i understand the idea that recovery+chip damage is decent in theory, but i just don't think its worth forgoing more reliable recovery in the grand scheme of things; basically, i always considered leech seed to be the "compromise" recovery move of choice in the hail metagame due to lack of consistent alternative, but now it just seems outright inferior. could be wrong, but otherwise i'd relegate that to oo.

i'll probably stamp tomorrow, b/c 2 am and i'd like to confirm what i'm saying now makes sense, but i think it should be good w/that+ nails stuff
 

EonX

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Ok, think I got most changes. Two things I do want to make mention of.

On the CB set, I'm really uneasy on using Sleep Talk. I know that you want to have as many answers to Sleep as possible, but Torterra can do nothing to Tangrowth, and unless Sleep Talk draws Stone Edge on the first turn, Lilligant is beating it as well. These are two of the most common sleep inducers in the tier, and as much of a fan I am of having answers to sleep, I just don't think Torterra is good enough to merit a Sleep Talk slash on CB unless I'm missing something

As for the SpDef spread, I just copied the spread in SilentVerse 's post in the SPL set thread, but the 40 Defense EVs does ensure that CB Aggron can't have any chance to 2HKO Torterra with Head Smash.
 

Nails

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You don't run sleep talk so that it can counter the sleep users. You run sleep talk because you sac it to sleep, and then switch it out to your Druddigon who completely donks the Lilligant or Tangrowth who no longer can put it to Sleep. You can then come in later and not be useless, while teams without a sleep talker essentially have to play 5v6 for the rest of the game because it's not practical to spend 2-4 turns having a pokemon wake up. It's not going to accomplish much while it's asleep, but it's not going to accomplish much being locked into toxic either (Tangrowth recovers off Toxic damage with Regenerator, so you're not going to do anything to a team with Tangrowth with cb torterra anyways, and tspikes are a better way of getting toxic onto growth) and against a team with tangrowth having a sleep absorber will be more helpful to your team anyways. Amoongus is immune to toxic, and Lilligant gets 2hkoed by any of your moves (I'm like 90% sure) anyways, so toxic is a bad move against them as well. Once you get past grass types, you truck everything with the right stab (flying types need to be hit with SE i guess, though most of them don't like cb wood hammer), so toxic serves at best as a hedge move where you're unsure of what they'll switch in. Basically, Sleep Talk is always going to be more useful to the team than Toxic. Unless you have another sleep absorber, but that's too team dependant.

tl;dr you use sleep talk to support the team and not to counter grass types
 

Nails

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double posting because i'm a god
if somebody could also explain to me the application of leech seed > synthesis there, i'm really curious as to its use :/ i understand the idea that recovery+chip damage is decent in theory, but i just don't think its worth forgoing more reliable recovery in the grand scheme of things; basically, i always considered leech seed to be the "compromise" recovery move of choice in the hail metagame due to lack of consistent alternative, but now it just seems outright inferior. could be wrong, but otherwise i'd relegate that to oo.
leech seed = team support. that's basically it. you leech seed the switch to moltres so that your aerodactyl only loses 35% of its hp from moltres stab instead of 50% and will be healthy enough to switch into it again and is a threat to attack or taunt the switch instead of being forced to roost. or switching steelix into leech seeded druddigon is way easier than not seeded.

idk it's kind of like yawning a switch i guess, it doesn't do anything amazing turn 1 but it puts a bunch of pressure on the other guy so if he doesn't switch then he'll get boned the next turn. except less so. but you get the idea i hope. you're giving up your own tankiness while giving the rest of your team a pretty sizable passive heal.
 

SilentVerse

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Slash EQ with Wood Hammer on the Tank set; both STABs are rly strong and have different uses. Wood Hammer is slightly more useful b/c it hits everything, but EQ doesn't have recoil and still hits a lot esp with Stone Edge coverage so it needs a slash at least. Otherwise:

QC APPROVED 2/3

Also, as a note, I actually did write a little bit of this analysis a while ago (mainly the Rock Polish set / Overview) so if you want the parts that I've written lmk.
 
I completely disagree with Sleep Talk being slashed. Its pretty bad form of "support" for the team because it basically says "ok see ya Torterra you aren't useful enough here." Generally the only good Sleep Talk users are the ones that have a chance of combating the common inducers... Fire types, Escavalier, and even CB Druddigon itself are pretty good example of this tbh. Toxic is still useful for Tangrowth because Tangrowth can just sit there and stalls when it isn't regenerating and Amoonguss already loses to Earthquake.

There are a lot of other sleep absorbers out there and unlike Torterra they can directly force out the grass type that just put them to sleep, something that is fairly important when switching in to prevent them from getting that free turn.
 

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Toxic is literally the definition of filler. Sleep Talk will always be worth it if you manage to predict correctly. Yes, Druddigon, Escavalier, and Entei are better sleep absorbers, but Druddigon has a lot of things it can run instead and Escavalier and Entei are arguably the worst they've ever been in BW2 right now. Even if you do not end up using Sleep Talk much, you'll pretty much never regret not having Toxic because it is extremely situational.
 

Nails

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I completely disagree with Sleep Talk being slashed. Its pretty bad form of "support" for the team because it basically says "ok see ya Torterra you aren't useful enough here." Generally the only good Sleep Talk users are the ones that have a chance of combating the common inducers... Fire types, Escavalier, and even CB Druddigon itself are pretty good example of this tbh. Toxic is still useful for Tangrowth because Tangrowth can just sit there and stalls when it isn't regenerating and Amoonguss already loses to Earthquake.

There are a lot of other sleep absorbers out there and unlike Torterra they can directly force out the grass type that just put them to sleep, something that is fairly important when switching in to prevent them from getting that free turn.
No, the importance of a sleep talker is not how well it does vs the things that sleep it, the importance of a sleep talker is how useful it is while it is asleep. CB Torterra retains most of its usefulness while sleeping because its role is being a volt switch absorber and tanky pokemon (read: aggron counter) while wallbreaking. None of those are seriously affected by being asleep. Sleep Talk is pretty strong on Druddigon which run Outrage/Dragon Claw/Superpower, 3 high base power moves that have strong neutral coverage. However if you're going to use something like Outrage/Pursuit/Sucker Punch, Sleep Talk is a terrible 4th move.

And yeah, in some matchups you will want to keep Torterra awake. However, if they have a grass type like Tangrowth or Amoongus, CB Torterra probably wasn't going to be doing much anyways, so by absorbing sleep it's letting its teammates break the other team.
 

SilentVerse

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The last moveslot for CB should be Bullet Seed / Sleep Talk imo. Bullet Seed lets Torterra break through subs and gives him a Grass STAB that doesn't give nasty recoil, which will generally be more useful than anything else in that slot. Sleep Talk also deserves a slash b/c of the reasons provided by c_l and Nails. Toxic, Superpower, and Seed Bomb get AC mentions.
 

EonX

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Ok, made the 4th slot on CB Bullet Seed / Sleep Talk. Probably going to hold off on writing CB until we're all on the same page with the slashes for slot 4.
SilentVerse , thanks for the offer. I'll probably PM you tonight or tomorrow for the parts you wrote. Thanks mate.
 
okkk

I'm not sure how I feel about Rotom-C being mentioned exclusively as a significant Electric-type in the overview, given Rotom-N and Magneton are both rather significant in regards to Torterra's defensive capabilities as well. I'd consider fleshing out the segment about offensive prowess a little bit as well, specifically the relevance of its STAB, since at least on more generalized level, Grass is rather subpar offensive type. Basically, cover / skim over stuff like:
  • Physical attackers that can break Momo w/out too much team support are sick
  • Ground subtyping helps b/c it 2HKOs Drudd / Ferro / Amoonguss / Rose, Tangrowth usage is at an all-time low, etc.

Speaking of, I'd tone down the Tangrowth mentions here, since although it is basically the best answer to Torterra in the tier, the whole "top defensive wall" thing has been questionable for a while now, partially as a matter of opportunity cost, and 'mons such as Wisp Rotom-C fill a similar role as a Tort response. The Fire-type thing comes off as a bit odd, as although one can infer what is meant by it, it seems odd coming immediately after a point regarding issues Tort faces from an offensive outlook, without much of a transition. What I mean is that from an offensive outlook, Torterra could very well catch the Fire-type switch-in with an EQ / Stone Edge, so it'd be nice to see a clear-cut transition from what outlook the analysis is addressing threats. To give some sensory idea of it:
  • Offensively: Struggles to break through bulkier Grass-types, gets handily RKed by several common Scarf users
  • Defensively: Has to predict the switch to catch offensively potent 'mons coming in and shifting offensive momentum, some (Moltres, Sigilyph) can almost always switch in on defensive sets freely
It also might be worth mentioning status-weak in defensive flaws, since it's fairly passive in its defensive role, and it suffers from burns much more so than most other defensive Grass-types (water neutrality also makes switching into Scald's a bit less safe too).


Swap "best" for "usually" or some other similar term; SpDef is generally the better option, but if you really need some extra buffering vs.CB Drudd or something, then Tort can adopt a more physically bulky spread in a pinch. Wood Hammer is also hitting Levitate 'mons, significantly Rotom-N and Uxie / Mesprit, which I'd make a point of. Iirc Nails addressed Overgrow being the exclusive ability choice for all sets, as well as the application of Leech Seed, so I'd look at those real quick. Toxic is also catching Moltres and Lefties Rotom-C, both of which are fairly significant to Torterra, so I'd add those in alongside Tangrowth.


Bulky Water-types need mention when addressing Wood Hammer on the RP set, it's a huge draw to it offensively.

Skipping ahead, I'd much rather have LO Aerodactyl mentioned as a partner to CB Tort than Rhydon, since it's far less redundant and clunky offensively, can outpace and threaten the relevant Fire- and Flying-types better than Rhydon generally can, and consistently outpaces and 2HKOs Tangrowth, without the risk of it trading for almost nothing b/c of a Giga Drain or something. It also generally cleans more consistently, which is something to acknowledge in mentioning partners for a breaker like CB Tort.

No Stockpile / Amnesia in OO pls x_x When mentioning Dual Screens, a lack of momentum-grabbing move (U-Turn / Volt Switch / BP, Boom, Memento, etc.) is pretty significant as well, since it forces it to manually switch upon doing it's job and therefore forcing the particular sweeper to take a hit coming in. Also, if you're going to mention Crunch, do it for its ability to hit Exeggutor, since really that's all it does beyond being a very situational lock-in on choiced sets.

If you could mention that generalized Fire-types struggle to switch directly into Tort, that'd be chill.
Also, 'Stealth Rock', singular *-*


But yeah, I trust you'll implement, and this has kinda been chilling for a while now, so yhe

qc 3/3

gl hf
 

GatoDelFuego

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REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[Overview]

<p>Torterra is a strange case of a Pokemon. With solid defenses, good Attack, and high-powered STAB options, Torterra can fill quite a few roles in the RU metagame. With its solid Grass / Ground typing, Torterra can take up a defensive role by checking or outright countering many of the common Electric-types in the tier, with Rotom-C, Rotom, and Magneton being the most important ones. Torterra's access to Stealth Rock and Synthesis only make these defensive sets better as it lets Torterra support its team and stay around for a long time. Offensively, Torterra has great STAB options in Wood Hammer and Earthquake, thus allowing it to deal with dangerous threats such as Druddigon, Amoonguss, and Alomomola quite nicely. Torterra also has a great boosting move in Rock Polish to fix its otherwise poor Speed.</p>

<p>In spite of these great attributes, Torterra can find life difficult in RU. Despite its great STAB combination and solid coverage move in Stone Edge, Torterra has no hope of breaking through Tangrowth. Despite its usage quite possibly being lower than it ever has been in the history of RU, Tangrowth's amazing Regenerator ability can make it quite difficult for Torterra's teammates to successfully wear it down. Even after a Rock Polish boost, some Choice Scarf users such as Manectric and Durant can still outspeed Torterra and severely dent or outright KO it. Defensively, Fire-types are extremely common in the tier and Pokemon such as Moltres and Emboar are always ready to pound away at Torterra or one of its teammates. While Torterra can KO or severely dent these Fire-types, it will often have to predict these Fire-types switching in due to them outspeeding Torterra. Status is also a major pain for Torterra, in particular, (RC) being burneds, (AC) as since this severely limits Torterra's damage output as a defensive Pokemon. However, despite these downfalls, Torterra remains a solid choice for many teams due to its ability to successfully run both defensive and offensive sets.</p>

[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Overgrow
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SDef


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although Torterra has a high physical defense, a specially defensive set is usually the best way to go with Torterra. With this set, Torterra is able to check most Electric-types and stop their attempts at building momentum with Volt Switch as well as retaining the ability to check some dangerous physical attackers such as Aggron and Kabutops. Stealth Rock is a great move for any defensive Pokemon, but it is especially useful coming from Torterra as it beats the most common Rapid Spin user in the tier, Kabutops, (AC) without many issues. Wood Hammer is a reliable STAB move Torterra can use to deal with bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Slowking and Poliwrath. This also serves to nail Levitate Pokemon, such as Uxie and Rotom. Earthquake is another good STAB option to smash Aggron while also keeping any Fire-type not named Moltres at bay. Synthesis is a great move as it provides reliable recovery so Torterra can continue to come in on powerful offensive threats and set Stealth Rock again should it be removed by Cryogonal.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes special bulk while making sure Torterra can switch into Choice Band Aggron's Head Smash without suffering a 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage. Although the given moveset and EV spread is the best to use, there are a couple of things to consider. Leech Seed is an alternative method of healing for Torterra. While it makes it much harder for Torterra to stay healthy, the extra chip damage it provides can be useful for when a sweeper would otherwise fall just short of being able to push past its check. Toxic is useful if only to screw over Tangrowth, a defensive Pokemon Torterra has no way of keeping away otherwise as it's free to use Sleep Powder unless sleep clause is active. It's also nice to chip away at the likes of Moltres and Uxie. Roar can be a neat option if you're using Torterra with Spikes support. Both Toxic and Roar should be seriously considered should your team already have a Stealth Rock user. As a final note, one can use a physically defensive spread with 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef with an Impish nature to take on Pokemon such as Aggron, Rhydon, and Golurk with much greater ease. However, this will make it very difficult for Torterra to handle the likes of Rotom-C and the given spread already allows Torterra to sufficiently handle Aggron in most situations.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon are generally good options to use with Torterra as they can take on many of the Fire-type Pokemon in the tier. Alomomola and Qwilfish are both good options. Alomomola can take on many of the tier's physical attackers while Qwilfish is a more reliable check to Escavalier and Durant. If you're more concerned about Moltres being a pain, Slowking is a better option as it can still take on resisted physical attacks while handling Moltres more reliably than Alomomola or Qwilfish ever could. As Torterra isn't just a sitting duck, it isn't a bad idea to run it on balanced teams either. Moltres has great defensive synergy with Torterra as it the turtle can take on most Electric- and Rock-types that can force Moltres out. Meanwhile, Moltres can use its powerful attacks to quickly break down the opposing team or even use a Choice Scarf set to pick and choose its spots while having a good fallback option in Torterra. Offensive Water-types such as Omastar, Kabutops, and Samurott can find their lives much easier with Torterra being a great way to answer most Electric-types in the tier.</p>

[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Torterra's trademark offensive set, and for good reason. The premise of this set is simple: (colon) grab a Rock Polish boost on a Pokemon who that cannot hit Torterra for significant damage such as Aggron to make Torterra fast enough to outspeed the entire unboosted RU metagame, bar Accelgor, and watch as Torterra shreds through offensive and defensive teams alike with his its blistering Speed and fantastic coverage. Earthquake will be Torterra's main attack, as it is still incredibly strong and lacks the recoil Wood Hammer has; however, Wood Hammer's extra power Grass-type coverage allows it to crush certain Pokemon that Earthquake would be unable to dent, such as Uxie and Mesprit. Wood Hammer also crushes bulky Water-type Pokemon, most importantly, Alomomola, thus making Torterra one of very few physical sweepers that can get past Alomomola with little to no support. Stone Edge rounds off Torterra's coverage by allowing him it to nail those pesky Flying-type Pokemon who that are immune to Earthquake and resist Wood Hammer. Between these three attacks, Torterra has virtually flawless coverage, and in tandem with his its blistering Speed after a Rock Polish, Torterra would appear to have the ability to tear through opposing teams in an instant.</p>

<p>However, things aren't quite so simple for Torterra. As much as he it would probably enjoy the ability to simply Rock Polish up and sweep at any moment, this simply isn't feasible early- or mid-game just because the things that do beat Torterra will likely still be alive and kicking, ready to stop Torterra's sweep in an instant should he it attempt it. Furthermore, even though Torterra is a very strong Pokemon offensively, RU is a metagame with numerous bulky Pokemon, and there are a large number of Pokemon who that are capable of surviving an Earthquake or Wood Hammer from Torterra at full health. Fortunately, Torterra is not really just a one-trick pony; thanks to his its bulk and typing, he it can still act as a solid bulky attacker early- and mid-game. By using Torterra in this way, he it can actually wear down many of his its checks by himself itself early-game in the game, giving him it the opportunity to sweep late-game. For example, while Escavalier can take a hit from Torterra and KO it in return with Megahorn, it is actually 2HKOed by Earthquake; therefore, if you can get Torterra in earlier in the match and hit it with Earthquake as it comes in on a predicted Wood Hammer, you could have easily just opened the door for Torterra to sweep later in the match, should Escavalier have been the opponent's main answer to Torterra. Keep in mind though that most of the time, the opponent will carry more than one answer to Torterra simply due to the nature of his its coverage and typing. Thus, during team preview, it is important to see what answers to Torterra the opponent has, and decide whether or not it is more advantageous to play Torterra as just a bulky attacker or your team's main sweeper.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is generally preferred for this set, as it gives Torterra a much-needed boost in power. With an Adamant nature, Leftovers are the recommended item, since as they give Torterra a way to offset the recoil from Wood Hammer and give Torterra more longevity in general. However, Jolly is certainly a respectable option; for example, with a Jolly nature, Torterra is able to outspeed the likes of Accelgor after a Rock Polish, though this comes at the cost of a large amount of power. To circumvent this, you can opt to use a Life Orb in order to make up for the lost power, but unfortunately this will cause Torterra to faint very quickly, especially when coupled with the recoil from Wood Hammer. Still, the increased Speed and power from using a Jolly nature in tandem with Life Orb does make Torterra a much better sweeper, though at the cost of much of his its early- to mid-game utility. Overgrow is the ability of choice on this set, as it allows Torterra, in a desperate situation, to unleash one last, devastating Wood Hammer against a slower opponent.</p>

<p>When it comes to sweeping, Torterra absolutely needs Tangrowth out of the picture. Moltres, Emboar, and Sigilyph are all solid options to remove it from play. Slowking is a solid pivot option as it can use Thunder Wave to slow down faster Choice Scarf users while also luring out Electric-type moves for Torterra to gain free access to the battlefield to set up. Although Typhlosion isn't exactly the best Choice Scarf user around, it can outspeed and OHKO Torterra even after it uses Rock Polish, so having a Slowking or Druddigon would be a good idea to ensure it can't inflict much damage on your team when it forces out Torterra. As Tangrowth is the best defensive counter to Rock Polish Torterra, Toxic Spikes isn't a bad idea in order to wear Tangrowth down faster. Qwilfish is ideal for this as it can handle Escavalier and Durant without a lot of problems.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Wood Hammer / Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Synthesis
item: Leftovers
ability: Overgrow / Shell Armor
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
nature: Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While Torterra can go fully defensive or fully offensive quite effectively, it can also perform as a reliable bulky attacker capable of taking strong attacks and returning the favor with its own strong moves. Stealth Rock is a great move on Torterra as it can keep the Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon that Torterra generally has issues with at bay. Wood Hammer is the primary choice for a STAB move as it deals with bulky Water-type Pokemon, and most importantly, (RC) ensures that Kabutops will have to sacrifice itself to spin away Stealth Rock. However, Earthquake is another solid STAB option. While it is incapable of dealing with Water-types as effectively, it does let Torterra better handle Aggron and it gets better neutral coverage with Torterra's coverage move on this set. Stone Edge gives Torterra solid coverage and ensures that Flying-types, such as Moltres, will always have something to think about before switching in. Synthesis rounds off the set as it allows Torterra to stay healthy and keep taking hits from serious threats such as Aggron and Rotom-C.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes Torterra's damage output and ensures it can outspeed minimum Speed Lanturn. The rest is put into HP for overall bulk. As many bulkier Pokemon such as Golurk also aim for the same Speed tier, it may might be worth your while to move a few HP EVs over to Speed in order to ensure you Torterra can outspeed and prevent them from doing anything before Torterra strikes. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge if the accuracy bugs you, but the loss in power is rarely worth it. Overgrow is the primary ability choice as it gives Wood Hammer a serious power boost for when you just need Torterra to blast the opposing team one final time. Shell Armor is a bit more niche, but an untimely critical hit can quickly spell the end for Torterra, and possibly cost you the game should Torterra be the last thing keeping something like Rotom-C or Aerodactyl from freely using their STAB moves to finish a match.</p>

<p>This Torterra is one of the most reliable offensive responses to Aggron in the entire tier, so Pokemon that loathe the presence of Aggron, such as Uxie, Spiritomb, and Swellow, are good options to use with Torterra. Swellow is especially notable due to Torterra's ability to waste just about any Rock- or Steel-type in the tier, especially if it runs Earthquake. Bulky Water-type Pokemon are nice choices since as they can come in on most Fire- and Ice-type moves aimed at Torterra while Torterra the turtle is immune to the Electric-type moves they don't like. Slowking, Alomomola, and Poliwrath are all solid choices. Torterra really has nothing to stop Tangrowth from switching in at will, so teammates that can handle it are much appreciated. Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier are all capable of handling Tangrowth with relative ease. Toxic Spikes support is another option and Qwilfish is a great option for this considering it can reliably take on Escavalier and Durant for Torterra.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Bullet Seed / Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band
ability: Overgrow
evs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
nature: Adamant

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While Torterra is capable of using its offensive prowess to sweep with Rock Polish or utilize it alongside its good bulk, a Choice Band turns Torterra into a very potent wallbreaker. Torterra is capable of 2HKOing the vast majority of the RU tier, but as its STABs have many resistances and immunities, one must play with great prediction to get the absolute most out of this set. Wood Hammer is the primary STAB move as it lacks any immunities and is able to smash many of the bulky Water- and Ground-types in the tier, such as Slowking, Alomomola, and Golurk. Eathquake beats up on the Fire- and Steel-type Pokemon expecting to come in on a resisted Wood Hammer, but due to the presence of Levitate users and Flying-type Pokemon, this can be an even riskier move to lock into. Stone Edge is there to crush the Flying-type Pokemon that can otherwise switch in on Torterra's STAB moves and respond accordingly. With the offensive coverage it really needs in three moves, Torterra can use more of a niche utility move in the last slot. Bullet Seed might seem strange, but it does have the ability to hit through Substitutes, Focus Sashes, and Sturdy. Sleep Talk is never a terrible option in a metagame that is infested with sleep inducers at nearly every turn, but one must keep in mind that Torterra can't deal with most sleep inducers, especially Tangrowth, as effectively as other Sleep Talk users such as Emboar, Escavalier, and Druddigon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread maximizes damage output while making sure Torterra will outspeed max Speed Adamant Aggron. As Torterra will rarely ever use the move it chooses in the last slot, there are some other options to look at for it. Toxic can cripple Tangrowth to help Torterra's teammates wear it down faster. Seed Bomb is a bit stronger than Bullet Seed on average, but it lacks the ability to hit through Substitutes. Superpower is there if you really need to deal with Ferroseed in short order, but Earthquake will usually be enough to handle it. A bulkier spread of 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe can be used if you want more bulk with Torterra, but being outsped by Aggron limits Torterra's ability to reliably beat it since this set lacks any kind of recovery.</p>

<p>Like any other Torterra set, you want something to deal with Tangrowth as it simply doesn't care about anything Torterra runs outside of the rare Toxic. Powerful Fire- and Bug-type Pokemon such as Moltres, Emboar, and Escavalier can quickly break down Tangrowth. Alternatively, Spikes support from Qwilfish or Omastar can also be used to wear down Tangrowth and limit the effect Regenerator has. Paralysis support from the likes of Uxie and Slowking can be useful to allow Torterra to have more of an impact against offensive teams. Having sturdy fallback options for when you overpredict or simply don't predict the correct switch-in is a good idea due to the nature of Torterra's STABs. Aerodactyl has blazing fast Speed and can use its typing to check most Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon. Once Torterra has dented the opposing team enough, Life Orb Aerodactyl can easily clean up with its decent power and amazing Speed. Uxie, Mesprit, and Rotom-C are common Levitate Pokemon that can come in for free on Earthquake. Spiritomb fares well against the former two pixies while Rotom-C can find it difficult to handle the likes of Druddigon, Roselia, and even your own Rotom-C. If you can't afford paralysis support, but still wish to fix the Speed issues, then you can use Trick Room. Slowking happens to be a reliable Trick Room setter and have solid synergy with Torterra. However, keep in mind that this will let Escavalier outspeed Torterra since Trick Room makes slower Pokemon move first. Make sure to use a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs and to move all Speed EVs to HP when going this route.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Torterra doesn't have a lot of noteworthy options remaining in its movepool that haven't already been discussed. Of these, Swords Dance is probably the most appealing. Although this doubles Torterra's already beefy Attack stat, it does nothing to fix its Speed issues, and this can prove very problematic in a tier full of faster Fire- and Flying-type Pokemon. Torterra gets dual screens, which is fairly odd for a Grass-type. However, you're better off using Uxie for this since as it is much faster, has much better bulk, and can use either U-turn or Memento to allow its teammates in safely.. (extra period) Crunch is the only noteworthy attacking option that hasn't been discussed as it can smack Exeggutor.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>If you haven't noticed a theme yet, Tangrowth is the best answer to Torterra, hands down. It can switch into Torterra with relative impunity, threaten to put one of Torterra's teammates to sleep, and then just switch back out to regain any health it lost thanks to Regenerator. Outside of Tangrowth, Flying-types such as Moltres can come in on any STAB move, but a swift Stone Edge can ruin their day. Fire-types such as Typhlosion and Emboar also suffer a similar fate when it comes to trying to switch in, but their STAB Fire-type moves can make quick work of Torterra if they can get in safely. Weezing isn't very common, but it doesn't mind anything Torterra has to offer and it can simply use Will-O-Wisp to cripple any Torterra set. Cryogonal is a bit shaky as Wood Hammer and Stone Edge decimate it, but it is immune to Earthquake and can threaten an OHKO with Ice Beam. Cryogonal can also spin away the Stealth Rock that Torterra sets. Most Fire-types can take out Torterra, but they have a much harder time if Torterra gets a Rock Polish boost under its belt before they're able to deal with it. Some Choice Scarf users, such as Durant, Manectric, and Typhlosion, can outspeed Torterra, even after a Rock Polish boost. In general, you're better off using Speed to beat Torterra as many of RU's top physical walls, such as Rhydon, Alomomola, and Steelix, are hit really hard by Torterra's STAB moves, thus letting it muscle past them most of the time.</p>

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