Toxicroak (Analysis)

Toxicroak

Hi C&C. This set was approved by QC here, but the prose and other parts of the writeup had a lot of issues. I will be taking over the writing of Toxicroak's analysis, using what I can from what work alex 67 already did so that it isn't wasted. Anyway, just a heads up, Great Sage gave me permission to post this directly to A&A OU since the set isn't changing any. Cheers.

Status:

[Overview]

<p>When considering Toxicroak for a position on an OU team, it is critical that his unique assets over his more popular comrade, Lucario, be the dealmaker. Toxicroak is immune to the combination of Toxic and Water-type attacks, which allows him to switch in and set up against many of the typical bulky Water-type Pokemon in OU, something that Lucario cannot do. This ability to set up on the omnipresent Water-type Pokemon in OU is almost single-handedly responsible for Toxicroak's viability in the tier.</p>

<p>Despite that quality, Toxicroak has issues with his middling Attack and Speed stats. Lucario has a higher Attack, higher base Speed, an arguably superior priority move in ExtremeSpeed, and more opportunities to set up with his superior defensive typing and multiple 4x resistances. Despite Toxicroak's handy resistances to Dark- and Fighting-type attacks, his weak defensive stats prevent him from even avoiding 2HKOs from popular users of those moves. That Lucario exists is crippling to Toxicroak's presence in OU, but with Toxicroak's unique immunity and resistance palette, he can still be a very viable and powerful threat when given proper support.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop / Low Kick
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Taunt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Every fast and powerful Fighting-type Pokemon's dream is to be the next Lucario, and this is Toxicroak's bid at that role. While Lucario boasts higher Attack, higher Speed, and better priority, Toxicroak can do what Lucario cannot: set up on the common bulky Water-type Pokemon of OU. Swords Dance Toxicroak hits hard after a boost, and many Pokemon are KOed by his diverse type coverage and powerful priority.</p>

<p>Swords Dance is the crux of the set and what makes it all possible. Unfortunately, Toxicroak lacks the quintessential Close Combat that Fighting-type sweepers love, so he must instead rely on the inferior Cross Chop or Low Kick. Low Kick is more reliable than Cross Chop, especially with its better accuracy, but has serious trouble damaging light Pokemon such as Jirachi and Vaporeon. Cross Chop hits hard against everything, but one miss will likely spell doom for the already-troubled Toxicroak. Sucker Punch is the priority move of choice here for its ability to OHKO Gengar, Starmie, and other Pokemon faster than Toxicroak after a Swords Dance boost. Throughout the analysis, you'll notice that Sucker Punch is referred to as inferior to Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, and for good reason. ExtremeSpeed always succeeds, whereas a SubSplit Gengar can use Substitute to defeat a Toxicroak that uses Sucker Punch. As such, prediction is key to the success of this set. The last slot is open to Stone Edge, Taunt, or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge allows Toxicroak to beat the many Flying-type Pokemon that threaten him, such as Dragonite, Zapdos, and especially Gyarados. ThunderPunch is an option for having a reliable and consistent move to use against Gyarados and Tentacruel without having to worry about Stone Edge's 80% accuracy. Taunt enables Toxicroak to beat Pokemon like Rotom-A that might otherwise attempt to set up on it. Also, despite setting up on Water-type Pokemon, Vaporeon, Milotic, and Suicune can easily outstall this set because of ThunderPunch's low Base Power. For this reason, Taunt is valuable to the set's success, despite the reduced coverage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Toxicroak is attempting a sweep with this set, Life Orb is the item of choice. The EVs are straightforward for such a sweeper, with Attack and Speed maxed out. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense so that the rare Porygon-Z doesn't get a Special Attack boost from Download. As Toxicroak isn't fast to begin with and he really needs the power boost, an Adamant nature is preferred to facilitate his sweep. Dry Skin takes the cake as the ability to use, because without it, Toxicroak wouldn't have this set written up to begin with.</p>

<p>It is a very good idea to partner this Toxicroak with Pokemon that either lure what he can set up on or beat what takes him out. It is important to note, however, that Swampert is not the kind of bulky Water-type Pokemon that you want to lure because of his access to STAB Earthquake. Nasty Plot or Mixed Attacker Infernape makes a good offensive partner because he can punch through Swampert with Grass Knot and lure the other bulky Water-types, Vaporeon and Suicune, for Toxicroak to take advantage of. Hidden Power Grass Heatran functions in a similar manner and also handily deals with Scizor, which is important given how he manhandles Toxicroak with Bullet Punch. Gyarados also makes an exceptional Toxicroak partner for being able to punch through Swampert with neutral Waterfall, yet falls short against Suicune and Vaporeon. Toxicroak may also find his way onto Empoleon teams, as he supports the SubPetaya set admirably by setting up on typical checks in Vaporeon and Suicune. Generally, it is a good idea to scout the opposing bulky Water-type's coverage move before bringing Toxicroak in. Revealing him only to have him Roared away is a lackluster experience, to say the least.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Using Toxicroak over Lucario is an interesting prospect, so he really only fits into certain teams with an exceptional vulnerability to bulky Water-type Pokemon. Gyarados makes the best partner because he lures Suicune and Vaporeon, but not Swampert. The Fire-type Pokemon of OU make for the next best partners to Toxicroak, as both Infernape and Heatran have means to get through Swampert, but struggle versus the rest of the Water-types in the tier. SubPetaya Empoleon also functions nicely alongside Toxicroak, as Empoleon has issues with certain Water-type Pokemon depending upon which coverage move he chooses. It is also important when using Toxicroak to provide him with support in the form of the elimination of Gliscor and Gyarados. Gliscor can be eliminated by a mixed attacking Tyranitar with Ice Beam. Tyranitar will also lure most bulky Water-types, although like Toxicroak, it has issues with Swampert. Gyarados can be beaten in any number of ways, but most notably with a bulky Water-type Pokemon of your own or an Electric-type Pokemon to revenge kill him. These Pokemon don't really help Toxicroak much outside of beating Gyarados and the other bulky Water-type Pokemon that might attempt to stall Toxicroak, though.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>It was hard enough finding the options such that Toxicroak could even be viable in OU, so there's really not much to be said here. Nasty Plot does deserve a mention for boosting Toxicroak's Special Attack stat and enabling the use of Vacuum Wave, but that type of set would be just as vulnerable to Gyarados and other typical Toxicroak responses, while adding more weaknesses in the form of Blissey and Snorlax.</p>

[Counters]

<p>It's pretty redundant to just list Lucario's counters here, but there isn't much else to be said. Bar bulky Water-type Pokemon, anything that beats one of Lucario's physical sets also beats the similar Toxicroak set. Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Swampert all put Toxicroak in a world of hurt with STAB Earthquake and great physical bulk. Because of Toxicroak's lack of a reliable physical Dark-type move, bulky Pokemon that the Dark-type covers will bother Toxicroak immensely. Rotom-A and Dusknoir can both switch into Toxicroak and burn him with Will-O-Wisp, while Cresselia walls him to kingdom come if it doesn't attack. Even Gengar, a Pokemon that Sucker Punch really wants to hit, will beat Toxicroak if Gengar carries Substitute. Choice Scarf Tyranitar, while not necessarily a safe switch-in, can soundly beat Toxicroak if carrying Earthquake.</p>

Gear the overview more towards how Toxicroak's niche allows him to counter water types instead of comparing him to Lucario so much. You don't need to remove anything just put a few sentances about it.

Edit:Great!

Toxicroak's unique assets over his more popular comrade, Lucario, be the dealmaker. Toxicroak is immune to both Toxic and Water-type attacks

Click to expand...

Lucario is immune to Toxic as well, so the reference to Toxic should probably be removed.

This is minor, but the EVs IMO should be 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe. This gives you a better LO number as well as preventing Porygon-z with Download to get the SpA boost (I know it's situational, but still).

Orly said:

This is minor, but the EVs IMO should be 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe. This gives you a better LO number as well as preventing Porygon-z with Download to get the SpA boost (I know it's situational, but still).

Click to expand...

Good call, done. I hadn't noticed that in the original set either.

Phantom_IV said:

Lucario is immune to Toxic as well, so the reference to Toxic should probably be removed.

Click to expand...

Yes, but he is not immune to both Toxic and Water-type attacks. It is the combination that really matters.

Toxicroak is immune to the combination of Toxic and Water-type attacks, which allows him to get in and set up against many of the typical bulky Water-type Pokemon in OU, something that Lucario can never claim.

Click to expand...

Lucario sets up easily on Bulky Water's lacking Roar. It's not like their Surf OHKOs him (none of them do without Choice Specs). And Dammit wheres Nasty Plot.

RaikouLover: check the original QC thread (it's listed in the OP of this one), and see that I expressly said that I wanted the thread for discussion related solely to SD Toxicroak, in order not to deviate its original purpose, which was, the analysis of the Swords Dance set. And like I also expressed, if anybody wants to put NP Toxicroak into QC evaluation, feel free to open a thread in the respective area and we will attend it.

Mention somewhere that it works nicely with other certain set-uppers, like SD and NP Ape, DDGyara, SubAgility Empoleon and you're good to go.

Alright, everyone. I have finished writing the analysis and it is now ready for GP checks. If you have content or grammatical concerns, feel free to voice them and I will consider them accordingly.

Additons will be in Bold Blue, Removals in Bold Red and Comments in Bold Black.

[Overview]

<p>When considering Toxicroak for a position on an OU team, it is critical that Toxicroak's unique assets over his more popular comrade, Lucario, be the dealmaker. Toxicroak is immune to the combination of Toxic and Water-type attacks, which allows him to get in and set up against many of the typical bulky Water-type Pokemon in OU, something that Lucario can never claim. This ability to set up on the omnipresent Water-type Pokemon in OU is almost single-handedly responsible for Toxicroak's viability in the tier.</p>

<p>Despite that quality, Toxicroak has issues with his middling Attack and Speed stats. Lucario has a higher Attack, higher base Speed, an arguably superior priority move in ExtremeSpeed, and more opportunities to set up with his superior defensive typing and multiple 4x resistances. Despite Toxicroak's handy resistances to Dark- and Fighting-type attacks, his weak defensive stats prevent him from even avoiding 2HKOs from popular users of those moves. That Lucario exists is crippling to Toxicroak's presence in OU, but with Toxicroak's unique niche immunity and resistance palette, he can still be a very viable and powerful threat with the when given proper support.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop / Low Kick
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Taunt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Every fast-and-powerful Fighting-type Pokemon's dream is to be the next Lucario, and this is Toxicroak's bid at that role. While Lucario boasts a higher Attack, higher Speed, and better priority, Toxicroak can do what Lucario cannot: set up on the bulky Water-type Pokemon of DPP OU. Swords Dance Toxicroak hits hard after a boost, and many things are KOed by his diverse type coverage and still-powerful priority.</p>

<p>Swords Dance is the crux of the set and what makes it all possible. Unfortunately, Toxicroak lacks the quintessential Close Combat that sweeper Fighting-type Pokemon love, so he must instead rely on the inferior Cross Chop or Low Kick. Low Kick is more reliable than Cross Chop, especially with its better accuracy, but has serious trouble damaging light Pokemon, such as Jirachi and Vaporeon. Cross Chop hits hard against everything, but one miss will likely spell doom for the already-troubled Toxicroak. Sucker Punch is the priority move of choice here for its ability to OHKO Gengar, Starmie, and other such faster threats after a Swords Dance boost. Everywhere, you'll notice that Sucker Punch is referred to as inferior to Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, and for good reason. ExtremeSpeed always succeeds, whereas a SubSplit Gengar can use Substitute to defeat a Toxicroak that uses Sucker Punch. Prediction is key. The last slot is given to one of Stone Edge, Taunt, or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge allows Toxicroak to beat the many Flying-type Pokemon that threaten him, such as Dragonite, Zapdos, and especially Gyarados. Taunt can enable Toxicroak to beat Pokemon like Rotom-A who might otherwise attempt to set up on it. Also, despite setting up on Water-type Pokemon, Vaporeon and Milotic (maybe you should include Suicune here?) can easily outstall this set because of ThunderPunch's low Base Power. It is particularly for this reason that Taunt is so valuable to the set's success. ThunderPunch is an available option for having a reliable and consistent move to use against Gyarados and Tentacruel without having to worry about Stone Edge's 80% accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Toxicroak is attempting a sweep with this set, so Life Orb is the item to use. The EVs are straight-forward for such a sweeper, with Attack and Speed maxed out. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense so that the rare Porygon-Z doesn't get a Special Attack boost from Download. As Toxicroak isn't exactly fast to begin with and he really needs the power boost, an Adamant nature is preferred to facilitate his sweep. Dry Skin takes the cake as the ability to use, because without it, Toxicroak wouldn't have this set written up to begin with.</p>

<p>It is a very good idea to partner this Toxicroak with Pokemon that either lure what he can set up on or beat what takes him out. It is important to note, however, that Swampert is not the manner of bulky Water-type Pokemon that you want to lure because of his access to STAB Earthquake. Nasty Plot or Mixed Attacker Infernape makes a good offensive partner for his ability to punch through Swampert with Grass Knot, but generally dislike the lighter or bulkier Water-types in Vaporeon and Suicune. Hidden Power Grass Heatran makes a great partner for his ability to take Fire-type attacks and lure the opponent's bulky Water-type for Toxicroak to take advantage of. Heatran also deals with Scizor handily, which is important given how he manhandles Toxicroak with Bullet Punch. Gyarados also makes an exceptional Toxicroak partner for being able to punch through Swampert with neutral Waterfall, yet fall short against Suicune and Vaporeon. Toxicroak may also find its way onto Empoleon teams, as he supports the SubPetaya set admirably by setting up on typical checks in Vaporeon and Suicune. Generally, it is a good idea to scout the opposing bulky Water-type's coverage move before bringing Toxicroak in. Revealing him only to have him Roared away is a lackluster experience, to say the least.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Using Toxicroak over Lucario is an interesting prospect, so he really only fits into certain teams with an exceptional vulnerability to bulky Water-type Pokemon. Gyarados likely makes the best partner by luring Suicune and Vaporeon, but not Swampert. The Fire-type Pokemon of OU make for the next best partners to Toxicroak, as both Infernape and Heatran have means to get through Swampert, but struggle versus the rest of the Water-types. SubPetaya Empoleon also functions nicely alongside Toxicroak, as Empoleon has issues with certain Water-type Pokemon depending upon which coverage move he chose chooses. It is also important when using Toxicroak to provide him support in the form of the elimination of Gliscor and Gyarados. Gliscor can be eliminated by a mixed attacking Tyranitar with Ice Beam. Tyranitar will also lure most bulky Water-types, although it has issues with Swampert like Toxicroak. Gyarados can be beaten in any number of ways, but most notably with a bulky Water-type Pokemon of your own or an Electric-type Pokemon brought in to revenge kill him. These Pokemon don't really help Toxicroak much outside of beating Gyarados and the other bulky Water-type Pokemon that might attempt to stall Toxicroak, though.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>It was hard enough finding the options such that Toxicroak could even be viable in OU, so what do you really expect to find here? Nasty Plot does deserve a mention for boosting Toxicroak's Special Attack stat and enabling the use of Vacuum Wave, but that type of set would be just as vulnerable to Gyarados and other typical Toxicroak responses, while adding more in the form of Blissey and Snorlax.</p>

[Counters]

<p>For physical sets, listing Lucario's counters is pretty redundant, but there isn't much else to be said here. Bar bulky Water-type Pokemon, anything that beats one of Lucario's physical sets also beats the similar Toxicroak set. Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Swampert all put Toxicroak in a world of hurt with STAB Earthquake and great physical bulk. Because of Toxicroak's lack of a reliable physical Dark-type move, bulky Pokemon that the Dark-type covers will bother Toxicroak immensely. Rotom-A and Dusknoir can both switch into Toxicroak and put it down with Will-O-Wisp, while Cresselia walls it to kingdom come if it doesn't attack. Even Gengar, a Pokemon that Sucker Punch really wants to hit, will beat Toxicroak if he carries Substitute. Choice Scarf Tyranitar, while not necessarily a safe switch-in, can soundly beat Toxicroak if carrying Earthquake. Amusingly, if Tyranitar carries Superpower instead, Toxicroak resists his entire moveset.</p>

Click to expand...

Updated with your catches. Thanks for that.

GP CHECK 1/2

pink is grammar edits
blue is prose edits
red is comments (at paragraph ends)

[Overview]

<p>When considering Toxicroak for a position on an OU team, it is critical that his unique assets over his more popular comrade, Lucario, be the dealmaker. Toxicroak is immune to both Toxic and Water-type attacks, which allows him to switch in on and set up against many of the typical bulky Water-type Pokemon in OU, something that Lucario cannot do. This ability to set up on the omnipresent Water-type Pokemon in OU is almost single-handedly responsible for Toxicroak's viability in the tier.</p>

<p>Despite that quality, Toxicroak has issues with his middling Attack and Speed stats. Lucario has a higher Attack, higher base Speed, an arguably superior priority move in ExtremeSpeed, and more opportunities to set up with his superior defensive typing and multiple 4x resistances. Despite Toxicroak's handy resistances to Dark- and Fighting-type attacks, his weak defensive stats prevent him from even avoiding 2HKOs from popular users of those moves. The fact that Lucario exists is crippling to Toxicroak's presence in OU, but with Toxicroak's unique niche immunity and resistance palette, he can still be a very viable and powerful threat when given proper support.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop / Low Kick
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Taunt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Every fast and powerful Fighting-type Pokemon's dream is to be the next Lucario, and this is Toxicroak's attempt at that role. While Lucario boasts a higher Attack, higher Speed, and better priority, Toxicroak can do what Lucario cannot: set up on the common bulky Water-type Pokemon of OU. Swords Dance Toxicroak hits hard after a boost, and many Pokemon are KOed by his diverse type coverage and powerful priority.</p>

(I was really on the rocks about changing "fast-and-powerful" to read without hyphens, but as it turns out it doesn't need hyphens to modify it, so while the hyphens arent incorrect, it makes more sense to have it read without hyphens)

<p>Swords Dance is the crux of the set and what makes it all possible. Unfortunately, Toxicroak lacks the quintessential Close Combat that Fighting-type sweepers love, so he must instead rely on the inferior Cross Chop or Low Kick. Low Kick is more reliable than Cross Chop, especially with its better accuracy, but has serious trouble damaging light Pokemon such as Jirachi and Vaporeon. Cross Chop hits hard against everything, but one miss will likely spell doom for the already-troubled Toxicroak. Sucker Punch is the priority move of choice here for its ability to OHKO Gengar, Starmie, and other fast threats after a Swords Dance boost. Throughout the analysis you'll notice that Sucker Punch is referred to as inferior to Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, and for good reason. ExtremeSpeed always succeeds, whereas a SubSplit Gengar can use Substitute to defeat a Toxicroak that uses Sucker Punch. As such, prediction is key when utilizing Sucker Punch. The last slot is given to one of Stone Edge, Taunt, or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge allows Toxicroak to beat the many Flying-type Pokemon that threaten him, such as Dragonite, Zapdos, and especially Gyarados. ThunderPunch is an available option for having a reliable and consistent move to use against Gyarados and Tentacruel without having to worry about Stone Edge's 80% accuracy. Taunt enables Toxicroak to beat Pokemon like Rotom-A that might otherwise attempt to set up on it. Also, despite setting up on Water-type Pokemon, Vaporeon, Milotic, and Suicune can easily outstall this set because of ThunderPunch's low Base Power. It is for this reason that Taunt is so valuable to the set's success, despite the reduced coverage.</p>

(imo the sentence "Prediction is key" was too small to stand alone as it was, even though it is technically a correct sentence. I attempted to beef it up, but you might prefer to do it a different way; as long as the sentence gets a bit more content added to it then it's all good)

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Since Toxicroak is attempting a sweep with this set, Life Orb is the item to use. The EVs are straightforward for such a sweeper, with Attack and Speed maxed out. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense so that the rare Porygon-Z doesn't get a Special Attack boost from Download. As Toxicroak isn't fast to begin with and he really needs the power boost, an Adamant nature is preferred to facilitate his sweep. Dry Skin takes the cake as the ability to use, because without it, Toxicroak wouldn't have this set written up to begin with.</p>

<p>It is a very good idea to partner this Toxicroak with Pokemon that either lure what he can set up on or beat what takes him out. It is important to note, however, that Swampert is not the kind of bulky Water-type Pokemon that you want to lure because of his access to STAB Earthquake. Nasty Plot or Mixed Attacker Infernape makes a good offensive partner for his ability to punch through Swampert with Grass Knot, but generally dislikes the lighter or bulkier Water-types in Vaporeon and Suicune. Hidden Power Grass Heatran makes a great partner as he can take Fire-type attacks and lure the opponent's bulky Water-type for Toxicroak to take advantage of. Heatran also deals with Scizor handily, which is important given how he manhandles Toxicroak with Bullet Punch. Gyarados also makes an exceptional Toxicroak partner for being able to punch through Swampert with neutral Waterfall, yet falls short against Suicune and Vaporeon. Toxicroak may also find his way onto Empoleon teams, as he supports the SubPetaya set admirably by setting up on typical checks in Vaporeon and Suicune. Generally, it is a good idea to scout the opposing bulky Water-type's coverage move before bringing Toxicroak in. Revealing him only to have him Roared away is a lackluster experience.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Using Toxicroak over Lucario is an interesting prospect, so he really only fits into certain teams with an exceptional vulnerability to bulky Water-type Pokemon. Gyarados likely makes the best partner as he lures Suicune and Vaporeon, but not Swampert. The Fire-type Pokemon of OU make for the next best partners to Toxicroak, as both Infernape and Heatran have means to get through Swampert, but struggle versus the rest of the Water-types in the tier. SubPetaya Empoleon also functions nicely alongside Toxicroak, as Empoleon has issues with certain Water-type Pokemon depending upon which coverage move he chooses. It is also important when using Toxicroak to provide him with support in the form of the elimination of Gliscor and Gyarados. Gliscor can be eliminated by a mixed attacking Tyranitar with Ice Beam. Tyranitar will also lure most bulky Water-types, although like Toxicroak, has issues with Swampert. Gyarados can be beaten in any number of ways, but most notably with a bulky Water-type Pokemon of your own or an Electric-type Pokemon brought in to revenge kill him. These Pokemon don't really help Toxicroak much outside of beating Gyarados and the other bulky Water-type Pokemon that might attempt to stall Toxicroak, though.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>It was hard enough finding the options such that Toxicroak could even be viable in OU, so what do you really expect to find here? Nasty Plot does deserve a mention for boosting Toxicroak's Special Attack stat and enabling the use of Vacuum Wave, but that type of set would be just as vulnerable to Gyarados and other typical Toxicroak responses, while adding more weaknesses in the form of Blissey and Snorlax.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Listing Lucario's counters for his physical sets is pretty redundant, but there isn't much else to be said here. Bar bulky Water-type Pokemon, anything that beats one of Lucario's physical sets also beats the similar Toxicroak set. Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Swampert all put Toxicroak in a world of hurt with STAB Earthquake and great physical bulk. Because of Toxicroak's lack of a reliable physical Dark-type move, bulky Pokemon that the Dark-type covers will bother Toxicroak immensely. Rotom-A and Dusknoir can both switch into Toxicroak and put him down with Will-O-Wisp, while Cresselia walls him to kingdom come if it doesn't attack. Even Gengar, a Pokemon that Sucker Punch really wants to hit, will beat Toxicroak if he carries Substitute. Choice Scarf Tyranitar, while not necessarily a safe switch-in, can soundly beat Toxicroak if carrying Earthquake.</p>

(I didnt really see the point of the final sentence in the above para so I removed it, but if it was there for some reason/you just liked it there, then feel free to keep it)

Click to expand...

Nice job as always RD; I never considered Toxicroak a viable option in OU, but this analysis convinced me otherwise :)

Thanks for the check, Snorlaxe. I took most of your edits, but didn't take a few of the prose changes after talking to some other GP members about them. Cheers.

Grammar-Prose Check 2/2:
additions in bold
removals in red
comments in green

[Overview]

<p>When considering Toxicroak for a position on an OU team, it is critical to consider that his unique assets over his more popular comrade, Lucario, be the dealmaker. Toxicroak is immune to the combination of Toxic and Water-type attacks, which allows him to switch get in and set up against many of the typical bulky Water-type Pokemon in OU, something that Lucario cannot do. This ability to set up on the omnipresent Water-type Pokemon in OU is almost singlehandedly single-handedly [american spelling means no hyphen] responsible for Toxicroak's viability in the tier.</p>

<p>Despite that quality, Toxicroak has issues with his middling Attack and Speed stats. Lucario has a higher Attack, higher base Speed, an arguably superior priority move in ExtremeSpeed, and more opportunities to set up with his superior defensive typing and multiple 4x resistances. Despite Toxicroak's handy resistances to Dark- and Fighting-type attacks, his weak defensive stats prevent him from even avoiding 2HKOs from popular users of those moves. That Lucario exists is crippling to Toxicroak's presence in OU, but with Toxicroak's unique immunity and resistance palette, he can still be a very viable and powerful threat when given proper support.</p>

[SET]
name: OU Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop / Low Kick
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Taunt / ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Every fast and powerful Fighting-type Pokemon's dream is to be the next Lucario, and this is Toxicroak's bid at that role. While Lucario boasts a higher Attack, higher Speed, and better priority, Toxicroak can do what Lucario cannot: set up on the common bulky Water-type Pokemon of OU. Swords Dance Toxicroak hits hard after a boost, and many Pokemon are KOed by his diverse type coverage and powerful priority.</p>

<p>Swords Dance is the crux of the set and what makes it all possible. Unfortunately, Toxicroak lacks the quintessential Close Combat that Fighting-type sweepers love, so he must instead rely on the inferior Cross Chop or Low Kick. Low Kick is more reliable than Cross Chop, especially with its better accuracy, but has serious trouble damaging light Pokemon such as Jirachi and Vaporeon. Cross Chop hits hard against everything, but one miss will likely spell doom for the already-troubled Toxicroak. Sucker Punch is the priority move of choice here for its ability to OHKO Gengar, Starmie, and other Pokemon faster than Toxicroak after a Swords Dance boost. Throughout the analysis, you'll notice that Sucker Punch is referred to as inferior to Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, and for good reason. ExtremeSpeed always succeeds, whereas a SubSplit Gengar can use Substitute to defeat a Toxicroak that uses Sucker Punch. As such, prediction is key to the success of this set. The last slot is given to one of Stone Edge, Taunt, or ThunderPunch. Stone Edge allows Toxicroak to beat the many Flying-type Pokemon that threaten him, such as Dragonite, Zapdos, and especially Gyarados. ThunderPunch is an available option for having a reliable and consistent move to use against Gyarados and Tentacruel without having to worry about Stone Edge's 80% accuracy. Taunt enables Toxicroak to beat Pokemon like Rotom-A that might otherwise attempt to set up on it. Also, despite setting up on Water-type Pokemon, Vaporeon, Milotic, and Suicune can easily outstall this set because of ThunderPunch's low Base Power. It is For this reason, that Taunt is so valuable to the set's success, despite the reduced coverage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Toxicroak is attempting a sweep with this set, Life Orb is the item of choice to use. The EVs are straightforward for such a sweeper, with Attack and Speed maxed out. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense so that the rare Porygon-Z doesn't get a Special Attack boost from Download. As Toxicroak isn't fast to begin with and he really needs the power boost, an Adamant nature is preferred to facilitate his sweep. Dry Skin takes the cake as the ability to use, because without it, Toxicroak wouldn't have this set written up to begin with.</p>

<p>It is a very good idea to partner this Toxicroak with Pokemon that either lure what he can set up on or beat what takes him out. It is important to note, however, that Swampert is not the kind of bulky Water-type Pokemon that you want to lure because of his access to STAB Earthquake. Nasty Plot or Mixed Attacker Infernape makes a good offensive partner because of for his ability to punch through Swampert with Grass Knot, but generally dislikes the lighter or bulkier Water-types like in Vaporeon and Suicune. Hidden Power Grass Heatran makes a great partner because he can take Fire-type attacks with ease and lure the opponent's bulky Water-type for Toxicroak to take advantage of. Heatran also handily deals with Scizor handily, which is important given how he destroys manhandles Toxicroak with Bullet Punch. Gyarados also makes an exceptional Toxicroak partner for being able to punch through Swampert with neutral Waterfall, yet falls short against Suicune and Vaporeon. Toxicroak may also find his way onto Empoleon teams, as he supports the SubPetaya set admirably by setting up on typical checks in Vaporeon and Suicune. Generally, it is a good idea to scout the opposing bulky Water-type's coverage move before bringing in Toxicroak in. Revealing him only to have him Roared away is a lackluster experience, to say the least.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Using Toxicroak over Lucario is an interesting prospect, so he really only fits into certain teams with an exceptional vulnerability to bulky Water-type Pokemon. Gyarados makes the best partner because he lures Suicune and Vaporeon, but not Swampert. The Fire-type Pokemon of OU make for the next best partners to Toxicroak, as both Infernape and Heatran have means to get through Swampert, but struggle versus the rest of the Water-types in the tier. SubPetaya Empoleon also functions nicely alongside Toxicroak, as Empoleon has issues with certain Water-type Pokemon depending upon which coverage move he chooses. It is also important when using Toxicroak to provide him with support in the form of the elimination of Gliscor and Gyarados. Gliscor can be eliminated by a mixed attacking Tyranitar with Ice Beam. Tyranitar will also lure most bulky Water-types, although like Toxicroak, it has issues with Swampert. Gyarados can be beaten in a any number of ways, but most notably with a bulky Water-type Pokemon of your own or an Electric-type Pokemon brought in to revenge kill him. These Pokemon don't really help Toxicroak much outside of beating Gyarados and the other bulky Water-type Pokemon that might attempt to stall Toxicroak, though.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>It was hard enough finding the options such that Toxicroak could even be viable in OU, so what do you really expect to find here? [I don't like this sentence, it's pretty redundant and sounds almost disdainful] Nasty Plot does deserve a mention for boosting Toxicroak's Special Attack stat and enabling the use of Vacuum Wave, but that type of set would be just as vulnerable to Gyarados and other typical Toxicroak responses, while adding more weaknesses in the form of Blissey and Snorlax.</p>

[Counters]

<p>It's pretty redundant to just list Lucario's counters here, but there isn't much else to be said. Bar bulky Water-type Pokemon, anything that beats one of Lucario's physical sets also beats the similar Toxicroak set. Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Swampert all put Toxicroak in a world of hurt with STAB Earthquake and great physical bulk. Because of Toxicroak's lack of a reliable physical Dark-type move, bulky Pokemon that the Dark-type covers will bother Toxicroak immensely. Rotom-A and Dusknoir can both switch into Toxicroak and burn him put him down with Will-O-Wisp, while Cresselia walls him to kingdom come if it doesn't attack. Even Gengar, a Pokemon that Sucker Punch really wants to hit, will beat Toxicroak if Gengar he carries Substitute. Choice Scarf Tyranitar, while not necessarily a safe switch-in, can soundly beat Toxicroak if carrying Earthquake.</p>

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Nice analysis R_D, vast majority of my edits were prose-related, with one or two gender reference issues. I cut out some unnecessary words and phrases, and made it a bit more concise. Aside from that, however, this was a very well-written analysis.

I implemented basically all of your changes except a few of the ones you made for conciseness. The removal of some of those phrases would drastically change the voice of the analysis. Otherwise, looks great! Thanks!

I was going to upload this, but it turned out that Toxicroak hasn't even had a UU update yet. This means that Toxicroak currently doesn't have UU Overview, TO, etc. I have to consult with the other C&C Mods as to what to do in this situation before uploading. The analysis is done, though, so yeah good job Rising_Dusk!

Uploaded under the same terms as Torterra.

Good job!