Togekiss
QC:[3/3] - dodmen / Bouff / GrilledClawitzer
GP:[1/1] - P Squared
[OVERVIEW]
* Togekiss's main niche is dismantling bulky cores.
* Fairy / Flying is an excellent defensive typing that allows Togekiss to take on otherwise dangerous Pokemon like Hydreigon, Krookodile, Conkeldurr, and most Gliscor sets, along with being resistant to Pursuit trapping.
* The combination of Serene Grace and Air Slash invalidates most defensive counterplay.
* Thunder Wave can be use to cripple offensive checks and shift odds heavily in your favor of the opponent not attacking with the combination of full paralysis and Air Slash flinches.
* Togekiss has a middling base 80 Speed tier and is vulnerable to many common Pokemon such as Raikou, Mega Aerodactyl, Bisharp, Scizor, and Gengar.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Air Slash
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Heal Bell / Thunder Wave
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Nasty Plot instantly doubles Togekiss's Special Attack, giving it considerable offensive presence.
* Heal Bell allows Togekiss to cure itself of status conditions and in conjunction with Nasty Plot, allows Togekiss to sweep through bulky teams while making it hard for passive damage to wear it down.
* Roost is a necessity to keep Togekiss healthy throughout a match and to outlast many bulky Pokemon that it breaks.
* Air Slash is the STAB move of choice, with no Pokemon immune to it and a 60% chance to cause a flinch in conjunction with Serene Grace.
* Thunder Wave can be used to stack the 25% chance of full paralysis and the 60% chance of flinching with Air Slash, along with crippling faster checks to Togekiss.
Set Details
========
* A simple spread of maximum HP and maximum Speed gives Togekiss a fair amount of bulk while outpacing all Pokemon up to base 80 Speed.
* Leftovers increases Togekiss's longevity while giving it passive recovery while attacking.
* A more defensive spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe with a Bold nature, or 252 HP / 160 SpD / 96 Spe with a Calm nature, can be used with Thunder Wave, allowing Togekiss to utilize more bulk while outpacing paralyzed Jolly Mega Aerodactyl and Modest Primarina.
Usage Tips
========
* Avoid switching Togekiss into many heavy hits, as this set trades bulk for speed.
* Togekiss can come in on passive Pokemon such as Blissey and set up on them. Its access to Heal Bell allows it to not only beat even Toxic variants of such Pokemon but also support its teammates by curing them from status conditions.
* Thunder Wave variants can defeat some of Togekiss's conventional checks, as the combination of a potential full paralysis and potential Air Slash flinches skews the odds to be in Togekiss's favor.
Team Options
========
* As a Nasty Plot Togekiss doesn't have room for Defog, Togekiss greatly appreciates a partner that can use Rapid Spin or Defog to remove Stealth Rock to assist its longevity, such as Starmie or Empoleon.
* Toxic Spikes users like Nidoqueen, Tentacruel, and Roserade make good partners for Togekiss, with Toxic Spikes wearing away at checks such as Raikou and Unaware Clefable.
* Hippowdon or Swampert makes for a good Togekiss partner, as they can switch into Raikou, Mega Aerodactyl, and Cobalion.
* Steel-types such as Empoleon and Bronzong make good teammates for Togekiss, as they can reliably switch into many Ice- and Poison-type moves that threaten it.
* Cobalion can be used alongside Togekiss to switch into Bisharp and Scizor. Alternatively, Magneton can trap and eliminate Scizor with Magnet Pull.
* Special attackers like Keldeo, Primarina, and Raikou appreciate Togekiss's ability to break down conventional special walls like Blissey and Amoonguss.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Air Slash
move 2: Heal Bell / Thunder Wave
move 3: Roost
move 4: Defog / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Air Slash is able to make its targets flinch 60% of the time with Serene Grace.
* Roost is necessary for Togekiss's longevity throughout a match.
* Heal Bell support clears status conditions from Togekiss's team.
* Togekiss can use Defog to clear hazards from the field.
* Thunder Wave can be used to cripple fast or threatening Pokemon.
Set Details
========
* This set gives up Togekiss's ability to break bulky Pokemon in favor of utilizing its defensive utility and supporting its team.
* 96 Speed EVs allow Togekiss to outspeed paralyzed Mega Aerodactyl, as well as Modest maximum Speed Primarina and Adamant maximum Speed Bewear.
* Leftovers gives Togekiss passive recovery that it appreciates while not using Roost.
* The remaining EVs are dumped into the defense of choice to maximize bulk.
* An EV spread of 252 HP / 160 SpD / 96 Spe with a Calm nature can be used if you would prefer Togekiss to be specially bulky.
Usage Tips
========
* Togekiss can switch in more consistently on Pokemon such as Krookodile, Mega Absol, Hydreigon, Conkeldurr, and Flygon with this set's increased bulk.
* Togekiss can still wear down walls that lack reliable recovery like Swampert, Forretress, and Amoonguss without the option to boost with Nasty Plot.
* Account for Togekiss's increased passiveness, as without Nasty Plot or Thunder Wave, it offers a free switch in for threats such as Bisharp.
Team Options
========
* Hippowdon or Swampert provides Togekiss with a partner that can switch into Mega Aerodactyl and Raikou.
* Cobalion checks Bisharp well in the case that Bisharp switches into Defog and gets an Attack boost from Defiant.
* Wallbreakers and sweepers such as Keldeo, Haxorus, Raikou, Cobalion, and Primarina appreciate Heal Bell support to mitigate bothersome status conditions from crippling them or wearing them down.
* Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon such as Volcanion and Mega Aerodactyl greatly appreciate Togekiss removing hazards via Defog.
* Conservative setup sweepers like Calm Mind Suicune and Curse Snorlax appreciate Heal Bell support to utilize Rest without having to sleep for two turns afterwards.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Togekiss can utilize several options in its expansive movepool including Aura Sphere, Dazzling Gleam, Grass Knot, and Shadow Ball.
* Flamethrower or Fire Blast is an effective way of dealing large damage to Scizor, Bisharp, Cobalion, and Magneton.
* Togekiss has access to many alternative support options including Encore, Tailwind, and Wish.
* Choice Specs can be used with a set of Air Slash / Dazzling Gleam / Fire Blast / Trick or Aura Sphere to allow Togekiss to hit its conventional checks extremely hard with the great coverage the set provides.
* A niche Choice Scarf set can be used to surprise and pick off many Pokemon that would seek to outspeed and threaten Togekiss, but it is somewhat outclassed by a myriad of other Choice Scarf Pokemon and is still outsped by Mega Aerodactyl.
* More offensive variants of its Nasty Plot set are a possibility, as it can forgo moves such as Heal Bell and potentially even Roost in favor of additional coverage. It would run a more offensive spread with maximum Speed and Special Attack as opposed to the bulky one it usually runs.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Clefable**: Unaware Clefable can take on Nasty Plot Togekiss with relative ease, as it takes little damage from unboosted, uninvested Air Slash and can wait out any flinches until it can successfully use Wish or Moonlight.
**Electric-types**: Raikou has the natural special bulk to take very little from all of Togekiss's attacks, is resistant to Flying and immune to paralysis from Thunder Wave, and can threaten Togekiss with super effective Electric-type attacks. Magneton also 4x resists Air Slash and is immune to Thunder Wave, but it must be wary of potential Fire Blast or Aura Sphere.
**Mega Aerodactyl**: Mega Aerodactyl can switch fairly safely into any Togekiss set lacking Thunder Wave and threaten it with super effective Stone Edge.
**Posion-types**: Gengar, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and Tentacruel can all potentially outspeed Togekiss and threaten to hit it with super effective Sludge Wave, while Crobat and Gengar can also shut down Togekiss's attempt to set up or spread paralysis using Taunt.
**Steel-types**: Scizor and Metagross can switch into Togekiss that lack Fire-type moves and attack with super effective Bullet Punch before Togekiss has a chance to make them flinch with Air Slash. Specially defensive Empoleon takes little damage from even boosted Air Slashes and can phaze Togekiss out with Roar. Bisharp also doesn't take much from Air Slash and can take advantage of supportive sets by switching into Defog and gaining an Attack boost from Defiant. Cobalion is not as sturdy a switch-in as other Steel-types but can outspeed Togekiss by a fair margin and threaten it with Iron Head.
**Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Kyurem and Alolan Ninetales threaten to KO Togekiss with powerful super effective Ice-type moves. Most must be wary of switching into a Thunder Wave, though, as this can give Togekiss a fair chance to beat them in a one-on-one scenario.
**Status**: While Togekiss can typically freely use Heal Bell against more passive pokemon like Blissey, using Heal Bell means a potential free switch in for threats such as Bisharp and Scizor. Sets without Heal Bell must be wary of status, as this leaves Togekiss heavily crippled from paralysis or poison with no way to cure itself.
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