PU Torkoal

[Dundies]

QC: Anty / galbia / Raiza.
GP: Goddess Briyella / ?

Overview
########

Torkoal's access to Shell Smash, which allows it to take out common spinblockers such as Misdreavus and Haunter, gives it a niche over other Rapid Spin users and Fire-types. Along with the already great utility move in Rapid Spin, Torkoal also has access to Stealth Rock, and its great Defense allows it to switch in on physical attackers such as Leafeon and Pawniard. Sadly, Torkoal is weak to Stealth Rock itself without having reliable recovery, and it is also extremely slow, meaning it loses to speedier offensive Pokemon. As an offensive Pokemon, it has limited coverage, making it very predictable.


Offensive Rapid Spin
########
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Shell Armor
item: Life Orb / White Herb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

With a Shell Smash boost, Torkoal can beat common spinblockers such as Misdreavus and Haunter. Fire Blast is Torkoal's main STAB move, and is chosen for its sheer power. Earth Power allows Torkoal to break through Pokemon that switch into Fire Blast, such as Ninetales and Probopass. Once Torkoal lured in spinblockers and dealt enough damage to your opponent's team, it can Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards and keep other team members healthy. Hidden Power Electric can also be useful over Earth Power to damage bulky Water-types such as Poliwrath and Pelipper, even being able to OHKO the latter of the two.

Set Details
========

A Timid nature with max Speed is essential to allow Torkoal to outspeed spinblockers such as Misdreavus after a Shell Smash. Max Special Attack is used to help dish out as much damage as possible. A Life Orb lets Torkoal OHKO Misdreavus after Stealth Rock, but leaves Torkoal vulnerable to priority and faster Pokemon. Using a White Herb means Torkoal's defenses won't drop after the first Shell Smash, allowing Torkoal to survive priority moves such as Life Orb Carracosta's Aqua Jet.

Usage Tips
========

Torkoal should be brought in to remove entry hazards for other team members, especially against physical attackers such as Leafeon and Pawniard, as they do damage to it and it can Rapid Spin on them. Make sure to Rapid Spin before hazards can cripple Torkoal or its team too much, but wait until the opponent's hazard setters can't easily set them back up. Although Torkoal has the power after a Shell Smash to sweep, it should only Shell Smash when it needs to beat spinblockers. If facing a more frail spinblocker such as Haunter, use Fire Blast, but if there is a bulky spinblocker such as Misdreavus, set up a Shell Smash. Torkoal can also be helpful for punching holes in bulkier teams. Once you have taken out all of your opponent's Pokemon that are faster than Torkoal at +2, you can use Torkoal as a sweeper.


Team Options
========

Torkoal works well with Pokemon that don't appreciate entry hazards, such as Jumpluff and Dodrio, as Torkoal beats common spinblockers after a Shell Smash and removes hazards. Torkoal appreciates Grass- and Electric-types such as Jumpluff, Gourgeist, Raichu, and Rotom-F as partners to check Water-types. Torkoal appreciates bulky Water-types such as Poliwrath and Pelipper as teammates, because they can take on Water- and Ground-types that Torkoal can't take on as well. Torkoal appreciates a slow Volt Switch or U-turn to bring it in, as it doesn't appreciate taking any unnecessary damage. This set fits best on offensive teams, as it has great offensive presence along with the utility of Rapid Spin to help other offensive Pokemon such as Sturdy and Focus Sash users.


Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Lava Plume
move 3: Toxic / Earthquake
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Shell Armor
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD
nature: Bold / Relaxed

Moves
========

Stealth Rock allows Torkoal to rack up damage on the opposing team's Pokemon every time they switch in. Lava Plume is a very spammable STAB move with a 30% chance to burn every time it's used, meaning physical attackers cannot safely set up on Torkoal. Toxic sets Pokemon on a timer and wears them down quickly, and Earthquake hits Pokemon such as Ninetales and Flareon, making Torkoal more of a threat to them. Run a Bold nature if you are using Toxic and a Relaxed nature if you are using Earthquake, so that Torkoal's Earthquake won't be weakened. Yawn is an alternate option over Toxic and Earthquake that forces switches, allowing Torkoal to rack up more Stealth Rock damage, and provides a turn to Rapid Spin as the foe switches. Rapid Spin lets Torkoal clear away entry hazards.

Set Details
========

With 248 HP EVs, Torkoal can switch into Stealth Rock four times, and with 28 SpD EVs it can take Ancient Power from offensive Tangela twice or Sludge Bomb twice from offensive Roselia. With 232 Defense EVs and a Bold nature, Torkoal can take plenty of physical hits. Leftovers are essential to allow Torkoal to gain small bits of recovery. A Relaxed nature should be used with Earthquake.

Usage Tips
========

Torkoal is able to switch into common physical setup sweepers such as Leafeon and Pawniard, and should mainly be used to set up Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin away entry hazards. Torkoal should stay in and Rapid Spin on Pokemon that it isn't threatened much by, such as passive walls or physical attackers. Torkoal is very physically bulky, but because it doesn't have access to reliable recovery, it isn't able to switch into too many hits. Be wary of Ghost-types, as they can block Rapid Spin and some of them, such as Misdreavus, can wear Torkoal down. Lava Plume and Toxic are very spammable moves that can easily cripple the foe. Make sure that Torkoal doesn't take too much residual damage from hazards or Toxic, as it is easily worn down.

Team Options
========

Defensive Torkoal works well with Wish and Heal Bell support provided by clerics such as Lickilicky, as it doesn't have reliable recovery and it is easily worn down by entry hazards and Toxic. Because Torkoal has weak Special Defense, it is important to have a Pokemon more suitable to switch into those kinds of attacks, such as Lickilicky. Grass-types such as Tangela and Gourgeist are great options to go along with Torkoal, as some of Torkoal's main weaknesses are covered by them and Torkoal covers most of their weaknesses in exchange. Defensive Torkoal fits with more defensive playstyles, such as stall or bulky offense. Certain hazard-weak Pokemon such as Rotom-F and Togetic pair well with Torkoal because it can Rapid Spin away hazards for them. Torkoal works well on teams that rely on keeping away entry hazards but can't afford to use Defog. Torkoal appreciates a slow Volt Switch or U-turn, allowing it to come in for free so that it doesn't have to take any extra damage. Lastly, Torkoal also appreciates a Pursuit trapper such as Pawniard, which can take out Ghost-types that try to prevent Torkoal from spinning.


Other Options
########

Torkoal can use Clear Smog to prevent opposing Pokemon from setting up on it, and Rock Slide or Stone Edge to hit Pokemon such as Swanna and Pelipper more effectively.

Checks & Counters
########

**Passive Damage**: Passive damage such as from entry hazards and Toxic easily wear Torkoal down because it doesn't have access to recovery.

**Special Attackers**: With Torkoal's weak Special Defense stat, it is unable to take most special attacks, such as Psychic from Beheeyem.

**Faster Attackers**: Torkoal is extremely slow, so even after a Shell Smash it is easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Floatzel.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Swanna, Pelipper, and Poliwrath can take any hit from Torkoal, even after a Shell Smash, and retaliate with super effective STAB attacks.

**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Zweilous can easily take Torkoal's Lava Plume, and with Torkoal's lack of recovery, it struggles to beat them while it's easily worn down.

 

[Anty]

er Dundies this should be in bullet point form untill you reach 2 QC checks (ie what you have done with the overview)

 

[Dundies]

er Dundies this should be in bullet point form untill you reach 2 QC checks (ie what you have done with the overview)

ok. sorry about that, first analysis :p

 

[ManOfMany]

Hi Dundies, I definitely believe earthquake should be given a mention in OO or even given a slash on the defensive set. I have been using defensive Koal a lot, and it is really helpful in countering pokemon such as Rapidash and Flareon (which Torkoal is supposed to counter), dealing damage to Raichu, and striking overconfident Probopasses hard.

 

[Anty]

Shell Smash
########
Set Details
========
What are the pokes which torkoal needs max speed for? (mention them). There is no need to give the exact special attack stat, just say that you run spatk evs for more power. Basculin outspeeds +2 torkoal so will most likely go for the OHKO with waterfall.

Usage Tips
========
This doesnt really say much for how torkoal should be used. You should say talk about when and how to use torkoal, ie when you need hazards to be off the field, Torkoal should only shell smash if the opponent has a bulky ghost type, if haunter just fire blast. Torkoal is never sweeping through teams late game considering it reaches ~88 speed after a shell smash and has no recovery. Switching into physical hits is a bit risky if you need to torkoal to smash, considering hazards will be up and it has no recovery + bad typing

Team Options
========
You need a lot more here. You should talk about pokes that torkoal appreciates, eg electric types for water types. Also talk about what type of team torkoal fits on, ie offensive

Defensive
########
I agree with pokey man that EQ should have a slash instead of yawn, as it is crucial in checking fires as sub ninetales just uses torkoal as set up fodder otherwise (ofc used over epower for more damage on ninetales), also slash a relaxed nature. Move yawn to oo as most switch ins hate a burn or a toxic and they can just switch out of a yawn.

Moves
========
The last point doesnt really say anything about moves, specifically say rapid spin allows it to clear hazards.

Set Details
========
Dont mention rocky helmet, having some recovery is a lot more important

Usage Tips
========
There should be more mentioning about what to use, eg stealth rock or rapid spin is its main priorities, and then it can spam laza plume or toxic to cripple switch ins

Team Options
========
Again with type synergy, but this time it should be more defensively, like grass types to switch into water types. Again state what type of team this torkoal set fits on.

Checks & Counters
########
This is badly structured. Each point should have a title-like thing describing the checks/counters generally, then talk about the specific pokes. Look at my raichu analysis for example; http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/raichu-qc-0-3.3531008/

Dundies

 

[g]

Can someone provide calcs of a physically defensive spread versus a specially defensive one? It might be cool to handle ninetales and stuff like roselia/tangela quite a lot better :]

 

[Dundies]

Anty how does this look?

 

[Anty]

Physically defensive should be the way to go as it checks a lot more physical attackers. Although one important calc i see where it needs spdef is:
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 28 SpD Torkoal: 218-257 (63.5 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
It needs a decent amount of defense EVs to be able to take leafeon leaf blade + two stealth rocks (including lefties) + a +2 knock off w/ item from leafeon (which 248/236+ can take)

252 Atk Life Orb Sneasel Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Torkoal: 125-148 (36.4 - 43.1%) -- 24.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Life Orb Sneasel Knock Off vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Torkoal: 83-99 (24.1 - 28.8%) -- 95.1% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock
if my math is correct you can die to that + rocks if high damage rolls

Spdef spread does let you tank things like 2 hp rocks from tangela and 2 sludge bombs from offensive rose, but physically defensive is much more important (spdef spread in set details definitely

galbia /other qc thoughts? (i think 248/236+/28 is nice tho assuming i did the maths correctly)

 

[g]

yes it should definitely be the main spread in my opinion

 

[Dundies]

this is ready for QC

 

[Anty]

In the overview, firstly specifically say its niche, and also you can expand a bit more on 'good physical bulk' (and other points) like saying 'its good ph def and typing allow it to check scary attackers such as Leafeon'

Shell Smash
########
When talking about shell smash dont just say 'its speed etc' say that it boosts its attacks and speed allowing it break through spin blockers.
Also say that timid is essential for beating the spinblockers in set details
Haunter is the only example of the frail ghost as it is the only one that outspeeds you after a boost and that you can ohko w/o boosting. You should talk in UT more about when to smash, ie not to early that they can easily get back up their hazards and torkoal is weakened, but not too late to where hazards have already crippled torkoal. Also say that torkoal should only smash when it needs to, flat out rapid spinning is often better if the opp doesnt have a spinner
In TO you need to talk about specific pokes that patch up its weaknesses, eg 'grass types such as xyz check waters', etc

Defensive
########
Firstly use this spread:

248 (hp) /236+ (def) /28 (spdef)
(Reasoning) +2 252 SpA Life Orb Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 28 SpD Torkoal: 218-257 (63.5 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
It needs a decent amount of defense EVs to be able to take leafeon leaf blade + two stealth rocks (including lefties) + a +2 knock off w/ item from leafeon (which 248/236+ can take)

Talk about eq in moves
Specifically say in set details to use relaxed with eq and bold w/o; it may seem obvious but still has to be said
In UT instead of saying 'Able to get off damage and possibly a burn with Lava Plume or Toxic' say something like 'Lava Plume and Toxic are its most spammable moves as they cripple the foe' (probably bad wording on my part). Also say to not let it take too much damage as it is easily warn down
For TO i dont really get this point:
'Partners that are weak to Physical sweepers such as Pawniard and Leafeon pair well with Torkoal since it can take any hit from most of them relatively well, even at +2'
These pokes are no more physically weak as they are specially weak

Dundies

 

[Dundies]

Made the changes Anty what do you think?

 

[Anty]

In the overview, specifically say its niche over other defensive fire types is rapid spin

2nd set:
Remember in set details for second set to talk about leftovers. Talk more about pokes that beat its weaknesses in TO, eg grass types for ground pokes

C&C:
Add **Special Attackers** since it is easy revenge killed by strong spatkers like beheeyem. You can merge hazards with toxic and just call it **Passive Damage**. Add another bit for **Special Walls** and **Faster Pokemon**, the former should be about both sets as pokes like licki can tank any hit, while the latter is just for the shell smash set. IMO you should remove taunt as the only common user you will stay in on is missy which gets warn down by lava plume/will probably shadow ball or set up NP

Dundies looks good

 

[Dundies]

thanks Anty just made those changes, hows that?

 

[Raiza]

some suggestions for you about the Shell Smash Set as the other one looks very good

In Overview ''With Shell Smash along with Rapid Spin, it is able to take out common spin blockers'' I would either remove Rapid Spin or explain why it is useful to take out Rapid Spin users (baits them in)

''Weak to Stealth Rocks'' Along with that mention that it also lacks a reliable recovery, because that actually keeps it from being a premier choice as a Rapid Spin user in the tier.

In moves ''With a Shell Smash boost, Torkoal can break through common spin blockers'' Already said that in the Overview so reword it (Shell Smash lets Torkoal surprise common spin blockers for example or whatever else)

Specify that Fire Blast is Torkoal's main STAB move and why it's used over other Fire-type STAB moves.

Rapid Spin doesn't really allow other team members to sweep directly, I would rather say it keeps them healthy so yeah it helps them in a certain way.

I actually saw some Torkoal running a Modest nature so you could try to mention it and discuss on pro and cons (lack of power for gain of speed and vice versa, ie: what KOs you gain with Modest) in set details

In usage tips ''If there is a more frail spin blocker such as Haunter, use Fire Blast but if there is a bulky spin blocker such as Misdreavus, set up a Shell Smash, allowing you to pick up a 2HKO'' When against bulky spin blockers such as Misdreavus it actually depends on the set it runs, because Taunt can prevent Torkoal from Shell Smash, negating an big source of damage and forcing Torkoal's switch most of the time so it shouldn't really go for a Shell Smash all the times if it didn't already scout Missy's set.

In TO Torkoal also appreciates slow volturn from some Pokemon you already cited, to bring it in with safety because it can't take unnecessary damage as it lacks a recovery

Dundies

edit: on the Defensive set you could explain Leftovers in set details, even if it's obvious it is really fundamental so I'd go for that.

 

[Dundies]

thank you Raiza. made some of those changes

 

[Anty]

QC 1/3

 

[g]

The first set should be named Offensive Rapid Spin as that is pretty much Torkoal's niche and Life Orb should at least be slashed before White Herb (which imo doesnt have a place but but other QC will weigh in hopefully) because it lets you go from:
+2 252 SpA Torkoal Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Misdreavus: 205-243 (63.2 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 SpA Torkoal Fire Blast vs. 160 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Misdreavus: 205-243 (68.1 - 80.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
to:
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Torkoal Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Misdreavus: 266-316 (82 - 97.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Torkoal Fire Blast vs. 160 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Misdreavus: 266-316 (88.3 - 104.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

Dusknoir takes similar damage from the move too.

Which is huge if you want to actually Rapid Spin (which is a no brainer of course you want to).
Set Details should be reflected to change that and mention the ko Life Orb gets over White Herb.
Hp Grass should also be in moves to do nice damage to Poli at +2

Second set
Mention what do the spdef evs do

Remove bslam from oo

2/3

 

[Dundies]

thanks galbia made those changes as well. i included HP electric along with HP grass since it allows you to hit Pelipper and Swanna more effectively

 

[Raiza]

Overview
########
Well I wouldn't say Torkoal is very prominent as it isn't that popular so I would call it differently.
Mention common spinblockers that Torkoal can take out.
What are the consequences of Torkoal being slow? (ie: decently fast special attackers can easily bring it down)
Coverage on offensive sets being limited doesn't really prevent Torkoal from beating various teams, it just makes it predictable, not beating various teams is a consequence of that and its low speed.

Offensive Rapid Spin
Set Details
========
Well Life Orb helps Torkoal to pull off more damage in general so it's useful not only against Misdreavus, therefore I would add that along with its drawbacks.
Usage Tips
========
Specify Torkoal should be brought in on physical attackers such as...
Talk about when Shell Smash could be used also as a tool to sweep.

Team Options
========
List some offensive Pokemon that appreciate hazard removing in the first and last point, as they usually don't carry recovery and fit better into offensive playstyle where Torkoal is played, along with some Focus Sash and Sturdy users, as they also appreciate rapid spin support.
As this section has to be beefed up, I'd mention more Pokemon that have good synergy with Torkoal such as Poliwrath, of course explaining why.
I'd also mention slow volturn there because, especially this offensive set, doesn't appreciate tanking unnecessary hits.

Defensive
Moves
========
Lava Plume doesn't really make Torkoal a better ''check'' to physical attackers, I would call it more like a threat, as it keeps it from also being setup fodder.
Same thing for Earthquake, it doesn't make Torkoal ''check'' better Ninetales and Flareon, it just makes Torkoal directly hit them, therefore making it more threatening against them.
Yawn also provides a free turn to Rapid Spin or cripple the switch with Toxic so mention that.

Usage Tips
========
Mention when Torkoal should stay in and use Rapid Spin.
Mention that it's really bulky on the physical side but can't take a lot of hits because of its lack of recovery.
Mention that you have to be wary of Ghost-types as they can block Torkoal's attempt to remove entry hazards and most of them can easily take it down.

Team Options
========
Mention there too Pokemon that appreciate hazard removing along with Focus Sash and Sturdy users, as they also appreciate the removal of entry hazards.
Mention that defensive Torkoal could be useful to teams that rely on entry hazards themselves therefore can't afford to run a Defog user.
Talk about Pursuit trappers such as Pawniard, as they can deal with Ghost-types that will try to switch in on Rapid Spin.

Other Options
########
When you cite Yawn, mention that Torkoal can also take advantage of the given free turn to use Rapid Spin or cripple the switch with Toxic.

Dundies

 

[g]

bro put life orb BEFORE white herb

 

[Dundies]

implemented those changes Raiza. galbia

 

[Raiza]

QC 3/3

 

[tehy]

Get chekt

read comments

there's a part in there in brackets... i couldn't figure out precisely what you meant to say, so i left it as is and marked it. I could easily correct it into any number of directions but i honestly wasnt sure which one was most fitting..please do something about that

amcheck

Overview
########

Torkoal is a strong Pokemon in the PU metagame because of it's great niche over other Fire types and Rapid Spinners with access to Shell Smash, allowing it to take out common spin blockers such as Misdreavus and Haunter. Along with the already great utility move in Rapid Spin, Torkoal also has access to Stealth Rock, giving all the more reason to use it.,(period to comma) It's and its great physical defense Defense allows it to switch in on physical attackers such as Leafeon and Pawniard. Sadly, Torkoal is weak to Stealth Rocks without reliable recovery and it is extremely slow, meaning it loses to faster offensive Pokemon. As an offensive Pokemon, it is has limited in coverage moves, making it very predictable.


Offensive Rapid Spin
########
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Shell Armor
item: Life Orb / White Herb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

With a Shell Smash boost, Torkoal can surprise and break common spin blockers such as Misdreavus and Haunter. Fire Blast is Torkoal's main STAB.,(period to comma) It and is used over other fire type moves like Flamethrower or Lava Plume chosen for it's sheer power. Earth Power allows Torkoal to break through Pokemon who switch into Fire Blast, such as Ninetales and Probopass. Once you have lured in Spin Blockers spinblockers and dealt enough damage to your opponent's team, you can Rapid Spin to keep other team members healthy. Hidden Power Electric can also be useful to damage bulky water types such as Poliwrath and Pelipper.

Set Details
========

With an extremely low base 20 speed,(rc) a A Timid nature with max speed Speed is essential to allow Torkoal to outspeed spin blockers such as Misdreavus after a Shell Smash. Max special attack Special Attack is used to help dish out as much damage as possible. With a A Life Orb,(rc) you can lets Torkoal OHKO Misdreavus after Stealth Rock, whereas you would only 2HKO with White Herb,(rc) but it leaves you Torkoal vulnerable to priority and faster Pokemon. White Herb is an alternative that allows your means Torkoal's defenses won't drop after a the first Shell Smash, allowing you it to live some survive priority moves,(rc) such as Life Orb Carracosta's Aqua Jet.

Usage Tips
========

Torkoal should be brought in to remove hazards for other members.,(period to comma) It should be brought in especially against physical attackers such as Leafeon and Pawniard, since they can do limited damage to it and it can Rapid Spin on them. (What is this even?) [Rapid Spinning before hazards can cripple you too much, but wait until you make it so their hazard setters can't easily set back up] (/What?). Although Torkoal has the power after a Shell Smash to sweep, it should only Shell Smash when it needs to beat spin blockers. If there is facing a more frail spin blocker such as Haunter, use Fire Blast, but if there is a bulky spin blocker such as Misdreavus, set up a Shell Smash,(rc) allowing you to pick up a 2HKO with White Herb or an OHKO with Life Orb. Torkoal can also be helpful for punching holes in bulkier teams. Once you have taken out all of your opponent's Pokemon that are faster than Torkoal at +2, you can use Torkoal as a tool to sweep sweeper.


Team Options
========

Torkoal works well with Pokemon that don't appreciate hazards, such as Jumpluff and Dodrio, since Torkoal beats common Spin Blockers spinblockers after a Shell Smash and removes hazards. Torkoal appreciates grass and electric types Grass- and Electric-types such as Jumpluff, Gourgeist, Raichu, and Rotom-F to beat as partners to check water types Water-types. It Torkoal also appreciates bulky water Water-types such as Poliwrath as teammates, since it they can take on water and ground types Water- and Ground-types that Torkoal can't take on as well. Torkoal appreciates,(rc) a slow Volt Switch or U-Turn, since it doesn't appreciate taking any unnecessary damage. This set fits best on offensive teams, as it has great offensive presence along with the utility of Rapid Spin to help other offensive Pokemon such as Sturdy and Rapid Spin users.


Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Lava Plume
move 3: Toxic / Earthquake
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Shell Armor
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 232 Def / 28 SpD
nature: Bold / Relaxed

Moves
========

Stealth Rock allows you to rack up damage on the opposing team's Pokemon every time they switch in. Lava Plume is a very spammable STAB move with a 30% chance to burn every time you use it, meaning making Torkoal an even better threat to a lot of physical sweepers attackers ,(rc) since it can't be set-up fodder cannot safely set up on Torkoal. With Toxic,(rc) your opponent's sets Pokemon are set on a timer and wears them are worn down quickly.,(period to comma) and Earthquake hits is an option over Toxic used to hit Pokemon such as Ninetales and Flareon, making it Torkoal more of a threat to them. Run a Bold nature if you are using Toxic and a Relaxed nature if you are using Earthquake,(rc) therefore your Earthquake wont be weakened. Yawn is an alternate option over both that forces switches, allowing you to rack up more Stealth Rock damage and it provides you providing a turn to Rapid Spin as they switch the foe switches. Torkoal is able to Rapid Spin lets Torkoal clear away entry hazards with Rapid Spin.

Set Details
========

With 248 HP EVs, Torkoal can switch into Stealth Rocks four times.,(period to comma) and with 28 SpD EVs, it can take two Ancient Powers from offensive Tangela and two Sludge Bombs from offensive Roselia. With 238 defense 232 Defense EVs,(rc) along with 248 HP EVs and a Bold nature, Torkoal can take plenty of physical hits. Leftovers are essential to allow Torkoal to gain small bits of recovery. 28 SpD EVs allows you to take two Ancient Powers from offensive Tangela and two Sludge Bombs from offensive Roselia A Relaxed nature should be used with Earthquake, to avoid weakening it unnecessarily.

Usage Tips
========

Torkoal is able to switch into common physical set-up sweepers such as Leafeon and Pawniard.,(period to comma) It is and should mainly used to set up Stealth Rocks and Rapid Spin away hazards. Torkoal should stay in and Rapid Spin on Pokemon that Torkoal it isn't threatened by as much by, such as passive walls or physical attackers. Torkoal is very physically bulky, but since it doesn't have access to reliable recovery, it isn't able to switch into too many hits. Be wary of ghost Ghost-types, since they can block you Rapid Spin and some of them, such as Misdreavus, can wear Torkoal's defensive set down. Lava Plume and Toxic are very spammable moves that can easily cripple the foe. Make sure that Torkoal doesn't take too much residual damage from hazards or Toxic, as it is easily worn down.

Team Options
========

Defensive Torkoal works well with Wish and Heal Bell support provided by clerics such as Lickilicky, since it doesn't have reliable recovery and it is easily worn down by hazards and Toxic. Since Torkoal has weak Special Defense, it is important to have a Pokemon more suitable to switch into those attacks, such as Lickilicky. Grass types such as Tangela and Gourgeist are great options to go along with Torkoal, as some of Torkoal's main weaknesses are covered by Grass types and Torkoal covers most of their weaknesses. Defensive Torkoal fits with more defensive play styles, such as Stall stall or Bulky Offense bulky offense. Certain hazard-weak Pokemon such as Ninjask and Jumpluff pair well with Torkoal since it can Rapid Spin away hazards for them. Torkoal works well on teams that rely on keeping away entry hazards but can't afford to use Defog. Torkoal appreciates a slow Volt Switch or U-Turn, allowing it to come in for free so it doesn't have to take any extra damage. Lastly, Torkoal also appreciates a Pursuit trapper such as Pawniard, which can take out ghost Ghost-types that try to prevent Torkoal from spinning.


Other Options
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Torkoal has access to more support moves such as can use Clear Smog that it can use to prevent opponents from setting up on it. Since Torkoal's Attack and Special Attack stats are the same,(rc) it can make use of moves like ,(ac) and Rock Slide or Stone Edge to hit Pokemon such as Swanna and Pelipper more effectively. Yawn is also useful on defensive Torkoal to force multiple switches,(rc) and use that switch as an opportunity to Rapid Spin or cripple another foe with Toxic.

Checks & Counters
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**Special attackers Attackers**: With Torkoal's extremely weak special defense Special Defense stat, it is unable to take most special attacks,(rc) such as Psychic from Beheeyem.

**Water -types**: Water types such as Swanna, Pelipper, and Poliwrath can take any hit from Torkoal, even after a Shell Smash, and retaliate with a STAB,(rc) Super Effective super effective STAB attacks.

**Ground -types**: Ground types such as Golem and Marowak can easily take on either Torkoal variants, especially before a Shell Smash, and deal a large amount of damage with Earthquake or Bonemerang.,(period to comma) They also and can prevent Defensive defensive Torkoal from setting up Stealth Rocks.

**Passive damage Damage**: Passive damage such as hazards and Toxic easily wear Torkoal down since it doesn't have access to recovery.

**Special walls Walls**: Special walls such as Lickilicky can easily take Torkoal's Lava Plume, and with Torkoal's lack of recovery, it struggles to beat them while it's easily worn down.

**Faster attackers**: Torkoal is very slow,(rc) even after a Shell Smash, so it is easily revenge killed.

comments

What move should Hidden Power Electric be used over? If it's Earth Power, you should mention this, or at the least place Earth Power in the fourth slot, since that's usually the conventional move to get replaced by things mentioned in Moves. In fact, try doing both.

Does torkoal specifically appreciate just poliwrath, or are there any others? as it stands, you've said 'such as' so it's plural and you need to roll with that; if Poliwrath's the only one, though, you should just say it appreciates poliwrath.

you sure shell smash torkoal helps out rapid spin users? i guess they don't have to use rapid spin / have spinblockers removed, but what offensive rapid spinners are there besides smashkoal? and would you even bother carrying smashkoal + rapid spin user?

Again; Yawn is going over EQ / Toxic? Stick them in the fourth slot, or elaborate. Hell, do both.

Which mention goes with which Move is set details stuff. Also, moved EVs sentences around; they should all be together, and it makes more sense to go HP->specific benchmark->remainder, even if the remainder is more important, because it details how you allocated the EVs and thus makes more sense. saying '232 Defense lets you take plenty of physical hits' is weird, but saying it after you noted what the other two do makes perfect sense, like, 'oh thats why its only 232'

if second set fits well on bulky offense and stall, then idt it would spin for Ninjask or jumpluff? seems like those don't fit on those playstyles, i could be wrong ofc

when you moved yawn up to Moves, you forgot to clear it out of OO D: fixd

Checks and counters: should really be re-ordered in order of best to worst

252+ Atk Golem Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Torkoal: 194-230 (56.3 - 66.8%)

+2 252 SpA Torkoal Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Golem: 418-494 (138.8 - 164.1%)

+2 252 SpA Torkoal Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Marowak: 324-382 (124.1 - 146.3%)

You've made a lot of claims about Ground-types; what I see is them losing after a Shell Smash, and only Marowak being able to deny Stealth Rock to defensive Torkoal. If there are other, more fitting Ground-types, feel free to mention, but currently, this is a problem; sure, Golem can do a lot of damage to defensive Torkoal, and it has Sturdy, but overall, that's what should be stated, rather than more vague stuff that implies some quite frankly untrue stuff.

Also, you should note that some water-types cannot take a +2 hidden power electric.

any special wall without some kind of status immunity(s), rest, or Heal Bell will struggle against defensive Torkoal. And are you positive that Lickilicky can defeat Shell Smash Torkoal?

Faster attackers could use more detail.

 

[Dundies]

thanks tehy implimented those changes