Torkoal [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]

[Komodo]

http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/torkoal

[Overview]

<p>Not much has changed for Torkoal since Gen 4. It might have gained access to some interesting new moves, but sadly, Torkoal is unable to use them due to the wrong stat distribution. Still, its excellent Defense and usable HP allow Torkoal to ably support its teammates with its decent supporting movepool, which contains gems such as Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Don't get your hopes up, though: it has a bad defensive typing that gives it weaknesses to the very common Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type attacks in the tier. In addition, Torkoalalso lacks a reliable recovery move outside of Rest, and its poor Special Defense means it will have to switch a lot to survive, thus risking more damage from entry hazards. As long as you can fit Torkoal on to the correct team though, it will work wonders, and you'll never look back.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Lava Plume
move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: White Smoke
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Torkoal's good physical bulk allows it to switch into many physical threats and use the opportunities to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, or clear the field of entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a good STAB move that comes with a generous 30% burn rate, allowing Torkoal to do something if it gets Taunted. The final slot is a little more complicated, and depends on your personal preference. Yawn is helpful as it can force switches and rack up damage from entry hazards, also having the ability to disable one of Torkoal's counters for a couple of turns. Toxic can be used to wear down bulkier opponents such as Slowking on the switch, but this may clash with Lava Plume's burn rate. Finally, Earth Power can be used in the last slot to provide extra type coverage against other Fire-types that wall Torkoal, and it turns Torkoal into a more offense-oriented tank. White Smoke is used as the ability as Shell Armor is illegal with Stealth Rock.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>248 HP EVs give Torkoal a total of 343 HP, allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock four times before fainting. Maximum Defense is a given for Torkoal to survive even boosted physical attacks, while the remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense for extra bulk. Alternatively, Torkoal can run a specially defensive set with a Careful nature and shift the Defense EVs to Special Defense. The advantage of a specially defensive set is that Torkoal can take on threats such as Moltres and Sceptile a lot easier, while the loss of Defense EVs won't make a huge difference as Torkoal is physically bulky enough already. As for alternative move options, Torkoal may use Protect to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Will-O-Wisp to burn physical threats, and even Explosion when all else fails.</p>

<p>Using a Ghost-type of your own is helpful as it can block any attempt the opponent makes to remove Stealth Rock from their side of the field. Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A are all good options due to their high defensive stats; Rotom-A also has the benefit of Levitate, making it an ideal switch-in to Ground-type moves aimed at Torkoal. Torkoal's poor typing makes the correct team support essential; Pokemon who can switch into Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks are all great choices. Claydol can switch into Rock- and Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, Poliwrath can switch into Water-type moves and restore health with Water Absorb, and Ferroseed can switch into Water- and Rock-type attacks, while providing Torkoal with Leech Seed support. On the more offensive route, Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Sawsbuck are great for defeating Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types with their STAB moves, and most of them can provide support of some kind as well, whether it be status, Leech Seed, or even simply wiping out the opposing threats. The last thing to consider when using Torkoal is Wish support. Without any way to recover HP outside of Rest, Torkoal requires this support and welcomes it greatly. Clefable is the best option for this role as she has a massive selection of support moves, only one weakness, and her high Special Defense means she can also switch into common Water-type moves aimed at Torkoal.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Being the newest addition to Torkoal's movepool, Shell Smash is one of those moves you must have the correct stat distribution for. Unfortunately for Torkoal, Shell Smash isn't a match made in heaven. Its lack of a usable physical Fire-type STAB is a letdown, and even after +2 boosts in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Torkoal's stats are still pretty average. A set comprising of Rest, Sleep Talk, Lava Plume, and Rapid Spin is viable to patch up Torkoal's lack of recovery, but this is still unreliable as it requires two turns before it is able to recover again. Curse can be used on a specially defensive set, but again, the lack of physical STAB, and Torkoal's poor defensive typing is a downfall. Body Slam can be used to abuse the paralysis rate and slow down faster opponents, while Gyro Ball can be used to take advantage of Torkoal's pitiful Speed. Clear Smog gives Torkoal a way to shut down stat boosters, though due to Torkoal's horrible Speed, it will more than likely move last and get knocked out. Overheat can be used for its high Base Power, though this forces Torkoal to switch most of the time due to the cut in Special Attack. Finally, Torkoal's decent defenses mean that it can set up Sunny Day for its teammates, and even abuse it with STAB Fire-type attacks, or if you're feeling risky, SolarBeam too.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>When facing Torkoal, the first thing you should target is its average Special Defense and weakness to common Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves. Slowking is an excellent counter to Torkoal due to its high Special Defense, access to reliable recovery in Slack Off, as well as a powerful STAB Surf to KO with, only fearing Yawn and Toxic. Clefable can take on most sets which lack physical attacks; Magic Guard ensures that she won't be taking burn or poison damage, her typing means that Torkoal is unable to hit her super effectively, and she has access to Wish and Softboiled to heal off any damage taken. Mandibuzz can take on Torkoal as long as it lacks Stone Edge; its high defenses, when combined with Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic, allow Mandibuzz to slowly wear down Torkoal and restore health or phaze it when necessary. Most bulky Ground- and Rock-types can defeat Torkoal as long as they can avoid being burned. Krookodile and Archeops are two great examples as they can withstand a hit or two from Torkoal, and proceed to tear it apart with a super effective, STAB Earthquake or Stone Edge, respectively.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Torkoal gains Shell Armor as its ability through the Dream World, which is helpful if you want to prevent critical hits on any defensive set. The only downside to this is that Shell Armor is illegal with Stealth Rock, which takes away part of Torkoal's usefulness.</p>

 

[Cherub Agent]

I don't really like the look of Flame charge as the main option of a STAB move on the SS set. Fire Blast seems better in every single way IMO

 

[Komodo]

Fire Blast IS usually more effective, but I was unsure about listing it first as Flame Charge is Torkoal's only physical STAB, and thought it needed mentioning. If you (and QC) think it should be slashed second (and possibly having the Naive nature as the first option too), then that shall be the case. It makes sense though :P

 

[Rakan]

I'm a bit hesitant about the Shell Smash set for the same reason as Magcargo. It has average Attack and Special Attack, and its STAB is limited to Fire. 302 Speed is outspeed by numerous things, and basically any Choice Scarf Pokemon. Although Torkoal may have the Defense to survive a super effective hit or two, it won't after a Shell Smash. In my opinion it is OO material. Of course it's up to QC, but that's just my opinion. But the support set is excellent for sure.

 

[Komodo]

Shell Smash has the surprise factor I suppose, most people would expect Torkoal to be a tank, and a bunch of opponents switch a Ghost in expecting Rapid Spin or a Fire-type in for Will-O-Wisp or Lava Plume, this usually gives it chance to set up ONE Shell Smash. I mainly used this with sleep/paralysis support (double status Tangrowth) so the opponent's team was weakened significantly, and Torkoal was a late game 'sweeper'. If it doesn't seem effective outside of that, sure, I'll be happy to add a sentence or two in Other Options.

 

[Mike Legend]

shell smash is probably oo material. it's slow even after a smash, harder to setup smashes when you're sr weak, and it doesn't have a solid physical stab to clean up with.

QC APPROVED (1/3)

 

[PK Gaming]

Long time no see!

QC APPROVED (2/3)

 

[zdrup15]

Move Flamethrower to AC, 30% burn chance is too good to pass for only a bit more power. Remove Explosion and mention it in OO. And Bold should be the only nature.

QC APPROVED 3/3

 

[Scoopapa]

Earth Power is good coverage alongside Lava Plume, and could probably go in place of Explosion which isn't doing shit. If not, it's still probably worth the first of the OO mentions.

 

[Komodo]

Earth Power is a 4th Gen move tutor, can this be traded to 5th Gen? This probably sounds very stupid, but I don't know, I'm mainly experienced with Gen 4 :L I'm just saying because Earth Power isn't listed under Torkoal's moves on the BW analysis page :P

 

[jc104]

Yes, you can trade it over.

Also, I don't understand the spread. Why 240 HP? Surely it would be better to run 248 HP, as this gives better defenses overall (248/244/16 is definitively better than your spread, but I would recommend max defense).

 

[Komodo]

The spread is chosen so Torkoal has max Defense, and the HP EVs make sure Torkoal can survive switching into Stealth Rock 4 times without fainting. Unless 248 gives the same number? Sorry, I'm not on the ball since being away for a couple of months, and GP checking is more my thing now, haven't done an analysis in over 6 months :L

 

[jc104]

248 is still fine as far as SR is concerned. Just avoid 252.

 

[Komodo]

How embarrassing, I can't count :P I'll have this written pretty soon. Cool beans.

 

[MMX]

After looking at Torkoal's dex page on Serebii, I've found that Stealth Rock is illegal with Shell Armour as SR is a 4th gen TM, and Shell Armour is a DW ability.

 

[Komodo]

Oh, Stealth Rock isn't a TM in Gen 5 >.< well I've just edited that, and added a Dream World section which I didn't have previously :P

 

[MMX]

Blue: Changes made
Red: Removed

http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/torkoal

[Overview]

<p>Not much has changed for Torkoal since Gen 4[delete comma,][add period] [captial i]t has gained access to some interesting moves, though sadly, Torkoal is unable to use them due to the wrong stat distribution. With it's excellent Defense and usable HP, Torkoal can support its teammates with its decent supporting movepool, which contains gems such as Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Although things look grand for this tortoise, it [delete does come with] [add has] bad typing that gives it weaknesses to the very common Water, Rock, and Ground-type attacks in the tier. In addition, Torkoal also lacks a reliable recovery move outside of Rest, and its poor Special Defense means it will have to switch a lot to survive, and risk more damage from entry hazards. As long as you can fit Torkoal on[delete space] to the correct team, it will work wonders, and you'll never look back.</p>

[SET]
Name: Tank
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Rapid Spin
Move 3: Lava Plume
Move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Earth Power
Item: Leftovers
Ability: White Smoke
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Torkoal's good physical bulk allows him to switch into many physical threats and use the opportunities to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, or use Rapid Spin to clear the field of entry hazards. Lava Plume is a good STAB move that carries a generous 30% burn rate, allowing Torkoal to do something in the case it gets taunted. The final slot gets a little more complicated, depending on your personal preference. Yawn is helpful as it can force switches and rack up damage from entry hazards, while it can also disable one of Torkoal's counters for a couple of turns. Toxic can be used to wear down bulkier opponents such as Slowking on the switch, but this may clash with Lava Plume's burn rate. Finally, Earth Power can be used in the last slot to provide extra type coverage against Fire-types who wall Torkoal, and it turns Torkoal into a more offense orientated tank. White Smoke is used as the ability as Shell Armour is illegal with Stealth Rock.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>248 HP EVs provide Torkoal with 343 HP, which allows Torkoal to switch into Stealth Rock 4 times before fainting. Maximum Defense is a given for Torkoal to survive even boosted physical attacks[delete comma , and] [add while]the remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense for extra bulk. Alternatively, Torkoal [delete may] [add can] run a specially defensive set with a Careful nature and shifting the Defense EVs to Special Defense[delete semicolon;] [add period] [captial t]he advantage of a specially defensive set is that Torkoal can take on threats such as Moltres and Sceptile a lot easier, while the loss of Defense EVs won't make a huge difference as Torkoal is [add physically] bulky enough already. As for alternative move options, Torkoal may use Protect to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Will-O-Wisp to burn physical threats, and even Explosion when all else fails.</p>

<p>Using a Ghost-type of your own is helpful as it can block any attempt the opponent makes to remove your Stealth Rock. Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A are all good options due to their high defensive stats[delete comma, and] [add while]Rotom-A also [delete have] [add has]the benefit of Levitate, making [delete them] [add it] an ideal switch in to Ground-type moves aimed at Torkoal. Torkoal's poor typing makes the correct team support essential; Pokemon who can switch into Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks are all great choices. Claydol can switch into Rock- and Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, Poliwrath can switch into Water-type moves and restore health with Water Absorb, and Ferroseed can switch into Water- and Rock-type attacks, while providing Torkoal with Leech Seed support. On the more offensive route, Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Sawsbuck are great for defeating Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types with their STAB moves, and most of them can provide support of some kind, whether it be status, Leech Seed, or even wiping out the opposing team. The last thing to consider when using Torkoal is [delete a] Wish [delete user] [add support] [delete semicolon;] [add period] [captial w]ithout any way to recover [add HP] outside of Rest, Torkoal seriously needs this support and welcomes it greatly. Clefable is the best option for this role as she has a massive selection of support moves, only one weakness, and her high Special Defense means she can switch into common Water-type moves aimed at Torkoal.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Being the newest addition to Torkoal's movepool, Shell Smash is one of those moves you must have the correct stat distribution for. Unfortunately for Torkoal, Shell Smash isn't a match made in heaven, its lack of physical Fire-type STAB is a letdown, and even after +2 boosts in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Torkoal's stats are still pretty average. A set comprising of Rest, Sleep Talk, Lava Plume, and Rapid Spin is viable to patch up Torkoal's lack of recovery, but this is still [delete pretty] unreliable as it requires two turns to recover again. Curse can be used on a specially defensive set, but again, the lack of physical STAB, and Torkoal's poor typing is a downfall. Body Slam can be used to abuse its paralysis rate and slow down faster opponents, while on the other hand, Gyro Ball can take advantage of Torkoal's pitiful Speed. Clear Smog gives Torkoal a way to shut down stat boosters, though due to Torkoal's horrible Speed, it will more than likely move last and get knocked out. Overheat can be used for its high Base Power, though this forces Torkoal to switch most of the time due to the cut in Special Attack. Finally, Torkoal's decent defenses mean[delete s] [add that] it can set up Sunny Day for its teammates, and even abuse it with STAB Fire-type attacks, or if you're feeling rather risky, SolarBeam too.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>When facing Torkoal, the first thing you should target is its average Special Defense and weakness to common Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves. Slowking is an excellent counter to Torkoal due to its high Special Defense, access to reliable recovery in Slack Off, as well as a powerful STAB Surf to KO, only fearing Yawn and Toxic. Clefable can take on most sets which lack physical attacks; Magic Guard ensures that she won't be [delete statused][add taking burn or Toxic damage], her typing means that Torkoal is unable to hit her super effectively, and she has access to Wish and Softboiled to restore her health. Mandibuzz can take on Torkoal as long as it lacks Stone Edge; its high defenses, when combined with Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic[delete comma,] allow Mandibuzz to slowly drain Torkoal and restore health or phaze it when neccessary. Most bulky Ground- and Rock-types can defeat Torkoal as long as they can avoid being burned. Krookodile and Archeops are two great examples as they can withstand a hit or two from Torkoal, and proceed with powerful Earthquakes or tear it apart with Stone Edge.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Torkoal gains Shell Armour as an ability through Dream World, which is helpful if you want to prevent critical hits on any defensive set. The only downside to this is that Shell Armour is illegal with Stealth Rock, which takes away part of Torkoal's usefulness as a tank.</p>

 

[Komodo]

Cool, changes made. In future, would it be possible to highlight your changes in a different colour so it's easier for people to see? Most of us highlight changes in blue and removals in red, but as long as we know your 'method'. Maybe it's just me with terrible vision but anyway :) thank you.

 

[MMX]

Alright, I'll change the highlights to blue.

EDIT: You're welcome. Glad I helped.

 

[Calm Pokemaster]

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[Overview]

<p>Not much has changed for Torkoal since Gen 4. It has might have gained access to some interesting new moves, though but sadly, Torkoal is unable to use them due to the wrong stat distribution. With Still, its excellent Defense and usable HP, allowTorkoal can to ably support its teammates with its decent supporting movepool, which contains gems such as Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Although things look grand for this tortoise, Don't get your hopes up, though: it has a bad typing that gives it weaknesses to the very common Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type attacks in the tier. In addition, Torkoal (space between the comma and 'T') also lacks a reliable recovery move outside of Rest, and its poor Special Defense means it will have to switch a lot to survive, and thus risking more damage from entry hazards. As long as you can fit Torkoal on to the correct team though, it will work wonders, and you'll never look back.</p>

[SET]
Name: Tank
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Rapid Spin
Move 3: Lava Plume
Move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Earth Power
Item: Leftovers
Ability: White Smoke
Nature: Bold
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Torkoal's good physical bulk allows him it (you just referred to Torkoal as ''it'' throughout the Overview) to switch into many physical threats and use the opportunities to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, or use Rapid Spin to clear the field of entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a good STAB move that carries a generous 30% burn rate, allowing Torkoal to do something in the case it gets Taunted. The final slot gets a little more complicated, depending on your personal preference. Yawn is helpful as it can force switches and rack up damage from entry hazards, while it can also having the ability to disable one of Torkoal's counters for a couple of turns. Toxic can be used to wear down bulkier opponents such as Slowking on the switch, but this may clash with Lava Plume's burn rate. Finally, Earth Power can be used in the last slot to provide extra type coverage against Fire-types who wall Torkoal, and it turns Torkoal into a more offense orientated offense-oriented tank. White Smoke is used as the ability as Shell Armour is illegal with Stealth Rock.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>248 HP EVs provide give Torkoal with 343 HP, which allowing it Torkoal to switch into Stealth Rock 4 times before fainting. Maximum Defense is a given for Torkoal to survive even boosted physical attacks, and while the remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense for extra bulk. Alternatively, Torkoal can run a specially defensive set with a Careful nature and shifting the Defense EVs to Special Defense. The advantage of a specially defensive set is that Torkoal can take on threats such as Moltres and Sceptile a lot easier, while the loss of Defense EVs won't make a huge difference as Torkoal is physically bulky enough already. As for alternative move options, Torkoal may use Protect to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Will-O-Wisp to burn physical threats, and even Explosion when all else fails.</p>

<p>Using a Ghost-type of your own is helpful as it can block any attempt the opponent makes to remove your Stealth Rock. Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A are all good options due to their high defensive stats; while Rotom-A also has the benefit of Levitate, making it an ideal switch-in to Ground-type moves aimed at Torkoal. Torkoal's poor typing makes the correct team support essential; Pokemon who can switch into Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks are all great choices. Claydol can switch into Rock- and Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, Poliwrath can switch into Water-type moves and restore health with Water Absorb, and Ferroseed can switch into Water- and Rock-type attacks, while providing Torkoal with Leech Seed support. On the more offensive route, Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Sawsbuck are great for defeating Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types with their STAB moves, and most of them can provide support of some kind as well, whether it be status, Leech Seed, or even simply wiping out the opposing team. The last thing to consider when using Torkoal is Wish support. Without any way to recover HP outside of Rest, Torkoal seriously needs this support and welcomes it greatly. Clefable is the best option for this role as she has a massive selection of support moves, only one weakness, and her high Special Defense means she can also switch into common Water-type moves aimed at Torkoal.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Being the newest addition to Torkoal's movepool, Shell Smash is one of those moves you must have the correct stat distribution for. Unfortunately for Torkoal, Shell Smash isn't a match made in heaven, its lack of physical Fire-type STAB is a letdown, and even after +2 boosts in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Torkoal's stats are still pretty average. A set comprising of Rest, Sleep Talk, Lava Plume, and Rapid Spin is viable to patch up Torkoal's lack of recovery, but this is still unreliable as it requires two turns to recover again. Curse can be used on a specially defensive set, but again, the lack of physical STAB, and Torkoal's poor typing is a downfall. Body Slam can be used to abuse its paralysis rate and slow down faster opponents, while on the other hand, Gyro Ball can take advantage of Torkoal's pitiful Speed. Clear Smog gives Torkoal a way to shut down stat boosters, though due to Torkoal's horrible Speed, it will more than likely move last and get knocked out. Overheat can be used for its high Base Power, though this forces Torkoal to switch most of the time due to the cut in Special Attack. Finally, Torkoal's decent defenses mean that it can set up Sunny Day for its teammates, and even abuse it with STAB Fire-type attacks, or if you're feeling rather risky, SolarBeam too.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>When facing Torkoal, the first thing you should target is its average Special Defense and weakness to common Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves. Slowking is an excellent counter to Torkoal due to its high Special Defense, access to reliable recovery in Slack Off, as well as a powerful STAB Surf to KO with, only fearing Yawn and Toxic. Clefable can take on most sets which lack physical attacks; Magic Guard ensures that she won't be taking burn or Toxic damage, her typing means that Torkoal is unable to hit her super effectively, and she has access to Wish and Softboiled to restore her health heal off any damage taken. Mandibuzz can take on Torkoal as long as it lacks Stone Edge; its high defenses, when combined with Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic, allow Mandibuzz to slowly drain Torkoal and restore health or phaze it when necessary. Most bulky Ground- and Rock-types can defeat Torkoal as long as they can avoid being burned. Krookodile and Archeops are two great examples as they can withstand a hit or two from Torkoal, and proceed with powerful Earthquakes or to tear it apart with Earthquake or Stone Edge.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Torkoal gains Shell Armour as an ability through the Dream World, which is helpful if you want to prevent critical hits on any defensive set. The only downside to this is that Shell Armour is illegal with Stealth Rock, which takes away part of Torkoal's usefulness as a tank.</p>

Excellent as always.

GP 1 / 2

 

[Sabinfrost]

He also runs a Curse/Gyro Ball set surprisingly well given his lack of a decent stab physical move, he has access to other good physical moves in Earthquake as well as tons of support moves (will-o-wisp, toxic, explosion...). Get him into a trick room and he can cause absolute hell with that set.

It's probably worth pointing out that he learns Stealth Rock through Dream World as well, so I wouldn't discount it.

Shell Smash also boosts special attack and it has access to tons of powerful special attacks to take advantage of that, I've led with a smash/overheat set with a balloon before and it has a certain surprise factor, the +2 explosion is a nice parting gift as well after the SpA drop.

This has been one of my favourite fire types since third gen so while I generally don't stick my head into these threads I had to add my two cents on this guy, I really like him.

 

[Komodo]

Curse MAY be viable, but Torkoal has horrible defensive typing, especially when Earthquake and Stone Edge are such common moves. As for Shell Smash, Torkoal is very very slow, even with the +2 in Speed. If and QC members have an opinion on this I'd be glad to hear, but from experience, I wouldn't use these sets.

 

[Sabinfrost]

Curse MAY be viable, but Torkoal has horrible defensive typing, especially when Earthquake and Stone Edge are such common moves. As for Shell Smash, Torkoal is very very slow, even with the +2 in Speed. If and QC members have an opinion on this I'd be glad to hear, but from experience, I wouldn't use these sets.

It is unconventional but fire isn't a completely horrible typing, especially if you get him in before rocks and have a balloon. Shell Smash is certainly risky, but Torkoal has a respectable enough 85 attack and 85 special attack with all the moves (except Flare Blitz) you might want to make it work. It's unconventional but no way ineffective by any means. His abysmal speed also has great synergy with a Pokemon like Slowking setting up Trick Room as even after the speed boost he will still go before most things with reversed priority.

The EV spread I ran on the curser was Max HP and SpD with a balloon, Will - O - Wisp, Gyroball, Earthquake/Stone Edge and Curse. It can dodge an Earthquake until the sash is broken, cripple a physical attacker with Will - O - Wisp before it gets boosts under it's belt and 140 base defense is rather impressive, he can definitely take a super effective stone edge from anything from anything in lower tiers except probably Kabutops.

Lacks recovery but both of his abilities suit defensive curse style play, either ignoring stat drops or the chance of crits, it's also quite viable to pass a wish to him on resisted hits and boost as they swap out.

As I said, really love the little guy (affectionately nicknamed Bowser), so I want the community to give him a fair go.

EDIT: Probably worth noting the team I run that set on has a Sandslash for spinning who sponges the hits he's weak against quite nicely.

 

[Rakan]

Amateur check xD

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[Overview]

<p>Not much has changed for Torkoal since Gen 4. It might have gained access to some interesting new moves, but sadly, Torkoal is unable to use them due to the wrong stat distribution. Still, its excellent Defense and usable HP allow Torkoal to ably support its teammates with its decent supporting movepool, which contains gems such as Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock, and Yawn. Don't get your hopes up, though: it has a bad defensive typing that gives it weaknesses to the very common Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type attacks in the tier. In addition, Torkoal<space>also lacks a reliable recovery move outside of Rest, and its poor Special Defense means it will have to switch a lot to survive, thus risking more damage from entry hazards. As long as you can fit Torkoal on to the correct team though, it will work wonders, and you'll never look back.</p>

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Rapid Spin
move 3: Lava Plume
move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: White Smoke
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD (name, move 1, etc are not capitalized)

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Torkoal's good physical bulk allows it to switch into many physical threats and use the opportunities to set up Stealth Rock, spread status, or clear the field of entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Lava Plume is a good STAB move that comes with carries (subjective change, "carries" just seemed a little strange to me) a generous 30% burn rate, allowing Torkoal to do something if in the case it gets Taunted. The final slot is gets a little more complicated, and depends depending on your personal preference. Yawn is helpful as it can force switches and rack up damage from entry hazards, also having the ability to disable one of Torkoal's counters for a couple of turns. Toxic can be used to wear down bulkier opponents such as Slowking on the switch, but this may clash with Lava Plume's burn rate. Finally, Earth Power can be used in the last slot to provide extra type coverage against other Fire-types that who wall Torkoal, and it turns Torkoal into a more offense-oriented tank. White Smoke is used as the ability as Shell Armor (I know you're from the UK but I believe we use the American spelling :P) is illegal with Stealth Rock.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>248 HP EVs gives Torkoal a total of 343 HP,<space>allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock four 4 times before fainting. Maximum Defense is a given for Torkoal to survive even boosted physical attacks, and while the remaining EVs are placed into Special Defense for extra bulk. Alternatively, Torkoal can run a specially defensive set with a Careful nature and shifting the Defense EVs to Special Defense. The advantage of a specially defensive set is that Torkoal can take on threats such as Moltres and Sceptile a lot easier, while the loss of Defense EVs won't make a huge difference as Torkoal is physically bulky enough already. As for alternative move options, Torkoal may use Protect to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, Will-O-Wisp to burn physical threats, and even Explosion when all else fails.</p>

<p>Using a Ghost-type of your own is helpful as it can block any attempt the opponent makes to remove your Stealth Rock from their side of the field. Cofagrigus, Dusknoir, and Rotom-A are all good options due to their high defensive stats;<space>Rotom-A also has the benefit of Levitate, making it an ideal switch-in to Ground-type moves aimed at Torkoal. Torkoal's poor typing makes the correct team support essential; Pokemon who can switch into Rock-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks are all great choices. Claydol can switch into Rock- and Ground-type moves thanks to Levitate, Poliwrath can switch into Water-type moves and restore health with Water Absorb, and Ferroseed can switch into Water- and Rock-type attacks, while providing Torkoal with Leech Seed support. On the more offensive route, Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Sawsbuck are great for defeating Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types with their STAB moves, and most of them can provide support of some kind as well, whether it be status, Leech Seed, or even simply wiping out the opposing threats team. The last thing to consider when using Torkoal is Wish support. Without any way to recover HP outside of Rest, Torkoal requires seriously needs this support and welcomes it greatly. Clefable is the best option for this role as she has a massive selection of support moves, only one weakness, and her high Special Defense means she can also switch into common Water-type moves aimed at Torkoal.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Being the newest addition to Torkoal's movepool, Shell Smash is one of those moves you must have the correct stat distribution for. Unfortunately for Torkoal, Shell Smash isn't a match made in heaven,. (remove comma, add period) Its lack of a usable physical Fire-type STAB is a letdown, and even after +2 boosts in Speed, Attack, and Special Attack, Torkoal's stats are still pretty average. A set comprising of Rest, Sleep Talk, Lava Plume, and Rapid Spin is viable to patch up Torkoal's lack of recovery, but this is still unreliable as it requires two turns before it is able to recover again. Curse can be used on a specially defensive set, but again, the lack of physical STAB<remove space>, and Torkoal's poor defensive typing is a downfall. Body Slam can be used to abuse the its paralysis rate and slow down faster opponents, while on the other hand, (a bit redundant) Gyro Ball can be used to take advantage of Torkoal's pitiful Speed. Clear Smog gives Torkoal a way to shut down stat boosters, though due to Torkoal's horrible Speed, it will more than likely move last and get knocked out. Overheat can be used for its high Base Power, though this forces Torkoal to switch most of the time due to the cut in Special Attack. Finally, Torkoal's decent defenses mean that it can set up Sunny Day for its teammates, and even abuse it with STAB Fire-type attacks, or if you're feeling rather risky, SolarBeam too.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>When facing Torkoal, the first thing you should target is its average Special Defense and weakness to common Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves. Slowking is an excellent counter to Torkoal due to its high Special Defense, access to reliable recovery in Slack Off, as well as a powerful STAB Surf to KO with, only fearing Yawn and Toxic. Clefable can take on most sets which lack physical attacks; Magic Guard ensures that she won't be taking burn or poison Toxic damage, her typing means that Torkoal is unable to hit her super effectively, and she has access to Wish and Softboiled to heal off any damage taken. Mandibuzz can take on Torkoal as long as it lacks Stone Edge; its high defenses, when combined with Taunt, Whirlwind, and Toxic, allow Mandibuzz to slowly wear down drain Torkoal and restore health or phaze it when necessary. Most bulky Ground- and Rock-types can defeat Torkoal as long as they can avoid being burned. Krookodile and Archeops are two great examples as they can withstand a hit or two from Torkoal, and proceed to tear it apart with a super effective, STAB Earthquake or Stone Edge, respectively.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Torkoal gains Shell Armor (American spelling :P) as its an ability through the Dream World, which is helpful if you want to prevent critical hits on any defensive set. The only downside to this is that Shell Armor (xD) is illegal with Stealth Rock, which takes away part of Torkoal's usefulness as a tank. (How does Stealth Rock increase its tankiness?)</p>

Note that I made quite a few subjective changes, so feel free to change whatever you want. Overall, an excellent analysis!

 

[PK Gaming]

It's a little late to be suggesting set options, but like Komodo said, Curse / Shell Smash have been deemed unworthy by QC. Other Options is enough.