Overview
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Torterra sports great offensive presence and overall bulk, as well as a movepool including good offensive and support options such as two strong STAB moves in Wood Hammer and Earthquake, a good coverage move in Stone Edge, and a team support optionutility move in Stealth Rock. All of tThis allows Torterra to effectively function as a late-game sweeper, a tank, or a wallbreaker. Its unique typing gives it a resistance to the EdgeQuake combination and an immunity to Electric-type moves. However, weaknesses to common attacking types such as Fire, Ice, and Flying and a poor Speed stat mean that Torterra is often forced to switch out, which is never a desirable trait.
Rock Polish
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name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
ability: Overgrow
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Rock Polish boosts Torterra's Speed to levels where, allowing it is capable ofto sweeping. Wood Hammer is Torterra's go-to STAB move thanks to its great Base Power, and Earthquake is a STAB move that nails the Fire- and Steel-types that, which resist Wood Hammer. Stone Edge offers valuable coverage against Flying-types, which walldo not take much damage from Torterra's STAB combinationmoves.
Set Details
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Maximum252 Attack and Speed investment ensures thatEVs maximize Torterra's damage output and Speed are as high as they possibly can be. A Jolly nature allows Torterra to outspeed minimum Speed Golbat, maximum Speed Modest Clawitzer, maximum Speed Timid Omastar, maximum Speed neutral-natured Emboar, and minimum Speed Drapion from the get-go, while Choice Scarf Braviary, Choice Scarf Rotom-C, +1 Adamant or Modest Sharpedo, and, most importantly, Choice Scarf Moltres, are outsped after a Rock Polish. Life Orb boosts the power of Torterra's attacks, allowing it to nab more KOs. However, Earth Plate, Meadow Plate, and Leftovers are worthy of consideration for their respective boosts and recovery, should you deem Life Orb recoil undesirable. Overgrow boosts the power of Wood Hammer when Torterra's health is low, meaning that it can deliver a final powerful blow before it faints.
Usage Tips
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Torterra should use Rock Polish against a Pokemon it can force out in an attempt to sweep late-game once its checks and counters have been eliminated or weakened. Torterra can wear its checks down early-game, switch out, and return late-game in order to sweep with Rock Polish.
Team Options
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Torterra appreciates teammates that are capable of luring and defeating Tangrowth, such as Ice Beam Sharpedo and Choice Band Rhyperior; the former can take on Fire- and Ice-types for Tangrowth to an extent, while the latter works wonders against Fire- and Flying-types. A bulky Water-type teammate such as Slowking or Alomomola can dispose of troublesome Fire-types and sponge Ice-type attacks. Toxic Spikes support can wear down Torterra's checks and counters to give it an easier time KOing them. Drapion can set up Toxic Spikes, while Torterra covers its sole weakness to Ground.
Tank
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name: Tank
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Synthesis
ability: Shell Armor
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Wood Hammer is a powerful STAB move, and Earthquake is a secondary STAB move that strikes Fire- and Steel-types hard. Stealth Rock is an important entry hazard, and Torterra can utilize its stellar bulk and resistances in order to set it up. Synthesis restores Torterra's HP, increasing its longevity. Stone Edge can replace either STAB attack in order to nail Fletchinder—, which this set isrendered setup bait for—by, and Moltres, which gains free switch-ins.
Set Details
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The EVs are placed into HP and Attack to increase Torterra's walling capability and its damage output, and an Adamant nature further boosts Torterra's Attack. A more defensively-oriented EV spread is an option, but Torterra generally values the power of the given spread. Leftovers give Torterra passive recovery. As this set is meant to take hits, it lacks the Speed to get off a last hit in most cases, so Shell Armor is chosen rather than Overgrow.
Usage Tips
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Torterra can force a switch against an opposing user of Stealth Rock, such as Rhyperior, and proceed to set up its own Stealth Rock. Use Synthesis when Torterra's health is getting low in order to be able to take your opponent's next attack. Use Torterra's STAB attacks accordingly depending on which Pokemon it is against and which Pokemon you expect the opponent to bring in. Torterra can afford to suffer recoil damage from Wood Hammer when its walling capabilities aren't as needed. Unfortunately, Torterra is prone to being forced out by foes that resist its STAB combination, such as Moltres and Golbat.
Team Options
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This set values teammates that can patch up Torterra's defensive holes, so to speak. Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola and Slowking have good synergy with Torterra; it can take the Electric-type attacks that they dislike, while they can take Fire- and Ice-type attacks aimed at Torterra. Bear in mind, however, that Electric-types often have coverage attacks to hit Ground-types such as Torterra. Steel-type teammates such as Registeel and Bronzong also can help to cover Torterra's weaknesses to Flying, Bug, and Ice, or just Flying and Ice, in Bronzong's case. Notably, Steel-types are capable of beating Mega Abomasnow, which walls Torterra's STAB combination and can set up on it, potentially becoming a huge nuisance to the rest of your team.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Crunch / Bullet Seed
ability: Overgrow
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Wood Hammer is a powerful STAB move that is capable of hurtKOing or heavily damaging many opponentfoes. Earthquake is a secondary STAB move that hits Fire- and Steel-types that, which resist Wood Hammer, for super effective damage. Stone Edge's coverage is useful against Flying-types looking to switch in on a Wood Hammer or Earthquake. Torterra's last move is a filler—toss-up: Crunch is useful against Bronzong, and the Gourgeist-XL and Gourgeist-S formes, while Bullet Seed has the ability to break through Substitutes and Focus Sashes.
Set Details
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Maximum Attack and Speed investment ensures that Torterra does as much damage and outspeeds as many foes as it possibly can. An Adamant nature lets Torterra pack an extra punch. Choice Band's power boost allows Torterra to function as a powerful wallbreaker, and Overgrow gives Wood Hammer a boost when Torterra is weakened.
Usage Tips
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Torterra can easily switch in on an attack that it resists, such as Earthquake or Stone Edge. Be wary about locking yourself into Earthquake should there be a Flying-type or a Pokemon with Levitate on the opponent's team. In a similar vein, locking yourself into Wood Hammer is risky if the opponent has a Pokemon that can safely switch into it. Use Stone Edge when you predict a Flying-type switch-in, and use Crunch when predicting the opponent to switch into Bronzong, Gourgeist-XL, or Gourgeist-S in. Bullet Seed should be chosen when the foe has a Substitute or a Focus Sash that needs breaking to be broken; thoughwever, take caution when locking yourselfTorterra into the move, as for the longer one-on-one scenarios, Wood Hammer and Earthquake's consistency and strength are more important.
Team Options
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Teammates capable of dealing with Tangrowth are mandatory; Pokemon such as Ice Beam Sharpedo and Choice Band Rhyperior are generally effective Tangrowth lures. A bulky Water-type teammate such as Slowking or Alomomola can dispose of troublesome Fire-types and sponge Ice-type attacks. Entry hazards wear down checks and counters to Torterra, allowing it to KO them with greater ease. Examples of entry hazard setters are Omastar and Qwilfish. Due to Torterra's lackingmediocre Speed stat, paralysis support from a teammate such as Registeel is an option, as is Trick Room support from a teammate such as Bronzong. If Torterra is to be played under the effects of Trick Room, ensure that it has a Brave nature, investment in HP, 0 Speed EVs, and a 0 Speed IVs.
Other Options
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Seed Bomb does not make Torterra suffer recoil, unlike Wood Hammer, but the drop in power is noticeable. Superpower hits Shiftry, Cacturne, and the rare Ferroseed for super effective damage. Toxic wears down walls trying to switch into Torterra. Torterra can boost its Attack to threatening levels with Swords Dance, though it is too slow to sweep. Roar phazes opponents that try to set up against Torterra. Leech Seed plagues opponents with passive damage and supplies Torterra with a source of passive recovery, but Torterra finds it hard to spare thefind a moveslot for it. A Double Dance set employing both Swords Dance and Rock Polish allows Torterra to set up depending on which type of team it is facing, but the lack of a coverage move limits this set's potential. A Curse set bolsters Torterra's offensive presence and physical bulk simultaneously, but its weaknesses to common attacking types hold it back. Torterra has access to Light Screen and Reflect, though Pokemon such as like Cresselia and Bronzong are better dual screen users.
Checks and Counters
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**Physical Walls**: Physically defensive behemoth walls such as Tangrowth and Weezing fear nothing from Torterra. These two Pokemon are particularly great answers to Torterra because they wall its STAB combination and take little damage from a neutral Stone Edge due to their great physical bulk. Tangrowth can stall Torterra out easily, while Weezing can dish out a Flamethrower or a Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Although somewhathey scarce in numberrelatively uncommon, RU's Fire-types make light work of Torterra with their STAB attacks. Although they cannot switch in safely on Earthquake or Stone Edge, they act as great revenge killers.
**Status**: Burn and poison both hinder Torterra's longevity. The former halves its damage output, rendering Torterra much less of a threat.
**Flying-types**: Torterra's STAB combination provides Flying-types, such as Moltres, Gligar, and Braviary, with switch-in opportunities, though all of them, excluding Gligar, must be wary of taking a Stone Edge.
**Attackers with Super Effective Cmoverages**: Weaknesses to common attacking types such as Fire and Ice means that coverage moves such as Clawitzer's Ice Beam and Exploud's Fire Blast are problematic for Torterra.
