[Overview]
<p>Just like the various Pokemon it can carry on its back, Torterra has various options. That's not the only thing Torterra has going for it: its stats are well-rounded as well, giving it great bulk and respectable offenses. So, where did Torterra go wrong? In its Speed and typing lie the answer. In the upper tiers, Torterra gets easily mauled by various top-tier threats. However, ignoring its faults in other tiers, Torterra is a very fearsome Pokemon in NU. Offensively, it can utilize a Rock Polish or a Choice Band set to potentially sweep teams or break walls, respectively. Defensively, Torterra can set up Stealth Rock with ease while walling many NU threats and healing any damage it receives with Synthesis. However, if you're hauling a big tree on your back, you are going to be slow. Even after a Rock Polish, Torterra will still be outsped by most common Choice Scarf users. The low Speed stat also hampers unboosted Torterra, as well as Choice Band Torterra. Nevertheless, Torterra is still a fantastic Pokemon that you should be wary of when playing NU.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Overgrow
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One Rock Polish is enough to make Torterra's Speed stat shoot up, peaking at 422 Speed. Combine that with a respectable Attack stat, nearly perfect coverage, and great bulk, and you have a formidable sweeper at your disposal. Earthquake is Torterra's main STAB move, as it hits many Pokemon super effectively and has no drawbacks. Wood Hammer is another STAB that hits Pokemon such as Mesprit and Gorebyss hard. The recoil can be annoying, especially combined with Life Orb damage, so Seed Bomb can be used over Wood Hammer; just note that the difference in power is notable. The last move, Stone Edge, gives Torterra coverage against Flying- and Bug-types, who otherwise completely wall this set.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are self-explanatory: max Attack and Speed investment allow Torterra to hit the hardest it can while outspeeding almost all of the unboosted NU tier. Some of the only things that outpace it are Choice Scarf users, such as Rotom-F and Magmortar—however, they are outsped by Jolly Torterra. Speaking of Jolly, it can be used if you really want to outspeed those Choice Scarf users, but the power boost from Adamant is usually preferred.</p>
<p>While Torterra is bulky, it might have trouble finding an opportunity to set up, and once it does set up, it may be weakened enough to be picked off by priority and weak attacks from Pokemon that may survive an attack, such as Audino, after a few rounds of Life Orb recoil. Leftovers can be used over Life Orb to prevent situations like this, but chances are you'll find yourself raging over Torterra failing to KO important threats, such as uninvested Mesprit, after Stealth Rock. Using a bulkier spread to assist Torterra in setting up can be effective as well; just make sure you don't move too many Speed EVs to HP, as otherwise Torterra might end up being KOed before getting off a Rock Polish, or be outsped by threats it would normally outrun after a boost. With this in mind, a good spread is 84 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe, as it allows Torterra to outspeed Jolly Swellow after a Rock Polish. Substitute is another option for helping Torterra set up, as it allows Torterra to evade status and Absol's Sucker Punch. It's also notable for easing prediction in case the opponent has a Choice Scarf user still alive, allowing Torterra to KO the Choice Scarf user if it can set up a Substitute at the right time.</p>
<p>Torterra may be powerful on its own, but it can use some assistance. Most offensive Pokemon don't need much defensive support, but all of them appreciate extra damage in the form of entry hazards. Specially defensive Camerupt is probably the best option for Stealth Rock that fits well with Torterra, as it counters 3 of the most prominent Choice Scarf users in NU—Rotom-S, Magmortar, and Jynx—as well as the 3 most prominent Torterra counters—Tangela, Weezing, and Exeggutor. Calm Mind Mesprit works well with Torterra as it sets up on all of Torterra's counters, and Torterra does the same in return.</p>
[SET]
Name: Tank
Move 1: Wood Hammer
Move 2: Stealth Rock
Move 3: Earthquake
Move 4: Synthesis / Leech Seed
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Overgrow
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 200 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Torterra has great physical bulk, allowing it to be an effective physical wall. At first sight it may look outclassed by Tangela, but it has numerous qualities that differentiate it from Tangela. Unlike most walls in NU, Torterra can actually do damage back, even when its Attack is barely invested. A lot of Pokemon that would switch in on the aforementioned Tangela, such as Magmortar, will be deterred by the fact that Torterra can hit them with a STAB Earthquake. </p>
<p>Stealth Rock is another useful move Torterra has, and it's one of the most reliable setters of it. While it might seem odd on a defensive Pokemon, Wood Hammer is worth it on Torterra, as Seed Bomb is incredibly weak in comparison, and Torterra can heal off damage with Synthesis. You can use Leech Seed over Synthesis if you'd rather sap the opponent's health and potentially support your team a little, but not being able to heal 50% of Torterra's health at any given time can be a hassle.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs give Torterra a jump point in Defense, and the remainder is invested in Attack. If you'd rather tank as many physical attacks as you can, 252 Defense EVs can be used. Torterra's Special Defense isn't bad, so a spread of 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD with a Careful nature can be effective at allowing Torterra to tank some special attacks, such as Haunter's Sludge Bomb, but as many of Torterra's weaknesses are commonly special attacks, this is an inferior option. Flying-types can be pesky to Torterra, so Stone Edge can be used to nail them. Bulkier Pokemon such as Miltank and Tangela won't take much damage from any of Torterra's attacks, so Torterra can use Toxic to cripple them. Finally, Roar can prevent the likes of Substitute + Calm Mind Mesprit from setting up on Torterra, and also stop Ninjask from passing boosts to teammates.</p>
<p>The Stealth Rock support Torterra provides can be very helpful to any sweeper. Eelektross in particular enjoys Stealth Rock support and synergies well with Torterra, resisting Torterra's weakness to Flying-type attacks and being able to hit from the Special side. Swords Dance Absol is another Pokemon who appreciates Stealth Rock support, and as it tends to struggle against Fighting- and Ground-types, Torterra partners well with it.</p>
[SET]
Name: Choice Band
Move 1: Wood Hammer
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: Stone Edge
Move 4: Stealth Rock / Toxic
Item: Choice Band
Ability: Overgrow
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The sheer power of a Choice Band-boosted Wood Hammer is astounding; this is what gives Choice Band Torterra its wallbreaking ability. Wood Hammer isn't the only thing Torterra packs offensively—Earthquake and Stone Edge are effective coverage moves that hit hard as well. Early in the game, a Choice Band Torterra aims to hit its potential switch-ins hard, and once all of the opponent's Grass-type resistances are gone, it just spams Wood Hammer and watches as opponents fall. Even Pokemon that resist it take a lot of damage from Wood Hammer: for example, Choice Specs Exeggutor is 2HKOed by the mighty Hammer of Wood. The two moves in the last slot are mainly fillers. Stealth Rock is a useful move, but a Choice user isn't that great at setting it up, whereas Toxic cripples bulky counters, such as Tangela.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>In general, Choice Band Torterra wants to hit its opponents before they can hit it, but even with maximum Speed investment, there are quite a few threats that outpace it, so a bulkier EV spread can be effective. Pokemon such as Miltank and Lickilicky can be annoying to Torterra, comfortably tanking its other attacks, so Superpower can be used to severely damage them. Another useful option is Synthesis, which allows Torterra to heal 50% of its health, but be careful when using it, as Synthesis is not a good move to be locked into. In fact, Torterra is better off being paired with a Wish passer, such as Lickilicky. As Torterra can easily soften up walls, it's a good partner for sweepers that need certain walls removed, such as Swellow and Swords Dance Absol, both of whom appreciate Pokemon such as Alomomola and Regirock removed.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>While most sets use a similar few moves, Torterra has an abundance of options up its tree. One of the most interesting options Torterra can use is dual screens. Most people don't expect the ground tortoise to set up dual screens, and it can be very effective if your team needs a dual screens user that has an immunity to Electric attacks and can hit decently hard as well. However, Reflect and Light Screen take up two moveslots that Torterra can rarely spare. A SubSeed set can be effective; however, Torterra is a bit too slow to set up Substitutes consecutively, and would rather steamroll through the opposition. Some lesser-used set-up options include Curse and Swords Dance, but they're underused for a reason: they don't boost Torterra's middling Speed, making its sweep easy to stop.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Tangela and Weezing are the best Torterra counters; they tank any hit Torterra throws at them and cripple Torterra back with Sleep Powder and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Sap Sipper Miltank walls any attack bar Choice Band boosted Superpower, and since it is faster than Torterra, it can stall Torterra with Milk Drink. Strong special attackers, such as Magmortar and Jynx, can easily revenge kill Torterra, provided it hasn't set up a Rock Polish. Non-Rock Polish sets are easy enough to revenge kill, as Torterra is slow without a Rock Polish boost. As for revenging Rock Polish sets after they set up, fast Choice Scarf users, such as Magmortar, Braviary, Rotom-S, and Jynx, can outspeed and OHKO +2 Adamant Torterra. If you don't have one of these Pokemon and you're face-to-face with a Rock Polish Torterra, your best option will likely be to cripple it with Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, or to postpone its sweep with a phazing move. Not allowing Torterra to set up is another way to prevent it from sweeping you, but if you don't have a check or counter, can't prevent it setting up, and can't cripple it, the best way to beat Torterra is to hope it kills itself from Life Orb and Wood Hammer recoil.</p>
