Totodile
Special thanks to ShinyAzelf, who wrote up the Team Options, Optional Changes, Counters and Dream World sections.
Special thanks to ShinyAzelf, who wrote up the Team Options, Optional Changes, Counters and Dream World sections.
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<p>Don't mistake Totodile for a feeble Pokemon simply because of its joyous and somewhat-eccentric appearance, as although it may look to be quite playful, it proved itself to be a fearsome sweeper in Generation 4 Little Cup, and Generation 5 looks to be no different. Its great offensively-orientated base stat layout, combined with its amazing physical movepool, consisting of attacking and setup options such as Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, and the helpful priority move Aqua Jet, make Totodile a force to be reckoned with. Also, due to the fact that the new generation has introduced Pokemon like Tepig, Drilbur, and Darumaka to the metagame, Totodile will be even more effective, as it can take down the aforementioned new threats with its powerful STAB moves, whether it be its priority Aqua Jet or its Waterfall.<p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Rock Slide / Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 4 Def / 52 SpD / 172 Spe
[SET COMMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance has always been Totodile's signature set, and for good reason. The combination of Swords Dance and a STAB priority move in Aqua Jet is often enough to beat almost any kind of opponent, as even defensive behemoths such as Gligar and Aron are often OHKOed by a Swords Dance-boosted Aqua Jet; this combination also does well at defeating offensively-orientated teams. The last two moveslots on this set are taken up by additional attacking options, which provide unresisted coverage with Aqua Jet; Rock Slide helps against Pokemon like Mantyke which resists (or in this case, are immune to) Aqua Jet, while Ice Punch hits Dratini, other Dragon-types, and Gligar significantly harder than Aqua Jet. However, it should be noted that Crunch will allow Totodile to defeat Frillish, one of its most effective counters.<p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is the recommended item on this set for an obvious reason: it grants Totodile's attacks an extra, welcome boost in power, increasing Totodile's effectiveness as a sweeper. This set focuses on the Swords Dance + Aqua Jet combination, so an Adamant nature is recommended for the extra Attack boost, but if you're really intent on Totodile being a bit faster to give its other attacks a bit more effectiveness, you can use a Jolly nature instead. Lastly, an Oran Berry, Eviolite, or even Substitute can all be used to give Totodile an easier time setting up.</p>
<p>Totodile, like any other offensive-orientated Pokemon, enjoys entry hazard support, especially in the form of Stealth Rock, as this allows Totodile to attain a couple of notable KOs, notably beating Gligar with a boosted Aqua Jet. Bronzor is a great Pokemon to use alongside Totodile for setting up Stealth Rock, as it also shares decent synergy with Totodile, and is able to set up screens if needed. Ferroseed functions quite similarly, but with an additional perk of being able to set up Spikes as well as Stealth Rock. In terms of counters, anything that is faster or has access to a priority attack (like Starmie and Croagunk) will be able to easily dispose of Totodile due to its meager defensive stats, so preparing for such threats is recommended. Pairing Totodile up with Gastly or Gligar to help with Croagunk and Mantyke, and Elekid or Magnemite to deal with Staryu would be a wise decision, as all of the aforementioned threats can quickly end a Totodile's sweep with little to no effort.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Ice Punch / Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 236 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the previous set, which relied on Aqua Jet to pull off a sweep, this set focuses on bolstering Totodile's Speed as well as its Attack, allowing Totodile to abuse more powerful attacks without worrying about being outpaced by previously faster Pokemon; Dragon Dance is the staple of this set as it grants Totodile the necessary boosts to pull off a sweep. Waterfall provides Totodile with a reliable form of STAB, although Aqua Tail can be used for the additional power it grants, in exchange for some accuracy. Rock Slide is used to get past Pokemon like Mantyke, who would otherwise be able to wall Totodile. The final moveslot comes down to your personal preference: although Ice Punch is useful for taking out threatening Grass-type Pokemon, Crunch allows Totodile to defeat Frillish, a major defensive threat, as well as other defensive Ghost-types like Duskull.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Life Orb gives Totodile's attacking options a significant boost in power, Oran Berry can be used to give Totodile an easier setup time; this will often be needed, due to Totodile's mediocre defensive stats (an Eviolite can also be used for similar reasons). A Jolly nature allows Totodile to outspeed common 21 Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon, and is recommended over an Adamant nature, although Adamant can be used if you really value the extra power.</p>
<p>Just like the Swords Dance set, entry hazards will be more than welcome for this set, as they will greatly aid Totodile in its sweep by allowing it to achieve certain KOs. Both Ferrothorn and Bronzor are able to set up Stealth Rock, the former can also put down Spikes, while the latter can get up Reflect and Light Screen, which are all types of support that Totodile welcomes. Unless Totodile is holding an Eviolite, priority attacks are going to cause major problems, so including defensive Pokemon such as Gligar on your team would definably be a good idea, giving your team answers to priority abusers like Croagunk. Lastly, including something on your team which can deal with Staryu would undoubtedly help Totodile immensely.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Totodile has quite a few other options to choose from, though they aren't nearly as decent as the ones listed. Totodile has access to Aerial Ace, which hits Croagunk, one of Totodile's greatest counters, for super effective damage. Totodile can utilize Fighting-type attacks, namely Brick Break and Superpower, to hit Pokemon such as Ferroseed for super effective damage. However, most Steel-types are hit hard by Waterfall anyway. A Choice set can be run, but since Totodile has access to good setup options like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, a Choice set really is an inferior option. Totodile can run a specially-orientated set consisting of moves like Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Grass, but its physical attacking capabilities are much more effective.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Croagunk and Mantyke, as mentioned before, are great counters to Totodile, because they are both immune to Totodile's STAB Water-type attack. Priority attacks, such as Sucker Punch, will always go before Totodile, rendering its boosts useless. Common users of priority attacks include the aforementioned Croagunk, and also Stunky, who gains STAB on Sucker Punch. Electric-type attacks from Pokemon who are faster than Totodile can defeat it; Staryu outspeeds Totodile, and can knock it out with Thunderbolt, while Chinchou has the bulk to take a hit from Totodile, and proceed to retaliate with a powerful STAB Electric attack. Both Staryu and Chinchou also resist Water-type attacks, meaning Totodile will have to resort to its coverage moves to hurt these Pokemon.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Totodile gains Sheer Force in Dream World, a great ability that has its merits over Torrent. Sheer Force powers up Totodile's attacks in exchange for losing the secondary effects, which is a great trade-off. For example, Totodile's Waterfall will always have a boost in power, but it won't be able to flinch opponents; whereas Torrent will only boost Water attacks when Totodile is on low health. Sheer Force could be used on any of the offensive sets, as the additional power provided is very helpful. Overall, Sheer Force is a great ability on Totodile, and usually outclasses Torrent in every way.</p>
