[OVERVIEW]
Toxapex is OU's premier wall thanks to a combination of excellent natural bulk, multiple methods of recovery, and a key move in Haze, making it a great fit on stall and balance teams alike. Its Poison / Water typing furthers its defensive capabilities, letting it check a myriad of offensive threats such as Mega Scizor, Volcarona, Keldeo, and non-Extrasensory Greninja. Toxapex is one of the few viable Pokemon in OU with access to Toxic Spikes, which gives it a method to passively wear down the opposition. However, abysmal offensive stats make Toxapex somewhat passive, and it relies on status to make up for this shortcoming.
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Scald
move 2: Haze
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Toxic
item: Black Sludge
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is a reliable Water-type STAB move that has a good chance to burn, reducing Toxapex's passivity. Haze prevents Toxapex from being setup fodder for several Pokemon, eliminating boosts from the likes of Volcarona, non-Taunt Gyarados, and Mega Charizard X. Recover gives Toxapex a reliable way to replenish lost HP, letting it outlast the Pokemon it's supposed to check. Toxic Spikes works well on Toxapex, as its bulk and typing give it plenty of opportunities to set it up, and it helps a significant amount with wearing down various grounded Pokemon. Toxic is an alternative to immediately cripple levitating Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Zapdos, Mega Charizard Y, and Latios.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread lets Toxapex always avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Gengar's Shadow Ball after Stealth Rock, while the remaining EVs are dumped into Defense to better take on the likes of Mega Mawile, Mega Charizard X, Gyarados, and the rare Swords Dance Mega Scizor. Regenerator further increases longevity, making Toxapex difficult to wear down. Black Sludge provides passive recovery and is used over Leftovers to potentially cripple Trick users. Rocky Helmet is also an option to wear down physical attackers, notably punishing U-turn from Scizor and Choice Specs Ash-Greninja.
Usage Tips
========
Toxapex is fairly straightforward to use—switch it in on Pokemon that it walls, and respond by getting off potential burns with Scald or using it as an opportunity to set up a layer of Toxic Spikes. Always try to keep Toxapex at a good amount of health by using Recover or pivoting around with Regenerator, as it needs to be as healthy as possible in order to effectively check the Pokemon it's supposed to. When pinned up against setup sweepers, the best way to handle them is to use Haze followed by using Recover, should Toxapex get low on HP, and whittling the foe with either Scald or Toxic.
Team Options
========
Due to Toxapex's very passive nature, which causes it to be vulnerable to a specific set of Pokemon, Toxapex fits best on stall and balance teams, with both providing a way to make up for its shortcomings. Mega Sableye is an excellent partner on stall, as Toxapex covers several Pokemon that it is weak to such as Volcarona, Clefable, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, non-Thunderbolt Magearna, and non-Thunder Punch Mega Mawile. Chansey covers Toxapex's vulnerability to common Electric- and Psychic-types. On balance, Tangrowth makes for a good partner thanks to its typing, letting it cover Garchomp, Tapu Koko, and non-Supersonic Skystrike Landorus-T all in one teamslot while appreciating Toxapex's ability to absorb Toxic Spikes and cripple Pokemon with status. Celesteela hard checks Tapu Lele and counters all other Psychic-types while also checking the likes of Landorus-T and Garchomp, thus walling most Pokemon that Toxapex is vulnerable to. Hidden Power Ice Mega Scizor takes on Mega Metagross, Zygarde, Landorus-T, and non-Fire Blast Garchomp effectively and also provides a means of soft checking Mega Alakazam and Latios.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxapex can make use of some more niche items in lieu of Black Sludge because of its already impressive longevity. A notable example is Eject Button, which has use in having Dugtrio enter the battlefield safely on a Pokemon that threatens stall. Shed Shell is also an option to avoid being trapped and eliminated by opposing Dugtrio. Sludge Bomb can be potentially ran, letting Toxapex threaten Tapu Bulu, but this isn't recommended due to it being strapped for moveslots. Baneful Bunker may seem appealing for scouting moves and poisoning the foe, but Toxapex has very little leeway in terms of its moveset, as it has to forgo either Haze or Toxic Spikes, making it a bad option overall.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Psychic-types**: Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Latios, and Mega Alakazam all are capable of doing major damage to Toxapex, though none of them appreciate being worn down by poison or burn. It's worth noting that if Alakazam stays in its base form, it will not be affected by residual damage. Reuniclus gets a special mention thanks to Magic Guard preventing it from getting worn down and it being able to threaten Toxapex with Psyshock.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Thundurus-T all threaten Toxapex with their STAB moves, with Zapdos being particulary effective against Toxic Spikes variants due to its access to Defog. Zapdos is also impossible for Toxapex to significantly cripple unless it's running Toxic.
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Zygarde all are capable of heavily damaging Toxapex, though none are safe switch-ins by any means, with the first being weak to Scald and all of them being vulnerable to burns. Substitute + Coil Zygarde, however, is able to beat Toxapex one-on-one due to its immense bulk and Substitute shielding it from status, but depending on Toxapex's EV spread, it still can be annoying for it due to Haze eliminating boosts without Toxapex taking too much from a minimum Attack-invested Thousand Arrows.
**Taunt**: Taunt is a good way of shutting down Toxapex, as it can only use Scald to fish for burns. Taunt Tapu Fini is particularly bothersome because it clears Toxic Spikes with Defog, is immune to status until Misty Terrain wears off, and heavily chips away at Toxapex with Nature's Madness. Whirlpool variants, in particular, trap and outright eliminate it. Other Taunt users such as Gengar, Tapu Bulu, and Gyarados are also effective means of shutting Toxapex down and taking advantage of its passivity.
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