This is still a work in progress- I'll just post what I've got so far and update it as and when I've finished the last few bits.
www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/toxicroak
Changes:
~ Rewritten the Swords Dance, Choice Band, Nasty Plot and Sub-Punch sets for the new UU metagame + Platinum changes.
~ Added 'Team Support' to each set.
~ Removal of the Rain Dance set- Toxicroak barely benefits from it, it's not bulky enough to set it up reliably for other team members, and you would be better off setting up Swords Dance or Nasty Plot in your free turns anyway.
~ Small additions to 'Other Options.'
~ Addition of 'Team Options.'
~ Rewriting of 'Counters' and 'EVs.'
---
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Taunt / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance Toxicroak makes a very useful end-game sweeper. Whilst Toxicroak's poor defensive stats make getting into play difficult, the water immunity granted by Dry Skin allows Toxicroak to come in on the likes of Milotic and Azumarill with relative impunity, giving it an opportunity to use Swords Dance. Whilst Toxicroak does have several other notable resistances, namely Rock, Fighting and Grass, such poor defenses make coming in on powerful STAB attacks from the likes of Shaymin, Rhydon and Hitmontop impractical. However, these resistances are useful when it comes to revenge killings- Toxicroak shrugs off weak, resisted Sucker Punches, Mach Punches and Aqua Jets from Pokemon such as Azumarill and Honchkrow- however, Toxicroak needs to be wary of Fake Out from Ambipom, which does 49.03% - 57.79% from a Jolly Life Orb variant. Furthermore, Toxicroak's Swords Danced Sucker Punches are enough to OHKO a large number of Pokemon who would otherwise outspeed and OHKO it first, such as Espeon, Swellow, Sceptile and Choice Scarfers such as Typhlosion and Roserade. These two factors make Swords Dance Toxicroak very dangerous against offensive teams who are mostly dependant on revenge killing to deal with offensive threats.</p>
<p>Cross Chop provides Toxicroak with a powerful STAB move, which hits a large number of the more common physically defensive threats in the UU tier for Super Effective damage, such as Steelix, Regirock and Registeel. Combined with Sucker Punch, Toxicroak can hit the entire UU tier, with the exception of opposing Toxicroak, for at least neutral damage. Sucker Punch hits a large number of important Pokemon who resist Toxicroak's STAB Cross Chops- most notably, Slowbro, Claydol and Uxie. Spiritomb is also hit hard enough by Sucker Punch to 2HKO after a Swords Dance. There are several options for the last slot, which can be chosen depending on the individual needs of your team. Taunt is an excellent move for forcing Pokemon such as Slowbro, Rotom and Uxie to attack you, allowing you to Sucker Punch them next turn, instead of them hitting you with a Thunder Wave. It is also very useful against Spiritomb who can otherwise Will-o-Wisp Toxicroak freely, or alternatively start to Calm Mind up. Running Substitute is also an option, which is used similarly to Taunt, but can potentially buy you an extra turn. However, combined with Life Orb recoil and Toxicroak's frail defenses, damage will begin to add up very quickly. Running Stone Edge in place of Taunt makes you more vulnerable to the aforementioned Pokemon, but helps against fliers such as Moltres and Altaria who can otherwise wall Toxicroak easily, allows you to hit Crobat on the switch-in, and also gives you a way to break Mismagius' Substitutes. Ice Punch hits similar targets, but sacrifices coverage on Moltres and 25 BP for a harder hit on Nidoqueen, Venusaur and 100% accuracy. Earthquake hits Nidoqueen even harder, and also damages Muk, but otherwise has very redundant coverage with Cross Chop. If using Earthquake, it would probably be better to run it alongside one of Toxicroak's Poison STAB moves instead of Cross Chop- the powerful but unreliable Gunk Shot or the weaker Poison Jab. Either of these moves allow Toxicroak to hit Shaymin, who can otherwise switch into Toxicroak relatively easily, assuming it is faster. Wide Lens is an acceptable option if running multiple moves with low accuracy (particularly Cross Chop, Stone Edge or Gunk Shot) though the drop in damage means you cannot come close to a 2HKO on Spiritomb after a Swords Dance, or KO a Slowbro that has switched into Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. </p>
<p>Swords Dance Toxicroak has difficulty getting past Weezing, Nidoqueen, and Substitute Mismagius. Shaymin and Rotom can cause it problems as well, if they are faster than Toxicroak. Generally, all of these Pokemon will have to be eliminated or at least weakened before attempting to sweep, and so it is generally advisable to carry some way of eliminating these Pokemon in your team. Offensive Life Orb Milotic makes a fine choice- it commonly lures in Shaymin, Mismagius and occasionally Rotom, and can deal heavy damage to all of them with Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. It can also come in on Weezing's predictable Will-o-Wisps to boost Marvel Scale, and easily forces Nidoqueen out. Furthermore, Toxicroak makes an excellent switch into the three Pokemon that cause offensive Milotic the most problems- Chansey, opposing Milotic and Ludicolo. Speaking of Ludicolo, it also partners very well with Toxicroak- luring in Shaymin easily and doing up to 85% with a Life Orb Ice Beam, whilst also forcing switches to Chansey to give Toxicroak opportunities to set up. Furthermore, it commonly carries Rain Dance, which recovers some of Toxicroak's health each turn it is in play, ensuring that Life Orb recoil doesn't get the better of Toxicroak. </p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Toxicroak swaps the ability to swap moves for more immediate power and greater type coverage. Cross Chop is the only 'staple' move on the set- Toxicroak's wide movepool leaves you with several potential options for the last three moves. Sucker Punch is without doubt one of the more useful moves available- providing near-flawless coverage with Cross Chop, and priority to finish off weakened sweepers such as Espeon and Mismagius. However, when locked into Sucker Punch, it provides an intelligent opponent with an opportunity to set up, and so it is generally better to not use Sucker Punch too carelessly. Toxicroak's Poison STAB is very useful on a Choice Band set- whilst it provides very little in terms of type-coverage (though it does hit Shaymin harder, which can survive a Cross Chop) the raw power behind Toxicroak's STAB Gunk Shots is enough to 2HKO several potential counters, such as Uxie and Slowbro. Poison Jab will only 3HKO these targets, but is 100% accurate and still hits them harder than anything else on the set when considering that Sucker Punch cannot hit them on the switch-in. Ice Punch is your best bet for hitting Crobat, Nidoqueen, Nidoking and Claydol switching into Toxicroak. It also OHKOes all Altaria, even the defensive variants which can survive one Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is a decent move if you don't run Stealth Rock- the coverage on Moltres is invaluable, as defensive variants can easily survive Gunk Shot if Stealth Rock is not in play and KO Toxicroak with Air Slash. It maintains coverage on Altaria, and also hits Pinsir hard, who can otherwise survive anything the set has to offer. Pursuit is also an option worth considering- it combines well with Sucker Punch to trap Pokemon such as Mismagius and offensive Rotom. X-Scissor and Payback are good options if you opted to run Poison Jab over Gunk Shot- to hit bulky Psychic types hard on the switch-in or when they don't attack you to avoid Sucker Punch. </p>
<p>Whilst Choice Band Toxicroak pairs well with similar Pokemon to other physical Toxicroak sets, there are a number of Pokemon that pair especially well with this set in particular. Honchkrow and Absol are two excellent options to play together with this set- being able to eliminate Rotom, Mismagius and Slowbro from the game with Pursuit makes it much easier for Choice Band Toxicroak to do some damage, seeing as Toxicroak's own Pursuit is not really powerful enough to threaten some of the bulkier defensive threats in the UU tier. Toxicroak's wide type coverage with this set allows it to hurt a large number of checks to the more common Swords Dance set, and so playing Toxicroak together with Pokemon that can sweep more effectively after Pokemon such as Shaymin, Venusaur, Uxie and Weezing have been weakened or eliminated is a good idea- Rock Polish Torterra and Dragon Dance Feraligatr are two particularly effective partners. It can also be useful when playing this set to have some other form of powerful priority attacker, such as Azumarill or Ambipom, or a Choice Scarfer on your team, seeing as a Choice Banded Sucker Punch is asking for all sorts of Pokemon to set up on you, and being able to revenge kill them effectively will help reduce the damage they cause.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Vacuum Wave
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Nasty Plot Toxicroak doesn't hit quite as hard as physical-based Toxicroak, due to a considerably lower Special Attack stat and lower base power moves. However, it makes up for it with STAB Vacuum Wave and surprise factor, as most people would expect the more common physical-based sets. Sludge Bomb provides a more powerful secondary STAB attack to hit slower, more bulky opponents such as Milotic, Spiritomb and some Moltres, as well as hitting Shaymin hard. What you choose for the last slot depends on the rest of your team and what you have problems breaking down defensively. Dark Pulse is a good choice for hitting Ghost-types such as Rotom, Dusclops and Mismagius hard, as well as Claydol, all of which wall the rest of the set. Shadow Ball is also an option to hit these targets, but Dark Pulse's flinch rate is more useful on this set than the chance of a Special Defense drop that Shadow Ball offers- as Toxicroak is so frail, it will often not get the chance to capitalise on defensive drops. Hidden Power Ice leaves you open to the aforementioned Ghost-types, but maintains coverage against Claydol, also hits Altaria and Nidoqueen, and allows you to hit Yanmega and Crobat on the switch-in. Focus Blast is another worthwhile option- whilst the low accuracy may put off some, it is Toxicroak's most powerful weapon against Regirock, Registeel and Chansey, all of which shrug off anything else the set has to offer. Taunt is still occasionally useful for the likes of Calm Mind Spiritomb, but otherwise its utility is limited, particularly when considering that this set doesn't mind status as much as physical Toxicroak- paralysis is not too significant due to a STAB priority move, whilst Will-o-Wisp doesn't cut its potential offensively, and the burn damage is largely insignificant. </p>
<p>Discounting the surprise factor, Nasty Plot Toxicroak is generally easier to counter than the Swords Dancer. However, once specific problem Pokemon have been eliminated from the picture, it can sweep very effectively- for this reason, it is generally more effective to play it in the late-game, when these specific checks have been removed or weakened. These Pokemon vary enormously depending on what move you run in the last slot- however, Crobat and Yanmega will almost always stop this set cold. Chansey, Registeel, Altaria, Moltres, Regirock, Nidoqueen, Muk and Arcanine can all potentially stop a sweep depending on what coverage move you run, or if they are not sufficiently weakened. Most of these Pokemon really dislike Stealth Rock- as a result, it is important to get it down as soon as possible. </p>
<p>As for potential team-mates, Shaymin makes an excellent partner, providing a vital Ground resistance and also being able to lure in the majority of these problem Pokemon, and weaken them enough to facilitate a Toxicroak sweep. Pinsir also works well together with this set- many of the Pokemon that cause Toxicroak the most problems will try and switch in on Pinsir's powerful X-Scissors, and all of them take a lot of damage if they come in on a Stone Edge, Earthquake or Close Combat. Hariyama can work in a similar way- Substitute sets are particularly effective, as it removes any need for prediction whilst still luring in and weakening all of these problem Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Sub-Punch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The beauty of Sub-Punch Toxicroak is that the core moves work together so well- being behind a Substitute encourages your opponent to attack, making them susceptible to Sucker Punch. Whilst the set's lack of power makes it difficult to break full-blown stall, it is very useful against more balanced teams and bulky offense, as they commonly rely on Pokemon such as Crobat, Altaria and Moltres to combat Fighting-types, which all fall prey to this set. Substitute minimises the need for prediction, and somewhat makes up for Toxicroak's frailty by ensuring that it can get off at least one safe hit before being KOed. Toxicroak gets plenty of opportunities to set up a Substitute- mainly against Water-types such as Azumarill, Milotic, Ludicolo and Kabutops, but it can also force switches with the threat of Sucker Punch against weakened opponents.</p>
<p>Stone Edge is generally the most reliable move choice for the final slot- it allows Toxicroak to threaten Moltres, Altaria, Crobat and Yanmega, all of which can easily survive the set's core attacks. Ice Punch is more reliable against Altaria, allowing you to OHKO all but the most physically defensive variants. It also hits Nidoqueen hard, and allows you to beat defensive Torterra that switch into Toxicroak. However, it leaves you helpless against Moltres, and the loss in power means that Toxicroak cannot OHKO Crobat after Stealth Rock damage. Poison Jab is another worthwhile option, providing you with a reliable STAB attack that you don't need to predict to use. It allows Toxicroak to threaten Shaymin that switch in, though it takes only slightly more from Poison Jab than it does from Focus Punch, meaning that it is only really of any significant use against slower, defensive Shaymin sets. It is also Toxicroak's best weapon against Spiritomb, which can be beaten if it uses Pain Split instead of Rest by blocking any attempts at recovery with Substitute.</p>
<p>Sub-Punch Toxicroak does appreciate Rain support- it really helps it to recover health lost from Substitutes. Mind games with Sucker Punch allow Toxicroak to hide behind a Substitute for several turns, gradually recovering lost HP as your opponent tries to outpredict you. In turn, this allows Toxicroak to use a different item, such as a Life Orb or a Fist Plate, whilst still recovering lost HP. This makes Toxicroak much more dangerous against defensive teams. However, it is not really advisable to set up rain for Toxicroak alone- there are other Pokemon, such as Ludicolo or Omastar, who gain much more from rain support; Toxicroak alone doesn't benefit enough from it to warrant setting it up. </p>
<p>As previously noted, Sub-Punch Toxicroak works well against balanced and bulky offensive teams, luring out and crippling the likes of Moltres, Altaria, Crobat and Yanmega. This makes Toxicroak an ideal partner for Pokemon that have trouble breaking down these threats- Blaziken, Pinsir and Hitmonlee are all good choices. Espeon works particularly well together with Sub-Punch Toxicroak- with Trick it can lock the likes of Registeel and Chansey into one move, making them much easier for Substitute Toxicroak to set up on. It can also dry-Baton Pass out to Toxicroak from these threats, giving it a free turn to Substitute. Being able to Trick a Choice item onto bulky waters is also invaluable- seeing as even weak Ice Beams can break Toxicroak's Substitutes, locking them into one move makes setting up Toxicroak much easier. Moltres is also an excellent Pokemon to play together with Toxicroak- it lures in bulky waters and Chansey, can U-Turn straight to Toxicroak, forcing them out. However, bear in mind that setting up on Chansey is all but impossible if your opponent knows your set, as they can just use Seismic Toss repeatedly, never giving you a chance to Focus Punch them.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Unlike many Pokemon, getting down several layers of entry hazards is not necessarily going to help Toxicroak get past its counters- with the admittedly important exceptions of Moltres and Altaria, very few checks to Toxicroak will be made significantly easier to take down by using Stealth Rock. Toxic Spikes are similar- many of Toxicroak's most effective checks are immune to them, and a large proportion of them will even clear Toxic Spikes upon switching in. Screens may be slightly more useful- for example, having Light Screen up might let you beat offensive Shaymin that switch into Toxicroak as it Swords Dances, but otherwise, most of the common switches into Toxicroak will beat it, even if it does have two eight turn screens up. Even Rain support is not necessarily going to help much, as short of recovering Life Orb recoil, Toxicroak is unlikely to benefit much from the 12.5% recovery each turn. Ultimately, when using Toxicroak, you would be better off spending your time scouting your opponent's team and weakening prospective checks and counters instead of setting up any sort of specific supportive environment. The only exceptions to this are on Substitute-based sets, where Rain support is very helpful to regain HP to generate more Substitutes, and Special-based Toxicroak, which really appreciates having Stealth Rock down to cripple potential counters such as Crobat, Yanmega, and Moltres.
<p>Offensively, Toxicroak has real problems breaking down bulky Poison-types, such as Weezing, Muk, Venusaur and Nidoqueen, as well as the omnipresent Shaymin if it is faster and Toxicroak lacks a Poison STAB. Claydol, Uxie and Slowbro can beat Toxicroak if they avoid Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse or X-Scissor. Spiritomb shuts down choiced variants, but struggles to do damage back quickly enough against the Swords Dancer and the Nasty Plotter. Any faster Pokemon with Substitute also beats Toxicroak, particularly Crobat who also resists Toxicroak's Fighting STAB. Mismagius and Rotom work similarly, but can also status Toxicroak to hinder it's sweeping capabilities. Anything faster than Toxicroak that isn't weak to Sucker Punch (or Vacuum Wave on the Nasty Plot set) can generally check it relatively effectively as well- Drapion in particular is good for this role with its impressive base 110 defense, though any Pokemon that is faster and bulky enough to take a boosted priority move works fine.</p>
<p>In order to eliminate these problem Pokemon, it is generally a good idea to carry other Pokemon in your team that can KO or at least severely weaken these defensive threats in order to make Toxicroak much more effective offensively. Offensive Milotic is generally a good partner to Toxicroak, luring in the likes of Shaymin, Mismagius and Rotom and severely damaging them all, while Toxicroak can switch safely into counters to Milotic such as Chansey and Ludicolo, allowing both Pokemon to sweep easier. Ludicolo works similarly and has a useful Ground resistance which can help when switching directly from Toxicroak, however, it cannot necessarily lure in Rotom or Mismagius as effectively. Fire-types such as Arcanine and Houndoom also work very effectively with Toxicroak- not only do they draw out the likes of Milotic and Azumarill who Toxicroak can set up on, but they also make excellent switches into Will-o-Wisps from Weezing, Rotom, Mismagius and Spiritomb. Other Fighting-types, such as Blaziken, Hitmonlee and Primeape, are all very useful when played with Toxicroak, as they draw in similar counters and can weaken them before attempting a Toxicroak sweep. If you opt to run a set that struggles to damage bulky Psychic-types like Claydol, Uxie and Slowbro, running something with a powerful Pursuit can really help to clear the way for a sweep- Absol and Honchkrow are probably your two best bets.</p>
<p>Defensively, Toxicroak shines as an answer to rain-based teams. It resists the STAB moves of Kabutops, Omastar and Ludicolo, and, if it switches in on a Water-move, can beat all three of them one on one. It's ability to absorb Toxic Spikes is also invaluable, particularly for bulkier offensive teams that cannot afford for their bulky sweepers to be constantly taking poison damage. However, apart from these, Toxicroak's ability to support it's team defensively is rather lacking- whilst it has some fantastic resistances to make use of, particularly Dark, Rock and Fighting, its 83/65/65 defenses are so poor that it cannot safely come in on any moderately powerful attack that isn't of the Water-type, resisted or not, without taking significant amounts of damage.</p>
<p>Whilst it would be overexaggerating to say that most teams have multiple safe switch-ins to Toxicroak, it needs to be taken into account that there will generally be multiple Pokemon that you will need to KO or weaken before attempting a Toxicroak sweep. For example, Shaymin is very commonly played together with Mismagius and Drapion, all three of which will need to be weakened before attempting to sweep with Toxicroak. Being able to anticipate your opponent's response to Toxicroak well in advance is something that can give you a massive advantage- it is well worth employing 'double switches' straight from Toxicroak early on in the game to something like Ludicolo or Arcanine- more often than not, you will get a favourable match-up. After doing this once or twice your opponent may start to overpredict you, which can easily result in them losing a vital obstacle to a Toxicroak sweep. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Fake Out and Bullet Punch round out his choices for priority attacks. Brick Break is an alternative over Cross Chop if the 80% accuracy bothers you. A Choice Scarf set with Me First could work as a surprise in some situations. Thunderpunch has some use in OU, where it hits Gyarados hard, but in UU it doesn't hit much that isn't already hit harder by Toxicroak's other attacks. Rain Dance is an option, but the benefits Toxicroak gets from it are minimal, so you would be better off using something else to set up rain. A Choice Specs set is a possibility with Toxicroak's impressive special movepool, though a mediocre Special Attack stat hurts the set's viability.</p>
<p>Anticipation is almost always an inferior ability choice- Earthquakes, Psychics, and Flying attacks are usually fairly predictable so the added immunity to Water and potential healing Dry Skin brings is usually preferable. Scouting for Explosions can prove useful, though.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On any Toxicroak set, running max Speed is advisable- regardless of the nature you use, running at least 240 Spe is useful to outpace Magmortar. If you opt to use a Speed-neutral nature, then 240 Spe will also let you outspeed Honchkrow, forcing it to attack you with resisted Sucker Punches instead of super-effective Drill Pecks. From there, you may as well run max speed, to hit the speed tie with Pinsir and other Toxicroak. Throughout this analysis, neutral speed natures have been recommended- this is due to Toxicroak's range of priority moves, that generally make it more worthwhile to invest in offensive stats than Speed. If you do opt to use a +Spe nature, then you would outspeed a handful of Pokemon, including Moltres, Arcanine, and +Spe Blaziken, Medicham, Magmortar, Feraligatr, Kabutops and Smeargle. Out of these Pokemon, Feraligatr and Kabutops very rarely use Jolly natures, and the latter is commonly played with rain support, allowing it to outspeed Toxicroak anyway by virtue of Swift Swim. However, It is very useful for the Swords Dancer to be able to beat Blaziken and Arcanine, both of which can otherwise beat it convincingly. The Nasty Plotter really benefits from outspeeding Moltres, as even boosted Vacuum Waves will not be enough to KO Moltres, even after Stealth Rock. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, using a +Spe nature really hurts Toxicroak's ability to break down a few key walls- Jolly Swords Dance Toxicroak only has a tiny chance to 2HKO Spiritomb after one boost, whereas it is almost guaranteed with Adamant. It also greatly reduces the chance of a 2HKO with an unboosted Cross Chop and Sucker Punch on 4/0 Shaymin. With an Adamant nature, it is guaranteed with Stealth Rock and an Adamant nature, whilst there is still a very good chance of a 2HKO even without Stealth Rock in play. A Jolly Toxicroak will never 2HKO without Stealth Rock, and is not guaranteed to do so when Stealth Rock is in play either. </p>
[Opinion]
<p>Although his defenses are poor, potential healing from Water attacks and handy resistances to Bug, Fighting, Dark and Rock, as well as the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, do go some way to compensate for this. His attacking prowess may not quite be up to Lucario proportions, but with his impressive movepool Toxicroak is not to be underestimated. Competition between Fighting-types is fierce, but Toxicroak has some rather unique and useful selling points, which makes him a cool choice to add to your team.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Countering Toxicroak can be daunting, due to its large movepool and the ability to hurt the vast majority of potential checks with one move or another. However, after finding out the set, switching into Toxicroak becomes much easier. Bulky Poison-types are generally a safe bet- Weezing can come in on any physical-based set, and threaten Toxicroak with Will-o-Wisp or Flamethrower. Muk can also serve as an effective check, only really fearing the rare Earthquake. Nidoqueen is also an acceptable switch-in, though it is also weak to Ice Punch. Crobat dislikes boosted Sucker Punches, as well as the odd Stone Edge or Ice Punch, but can switch in on the Nasty Plot set with ease, and, if it carries Substitute to avoid Sucker Punch, can beat the Swords Dancer too. Drapion isn't quite such a safe bet, but is faster than Toxicroak, can survive one Cross Chop, resists Sucker Punch, and can KO it easily with Earthquake. </p>
<p>Ghost-types such as Rotom and Mismagius are serious obstacles to a Toxicroak sweep, being able to dodge Sucker Punch with status moves or Substitute, and having an immunity to Toxicroak's STAB Fighting moves. Dusclops is less reliable, as it's lower speed makes it susceptible to Taunt, allowing Toxicroak to hit it with Sucker Punch. However, it does better against the Choice Bander. Similarly, Spiritomb works well against Choiced sets, but cannot do damage back quickly enough against the Swords Dancer or the Nasty Plotter. Bulky Psychic-types also do well against Toxicroak, particularly the physical sets, but face a high-risk prediction game and will need some way of threatening Toxicroak without directly attacking it, in order to avoid Sucker Punch. Uxie is a relatively safe switch, as it can survive Swords Danced Sucker Punches, as well as Nasty Plotted Dark Pulses, and OHKO in return with Psychic. Slowbro is almost OHKOed by Sucker Punch after a Swords Dance, but can beat Toxicroak by hitting it with Psychic on the turn that it uses Taunt or another attacking move. Mesprit works in much the same way. </p>
<p>Shaymin and Intimidate Arcanine are both capable of switching into Toxicroak as it uses Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, surviving one boosted priority attack and OHKOing in return, though neither can afford to switch in on Toxicroak's STAB attacks. Moltres is a safe switch as long as Toxicroak isn't packing Stone Edge, whilst Altaria has to be wary of Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice as well. Yanmega has to be similarly careful of these attacks, but can switch in on Toxicroak's STAB attacks, outspeed and threaten with Air Slash, using Hypnosis if needs be to dodge Sucker Punch. Really though, countering Toxicroak is much harder than simply never letting it into play in the first place- if your team is very offensive, short of Choice-locked Water moves or Pursuit, Toxicroak will have difficulty switching in.</p>
www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/toxicroak
Changes:
~ Rewritten the Swords Dance, Choice Band, Nasty Plot and Sub-Punch sets for the new UU metagame + Platinum changes.
~ Added 'Team Support' to each set.
~ Removal of the Rain Dance set- Toxicroak barely benefits from it, it's not bulky enough to set it up reliably for other team members, and you would be better off setting up Swords Dance or Nasty Plot in your free turns anyway.
~ Small additions to 'Other Options.'
~ Addition of 'Team Options.'
~ Rewriting of 'Counters' and 'EVs.'
---
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Cross Chop
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Taunt / Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swords Dance Toxicroak makes a very useful end-game sweeper. Whilst Toxicroak's poor defensive stats make getting into play difficult, the water immunity granted by Dry Skin allows Toxicroak to come in on the likes of Milotic and Azumarill with relative impunity, giving it an opportunity to use Swords Dance. Whilst Toxicroak does have several other notable resistances, namely Rock, Fighting and Grass, such poor defenses make coming in on powerful STAB attacks from the likes of Shaymin, Rhydon and Hitmontop impractical. However, these resistances are useful when it comes to revenge killings- Toxicroak shrugs off weak, resisted Sucker Punches, Mach Punches and Aqua Jets from Pokemon such as Azumarill and Honchkrow- however, Toxicroak needs to be wary of Fake Out from Ambipom, which does 49.03% - 57.79% from a Jolly Life Orb variant. Furthermore, Toxicroak's Swords Danced Sucker Punches are enough to OHKO a large number of Pokemon who would otherwise outspeed and OHKO it first, such as Espeon, Swellow, Sceptile and Choice Scarfers such as Typhlosion and Roserade. These two factors make Swords Dance Toxicroak very dangerous against offensive teams who are mostly dependant on revenge killing to deal with offensive threats.</p>
<p>Cross Chop provides Toxicroak with a powerful STAB move, which hits a large number of the more common physically defensive threats in the UU tier for Super Effective damage, such as Steelix, Regirock and Registeel. Combined with Sucker Punch, Toxicroak can hit the entire UU tier, with the exception of opposing Toxicroak, for at least neutral damage. Sucker Punch hits a large number of important Pokemon who resist Toxicroak's STAB Cross Chops- most notably, Slowbro, Claydol and Uxie. Spiritomb is also hit hard enough by Sucker Punch to 2HKO after a Swords Dance. There are several options for the last slot, which can be chosen depending on the individual needs of your team. Taunt is an excellent move for forcing Pokemon such as Slowbro, Rotom and Uxie to attack you, allowing you to Sucker Punch them next turn, instead of them hitting you with a Thunder Wave. It is also very useful against Spiritomb who can otherwise Will-o-Wisp Toxicroak freely, or alternatively start to Calm Mind up. Running Substitute is also an option, which is used similarly to Taunt, but can potentially buy you an extra turn. However, combined with Life Orb recoil and Toxicroak's frail defenses, damage will begin to add up very quickly. Running Stone Edge in place of Taunt makes you more vulnerable to the aforementioned Pokemon, but helps against fliers such as Moltres and Altaria who can otherwise wall Toxicroak easily, allows you to hit Crobat on the switch-in, and also gives you a way to break Mismagius' Substitutes. Ice Punch hits similar targets, but sacrifices coverage on Moltres and 25 BP for a harder hit on Nidoqueen, Venusaur and 100% accuracy. Earthquake hits Nidoqueen even harder, and also damages Muk, but otherwise has very redundant coverage with Cross Chop. If using Earthquake, it would probably be better to run it alongside one of Toxicroak's Poison STAB moves instead of Cross Chop- the powerful but unreliable Gunk Shot or the weaker Poison Jab. Either of these moves allow Toxicroak to hit Shaymin, who can otherwise switch into Toxicroak relatively easily, assuming it is faster. Wide Lens is an acceptable option if running multiple moves with low accuracy (particularly Cross Chop, Stone Edge or Gunk Shot) though the drop in damage means you cannot come close to a 2HKO on Spiritomb after a Swords Dance, or KO a Slowbro that has switched into Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. </p>
<p>Swords Dance Toxicroak has difficulty getting past Weezing, Nidoqueen, and Substitute Mismagius. Shaymin and Rotom can cause it problems as well, if they are faster than Toxicroak. Generally, all of these Pokemon will have to be eliminated or at least weakened before attempting to sweep, and so it is generally advisable to carry some way of eliminating these Pokemon in your team. Offensive Life Orb Milotic makes a fine choice- it commonly lures in Shaymin, Mismagius and occasionally Rotom, and can deal heavy damage to all of them with Ice Beam or Hydro Pump. It can also come in on Weezing's predictable Will-o-Wisps to boost Marvel Scale, and easily forces Nidoqueen out. Furthermore, Toxicroak makes an excellent switch into the three Pokemon that cause offensive Milotic the most problems- Chansey, opposing Milotic and Ludicolo. Speaking of Ludicolo, it also partners very well with Toxicroak- luring in Shaymin easily and doing up to 85% with a Life Orb Ice Beam, whilst also forcing switches to Chansey to give Toxicroak opportunities to set up. Furthermore, it commonly carries Rain Dance, which recovers some of Toxicroak's health each turn it is in play, ensuring that Life Orb recoil doesn't get the better of Toxicroak. </p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Toxicroak swaps the ability to swap moves for more immediate power and greater type coverage. Cross Chop is the only 'staple' move on the set- Toxicroak's wide movepool leaves you with several potential options for the last three moves. Sucker Punch is without doubt one of the more useful moves available- providing near-flawless coverage with Cross Chop, and priority to finish off weakened sweepers such as Espeon and Mismagius. However, when locked into Sucker Punch, it provides an intelligent opponent with an opportunity to set up, and so it is generally better to not use Sucker Punch too carelessly. Toxicroak's Poison STAB is very useful on a Choice Band set- whilst it provides very little in terms of type-coverage (though it does hit Shaymin harder, which can survive a Cross Chop) the raw power behind Toxicroak's STAB Gunk Shots is enough to 2HKO several potential counters, such as Uxie and Slowbro. Poison Jab will only 3HKO these targets, but is 100% accurate and still hits them harder than anything else on the set when considering that Sucker Punch cannot hit them on the switch-in. Ice Punch is your best bet for hitting Crobat, Nidoqueen, Nidoking and Claydol switching into Toxicroak. It also OHKOes all Altaria, even the defensive variants which can survive one Gunk Shot after Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is a decent move if you don't run Stealth Rock- the coverage on Moltres is invaluable, as defensive variants can easily survive Gunk Shot if Stealth Rock is not in play and KO Toxicroak with Air Slash. It maintains coverage on Altaria, and also hits Pinsir hard, who can otherwise survive anything the set has to offer. Pursuit is also an option worth considering- it combines well with Sucker Punch to trap Pokemon such as Mismagius and offensive Rotom. X-Scissor and Payback are good options if you opted to run Poison Jab over Gunk Shot- to hit bulky Psychic types hard on the switch-in or when they don't attack you to avoid Sucker Punch. </p>
<p>Whilst Choice Band Toxicroak pairs well with similar Pokemon to other physical Toxicroak sets, there are a number of Pokemon that pair especially well with this set in particular. Honchkrow and Absol are two excellent options to play together with this set- being able to eliminate Rotom, Mismagius and Slowbro from the game with Pursuit makes it much easier for Choice Band Toxicroak to do some damage, seeing as Toxicroak's own Pursuit is not really powerful enough to threaten some of the bulkier defensive threats in the UU tier. Toxicroak's wide type coverage with this set allows it to hurt a large number of checks to the more common Swords Dance set, and so playing Toxicroak together with Pokemon that can sweep more effectively after Pokemon such as Shaymin, Venusaur, Uxie and Weezing have been weakened or eliminated is a good idea- Rock Polish Torterra and Dragon Dance Feraligatr are two particularly effective partners. It can also be useful when playing this set to have some other form of powerful priority attacker, such as Azumarill or Ambipom, or a Choice Scarfer on your team, seeing as a Choice Banded Sucker Punch is asking for all sorts of Pokemon to set up on you, and being able to revenge kill them effectively will help reduce the damage they cause.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Vacuum Wave
move 3: Sludge Bomb
move 4: Dark Pulse / Hidden Power Ice / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Nasty Plot Toxicroak doesn't hit quite as hard as physical-based Toxicroak, due to a considerably lower Special Attack stat and lower base power moves. However, it makes up for it with STAB Vacuum Wave and surprise factor, as most people would expect the more common physical-based sets. Sludge Bomb provides a more powerful secondary STAB attack to hit slower, more bulky opponents such as Milotic, Spiritomb and some Moltres, as well as hitting Shaymin hard. What you choose for the last slot depends on the rest of your team and what you have problems breaking down defensively. Dark Pulse is a good choice for hitting Ghost-types such as Rotom, Dusclops and Mismagius hard, as well as Claydol, all of which wall the rest of the set. Shadow Ball is also an option to hit these targets, but Dark Pulse's flinch rate is more useful on this set than the chance of a Special Defense drop that Shadow Ball offers- as Toxicroak is so frail, it will often not get the chance to capitalise on defensive drops. Hidden Power Ice leaves you open to the aforementioned Ghost-types, but maintains coverage against Claydol, also hits Altaria and Nidoqueen, and allows you to hit Yanmega and Crobat on the switch-in. Focus Blast is another worthwhile option- whilst the low accuracy may put off some, it is Toxicroak's most powerful weapon against Regirock, Registeel and Chansey, all of which shrug off anything else the set has to offer. Taunt is still occasionally useful for the likes of Calm Mind Spiritomb, but otherwise its utility is limited, particularly when considering that this set doesn't mind status as much as physical Toxicroak- paralysis is not too significant due to a STAB priority move, whilst Will-o-Wisp doesn't cut its potential offensively, and the burn damage is largely insignificant. </p>
<p>Discounting the surprise factor, Nasty Plot Toxicroak is generally easier to counter than the Swords Dancer. However, once specific problem Pokemon have been eliminated from the picture, it can sweep very effectively- for this reason, it is generally more effective to play it in the late-game, when these specific checks have been removed or weakened. These Pokemon vary enormously depending on what move you run in the last slot- however, Crobat and Yanmega will almost always stop this set cold. Chansey, Registeel, Altaria, Moltres, Regirock, Nidoqueen, Muk and Arcanine can all potentially stop a sweep depending on what coverage move you run, or if they are not sufficiently weakened. Most of these Pokemon really dislike Stealth Rock- as a result, it is important to get it down as soon as possible. </p>
<p>As for potential team-mates, Shaymin makes an excellent partner, providing a vital Ground resistance and also being able to lure in the majority of these problem Pokemon, and weaken them enough to facilitate a Toxicroak sweep. Pinsir also works well together with this set- many of the Pokemon that cause Toxicroak the most problems will try and switch in on Pinsir's powerful X-Scissors, and all of them take a lot of damage if they come in on a Stone Edge, Earthquake or Close Combat. Hariyama can work in a similar way- Substitute sets are particularly effective, as it removes any need for prediction whilst still luring in and weakening all of these problem Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Sub-Punch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Stone Edge / Ice Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The beauty of Sub-Punch Toxicroak is that the core moves work together so well- being behind a Substitute encourages your opponent to attack, making them susceptible to Sucker Punch. Whilst the set's lack of power makes it difficult to break full-blown stall, it is very useful against more balanced teams and bulky offense, as they commonly rely on Pokemon such as Crobat, Altaria and Moltres to combat Fighting-types, which all fall prey to this set. Substitute minimises the need for prediction, and somewhat makes up for Toxicroak's frailty by ensuring that it can get off at least one safe hit before being KOed. Toxicroak gets plenty of opportunities to set up a Substitute- mainly against Water-types such as Azumarill, Milotic, Ludicolo and Kabutops, but it can also force switches with the threat of Sucker Punch against weakened opponents.</p>
<p>Stone Edge is generally the most reliable move choice for the final slot- it allows Toxicroak to threaten Moltres, Altaria, Crobat and Yanmega, all of which can easily survive the set's core attacks. Ice Punch is more reliable against Altaria, allowing you to OHKO all but the most physically defensive variants. It also hits Nidoqueen hard, and allows you to beat defensive Torterra that switch into Toxicroak. However, it leaves you helpless against Moltres, and the loss in power means that Toxicroak cannot OHKO Crobat after Stealth Rock damage. Poison Jab is another worthwhile option, providing you with a reliable STAB attack that you don't need to predict to use. It allows Toxicroak to threaten Shaymin that switch in, though it takes only slightly more from Poison Jab than it does from Focus Punch, meaning that it is only really of any significant use against slower, defensive Shaymin sets. It is also Toxicroak's best weapon against Spiritomb, which can be beaten if it uses Pain Split instead of Rest by blocking any attempts at recovery with Substitute.</p>
<p>Sub-Punch Toxicroak does appreciate Rain support- it really helps it to recover health lost from Substitutes. Mind games with Sucker Punch allow Toxicroak to hide behind a Substitute for several turns, gradually recovering lost HP as your opponent tries to outpredict you. In turn, this allows Toxicroak to use a different item, such as a Life Orb or a Fist Plate, whilst still recovering lost HP. This makes Toxicroak much more dangerous against defensive teams. However, it is not really advisable to set up rain for Toxicroak alone- there are other Pokemon, such as Ludicolo or Omastar, who gain much more from rain support; Toxicroak alone doesn't benefit enough from it to warrant setting it up. </p>
<p>As previously noted, Sub-Punch Toxicroak works well against balanced and bulky offensive teams, luring out and crippling the likes of Moltres, Altaria, Crobat and Yanmega. This makes Toxicroak an ideal partner for Pokemon that have trouble breaking down these threats- Blaziken, Pinsir and Hitmonlee are all good choices. Espeon works particularly well together with Sub-Punch Toxicroak- with Trick it can lock the likes of Registeel and Chansey into one move, making them much easier for Substitute Toxicroak to set up on. It can also dry-Baton Pass out to Toxicroak from these threats, giving it a free turn to Substitute. Being able to Trick a Choice item onto bulky waters is also invaluable- seeing as even weak Ice Beams can break Toxicroak's Substitutes, locking them into one move makes setting up Toxicroak much easier. Moltres is also an excellent Pokemon to play together with Toxicroak- it lures in bulky waters and Chansey, can U-Turn straight to Toxicroak, forcing them out. However, bear in mind that setting up on Chansey is all but impossible if your opponent knows your set, as they can just use Seismic Toss repeatedly, never giving you a chance to Focus Punch them.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Unlike many Pokemon, getting down several layers of entry hazards is not necessarily going to help Toxicroak get past its counters- with the admittedly important exceptions of Moltres and Altaria, very few checks to Toxicroak will be made significantly easier to take down by using Stealth Rock. Toxic Spikes are similar- many of Toxicroak's most effective checks are immune to them, and a large proportion of them will even clear Toxic Spikes upon switching in. Screens may be slightly more useful- for example, having Light Screen up might let you beat offensive Shaymin that switch into Toxicroak as it Swords Dances, but otherwise, most of the common switches into Toxicroak will beat it, even if it does have two eight turn screens up. Even Rain support is not necessarily going to help much, as short of recovering Life Orb recoil, Toxicroak is unlikely to benefit much from the 12.5% recovery each turn. Ultimately, when using Toxicroak, you would be better off spending your time scouting your opponent's team and weakening prospective checks and counters instead of setting up any sort of specific supportive environment. The only exceptions to this are on Substitute-based sets, where Rain support is very helpful to regain HP to generate more Substitutes, and Special-based Toxicroak, which really appreciates having Stealth Rock down to cripple potential counters such as Crobat, Yanmega, and Moltres.
<p>Offensively, Toxicroak has real problems breaking down bulky Poison-types, such as Weezing, Muk, Venusaur and Nidoqueen, as well as the omnipresent Shaymin if it is faster and Toxicroak lacks a Poison STAB. Claydol, Uxie and Slowbro can beat Toxicroak if they avoid Sucker Punch, Dark Pulse or X-Scissor. Spiritomb shuts down choiced variants, but struggles to do damage back quickly enough against the Swords Dancer and the Nasty Plotter. Any faster Pokemon with Substitute also beats Toxicroak, particularly Crobat who also resists Toxicroak's Fighting STAB. Mismagius and Rotom work similarly, but can also status Toxicroak to hinder it's sweeping capabilities. Anything faster than Toxicroak that isn't weak to Sucker Punch (or Vacuum Wave on the Nasty Plot set) can generally check it relatively effectively as well- Drapion in particular is good for this role with its impressive base 110 defense, though any Pokemon that is faster and bulky enough to take a boosted priority move works fine.</p>
<p>In order to eliminate these problem Pokemon, it is generally a good idea to carry other Pokemon in your team that can KO or at least severely weaken these defensive threats in order to make Toxicroak much more effective offensively. Offensive Milotic is generally a good partner to Toxicroak, luring in the likes of Shaymin, Mismagius and Rotom and severely damaging them all, while Toxicroak can switch safely into counters to Milotic such as Chansey and Ludicolo, allowing both Pokemon to sweep easier. Ludicolo works similarly and has a useful Ground resistance which can help when switching directly from Toxicroak, however, it cannot necessarily lure in Rotom or Mismagius as effectively. Fire-types such as Arcanine and Houndoom also work very effectively with Toxicroak- not only do they draw out the likes of Milotic and Azumarill who Toxicroak can set up on, but they also make excellent switches into Will-o-Wisps from Weezing, Rotom, Mismagius and Spiritomb. Other Fighting-types, such as Blaziken, Hitmonlee and Primeape, are all very useful when played with Toxicroak, as they draw in similar counters and can weaken them before attempting a Toxicroak sweep. If you opt to run a set that struggles to damage bulky Psychic-types like Claydol, Uxie and Slowbro, running something with a powerful Pursuit can really help to clear the way for a sweep- Absol and Honchkrow are probably your two best bets.</p>
<p>Defensively, Toxicroak shines as an answer to rain-based teams. It resists the STAB moves of Kabutops, Omastar and Ludicolo, and, if it switches in on a Water-move, can beat all three of them one on one. It's ability to absorb Toxic Spikes is also invaluable, particularly for bulkier offensive teams that cannot afford for their bulky sweepers to be constantly taking poison damage. However, apart from these, Toxicroak's ability to support it's team defensively is rather lacking- whilst it has some fantastic resistances to make use of, particularly Dark, Rock and Fighting, its 83/65/65 defenses are so poor that it cannot safely come in on any moderately powerful attack that isn't of the Water-type, resisted or not, without taking significant amounts of damage.</p>
<p>Whilst it would be overexaggerating to say that most teams have multiple safe switch-ins to Toxicroak, it needs to be taken into account that there will generally be multiple Pokemon that you will need to KO or weaken before attempting a Toxicroak sweep. For example, Shaymin is very commonly played together with Mismagius and Drapion, all three of which will need to be weakened before attempting to sweep with Toxicroak. Being able to anticipate your opponent's response to Toxicroak well in advance is something that can give you a massive advantage- it is well worth employing 'double switches' straight from Toxicroak early on in the game to something like Ludicolo or Arcanine- more often than not, you will get a favourable match-up. After doing this once or twice your opponent may start to overpredict you, which can easily result in them losing a vital obstacle to a Toxicroak sweep. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Fake Out and Bullet Punch round out his choices for priority attacks. Brick Break is an alternative over Cross Chop if the 80% accuracy bothers you. A Choice Scarf set with Me First could work as a surprise in some situations. Thunderpunch has some use in OU, where it hits Gyarados hard, but in UU it doesn't hit much that isn't already hit harder by Toxicroak's other attacks. Rain Dance is an option, but the benefits Toxicroak gets from it are minimal, so you would be better off using something else to set up rain. A Choice Specs set is a possibility with Toxicroak's impressive special movepool, though a mediocre Special Attack stat hurts the set's viability.</p>
<p>Anticipation is almost always an inferior ability choice- Earthquakes, Psychics, and Flying attacks are usually fairly predictable so the added immunity to Water and potential healing Dry Skin brings is usually preferable. Scouting for Explosions can prove useful, though.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On any Toxicroak set, running max Speed is advisable- regardless of the nature you use, running at least 240 Spe is useful to outpace Magmortar. If you opt to use a Speed-neutral nature, then 240 Spe will also let you outspeed Honchkrow, forcing it to attack you with resisted Sucker Punches instead of super-effective Drill Pecks. From there, you may as well run max speed, to hit the speed tie with Pinsir and other Toxicroak. Throughout this analysis, neutral speed natures have been recommended- this is due to Toxicroak's range of priority moves, that generally make it more worthwhile to invest in offensive stats than Speed. If you do opt to use a +Spe nature, then you would outspeed a handful of Pokemon, including Moltres, Arcanine, and +Spe Blaziken, Medicham, Magmortar, Feraligatr, Kabutops and Smeargle. Out of these Pokemon, Feraligatr and Kabutops very rarely use Jolly natures, and the latter is commonly played with rain support, allowing it to outspeed Toxicroak anyway by virtue of Swift Swim. However, It is very useful for the Swords Dancer to be able to beat Blaziken and Arcanine, both of which can otherwise beat it convincingly. The Nasty Plotter really benefits from outspeeding Moltres, as even boosted Vacuum Waves will not be enough to KO Moltres, even after Stealth Rock. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, using a +Spe nature really hurts Toxicroak's ability to break down a few key walls- Jolly Swords Dance Toxicroak only has a tiny chance to 2HKO Spiritomb after one boost, whereas it is almost guaranteed with Adamant. It also greatly reduces the chance of a 2HKO with an unboosted Cross Chop and Sucker Punch on 4/0 Shaymin. With an Adamant nature, it is guaranteed with Stealth Rock and an Adamant nature, whilst there is still a very good chance of a 2HKO even without Stealth Rock in play. A Jolly Toxicroak will never 2HKO without Stealth Rock, and is not guaranteed to do so when Stealth Rock is in play either. </p>
[Opinion]
<p>Although his defenses are poor, potential healing from Water attacks and handy resistances to Bug, Fighting, Dark and Rock, as well as the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, do go some way to compensate for this. His attacking prowess may not quite be up to Lucario proportions, but with his impressive movepool Toxicroak is not to be underestimated. Competition between Fighting-types is fierce, but Toxicroak has some rather unique and useful selling points, which makes him a cool choice to add to your team.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Countering Toxicroak can be daunting, due to its large movepool and the ability to hurt the vast majority of potential checks with one move or another. However, after finding out the set, switching into Toxicroak becomes much easier. Bulky Poison-types are generally a safe bet- Weezing can come in on any physical-based set, and threaten Toxicroak with Will-o-Wisp or Flamethrower. Muk can also serve as an effective check, only really fearing the rare Earthquake. Nidoqueen is also an acceptable switch-in, though it is also weak to Ice Punch. Crobat dislikes boosted Sucker Punches, as well as the odd Stone Edge or Ice Punch, but can switch in on the Nasty Plot set with ease, and, if it carries Substitute to avoid Sucker Punch, can beat the Swords Dancer too. Drapion isn't quite such a safe bet, but is faster than Toxicroak, can survive one Cross Chop, resists Sucker Punch, and can KO it easily with Earthquake. </p>
<p>Ghost-types such as Rotom and Mismagius are serious obstacles to a Toxicroak sweep, being able to dodge Sucker Punch with status moves or Substitute, and having an immunity to Toxicroak's STAB Fighting moves. Dusclops is less reliable, as it's lower speed makes it susceptible to Taunt, allowing Toxicroak to hit it with Sucker Punch. However, it does better against the Choice Bander. Similarly, Spiritomb works well against Choiced sets, but cannot do damage back quickly enough against the Swords Dancer or the Nasty Plotter. Bulky Psychic-types also do well against Toxicroak, particularly the physical sets, but face a high-risk prediction game and will need some way of threatening Toxicroak without directly attacking it, in order to avoid Sucker Punch. Uxie is a relatively safe switch, as it can survive Swords Danced Sucker Punches, as well as Nasty Plotted Dark Pulses, and OHKO in return with Psychic. Slowbro is almost OHKOed by Sucker Punch after a Swords Dance, but can beat Toxicroak by hitting it with Psychic on the turn that it uses Taunt or another attacking move. Mesprit works in much the same way. </p>
<p>Shaymin and Intimidate Arcanine are both capable of switching into Toxicroak as it uses Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, surviving one boosted priority attack and OHKOing in return, though neither can afford to switch in on Toxicroak's STAB attacks. Moltres is a safe switch as long as Toxicroak isn't packing Stone Edge, whilst Altaria has to be wary of Ice Punch and Hidden Power Ice as well. Yanmega has to be similarly careful of these attacks, but can switch in on Toxicroak's STAB attacks, outspeed and threaten with Air Slash, using Hypnosis if needs be to dodge Sucker Punch. Really though, countering Toxicroak is much harder than simply never letting it into play in the first place- if your team is very offensive, short of Choice-locked Water moves or Pursuit, Toxicroak will have difficulty switching in.</p>
