Tropius
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/tropius
I am Spanish, so sorry if my English isn't very good. I have to thank Flashrider57 because he has helped me.
Stamps:
QC Approvals: 2/2
QC Rejections: 0/2
GP Checks: 2/2
[Overview]
<p>Tropius isn't a great Pokemon; his offensive stats aren't very good, and his Speed is poor. His defenses are decent, but they're undermined by his terrible defensive typing, being weak to Stealth Rock, as well as Fire-, Flying-, Poison-, and especially, Ice-type attacks. However, Tropius can be a force to be reckoned with in UU, as he has access to many good attacking and support options. He resists Fighting-type moves, and is immune to Earthquake. He has two great abilities to abuse Sunny Day with in Solar Power and Chlorophyll. All in all, Tropius isn't fantastic, but it can a good choice on teams that benefit from its particular traits.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Energy Ball
move 4: Air Slash / Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Tropius's defenses are actually very good, making Tropius quite difficult to KO even with a super effective attack. Roost is used to recover HP while also removing some of Tropius's weaknesses. Toxic is a fantastic support option, and this Tropius can use it effectively thanks to his bulk. Energy Ball and Air Slash are good offensive options, and give Tropius something do to should he get Taunted, but Whirlwind is a very useful phazing attack that isn't rendered useless against Pokemon with the ability Soundproof.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread given maximizes Tropius's ability to tank hits. He is able to take an Ice Beam from defensive Milotic, and not be 2HKOed by a maximum Attack Donphan's Ice Shard, provided Stealth Rock is not on the field. Scenarios such as these are all very common, therefore, Rapid Spin support will greatly help Tropius perform his tanking duties. Steel- and Poison-type Pokemon wall this set badly, because they are immune to Toxic. Registeel, Weezing, Steelix, and Muk are examples of Pokemon that resist this set perfectly. For these two reasons, Donphan makes a great teammate for Tropius, as he can switch in on most Rock-, Steel-, and Poison-types, and threaten them with his STAB Earthquake. He is also able to use Rapid Spin quite effectively.</p>
<p>If you are using Whirlwind, entry hazards on your opponent's side will be greatly beneficial. Toxic Spikes support from Pokemon like Nidoqueen or Qwilfish is also awesome, as it frees up a moveslot for Tropius. Stealth Rock support is also recommended as it is for every other Pokemon in the game. Omastar is an awesome partner to supply entry hazards including Stealth Rock, as he resists many of Tropius's weaknesses, while Tropius helps to cover those of Omastar.</p>
<p>Substitute can be used to protect Tropius from status and provide a buffer against incoming attacks. Tropius's Substitutes are also quite sturdy due to his good defenses and HP, but with Tropius's Speed, you won't be able to avoid poison and other negative status, effectively halving its potential uses. You can also use Leech Seed in this set instead of one of the attacking moves to drain your opponent's HP, especially when Tropius is behind a Substitute. With Sunny Day support, Tropius's Speed will double thanks to Chlorophyll, effectively making Substitute a viable option. Unfortunately, without any Speed investment, Tropius still fails to outspeed max Speed positively natured base 80s, such as Venusaur, and neutral natured base 90s, such as Moltres.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Aerial Ace / Roost
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Swords Dance, Tropius becomes a fearsome sweeper if Sunny Day is up. Leaf Blade's power after a Swords Dance is awesome, OHKOing almost every Pokemon that don't resist it. After a Swords Dance, Aerial Ace always OHKOes Scyther and destroys most Venusaur and Meganium after Stealth Rock damage. Roost is also a viable option to recover HP thanks to Tropius's great bulk. Earthquake OHKOes Magneton and Aggron, and 2HKOes Steelix after a Swords Dance.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Sunny Day Support is needed for this set to succeed as it allows Tropius to reach 402 Speed, which is enough to outspeed +2 Aggron, +2 Rhyperior, Alakazam, and Dugtrio. Uxie, Clefable, Jumpluff, Chansey, and Porygon2 are all great partners to provide Sunny Day support. If Sunny Day isn't up, Tropius still outruns Adamant Aggron and Tangrowth and can attack them with Earthquake or Aerial Ace.</p>
<p>This Tropius isn't outclassed by other Chlorophyll Swords Dance users such as Victreebel and Shiftry. They both are more powerful, but Tropius is much bulkier than them and has access to Earthquake, Roost, and STAB Aerial Ace to deal with other Grass-types. It can be a good addition to your Sunny Day team if you want a bulky Pokemon that can boost its Attack stat.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin support is something you must remember to include when using Tropius. Blastoise is a fantastic teammate for Tropius, as he resists Fire- and Ice-Type attacks and can also use Rapid Spin. Like all offensive Pokemon, entry hazards are fantastic to net Tropius more KOs. Omastar is a great teammate for Tropius because it can take Fire-, Poison-, Ice-, and Flying-type attacks with ease; he can also set up all the entry hazards.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: SolarBeam / Energy Ball
move 3: Air Slash
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
ability: Solar Power
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 8 Def / 252 SpA / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If Sunny Day is up, this Tropius's Special Attack raises to 546 with Choice Specs (600 with a Modest Nature). Leaf Storm will OHKO a lot of Pokemon, such as Milotic, Lanturn, Slowking, Regirock, and Slowbro. SolarBeam is a great attack on a Sunny Day Sweeper, and it's more reliable than Leaf Storm. However, if the sun fades, Energy Ball is much better since it doesn't require a charging turn. Air Slash is a good secondary STAB, and it's great against Grass-types such as Venusaur and Tangrowth, almost always OHKOing them with the Solar Power boost. It's also your best bet against Flash Fire Pokemon such as Houndoom and Arcanine. In the sun, Hidden Power Fire 2HKOs 252 HP / 252 SpD Registeel and Regice after Stealth Rock damage, if you use Life Orb.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Don't use this set without Sunny Day support, as it would then be outclassed by many other offensive Pokemon, especially by Venusaur and Moltres. Mesprit, Moltres, and Clefable are good options to set Sunny Day up. Stealth Rock support is also very important, as it allows Tropius to score some more KOs.</p>
<p>To show you the strength of this Tropius, here are some damage calculations assuming you are running a Timid Nature and Life Orb, and Sunny Day is up:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 116 SpD +Special Defense nature Spiritomb: 76% - 89.8%</li>
<li>Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD neutral nature Uxie: 67.8% - 79.9%</li>
<li>Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD neutral nature Mesprit: 79.4% - 94%</li>
<li>Leaf Storm vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Chansey: 32.9% - 38.8%</li>
<li>SolarBeam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD neutral nature Milotic: 100%</li>
<li>SolarBeam vs. 212 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Slowking: 90.6% - 106.8%</li>
<li>SolarBeam vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Regirock: 100 %</li>
<li>SolarBeam vs. 252 HP / 116 SpD +Special Defense nature Spiritomb: 65.1% - 77%</li>
<li>SolarBeam vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Steelix: 68.9% - 81.4%</li>
<li>Air Slash vs. 136 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Tangrowth: 94.4% - 110.9%</li>
<li>Air Slash vs. 216 HP / 144 SpD neutral nature Meganium: 91.3% - 108.2%</li>
<li>Air Slash vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Venusaur: 64.3% - 75.8%</li>
<li>Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Steelix: 79.7% - 94.4%</li>
<li>Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD +Special Defense nature Registeel: 44.5% - 52.7%</li>
<li>Hidden Power Fire vs. Magneton: 100%</li>
</ul>
<p>The EV spread lets Tropius outspeed Jolly Aggron, neutral nature 0 Speed Rotom and most defensive Pokemon. If you are running a Modest nature, you will not be able to outspeed the aforementioned Aggron and Rotom, neutral max Speed Torterra, and Cacturne, but Tropius will be much more powerful, being able to OHKO Spiritomb with Leaf Storm for example. If using a Modest nature, run 252 EVs in Special Attack and in Speed.</p>
<p>Remember that Solar Power Tropius is very slow, and Flamethrower or Ice Beam can ruin you. Because of this, you can Baton Pass Agility to him from Pokemon like Ambipom and Lopunny; paralysis support can be good too. If you use Chlorophyll as the ability, Tropius will be much quicker, but he will also lose a lot of power, and as his offensive stats aren't good enough to outright sweep teams, leaving him outclassed by other special Sunny Day sweepers.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tropius has a few more options, but they are generally worse than the options that have been listed. One of these options is Dragon Dance, which is a great move that Tropius can't use properly. Dragon Dance Tropius can't use any good STAB attacks, as Leaf Blade and Dragon Dance are illegal together, so you would then have to rely on Razor Leaf (Tropius doesn't learn Seed Bomb) and Aerial Ace, which aren't strong enough. Apart from Sky Attack, Fly is the strongest STAB attack that Dragon Dance Tropius can use.</p>
<p>Return can be used in physical sets because it's your best bet against Swellow, Weezing, Altaria, and Moltres. Outrage is an okay option, but Tropius doesn't like getting locked into one attack and then confused on top of it. You can use Synthesis instead of Roost because it recovers more HP when Sunny Day is up, but it doesn't remove any of Tropius's weaknesses. A Curse set with Curse, Leaf Blade, Earthquake, and Aerial Ace / Roost can work, especially under Trick Room effects. Growth can also be used in the Solar Power set to boost Tropius's Special Attack, but Tropius is too slow to use it effectively. Tropius can also set up Sunny Day by himself, but that isn't recommended, because Tropius needs his coverage to succeed and losing a turn setting up Sunny Day can result in Tropius's end.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Weezing counters Tropius pretty well, thanks to its resistance to Grass-type attacks and immunity to Earthquake and Toxic. He can also attack with Fire Blast and STAB Sludge Bomb, or burn physical-based Tropius with Will-O-Wisp. Fire-types can switch into a Grass-type attack and hit Tropius with super effective attacks. Moltres is also immune to Earthquake, and can defeat Tropius with STAB Air Slash and Fire Blast. Other Fire-type Pokemon, such as Typhlosion, Houndoom, and Magmortar, can switch in a predicted Grass-type attack and kill Tropius, but they must be wary of Earthquake. Altaria is bulky enough to take many hits, and can Roar Tropius away from its Substitute or Swords Dance boosts, and then Roost off any damage from Tropius's attacks. Muk is a great counter to special Tropius, as he resists Grass-type attacks, and can attack with STAB Gunk Shot or Fire Punch.</p>
<p>Steel- and Poison-type Pokemon such as Registeel, Steelix, Bastiodon, Muk, Venusaur, and Swalot are almost immune to the defensive set because they take very little damage from Tropius's attacks and are immune to Toxic. Venusaur is also immune to Leech Seed and can attack Tropius with a super effective Sludge Bomb. Swalot's ability, Liquid Ooze, ruins Leech Seed as well. Glaceon is also a good counter because it can take a hit and OHKO Tropius with STAB Ice Beam. Clefable is also great, as defensive Tropius literally can't do anything to it. Tropius also hates status, especially poison, so if you have a bulky Toxic inducer not named Quagsire nor Gastrodon, you'll win. As Tropius's offensive stats are lackluster, especially without any investment, many Pokemon can survive his attacks.</p>
<p>Finally, Stealth Rock is also very harmful for Tropius. Losing 25% of HP when he switches in is something that breaks Tropius defensive capabilities.</p>