NU Turtonator



The other Fire-type turtle. (RIP Torkoal in NU/PU)

QC'd by: Punchshroom, Raseri, meepsvictory

GP'd by: Haund, DeathByWobbuffet

[OVERVIEW]

Turtonator stands out from the crowd of the tier's sweepers because of its really good typing that gives it a nearly unresisted offensive STAB combination as well as some defensive utility in 4x resistances to Fire- and Grass-type attacks. The former is complemented by access to Shell Smash, one of the best setup moves in the game, and by an immunity to burns, which, in conjunction with a resistance to Grass, gives it a niche over other Shell Smash sweepers. Turtonator's bulk is also surprisingly passable for a sweeper, notably having a base 135 Defense stat. However, Turtonator is absurdly slow and has a weakness to Stealth Rock, making it very exploitable. In addition, Turtonator's base 91 Special Attack isn't the best, and it is mainly salvaged by high-Base Power STAB moves and Shell Smash. Finally, Turtonator's Special Defense stat is pretty mediocre, leaving it vulnerable to strong special hits.

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Dragonium Z / White Herb
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shell Smash allows Turtonator to be a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast and Draco Meteor are the main STAB moves and have great neutral coverage against every relevant Pokemon in the tier. Finally, Dragon Pulse is a safer alternative to Draco Meteor that doesn't lower Turtonator's stats and is also its most reliable move in general thanks to its accuracy.

Set Details
========

This set's EV spread maximizes Turtonator's Special Attack and Speed to be as efficient as possible for its role as a sweeper. Shell Armor is Turtonator's only available ability, and it is useful in clutch situations to prevent critical hit damage. Timid is the preferred nature to outspeed Sneasel and Sceptile at +2. Lastly, the item choice depends on the rest of the team. Dragonium Z allows for an extremely strong and accurate Dragon-type STAB move when combined with Draco Meteor, and most Fairy- and Steel-types stay away from Turtonator due to its Fire-type attacks. White Herb is your best option if your Z-Move slot is already taken. This allows Turtonator to keep its decent bulk after it has set up, preventing it from being revenge killed as easily as well as giving it a chance of setting up again against Pokemon such as Vaporeon and Slowbro if necessary. Other options such as Firium Z for a stronger and more reliable Fire-type STAB move are viable as well.

Usage Tips
========

Turtonator is a sweeper; as such, it should only be switched in late-game after its checks and counters have been weakened or removed. It is best to set up on Pokemon Turtonator can take advantage of due to its defensive typing such as Choice Scarf Rotom-C, Choice Specs Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Emboar locked into Flare Blitz. Its base 135 Defense can also come in handy, notably against weak attacks like Hitmontop's Close Combat. Draco Meteor is unreliable after the Z-Move has been used due to it lowering Turtonator's Special Attack and only having 90% accuracy; only use it in situations where Dragon Pulse wouldn't be powerful enough to suffice. Turtonator can easily switch in on a Will-O-Wisp from Pokemon such as Gourgeist-XL and Spiritomb, but it can't easily come in on Pokemon that carry momentum moves like Volt Switch and U-turn such as Rotom-C and Choice Band Scyther.

Team Options
========

Ground- and Rock-types carry super effective STAB moves that can halt a Turtonator sweep, so Grass-type Pokemon that beat them are a must. Examples of these include Virizion and Sceptile; the former can set up on Ground- and Rock-types with Swords Dance, while Sceptile's Leaf Storm flat out OHKOes most of them. Pokemon such as Rotom-C can bait in Grass-types and then use Volt Switch to get Turtonator in safely. Grass-types can also beat bulky Water-types that Turtonator struggles against such as Slowking and Vaporeon. Hazard removal from the likes of Golbat and Hitmonlee helps Turtonator due to it being worn down by every form of hazards, especially Stealth Rock. Hitmonlee in particular also beats many of Turtonator's checks with its Fighting-type STAB moves and can lure in Will-O-Wisp users such as Spiritomb and Gourgeist-XL. Memento and Parting Shot support from the likes of Whimsicott and Alolan Persian can get Turtonator in with ease. Lastly, Turtonator works well on Aurora Veil teams due to the move's ability to open opportunities for Turtonator to set up and make it less prone to being revenge killed. Aurorus is the best setter of hail due to the combination of Snow Warning and Stealth Rock, which helps Turtonator to, for instance, get a chance to OHKO Vaporeon with a +2 Devastating Drake. Alolan Sandslash is the best setter of Aurora Veil due to its great Speed under hail.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Turtonator is a rather one-dimensional Pokemon and, as such, it doesn't have much in terms of other options, and what it does have is outclassed by other Pokemon in the tier. Choice Specs gives Turtonator more immediate power, but Turtonator's extremely slow and often outclassed by Drampa in such a role due to the latter's better movepool and much higher Special Attack. Explosion can be used against particular special walls, notably doing a major chunk to Slowking and Vaporeon, but it making Turtonator KO itself is very undesirable and the damage output isn't even that great. A more defensive set sounds interesting due to tools such as Dragon Tail and Will-O-Wisp, but Turtonator lacks reliable recovery and is extremely passive in general.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rock-types**: Turtonator struggles against bulky Rock-types such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take any hit other than a boosted Devastating Drake and KO back with a Stone Edge when Turtonator has -1 Defense. They can also ruin Turtonator's sweep via Roar and Thunder Wave, respectively. While very niche and only on Trick Room teams, Carbink resists both of Turtonator's STAB moves and can reliably set up a Trick Room to turn its boosted Speed against it. There are quite a few viable offensively inclined Rock-types as well, most notably fellow Shell Smash user Barbaracle, which can beat Turtonator 1v1 provided it uses its own Z-Move before Turtonator sets up or uses its Z-Move, as well as the far rarer Archeops and Lycanroc-D, the latter of which even has priority.

**Water-types**: Turtonator can't do much to defensive Water-types due to their resistance to Fire Blast and ability to scout for its Dragon-type moves. Assault Vest Slowking is hands down the most reliable Turtonator counter due to its great special bulk and access to Dragon Tail, which essentially makes Turtonator's boosts go to waste. Non-Assault Vest Slowking, Jellicent, and Vaporeon can take a +2 Draco Meteor and heal it off. They also put Turtonator in an awkward position of either losing its boosts via attempted Draco Meteor attacks, or being at risk of taking more damage from Scald in order to use Shell Smash again. Seismitoad and Gastrodon are in similar situations, in addition to having a Ground-type STAB attack to use super effectively against Turtonator, but they can't really take a +2 Draco Meteor very well and are also at risk of Turtonator boosting to +4 on the switch in. Unaware Pyukumuku isn't affected by Turtonator's Special Attack boosts in any way and can stall it out with Toxic, but this isn't completely reliable, as its Unaware ability also ignores Special Attack drops obtained from Draco Meteor. This can be used to Turtonator's advantage, as after Pyukumuku tanks a Draco Meteor, Turtonator can then follow that up with either a Devastating Drake or even more uses of Draco Meteor, which can overwhelm Pyukumuku at worst.

**Offensive Pressure**: While Turtonator can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame after a Shell Smash, it's one of the slowest Pokemon in the metagame otherwise. Because of this, Choice Scarf users such as Hitmonlee, Medicham, Vanilluxe, Drapion, and Braviary can easily revenge kill a -1 Turtonator, although the latter two need Stealth Rock in order to do this. Preventing it from setting up safely is also crucial; for instance, you can avoid Choice-locking Pokemon such as Sceptile and Delphox in a Fire- or Grass-type attack. Its also crucial to note that although Turtonator's bulk is decent, it isn't great by any means, so it can be overwhelmed by strong neutral attacks, particularly Special ones.
 
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Timid should be the only nature listed because without it you don't outrun sceptile or sneasel at +2. Also I prefer Dragonium Z over Firium Z for the synergy with Draco
 
Also make Dragon Pulse the only option in slot 4. It's a nice consistent dragon stab to fall back on and whatever resists it doesn't take a boosted fire blast well if not is koed (in Steelix's case for instance). HP Grasses coverage is unnecessary.

Edit: Item slashes should be Dragonium Z / White Herb. Put the rest in set details.
 

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
[OVERVIEW]
- Really good typing offensively and somewhat so defensively.
- Bulk is surprisingly passable for a sweeper.
- Typing gives it a niche over other Shell Smash sweepers due to its complete lack of vulnerability to burns.
- Absurdly slow and is very exploitable for this reason.
- 95 base Special Attack definitely isn't the best.
- You should definitely actually mention Shell Smash; not everyone can tell what Turtonator does from a glance at the Overview here.
- Should be more specific on why its offensive typing is good (unresisted STABs), and why its defensive typing is so-so (has high physical Defense but doesn't resist much physical attacking types; has 4x Grass and Fire resistance but average special bulk may leave it vulnerable to their coverage).
- Turtonator is also the only Shell Smash user in NU that resists Grass, and emphasize on how important this advantage is considering the numerous offensive Grass-types in the tier it can punish and set up on.
- You could toss in a mention of its Stealth Rock weakness when talking about Turtonator being exploitable.

Dragon Pulse is a safer alternative to Draco Meteor that doesn't lower your stats.
It's also Turtonator's most accurate move, making it good for cleaning.

  • Dragonium Z allows for an extremely strong Dragon STAB when combined with Draco Meteor, and most Fairy- and Steel-types stay away from Turtonator due to its Fire-type STAB.
  • Other options such as Shuca Berry for easier set up against Rhydon, Steelix, and Seismitoad, as well as Firium Z for a stronger Fire Blast, are options as well.
- Emphasize that Dragonium Z allows for a Dragon-type nuke that doesn't lower Turtonator's Special Attack, making it a good burst option that does not compromise the sweep.
- I'm not sure I like Shuca Berry as an option here: Rhydon is not OHKOed by +2 Draco so you still cannot set up on it, you can OHKO Seismitoad with +2 Draco but that means immediately throwing away your item and your +2 SpA just to KO one Pokemon which is hardly worth, and there are just better targets for Turtonator to set up on than Steelix.

Usage Tips
========
  • It is best not to set up against Pokemon such as Piloswine, Rhydon, and Seismitoad, as these Pokemon carry Ground-type STAB moves that often hit very hard against Turtonator.
Well obviously you shouldn't try to set up on bulky Pokemon that hit you super effectively; that's Set Up 101 and shouldn't even be mentioned. Your Usage Tips does not tell the reader what Turtonator should even set up against. You should provide examples of how Turtonator's 4x Grass & Fire resists, Will-O-Wisp immunity, and high physical Defense help it set up.

Team Options
========
  • Pokemon that beat Ground- and Rock-types are a must due to Turtonator's inability to set up on them easily.
  • Hazard removal from the likes of Golbat and Hitmonlee helps Turtonator due to it being worn down by hazards, especially Stealth Rock.
  • Memento and Parting Shot support from the likes of Whimsicott and Alolan Persian can get Turtonator in with ease.
So first off, you didn't list any examples of Pokemon that can help deal with Ground- and Rock-types, but again, why are you even considering having Turtonator set up on Ground- and Rock-types at all? They should only be brought up in the context of stopping a Turtonator sweep after it sets up, not during.
- In any case, teammates should obviously help facilitate Turtonator's best setup opportunities or serve as a backup plan. For example, Rotom-Mow easily baits in Grass-types and Volt Switches into Turtonator against them, Virizion resists Ground- and Rock-type moves for Turtonator and punishes them with setup, Hitmonlee spins away entry hazards, helps break bulky Rock- and Ground-types, and attracts various Will-O-Wisp users for Turtonator to set up on, etc.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
  • Its physical movepool is decent enough, with Stone Edge, Earthquake, and the previously mentioned Explosion, and it gets access to Bulk Up, but any attempt at a physical set is outclassed by Druddigon, who has better offensive stats overall and has better abilities.
Considering its physical STABs consist of merely Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, and Flame Charge, I wouldn't even bother bringing up a physical set, much less call it decent.


Checks and Counters
===================

**Ground-types**: While it can survive most Earthquakes, such a move can severely wear Turtonator down. Pokemon with STAB Ground-type attacks, such as Rhydon, Seismitoad, and Piloswine can often take an unboosted hit against Turtonator and 2HKO back at worst.

**Rock-types**: Turtonator also struggles to set up against Rock-types such as the previously mentioned Rhydon. However, unlike with Ground-types, there are quite a few viable offensively inclined Rock-types. This most notably includes fellow Shell Smash user Barbaracle, who can beat it 1v1 provided it uses its Z-Move before Turtonator sets up or does its Z-Move, as well as the far rarer Archeops and Lycanroc-Midday, the latter of which even has priority.

**Offensive Pressure**: While Turtonator can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame after a Shell Smash, its one of the slowest Pokemon in the metagame otherwise. Because of this, Pokemon such as Scarf Hitmonlee can easily revenge kill it. This can be stacked on top of entry hazards, which thanks to its typing it is extremely vulnerable to.
- I don't know what situation would result in Turtonator attempting to hit bulky Ground- and Rock-types with an unboosted attack; that's just a losing battle for Turtonator from the get-go. The focus of C&C should be on how they deal with Turtonator after it sets up on something else. Provoking Turtonator to use up its Z-move or even to drop Draco Meteor can help to reduce Turtonator's sweeping potential, and honestly I'd just remove **Ground-types** as a counter to Turtonator since most of them do not discourage +2 Turtonator from using Fire Blast or even Dragon Pulse.
- **Rock-types**, although still somewhat shaky, get to keep their section. Carbink, while only seen on Trick Room teams, stands out as it resists both of Turt's STABs with ease, and can use Trick Room to completely neuter Turtonator as a threat. Bulky Rhydon and Regirock can take any hit bar +2 Devastating Drake and KO back with super effective STAB against -1 Defense Turtonator, or use Roar or Thunder Wave respectively which also ends Turtonator's sweep.
- **Water-types** should be a section as they also resist Fire Blast and can instigate Drake / Draco from Turtonator. Assault Vest Slowking is the hardest counter as it survives even +2 Devastating Drake, and forces Turtonator out with Dragon Tail to waste its boosts. Unaware Pyukumuku ignores Shell Smash boosts but it also ignores Draco Meteor's Special Attack drops, meaning that in the midst of Recover stalling, it must time its Toxic correctly lest it get overwhelmed by repeated Draco Meteors or a potential follow-up Devastating Drake. Non-Assault Vest Slowking, Vaporeon, and Jellicent are not OHKOed by +2 Draco Meteor and can heal off its other attacks, prompting a Devastating Drake out of Turtonator which they can bait out the Z-move by sacrificing a teammate. After that, they can put Turtonator into an awkward situation where Turtonator Draco Meteors and lose its hard-earned boost, or Shell Smash again to overwhelm them and risk even more damage from Scald. Seismitoad and Gastrodon force a similar situation, except that in exchange for being able to hit Turtonator with super effective Ground-type STAB, they are at risk from +2 Draco Meteor itself. These bulky Water-types must also be wary of Turtonator Shell Smashing a second time as they switch.
- **Offensive Pressure** can be greatly expanded upon, for starters by listing more Choice Scarf users that can pick off a -1 Turtonator: Medicham and Vanilluxe can OHKO off the bat, while Drapion and Braviary can do the same if Turt has taken Stealth Rock damage. Offensive pressure can also mean giving Turtonator as little safe setup opportunities as possible, given its reliance on Shell Smash. It can be as simple as not using Choice-locked Grass- or Fire-type moves, as Turtonator's low HP, coupled with the fact that its bulk does not complement its resistances, means that Turtonator can struggle to not take a substantial amount from most invested attacks in the tier, which significantly weakens its sweeping potential.

Tag me when you're done implementing this
 

Punchshroom

FISHIOUS REND MEGA SHARPEDO
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Aside from missing the mention of Hitmonlee attracting Will-O-Wisp users such as Spiritomb and Gourgeist-XL for Turtonator to set up on, this looks like a QC 1/3
 
mention how Turtonator works well on Aurora Veil teams. Aurorus / ASlash as partners

otherwise punchshroom covered most of it 2/3
 

SPACE FORCE meeps

LAW & ORDER!
is a Tiering Contributoris a Past SCL Champion
make sure you mention its special defense is rather mediocre in the overview

-----------------

under set details, mention turt at +2 speed ties scarf emboar. also make sure you mention at the beginning of this section that the evs maximize spatk and speed to allow for turtonator to effectively sweep.

"White Herb is your best option if your Z-Move slot is already taken. This allows it to keep its decent bulk after it has set up." -- mention how turtonator benefits from this, such as being less prone to being revenge killed and it gives it more room to setup on bulkier stuff that can't ko it like slowbro or vaporeon if necessary

-----------------

usage tips section seems a bit vague currently

"Turtonator is a sweeper. As such, it should be only be played late game." -- add something like "after its checks and counters are weakened or removed", some readers may not necessarily know what constitutes as late game

"It is best to set up on Pokemon Turtonator can take advantage of due to its defensive typing." -- provide some examples of pokemon that turtonator can setup on, such as being able to in safely against choice locked pokemon like sceptile, rotom-mow, emboar, etc. who are locked into fire/grass/electric attacks after a team member has been ko'd

discuss some situations in which it is safe to hard switch-in turtonator, such as switching in against predicted will-o-wisp from gourgeist or spirtomb; and when it is not safe to switch-in, such as trying to switch in against rotom-mow which can volt switch and pivot, draining momentum from the user and allowing for turtonator to take unnecessary damage

-----------------

team options

"Pokemon that beat Ground- and Rock-types are a must due to the fact that they carry super effective STAB that can halt a sweep. Examples of which include Virizion and Sceptile; the former can set up on those types with Swords Dance, while Sceptile's Leaf Storm flat out OHKOs most of them. Pokemon such as Rotom-C can bait in Grass-types, which it can then Volt Switch out of to get Turtonator in safely." -- considering you primarily mention some grass-type pokemon here, you should begin with something like "grass-type pokemon such as... make excellent partners for turtonator", and also discuss how they're capable of breaking down water-types which may otherwise wall turtonator, while also keeping the current mention of how it beats ground- and rock-types, and the mention of how rotom-c can lure in other grass-types too while pivoting.

"Lastly, Turtonator works well on Hail-based teams primarily due to Alolan Sandslash's ability to set up Aurora Veil, aiding in Turtonator's chance of a sweep. Aurorus is the best Hail setter to enable Aurora Veil use due to its access to Stealth Rock, which helps Turtonator to, for instance, get a chance to OHKO Vaporeon with a +2 Devastating Drake." -- i feel like a distinction needs to be made here, "hail-based teams" is kinda vague, it can refer to a team with multiple hail setters / abusers, or just aurorus + sandslash-alola, which is a lot more common, and in this particular case, we're only focused on support from aurorus to setup hail, which thus allows for sandslash-alola to setup aurora veil, so i'd word it something like this:

"turtonator works well with aurora veil support, with aurorus being able to setup hail, along with having access to stealth rock...(keep your mention of how turtonator benefits from stealth rock), and alolan sandslash can setup aurora veil which opens more opportunities for turtonator to sweep and makes it less prone to being revenge killed

-----------------

let me know when you implement these changes
 

SPACE FORCE meeps

LAW & ORDER!
is a Tiering Contributoris a Past SCL Champion
"It is best to set up on Pokemon Turtonator can take advantage of due to its defensive typing such as Rotom-Mow, Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Emboar locked into Flare Blitz." -- make sure you clarify rotom-mow and sceptile should be choice locked too when turtonator comes in

3/3
 
Additions
Removals
Comments
[OVERVIEW]

Turtonator stands out from the crowd of the tier's sweepers because of a really good typing that gives it a nearly unresisted offensive STAB combination as well as some defensive utility in 4x resistances to offensively due to it having nearly unresisted STABs and somewhat so defensively due to its 4x resistance to Fire- and Grass-type attacks. The former is complimented complemented by access to Shell Smash, one of the best set up moves in the game. game, and by an immunity to burns, which, in conjunction with a resistance to Grass, gives it a niche over other Shell Smash sweepers. The typing gives it a niche over other Shell Smash sweepers due to Turtonator's complete lack of vulnerability to burns. It also laughs at Grass-type attacks unlike other Shell Smash users. Turtonator's bulk is also surprisingly passable for a sweeper, notably its base 135 Defense. However, Turtonator is far from perfect. It Turtonator is absurdly slow and has a weakness to Stealth Rock, making it very exploitable. In addition, Turtonator's initial base 91 base Special Attack definitely isn't the best, and it is mainly salvaged by high-based power high-Base Power STABs STAB moves and the Shell Smash boost. access. Finally, the Turtonator's Special Defense stat is pretty mediocre, making leaving it vulnerable to strong special hits. However, play your cards right, and Turtonator can be a satisfying choice for a sweeper. (doesnt add anything )

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Dragonium Z / White Herb
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shell Smash is the main reason you'd even use Turtonator to begin with, allowing it allows Turtonator to be a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast and Draco Meteor are your STAB moves, are the main STAB moves and they have great neutral coverage against every relevant Pokemon in the tier. Finally, Dragon Pulse is a safer alternative to Draco Meteor that doesn't lower your Turtonator's stats and is also Turtonator's the most reliable move in general due thanks to its accuracy.

Set Details
========

This set's EV spread maximizes Turtonator's Special Attack and Speed to be as efficient as possible for its role as a sweeper. Shell Armor is Turtonator's only available ability, and it is useful in clutch situations to prevent Critical Hit critical hit damage. Timid is the preferred nature to outspeed Sneasel and Sceptile at +2, as well as speed Speed tie with Choice Scarf Emboar. Lastly, the item choice depends. (depends on what? the rest of the team? hitting some category of pokemon over another? ) Dragonium Z allows for an extremely strong and accurate Dragon STAB move when combined with Draco Meteor, and most Fairy- and Steel-types stay away from Turtonator due to its Fire-type STAB. attacks. White Herb is your best option if your Z-Move slot is already taken. This allows it Turtonator to keep its decent bulk after it has set up, preventing it from being revenge killed as easily as well as a chance of setting up again against Pokemon such as Vaporeon and Slowbro if necessary. Other options such as Firium Z for a stronger and more reliable Fire STAB, STAB move are viable as well.

Usage Tips
========

Turtonator is a sweeper. sweeper; As as such, it should be only be played late game late-game after its checks and counters are have been weakened or removed. It is best to set up on Pokemon Turtonator can take advantage of due to its defensive typing such as Choice Scarf Rotom-Mow, Rotom-C, Choice Specs Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Emboar locked into Flare Blitz. Its base 135 Defense can also come in handy. Draco Meteor after the Z-Move is consumed is an unreliable move the Z-Move has been used due to it lowering your Turtonator's Special Attack stats and only having 90% accuracy. accuracy; Only only use it in situations where Dragon Pulse wouldn't be good enough to suffice. Turtonator can easily switch in on a Will-O-Wisp from Pokemon such as Gourgeist-Super Gourgeist-XL and Spiritomb, but it can't easily switch come in on Pokemon that carry momentum moves like Volt Switch or U-Turn such as the previously mentioned Rotom-Mow Rotom-C (different contexts ) and Choice Band Scyther.

Team Options
========

Grass-type Pokemon that beat Ground- and Rock-types are a must due to the fact that they carry super effective STAB moves that can halt a sweep. Examples of which these include Virizion and Sceptile; the former can set up on those types with Swords Dance, while Sceptile's Leaf Storm flat out OHKOs OHKOes most of them. Pokemon such as Rotom-C can bait in Grass-types, which it can Grass-types and then Volt Switch out of to get Turtonator in safely. Grass-types can also beat bulky Water-types that Turtonator struggles with against such as Slowking and Vaporeon. Hazard removal from the likes of Golbat and Hitmonlee helps Turtonator due to it being worn down by every form of hazards, especially Stealth Rock. Hitmonlee in particular also beats many of Turtonator's checks with its Fighting-type STAB moevs and can lure in Will-O-Wisp users (bonus points for correct usage of lure) such as Spiritomb and Gourgeist-Super. Gourgeist-XL. Memento and Parting Shot support from the likes of Whimsicott and Alolan Persian can get Turtonator in with ease. Lastly, Turtonator works well on Aurora Veil teams due to the move's ability to open opportunities for Turtonator to set up and making it less prone to being revenge killed. Aurorus is the best setter of hail due to a combination of its Snow Warning ability and its Stealth Rock access, which helps Turtonator to, for instance, get a chance to OHKO Vaporeon with a +2 Devastating Drake. Alolan Sandslash is the best setter of Aurora Veil due to its great speed Speed under hail.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Turtonator is a surprisingly shallow Pokemon. As Turtonator is a rather one-dimensional Pokemon and, as such, in terms of other options, it doesn't have much. much in terms of other options, and And what it does have is outclassed by other Pokemon in the tier. Choice Specs gives Turtonator more immediate power, and it also gets the move Explosion. However, its extremely slow and often outclassed by Drampa due to the latter's better movepool and much higher Special Attack. A more defensive set sounds interesting, interesting due to tools such as Dragon Tail and Will-O-Wisp, but it Turtonator lacks reliable recovery and is extremely passive. passive in general.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rock-types**: Turtonator struggles against bulky Rock-types such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take any hit other than a boosted Devastating Drake and KO back with a Stone Edge when Turtonator has -1 Defense. They can also ruin Turtonator's sweep via Roar and Thunder Wave Wave, respectively. And while While very niche and present only on Trick Room teams, Carbink resists both of Turtonator's STAB moves and can reliably set up a Trick Room to turn its boosted Speed against it. There are quite a few viable offensively inclined Rock-types as well. well, This most notably includes fellow Shell Smash user Barbaracle, who which can beat it Turtonator 1v1 provided it uses its Z-Move before Turtonator sets up or does uses its own Z-Move, as well as the far rarer Archeops and Lycanroc-Midday, Lycanroc-D, the latter of which even has priority.

**Water-types**: Turtonator also can't do much to defensive Water-types due to their resistance to Fire Blast and ability to scout for its Dragon-type moves. Assault Vest Slowking is hands down the most reliable Turtonator counter due to its great Special special bulk and access to Dragon Tail, which essentially makes Turtonator's boosts go to waste. Non-Assault Vest Slowking, Jellicent, and Vaporeon can take a +2 Draco Meteor and heal it off, while also having the ability to sacrifice a teammate to waste Turtonator's Z-Move. (how's this related to slowking jellicent and vaporeon? i might be missing something ) They also put Turtonator in an awkward position of either loosing its boosts via attempted Draco Meteor attacks, or being at risk of taking more damage from Scald in order to use Shell Smash again. Seismitoad and Gastrodon are in similar situations, in addition to having a Ground-type STAB attack to use super effectively against Turtonator, but they can't really take a +2 Draco Meteor very well and are also at risk of Turtonator boosting to +4 on the switch. switch in. Unaware Pyukumuku isn't affected by Turtonator's Special Attack boosts in any way and can Toxic stall it, but this isn't completely reliable reliable, as its Unaware ability also ignores Special Attack drops obtained from Draco Meteor. This can be used to Turtonator's advantage, as after Pyukumuku tanks a Draco Meteor, Turtonator can then follow that up with either a Devastating Drake or even more uses of Draco Meteor, which can overwhelm Pyukumuku at worst.

**Offensive Pressure**: While Turtonator can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame after a Shell Smash, its one of the slowest Pokemon in the metagame otherwise. Because of this, Pokemon with a Choice Scarf such as Hitmonlee, Medicham, Vanilluxe, Drapion, and Braviary can easily revenge kill a -1 Turtonator, although the latter two need Stealth Rock in order to do this. Preventing it from setting up safely is also crucial. crucial; For for instance, you can avoid Choice locking Pokemon such as Sceptile and Delphox in a Fire- or Grass-type attack attack. on applicable Pokemon such as Sceptile and Delphox. Its also crucial to note that although Turtonator's bulk is decent for a sweeper, it has low HP and defensive stats that don't compliment complement its resistances very well. In general, it can't take much many hits from most invested attacks in the tier.

1/2
 
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Melons-N-Soda
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[OVERVIEW]

Turtonator stands out from the crowd of the tier's sweepers because of a its really good typing that gives it a nearly unresisted offensive STAB combination as well as some defensive utility in 4x resistances to Fire- and Grass-type attacks. The former is complemented by access to Shell Smash, one of the best set up setup moves in the game, and by an immunity to burns, which, in conjunction with a resitance resistance to Grass, gives it a niche over other Shell Smash sweepers. Turtonator's bulk is also surprisingly passable for a sweeper, notably its having a base 135 Defense stat. However, Turtonator is absurdly slow and has a weakness to Stealth Rock, making it very exploitable. In addition, Turtonator's base 91 Special Attack isn't the best, and it is mainly salvaged by high-Base Power STAB moves and the Shell Smash boost (nitpicky but "the shell smash boost sorta seems to imply that you're referring to one single boost that it will always get every game). Finally, Turtonator's Special Defense stat is pretty mediocre, leaving it vulnerable to strong special hits.

[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Draco Meteor
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Dragonium Z / White Herb
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Shell Smash allows Turtonator to be a deadly sweeper. Fire Blast and Draco Meteor are the main STAB moves and have great neutral coverage against every relevant Pokemon in the tier. Finally, Dragon Pulse is a safer alternative to Draco Meteor that doesn't lower Turtonator's stats and is also the its most reliable move in general thanks to its accuracy.

Set Details
========

This set's EV spread maximizes Turtonator's Special Attack and Speed to be as efficient as possible for its role as a sweeper. Shell Armor is Turtonator's only available ability, and it is useful in clutch situations to prevent critical hit damage. Timid is the preferred nature to outspeed Sneasel and Sceptile at +2, as well Speed tie with Choice Scarf Emboar (at +2?). Lastly, the item choice depends on the rest of the team. Dragonium Z allows for an extremely strong and accurate Dragon Dragon-type STAB move when combined with Draco Meteor, and most Fairy- and Steel-types stay away from Turtonator due to its Fire-type attacks. White Herb is your best option if your Z-Move slot is already taken. This allows Turtonator to keep its decent bulk after it has set up, preventing it from being revenge killed as easily as well as giving it a chance of setting up again against Pokemon such as Vaporeon and Slowbro if necessary. Other options such as Firium Z for a stronger and more reliable Fire Fire-type STAB move are viable as well.

Usage Tips
========

Turtonator is a sweeper; as such, it should only be played (what does played mean? switched in? set up with?) late-game after its checks and counters have been weakened or removed. It is best to set up on Pokemon Turtonator can take advantage of due to its defensive typing such as Choice Scarf Rotom-C, Choice Specs Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Emboar locked into Flate Flare Blitz. Its base 135 Defense can also come in handy (this seems kinda random, in what situation would it come in handy? explain imo). Draco Meteor is an unreliable after the Z-move Z-Move has been used due to it lowering Turtonator's Special Attack and only having 90% accuracy; only use it in situations where Dragon Pulse wouldn't be good powerful enough to suffice. Turtonator can easily switch in on a Will-O-WIsp Will-O-Wisp from Pokemon such as Gourgeist-XL and Spiritomb, but it can't easily come in on Pokemon that carry momentum moves like Volt Switch or U-Turn and U-turn such as Rotom-C and Choice Band Scyther.

Team Options
========

Grass-type Pokemon that beat Ground- and Rock-types are a must due to the fact that they carry super effective STAB moves that can halt a Turtonator sweep, so Grass-type Pokemon that beat them are a must (otherwise this sentence is v confusing and it's tough to tell what you're talking about). Examples of these include Virizion and Sceptile; the former can set up on those types Ground- and Rock-types with Swords Dance, while Sceptile's Leaf Storm flat out OHKOes most of them. Pokemon such as Rotom-C can bait in Grass-types and then use Volt Switch out to get Turtonator in safely. Grass-types can also beat bulky Water-types that Turtonator struggles against such as Slowking and Vaporeon. Hazard removal from the likes of Golbat and Hitmonlee helps Turtonator due to it being worn down by every form of hazards, especially Stealth Rock. Hitmonlee in particular also beats many of Turtonator's checks with its Fighting-type STAB moves and can lure in Will-O-Wisp users such as Spiritomb and Gourgeist-XL. Memento and Parting Shot support from the likes of Whimsicott and Alolan Persian can get Turtonator in with ease. Lastly, Turtonator works well on Aurora Veil teams due to the move's ability to open opportunities for Turtonator to set up and making make it less prone to being revenge killed. Aurorus is the best setter of hail due to a the combination of Snow Warning ability and its Stealth Rock access, which helps Turtonator to, for instance, get a chance to OHKO Vaporeon with a +2 Devastating Drake. Alolan Sandslash is the best setter of Aurora Veil due to its great Speed under hail.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Turtonator is a rather one-dimensional Pokemon and, as such, it doesn't have much in terms of other options, and what it does have is outclassed by other Pokemon in the tier. Choice Specs gives Turtonator more immediate power, and it also gets the move Explosion. However, its but Turtonator is extremely slow and often outclassed by Drampa in such a role due to the latter's better movepool and much higher Special Attack. Explosion allows Turtonator to ___. (explain what explosion does here) A more defensive set sounds interesting due to tools such as Dragon Tail and Will-O-Wisp, but Turtonator lacks reliable recovery and is extremely passive in general.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rock-types**: Turtonator struggles against bulky Rock-types such as Rhydon and Regirock, which can take any hit other than a boosted Devastating Drake and KO back with a Stone Edge when Turtonator has -1 Defense. They can also ruin Turtonator's sweep via Roar and Thunder Wave, respectively. While very niche and only on Trick Room teams, Carbink resists both of Turtonator's STAB moves and can reliably set up a Trick Room to turn its boosted Speed against it. There are quite a few viable offensively inclined Rock-types as well, most notably fellow Shell Smash user Barbaracle, which can beat Turtonator 1v1 provided it uses its own Z-Move before Turtonator sets up or does uses its Z-Move, as well as the far rarer Archeops and Lycanroc-D, the latter of which even has priority.

**Water-types**: Turtonator also can't do much to defensive Water-types due to their resistance to Fire Blast and ability to scout for its Dragon-type moves. Assault Vest Slowking is hands down the most reliable Turtonator counter due to its great special bulk and access to Dragon Tail, which essentially makes Turtonator's boosts go to waste. Non-Assault Vest Slowking, Jellicent, and Vaporeon can take a +2 Draco Meteor and heal it off. They also put Turtonator in an awkward position of either loosing losing its boosts via attempted Draco Meteor attacks, or being at risk of taking more damage from Scald in order to use Shell Smash again. Seismitoad and Gastrodon are in similar situations, in addition to having a Ground-type STAB attack to use super effectively against Turtonator, but they can't really take a +2 Draco Meteor very well and are also at risk of Turtonator boosting to +4 on the switch in. Unaware Pyukumuku isn't affected by Turtonator's Special Attack boosts in any way and can Toxic stall it out with Toxic, but this isn't completely reliable, as its Unaware ability also ignores Special Attack drops obtained from Draco Meteor. This can be used to Turtonator's advantage, as after Pyukumuku tanks a Draco Meteor, Turtonator can then follow that up with either a Devastating Drake or even more uses of Draco Meteor, which can overwhelm Pyukumuku at worst.

**Offensive Pressure**: While Turtonator can outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame after a Shell Smash, its it's one of the slowest Pokemon in the metagame otherwise. Because of this, Pokemon with a Choice Scarf users such as Hitmonlee, Medicham, Vanilluxe, Drapion, and Braviary can easily revenge kill a -1 Turtonator, although the latter two need Stealth Rock in order to do this. Preventing it from setting up safely is also crucial; for instance, you can avoid Choice locking Choice-locking Pokemon such as Sceptile and Delphox in into a Fire- or Grass-type attack. Its It's also crucial to note that although Turtonaotr's Turtonator bulk is decent for a sweeper, it has low HP and defensive stats (this is really confusing, you call its bulk decent but then immediately say its hp and defensive stats are low? they're the same thing, please address this) that don't complement its resistances very well. In general, it can't take many hits from most invested attacks attackers in the tier.

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