[SET]
name: The Pex (Defensive)
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Recover
move 3: Haze
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Infestation
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers
tera type: Steel / Grass
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm / Bold
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD or 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Toxapex is a resilient defensive Pokemon that makes good use of its typing, great mixed bulk, and ability Regenerator to check a plethora of offensive threats, including Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Enamorus, and spread Toxic poison against them throughout the game. Toxapex leverages its bulk and Regenerator to be a great Haze user, able to shut down all manner of setup sweepers like Weavile, Iron Valiant, and Darkrai—in conjunction with Recover, Haze makes it much easier for Toxapex to Toxic stall opponents. Haze also lets Toxapex shut down sweepers immune to Toxic like Iron Moth, Curse Garganacl, Calm Mind Clefable, and Nasty Plot Gholdengo, making it easier for teammates like Blissey and Gliscor to answer them. For its last move, Toxapex can utilize Toxic Spikes to make use of its many entry opportunities, greatly punishing teams lacking a grounded Poison-type. Alternatively, Infestation lets Toxapex trap and wear down passive walls like Dondozo and chip Toxic-immune foes like Iron Crown, Tinkaton, Gholdengo, and Kingambit—additionally popping the latter three's Air Balloon. Another option is Baneful Bunker, which lets Toxapex safely scout foes, absorb Future Sight along with Tera Steel, and punish U-turn from the likes of Cinderace, Dragapult, and Ogerpon-W with debilitating poison. Heavy-Duty Boots gives Toxapex more reliability as a pivot on teams using little or no entry hazard removal, while Leftovers is an alternative item choice on teams with multiple hazard removers like Galarian Weezing, Corviknight, and Talonflame, granting greater longevity and making Toxapex an even more effective pivot. Full investment in Special Defense with a Calm nature lets Toxapex serve as a mixed defensive scout, with better matchups against Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Kyurem, and Darkrai. Alternatively, full Defense investment with a Bold nature gives greater consistency against threats like Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W, ensuring it survives the former's Headlong Rush and giving maximum odds to survive the latter's +2 Power Whip and respond with a crippling Toxic. Tera Steel is a great defensive type that lets Toxapex effectively absorb Future Sight from Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown and become a much stronger check to Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Hatterene. Alternatively, Tera Grass improves Toxapex's matchup against Ogerpon-W while also granting a resistance to Ground to better check Great Tusk and Landorus-T and a resistance to Electric to sponge Volt Switch from Raging Bolt and Iron Crown.
Toxapex is a fantastic asset to stall teams as a Toxic-spreading Regenerator pivot and a scout against unpredictable threats like Iron Valiant, Dragapult, and Kyurem. Dondozo and Blissey are two great partners that appreciate Toxapex's ability to scout Kyurem, thanks to its ability to survive every attack other than Choice Specs Tera Ice Freeze-Dry. Once scouted, Dondozo answers most variations of Dragon Dance Kyurem, while Blissey answers Choice Specs and Heavy-Duty Boots Kyurem. The two also appreciate Toxapex answering utility Dragapult, which otherwise gets free entry on both. Toxapex's opportunities to badly poison physical sweepers like Swords Dance Iron Valiant and Dragonite make it much easier for Dondozo to answer them over the course of a game, with Dondozo checking Kingambit in return. Blissey appreciates Toxapex scouting potential Trick users like Gholdengo and Darkrai, ensuring it can consistently answer them without being crippled by Trick. Toxapex answers mixed wallbreakers like Iron Valiant and Keldeo and relieves Blissey of pressure from Primarina and Walking Wake's pivoting moves, while Blissey walls special attackers that threaten Toxapex like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth. Clodsire is another special wall that appreciates Toxapex absorbing a potential Trick from Gholdengo so that it can be a consistent check. Specially defensive Gliscor is another wonderful teammate that answers wallbreakers like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth and Ground-types that threaten Toxapex like Landorus-T and Ting-Lu, and it sets entry hazards to keep up pressure against Ogerpon-W. Gliscor is also useful for absorbing Knock Off from Pokemon like Tinkaton and Clefable, ensuring that Toxapex can retain its Heavy-Duty Boots and maximize its pivoting capabilities. In return, Toxapex answers threats to Gliscor like Primarina and Weavile, negating their setup attempts with Haze. Corviknight is another ally that provides entry hazard removal and absorbs Knock Off from Pokemon like Weavile and Great Tusk while also being a great check to opposing Gliscor. Toxapex appreciates the presence of Galarian Weezing thanks to its ability to punish opposing Gliscor and Clefable, which would otherwise wall Toxapex. Its ability to consistently remove hazards in the face of Gholdengo increases Toxapex's longevity should it lose its Heavy-Duty Boots and frees it to run Leftovers to grant further longevity. In return, Toxapex helps spread Toxic poison to more quickly wear down hazard setters like Great Tusk and Landorus-T and special wallbreakers that threaten Galarian Weezing like Primarina and Kyurem. Between Galarian Weezing's Will-O-Wisp and Toxapex's Haze and Regenerator, the two work well together to hold off the otherwise threatening Curse Garganacl. Similarly, Galarian Weezing's ability to burn Ogerpon-W makes Toxapex a much more reliable check to it, while Toxapex's ability to badly poison Ogerpon-W leaves it more quickly worn down by Galarian Weezing.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/demon-queen.608211/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/setsusetsuna.548068/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stads.110504/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
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