[overview]
Tornadus is a powerful wallbreaker capable of getting past even the bulkiest Specially Defensive walls like Blissey and Hisuian Goodra with powerful Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Its high speed-tier also makes it an effective revenge killer and means that only a limited pool of naturally faster Pokemon and Choice Scarf users can revenge kill it. Terastallization allows Tornadus to potentially exploit this and suddenly resist the attack of a would-be revenge killer like Lycanroc-D or Choice Scarf Krookodile. Tornadus can also utilize an effective pivot set forcing progress against the opposition with Knock Off and its strong attacks while bringing teammates in safely via U-turn. One of Tornadus's main drawbacks is its reliance on inaccurate moves. This can make Tornadus frustratingly inconsistent especially when it needs to land multiple attacks over the course of a game. Wide Lens can partially remedy this but without Heavy-Duty Boots Tornadus needs more support to keep Stealth Rock off the field. Pivot Tornadus isn't as reliant on hitting inaccurate moves thanks to Knock Off and U-turn to pivot in teammates but it sacrifices a great deal of immediate wallbreaking potential compared to the Nasty Plot set.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Bleakwind Storm
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Ghost / Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Focus Blast compliments Bleakwind Storm excellently OHKOing bulky Flying resists like Empoleon and Hisuian Goodra after a Nasty Plot. Taunt prevents walls like Blissey from healing and hitting Tornadus with a status move. Tera Fighting strengthens Focus Blast allowing Tornadus to OHKO Terrakion guaranteed and OHKO Cyclizar after Stealth Rock. It also grants useful resistances to Dark and Rock thwarting revenge killers like Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf Krookodile. Tera Ghost alongside Taunt allows Tornadus to stonewall the most common Blissey sets not fearing status nor Seismic Toss. Tera Steel prevents Noivern, Lycanroc-D, Ditto, and Choice Scarf Gardevoir from revenge killing Tornadus.
Nasty Plot Tornadus is typically used on hyper offense teams that want a strong wallbreaker but it can fit on more balanced teams too. On hyper offense teams, it may be paired with a strong lead like Kleavor or Sticky Web Ribombee. Kleavor can weaken Tornadus's Steel-type checks early in the game with a powerful Close Combat. Tornadus is a strong pick on Sticky Web teams as many of its normal Choice Scarf revenge killers like Krookodile, Gengar, and Gardevoir are unable to revenge kill it at -1 Speed, at least not without taking a powerful attack. Other wallbreakers and sweepers like Toxtricity, Bisharp, and Maushold are solid choices alongside Tornadus on hyper offense teams. These Pokemon all greatly appreciate Tornadus's ability to weaken Steel-types like Hisuian Goodra and Bisharp. On more balanced teams, Tornadus should be paired with pivots to bring it in safely and bulky Pokemon that can answer its common revenge killers. Noivern, Swampert, Magnezone, and Flamigo can all bring Tornadus in safely via their pivot moves. Steel-types like Registeel and Empoleon do a good job at covering Noivern and Choice Scarf Gardevoir for Tornadus. Slowbro is good at covering Entei and once its item has been removed or with Colbur Berry, it can switch into Choice Scarf Krookodile as well.
[SET]
name: Pivot
move 1: Bleakwind Storm
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Focus Blast / Heat Wave
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Defiant
nature: Naive
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Tornadus is an effective pivot thanks to its high speed tier, strong attacks, and access to Knock Off. U-turn lets Tornadus bring in wallbreaking teammates against slow walls like Blissey and Empoleon. Knock Off removes the Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Rocky Helmet of switch-ins like Empoleon, Registeel, Jirachi, and Hisuian Goodra. Focus Blast pairs well with Tornadus's Flying STAB 2HKOing the Steel- and Rock-types of the tier like Empoleon, Rhyperior, and maximum HP Hisuian Goodra. Alternatively, Heat Wave is more accurate and stronger versus Jirachi while maintaining good damage against other Steel-types like Registeel, Magnezone, and Bisharp. Defiant punishes Intimidate Krookodile with a boosted U-turn and has limited utility against Gooey Hisuain Goodra and Defog Noivern. A Naive nature is chosen over Hasty due to the presence of faster physical attackers in the tier such as Choice Scarf Krookodile, Extreme Speed Entei, Sucker Punch Bisharp, and Aqua Jet Crawdaunt. 4 Special Defense EVs ensure that Porygon-Z's Download will raise its Attack instead of its Special Attack. Tera Fighting strengthens Focus Blast, landing an OHKO on Assault Vest Cyclizar with minimal chip, and gives a resistance against Rock-types like Terrakion and Lycanroc-D. Tera Steel gives a resistance to Extreme Speed and helps against Noivern and Choice Scarf Gardevoir.
Tornadus should be paired with strong wallbreaking teammates that can take advantage of its pivoting. Gallade, Crawdaunt, and Toxtricity are powerful wallbreakers that take advantage of typical Steel-type switch-ins to Tornadus like Empoleon and Magnezone. Tornadus pairs well with Other pivots like Magnezone and Swampert that take advantage of common Steel-type switch-ins and they bring Tornadus into play against Grass-types like Amoonguss. Entry hazards pair well with Tornadus's Knock Off removing Heavy-Duty Boots from foes like Noivern and Empoleon. Registeel and Jirachi provide Stealth Rock and check Choice Scarf Gardevoir for Tornadus. Chesnaught and Gastrodon cover Choice Scarf Krookodile and provide Spikes making it harder for Pokemon like Hisuian Goodra to check Tornadus. Pivot Tornadus is a good choice on rain teams as it can check problematic Grass-types like Chesnaught while bringing in teammates like Barraskewda and Basculegion-F with U-turn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Tailwind is a solid option, typically on Nasty Plot sets, that allows Tornadus to outspeed the entire metagame and potentially support a powerful wallbreaking teammate like Choice Band Krookodile. Wide Lens is a decent option on Nasty Plot sets to boost Tornadus's consistency a bit but it will need more support to keep Stealth Rock off the field in that case. Substitute is sometimes used over Taunt on Nasty Plot sets and paired with the defensive utility of Terastallization and how many Pokemon Tornadus threatens out, it can oftentimes safely secure a Substitute. Heat Wave is another option over Taunt that gives Tornadus a more accurate move to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Registeel. Choice Specs alongside Tera Flying can make Tornadus very immediately threatening, however it sacrifices flexibility and leaves Tornadus vulnerable to Stealth Rock. Life Orb boosts Tornadus's power to obscene levels such as allowing it to OHKO defensive Pokemon like Umbreon, Assault Vest Hisuian Goodra, Vaporeon, and Blissey with Tera- and Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Hurricane and Weather Ball are good options when Tornadus is used on rain teams with Drizzle Politoed. Prankster could be used over Defiant on sets with Taunt so that Tornadus can Taunt Umbreon, although it will also prevent Tornadus from using a Prankster Taunt vs setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Necrozma in a pinch, and it's generally not necessary given that Umbreon cannot wishstand Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Taunt could be used on pivot sets to prevent walls like Blissey from healing but it takes a valuable moveslot. Some teams rely on Tera Dragon Noivern to revenge kill Pokemon like Tornadus and Tera Fairy can flip the script on Noivern while also still resisting Dark like Tera Fighting.
Checks and Counters
====
**Revenge killers Noivern**: Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Gardevoir, and Yanmega are all capable of revenge killing Tornadus after it has taken some damage, which is likely given that Tornadus is frail and can't setup on mostly anything without taking some damage. Entei survives a Bleakwind Storm and can KO Tornadus with Sacred Fire into Extreme Speed. Other priority users like Bisharp and Crawdaunt can pick off a weakened Tornadus.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon and Steel-types**: Specially defensive Pokemon and Steel-types like Umbreon, Alolan Muk, Blissey Empoleon, and Hisuian Goodra can trade blows with Tornadus leaving it in range of some other revenge killer and potentially shed their weakness to a boosted Focus Blast with Terastallization. Jirachi and Bronzong are not weak to Focus Blast like other Steel-types and they can potentially trade some damage with Tornadus, and in Jirachi's case, paralyze it or lock it into a undesirable move with Encore. Choice Scarf Jirachi sets only need one Iron Head flinch to beat Tornadus unscathed.
Tornadus is a powerful wallbreaker capable of getting past even the bulkiest Specially Defensive walls like Blissey and Hisuian Goodra with powerful Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Its high speed-tier also makes it an effective revenge killer and means that only a limited pool of naturally faster Pokemon and Choice Scarf users can revenge kill it. Terastallization allows Tornadus to potentially exploit this and suddenly resist the attack of a would-be revenge killer like Lycanroc-D or Choice Scarf Krookodile. Tornadus can also utilize an effective pivot set forcing progress against the opposition with Knock Off and its strong attacks while bringing teammates in safely via U-turn. One of Tornadus's main drawbacks is its reliance on inaccurate moves. This can make Tornadus frustratingly inconsistent especially when it needs to land multiple attacks over the course of a game. Wide Lens can partially remedy this but without Heavy-Duty Boots Tornadus needs more support to keep Stealth Rock off the field. Pivot Tornadus isn't as reliant on hitting inaccurate moves thanks to Knock Off and U-turn to pivot in teammates but it sacrifices a great deal of immediate wallbreaking potential compared to the Nasty Plot set.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Bleakwind Storm
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Prankster
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Ghost / Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Focus Blast compliments Bleakwind Storm excellently OHKOing bulky Flying resists like Empoleon and Hisuian Goodra after a Nasty Plot. Taunt prevents walls like Blissey from healing and hitting Tornadus with a status move. Tera Fighting strengthens Focus Blast allowing Tornadus to OHKO Terrakion guaranteed and OHKO Cyclizar after Stealth Rock. It also grants useful resistances to Dark and Rock thwarting revenge killers like Lycanroc-D and Choice Scarf Krookodile. Tera Ghost alongside Taunt allows Tornadus to stonewall the most common Blissey sets not fearing status nor Seismic Toss. Tera Steel prevents Noivern, Lycanroc-D, Ditto, and Choice Scarf Gardevoir from revenge killing Tornadus.
Nasty Plot Tornadus is typically used on hyper offense teams that want a strong wallbreaker but it can fit on more balanced teams too. On hyper offense teams, it may be paired with a strong lead like Kleavor or Sticky Web Ribombee. Kleavor can weaken Tornadus's Steel-type checks early in the game with a powerful Close Combat. Tornadus is a strong pick on Sticky Web teams as many of its normal Choice Scarf revenge killers like Krookodile, Gengar, and Gardevoir are unable to revenge kill it at -1 Speed, at least not without taking a powerful attack. Other wallbreakers and sweepers like Toxtricity, Bisharp, and Maushold are solid choices alongside Tornadus on hyper offense teams. These Pokemon all greatly appreciate Tornadus's ability to weaken Steel-types like Hisuian Goodra and Bisharp. On more balanced teams, Tornadus should be paired with pivots to bring it in safely and bulky Pokemon that can answer its common revenge killers. Noivern, Swampert, Magnezone, and Flamigo can all bring Tornadus in safely via their pivot moves. Steel-types like Registeel and Empoleon do a good job at covering Noivern and Choice Scarf Gardevoir for Tornadus. Slowbro is good at covering Entei and once its item has been removed or with Colbur Berry, it can switch into Choice Scarf Krookodile as well.
[SET]
name: Pivot
move 1: Bleakwind Storm
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Focus Blast / Heat Wave
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Defiant
nature: Naive
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Steel
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Tornadus is an effective pivot thanks to its high speed tier, strong attacks, and access to Knock Off. U-turn lets Tornadus bring in wallbreaking teammates against slow walls like Blissey and Empoleon. Knock Off removes the Leftovers, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Rocky Helmet of switch-ins like Empoleon, Registeel, Jirachi, and Hisuian Goodra. Focus Blast pairs well with Tornadus's Flying STAB 2HKOing the Steel- and Rock-types of the tier like Empoleon, Rhyperior, and maximum HP Hisuian Goodra. Alternatively, Heat Wave is more accurate and stronger versus Jirachi while maintaining good damage against other Steel-types like Registeel, Magnezone, and Bisharp. Defiant punishes Intimidate Krookodile with a boosted U-turn and has limited utility against Gooey Hisuain Goodra and Defog Noivern. A Naive nature is chosen over Hasty due to the presence of faster physical attackers in the tier such as Choice Scarf Krookodile, Extreme Speed Entei, Sucker Punch Bisharp, and Aqua Jet Crawdaunt. 4 Special Defense EVs ensure that Porygon-Z's Download will raise its Attack instead of its Special Attack. Tera Fighting strengthens Focus Blast, landing an OHKO on Assault Vest Cyclizar with minimal chip, and gives a resistance against Rock-types like Terrakion and Lycanroc-D. Tera Steel gives a resistance to Extreme Speed and helps against Noivern and Choice Scarf Gardevoir.
Tornadus should be paired with strong wallbreaking teammates that can take advantage of its pivoting. Gallade, Crawdaunt, and Toxtricity are powerful wallbreakers that take advantage of typical Steel-type switch-ins to Tornadus like Empoleon and Magnezone. Tornadus pairs well with Other pivots like Magnezone and Swampert that take advantage of common Steel-type switch-ins and they bring Tornadus into play against Grass-types like Amoonguss. Entry hazards pair well with Tornadus's Knock Off removing Heavy-Duty Boots from foes like Noivern and Empoleon. Registeel and Jirachi provide Stealth Rock and check Choice Scarf Gardevoir for Tornadus. Chesnaught and Gastrodon cover Choice Scarf Krookodile and provide Spikes making it harder for Pokemon like Hisuian Goodra to check Tornadus. Pivot Tornadus is a good choice on rain teams as it can check problematic Grass-types like Chesnaught while bringing in teammates like Barraskewda and Basculegion-F with U-turn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Tailwind is a solid option, typically on Nasty Plot sets, that allows Tornadus to outspeed the entire metagame and potentially support a powerful wallbreaking teammate like Choice Band Krookodile. Wide Lens is a decent option on Nasty Plot sets to boost Tornadus's consistency a bit but it will need more support to keep Stealth Rock off the field in that case. Substitute is sometimes used over Taunt on Nasty Plot sets and paired with the defensive utility of Terastallization and how many Pokemon Tornadus threatens out, it can oftentimes safely secure a Substitute. Heat Wave is another option over Taunt that gives Tornadus a more accurate move to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Registeel. Choice Specs alongside Tera Flying can make Tornadus very immediately threatening, however it sacrifices flexibility and leaves Tornadus vulnerable to Stealth Rock. Life Orb boosts Tornadus's power to obscene levels such as allowing it to OHKO defensive Pokemon like Umbreon, Assault Vest Hisuian Goodra, Vaporeon, and Blissey with Tera- and Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Hurricane and Weather Ball are good options when Tornadus is used on rain teams with Drizzle Politoed. Prankster could be used over Defiant on sets with Taunt so that Tornadus can Taunt Umbreon, although it will also prevent Tornadus from using a Prankster Taunt vs setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Necrozma in a pinch, and it's generally not necessary given that Umbreon cannot wishstand Nasty Plot-boosted attacks. Taunt could be used on pivot sets to prevent walls like Blissey from healing but it takes a valuable moveslot. Some teams rely on Tera Dragon Noivern to revenge kill Pokemon like Tornadus and Tera Fairy can flip the script on Noivern while also still resisting Dark like Tera Fighting.
Checks and Counters
====
**Revenge killers Noivern**: Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Gardevoir, and Yanmega are all capable of revenge killing Tornadus after it has taken some damage, which is likely given that Tornadus is frail and can't setup on mostly anything without taking some damage. Entei survives a Bleakwind Storm and can KO Tornadus with Sacred Fire into Extreme Speed. Other priority users like Bisharp and Crawdaunt can pick off a weakened Tornadus.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon and Steel-types**: Specially defensive Pokemon and Steel-types like Umbreon, Alolan Muk, Blissey Empoleon, and Hisuian Goodra can trade blows with Tornadus leaving it in range of some other revenge killer and potentially shed their weakness to a boosted Focus Blast with Terastallization. Jirachi and Bronzong are not weak to Focus Blast like other Steel-types and they can potentially trade some damage with Tornadus, and in Jirachi's case, paralyze it or lock it into a undesirable move with Encore. Choice Scarf Jirachi sets only need one Iron Head flinch to beat Tornadus unscathed.
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