Torterra (Specially Defensive)

[franky]

Long skeleton, but I just wanted to dish out as much information as possible because I will not be writing this. I have many stuff under my plate, and twash is still helping me take the load off my workplate. I provided as much info as needed for the writers so I hope this helps!

Status: Skeleton

[SET]
name: Specially Defense
move 1: Wood Hammer
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Synthesis
move 4: Leech Seed / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Perks:

-Has the ability to switch into bulky waters much better now without dying to predicted Ice Beams. This is one of the best Slowbro switch ins in the game thanks to Thunder Wave immunity (something Venusaur can't do), access to Leech Seed, and Wood Hammer to beat it.

-With access to Wood Hammer, this set can check special attackers like Rotom and Mismagius. With their weak physical defensive stat, Wood Hammer can sometimes OHKO them with a little residual damage. A simple Shadow Ball without a boost deals a measly 23.1% - 27.4%, while a boosted deals 45.7% - 54.1%. As it Nasty Plots, you can easily OHKO back if it has taken SR damage. (80.5% - 95% with Wood Hammer). The second scenario includes Mismagius Subbing, while you switch in; it Nasty Plots, you Wood Hammer, you survive Shadow Ball, while it Wood Hammer OHKOs thanks to the Substitute damage.

-Access to Synthesis means it can switch back later in the match and replenish its health from previous beatings (particularly from Mismagius). Unlike some notorious Mismagius checks (Registeel, Spiritomb, and Drapion), Torterra has Synthesis to boot and it can easily use it at later stages of the match!

-Ability to Stealth Rock and access to Earthquake. STAB Earthquake lets it pummel overzealous Blaziken and Arcanine trying to switch into this set.

-Has the ability to mix wall thanks to its high Defense stat even with limited investment. This can come in handy when switching into Ground-type threats such as Donphan, Rhyperior, and even Aggron lacking Ice Punch -- something its counterpart Venusaur can't do.

-Resistance to Stealth Rock is also an added benefit that allows it to freely switch into certain moves without taking 12%. The 6 percent difference can sometimes come in handy!

AC:

-To avoid slashitis, Stealth Rock will get a mention here. Leech Seed and Roar are more important. Roar allows Torterra to phaze away SubCharge Rotom without having to use Wood Hammer twice. It also phazes stuff like Curse Registeel, Curse Moo Moo, etc.

-Invest some Speed to beat 128 Spe Rhyperior. With this, Torterra loses his ability to check Mismagius and bulky Waters to its best at the expense of mixed walling.

Counters/Partners:

-Weezing can beat this set easily with a simple Will-O-Wisp and Sludge Bomb spam.

-Venusaur can switch into Leech Seed and Wood Hammer and easily beat it with Sleep Powder. It can proceed to set up Swords Dance or simply attack with LO Sludge Bomb or Leaf Storm.

-Moltres can beat this set thanks to his unique typing, but it has to be careful from Stealth Rock + Roar.

-I've been using this with Weezlotic perfectly as they cover each others weakness perfectly. By nature, this type of Torterra fits in with bulky/stall teams so using this with Weezlotic is perfectly viable. They favor each others weakness perfectly (Torterra checks both Rotom and Mismagius).

-Omastar is also a viable partner and it can easily dispatch Stealth Rock and Spikes thanks to Torterra's ability to draw in Weezing. Most of them pack Sludge Bomb, so setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes should be easy.

-Chansey is another viable partner for cleansing Will-O-Wisp status and checking the dreaded Moltres. Sometimes Milotic is not enough.

 

[Heysup]

I approve this, many people have used it (Jabba, LN, others) very effectively. It's really hard to kill and will still do what it needs to do otherwise.

EDIT: I agree with FB, actually. Emphasize the advantages.

 

[FlareBlitz]

I definitely think that you should take a different direction as far as presenting this set goes. While this set is better at countering the Slowbrothers, every other bulky water ever (including the most popular one, Milotic) is handled much more consistently by Venusaur. Specially defensive Venusaur can even take on offensive Milotic, which this set cannot hope to do. So as far as just dealing powerful special attackers goes, I don't see how this is better than Venusaur against anything that doesn't carry STAB Psychic.

So what I think you should do is to emphasize this thing's advantages, ones that currently get no mention here. For example...STAB EQ. This helps massively against bulkier fire type switch-ins, especially Arcanine, who typically don't have much to fear from low-investment Sludge Bomb from Venusaur. Another is the EQ and Rock resistance and general physical bulk, which lets it switch in on Donphan and Rhyperior a bit easier (Megahorn hurts though). Try and think of a few more and pad out the set with those, because I think if this tries to compete with the fat ugly green thing purely on countering special attackers it comes off as noticeably worse.

 

[franky]

Uh never saw it that way, but I'll emphasize that. The reason I'd use this over Venusaur is the simple Thunder Wave immunity and the ability to set up Stealth Rock. I'll be sure to mention those. I don't think i'll mention Wood Hammer though cause it's self-explanatory. Having a reliable way to beat those Substitute Pokemon is always an added benefit. Power Whip will miss, consequently allowing Mismagius to set up once more.

I would consider this a Ghost check first and a bulky Water check second, so we might interpret this set differently. Having the added bulk is just an added perk which allow it to switch in much better on Milotic I guess. Venusaur cannot OHKO Mismagius like Torterra does as well.

 

[whistle]

yeah i agree with flare blitz - mentioning its eq/stone edge resist, sr resist, twave immunity, stab eq, and (pretty overlooked) higher attack stat will go a long way in differentiating torterra from venusaur who is arguably better at pure special walling. but at the same time obviously there need to be a few comparisons of this set vs a physically defensive set (for torterra).

hp ice and will o wisp rotom are still kinda annoying for this set (assuming they play intelligently and don't just stay in to eat potentially overgrown wood hammer).

<@whistle> oh spdef torterra
<@whistle> i didnt post in that one
<@whistle> all im gonna post is a stamp thats such a stupid post
<@whistle> c&c is worse than wifi

approved, if you were wondering...

moving to uu - have you found a writer yet (you mentioned twash but then right after that you said "writers" as if twash wasn't the writer)? if not i'll edit the title to say "writer needed" or something.

 

[franky]

yep find me one

whistedit: changed title. also, it'd be cool if whoever wants to write this plays uu since obviously using the set is a pre-requisite to writing it up. i don't think this situation has come up before, but i assume franky will get to pick who writes it (if 20 people sign up lol).

twashedit: I asked Thund91 to do it, awaiting reply. I am just taking some stuff off franky because he has done ridiculous amounts of stuff and we can't seriously expect him to update it all tbh, it would be unfair, I (think) he has a life (unfortunately)

 

[Lolaser]

Ok so this is my first analysis write up and I gave it a fair shot but if you don't wish to use it that is fine.

Explanation

This Torterra has the ability to easily switch in on one of UU’s most prominent walls, Slowbro. It bolsters immunity to Thunderwave and once switched in it can easily Leech Seed before using Wood Hammer, removing it from the game. As well as Slowbro this Torterra provides a great counter to many of the most powerful special sweepers in UU, such as Mismagius and Rotom. A +2 Shadow Ball from Mismagius can only manage a maximum of 54.1% to Torterra and thus you can just bring it in as they Nasty Plot, before dishing out 80.5%-95% back with Wood Hammer, an easy OHKO with Stealth Rocks up.

STAB Earthquake is the second move, providing an easy KO on Blaziken and Arcanine that switch in eager for the kill. The third move is crucial to the survival of Torterra and the use of it late game. Synthesis allows it to heal back the Health it may have lost from Wood Hammers recoil and the measly damage it receives from Stealth Rocks.

The fourth move in this set is the only part that is down to preference, Leech Seed provides a consistent source of healing and when combined with Leftovers it turns Torterra into an even bulkier wall that is a huge task to take down, due to its already large defence. However if your team focuses on forcing switches and forcing the opponent to take Spikes/SR damage then Roar can fit in nicely. This allows you to switch their Pokemon in and out, forcing them to take large damage before allowing another Pokemon to sweep the already weak opponents. The last move to be considered is Stealth Rock although it should only be used if no other Pokemon can set it up on your team.

One of the main advantages of using Torterra as a Special wall is that unlike other walls it can tank hits from the other side of the spectrum. 105 Base Defence is solid and allows Torterra to tank hits from Mixed and Physical sweepers.

Counters

Weezing quite easily counters this set with just Will-O-Wisp and Sludge Bomb, so having a counter to it is a must. Venusaur can also switch in on Leech Seed or Wood Hammer and proceed to use Sleep Powder before getting in a Swords Dance and a potential sweep. The ever present Moltres can also pose a problem however with Stealth Rocks up and Roar it can easily be overcome.

Teammates

Torterra can fit in well with many teams however when combined with Weezing and Milotic the three cover each other’s weaknesses flawlessly. Torterra fits in as the perfect counter to Rotom and Mismagius who gives Weezlotic some trouble. Omaster can also fit in nicely with Torterra as it counters most Weezing and can then set up Stealth Rocks and Spikes, providing the punch that Stall teams require. Chansey can also be used to counter Moltres if you do not wish to use Milotic or find that it is not always enough to beat it.

 

[Eo Ut Mortus]

Locking / moving since thund posted his analysis.