[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 8-10 points
**Overview**: Toxapex is a solid defensive Pokemon, with excellent bulk, an amazing defensive typing, and solid utility moves like Haze, Toxic Spikes, and Toxic. Additionally, it has one of the best abilities in Draft in Regenerator, coupled with access to reliable recovery, making it extremely difficult for foes to wear it down. Thanks to these qualities, Toxapex can serve as an important glue piece on bulkier drafts and a decent sponge on offensive drafts. However, Toxapex is extremely passive and can be easily taken advantage of by setup sweepers with access to Taunt. Further, it can often be a momentum drain in a fast-paced metagame, making it harder to justify drafting it.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Pivot**: Thanks to its bulk, typing, and access to reliable recovery, Regenerator, and Toxic, Toxapex is able to consistently switch into certain threats and cripple them with status or shut them down with Haze. The set can be tailored to be physically or specially bulky, depending on what Toxapex is trying to check. Toxapex can further support its teammates by setting Toxic Spikes as well.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Liquidation, Poison Jab, Gunk Shot, Sludge Bomb, Surf
**Utility Moves**: Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Haze, Baneful Bunker, Recover, Pain Split
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Ice Spinner
Niche Moves
========
**Infestation**: Infestation can be run to gain additional chip damage on opposing Pokemon. It also has the added benefit of trapping the opposing Pokemon, making it easier for teammates to switch in, since the threat of a double switch is eliminated.
**Chilling Water / Acid Spray / Icy Wind / Lunge**: Chilling Water, Acid Spray, Icy Wind, and Lunge can each be run in niche situations to keep opposing setup threats in check, enabling teammates to pick them off more easily.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots enables Toxapex to switch in multiple times throughout the course of a match without fearing entry hazards. This enables it to survive hits more easily.
**Rocky Helmet**: Physically defensive Toxapex sets run Rocky Helmet to get chip damage against opposing physical attackers while staying healthy with Regenerator.
**Black Sludge**: Black Sludge can be run for passive recovery, especially in situations where the added recovery might let Toxapex avoid a potential 2HKO.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Toxapex can run a resistance Berry like Shuca or Wacan Berry to cripple an opposing Pokemon with Toxic, remove boosts with Haze to stop a sweep, or get crucial damage on an opposing threat.
**Eject Button**: Toxapex can utilize its bulk alongside Eject Button to give its teammates a free switch into an opposing Pokemon. Eject Button can also be used to gain momentum against U-turn and Volt Switch users by preventing those foes from pivoting out.
**Red Card**: Toxapex's solid bulk can allow it to switch into a setup sweeper and force it out with Red Card.
**Mental Herb**: Toxapex can utilize Mental Herb to get around Taunt and status an opposing Pokemon or set Toxic Spikes.
Tera
========
Toxapex should not be considered for a Tera Captain. It is severely outclassed by several other Pokemon, since it is extremely passive and does not have the tools to make the most of Terastallization. Further, its defensive typing is needed for it to check the Pokemon it does. If picked as a Tera Captain, defensive Tera types like Tera Steel, Fairy, and Dark are the most effective.
Draft Strategy
========
Toxapex is usually drafted on teams looking for role compression and a bulky pivot. It provides valuable resistances to Fairy, Fighting, and Steel and can further help its teammates by setting Toxic Spikes. While its defensive profile is solid, it is extremely passive and thus is usually outclassed by other defensive Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Corviknight. Thus, Toxapex is a niche defensive pick.
**Wallbreakers**: Toxapex can support wallbreakers by being a reliable pivot and inflicting status on opposing Pokemon. In return, offensive wallbreakers like Iron Valiant and Latios can make up for Toxapex's passivity.
**Bulky Partners**: While Toxapex has amazing physical and special bulk, it usually prefers to heavily invest in only one defensive stat. As such, complementary bulky Pokemon like Corviknight and Uxie make excellent partners, as they can form a bulky core that is able to pivot into both physical and special threats.
**Ground-resistant Teammates**: As Toxapex is weak to Ground, Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground like Rillaboom and Uxie make for amazing teammates.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-, Electric-, and Psychic-types**: Ground-, Electric-, and Psychic-types all hit Toxapex super effectively and force it out. As Toxapex is passive, Electric- and Psychic-types also take little damage from its attacks, enabling them to pivot in aggressively on it and gain momentum. They do have to be wary of Toxic, however.
**Taunt**: Taunt effectively shuts down Toxapex, as it becomes unable to inflict status, remove boosts with Haze, or use Recover, making it setup fodder.
**Substitute**: Toxapex is also vulnerable to Substitute. While Toxapex can remove stat boosts with Haze, it is unable to use Toxic on opposing Pokemon behind a Substitute. Additionally, due to its lackluster offensive stats, Toxapex often struggles to break Substitutes in one hit, giving opposing Pokemon multiple opportunities to wear it down.
**Entry Hazards**: Toxapex is vulnerable to chip damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes, which reduces its ability to check opposing threats, especially in matchups where it prefers to run a different item than Heavy-Duty Boots.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/professor-shuckle.530941/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 8-10 points
**Overview**: Toxapex is a solid defensive Pokemon, with excellent bulk, an amazing defensive typing, and solid utility moves like Haze, Toxic Spikes, and Toxic. Additionally, it has one of the best abilities in Draft in Regenerator, coupled with access to reliable recovery, making it extremely difficult for foes to wear it down. Thanks to these qualities, Toxapex can serve as an important glue piece on bulkier drafts and a decent sponge on offensive drafts. However, Toxapex is extremely passive and can be easily taken advantage of by setup sweepers with access to Taunt. Further, it can often be a momentum drain in a fast-paced metagame, making it harder to justify drafting it.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Pivot**: Thanks to its bulk, typing, and access to reliable recovery, Regenerator, and Toxic, Toxapex is able to consistently switch into certain threats and cripple them with status or shut them down with Haze. The set can be tailored to be physically or specially bulky, depending on what Toxapex is trying to check. Toxapex can further support its teammates by setting Toxic Spikes as well.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Liquidation, Poison Jab, Gunk Shot, Sludge Bomb, Surf
**Utility Moves**: Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Haze, Baneful Bunker, Recover, Pain Split
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Ice Spinner
Niche Moves
========
**Infestation**: Infestation can be run to gain additional chip damage on opposing Pokemon. It also has the added benefit of trapping the opposing Pokemon, making it easier for teammates to switch in, since the threat of a double switch is eliminated.
**Chilling Water / Acid Spray / Icy Wind / Lunge**: Chilling Water, Acid Spray, Icy Wind, and Lunge can each be run in niche situations to keep opposing setup threats in check, enabling teammates to pick them off more easily.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots enables Toxapex to switch in multiple times throughout the course of a match without fearing entry hazards. This enables it to survive hits more easily.
**Rocky Helmet**: Physically defensive Toxapex sets run Rocky Helmet to get chip damage against opposing physical attackers while staying healthy with Regenerator.
**Black Sludge**: Black Sludge can be run for passive recovery, especially in situations where the added recovery might let Toxapex avoid a potential 2HKO.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Toxapex can run a resistance Berry like Shuca or Wacan Berry to cripple an opposing Pokemon with Toxic, remove boosts with Haze to stop a sweep, or get crucial damage on an opposing threat.
**Eject Button**: Toxapex can utilize its bulk alongside Eject Button to give its teammates a free switch into an opposing Pokemon. Eject Button can also be used to gain momentum against U-turn and Volt Switch users by preventing those foes from pivoting out.
**Red Card**: Toxapex's solid bulk can allow it to switch into a setup sweeper and force it out with Red Card.
**Mental Herb**: Toxapex can utilize Mental Herb to get around Taunt and status an opposing Pokemon or set Toxic Spikes.
Tera
========
Toxapex should not be considered for a Tera Captain. It is severely outclassed by several other Pokemon, since it is extremely passive and does not have the tools to make the most of Terastallization. Further, its defensive typing is needed for it to check the Pokemon it does. If picked as a Tera Captain, defensive Tera types like Tera Steel, Fairy, and Dark are the most effective.
Draft Strategy
========
Toxapex is usually drafted on teams looking for role compression and a bulky pivot. It provides valuable resistances to Fairy, Fighting, and Steel and can further help its teammates by setting Toxic Spikes. While its defensive profile is solid, it is extremely passive and thus is usually outclassed by other defensive Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Corviknight. Thus, Toxapex is a niche defensive pick.
**Wallbreakers**: Toxapex can support wallbreakers by being a reliable pivot and inflicting status on opposing Pokemon. In return, offensive wallbreakers like Iron Valiant and Latios can make up for Toxapex's passivity.
**Bulky Partners**: While Toxapex has amazing physical and special bulk, it usually prefers to heavily invest in only one defensive stat. As such, complementary bulky Pokemon like Corviknight and Uxie make excellent partners, as they can form a bulky core that is able to pivot into both physical and special threats.
**Ground-resistant Teammates**: As Toxapex is weak to Ground, Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground like Rillaboom and Uxie make for amazing teammates.
Checks and Counters
========
**Ground-, Electric-, and Psychic-types**: Ground-, Electric-, and Psychic-types all hit Toxapex super effectively and force it out. As Toxapex is passive, Electric- and Psychic-types also take little damage from its attacks, enabling them to pivot in aggressively on it and gain momentum. They do have to be wary of Toxic, however.
**Taunt**: Taunt effectively shuts down Toxapex, as it becomes unable to inflict status, remove boosts with Haze, or use Recover, making it setup fodder.
**Substitute**: Toxapex is also vulnerable to Substitute. While Toxapex can remove stat boosts with Haze, it is unable to use Toxic on opposing Pokemon behind a Substitute. Additionally, due to its lackluster offensive stats, Toxapex often struggles to break Substitutes in one hit, giving opposing Pokemon multiple opportunities to wear it down.
**Entry Hazards**: Toxapex is vulnerable to chip damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes, which reduces its ability to check opposing threats, especially in matchups where it prefers to run a different item than Heavy-Duty Boots.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/professor-shuckle.530941/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
