[SET]
name: Shift Gear
move 1: Shift Gear
move 2: Boomburst
move 3: Overdrive
move 4: Fire Punch / Snarl / Drain Punch / Sludge Wave
item: Life Orb / Throat Spray
ability: Punk Rock
nature: Rash / Modest
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Toxtricity’s Punk Rock-boosted sound moves, access to Shift Gear, and unique defensive typing are just enough to give it a limited niche as an incredibly hard to switch into threat for defensive teams while tackling offensive teams with its boosted Speed. Most typical Electric-type checks can't handle the raw power of Punk Rock-boosted Boomburst, dealing near-lethal damage to Rotom formes and Quagsire. Toxtricity's Electric / Poison typing also gives it a slew of useful resistances against Grass, Steel, Poison, Flying, Fighting, and more, allowing it to be one of precious few offensive Togekiss checks while also letting it tank hits from defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Corviknight. Shift Gear isn't even a requirement early on, as oftentimes just clicking Boomburst and sizing up your opponent is enough. That said, a free turn can turn Toxtricity into a massive threat for more offensive teams. Use Shift Gear on a defensive Pokemon or with dual screens support and turn Toxtricity from a middling-Speed wrecking ball into a team-cleaning screaming machine. Notably, Toxtricity doesn't need to use up the match's Dynamax to do work, saving the boost for another teammate most games.
Boomburst and Overdrive are your main sources of damage, shredding through frailer foes and 2HKOing everything that doesn’t resist both. Do keep in mind that even after Overdrive's STAB boost, Boomburst is still its most powerful move. Sadly, there are major limitations to Electric / Normal as coverage, and Toxtricity can’t cover the rest of what it needs in one move. Fire Punch can 2HKO Ferrothorn and Excadrill, punishing any switch-ins hard. Snarl, boosted to a usable power by Punk Rock, lets Toxtricity handle Dragapult, deal with Galarian Corsola without risking a Cursed Body activation, and cushion the occasional otherwise fatal blow. Hex is only slightly weaker and can be used as a perfectly accurate alternative if not using Throat Spray or the Special Attack drops aren’t seen as majorly beneficial. Drain Punch trades a slightly less effective hit on Ferrothorn for a devastating blow to Tyranitar, 2HKOing bulkier builds and possibly OHKOing frailer builds after Stealth Rock; however, be cautious of feeding a healthy Tyranitar Weakness Policy boosts. Sludge Wave doesn’t hit many relevant threats harder than Boomburst or Overdrive, but it gives Toxtricity Max Ooze's Special Attack boosts and a way to touch the odd Soundproof Kommo-o. Max Special Attack and Speed investment are used to hit as hard as possible and, at +2 Speed, avoid revenge kills from positive Speed-natured Choice Scarf users with up to 100 base Speed. Switch to a Modest nature and move the Attack investment to HP if not using Fire Punch or Drain Punch. An alternative spread of 108 Atk / 236 SpA / 164 Spe can be used as well to ensure a KO on Excadrill after a Shift Gear while also outspeeding Choice Scarf variants. Life Orb is used for its immediate damage output. Throat Spray can also be used to circumvent the item clause and give Toxtricity a boosting item that won't wear it down as quickly.
Screens are massively helpful for a comfortable sweep through the opponent’s team. Grimmsnarl brings Prankster screens and is a wonderful check to one of Toxtricity's main pains in Dragapult. Toxtricity defeats Pokemon like Corviknight and Toxapex; Pokemon that benefit off having those tanky threats removed, especially ones that can also set up under similar screens support, make for great partners. Mimikyu, Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragapult, and Haxorus, and almost any physical attacker plagued by those Pokemon can make for a good ally. Toxtricity will attract Excadrill out frequently, so partners that can deal with it, such as Gyarados, Corviknight, and Cloyster, are welcomed.
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Some notes:
name: Shift Gear
move 1: Shift Gear
move 2: Boomburst
move 3: Overdrive
move 4: Fire Punch / Snarl / Drain Punch / Sludge Wave
item: Life Orb / Throat Spray
ability: Punk Rock
nature: Rash / Modest
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Toxtricity’s Punk Rock-boosted sound moves, access to Shift Gear, and unique defensive typing are just enough to give it a limited niche as an incredibly hard to switch into threat for defensive teams while tackling offensive teams with its boosted Speed. Most typical Electric-type checks can't handle the raw power of Punk Rock-boosted Boomburst, dealing near-lethal damage to Rotom formes and Quagsire. Toxtricity's Electric / Poison typing also gives it a slew of useful resistances against Grass, Steel, Poison, Flying, Fighting, and more, allowing it to be one of precious few offensive Togekiss checks while also letting it tank hits from defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Corviknight. Shift Gear isn't even a requirement early on, as oftentimes just clicking Boomburst and sizing up your opponent is enough. That said, a free turn can turn Toxtricity into a massive threat for more offensive teams. Use Shift Gear on a defensive Pokemon or with dual screens support and turn Toxtricity from a middling-Speed wrecking ball into a team-cleaning screaming machine. Notably, Toxtricity doesn't need to use up the match's Dynamax to do work, saving the boost for another teammate most games.
Boomburst and Overdrive are your main sources of damage, shredding through frailer foes and 2HKOing everything that doesn’t resist both. Do keep in mind that even after Overdrive's STAB boost, Boomburst is still its most powerful move. Sadly, there are major limitations to Electric / Normal as coverage, and Toxtricity can’t cover the rest of what it needs in one move. Fire Punch can 2HKO Ferrothorn and Excadrill, punishing any switch-ins hard. Snarl, boosted to a usable power by Punk Rock, lets Toxtricity handle Dragapult, deal with Galarian Corsola without risking a Cursed Body activation, and cushion the occasional otherwise fatal blow. Hex is only slightly weaker and can be used as a perfectly accurate alternative if not using Throat Spray or the Special Attack drops aren’t seen as majorly beneficial. Drain Punch trades a slightly less effective hit on Ferrothorn for a devastating blow to Tyranitar, 2HKOing bulkier builds and possibly OHKOing frailer builds after Stealth Rock; however, be cautious of feeding a healthy Tyranitar Weakness Policy boosts. Sludge Wave doesn’t hit many relevant threats harder than Boomburst or Overdrive, but it gives Toxtricity Max Ooze's Special Attack boosts and a way to touch the odd Soundproof Kommo-o. Max Special Attack and Speed investment are used to hit as hard as possible and, at +2 Speed, avoid revenge kills from positive Speed-natured Choice Scarf users with up to 100 base Speed. Switch to a Modest nature and move the Attack investment to HP if not using Fire Punch or Drain Punch. An alternative spread of 108 Atk / 236 SpA / 164 Spe can be used as well to ensure a KO on Excadrill after a Shift Gear while also outspeeding Choice Scarf variants. Life Orb is used for its immediate damage output. Throat Spray can also be used to circumvent the item clause and give Toxtricity a boosting item that won't wear it down as quickly.
Screens are massively helpful for a comfortable sweep through the opponent’s team. Grimmsnarl brings Prankster screens and is a wonderful check to one of Toxtricity's main pains in Dragapult. Toxtricity defeats Pokemon like Corviknight and Toxapex; Pokemon that benefit off having those tanky threats removed, especially ones that can also set up under similar screens support, make for great partners. Mimikyu, Dragon Dance users such as Gyarados, Dragapult, and Haxorus, and almost any physical attacker plagued by those Pokemon can make for a good ally. Toxtricity will attract Excadrill out frequently, so partners that can deal with it, such as Gyarados, Corviknight, and Cloyster, are welcomed.
----
Some notes:
- This Pokemon wasn't on the reservation list at all, but I've had it do enough work for me that I thought it was worth a preview. I ran it by a member of qc quickly on discord to make sure this was okay to post.
- This thing faces huge contention from the Rotom forms since they're so much more flexible / overall better most of the time. I tried to sell Toxtricity as a niche set up sweeper with limited use that can work on some teams (Electric-type with set up not totally made of paper that doesn't need to dynamax to do work is a nice niche I've enjoyed). I'm not certain how well it reads for that, so I can dial up the "this pokemon is niche" aspect of the analysis if requested.
- I didn’t bother making a specs or four attacks set. I haven’t tested them, but I can’t imagine it going well when you rely on normal / electric coverage and Mimikyu / Dracopult / Excadrill are top tier Pokémon.
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