Pokeslice
Thanks for the Dance
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[OVERVIEW]
Dry Skin and Poison typing make Toxicroak the tier's premier offensive switch-in to Vaporeon, and with Swords Dance, it can consistently set up and break through defensive cores that revolve around it. These same traits also make Toxicroak a soft check to the other Water-types in the tier, reliably checking Blastoise at full health or switching into Starmie's Hydro Pump and threatening it out with Sucker Punch. On top of that, Toxicroak only needs minimal chip damage to finish off bulkier builds or clean up against offense ones thanks to its priority Sucker Punch. Toxicroak's main problems lie in its frailty, especially when coupled with Life Orb, giving it a hard time getting onto the field and setting up safely. Even +2 Toxicroak is easily revenge killed, especially sets without Sucker Punch, with Pokemon like Talonflame and Salazzle consistently KOing it because of its poor defenses. It also has competition from the other Fighting-types in the tier in Sirfetch'd and Machamp, as both do not need to boost to wallbreak, making them more consistent.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Drain Punch helps mitigate Life Orb recoil damage but a Swords Dance-boosted Low Kick with an Adamant nature has a chance to KO Mudsdale after Stealth Rock. Sucker Punch helps Toxicroak sweep against more offensive teams and threatens frail revenge killers such as Salazzle and Starmie, but Knock Off can cripple potential answers like Mudsdale and Talonflame for the rest of the game, while Earthquake will KO Poison-types like Dragalge and Garbodor that resist both of its STAB attacks. Adamant is the preferred nature for the extra power boost while still allowing Toxicroak to outspeed Pokemon like Tyrantrum, Blastoise, and Decidueye, but Jolly variants have the benefit of outspeeding Pokemon like Hasty Goodra and offensive Braviary.
Toxicroak pairs best offensively with Pokemon that appreciate a consistent Vaporeon switch-in, such as Fire-types like Talonflame and Arcanine, Water-types like Blastoise and Starmie, and Glastrier, all of which reliably bait in Vaporeon for Toxicroak. On top of that, getting rid of Ground-types like Mudsdale and Palossand is key for letting Toxicroak sweep, so Grass-types like Dhelmise, Decidueye, and Rotom-C make great offensive teammates. Poison-types like Weezing, Dragalge, and Garbodor can all cause problems for Toxicroak, making Ground- and Steel-types like Golurk, Mudsdale, and Bronzong helpful partners. Defensively, Toxicroak appreciates switch-ins to Fire-types, making Rock- and Water-types like Diancie and Vaporeon fantastic partners. Toxicroak also pairs well with Ground-immune Pokemon such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Rotom-C. Steel-types such as Copperajah and Bronzong are reliable answers to Dragalge, which switches into most variants of Toxicroak, although sets running Earthquake will bait in and KO it. Steel-types also add the extra benefit of a crucial Psychic and Flying resistance, stopping Pokemon like Celebi, Starmie, and Talonflame that expect a free KO.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Nasty Plot sets punish common Ground-type switch-ins such as Mudsdale which can be OHKOed by a +2 Focus Blast and also have the benefit of STAB Vacuum Wave, helping pick off weakened Pokemon that don't resist it, although they're a lot less effective at beating common revenge killers such as Talonflame, Salazzle, and Starmie.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Mudsdale will almost always stop a sweep, reliably tanking multiple hits in conjunction with Stamina, although sets with Low Kick can KO it. Palossand resists both of Toxicroak's STAB moves, and with Colbur Berry, it will always beat every variant of Toxicroak, even Nasty Plot. Golurk also deserves mention, as it reliably beats Earthquake variants of Toxicroak, although it folds to Sucker Punch or Knock Off.
**Poison-types**: Dragalge resists both of Toxicroak's STAB moves and can take advantage of it to set up Toxic Spikes or throw out strong attacks. Garbodor will force massive damage on it through Rocky Helmet and Aftermath while setting up Spikes in the process, although Earthquake variants can bait in and KO both Garbodor and Dragalge. Levitate Weezing completely walls Toxicroak and threatens it out with Will-O-Wisp, but it hates Knock Off getting rid of the little recovery it gets, and Neutralizing Gas Weezing will be 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Psychic-types**: Starmie and Celebi can easily revenge kill Toxicroak, although neither can switch in reliably and Sucker Punch variants beat them after some chip damage. Indeedee-F will also always revenge kill Toxicroak thanks to Psychic Terrain blocking Sucker Punch. Levitate Bronzong can reliably wall Earthquake sets, but Knock Off or Sucker Punch will KO it at +2.
**Fire-types**: With Dry Skin, Toxicroak gets a slight weakness to Fire-type moves, and on top of that, Arcanine can reliably switch into it because of Intimidate. Salazzle resists its STAB attacks and easily OHKOes back, but boosted Sucker Punch can pick it off. Talonflame outspeeds and revenge kills Toxicroak with Brave Bird and can threaten a burn if it switches into Toxicroak's Fighting-type move, although it fears switching into Gunk Shot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Pokeslice, 509790]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [poh, 298730]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
[OVERVIEW]
Dry Skin and Poison typing make Toxicroak the tier's premier offensive switch-in to Vaporeon, and with Swords Dance, it can consistently set up and break through defensive cores that revolve around it. These same traits also make Toxicroak a soft check to the other Water-types in the tier, reliably checking Blastoise at full health or switching into Starmie's Hydro Pump and threatening it out with Sucker Punch. On top of that, Toxicroak only needs minimal chip damage to finish off bulkier builds or clean up against offense ones thanks to its priority Sucker Punch. Toxicroak's main problems lie in its frailty, especially when coupled with Life Orb, giving it a hard time getting onto the field and setting up safely. Even +2 Toxicroak is easily revenge killed, especially sets without Sucker Punch, with Pokemon like Talonflame and Salazzle consistently KOing it because of its poor defenses. It also has competition from the other Fighting-types in the tier in Sirfetch'd and Machamp, as both do not need to boost to wallbreak, making them more consistent.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Drain Punch / Low Kick
move 4: Sucker Punch / Knock Off / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Drain Punch helps mitigate Life Orb recoil damage but a Swords Dance-boosted Low Kick with an Adamant nature has a chance to KO Mudsdale after Stealth Rock. Sucker Punch helps Toxicroak sweep against more offensive teams and threatens frail revenge killers such as Salazzle and Starmie, but Knock Off can cripple potential answers like Mudsdale and Talonflame for the rest of the game, while Earthquake will KO Poison-types like Dragalge and Garbodor that resist both of its STAB attacks. Adamant is the preferred nature for the extra power boost while still allowing Toxicroak to outspeed Pokemon like Tyrantrum, Blastoise, and Decidueye, but Jolly variants have the benefit of outspeeding Pokemon like Hasty Goodra and offensive Braviary.
Toxicroak pairs best offensively with Pokemon that appreciate a consistent Vaporeon switch-in, such as Fire-types like Talonflame and Arcanine, Water-types like Blastoise and Starmie, and Glastrier, all of which reliably bait in Vaporeon for Toxicroak. On top of that, getting rid of Ground-types like Mudsdale and Palossand is key for letting Toxicroak sweep, so Grass-types like Dhelmise, Decidueye, and Rotom-C make great offensive teammates. Poison-types like Weezing, Dragalge, and Garbodor can all cause problems for Toxicroak, making Ground- and Steel-types like Golurk, Mudsdale, and Bronzong helpful partners. Defensively, Toxicroak appreciates switch-ins to Fire-types, making Rock- and Water-types like Diancie and Vaporeon fantastic partners. Toxicroak also pairs well with Ground-immune Pokemon such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Rotom-C. Steel-types such as Copperajah and Bronzong are reliable answers to Dragalge, which switches into most variants of Toxicroak, although sets running Earthquake will bait in and KO it. Steel-types also add the extra benefit of a crucial Psychic and Flying resistance, stopping Pokemon like Celebi, Starmie, and Talonflame that expect a free KO.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Nasty Plot sets punish common Ground-type switch-ins such as Mudsdale which can be OHKOed by a +2 Focus Blast and also have the benefit of STAB Vacuum Wave, helping pick off weakened Pokemon that don't resist it, although they're a lot less effective at beating common revenge killers such as Talonflame, Salazzle, and Starmie.
Checks and Counters
====
**Ground-types**: Mudsdale will almost always stop a sweep, reliably tanking multiple hits in conjunction with Stamina, although sets with Low Kick can KO it. Palossand resists both of Toxicroak's STAB moves, and with Colbur Berry, it will always beat every variant of Toxicroak, even Nasty Plot. Golurk also deserves mention, as it reliably beats Earthquake variants of Toxicroak, although it folds to Sucker Punch or Knock Off.
**Poison-types**: Dragalge resists both of Toxicroak's STAB moves and can take advantage of it to set up Toxic Spikes or throw out strong attacks. Garbodor will force massive damage on it through Rocky Helmet and Aftermath while setting up Spikes in the process, although Earthquake variants can bait in and KO both Garbodor and Dragalge. Levitate Weezing completely walls Toxicroak and threatens it out with Will-O-Wisp, but it hates Knock Off getting rid of the little recovery it gets, and Neutralizing Gas Weezing will be 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Psychic-types**: Starmie and Celebi can easily revenge kill Toxicroak, although neither can switch in reliably and Sucker Punch variants beat them after some chip damage. Indeedee-F will also always revenge kill Toxicroak thanks to Psychic Terrain blocking Sucker Punch. Levitate Bronzong can reliably wall Earthquake sets, but Knock Off or Sucker Punch will KO it at +2.
**Fire-types**: With Dry Skin, Toxicroak gets a slight weakness to Fire-type moves, and on top of that, Arcanine can reliably switch into it because of Intimidate. Salazzle resists its STAB attacks and easily OHKOes back, but boosted Sucker Punch can pick it off. Talonflame outspeeds and revenge kills Toxicroak with Brave Bird and can threaten a burn if it switches into Toxicroak's Fighting-type move, although it fears switching into Gunk Shot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Pokeslice, 509790]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [poh, 298730]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
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