[OVERVIEW]
Fire
========
*Torkoal’s ability to bring hazard control, Drought and a high Defense stat to the table make it important to Fire-type teams.
*Torkoal's great physical bulk and access to Stealth Rock make it Fire-type teams premiere option as both a Stealth Rock Setter and switch-in to physical attackers such as Heracross and Tapu Bulu.
*Drought offers great support for the team as it weakens Water-type moves while increasing Fire-type attacks. It also allows Fire teams to run Mega Charizard X without giving up reliable sun setup.
*Torkoal can pressure opposing Pokemon by fishing for burns with Lava Plume as well as threatening sleep and forcing switches with Yawn.
*Its typing leaves a lot to be desired as it doesn’t gain any new resistances for Fire-type teams, and leaves it weak to common Ground-, Rock-, and Water-type attacks along with a Stealth Rock weakness.
*A middling Special Defense leaves it vulnerable to special attackers such as Latios and Tapu Koko.
*Since it does not have access to reliable recovery, Torkoal has a hard time switching in to remove hazards throughout the battle and is forced to run Leftovers if it wants any sustain.
*Torkoal's low natural Speed means it will almost never move first, leaving it vulnerable to Taunt from faster pokemon such as Deoxys-Speed and Tapu Koko.
*Torkoal’s weakness to stealth rock along with not having reliable recovery, make it hard to keep healthy.
*A shallow and predictable movepool make it incredibly easy to counter with stallbreakers such as Mew and Heatran.
* Torkoal has little to no offensive presence, forcing it to heavily rely on getting burns with Lava Plume or forcing sleep and switches with Yawn.
[SET]
Name: Defensive Rapid Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Lava Plume
move 4: Yawn
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
*Rapid Spin allows Torkoal to clear entry hazards, namely Stealth Rock, which could otherwise severely cripple Fire's offensive presence throughout a match.
*Lava Plume is Torkoal's only attacking option that provides the opportunity to fish for burns.
*Yawn forces opponents to choose between switching or losing a Pokemon to sleep for an extended duration.
*Stealth Rock allows torkoal to break sashes and Sturdy on the opposing teams, while also pressuring opposing teams through chip damage.
Set Details
========
*248 HP and maximum defense investment alongside a Bold nature gives Torkoal excellent physical bulk to set hazards, while the odd HP stat allows Torkoal to switch into Stealth Rock an extra time.
*Drought allows Torkoal to weaken Water-type moves, boost Fire-type moves and support the overall team with reliable automatic sun. Drought also disrupts weather teams like sand and rain. This is important because in rain, both Kingdra and Mega Swampert outspeed everything on Fire-teams and ravage it with rain boosted Water-type moves. On sand teams Excadrill can also outspeed and lay waste with STAB moves and rockslide coverage.
*Leftovers gives a form of passive recovery to Torkoal that it would otherwise lack. Teams with Mega Charizard Y usually are better off running Leftovers due to the team having another reliable sun setter.
*Heat Rock to increase sun turns to eight. Mega Charizard X teams appreciate the extra amount of sun due to not having any other reliable sun setter.
Usage Tips
========
*Try to only bring in Torkoal on physical attackers such as Mega Gallade or Tapu Bulu to have the best chance of clearing and setting stealth rocks
* Torkoal should be brought in consistently in order to fully utilize Drought and keep pressure on opposing Water-types.
* Leading with Torkoal in weather matchups such as rain and sand can provide instant momentum for the Fire team thanks to Torkoal's extremely low Speed stat making Drought go up after the opposing weather.
*Don't let Torkoal suffer any unnecessary hits unless it's absolutely needed, as it has no reliable way to recover.
*Torkoal is best used early game to set up stealth rock, causing the opponent team to take as much damage from stealth rock throughout the game as possible. Avoid leading with Torkoal when the opposing team has a Magic Bounce users like Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie as Torkoal is a very common lead and is shut down by them.
*If its safe to do so, try to always send in Torkoal while Stealth Rocks is being set, to avoiding taking the Stealth Rock damage.
*Avoid pokemon that regularly carry toxic such as Chansey as they put Torkoal on a timer and let’s it easily be stalled out.
* Avoid special attacks at all times as they can quickly wear down Torkoal and possibly OHKO it.
*Once stealth rocks are set and hazards removed, try to spam yawn to pressure the opponent into choosing between letting a Pokemon get induced with sleep or switching out.
*Yawning also nearly guarantees the opposing pokemon to switch, giving Torkoals teammates a relatively safe way to switch in. This also gives Fire great momentum because it basically gives one of your setup Pokemon a free turn of setup unless the opponent switches.
*If Torkoal is very low on health or just not usable anymore in a match, switching in Torkoal to sack on an attack, gives your team momentum plus allows you to have as many turns of suns as possible for your team to abuse
Team Options
========
*Volcarona appreciates Stealth Rock not taking half of its HP away while also being able to benefit from any potential burns or sleeping pokemon to set up easier. The sun provided by Torkoal also bolsters Volcarona’s Fire-type moves even more.
*Mega Charizard X appreciates having Stealth Rock set on an opposing team to break Sashes and Sturdy to help it sweep with Dragon Dance boosted attacks. Torkoal’s Rapid Spin also allows Charizard to come in with as much HP as possible to help it set up Dragon Dances. Pressure from Yawn provided by Torkoal will usually cause the opposing pokemon to switch-out allowing Charizard to switch in safely, or get a free turn to set up Dragon Dance if the opponent decides to stay in.
*Infernape with U-turn helps bring in Torkoal safely throughout a match. This is important because it allows Torkoal to not take unnecessary damage since has no recovery options outside of Leftovers.
*Rotom-H provides a solid Ground immunity while also making a good defensive core with Torkoal as Rotom has good a Special Defense stat. Rotom can also set dual screens to help support the team.
*Marowak-A provides a good switch in to Electric-type attacks with Lightning Rod. This is important because Torkoal has a hard time taking strong Electric-type attacks from Tapu Koko and Alolan Raichu. Stealth Rocks on Torkoal also allows Marowak to run a fourth move like Swords Dance and Knock Off.
*Victini with a choice scarf provides another strong U-turn to bring Torkoal safely in. Victini’s V-Create also appreciates the sun set by Torkoal allowing it to 2HKO some of the tiers bulkiest Pokemon like Porygon2 and Mandibuzz. Victini also brings strong Electric-type coverage in Bolt Strike, hitting bulky water types likes Toxapex and Slowbro that Fire teams often struggle with.
*Heatran with Air Balloon provides a nice temporary Ground immunity while also providing a Rock-type neutrality for Torkoal to switch into. A Rock neutrality is important because it stops Choice Scarf pokemon like Nihilego and Excadrill from plowing through Fire teams with Power gem and Rock Slide.
*Volcanion is a great switch in for Torkoal since Water Absorb gives Volcanion a Water-type attack immunity. Volcanion also has the added benefit of being able to take out Ground- and Rock-type pokemon that give Torkoal a hard time with STAB boosted Steam Eruptions.
*Mega Charizard Y provides another great Ground immunity along with being able to auto set sun. Charizard can also take on opposing weather setters like Pelipper, Tyranitar and Hippowdon with strong Solar Beam attacks.
*Entei appreciates having Stealth Rock to help it further in cleaning off weakened teams with Extremespeed. Sacred Fire boosted by sun turns Entei into a fearsome wallbreaker allowing it to muscle past some Pokemon like Chansey and Defensive Staraptor.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire
--------
*SolarBeam can be used over Yawn to further help the Water- and Ground-type match ups, specifically hitting Swampert and Hippowdon. Yawn is usually better because of being to stop set up sweepers like double dance Landorus-T and Belly Drum Azumarill.
*Toxic can be used over yawn to put pressure on opposing Pokemon especially hazard setters, removers, and walls, though losing the ability to phase out the opposing team and get chip damage through Stealth Rocks is usually much better.
Checks and Counters
===================
Fire
--------
**Strong Special attackers**: Torkoals lackluster special defense leaves it open to take significant damage or being KO’d by strong special attackers like Latios or Tapu Koko
**Heatran**: Heatran can absorb Lava Plume and force Torkoal to switch out or risk taking an Earth Power for massive damage. Heatran can easily set Stealth Rock on Torkoal for these reasons.
**Mega Diancie**: Diancie takes anything Torkoal throws out and KO’s Torkoal or deals massive damage to anything coming in.
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon like Gastrodon and Garchomp put a lot of pressure on Torkoal as they deal massive damage with their STAB moves, while Torkoal can only hope to burn and induce sleep.
**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon resist Lava Plume and are still able to do decent damage with their STAB moves under the sun. If sun is gone pokemon like Greninja and Kingdra KO it easily.
**Dragon-types** Dragon Pokemon like latios and hydreigon resist Lava Plume and can KO Torkoal with Draco Meteor or deal massive damage with their coverage moves.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type pokemon Nihilego heavily threaten Torkoal being able to resist Lava plume and KO Back, physical Rock-types like Tyranitar should be weary of burns though.
**Substitute Sweepers**:Lacking strong offensive pressure and abysmal speed leaves Torkoal to be easy bait for substitute users that carry boosting moves such as Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados and Sub Calm Mind Keldeo.
Fire
========
*Torkoal’s ability to bring hazard control, Drought and a high Defense stat to the table make it important to Fire-type teams.
*Torkoal's great physical bulk and access to Stealth Rock make it Fire-type teams premiere option as both a Stealth Rock Setter and switch-in to physical attackers such as Heracross and Tapu Bulu.
*Drought offers great support for the team as it weakens Water-type moves while increasing Fire-type attacks. It also allows Fire teams to run Mega Charizard X without giving up reliable sun setup.
*Torkoal can pressure opposing Pokemon by fishing for burns with Lava Plume as well as threatening sleep and forcing switches with Yawn.
*Its typing leaves a lot to be desired as it doesn’t gain any new resistances for Fire-type teams, and leaves it weak to common Ground-, Rock-, and Water-type attacks along with a Stealth Rock weakness.
*A middling Special Defense leaves it vulnerable to special attackers such as Latios and Tapu Koko.
*Since it does not have access to reliable recovery, Torkoal has a hard time switching in to remove hazards throughout the battle and is forced to run Leftovers if it wants any sustain.
*Torkoal's low natural Speed means it will almost never move first, leaving it vulnerable to Taunt from faster pokemon such as Deoxys-Speed and Tapu Koko.
*Torkoal’s weakness to stealth rock along with not having reliable recovery, make it hard to keep healthy.
*A shallow and predictable movepool make it incredibly easy to counter with stallbreakers such as Mew and Heatran.
* Torkoal has little to no offensive presence, forcing it to heavily rely on getting burns with Lava Plume or forcing sleep and switches with Yawn.
[SET]
Name: Defensive Rapid Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Lava Plume
move 4: Yawn
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
*Rapid Spin allows Torkoal to clear entry hazards, namely Stealth Rock, which could otherwise severely cripple Fire's offensive presence throughout a match.
*Lava Plume is Torkoal's only attacking option that provides the opportunity to fish for burns.
*Yawn forces opponents to choose between switching or losing a Pokemon to sleep for an extended duration.
*Stealth Rock allows torkoal to break sashes and Sturdy on the opposing teams, while also pressuring opposing teams through chip damage.
Set Details
========
*248 HP and maximum defense investment alongside a Bold nature gives Torkoal excellent physical bulk to set hazards, while the odd HP stat allows Torkoal to switch into Stealth Rock an extra time.
*Drought allows Torkoal to weaken Water-type moves, boost Fire-type moves and support the overall team with reliable automatic sun. Drought also disrupts weather teams like sand and rain. This is important because in rain, both Kingdra and Mega Swampert outspeed everything on Fire-teams and ravage it with rain boosted Water-type moves. On sand teams Excadrill can also outspeed and lay waste with STAB moves and rockslide coverage.
*Leftovers gives a form of passive recovery to Torkoal that it would otherwise lack. Teams with Mega Charizard Y usually are better off running Leftovers due to the team having another reliable sun setter.
*Heat Rock to increase sun turns to eight. Mega Charizard X teams appreciate the extra amount of sun due to not having any other reliable sun setter.
Usage Tips
========
*Try to only bring in Torkoal on physical attackers such as Mega Gallade or Tapu Bulu to have the best chance of clearing and setting stealth rocks
* Torkoal should be brought in consistently in order to fully utilize Drought and keep pressure on opposing Water-types.
* Leading with Torkoal in weather matchups such as rain and sand can provide instant momentum for the Fire team thanks to Torkoal's extremely low Speed stat making Drought go up after the opposing weather.
*Don't let Torkoal suffer any unnecessary hits unless it's absolutely needed, as it has no reliable way to recover.
*Torkoal is best used early game to set up stealth rock, causing the opponent team to take as much damage from stealth rock throughout the game as possible. Avoid leading with Torkoal when the opposing team has a Magic Bounce users like Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie as Torkoal is a very common lead and is shut down by them.
*If its safe to do so, try to always send in Torkoal while Stealth Rocks is being set, to avoiding taking the Stealth Rock damage.
*Avoid pokemon that regularly carry toxic such as Chansey as they put Torkoal on a timer and let’s it easily be stalled out.
* Avoid special attacks at all times as they can quickly wear down Torkoal and possibly OHKO it.
*Once stealth rocks are set and hazards removed, try to spam yawn to pressure the opponent into choosing between letting a Pokemon get induced with sleep or switching out.
*Yawning also nearly guarantees the opposing pokemon to switch, giving Torkoals teammates a relatively safe way to switch in. This also gives Fire great momentum because it basically gives one of your setup Pokemon a free turn of setup unless the opponent switches.
*If Torkoal is very low on health or just not usable anymore in a match, switching in Torkoal to sack on an attack, gives your team momentum plus allows you to have as many turns of suns as possible for your team to abuse
Team Options
========
*Volcarona appreciates Stealth Rock not taking half of its HP away while also being able to benefit from any potential burns or sleeping pokemon to set up easier. The sun provided by Torkoal also bolsters Volcarona’s Fire-type moves even more.
*Mega Charizard X appreciates having Stealth Rock set on an opposing team to break Sashes and Sturdy to help it sweep with Dragon Dance boosted attacks. Torkoal’s Rapid Spin also allows Charizard to come in with as much HP as possible to help it set up Dragon Dances. Pressure from Yawn provided by Torkoal will usually cause the opposing pokemon to switch-out allowing Charizard to switch in safely, or get a free turn to set up Dragon Dance if the opponent decides to stay in.
*Infernape with U-turn helps bring in Torkoal safely throughout a match. This is important because it allows Torkoal to not take unnecessary damage since has no recovery options outside of Leftovers.
*Rotom-H provides a solid Ground immunity while also making a good defensive core with Torkoal as Rotom has good a Special Defense stat. Rotom can also set dual screens to help support the team.
*Marowak-A provides a good switch in to Electric-type attacks with Lightning Rod. This is important because Torkoal has a hard time taking strong Electric-type attacks from Tapu Koko and Alolan Raichu. Stealth Rocks on Torkoal also allows Marowak to run a fourth move like Swords Dance and Knock Off.
*Victini with a choice scarf provides another strong U-turn to bring Torkoal safely in. Victini’s V-Create also appreciates the sun set by Torkoal allowing it to 2HKO some of the tiers bulkiest Pokemon like Porygon2 and Mandibuzz. Victini also brings strong Electric-type coverage in Bolt Strike, hitting bulky water types likes Toxapex and Slowbro that Fire teams often struggle with.
*Heatran with Air Balloon provides a nice temporary Ground immunity while also providing a Rock-type neutrality for Torkoal to switch into. A Rock neutrality is important because it stops Choice Scarf pokemon like Nihilego and Excadrill from plowing through Fire teams with Power gem and Rock Slide.
*Volcanion is a great switch in for Torkoal since Water Absorb gives Volcanion a Water-type attack immunity. Volcanion also has the added benefit of being able to take out Ground- and Rock-type pokemon that give Torkoal a hard time with STAB boosted Steam Eruptions.
*Mega Charizard Y provides another great Ground immunity along with being able to auto set sun. Charizard can also take on opposing weather setters like Pelipper, Tyranitar and Hippowdon with strong Solar Beam attacks.
*Entei appreciates having Stealth Rock to help it further in cleaning off weakened teams with Extremespeed. Sacred Fire boosted by sun turns Entei into a fearsome wallbreaker allowing it to muscle past some Pokemon like Chansey and Defensive Staraptor.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire
--------
*SolarBeam can be used over Yawn to further help the Water- and Ground-type match ups, specifically hitting Swampert and Hippowdon. Yawn is usually better because of being to stop set up sweepers like double dance Landorus-T and Belly Drum Azumarill.
*Toxic can be used over yawn to put pressure on opposing Pokemon especially hazard setters, removers, and walls, though losing the ability to phase out the opposing team and get chip damage through Stealth Rocks is usually much better.
Checks and Counters
===================
Fire
--------
**Strong Special attackers**: Torkoals lackluster special defense leaves it open to take significant damage or being KO’d by strong special attackers like Latios or Tapu Koko
**Heatran**: Heatran can absorb Lava Plume and force Torkoal to switch out or risk taking an Earth Power for massive damage. Heatran can easily set Stealth Rock on Torkoal for these reasons.
**Mega Diancie**: Diancie takes anything Torkoal throws out and KO’s Torkoal or deals massive damage to anything coming in.
**Ground-types**: Ground-type Pokemon like Gastrodon and Garchomp put a lot of pressure on Torkoal as they deal massive damage with their STAB moves, while Torkoal can only hope to burn and induce sleep.
**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon resist Lava Plume and are still able to do decent damage with their STAB moves under the sun. If sun is gone pokemon like Greninja and Kingdra KO it easily.
**Dragon-types** Dragon Pokemon like latios and hydreigon resist Lava Plume and can KO Torkoal with Draco Meteor or deal massive damage with their coverage moves.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type pokemon Nihilego heavily threaten Torkoal being able to resist Lava plume and KO Back, physical Rock-types like Tyranitar should be weary of burns though.
**Substitute Sweepers**:Lacking strong offensive pressure and abysmal speed leaves Torkoal to be easy bait for substitute users that carry boosting moves such as Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados and Sub Calm Mind Keldeo.
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