Overview]
<p>Togekiss has definitely been taken down a notch since DPP. Its famed parahax strategy has lost some of its glory due to fellow parahax user, Jirachi, having a better typing, larger support movepool, and better stats. Togekiss also sports a Stealth Rock weakness, awful defensive typing, and only decent Speed, which hold it back immensely. However, Togekiss does have a few tricks up its wings, namely its outstanding stats and versatility. Togekiss's enormous base 120 Special Attack stat makes it a formidable offensive threat, allowing it to dispose of foes quickly with its incredible movepool. It also has extremely good bulk in 85 / 95 / 115 defensive stats, so it is more than capable of taking a hit. On top of that, Togekiss can run a variety of sets. You never know if you'll be paraflinched to death, facing powerful moves boosted by Nasty Plot, or Tricked a Choice Scarf. Despite its fall in popularity, Togekiss is still a formidable threat.</p>
[SET]
name: Paraflinch
move 1: Thunder Wave / Body Slam
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Aura Sphere / Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Togekiss's famous set is back for another round in DW, causing players to groan in frustration while their Pokemon are haxed to death. Thunder Wave / Body Slam and Air Slash obviously form the dreaded combo feared by many. This set is even more dangerous due to Air Slash's 60% flinch rate, courtesy of Serene Grace. Combined with the paralysis, the opponent has a meager 30% chance of actually moving, clearly demonstrating Togekiss's ability to be obnoxious.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is generally the better option in DW because Chandelure, one of the most prominent threats, is immune to Body Slam, and will always 2HKO Togekiss with Fire Blast after Stealth Rock. However, Excadrill, another common Pokemon, is immune to Thunder Wave, so either option is fine. Air Slash is self-explanatory, haxing foes until they fall. The choice between Aura Sphere and Flamethrower depends on whether one wants a consistent move to hit Garchomp in the sand or a stronger move against Scizor, Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Abomasnow. Roost is mandatory on this set, providing instant recovery as well as a way of temporarily removing Togekiss's Electric-, Rock-, and Ice-type weaknesses.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Togekiss's special bulk. If it has not taken Stealth Rock damage, Genesect will never 2HKO Togekiss with Ice Beam or Thunderbolt, and it will have an even more challenging time trying to KO Togekiss if Togekiss continually uses Roost. Choice Scarf Chandelure also has issues with this set, as Fire Blast isn't even a 2HKO without Stealth Rock. However, a mixed wall approach with a 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD spread and a Bold nature can be used if more physical bulk is desired. One perk to this alternative spread is that Choice Band Scizor will never 2HKO Togekiss after Stealth Rock with Bullet Punch. Togekiss's Speed and Attack stats don't need boosting, as Thunder Wave will make it faster than the entire tier bar those immune to Electric, and Body Slam is only used for the paralysis chance anyway.</p>
<p>Togekiss doesn't need much support to function well, but some is always welcome. Rapid Spin support from Pokemon such as Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel is extremely important because Togekiss will constantly be switching out, and repeatedly losing 25% of its health is going to detract from Togekiss's performance. Jirachi is a good defensive partner, resisting the Electric-, Rock-, and Ice-type moves that Togekiss is weak to, while Togekiss avoids the Ground-type attacks that plague Jirachi and can easily sponge specially based Fire-type moves. Togekiss is also a good teammate for Choice Band and Choice Specs users who love paralysis support, such as Dragonite, Terrakion, Haxorus, and Chandelure, because they can outspeed the paralyzed opposition and freely launch their powerful attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Aura Sphere / Fire Blast / Grass Knot
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the previous set, this set is designed to take advantage of both Togekiss's fantastic Special Attack and bulk, making it a surprisingly lethal threat. Nasty Plot is obviously the crux of this set, boosting Togekiss's Special Attack to astronomical levels. Air Slash is the STAB move of choice, as its good power on top of its flinch rate make it a great move. The third slot goes to a coverage move: Aura Sphere is Togekiss's only way to deal with Tyranitar, who is a huge threat in the metagame. However, Fire Blast is an option for a stronger move against Pokemon 4x weak to Fire, Genesect, Ferrothorn, and Scizor in particular. Finally, Grass Knot is Togekiss's only hope against Unaware Quagsire. The final slot obviously goes to Roost, allowing Togekiss to heal off damage so it can use Nasty Plot over and over.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum HP optimizes Togekiss's already fantastic bulk while maximum Speed lets it outrun as much as possible while still retaining good bulk. There isn't much need to invest in Special Attack because it is already boosted by Nasty Plot. However, if one desires more offensive presence, a spread of 192 HP / 64 SpA / 252 Spe can be used because the HP investment enables Togekiss to still take Ice Beams from many bulky Water-types, such as Vaporeon and Swampert. In terms of moves, Heal Bell is an option in the third slot for cleric support, but this leaves Togekiss with just Air Slash as an attacking move, making it easily walled by bulky Steel-, Rock-, and Electric- types, namely Ferrothorn, Specially Defensive Zapdos, and Forretress.</p>
<p>This Togekiss needs a little more support than the paralysis one because it is meant to function as a sweeper, not a supporter. Togekiss is terrified of Zapdos, who resists both Air Slash and Aura Sphere, so Terrakion, Chandelure, and other Choice Scarf sweepers are good teammates to quickly take down Zapdos with their powerful STAB attacks. Additionally, these Pokemon can get rid of faster Pokemon that can outspeed and KO Togekiss, such as Jolteon, Thundurus, and other fast Electric-types. Rapid Spin support is once again a good idea as Stealth Rock is a pain for Togekiss, making Starmie, Forretress, and Tentacruel notable partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Air Slash
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Trick / Shadow Ball
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Serene Grace
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Togekiss's mediocre base 80 Speed stat is usually the main reason why many people steer away from an purely offensive set. Slapping a Choice Scarf on it remedies this problem, as Togekiss will be able to outspeed Jolteon, Thundurus, Zapdos, and other fast Electric-types that generally give it issues. Furthermore, Choice Scarf Togekiss can outrun other Choice Scarf users such as Magnezone, Modest Chandelure, and Modest Rotom-W, which are key threats in the DW metagame. Air Slash is obvious, providing a powerful STAB and the ability to possibly flinch an opponent to death. Aura Sphere is used mainly against sand teams to eliminate Tyranitar, Garchomp, and Terrakion. Fire Blast is there to take out Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Scizor with ease, as Togekiss will be able to sponge a Choice Band Bullet Punch from Scizor. The last slot is reserved for Trick, because it can greatly mess up common defensive counters to Togekiss, such as Blissey and Chansey. However, one can also consider Shadow Ball for a stronger option against Chandelure.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Togekiss can run a few other moves in the last slot. Grass Knot is an option against bulky Waters such as Swampert and Gastrodon, but it doesn't hit Rotom-W and Vaporeon as hard as Air Slash or Aura Sphere would. There are multiple Hidden Powers one could run, including Ground, Ice, and Electric. Hidden Power Ice is probably the best option, as it hits Dragonite, Garchomp, Gliscor, and other 4x Ice-weak Pokemon for a ton of damage. However, all of these options aren't worth using over Trick or Shadow Ball due to Trick's utility and Shadow Ball's additional coverage.</p>
<p>This variant of Togekiss can fit on basically any team in need of a strong revenge killer. Many of Togekiss's original counters can be easily disposed of with the right move; for example, offensive Zapdos, Togekiss's biggest nemesis, is cleanly 2HKOed by Fire Blast after Stealth Rock. A Rapid Spin user, such as Starmie, Donphan, or Tentacruel, is advised because Togekiss will be constantly switching in and out and it won't want Stealth Rock stripping away 25% of its HP at every switch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Togekiss is quite versatile, so there are many options it is capable of running. On the support sets, Encore is an option for crippling setup sweepers such as Lucario, Toxicroak, and Infernape. However, Encore's nerf has made less reliable than it used to be. Togekiss also gets access to Wish, which lets it pass fairly large amounts of HP to weakened sweepers. However, Pokemon with larger HP stats, such as Blissey, Chansey, and Vaporeon, are significantly better at doing this. Offensively, Grass Knot is a possibility to take out bulky Waters such as Gastrodon and Swampert. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types super effectively and also takes out Gliscor and Landorus. Hidden Power Ground is an option against Electric-types and is a stronger move against Heatran.</p>
<p>An offensive Roost + 3 Attacks set with Air Slash, Aura Sphere, and Fire Blast lets Togekiss dish out damage while retaining some durability, and is decent overall. Togekiss can also surprise an opponent by using Baton Pass to pass Nasty Plot to extremely fast but slightly weak sweepers, such as Jolteon, Accelgor, and Starmie. Togekiss even gets access to Reflect and Light Screen, so a dual screens set is possible; however, Espeon outclasses it immensely in this role. A mixed set is viable due to Hustle and Work Up boosting Togekiss's terrible Attack. Such a set should contain strong physical, special, and even support moves such as ExtremeSpeed, Aura Sphere, Air Slash, Roost, and Drain Punch.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to its relatively low Speed, Togekiss can be revenge killed rather easily. However, most of these counter must be aware of Thunder Wave, Body Slam, or a powerful special attack. Fast Electric-types, such as Thundurus, Raikou, and Jolteon, can outspeed Togekiss and KO it with their powerful STAB moves. Zapdos is especially notable due to its resistances to both Air Slash and Aura Sphere, as well as its immunity to Thunder Wave. Pokemon with strong Rock-type attacks, such as Mienshao, Terrakion, and Landorus, can also easily dispose of Togekiss with their powerful Stone Edge. Jirachi can take an Air Slash, set up Substitute and Calm Mind, and KO Togekiss with a boosted Thunderbolt. Bronzong has the same typing as Jirachi, doesn't fear paralysis due to its already low Speed, and can cripple Togekiss with Toxic or attack it with Gyro Ball. It should be noted that both Jirachi and Bronzong are weak to Flamethrower and Fire Blast, though, so proceed with caution.</p>
