QC check #1 - GenOne
QC check #2 - talkingtree
GP check #1 - Dutch Plumberjack
GP check #2 - marthaa
Drought gives Torkoal a niche as a powerful Trick Room attacker along with Eruption's high Base Power and spread damage. Its decent bulk also allows it to tank a hit from notable threats such as Landorus-T, Marshadow, and Snorlax and retaliate with powerful Fire-type moves. Torkoal's low Speed not only allows it to move first under Trick Room, which is huge for outspeeding Amoonguss, but also has the advantage of guaranteeing its weather will be set up last and thus remain on the field. However, Torkoal is too dependent on Trick Room and its own weather to work effectively, mandating Trick Room setters as partners and therefore becoming very one-dimensional and predictable. Furthermore, it is very reliant on its HP staying high to make effective use of Eruption, making it rather weak after it has taken some damage or its weather has been replaced.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Eruption
move 2: Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Solar Beam / Protect
item: Assault Vest / Charcoal
ability: Drought
nature: Quiet
evs: 144 HP / 252 SpA / 112 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Eruption is a high-Base Power spread STAB move capable of heavily damaging most of the tier, being able to pick off weakened foes under Trick Room such as Tapu Koko, Marshadow, and Landorus-T. Flamethrower is a more reliable single-target move that should be used when Torkoal's HP is too low for Eruption to inflict sufficient damage. Fire Blast is a slightly stronger alternative that is not as accurate. Earth Power hits opposing Fire-types such as Heatran and Volcanion, which would otherwise shrug off Torkoal's hits with ease. Solar Beam is an option to hit Water- and Rock-types such as Tapu Fini, Milotic, Mega Swampert, Diancie, Tyranitar, and Terrakion. Protect could be used on non-Assault Vest sets for shielding Torkoal while a teammate retaliates.
Set Details
========
Drought summons sun, boosting Torkoal's Fire-type moves and allowing it to use one-turn Solar Beams. Assault Vest along with the investment in HP and Special Defense gives Torkoal overall great mixed defenses while allowing it to tank a Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko under Electric Terrain. On the other hand, Charcoal can be used to give Torkoal some extra power behind its moves along with the ability to run Protect. If using Charcoal, an EV spread of 148 HP / 252 SpA / 108 SpD is ideal, as it allows Torkoal to tank a Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt from Tapu Koko under Electric Terrain. The Special Attack investment along with a Quiet nature allows Torkoal to hit as hard as possible, while 0 Speed IVs are beneficial to outspeed Amoonguss under Trick Room and allow Torkoal to set its weather last.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid letting Torkoal get worn down easily, as it really appreciates keeping its HP for full-powered Eruptions. Therefore, avoid recklessly switching Torkoal in and wait for the correct opportunity to do so; most of the time it's ideal to only send Torkoal in after one of its teammates gets KOed. Also, make sure Trick Room is up as well when switching Torkoal in, as Torkoal has little use without it, being outsped and worn down rather quickly. Opposing weather setters are also a pain for Torkoal, removing its power boost and possibly locking it into Solar Beam, which gives the opponent countless opportunities to knock it out. Therefore, try taking care of the likes of Pelipper and Tyranitar before sweeping with Torkoal.
Team Options
========
A Trick Room setter is mandatory for Torkoal to work effectively: Diancie benefits from the weakening of Water-type moves, allowing it to run a Weakness Policy set more reliably, and deals with Fire- and Dragon-types for Torkoal, while Victini appreciates the power boost from sun. Other Trick Room setters such as Mega Gardevoir, Stakataka, and Hoopa-U are still overall great picks. Tapu Bulu is an amazing partner as well, as it gives Torkoal passive recovery from Grassy Terrain, which also boosts Torkoal's Eruptions, allows it to tank Earthquakes a lot better, and as a bonus lets Torkoal's Solar Beam hit a lot harder. Furthermore, Tapu Bulu also provides a great matchup against rain and appreciates Torkoal weakening Steel-types, Zapdos, and Mandibuzz for it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Firium Z is an option that gives Torkoal a one-time single-target powerful STAB attack, which can be helpful for taking down threats that can tank Eruption such as Hoopa-U, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Gardevoir. Heat Wave is another option that pairs better with a Firium Z set, as missing out on hitting Wide Guard Celesteela is never a good thing for a Fire-type. Hidden Power Ice could be used for hitting Mega Salamence, which shrugs off any damage Torkoal can do to it, while also hitting Landorus-T more reliably. A Wiki Berry or Sitrus Berry could be used as well to allow Torkoal to remain healthier throughout a match and possibly provide stronger Eruptions even after it has taken damage, but it is still rather suboptimal, since Torkoal will rarely recover enough to make Eruption worthwile. Finally, Torkoal could run a bulkier EV spread to better handle physical attackers, but the loss in power and the HP Torkoal loses when tanking a hit make its Eruptions notably weaker.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dragon-types**: Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Zygarde, and Kingdra can tank a hit from Torkoal and OHKO or 2HKO it with relative ease, though the first two do have to be careful about Hidden Power Ice.
**Fire-types**: Heatran, Volcanion, and Mega Camerupt take little damage from Torkoal's moves and can 2HKO it effortlessly. However, they must still watch out for Earth Power, which does a notable chunk of damage to all three.
**Rock-types**: Stakataka can revenge kill Torkoal with a Rock-type move under Trick Room and claim a boost from Beast Boost, making it a big threat for Torkoal. Mega Tyranitar is also troublesome due to its ability to win the weather war and make Torkoal's Solar Beam useless; it also shrugs off any damage from Torkoal, as Earth Power fails to even 3HKO it.
**Faster Attackers**: Without Trick Room, Torkoal is outspeed by pretty much the entire metagame, making it vulnerable to threats such as Diancie, Tyranitar, and Zygarde.
**Opposing Weather**: Pelipper can switch into Torkoal with little to no drawback and OHKO it with a rain-boosted Scald; Tyranitar is also a safe switch-in, taking little from Earth Power and threatening Torkoal with Rock Slide.
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