Tornadus
QC: [0/3]
GP: [0/1]
disclaimer- I can already tell this is super messy and the phrasing of some of the bullet points are quite bad if i do say so myself, and I need a lot of help reforming it to be smooth and ready to upload. Apologies in advance, qc team.
[OVERVIEW]
* Tornadus possesses monstrous offensive capabilities with its incredible 115 Attack and 125 Special Attack, as well as a myriad of powerful coverage moves.
* True defensive counterplay to Tornadus is nearly impossible as it can potentially 2HKO any switch in with its wide movepool.
* Tornadus possesses two useful abilities in Prankster and Defiant. The first grants Tornadus +1 priority on useful moves such as Tailwind and Rain Dance, while the latter can punish Intimidate or Defog users.
* A Speed tier of 111 allows Tornadus to outpace and threaten many common offensive Pokemon as well, such as Keldeo, Gengar, and Latias.
* Tornadus makes a good teammate for offensive teams that utilize other wallbreakers, as Tailwind support can turn Pokemon such as Primarina and Nidoqueen into massive threats.
* Tornadus's less that stellar bulk, average defensive typing, and weakness to Stealth Rock limit Tornadus's ability to switch in and inflict damage many times in a single game.
* Tornadus is also plagued by a more severe case of 4MSS, and can't use every move it wants to hit its desired targets.
* Despite Tornadus's high powered attacks, Tornadus often fails to OHKO its targets, which allows it to be quickly worn down by Life Orb recoil and enemy attacks.
* Tornadus also commonly relies on inaccurate moves such as Hurricane and Focus Blast, which often can work against Tornadus, as not connecting its attacks easily gives free turns away.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Tailwind
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Heat Wave
move 4: Superpower / Grass Knot / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Prankster
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Tailwind is an excellent utility option for Tornadus, as it can almost always set a last second Tailwind to support its team.
* Hurricane is Tornadus's go-to STAB move. Despite its low accuracy, it hits all but the bulkiest special walls quite hard.
* Heat Wave couples well with Hurricane to hit bulky Steel-types that would otherwise resist Hurricane.
* Superpower gives Tornadus a way to hit Blissey for huge damage, as well as hit Steel-types such as Empoleon or Magneton more reliably than Focus Blast.
* Grass Knot is a handy option that allows Tornadus to OHKO Hippowdon and Swampert without relying on Hurricane.
* Focus Blast is an option Tornadus can use over Superpower to use a fully special set, as well as hitting targets like Porygon2 and Kyurem harder. However, Focus Blast has shaky accuracy much like Hurricane, and is less reliable overall.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed maximize Tornadus's offensive presence.
* Prankster is the go-to ability for Tornadus, as grants Tornadus the ability to use Tailwind with +1 priority, meaning that it will almost always be able to use it at least once.
* Life Orb increases Tornadus's power tremendously, while allowing Tornadus to switch moves unlike Choice Specs would.
* Timid nature is necessary for Tornadus to outpace common offensive Pokemon such as Cobalion, Gengar, and Keldeo.
Usage Tips
========
* Tornadus needs to be played fairly aggressive, as it will end up wearing itself down without dealing large amounts of damage otherwise.
* Playing Tornadus aggressively is often necessary to get it on the field, as its poor defensive typing and weakness to Stealth Rock mean that it won't be able to switch directly into many attacks.
* Tornadus tends to do its job most effectively when it can open holes for fellow offensive Pokemon to take advantage of.
Team Options
========
* There are a slew of powerful wallbreakers with middling Speed stats, such as Nidoqueen and Primarina, that appreciate Tornadus supporting their offensive capabilities with Tailwind.
* Having a way to remove entry hazards is often incredibly helpful to Tornadus, and as such, Pokemon like Starmie and Latias make great partners for it.
* Tornadus is quite lackluster defensively, and appreciates Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Swampert or Empoleon that can cover its weaknesses to Electric-, Ice- and Rock-types.
* Pokemon that can use Healing Wish, such as Celebi and Latias, can prove potent teammates for Tornadus, as they can fully restore Tornadus's health if it has been prematurely worn down.
* Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Hydreigon and Raikou can assist Tornadus by using theirpivoting moves to grab momentum and let Tornadus in without taking an attack.
* Various setup sweepers such as Bisharp, Keldeo, and Raikou all can take advantage of big damage that Tornadus can inflict on bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Slowbro.
[SET]
name: Mono Attacker
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item:
ability: Prankster
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 Def / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Acrobatics is a strong physical STAB move that Tornadus can freely abuse without holding an item.
* Bulk Up allows Tornadus to boost its already high Attack stat as well as attempt to patch up its poor Defense.
* Rest is the go-to recovery option for Tornadus, as it can fully restore its health and cure itself of bothersome status conditions.
* Sleep Talk is necessary to allow Tornadus to attack while asleep, as to not allow the opponent to make two free turns of a sleeping Pokemon.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investment in Attack and Speed give Tornadus the best possible offensive presence, as investing in its poor defensive capabilities would not go as far.
* Prankster is the ability of choice, as it grants Tornadus +1 priority to its Bulk Up, Rest, and Sleep Talk.
* This set does not hold an item, as Tornadus's Acrobatics would be weakened by doing so.
* Jolly nature ensures Tornadus will be able to outspeed many offensive Pokemon such as Gengar, Latias, Keldeo, and Cobalion.
Usage Tips
========
* A mono-attacking Tornadus set takes a more conservative approach to its breaking power, and can find opportunity to set up on passive Pokemon such as Blissey and Amoonguss without being worn down easily.
* Tornadus's defensive capabilities are not increased by much even with one or two Bulk Up boosts, and will still be threatened by checks such as Mega Aerodactyl and Raikou. As such, it is optimal to remove such checks before attempting to sweep.
* Tornadus can still be played aggressively with this set, as strong Acrobatics can more often than not be quite threatening to a number of offensive Pokemon.
* Even with its increased longevity, Tornadus should avoid switching into strong offensive Pokemon, as it fails to take advantage of them as well as it does to passive defensive Pokemon.
Team Options
========
* Heal Bell users such as Clefable and Celebi will allow Tornadus to cut down on the turns it is asleep, allowing it to begin boosting, attacking, or use Rest again without relying on Sleep Talk. However, Tornadus can potentially use Acrobatics or Bulk Up with the +1 priority that Prankster grants Sleep Talk.
* Toxic Spikes users such as Tentacruel and Roserade help Tornadus passively wear down checks such as Gigalith, Unaware Quagsire and Clefable, and Raikou, while also assisting Tornadus by dealing damage when not using Acrobatics.
* Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Swampert can switch in and deal with Electric- and Rock-types that threaten Tornadus.
* Methods of removing entry hazards are important to assist Tornadus's longevity and sweeping potential. Rapid Spin of Defog users such as Starmie, Latias, and Empoleon all fill this role well.
* A strong Ground- or Fighting-type can help Tornadus by removing Steel- and Rock-types that can annoy Tornadus by resisting its only attacking move, Acrobatics.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Tornadus has a good physical movepool as well, allowing it vary in the different coverage it can carry. With these moves, Tornadus can even use a physical all-out-attacking set with Acrobatics, Superpower, Iron Tail, and Knock Off.
* Tornadus can use U-turn to be able to generate momentum off of the many switches it can force. However, giving up a coverage move can often decrease the size of the threat Tornadus can impose to a team.
* Since the ability Drizzle is banned from UU, Tornadus can use Rain Dance while holding a Damp Rock to assist Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Kabutops by setting rain manually.
* Tornadus can forgo Tailwind or Rain Dance for an additional coverage move. As such, Tornadus should change its ability to Defiant when not using status moves.
* Taunt is a handy option of Tornadus to help it break down very bulky Pokemon such as Blissey and Hippowdon by denying them the ability to use their recovery moves.
* Tornadus is a viable user of many Z-crystals that can boost its attacking moves by a great deal. In addition, the use of a Z-move can also mend the shaky accuracy of moves such as Hurricane and Focus Blast. However, the one time use of the Z-move coupled with the lack of Life Orb can make Tornadus noticeably weaker overall.
* Tornadus can run Choice Specs to boost the strength of its attacks to incredibly high levels. In addition, Choice Specs comes with the bonus of not inflicting recoil damage upon each attack as Life Orb would. However, Tornadus losing its ability to switch moves can make it somewhat easier to manage for defensively inclined teams.
* A mono-attacking Tornadus can opt to hold a Chesto Berry to instantly wake up upon using Rest for the first time. However, this increases the damage it would take from Knock Off as well as weakens Acrobatics prior to its consumption.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Raikou and Choice Scarf Magneton can soft check Tornadus and threaten it with super effective Electric STAB. However, both do not appreciate switching into potential Knock Off, Heat Wave, and Superpower.
**Rock-types**: Gigalith and Mega Aerodactyl can prove decent stops to Tornadus, as they take little from Hurricane or Acrobatics and can retaliate with super effective Rock-type moves. However, both must be wary of switching into Iron Tail, while Gigalith also has to watch out for Superpower, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast.
**Residual Damage**: Damage from passive effects such as Stealth Rock, burn, and poison are Tornadus's worst enemies, as they limit the time Tornadus has to be effective by wearing it down extremely quickly.
**Faster Pokemon**: While Tornadus has a respectable 111 Speed tier, many Pokemon such as Alakazam Talonflame, and Mega Aerodactyl easily outpace Tornadus without Tailwind and can inflict massive damage thanks to its unimpressive defensive capability.
**Priority**: Due to its subpar defenses and average defensive typing, Tornadus will find that it quickly succumbs to the pressure of repeated Bullet Punch, Extreme Speed, and Sucker Punch.
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