Toxapex Counters

[Mr.Munchlax]

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with Toxapex in ranked battles? I fought two of them in casual matches and the thing is basically like an unbeatable god. I've tried as many of my pokemon as I could but none of them work for several reasons

• All of my Steel types are physical attackers (Corviknight, Scizor, Perrserker) so they can't break through Toxapex's defenses
• I don't use Urshifu partly because that feels like cheating and partly because it'll probably lose too
• I'm afraid to use my Emolga because it's so weak
• My Darmanitan's Earthquake won't work also because of Toxapex's defenses.
• I tried fighting fire with fire using two of my Poison types (Tentacruel & Skuntank) but that didn't work

Luckily I haven't fought a Toxapex in ranked battles yet, but I want to figure out how counter it before that happens. The only thing I can think of is teaching my Galarian Slowbro Psychic but I'm not too sure

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Taunting it works. Setting up Misty Terrain or Safeguard also hinders it as Toxapex relies on status, it can't really pose much of a threat without it. Also just hitting it hard on its weaknesses. A pokémon like Magnezone is immune to Toxic and has a lot of special attack to hit it with some heavy electric attacks like Thunderbolt. Toxapex has several weaknesses, if you hit it with STAB moves on those weaknesses while avoiding Scald burns or Toxic you can usually put it under so much pressure it can only switch. A bit of an unconventional one is Salazzle, it can use Toxic on Toxapex and then Toxapex can't stay in long anymore as the poison damage just gets worse and worse, being hit with Toxic seriously hurts Toxapex's walling ability. Gothitelle is also one that works quite well, it can trap Toxapex so it can't run, and it can then eliminate it with repeated Psychics. Espeon also has super effective STAB, and is also immune to Toxic with its Magic Bounce. Togedemaru is also immune to Toxic, and it can use Nuzzle to paralyse Toxapex (not that it's hurt by the speed drop, but the 25% chance to not move hinders its ability to Recover), and then proceed to try and paraflinch it with Zing Zap until Toxapex fails its Recover either by flinch or by paralysis and then goes down. Alolan Marowak doesn't like taking super effective Scald, but it's immune to burns and hits incredibly hard with Bonemerang, it hits so hard Toxapex simply can't wall that.

 

[Ophie]

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with Toxapex in ranked battles? I fought two of them in casual matches and the thing is basically like an unbeatable god. I've tried as many of my pokemon as I could but none of them work for several reasons

• All of my Steel types are physical attackers (Corviknight, Scizor, Perrserker) so they can't break through Toxapex's defenses
• I don't use Urshifu partly because that feels like cheating and partly because it'll probably lose too
• I'm afraid to use my Emolga because it's so weak
• My Darmanitan's Earthquake won't work also because of Toxapex's defenses.
• I tried fighting fire with fire using two of my Poison types (Tentacruel & Skuntank) but that didn't work

Luckily I haven't fought a Toxapex in ranked battles yet, but I want to figure out how counter it before that happens. The only thing I can think of is teaching my Galarian Slowbro Psychic but I'm not too sure

I'd like to add another one, and one I realized from out-of-the-box thinking: Grapploct. Use Octolock on Toxapex to prevent it from switching out, then use Taunt to stop any further attempts at Toxic, Recover, Baneful Bunker, Toxic Spikes, Venom Drench, Stockpile,and any other moves it uses to stall that it relies on. After that, use any attack not resisted by Toxapex, because its defenses will decrease every turn. Grapploct is so rare, and so frequently dismissed as useless, they won't see it coming until it's too late. I completely picked apart someone's Toxapex using Grapploct this past Saturday.

For the record, I have encountered Toxapex many times, both in single battles and double battles. They aren't as tough as their reputation makes it sound. People tend to play Toxapex very predictably, such as using Baneful Bunker every alternating turn (presumably a bad habit picked up from using Aegislash's King's Shield, who can also be picked apart if you can outpredict the user).

 

[Mr.Munchlax]

I'd like to add another one, and one I realized from out-of-the-box thinking: Grapploct. Use Octolock on Toxapex to prevent it from switching out, then use Taunt to stop any further attempts at Toxic, Recover, Baneful Bunker, Toxic Spikes, Venom Drench, Stockpile,and any other moves it uses to stall that it relies on. After that, use any attack not resisted by Toxapex, because its defenses will decrease every turn. Grapploct is so rare, and so frequently dismissed as useless, they won't see it coming until it's too late. I completely picked apart someone's Toxapex using Grapploct this past Saturday.

For the record, I have encountered Toxapex many times, both in single battles and double battles. They aren't as tough as their reputation makes it sound. People tend to play Toxapex very predictably, such as using Baneful Bunker every alternating turn (presumably a bad habit picked up from using Aegislash's King's Shield, who can also be picked apart if you can outpredict the user).

I do have a Clobbopus that I’ve been holding off on evolving because it’s so cute & because I try to keep a few unevolved pokémon like Ash does in the anime. But I’ve really started to like Grapploct lately because of its skills, its moves like Taunt & Octolock, and the fact that it looks so creepy, so it could be time for my Clobbopus to evolve

 

[Divine Retribution]

Grapploct is a little susceptible to Scald burns. You'd still ultimately beat Toxapex in the end but if the format allows it, using Dugtrio or Gothitelle are better, surer ways to eliminate Toxapex than Grapploct. They also don't give Toxapex an opportunity to switch out on the Octolock.

 

[Rahus]

Wash Rotom is one of the best answers to Toxepex from my experiences. Toxtricity is also a great choice.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Grapploct is a little susceptible to Scald burns. You'd still ultimately beat Toxapex in the end but if the format allows it, using Dugtrio or Gothitelle are better, surer ways to eliminate Toxapex than Grapploct. They also don't give Toxapex an opportunity to switch out on the Octolock.

Yeah, I was thinking on Scald when I read the suggestion.

Best workaround would be a Rest set. But then you are wasting a moveslot for only 1 kind of threat

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I'd say Dugtrio is also incredibly vulnerable to Scald, it really does not want to switch in on that. Toxapex doesn't have much special attack, but Dugtrio has even less bulk than that. Like, it survives, but barely. While Toxapex comfortably takes Earthquake and can Recover off the damage, Dugtrio doesn't have enough power to breach it without also having a Choice Band.

 

[Divine Retribution]

I'd say Dugtrio is also incredibly vulnerable to Scald, it really does not want to switch in on that. Toxapex doesn't have much special attack, but Dugtrio has even less bulk than that. Like, it survives, but barely. While Toxapex comfortably takes Earthquake and can Recover off the damage, Dugtrio doesn't have enough power to breach it without also having a Choice Band.

Dugtrio @ Lum Berry
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 4 Sp. Def / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Substitute
- Screech

​

Literally designed to trap Toxapex and Chansey/Blissey, along with the usual things Dugtrio traps (Magnezone, Terrakion, Salazzle, Excadrill, etc). If outpacing Terrakion, Salazzle, Starmie, and Gengar isn't a priority for you, you can run Adamant and guarantee the OHKO on Toxapex even without rocks (Jolly OHKOs max/max Toxapex with no rocks 75% of the time after Screech).

 

[Aduro]

The best counter is to get good enough at OU, use it in a lot of teams, and get it banned. Its a godawful pokemon that requires misplay for most teams to counter it.

But if you want a solid switch-in, slowbro, magnezone and rotom-w are pretty handy. It doesn't do much damage, so if you have something that isn't too worried about burn that can do 60% without making contact, you can generally chip away whenever it switches into you.

 

[Ophie]

Here's something to demonstrate what I did.

Bear in mind that this Toxapex did not have Scald, however, and it was a Casual Battle (hence the nicknames). I played this to test the team out and to see how well Grapploct would fare against notorious stallers, as this Grapploct was designed to fight Pokémon who stall (except for Porygon2, but this team I was using had answers to Porygon2 elsewhere). Grapploct is such a rarely seen Pokémon that they didn't seem to realize what I was doing even after Baneful Bunker blocked Octolock (not a contact move, so Grapploct was not Poisoned). It was important that I used Octolock, then Taunt, since using Taunt first would've surely caused a switch.

Grapploct is a little susceptible to Scald burns. You'd still ultimately beat Toxapex in the end but if the format allows it, using Dugtrio or Gothitelle are better, surer ways to eliminate Toxapex than Grapploct. They also don't give Toxapex an opportunity to switch out on the Octolock.

Yep, if they see Octolock coming though. Surprisingly, when I'm playing in the Battle Spot, they don't.

It's part of that weird quirk I noticed. I've also used Zoroark in Ranked (double battling), and it seems that the more competitive-minded my opponent, the slower they are to catch on that I'm using Zoroark rather than the Pokémon he's posing as. The people who have what appear to be in-game teams or un-EV-trained Pokémon are much more likely to catch on the moment something's amiss.

Though it's probably different if I'm up against the cream of the crop, in general, my impression is that most people who are playing competitively only have good knowledge of the Pokémon prevalent in competitive teams. They don't know much about Pokémon outside of that category. When there's any road-less-traveled Pokémon that comes up, or for people like me, completely exotic teams, they don't know what to do. They spend every turn nearly running out the timer and are easily outplayed.

 

[Mr.Munchlax]

Here's something to demonstrate what I did.

Bear in mind that this Toxapex did not have Scald, however, and it was a Casual Battle (hence the nicknames). I played this to test the team out and to see how well Grapploct would fare against notorious stallers, as this Grapploct was designed to fight Pokémon who stall (except for Porygon2, but this team I was using had answers to Porygon2 elsewhere). Grapploct is such a rarely seen Pokémon that they didn't seem to realize what I was doing even after Baneful Bunker blocked Octolock (not a contact move, so Grapploct was not Poisoned). It was important that I used Octolock, then Taunt, since using Taunt first would've surely caused a switch.



Yep, if they see Octolock coming though. Surprisingly, when I'm playing in the Battle Spot, they don't.

I especially love how Octavia has Payback. I was considering Brutal Swing or Sucker Punch, but this works better as both a coverage mood and a way to turn Grapploct's low Speed into a strength.

As for the whole Scald situation, I think a Lum Berry and EV training Grapploct's Special Defense could be a good way to work around that weakness

It's part of that weird quirk I noticed. I've also used Zoroark in Ranked (double battling), and it seems that the more competitive-minded my opponent, the slower they are to catch on that I'm using Zoroark rather than the Pokémon he's posing as. The people who have what appear to be in-game teams or un-EV-trained Pokémon are much more likely to catch on the moment something's amiss.

Though it's probably different if I'm up against the cream of the crop, in general, my impression is that most people who are playing competitively only have good knowledge of the Pokémon prevalent in competitive teams. They don't know much about Pokémon outside of that category. When there's any road-less-traveled Pokémon that comes up, or for people like me, completely exotic teams, they don't know what to do. They spend every turn nearly running out the timer and are easily outplayed.

I kind of try to follow the same philosophy with my teams. I still use a few popular/standard pokemon like Cinderace & Urshifu, but often times I try to follow Ash's philosophy of how any pokemon can be strong if you raise it right and come up with a good strategy.

 

[Auraninja]

I'll tell you what's not a counter to Toxapex.

Toxapex.

I was once in a battle in Pokemon Moon in those battle competitions, and both me and my opponent had Toxapex.

It was like watching paint dry. Eventually, I won due to the opponents timer running out.

 

[neophenx]

The best counter is to get good enough at OU, use it in a lot of teams, and get it banned.

This would have no effect on the in-game Casual or Ranked battles. Smogon doesn't make the official rule set on your Switch.