Throh Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Storm Throw is Throh's most consistent form of damage output and can be used to ignore Defense boosts from Pokemon like Gurdurr and Mudsdale. Knock Off offers utility in removing items like Gurdurr's Eviolite, and it also targets Pokemon resistant or immune to Storm Throw such as Alolan Raichu and Oricorio-G. Substitute provides Throh with a shield from status moves, makes it harder to revenge kill, and allows it to utilize Bulk Up and its solid natural defenses to prevent weaker Pokemon such as Tangela and Skuntank lacking Choice Band from breaking it. Set Details 124 Speed EVs allow Throh to outpace uninvested Pokemon with base 60 Speed and slower such as Tangela, Regirock, and Audino. The given defensive EVs and an Impish nature prevent weaker Pokemon like Tangela, Ferroseed, and defensive Alolan Sandslash from breaking Throh's Substitute. Mold Breaker enables Throh to beat Pyukumuku, a staple on stall teams. Usage Tips Throh is best used late-game when defensive checks like Silvally-Fairy and Victreebel as well as wallbreakers such as Dodrio are weakened or out of the picture. Utilize Throh's incredible matchup against bulkier teams to take advantage of Pokemon like Regirock, Gastrodon, Tangela, and Calm Mind Spiritomb, but find a way to switch it in through a pivot or a predicted attack, as the former three can carry Toxic and cripple Throh. Feel free to use Substitute against such Pokemon if the opposing team does not have an immediate switch-in, as they usually lack the proper tools to break it and allow Throh to set up. If Throh can't successfully set up yet, Knock Off is a great move to spam early-game to remove items from checks like Oricorio-E and Sableye, as well as scout for potential Z-Move users. Make use of another teammate to eliminate or severely weaken such checks to ensure that Throh can perform its role later in a match. Keeping Throh healthy and away from status moves is important if its setup abilities are needed so that it can have safer opportunities to use Bulk Up or Substitute, so exercise caution when using it to soft check Pokemon such as Cryogonal or sending it out with entry hazards on the field. Team Options Poison-types like Qwilfish, Roselia, and Skuntank are great partners for Throh, since they can switch into Toxic and absorb Toxic Spikes, and Choice Band Skuntank is an excellent Pursuit trapper that deals with many of Throh's checks like Sableye and Musharna. Toxic Spikes from Qwilfish and Roselia as well as Destiny Bond from Qwilfish can cripple and eliminate several checks to Throh, and Throh can use Substitute to continually inflict residual damage alongside Toxic Spikes. Entry hazard setters in general like Regirock and Alolan Sandslash aid Throh in breaking through teams, and both serve as answers to some of Throh's checks like Oricorio-E. Offensive teammates such as Lycanroc, Rotom-F, and Absol are also nice partners for Throh as powerful attackers that can target the Flying- and Psychic-type that pose a significant threat to it. All of these Pokemon also appreciate Throh's ability to soft check the likes of Hitmonchan and Alolan Persian. Throh appreciates teammates that can support its longevity, so Aromatherapy or Heal Bell users like Lurantis and Lanturn are useful for removing status ailments that can cripple Throh, while Z-Parting Shot Alolan Persian and Healing Wish Musharna can bring it back up to full health. Pivots such as Silvally-Fairy, Lanturn, and Alolan Persian are excellent ways to bring Throh into play without forcing it to take excessive damage or a potential status move. Parting Shot from Silvally-Fairy and Alolan Persian can even make it easier for Throh to set up, but U-turn Silvally-Fairy is also a viable option as a unique way to lure Regirock for Throh to take advantage of.

Moves When coupled with entry hazards, Circle Throw works well to phaze opposing Pokemon, forcing them to take more damage every time they enter the field, and potentially stop weaker setup sweepers from boosting. Rest is Throh's only means of recovery, giving it longevity during the match. Sleep Talk allows Throh to not be passive after using Rest with the added benefit that moves selected by Sleep Talk will get an Attack boost from Guts. Bulk Up boosts Throh's Attack and Defense to very high levels and makes it hard to take down after a single boost. Knock Off allows Throh to hit Ghost-types that would otherwise wall it while also hitting Psychic-types such as Mesprit, Xatu, and Musharna and is overall useful for removing opposing Pokemon's items early-game. The inability to boost, however, is very troubling for Throh, and oftentimes it's better to just run a Pursuit trapper to deal with Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Set Details Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Careful nature allows Throh to make the most of its special bulk and allows it to set up on weaker special sweepers or phaze them. Guts is the preferred ability, as it boosts Throh's Attack when it's inflicted with status and pairs well with Rest as Throh's sole way to restore its health. Leftovers is the item of choice, as it increases Throh's longevity over the course of a battle. Usage Tips Use Throh to pivot into weaker attackers such as Lanturn, Piloswine, and Steelix early- and mid-game, allowing Throh to phaze them, remove their item with Knock Off, or use them as setup fodder. Throh functions best in the later stages of a game after opposing Psychic-, Poison-, and Ghost-types have been removed or severely weakened, as setting up early-game will almost always result in Throh being revenge killed. Throh's early- and mid-game offensive presence is almost nonexistent, as all it can hope to do is phaze opposing Pokemon with weak Circle Throws or potentially remove their items with Knock Off. Ghost-types completely shut down Throh if it doesn't have Knock Off, so it should not set up before they are eliminated. Use Rest whenever Throh is at low HP, but still beware of mindlessly clicking Rest, as it forces Throh to rely on Sleep Talk, which is rather unreliable. Throh also receives an Attack boost by virtue of Guts when asleep, which is always beneficial. Team Options Spikes support works incredibly well alongside Throh and is almost mandatory when using it; Pokemon such as Garbodor, Omastar, Ferroseed, and Roselia are quality setters that can assist in Throh's attempt to effectively shuffle an opposing team. In particular, Omastar's resistance to Flying-type moves from Pokemon such as Archeops and Ferroseed's resistance to Psychic-type moves from Pokemon such as Mesprit are very useful for Throh. Pursuit trappers such as Skuntank, Liepard, and Choice Band Scyther are also some of the best partners for Throh, as they not only eliminate the Ghost-types that prevent Throh from sweeping, but can also can deal with Psychic-types that plague Throh. Ghost-types that can block Rapid Spin to keep Spikes up such as Rotom, Gourgeist-XL, and Mismagius are terrific partners as well. Lastly, bulky Ground- and Rock-type Pokemon such as Piloswine, Steelix, and Rhydon can combat Flying-types such as Scyther and Archeops that force Throh out while also providing Stealth Rock to aid Throh's phazing capability.

Circle Throw is Throh's best STAB option, as it can phaze while still doing damage, working very well alongside entry hazards. This also means that Throh's counters have a harder time switching in, as they must be careful of being phazed out. Bulk Up allows Throh to boost its Attack and Defense, allowing it to hit hard while being difficult to take down both physically and specially. Rest is Throh's only form of recovery, but serves its purpose adequately, allowing it to boost before healing itself, and adding to its longevity. As a bonus, it also allows Throh to hit harder while asleep thanks to Guts. Sleep Talk allows Throh to continue to damage and phaze opponents while asleep and avoid becoming a sitting duck. At the same time, it also gives Circle Throw neutral priority. Payback is another option as it is Throh's only way to hit Ghost-types, and forms perfect neutral coverage alongside Circle Throw. Leftovers should be used when running Sleep Talk, while Chesto Berry should be used with Payback, as if not running Sleep Talk you will want to spend the least possible amount of time asleep, and therefore defenseless. A specially defensive EV spread is used to make Throh tough to take down on the special side, while relying on Bulk Up to boost its Defense. However, a more offensive EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD with an Adamant nature can be used alongside a Chesto Berry to allow Throh to immediately hit harder when it wakes up. Teammates that lay down entry hazards are essential, because otherwise, Throh is not as potent a threat. It also helps that some of Throh's biggest counters are also those more weak to entry hazards and are thus more easily worn down by constant phazing. Metang is an excellent teammate, sponging Flying- and Psychic-type attacks for Throh while setting up Stealth Rock. Misdreavus is also a great partner as it blocks the opponent's attempts to Rapid Spin away the entry hazards, while burning physical attackers to allow Throh to set up more easily. Pursuit trapping is also appreciated to ease Throh's trouble with Ghost- and Psychic-types, especially the former, which Throh is unable to hit if not running Payback. Therefore, Skuntank is a great partner, as it can trap and remove Ghost- and Psychic-types for Throh and allow it an easier time sweeping.

This set allows Throh to set up on weak defensive Pokemon that have difficulty breaking its Substitute. Unlike the bulky phazer set, this variant of Throh is able to defeat stall with less team support and avoids status without relying on Rest. Substitute allows Throh to avoid status and revenge killers, and thanks to its good bulk, most walls are unable to break through it in one hit. Bulk Up boosts Throh's Attack and Defense, allowing it to hit hard while making its Substitute even harder to break with physical attacks. Storm Throw is Throh's most powerful reliable STAB move, and due to its nature of always landing critical hits, it allows Throh to defeat other Throh and Gurdurr that try to set up Bulk Up alongside it. Finally, Ice Punch gives Throh the best neutral coverage in two moves, hitting the likes of Drifblim and Roselia hard. Mold Breaker is the chosen ability as it allows Throh to OHKO offensive Carracosta through Solid Rock after Stealth Rock at +1 as well as OHKO Bastiodon through Sturdy before it gets phazed out. The HP EVs allow Throh to create 101 HP Substitutes that cannot be broken by Seismic Toss and Night Shade, allowing it to set up on Wartortle that lack Haze and Hypno if they use these moves. Alongside the given Special Defense EVs, Throh's Substitutes cannot be broken by weak moves from defensive Pokemon, including Tangela's Giga Drain, Roselia and Weezing's Sludge Bomb, Alomomola's Waterfall, and Regirock's Drain Punch, and Throh can proceed to set up on them. The Speed EVs allow Throh to outspeed Roselia and everything below that benchmark, including common walls such as Tangela and Alomomola. The rest of the EVs are placed into Attack to power up Throh. Unlike other sets, this variant of Throh can hit much harder immediately thanks to more investment in Attack and thus can perform well against offensive teams as well. Payback can be used over Ice Punch to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types slightly harder, but this fails to defeat Vileplume and Roselia, and Throh has no business staying in on the previously mentioned Ghost- and Psychic-types anyway. This variant of Throh despises status, especially Toxic Spikes, which limits its longevity as it is unable to rid itself of it. Hence, cleric support from the likes of Lickilicky and Audino is recommended. Grounded Poison-types, such as Garbodor, are also able to absorb Toxic Spikes. These Pokemon can also set up Toxic Spikes of their own to help Throh wear down bulky walls it otherwise cannot break, such as Musharna. Psychic-types are also problematic for this set due to their ability to tank hits from it and retaliate with a super effective STAB move. Hence, Skuntank and Liepard are good partners as they can Pursuit trap these Psychic-types and eliminate them for Throh. Finally, Metang makes for an excellent teammate, covering up on Throh's two weaknesses to Flying and Psychic while setting up Stealth Rock to aid in Throh's sweep.