Toxicroak PvP IV Deep-Dive

Toxicroak has made a name for itself over the years in the Great League and Ultra League as “the Counter user that resists Counter and may also Sludge Bomb Fairy-types.” It’s also been lay knowledge over the years that Toxicroak wants a high Atk stat to get Charge Move Priority in the mirror in Toxicroak heavy metas. Given the frequent Toxicroak spawn events and spotlight hours, now is as good of a time as ever to take a closer look at Toxicroak’s PvP IVs. 

The Toxicroak PvP IV Deep Dive aims to highlight Toxicroak’s most important stat checks and PvP IVs in both the Great League and Ultra League. Is it just high Atk? Pretty much, yeah. But don’t sleep on the bulk completely.

Note: this guide discusses the hidden true stats of Pokemon in Pokemon GO. In order to see these true stats you need to use an IV checking app (CalcyIV, Pokegenie) or an IV checking website (GOStadium, PvPIVs.com, or PvPoke itself). To make things simple, the guide also features standard PvP IV tables. 

If you’re not familiar with PvP IVs, check out this PvP IVs Simplified video.

The tables below feature the IV spreads that meet some of the more important stat checks highlighted in the article. It’s important to review the guide itself to make sure you’re getting what you want out of your Toxicroak. For example, you may want a slightly higher Atk or Def weight for more consistency.

General Use (136 Atk, 89.79 Def, 130 HP)

Mirror Focus (137.74 Atk, 89.79 Def, 129 HP)

• Sort list by highest Atk for best value

Ultra League Best Buddies

• Arguably optimal in both Open UL and Classic Cups

Ultra League Bulk (174.2 Atk, 118.82 Def, 167 HP)

• Sort list by highest Def for best value

In the Great League, Toxicroak generally wants >136 Atk in order to get advantages over Registeel, Noctowl, Skarmory, Lanturn, and any Toxicroak mirrors you may run into. If you’re expecting a Toxicroak heavy meta, then the sky is almost the limit for how much Atk you’ll want. While chasing this Atk, you’ll want to make sure you have at least 89.79 Def and roughly 130 HP.

Atk Breakpoints:

• 134.48, Shadow Walrein 1-1
• 135.28, Skarmory 1-0
  • Requires roughly 89.58+ Def
• 135.3, Registeel (notable consistency bump)
• 135.94-137.75, Spark & Water Gun Lanturn 1-1
  • (136.85 for 106.7 Def, 136.52 for 106.4 Def on Lanturn)
• 136.01, Noctowl 1-1
• 137.27, Cofagrigus 2-1 potential
• 137.74, Toxicroak 0-0 increased potential
  • If you’re building for the mirror, you’ll want to roll at least this high

Def Breakpoints:

• 88.63-89.78+, Shadow Venusaur 1-1
• 88.57-89.74+, Charm Alolan Ninetales 1-1
  • Requires 130 HP
• 93.51+, Talonflame 2-2 (w/132 HP)
  • Requires 132 HP, i.e. only the Rank 1 and Rank 1 adjacent Toxicroak
  • Not exactly “ideal” but gives some legitimacy to the high bulk Toxicroak
• 89-90.2, Mirror vs opposing Atk weighted Toxicroak
  • 89.79 could be considered a “safe” spot for most Toxicroak

The HP is where things get a little sketchy, as the Charge Move damage you’re trying to tank will be based on your Def stat vs your opponent’s Atk stat. In general, 130 is the “goal” as it may enable the 1-1 Alolan Ninetales (provided you have the Def Breakpoint). If you’re aiming to push your Atk and Def for the mirror, 129 is the hard minimum for some 0-0 and 2-2 mirrors.

Here are some additional matchups to test your bulk against:

• Plug in your Toxicroak IVs in place of the examples 
• R1 Azumarill 0-0
• Slight Atk Azumarill 0-0
• Spark Lanturn 1-1
• Shadow Walrein 1-2
• Your Toxicroak doesn’t need to manage these matchups to be “good” but they are worthwhile to be mindful of if you’re not focusing on the mirror

The “best” Great League Toxicroak IV spread is entirely dependent on the meta you’re up against and the meta you’re expecting. For example, in Silph Arena’s Season 2 Regionals, Toxicroak was almost a mandatory pick. As a result, me and my buddy Jacob, the 1st place winner of my Regional, were hyper focused on packing in as much Atk as possible while maintaining >89.79 Def and roughly 130 HP. Here, IVs such as the 8/9/10, 13/12/15, and 10/12/11 look ideal. 

In the current GO Battle League open and Play Pokemon Championship metas, the Toxicroak mirror is almost non-existent. This suggests that a more mild Atk weight of 136, to cover Noctowl, Skarmory, & a rogue Lanturn, could be better, while focusing the rest of your stats on bulk. For example, the Toxicroak WildSusanBoyle (aka “Chaz” aka “The Machine”) brought to their Regional clocked in with ~136.2 Atk, with the rest of the stats honed in on bulk. 

Regardless of which Atk weight you spring for, the subtle variance between different Def and HP weights suggest there is no true “Best Toxicroak.” Following the guidelines in this Deep Dive will help point you towards the “better” IV spreads, but you’ll have to get very familiar with your Toxicroak to get the most out of it. 

Ultra League Toxicroak either cares about its bulk, or it doesn’t. What’s neat is that the level 40 15/15/15 Toxicroak isn’t “bad” and that the several level 41 “best buddy” IV spreads are arguably “optimal” for an Atk weighted Toxicroak. Given these IV spread’s cross-utility with the Ultra League Classic Cups, they are generally the recommendation. 

However, if you’d rather have a bulkier Toxicroak for the Ultra League, you’ll want at least 167 HP for general consistency in several matchups and some 1-1 mirrors, along with at least 118.82 Def to better manage Scizor, Swampert, Shadow Swampert, Shadow Machamp, and Dubwool. To top it off, at least 174.2 Atk is recommended to keep the pressure on Registeel. 

While 167 HP is the general recommendation for “Bulky” Toxicroak, the 15/12/15 isn’t included in the recommended “best buddy” IV spreads as the Def is so low, it’ll pick up Breakpoints in the mirror. That, and the Def is so low that it’ll pick up Charge Move Breakpoints in other matchups, making it effectively <167 HP in practice (compared to a >118 Def Toxicroak).

Even with all of its Breakpoints and “optimal” IV spreads mapped out, Toxicroak is a tricky Pokemon to master. Due to its low Def, it can be sensitive to Charge Move Breakpoints. Similarly, due to its Atk stat, it can subvert some opponents' expectations with Charge Move Breakpoints of its own. What’s most important is to pick a Toxicroak IV spread, and if it’s underperforming in matchups you find to be important, investigate why using PvPoke simulations and see which stats could consistently change that outcome.