Shadow Torterra
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Shadow Torterra trails behind Shadow Venusaur in performance, but still performs decently well with slightly better bulk. A Grass/Ground typing means Shadow Torterra does not have a resistance to Water-type attacks unlike other Grass-types, which could cause it to faint sooner than expected. Its 2x weakness to Ice-type attacks should be noted, as many Water-types carry Ice-type moves, though a 3x resistance to Electric-type attacks can be appealing in very specific situations.
Offense
- Razor Leaf + Frenzy Plant* makes Shadow Torterra a formidable Grass-type.
- Mud Slap and Earthquake can work if you want Ground damage
- Solar Beam can be used if you don't have access to the Community Day exclusive move, though it's much worse..
- Without STAB, there aren’t any edge cases where Stone Edge should be used.
Defense
- Mud Slap has much more power than Razor Leaf and Bite.
- With its other moves all being 1-bar charged moves, Frenzy Plant can at least damage some Pokemon before it dies.
- Of the remaining moves, a surprise Stone Edge is nice coverage.
- Solar Beam and Earthquake, though stronger, are far too easy to dodge.
- Sand Tomb can be used frequently as a 3-bar move, though it's not hard to dodge.
Razor Leaf takes advantage of STAB to deal massive damage, at the cost of the offering the worst energy generation in the game. Bite is generally an inferior move due to a lack of STAB and also worse damage output stat-wise, but an off-typing can catch opponents by surprise in certain formats.
Frenzy Plant is very powerful and hits even harder with STAB, but is somewhat redundant due to the high damage output of Razor Leaf. Sand Tomb is recommended to for its low energy cost and debuff utility. Stone Edge is good for coverage against all of Torterra's weaknesses, though poor energy gains makes it difficult to use. Earthquake benefits from STAB and provides wide coverage against numerous typings, but 65 energy is a lot to ask for from Torterra.
Torterra is a niche pick for Great League, with decently well-rounded stats, a somewhat risky typing, and a very slow moveset. The numerous Grass-type contenders in this league all compete with each other for a slot on the roster, though Torterra stands out due to its niche typing which offers 3x resistance vs Electric-type damage. Losses against fellow Grass-types who use Frenzy Plant, in addition to Tropius, makes it hard to pick Torterra over them in the general meta. The addition of Sand Tomb following the Dec 11, 2019 rebalance enables Torterra to apply a debuff on the opponent before fainting, which gives it some utility, but it still trails behind Shadow Victreebel and its Acid Spray.
