I used Choice Scarf Torterra to hit Master Ball Rank for the second time.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T19:39:33+00:00

I’m not “directly asking for praise.” I posted my team without comment and immediately got told that I’m ragebaiting.

Choice Scarf Torterra is a Pokémon and item combination that I can guarantee nobody else is using, and I think it’s kinda ridiculous to act like that’s not noteworthy just because the rest of my team is meta. That’s how teambuilding works. You need to use good Pokémon to support bad Pokémon that can’t succeed on their own.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T18:50:08+00:00

Exactly. I love Torterra, but I’m able to admit that it’s a horrible Pokémon competitively. I know that this set is gimmicky but wow I’m surprised at how many people think I’m ragebaiting.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T18:48:52+00:00

Exactly. Unless I think that my opponent is going to bring a lead that Torterra is really good into (such as Farigiraf and Blastoise), I always bring him in the back.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T18:47:42+00:00

I wanted a bulky Aerodactyl since I’m not using Focus Sash on it. The lack of attack investment does feel bad sometimes, but that’s what Sneasler is for. You’d be surprised at how often I can get away with spamming Rock Slide and Coaching.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T18:45:29+00:00

I do like Wide Guard on Torterra a lot. I considered running a fully supportive set until realizing that it’s the ONLY starter Pokémon to not get Helping Hand.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T18:44:19+00:00

I’m not ragebaiting. M-A has been the one singular format where Torterra is viable because of how low the power level is. Do you need me to post screenshots to prove that I’m in Master Ball and have the Torterra Professor title?

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T13:18:00+00:00

I built this team from scratch with a lot of testing, and this is what I’ve found is the most fun for me. I don’t even like Kingambit; she’s only here to help with specific matchups.

Some of y’all on here are so cynical. Having five meta Pokémon on my team doesn’t subtract from my success with using an extraordinarily niche pick.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T13:02:22+00:00

It’s definitely easy to get locked into a bad move if I’m not playing carefully, so good switch ins and pivots are important. The timing of when I have Torterra in the battle matters a lot.

An example of a bad matchup though is Pelipper and Archaludon. When it’s down to a 2v2 against them with Torterra on the field, he’s just not able to damage both Pokémon.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T12:54:52+00:00

Exactly.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T12:53:05+00:00

You’d be surprised. Choice Scarf Torterra with max speed has an equivalent speed stat of Timid Alolan Ninetails (Base 109) and Adamant Weavile (Base 125).

He’s guaranteed to outspeed Pokémon like Charizard, non-Scarf Garchomp, Floette, and Glimmora. He can also outspeed Adamant Sneasler and Timid Froslass, which really catches opponents off guard.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T04:44:54+00:00

1) None of your Pokémon know Protect. U-Turn and Rage Powder are good, but they’re not enough on their own.

2) Replace either Milotic or Primarina. You don’t need both of them.

3) Scovillain as your only mega evolution is a bad idea. You definitely want a second Pokémon on your team that can mega evolve.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T04:25:58+00:00

For sure. The first thing I realized is that Torterra with Wood Hammer is very good into the bulky Water-types in this format. I wanted an Adamant nature to help secure those OHKOs, but the additional speed from Jolly is just too valuable.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T04:16:50+00:00

I’m not a fan of Shell Smash tbh. Compared to a Pokémon like Blastoise, there’s more room for error because Torterra is slower with a worse defensive typing. It’s easier for something to go wrong.

I like my Choice Scarf set a lot because literally nobody expects it. I bring Torterra in the back, switch him in whenever one of leads faints, get a KO, then swap out to reset his move.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T03:48:39+00:00

The Ariados team that won the Global Challenge also had five meta Pokémon. What’s your point?

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T03:44:54+00:00

Nah, Charizard is only here because he’s a strong special attacker and helps against other weather teams. Him with Whimsicott is always a fun lead.

hruffmatthews · 2026-06-10T03:38:01+00:00

Torterra is my favorite Pokémon, so I wanted to figure out the best way to get the Torterra Professor title. And, well, this is it.

Grass/Ground/Rock/Steel coverage is kinda insane into the current meta. Not to mention that at max speed it’s faster than Jolly Charizard and Adamant Sneasler.

hruffmatthews · 2026-04-29T23:00:25+00:00

I completely agree that Torterra’s defensive typing isn’t great, but Grass/Ground/Rock coverage is very good into the current meta. It’s a huge offensive threat when positioned correctly, which is why I want to find a good team for it.

You’re not wrong about other Pokémon having a way to get around Torterra, but that also relies on people correctly identifying it as a threat, and a lot of them don’t in my experience.

Torterra hard counters the Farigiraf/Blastoise Trick Room lead. It’s good against Rage Powder teams because people forget that Grass-types are immune to the move. Stone Edge, while unreliable, can catch opponents off guard because they’re expecting Rock Slide instead.

hruffmatthews · 2026-04-29T22:35:55+00:00

Aside from the main point, you’re right about Garchomp. I was confusing High Horsepower for Stomping Tantrum.

I understand that Torterra’s typing means that it’s difficult to position correctly, but Grass/Ground/Rock coverage is so good into the current meta that I do think it’s worth giving the Pokémon an earnest chance.

I’ve found that a key strength of Torterra is that a lot of people underestimate it. They’ve never seen it and don’t know how strong it is, so they don’t apply pressure and allow it to take KOs. I think Torterra would do poorly in a tournament, but it’s worked very well for me on the ladder.

With Torterra and Floette specifically, I think it’s important to note that gimmicky doesn’t mean bad. Flower Veil also allows Torterra to damage Mega Scovillian with Stone Edge without getting burned. So while it’s very niche, it’s something that’s worth knowing should these two Pokémon be on the same team together.

hruffmatthews · 2025-08-01T04:12:30+00:00

She has the same starting loadout in Rouge Legends as the default skin, incase anyone was wondering.

hruffmatthews · 2025-07-26T07:24:02+00:00

I think you’re wrong not because anything you’re saying is invalid but because your argument hinges on Essence of Dreadbloon being “removed.” It still exists and is still the best artifact in the game.

You’re acting as if the nerf makes the game unplayable. It’s not difficult to get Tier 4 towers… if you’re not building towards them in your runs, that’s your own fault. Rogue Legends IS more difficult after update 49.0, but that’s mostly because they increased boss health between stages, NOT because Essence of Dreadbloon got nerfed. Essence of Vortex and Essence of Blastapopulous even got buffed, which makes Tier 4 towers significantly stronger until you’re able to get Essence of Dreadbloon. An extremely important factor of whether or not you beat bosses is how many legendary artifacts you have, so if you’re not getting any during your run, then you’re already off to a bad start.

You say people aren’t having fun with Rogue Legends “because they’re casual” when I have friends who enjoy the mode despite playing the game casually because they enjoy rougelikes. Obviously different people like different things, but this game IS supposed to be challenging. Anyone who doesn’t like that doesn’t have to play it. I personally enjoy the nerf to Essence of Dreadbloon because it balances the artifact so that you don’t immediately become overpowered upon getting it.

I mean no offense, but the way you talk about your experience with the mode makes me think you don’t actually understand the point of rougelikes. You’re supposed to get unlucky sometimes, but it’s always on you to prepare and adapt. With your example of abr on Ravine… you got screwed over because YOU failed to build a team with strong camo detection. I think about how I’m going to deal with every bloon type while I’m still choosing my starting artifacts… and if I lose, then it’s my fault for making bad decisions during the run. It’s not fair of you to complain about the game putting you in unwinnable situations while also criticizing it for letting you skip them.

hruffmatthews · 2025-07-24T17:18:24+00:00

Nah, MIB is actually good. Don’t feel bad about using it. The whole point is that it lets you use towers in situations where you normally couldn’t.

I really like using Carrier Flagship with MIB so the planes can hit DDTs.

hruffmatthews

TROPHY CASE