Togekiss, The Jubilee Pokémon. These Pokémon are never seen anywhere near conflict or turmoil. In recent times, they've hardly been seen at all. Known as a bringer of blessings, it's been depicted on good-luck charms since ancient times.
Overview
Togekiss transitioned very well into the new generation, not only due to Dynamax but also with many more dangerous Fairy-types not being present at the moment. With solid bulk and good Special Attack, Togekiss is an excellent user of Dynamax as it can boost with Nasty Plot before hand and raise its average Speed with Max Airstream. In addition, Super Luck becomes a scary ability option with Dynamax around since while a Dynamax Togekiss is scary enough, having up to 50% chance of a critical hit with said Dynamax is even scarier. While this makes Togekiss somewhat linear in role, it's still excellent at its job making it a potent threat in most formats. Togekiss is definitely something to watch out for in the Sword and Shield metagame.
Positives
-120 base Special Attack is nice and Nasty Plot to boost it further makes Togekiss very threatening, especially with Dynamax.
-85/95/115 are great defensive options for a more offensive Pokemon and allow Togekiss to abuse Nasty Plot well. This also makes it an incredible user of Weakness Policy since it's very difficult to OHKO a Dynamax Togekiss without prior boosts.
-Togekiss is a Flying-type which means it makes for an excellent user of Max Airstream, turning it into a dangerous sweeper whenever it has the opportunity to Dynamax.
Negatives
-80 base Speed is rough and makes Togekiss's niche dependent on Dynamaxing to boost its Speed, since there are many Pokemon sitting in speed tiers above it.
-All of Togekiss's STABs are average base power, usually 75-85, which makes it hard to actually dish out damage if it doesn't boost or Dynamax.
Movesets
Nasty Plot
-Air Slash
-Flamethrower / Fire Blast
-Nasty Plot
-Dazzling Gleam / Substitute
Item Attached: Leftovers / Weakness Policy / Scope Lens
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs and Nature:
252 SpAtk / 4 SpDef / 252 Speed
Timid Nature
Air Slash is the primary move of the set in any format, gaining STAB bonus as well as pairing with Serene Grace for 60% chance to flinch which are great odds. It also gives Togekiss a powerful Max Airstream when using Dynamax, which is the main tool that makes Togekiss so dangerous. Flamethrower is the main coverage option hitting Corviknight and Aegislash that could pivot into Togekiss hard, though Fire Blast is guaranteed to OHKO standard Aegislash at +2. Nasty Plot allows Togekiss to become a threatening wall breaker, giving it huge breaking power and sweeping power. Finally Substitute is a nice option as it allows for a way to beat Toxapex as well as gives more chances to boost, but Dazzling Gleam allows Togekiss to beat Tyranitar and Hydreigon easier and is preferred in Battle Stadium.
,p> Togekiss generally wants all the speed and power it can get, with a Timid nature to ensure it outspeeds as much as possible. Both Serene Grace and Super Luck are great abilities depending on the context. Super Luck is actually slightly preferred with Dynamax Togekiss and 3v3 in general because the increased critical hit rate has more impact while Serene Grace is useless during Dynamax. Serene Grace is naturally preferred if Togekiss isn't expected to Dynamax though, especially in 6v6, to ensure Air Slash flinching is always an option. Leftovers gives Togekiss extra longevity in longer battles, though in Battle Stadium, Weakness Policy is generally the best choice since Togekiss has many common weakness it can use for the boost. Scope Lens is preferred if using Super Luck because the combination gives Togekiss a 50% chance to get a critical hit each turn, which gives incredible burst damage.Partners
-Rotom Wash - With access to Defog to clear the field in 6v6 battles, Volt Switch to get Togekiss in easily, and good bulk Rotom is an excellent pivot to aid Togekiss.
-Lucario - Quad resistance to Rock and resistance to Dragon and Dark, Lucario can act as a secondary sweeper for holes Togekiss punches as well as a pivot for common answers.
-Grimmsnarl - With access to Prankster and dual screens, Grimmsnarl is an amazing teammate for Togekiss in Battle Stadium to facilitate a Togekiss sweep. Thunder Wave is also useful for slowing down dangerous foes.
-Ferrothorn - Poison-types like Toxtricity give Togekiss big trouble so Ferrothorn makes for a good teammate to keep those in check. In particular, Toxtricity struggles to deal with Ferrothorn efficiently unless it utilizes Shift Gear with Fire Punch, making it a good teammate for Togekiss,
-Ground-types - Pokemon such as Excadrill, Gastrodon, and Seismitoad are good teammates for dealing with Electric-types that give Togekiss some issues, most notably the Rotom formes. Naturally they all must be careful switching into different Rotom formes and all of them are have different issues with Rotom-Mow, though Togekiss deals with Rotom-Mow better than the other Rotom formes so this isn't as big of an issue.
VGC & Double Battle Options
Togekiss is another one of those Pokemon that benefits immensely from Dynamax existing, by virtue of being a Flying-type with reasonable bulk. Togekiss does it all, redirection, Dynamax sweeping, disrupting other Dynamax users with Yawn, and any combination in between. The real danger of Togekiss in Doubles is that all these options make it difficult to figure out the best approach against it before attacking it, since any mix of offense or bulk can greatly swing the matchup one way or the other, and the fear of Weakness Policy can sometimes force you to play around it. Thankfully though, there is only one thing Togekiss can do at a time so once you figure out what it does you can more reasonably figure out how to deal with it. In a tournament set, attacking Togekiss becomes a lot scarier when you learn that it doesn't have Weakness Policy for example, or that it has little offensive investment. Likewise, Weakness Policy is a highly contested item so it's likely that you won't see every Togekiss get those deadly boosts because you hit it with Flash Cannon while Dynamaxed. All that said, Togekiss is a huge threat in the current VGC metagame and you should always keep it in mind.
Front Command
- Follow Me
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Yawn / Heat Wave / Helping Hand / Protect
Item Attached: Babiri Berry / Weakness Policy
Ability: Serene Grace / Super Luck
EVs and Nature:
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Bold / Timid Nature
Follow Me is the main draw of Togekiss since redirection options are fairly limited at the moment. Togekiss has great natural bulk for tanking multiple hits across several turns, but it also has great options to pressure foes directly. Air Slash is a dangerous move as usual when coupled with Serene Grace, and it makes for a powerful Max Airstream user if you choose to Dynamax it. Dazzling Gleam is the best Fairy-type STAB Togekiss has, providing useful spread damage and moderate power. Yawn is the preferred last slot if you simply want utility out of Togekiss, effectively disrupting Dynamax Pokemon by forcing them to switch out and waste Dynamax or be put to sleep. If going the offensive route with Weakness Policy, Heat Wave provides great coverage for Steel-types. Helping Hand provides another support option for boosting the power of its teammate, though Protect provides the classic utility of guarding yourself from attacks.
The EV spread is mostly a template for a generic offensive Togekiss with Weakness Policy, and can be adjusted depending on what you want out of Togekiss. Bulkier spreads with Babiri Berry prefer a Bold nature in most cases, though Togekiss can accomplish almost anything you want from it. Serene Grace is the safest ability choice simply to ensure Air Slash flinches are an option, though Super Luck is also effective if you aim to Dynamax sweep with Togekiss since Serene Grace is useless during Dynamax.
Other Options & Team Ideas
- Togekiss can utilize Sitrus Berry on bulkier spreads to give it a wider range of survival throughout the game. However, if you don't have many specific targets you need to survive then the utility of Babiri Berry is easier to quantify.
- If you're going to use Super Luck, you can also consider going all-in with Scope Lens for the 50% critical hit chance. The disruptive high crit chance can easily steal games and put your opponent in a bad spot.
- Ground-types such as Excadrill and Rhyperior pair well with Togekiss since they can freely use Earthquake next to it. They also appreciate the redirection greatly as they exert great pressure offensively, making it tough to deal with them without spread moves.
- Arcanine provides great support in general which can ease Togekiss's tanking capabilities, while also threatening Steel-types such as Corviknight. In general Arcanine is a safe Pokemon to put in a team as well, so it's hard to go wrong there.
- Dragapult is another Pokemon you can rarely go wrong with, making for a dangerous Dynamax user that appreciates the redirection support Togekiss provides. In particular it's a physical attacker that isn't neutered by Intimidate, so having a teammate to redirect Will-O-Wisp from Arcanine or directly deal with Scrafty is very useful for Dragapult.
Countering Togekiss
-Tyranitar [Counter] - While Dazzling Gleam will hurt, Assault Vest Tyranitar is so bulk it doesn't care much and threatens out Togekiss with Stone Edge. Weakness Policy Dynamax sets also come out on top against Togekiss since it can't do much to it without Fairy-type moves that are unlikely to OHKO it.
-Rotom-Heat [Counter] - Togekiss struggles to break through Rotom-Heat as it resists all of the moves Togekiss commonly uses, and it can likewise threaten Togekiss back with paralysis or outright KOing it. Rotom-Heat does need to be wary of Ancient Power on Dynamax sets, though this isn't particularly common.
-Rotom-Wash [Check] - Similar to Rotom-Heat, Rotom-Wash checks Togekiss fairly well. However, it does not resist Dazzling Gleam which makes it less effective at dealing with Togekiss if it gets an opportunity to set up beforehand. Otherwise Togekiss does not have a fun time dealing with Rotom.
-Galarian Darmanitan [Check] - While this option is not always available, Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan makes for a solid Togekiss check as it will still outspeed a +1 Togekiss and threaten it with Icicle Crash. However, it cannot take a hit so it's strictly a revenge killer, which can cause issues if Togekiss is around long enough to get two Speed boosts before Darmanitan comes in.
-Coalossal [Counter] - Resisting both STAB options and Flamethrower, Coalossal can pivot in for free and threaten with hazards or Stone Edge.
-Duraludon [Check] - Timid Choice Scarf Duraludon makes for a decent Togekiss check since it outspeeds +1 Togekiss and threatens it with Steel Beam or Max Steelspike. However, it must be careful to come in without letting Togekiss get to +2 Speed since Duraludon's low Special Defense makes it easy for Togekiss to KO if gets the opportunity.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Togetic
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Togetic
Black/White:
Evolve Togetic (White)
Trade from White/Black 2/White 2 (Black)
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Togetic
X/Y:
Evolve Togetic
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Togetic
Sun/Moon:
Poni Gauntlet
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Trade from Sun & Moon
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game.
Sword/Shield:
Dusty Bowl
Max Raid Battles: Bridge Field, Hammerlocke Hills, Lake of Outrage, Rolling Fields
Animé Appearences
