Now that Salamence is gone, stall shall reign supreme! Muhahahaha!!!

[hamlin4th]

CHANGES MADE IN ITALICS

Hi, this is my second RMT and first team built around being defensive. Before I just relied on heavy offense of being centered around one gimmick (eg. baton pass, weather, etc.). But a few days ago I wanted to try something drastically different from my normal teams, and what a opportunistic time it is to make a stall team! As of yesterday the greatest wallbreaker in the OU metagame is gone, giving stall an easier time.

TEAM BUILDING PROCESS

First I needed a lead that was stall friendly. Something that can set up rocks 99% of the time and still be available at a later time. Now who could be better for this position than Swampert! He's bulky, has great typing, rocks are basically guaranteed, and he can phaze!

Now I need someone who easily compliments Swampert and can serve as a Spiker. This was the easiest choice to make when I was throwing together my team. Say hello to Skarmory! Makes a great phazer, spiker, has self-recovery, and great typing + awesome defense = automatic pick.

Next I had a "STOP EVERYTHING" moment. I need a spin blocker. This IS a stall team after all. But I wasn't quite sure who to choose yet so I figured I can fill this spot last so I can get someone who compliments my team the most.

After my confusion over which spin blocker I should choose, I decided to move onto my second biggest concern. Who should be my special wall? Now, I'm not a very original person, so I copped out and went with Blissey. Yeah yeah, SkarmBliss is old, but I also needed a wishpasser, so Blissey works.

Now I needed someone to put up Toxic Spikes, as well as someone who can easily take on MixApe, who's probably the number one stallbreaker now that Mence has left the building. Tentacruel looked like the best choice for me since he fits all of the above requirements, and he can Rapid Spin.

At this point I had a pretty good idea who my spin blocker would be, but I needed something equally as important. That one glimmering light of hope that takes down that last Pokemon who I cannot stall out. A win condition. Jirachi looked like the best choice, although it does leave me with a double ground and fire weakness.....(though for the fire part, Swampert and Tentacruel are around for that)

With 5/6 of my team complete, I had a good idea of who my spin blocker should be. It should have been a obvious choice, and after looking at my team it was clear. I need Rotom-H! He resists Electric (my team has a double weakness to that too) if Swampert goes down, is immune to Ground (if Skarmory goes down), and is just a nice asset to this team all around.

And now for a closer look.

THE TEAM

Swampert (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Roar

As mentioned earlier, Swampert does a fantastic job of making sure Stealth Rock comes up in a match. His bulk and phazing abilities are great too. I'm wondering whether or not I need Ice Beam anymore since Mence is gone. Might be useful to keep off Stallbreakers such as Dragonite, Flygon, and Gliscor. Earthquake is there for the usual Heatran and Metagross leads. Later in the battle I normally just Roar the other team to death.
---

Blissey (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpD/252 Def/4 HP
Calm nature (+SpD, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic

Not all of my team has instant recovery moves, so Blissey does a great job of making sure my team is patched up. She also does a good job at stalling herself with Wish, Protect, and Toxic. Seismic Toss just puts salt in the opponent's wound.
---

Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/128 SpD/128 Spe
Careful nature (+SpD, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Best Spiker in the game IMO. Does a great job of staying alive through Roost, phazing with Whirlwind, getting three layers of Spikes up, and Brave Bird to add insult to injury. Also a nice answer to Machamp if he switched in later in the battle.
---

Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Electric]

What a great Pokemon Tentacruel is. I used to wonder why stall teams used him so much until I put him on this team. He does an amazing job of getting Toxic Spikes up, and Surf shuts up all Infernapes. Rapid Spin is a nice bonus, as well as Hidden Power Electric being a nice answer to Gyarados if I predict his switch in.
---

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Trick

My final answer if for some reason my stall mates failed. Jirachi is here to pick up the pieces of the opposing team and crush them. By the time Jirachi is brought in the opposing team has taken a lot of damage. Not only that, but due to the constant switching I know which one attack I should use, or if by chance the last remaining Pokemon is a boosting sweeper that's not easily taken out, I can just Trick it and watch the rage quitting.
---

Rotom-h @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt

His typing compliments my team quite nicely, and get's universal coverage with Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting. Rest and Sleep Talk provide an excellent means of recovery. And I like how he can take Spores early in the game (triggering sleep clause) and have Breloom run with its' tail between her legs.
---

Well that's it! I put a lot of research into how stall teams work so I hope mine turned out decent. After racking up quite a few wins with this team I'm really digging how stall plays.​

TEAM REVAMPED

I took into account the advice that you guys gave me, but I had to make a whole different team so I could balance out the strengths and weaknesses. However, it still follows the same goals as the last team, only this time I don't have a Wish passer because most of my team has recovery options.

(note that this isn't as visually pleasing as my first post, but if you guys like this team more than the one above, I'll update it so that it looks better and is more detailed)

Forretress (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Payback
- Rapid Spin

As said earlier, apparently Skarmory and Forretress make great leads. Well Forretress fits better with this team so I decided to put him here. He serves as a Spiker, Toxic Spiker, and Rapid Spinner all in one, so he freed up a lot of spaces for my team. Payback is there for those pesky ghosts who want to block my spin attempts of course.
---
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP/56 SAtk/204 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Heat Wave
- Roar
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Heatran seemed like a great choice to cover up for Forretress' 4x Fire weakness, and I really wanted to use this guy on a stall anyway. He's got some nice bulk, a phazing move, and recovery. I went with Heat Wave over Lava Plume because I didn't want burn status to conflict with Toxic Spikes. Heat Wave went over Fire Blast due to accuracy. Also makes a decent Special Wall.
---
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP/248 Def/12 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Roar
- Waterfall

Gyarados covers Heatran 4x Fire weakness, and once again has the RestTalk combo for recovery. Phazing works too.
---
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP/220 Def/36 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Perish Song
- Recover
- Stealth Rock

Celebi replaces Jirachi for the win condition position. Since Celebi also covers a lot of my teams weaknesses, I figured he could be used to launch Stealth Rock too, since I couldn't find anyone else who could. Once again I have another Pokemon who can recover themselves.
---
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- Stone Edge

This was recommended to me earlier as well, so I decided to fit him in. Unlike the last team, my stall now has Sandstorm damage too!
---
Rotom-s @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/76 Def/180 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Air Slash
- Thunderbolt
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

I felt like using a different Rotom form this time as my spin blocker, mostly because Air Slash seemed like it would fun for the flinch rate.
---

 

[Kevin Garrett]

You should use Thunderbolt in place of Hidden Power Fighting. The only thing it is going to hit for more is Tyranitar, which your team seems to have covered pretty well between Swampert, Skarmory, and Jirachi. Not to mention you have Toxic Spikes. As it stands now, Skarmory pretty much walls your whole team since Hidden Power Electric will just tickle it. In addition to threatening Skarmory, you'll have a counter for Gyarados. Your Jirachi lacks Thunderbolt or Thunderpunch so your best bet right now is Swampert. It takes a good chunk from LO versions and if they have Taunt, you are in bad shape.

 

[BIG loven]

Mixape doesn't rape your team, Both Tentacruel and Swampert(giving the Infernape is lacking grass knot) have the potential to wall and ko mixape and having wish support allows you to keep them both fresh. I agree with KG to change your HP fighting to thunderbolt, it will help you against Crocune who can do some serious damage to your team. And you will have a solid Gyarados Counter.

 

[Super Mario Bro]

The three major weaknesses this team has are Life Orb Starmie, Substitute + Pain Split Rotom-A and Breloom. Absolutely nothing is stopping them from completely ripping this team apart. I recommend a Perish Song Celebi and a Choice Scarf Tyranitar to remedy these weaknesses:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold Nature
EVs: 252 HP/220 Def/36 Spe
-Energy Ball/Grass Knot
-Perish Song
-Hidden Power Fire
-Recover

The EV spread is standard here. The reason I chose Energy Ball over Grass Knot is because you really want a way to hit Vaporeon and Substitute + Pain Split Rotom-A harder. With Perish Song, you are able to beat last Pokemon stat boosters like Crocune.

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
-Crunch
-Pursuit
-Superpower
-Stone Edge

Even with Latias gone, there is no Pokemon has does Choice Scarf Tyranitar's job better. Tyranitar lets you check Life Orb Starmie, who can sweep if Blissey is dead. It also lets you eliminate opposing Blissey, who can be horribly annoying to the team as it currently is.

I would place Tyranitar over Jirachi and Celebi over...hmm...you should decide that one for yourself (based on who currently contributes least to the team). I wouldn't place Celebi over Tentacruel, that's for sure. I would say Celebi is extremely important to have, though; even more-so than Skarmory or Rotom-H, because you are going to see LOTS of Breloom in the near future, and the last thing you want is to be unprepared against them.

Finally, place Taunt on Skarmory to handle opposing stall teams more efficiently. Use this spread:

Skarmory @ Shed Shell
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP/128 SpD/128 Spe
-Spikes
-Taunt
-Whirlwind
-Roost

Good luck!

 

[hamlin4th]

Great, I changed Rotom-H's Hidden Power Fighting to Thunderbolt and revamped Skarmory's nature and EVs just as you guys said. He also has Taunt now.

But I'm not sure about adding in Tyranitar and Celebi yet. Tyranitar looks like he would be a great replacement for Jirachi, but then I lose my win condition, and I can't make any changes without revamping my entire team. Swampert is my lead so he obviously can't leave. Skarmory sets up Spikes, Blissey is my Special Wall, Tentacruel rapid spins and sets up Toxic Spikes, and Rotom-H blocks rapid spin.

Also, should I replace Hidden Power Electric on Tentacruel with Sludge Bomb?

 

[Super Mario Bro]

Also, should I replace Hidden Power Electric on Tentacruel with Sludge Bomb?

Hm, it could work. Your team becomes slightly weaker to Bulky DD Gyarados, though, as Gyarados could kill Rotom if Waterfall flinches or if Rotom is asleep.

If you do this, make sure you place 16 Speed EVs on Tentacruel to outspeed Max Speed Adamant Breloom.

Just note that without Tyranitar and Celebi, you lose to Sub Pain Split Rotom and Life Orb Starmie.

 

[august]

Hmmmm, well at first glance, your team has a pretty big weakness to Swords Dance Lucario. You really have no immediate switch into it, and the only way you can really beat it is attempting to revenge kill it with Jirachi, whom is not always the most reliable to keep around the whole game (Magnezone anyone?). The only thing i could really see working would be to either use Hippowdon over Swampert, but i wouldn't really recommend that, as Hippo isn't exactly the most reliable Luke counter either. You could also give Gyarados a shot over Jirachi, to give you an immediate answer to Scizor and Luke, an extra ground immunity, an extra phazer, and something that generally just refuses to die should you be able to keep Stealth Rock absent. You'll also find that Intimidate helps a great deal in general for softening up hard hitting Choice Banders, or as a last ditch effort. Gyara also helps with the Breloom weakness that somebody mentioned before me, as it Intimidates it, can effectively take sleep and still be useful, and then you can go to Rotom-h or Tentacruel or whichever mon you see fit to approach Breloom. Anyway if you wanna give Gyara a try, try the set

Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP/252 Def/8 Spd
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Roar

Alright my next concern is that I think Swampert would be a bit better off if it didn't lead. In the time i've used stall, i've always found that getting Spikes out asap is always useful, and you don't have to worry as much about getting Stealth Rock out now seeing that you don't have to worry about Mence. Anyway, getting a layer of 2 of Spikes out early in the game really helps against teams that rely on Choice Scarf Tyranitar or Choice Band Scizor, as it stops them from being able to switch in so much. Taunt Skarmory is also a pretty solid lead in general, as it prevents Stealth Rock from bulky leads like Metagross, Swampert, Hippowdon, Bronzong, and perhaps even other Skarmory thanks to your speed investment!

My last concern is that i think your 252/252 spread is a bit over the top for Blissey. Blissey does need a fair bit of Special Defense, i suggest using 252 Def / 252 SDef / 4 HP with a Calm nature. If you're hellbent on using a more physically defensive Blissey, IPL's Bold Wish Bliss spread has always been pretty solid when I used it, 152 HP / 252 Def / 104 SDef.

Just note that without Tyranitar and Celebi, you lose to Sub Pain Split Rotom and Life Orb Starmie.

I didn't know it was possible to lose to Life Orb Starmie while carrying Blissey.

 

[hamlin4th]

Alright, I changed the EV spread on Blissey. And that Gyarados looks really awesome. I'll try to find away to fit him on my team. However, I'd have to make some changes because adding in Gyarados would make half my team weak to Electric. That might require me to take out Skarmory, and I could probably take out Tentacruel after that too since Forretress can run both sets of Spikes and Rapid Spin all in one.

I'll probably change Swampert to a non-lead spot too, but if Skarmory does move out, is Forretress viable to get up Spikes in the lead spot?

Also, I changed my mind about replacing Hidden Power Electric with Sludge Bomb. I'd rather be very prepared for Bulky DDGyarados.

 

[august]

Forretress is a very viable lead to set up Spikes, it was used to great success by jlei and panamaxis on Thriller, and i also used it to moderate success on my own stall team.

 

[hamlin4th]

Great, I don't have time to revamp my entire team at the moment, but later I'll make a post stating what I've come up with, taking your guys' suggestions into account.

Though one question. In the case that Tentacruel does stay, would Black Sludge be a better item than Leftovers? It could help me out with Trickers.

 

[george182]

no to black sludge.

As you have to remember the trick user has the move trick, and if black sludge is swopped with a walls leftovers, its as good as dead.

As for the team, it seems lacking. I think this is because Jirachi is not contributing to the defensive core, and for stall it would benefit more from an extra wall instead of a sweeper.

So looking at Jirachi, it is there to stop physical threats like Dragonite, Tyranitar, Scizor and Lucario.

Which you can just use a physical wall for and would contribute to stalling much better than Jirachi. As you don't need to clean up, as weak pokes just need to be stalled some more.

 

[tawp64]

Ever considered Vaporeon? It may seem silly with 2 other water types, but it can wish stall very well. But I'm somewhat a noob, so anyways....

 

[hamlin4th]

no to black sludge.

As you have to remember the trick user has the move trick, and if black sludge is swopped with a walls leftovers, its as good as dead.

As for the team, it seems lacking. I think this is because Jirachi is not contributing to the defensive core, and for stall it would benefit more from an extra wall instead of a sweeper.

So looking at Jirachi, it is there to stop physical threats like Dragonite, Tyranitar, Scizor and Lucario.

Which you can just use a physical wall for and would contribute to stalling much better than Jirachi. As you don't need to clean up, as weak pokes just need to be stalled some more.

Well he's mostly just there to act a easy way to take down that a final Pokemon such as CurseLax or CroCune which is just too tough to stall out. But I'll think about this. Once I get my team revamped, I'll consider that Celebi posted earlier, since he acts as a win condition and helps with stalling too.

Oh yeah, anyone got any good alternatives to Rotom-H for Wi-Fi? Maybe the Sleep Talk set on a Dusknoir since Rotom appliances don't outclass him in a place they can't battle.

And sorry for not posting the revamp today. I was very busy and now I'm tired. I promise I'll post it tomorrow.

 

[hamlin4th]

Posted the revamp of the team. Tell me what you guys think.

 

[RaikouLover]

My main suggestion is Reflect over Shadow Ball on Rotom. You NEED it so Tar doesn't come in and fuck it up (then your opponent spins and you lose blah blah blah). With reflect, you can easily stall out Pursuit with Toxic Spikes.