Shining Stall
Lame team title, eh?
Weather is seen as an undeniable part of our metagame. In fact, it's been totaled in Eternal's article on weather in The Smog #16 that the weather starters combined are used in one out of two battles. So, I've taken it upon myself to not fall in that conformity of using a weather team (despite all of my 5th Gen RMTs featuring weather abuse). Baton Pass chains have returned to their former limelight, and I have no experience in constructing said types of teams. I'll be working on creating a relatively good Baton Pass chain to RMT here (if I ever do find the time to make one), but until then, I'll have to leave you content with this team I created and tested a few weeks ago, but never got to showcase.
I created this team after hours of thinking, and I've refined it after a few weeks by identifying obvious weaknesses. This team started out as a more offensive weather-less unit that attempted to counter most of what was flying around in OU at the time. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well. I liked the concept behind that team (pHazing with an offensive spin sans Dragon Tail, being able to tank hits from the varied weathers), but I didn't know how to execute it properly while maintaining offensive momentum. Seeing that I had some experience with Stall before (Another Team Based Around Landorus), I decided to pick myself up and create a stall team. However, I had some requirements for the mons I was going to pick for my team. I needed at least one pHazer, a Spiker, a Steel capable of walling Dragons, a Stealth Rocker, and a means of revenging threats and absorbing Trick, with the last function preferably being on the last Pokemon of the team. I also needed my stalling core to be able to take on all forms of weather, with every member being capable of putting pressure on at least one form of weather, preferably two. So, I already knew my options were limited. Knowing that, I set out on my quest to form the team based on my ideas.
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So, I knew the three most prominent forms of weather in OU at the moment (Sand, Rain, Sun, in that order). The only reasons those weathers were significant is because of their abusers. Sand had Excadrill, Landorus, and the boosted Terrakion to deal with. Rain has the genies, Toxicroak (especially Mynism's), Sharpedo, Starmie, Rotom, and the other semi-common threats to contemplate. Sun has the Fire-types, Chlorophyllers, and sun-enhanced Dragons to deal with. The Dragons themselves are a problem to deal with separately, because of their sheer power. So, I decided to go with an older defensive core, CeleTran to be specific. CeleTran could deal with Rain and Sun, both of which are massive threats in OU. Celebi could deal with Rain and Sand teams while Heatran could put pressure on Hail and Sun. The core also brought Stealth Rock to the table. Now, I just needed a way to mitigate the threat of Sand and Spikes.
Latias and Skarmory brought to the table what this team needed. Skarmory could deal with Sand while Latias could supplement CeleTran in dealing with Rain and Sun, due to the sheer power of their threats and how it can overwhelm one Pokemon dedicated to being a counter. Both could pHaze, but Skarmory brought Spikes to the table while Latias brought the resists Dragon provides to the team alongside a good level of Speed, all at the cost of weaknesses shared with Celebi. Now, that's done and well, but I needed two more Pokemon. I also wanted a second check to Sand, seeing that Sand could overwhelm Skarmory alone, but not when backed up properly by other supporters.
Rotom-W brought crucial resists and a secondary check to the many sand teams in the current metagame. It could deal with Excadrill should it need to, and Landorus doesn't stand a chance (unless it's the SubSD variant). All the mainstream sand sweepers have to watch for Will-o-wisp, and Reuniclus has to watch for Latias, no matter the set (unless it's the FlameTrick set). Rotom-W also gives me a tertiary rain check with its STAB and resistances.
This is the member I'm least sure of. I needed a method of beating the pink blobs and placing more pressure on additional threats that could possibly outspeed my cores and threaten them with their attacks. Terrakion helps in that regard, being faster than pretty much all of unboosted OU while possessing a Close Combat nearly as strong as Garchomp's Outrage (when it was allowed in OU). It could revenge threats stuck on a resisted move and potentially tear through a team weakened by entry hazards. With that, the team was formed. It's worked very well, but I know that it can be improved.
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The Team at a Glance
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Importable
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The Team in Detail
| Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 208 HP | 252 SpA | 48 Spe
IVs: 2 Atk | 30 SpA | 30 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
~ Nasty Plot
~ Giga Drain
~ Hidden Power Fire
~ Recover
Celebi is a threat to many rain teams that choose to forgo the genies and use Water-types alongside Politoed. It's also the first half of the CeleTran core, which can take sun and rain teams on by themselves. The HP EVs allow it to live through what might and will be thrown at it from the standard Starmie and Rotom-W with HP to spare in the rain. The Speed EVs let me hit 247 Speed, letting me speed creep those sitting at 246 and get a relatively strong hit on them with either Hidden Power Fire or Giga Drain. The IVs grant me a 70 base power Hidden Power Fire with the minimum Attack IVs needed for it. Special Attack is maximized to maximize damage output. Nasty Plot was selected to ramp up Celebi's Special Attack even further while Giga Drain and Hidden Power Fire were selected to get good coverage. Recover is when Celebi needs that 50% HP increase that it can't get with Giga Drain. Modest was selected because it's the best nature for Celebi in this metagame.
Female |
| Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP | 252 SpD | 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
~ Stealth Rock
~ Flamethrower
~ Earth Power
~ Toxic
Heatran completes the CeleTran core and is my team's Stealth Rock supplier. It's also my team's primary special wall, taking Hurricanes and non-rain-boosted Surfs without too much trouble. Calm further shapes Heatran's role as a Special wall for my team. The IVs minimize confusion damage, while the EVs maximize Heatran's specially defensive potential. She's my team's main Volcarona and sun counter. Most members of a sun team can't touch it, and it can set Stealth Rock up on Ninetales or choice-locked Fire-type attacks. Toxic cripples every Volcarona bar the ChestoRest variants, and Stealth Rock does a number to sun. Earth Power lets me hit opposing Fire-types for a modest amount of damage. Flamethrower is fun because I get to turn Ninetales's eternal Sun against its teammates weak to it. It also threatens the majority of hail teams lacking the pink blobs, and even then, they can be driven off to take more entry hazard damage with Toxic eventually forcing them out in fear of losing all of their HP prematurely. With Heatran, Hail isn't too much of a problem.
Female |
| Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP | 216 Def | 40 Spe
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
~ Spikes
~ Whirlwind
~ Roost
~ Brave Bird
Skarmory here can take on the sand sweepers of OU and the physical Chlorophyllers lacking a Fire-type move. It's my team's first pHazer and the team's Spiker. It does a good job at getting its hazards down while walling half of the OU tier. It's also a very important member of my team because it takes the Outrages flying in OU (usually from Haxorus or Dragonite) without a sweat, starts laying Spikes, and pHazes them out, forcing them to take more damage upon switching in. I bring Skarmory in when I need to take a strong physical blow targeted at one of my other team members that I know CANNOT take the hit. Spikes is Skarmory's main draw for being on this team, while Whirlwind is its method of abusing entry hazards. Roost, being a reliable source of recovery, is what separates Skarmory from the other physically defensive Spikers. Brave Bird is there to insure that Skarmory isn't complete Taunt bait. It also gets a nice hit on Virizion and Breloom. Impish and the EVs listed allow me to take physical hits very well. I'm pretty sure the 40 Speed EVs outspeed something important, but I'm considering bumping them up 8 EV points to guarantee that I outspeed Wobbuffet.
Female |
| Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP | 4 SpD | 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Calm Mind
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Recover
~ Roar
Latias is my team's secondary pHazer and rain and sun check. Its typing, coupled with its impressive speed allow me to wall many threats rampaging in OU after one Calm Mind. It's also my main method of beating Reuniclus, a problem for most stall teams to face. I also can sweep with Latias should I attain enough Calm Minds and the entry hazards be laid out already. With this set, I can set up on Reuniclus and other CMers, CM alongside them, and then Roar them out, nullifying their boosts while maintaining mine. However, I've grown to be much more careful about doing that, because my opponents then would catch on and bring in a faster physical attacker, leaving all my work for naught. However, that usually doesn't happen. As I mentioned earlier, Latias is my secondary pHazer. She pHazes while walling the special side of OU. I tend to bring her in when Celebi or Heatran aren't holding up too well to the beatings and need back-up. Calm Mind is frightening because it lets Latias take the attacks coming right at it while bolstering its stronger defense. Dragon Pulse is obligatory STAB and deals a good amount of damage after two Calm Minds. Recover lets Latias stand up to more beatings while Roar helps Latias further abuse entry hazards. The IVs minimize confusion damage while the EVs maximize bulk and Speed, with the last 4 falling into Special Defense.
| Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP | 120 Def | 136 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunderbolt
~ Pain Split
~ Will-O-Wisp
Rotom-W was added initially to serve as a secondary counter to Sand teams. I have found that it works as well being a tertiary rain check and defensive pivot for my team. Its resistances are a key part for my team, and the EVs were borrowed from f and Ojama's sand team. They let Rotom-W survive unboosted Giga Drains and Leaf Blades. Again, the IVs minimize confusion damage. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt are obligatory STAB and deal a respectable amount of damage, even without the Special Attack EVs. Will-O-Wisp bolsters the physical defense of the rest of my team while forcing even more damage on my opponent. Will-O-Wisp is also the reason sand sweepers fear Rotom-W. Pain Split is unreliable, but it's Rotom-W's only method of recovery outside of Leftovers.
| Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
~ Close Combat
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ X-Scissor
Terrakion is my team's revenge killer, Trick absorber, and late-game sweeper tied up into one Pokemon. Terrakion enters the battle when I see it fit for it to come in and start wrecking my opponent's team. The EVs are standard fare, maximizing Attack and Speed, with the last 4 EVs being placed in HP. The Choice Scarf and Jolly Nature lets me revenge kill many threats at +1. Close Combat and Stone Edge are obligatory STAB, while Earthquake lets me revenge kill Mynism's Toxicroak. X-Scissor lets me get a slightly stronger blow on the Lati twins without the risk of it missing. Justified mostly is useless, but lets Terrakion benefit from taking a Sucker Punch from Toxicroak before killing it. Should it get that +1 from Justified, then you can kiss at least two members of your team farewell.
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One Last Glance at the Team
Lame team title, eh?
Weather is seen as an undeniable part of our metagame. In fact, it's been totaled in Eternal's article on weather in The Smog #16 that the weather starters combined are used in one out of two battles. So, I've taken it upon myself to not fall in that conformity of using a weather team (despite all of my 5th Gen RMTs featuring weather abuse). Baton Pass chains have returned to their former limelight, and I have no experience in constructing said types of teams. I'll be working on creating a relatively good Baton Pass chain to RMT here (if I ever do find the time to make one), but until then, I'll have to leave you content with this team I created and tested a few weeks ago, but never got to showcase.
I created this team after hours of thinking, and I've refined it after a few weeks by identifying obvious weaknesses. This team started out as a more offensive weather-less unit that attempted to counter most of what was flying around in OU at the time. Needless to say, that didn't work out too well. I liked the concept behind that team (pHazing with an offensive spin sans Dragon Tail, being able to tank hits from the varied weathers), but I didn't know how to execute it properly while maintaining offensive momentum. Seeing that I had some experience with Stall before (Another Team Based Around Landorus), I decided to pick myself up and create a stall team. However, I had some requirements for the mons I was going to pick for my team. I needed at least one pHazer, a Spiker, a Steel capable of walling Dragons, a Stealth Rocker, and a means of revenging threats and absorbing Trick, with the last function preferably being on the last Pokemon of the team. I also needed my stalling core to be able to take on all forms of weather, with every member being capable of putting pressure on at least one form of weather, preferably two. So, I already knew my options were limited. Knowing that, I set out on my quest to form the team based on my ideas.
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
So, I knew the three most prominent forms of weather in OU at the moment (Sand, Rain, Sun, in that order). The only reasons those weathers were significant is because of their abusers. Sand had Excadrill, Landorus, and the boosted Terrakion to deal with. Rain has the genies, Toxicroak (especially Mynism's), Sharpedo, Starmie, Rotom, and the other semi-common threats to contemplate. Sun has the Fire-types, Chlorophyllers, and sun-enhanced Dragons to deal with. The Dragons themselves are a problem to deal with separately, because of their sheer power. So, I decided to go with an older defensive core, CeleTran to be specific. CeleTran could deal with Rain and Sun, both of which are massive threats in OU. Celebi could deal with Rain and Sand teams while Heatran could put pressure on Hail and Sun. The core also brought Stealth Rock to the table. Now, I just needed a way to mitigate the threat of Sand and Spikes.
Latias and Skarmory brought to the table what this team needed. Skarmory could deal with Sand while Latias could supplement CeleTran in dealing with Rain and Sun, due to the sheer power of their threats and how it can overwhelm one Pokemon dedicated to being a counter. Both could pHaze, but Skarmory brought Spikes to the table while Latias brought the resists Dragon provides to the team alongside a good level of Speed, all at the cost of weaknesses shared with Celebi. Now, that's done and well, but I needed two more Pokemon. I also wanted a second check to Sand, seeing that Sand could overwhelm Skarmory alone, but not when backed up properly by other supporters.
Rotom-W brought crucial resists and a secondary check to the many sand teams in the current metagame. It could deal with Excadrill should it need to, and Landorus doesn't stand a chance (unless it's the SubSD variant). All the mainstream sand sweepers have to watch for Will-o-wisp, and Reuniclus has to watch for Latias, no matter the set (unless it's the FlameTrick set). Rotom-W also gives me a tertiary rain check with its STAB and resistances.
This is the member I'm least sure of. I needed a method of beating the pink blobs and placing more pressure on additional threats that could possibly outspeed my cores and threaten them with their attacks. Terrakion helps in that regard, being faster than pretty much all of unboosted OU while possessing a Close Combat nearly as strong as Garchomp's Outrage (when it was allowed in OU). It could revenge threats stuck on a resisted move and potentially tear through a team weakened by entry hazards. With that, the team was formed. It's worked very well, but I know that it can be improved.
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The Team at a Glance
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Importable
Code:
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SAtk / 48 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Recover
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Toxic
Skarmory (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird
Latias (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover
- Roar
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- X-ScissorThe Team in Detail
EVs: 208 HP | 252 SpA | 48 Spe
IVs: 2 Atk | 30 SpA | 30 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
~ Nasty Plot
~ Giga Drain
~ Hidden Power Fire
~ Recover
Celebi is a threat to many rain teams that choose to forgo the genies and use Water-types alongside Politoed. It's also the first half of the CeleTran core, which can take sun and rain teams on by themselves. The HP EVs allow it to live through what might and will be thrown at it from the standard Starmie and Rotom-W with HP to spare in the rain. The Speed EVs let me hit 247 Speed, letting me speed creep those sitting at 246 and get a relatively strong hit on them with either Hidden Power Fire or Giga Drain. The IVs grant me a 70 base power Hidden Power Fire with the minimum Attack IVs needed for it. Special Attack is maximized to maximize damage output. Nasty Plot was selected to ramp up Celebi's Special Attack even further while Giga Drain and Hidden Power Fire were selected to get good coverage. Recover is when Celebi needs that 50% HP increase that it can't get with Giga Drain. Modest was selected because it's the best nature for Celebi in this metagame.
Female |
EVs: 252 HP | 252 SpD | 4 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
~ Stealth Rock
~ Flamethrower
~ Earth Power
~ Toxic
Heatran completes the CeleTran core and is my team's Stealth Rock supplier. It's also my team's primary special wall, taking Hurricanes and non-rain-boosted Surfs without too much trouble. Calm further shapes Heatran's role as a Special wall for my team. The IVs minimize confusion damage, while the EVs maximize Heatran's specially defensive potential. She's my team's main Volcarona and sun counter. Most members of a sun team can't touch it, and it can set Stealth Rock up on Ninetales or choice-locked Fire-type attacks. Toxic cripples every Volcarona bar the ChestoRest variants, and Stealth Rock does a number to sun. Earth Power lets me hit opposing Fire-types for a modest amount of damage. Flamethrower is fun because I get to turn Ninetales's eternal Sun against its teammates weak to it. It also threatens the majority of hail teams lacking the pink blobs, and even then, they can be driven off to take more entry hazard damage with Toxic eventually forcing them out in fear of losing all of their HP prematurely. With Heatran, Hail isn't too much of a problem.
Female |
EVs: 252 HP | 216 Def | 40 Spe
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
~ Spikes
~ Whirlwind
~ Roost
~ Brave Bird
Skarmory here can take on the sand sweepers of OU and the physical Chlorophyllers lacking a Fire-type move. It's my team's first pHazer and the team's Spiker. It does a good job at getting its hazards down while walling half of the OU tier. It's also a very important member of my team because it takes the Outrages flying in OU (usually from Haxorus or Dragonite) without a sweat, starts laying Spikes, and pHazes them out, forcing them to take more damage upon switching in. I bring Skarmory in when I need to take a strong physical blow targeted at one of my other team members that I know CANNOT take the hit. Spikes is Skarmory's main draw for being on this team, while Whirlwind is its method of abusing entry hazards. Roost, being a reliable source of recovery, is what separates Skarmory from the other physically defensive Spikers. Brave Bird is there to insure that Skarmory isn't complete Taunt bait. It also gets a nice hit on Virizion and Breloom. Impish and the EVs listed allow me to take physical hits very well. I'm pretty sure the 40 Speed EVs outspeed something important, but I'm considering bumping them up 8 EV points to guarantee that I outspeed Wobbuffet.
Female |
EVs: 252 HP | 4 SpD | 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
~ Calm Mind
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Recover
~ Roar
Latias is my team's secondary pHazer and rain and sun check. Its typing, coupled with its impressive speed allow me to wall many threats rampaging in OU after one Calm Mind. It's also my main method of beating Reuniclus, a problem for most stall teams to face. I also can sweep with Latias should I attain enough Calm Minds and the entry hazards be laid out already. With this set, I can set up on Reuniclus and other CMers, CM alongside them, and then Roar them out, nullifying their boosts while maintaining mine. However, I've grown to be much more careful about doing that, because my opponents then would catch on and bring in a faster physical attacker, leaving all my work for naught. However, that usually doesn't happen. As I mentioned earlier, Latias is my secondary pHazer. She pHazes while walling the special side of OU. I tend to bring her in when Celebi or Heatran aren't holding up too well to the beatings and need back-up. Calm Mind is frightening because it lets Latias take the attacks coming right at it while bolstering its stronger defense. Dragon Pulse is obligatory STAB and deals a good amount of damage after two Calm Minds. Recover lets Latias stand up to more beatings while Roar helps Latias further abuse entry hazards. The IVs minimize confusion damage while the EVs maximize bulk and Speed, with the last 4 falling into Special Defense.
EVs: 252 HP | 120 Def | 136 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
~ Hydro Pump
~ Thunderbolt
~ Pain Split
~ Will-O-Wisp
Rotom-W was added initially to serve as a secondary counter to Sand teams. I have found that it works as well being a tertiary rain check and defensive pivot for my team. Its resistances are a key part for my team, and the EVs were borrowed from f and Ojama's sand team. They let Rotom-W survive unboosted Giga Drains and Leaf Blades. Again, the IVs minimize confusion damage. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt are obligatory STAB and deal a respectable amount of damage, even without the Special Attack EVs. Will-O-Wisp bolsters the physical defense of the rest of my team while forcing even more damage on my opponent. Will-O-Wisp is also the reason sand sweepers fear Rotom-W. Pain Split is unreliable, but it's Rotom-W's only method of recovery outside of Leftovers.
EVs: 4 HP | 252 Atk | 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
~ Close Combat
~ Earthquake
~ Stone Edge
~ X-Scissor
Terrakion is my team's revenge killer, Trick absorber, and late-game sweeper tied up into one Pokemon. Terrakion enters the battle when I see it fit for it to come in and start wrecking my opponent's team. The EVs are standard fare, maximizing Attack and Speed, with the last 4 EVs being placed in HP. The Choice Scarf and Jolly Nature lets me revenge kill many threats at +1. Close Combat and Stone Edge are obligatory STAB, while Earthquake lets me revenge kill Mynism's Toxicroak. X-Scissor lets me get a slightly stronger blow on the Lati twins without the risk of it missing. Justified mostly is useless, but lets Terrakion benefit from taking a Sucker Punch from Toxicroak before killing it. Should it get that +1 from Justified, then you can kiss at least two members of your team farewell.
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One Last Glance at the Team
