First of all, i want to say that this team isn't finished, as many EVs must be fixed/improved. In other words, any constructive criticism is appreciated.
When first playing BW, I used HO/Rain teams, and, although I had some sucess with it, semi-stall teams kept beating me. Things like Heatran, Gengar and DNite were able to shut many of my offensive threats, meaning i had to switch, take more residual damage, give them more opportunities to set up, etc...
What i think semi-stall is? Teams that block other teams not by "taking hits like champs", but through disruption, abusing movesets that have a single move that can hit my mons. Examples will be given later. My definiton could be wrong, but screw names: concepts are more important.
Team preview:
Team building process:
The team core: Those threats basically define disruption. SubDisable Gengar and (good old) Tormentran. They have a nice synergy and a LOT of resistances. In addition, they are strong, meaning they wont be sitting ducks as your opponent set up.
Now i needed to force my opponent out, while also allowing me to switch. And Mienshao does this job wonderfully. In addition, it could take Gliscor out with HP-Ice (I just had to be sure to U-Turn as they protected, as that would ensure they were going to stay in and take the HP-Ice)
The same could be said from Sazandora. Even though later it proved to be pretty innefective, in a first glance it looked to be usefull: Expert Belt (couldnt afford to use Life Orb, as resisted hits + entry hazards + SS's toll was too high to pay) boosted hits, along with nice coverage and U-Turn made him a good option in a first moment
I needed something to take Zapdos, Latios and Starmie, while being able to set up rocks and curing paralysis, which would be a pain for every single member in the team so far: Blissey it is.
Even though i had blissey, nothing on my team could safely switch in and threaten TTar, Pringles, Excadrill, among others. Conkeldurr takes advantage of its natural physical bulk, BU, and Drain Punch to survive through games, being able to even sweep under certain conditions.
Hydreigon proved to be ineffective with this team. The whole team wasnt working, and Hydreigon wasnt helping me at all. Then i saw someone using a Bulky Twave/DragonTail DNite, abusing paralysis + multi scale. If my intent was to force switch and block stuff, Dnite was gonna be much better for my team. His paralysis also helped as it gave Heatran and Gengar more chances to set up. Those 3 pokemon forced FP to happen, by Sub abusing.
The paralysis abuse strategy was awesome. It even made non-ghost threats more suscetible to Conkel. However, I lacked entry hazards. Gengar, Heatran and DNite forced a lot of switches, but opponents could switch in (almost) unscathed. A simple, non standart Deoxys-S and a Ferrothorn, who could also spread paralysis solved my troubles.
In depth analysis:
(bolded stuff can be changed. Suggestions are welcome)
(changed stuff is underlined)
( thanks for U Mad? and zahariel for the gif)
Gray Fox (Deoxys-S) @Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
My usual lead. I dont like to let him die early game, as he can be used to check and beat Dragons (some with only previous damage), Genies, Gliscor, Starmie, Zapdos, and a lot of other stuff who would otherwise give me huge troubles.
Moves: Stealth Rock and Taunt are essential, preventing abusive set up and letting me set up my own rocks. Ice Beam and TBolt gives it a nice coverage against fast (but not hyper fast like Excadrill) threats, like the aforementioned Genias, Dragons, etc... The best part of Tbolt is that it is unexpected in most times, allowing me to KO Gyarados, unaware Jellicent, and others. Against Gliscors, however, my first move MUST be taunt/SR, as most protect to scout for Ice Beam. Switched Taunt for Magic Coat, and then Magic Coat with Spikes. Eveyone attacked Deoxys-S, expecting a Taunt.
Item: I tried Red Card, but it really wasnt THAT helpful, so i switched it for Sash
EVs/Nature: I know full HP EVs can be paradoxal with focus sash, but thats the point: They work in parallel situations. The HP allows him to survive a LOT of hits, and thheh Sash allows him to ensure SR and take any hit under a specific situation. I dont know if speed EVs would be usefull, as Deoxys is naturally freaking fast. The Stak EVs allow me to OHKO most Starmies and deal more than 50% to many bulky waters, if needed. 317 Stak isnt something to laugh at.
Quarterback (Dragonite) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
- Roost
Its impressive how bulky this thing is when at full health. Not much can take break his sub in one hit (well, it already took things like Latias DPulse, for example), specially if you Roost after subbing. His shuffling and paralysis support are ESSENTIAL for the team, proving nice amounts of damage and support. The unexpected MVP.
Moves: Subroost, even without Pressure, is a nice way to stall and wait for
a opportunity (Full paralysis in most time) to appear. Add multi scale, and your set up is basically guaranteed. Dragon Tail can deal some nice damage, specially if you add (at least) 12,5% damage + shuffle.
EVs/Nature: No brain here: Max HP, and 274/277 Defenses. Speed isnt needed at all, as barely nothing has the 800 speed needed to outspeed him after paralysis. Attack EVs also arent needed, as 304 attack is more than enough for something that focus on residual damage. Careful because 100 > 95. Any better display is welcome, though.
Spider (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Protect
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
He is the number 1 in the ladder for a reason, I guess. Awesome typing, stats, trait, moves....
In this team, however, his best niches are: TWave and Spikes spreading and Gyro Ball against fast, Outrage locked, dragons. Also, his Power Whip is my best option against Motisma-eau.
Moves: Thunder Wave and Spikes are here for support. Power Whip is needed so i'm not unarmed against water pokes (even though I'm going to set up on them on most times) and Gyro Ball destroys Gengars and other stuff. Switched Gyro Ball for Leech Seed. But Ferro didnt have enough time to set up Seed, TWave AND Spikes, so i dropped it for Protect. This should be useful for scouting CB Scizor and such.
EVs/Nature: Pretty random, I stole them from a set I've seen somewhere, not really sure where. Suggestions are welcome.
BrickSlayer (Conkeldurr) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
Able to take Jellicent, weakened Excadrill (If i see one of them in the team preview i try to save Ferrothorn as much as possible, as Power Whip + Mach Punch is a KO on most variants), Nattorei and TTar with ease, this guy is the glue of the team. He usually cleans up the field after everything is paralyzed.
Moves/Evs/Nature: Standart BU Conkeldurr, ripped from the analysis. Payback acts as my coverage and Pringles eater move, Drain Punch as my main weapon to both survive and deal damage and Mach Punch acts as a finisher or glass breaker.
Gamageroge (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 36 SAtk / 12 SDef / 216 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Torment
- Protect
- Lava Plume
Good ol' Tormentran. God, its incredible the amount of stuff this guy stops.
I know it cant beat bulky waters who can recover theirselves, but allowing a free switch in after a protected surf is something that often gives me the match. He is, also, my best answer to sun teams, blocking Ninetales, most Volcaronas, and a lot of other things.
Moves: Sub-Torment-Protect are the moves that define tormentran. The last move, Lava Plume, is here for the PPs and the burning side effect, that have 2 side effects:
1- Render a lot of physical sweepers useless.
2- Allow me to beat almost any bulky mon that dont have a recovery move (Heatran and Rotom-W being the biggest exception that com to my mind)
Also, a 80 BP Stab move coming from something with 305 Stak isnt anything to laugh at.
EVs/Nature: Ripped from 4 Gen analysis, the special bulk it achieves is impressive. Worked wonders so far, but im open for suggestions.
Nightmare (Gengar) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
OH DAMN, SUB BRELOOM IS GONNA BEAT ME! -not
OH DAMN, ROOBUSHIN IS GONNA SWEEP ME! -not (i will explain that single case later)
OH DAMN, REUNICLUS -not (i need a crit to beat this one, but the odds of having no CH in 24 hits are... ridiculous.)
OH DAMN -not
This set shuts down anything slower (110 base speed helps a lot with this) that have a single move that can hit Gengar. Think about it: they come in, Sponging the shadow ball. You sub, and they break it. You Disable. Now, unless they want to take Base 130 Stab SBs or Focus Blasts, they HAVE to switch out.
In that list, enter:
1-SubSD Chomp
2-Most Gliscors
3-Spore Breloom (Tricky, as some use Stone Edge)
4-(*)Conkeldur
5-CB Scizor (if i have a sub when they switch in)
6-Paralyzed Scarfers
7-CB/CSpecs everything else
8-Machamp (they can still BP me, but SBall delas more)
9-Ferrothorn
10-Toxicroak
And many, many other threats.
Moves: Sub/Disable are essential for the set to work. The former for scouting/forcing the opponent to use their coverage move and the latter to... disable it. Shadow Ball + Focus Blast provides unresisted coverage while allowing me to deal a good chunk to most threats.
EVs/Nature: Nothing special here. 252/252 for maximum speed and power. I can't decide about nature, however. While Timid allow me to outrun a lot of things (ape, musketeers, among others), Modest ensured a 2HKO on Conkeldurrs, something that can ensure me a victory.
(*) Gengar vs. Conkeldurr: I usually try to avoid that battle until Conkel is at the 80% (2 spikes + SR can solve that problem). I usually sub on the first turn, and they break my sub with a payback.
The next turn is critical: If the opponent KNOWS im using a Disable set, they will probably mach punch, preventing payback from being disabled. So, if through the match i discover that my opponent is smart, or if i INTENTIONALLY reveal them disable, i just SBall for a 2HKO. That 2HKO isnt guaranteed if the Conkel is at full HP and there is no SS in the field, though.
When first playing BW, I used HO/Rain teams, and, although I had some sucess with it, semi-stall teams kept beating me. Things like Heatran, Gengar and DNite were able to shut many of my offensive threats, meaning i had to switch, take more residual damage, give them more opportunities to set up, etc...
What i think semi-stall is? Teams that block other teams not by "taking hits like champs", but through disruption, abusing movesets that have a single move that can hit my mons. Examples will be given later. My definiton could be wrong, but screw names: concepts are more important.
Team preview:
Team building process:
The team core: Those threats basically define disruption. SubDisable Gengar and (good old) Tormentran. They have a nice synergy and a LOT of resistances. In addition, they are strong, meaning they wont be sitting ducks as your opponent set up.
Now i needed to force my opponent out, while also allowing me to switch. And Mienshao does this job wonderfully. In addition, it could take Gliscor out with HP-Ice (I just had to be sure to U-Turn as they protected, as that would ensure they were going to stay in and take the HP-Ice)
The same could be said from Sazandora. Even though later it proved to be pretty innefective, in a first glance it looked to be usefull: Expert Belt (couldnt afford to use Life Orb, as resisted hits + entry hazards + SS's toll was too high to pay) boosted hits, along with nice coverage and U-Turn made him a good option in a first moment
I needed something to take Zapdos, Latios and Starmie, while being able to set up rocks and curing paralysis, which would be a pain for every single member in the team so far: Blissey it is.
Even though i had blissey, nothing on my team could safely switch in and threaten TTar, Pringles, Excadrill, among others. Conkeldurr takes advantage of its natural physical bulk, BU, and Drain Punch to survive through games, being able to even sweep under certain conditions.
Hydreigon proved to be ineffective with this team. The whole team wasnt working, and Hydreigon wasnt helping me at all. Then i saw someone using a Bulky Twave/DragonTail DNite, abusing paralysis + multi scale. If my intent was to force switch and block stuff, Dnite was gonna be much better for my team. His paralysis also helped as it gave Heatran and Gengar more chances to set up. Those 3 pokemon forced FP to happen, by Sub abusing.
The paralysis abuse strategy was awesome. It even made non-ghost threats more suscetible to Conkel. However, I lacked entry hazards. Gengar, Heatran and DNite forced a lot of switches, but opponents could switch in (almost) unscathed. A simple, non standart Deoxys-S and a Ferrothorn, who could also spread paralysis solved my troubles.
In depth analysis:
(bolded stuff can be changed. Suggestions are welcome)
(changed stuff is underlined)
Gray Fox (Deoxys-S) @Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
My usual lead. I dont like to let him die early game, as he can be used to check and beat Dragons (some with only previous damage), Genies, Gliscor, Starmie, Zapdos, and a lot of other stuff who would otherwise give me huge troubles.
Moves: Stealth Rock and Taunt are essential, preventing abusive set up and letting me set up my own rocks. Ice Beam and TBolt gives it a nice coverage against fast (but not hyper fast like Excadrill) threats, like the aforementioned Genias, Dragons, etc... The best part of Tbolt is that it is unexpected in most times, allowing me to KO Gyarados, unaware Jellicent, and others. Against Gliscors, however, my first move MUST be taunt/SR, as most protect to scout for Ice Beam. Switched Taunt for Magic Coat, and then Magic Coat with Spikes. Eveyone attacked Deoxys-S, expecting a Taunt.
Item: I tried Red Card, but it really wasnt THAT helpful, so i switched it for Sash
EVs/Nature: I know full HP EVs can be paradoxal with focus sash, but thats the point: They work in parallel situations. The HP allows him to survive a LOT of hits, and thheh Sash allows him to ensure SR and take any hit under a specific situation. I dont know if speed EVs would be usefull, as Deoxys is naturally freaking fast. The Stak EVs allow me to OHKO most Starmies and deal more than 50% to many bulky waters, if needed. 317 Stak isnt something to laugh at.
Quarterback (Dragonite) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Thunder Wave
- Substitute
- Roost
Its impressive how bulky this thing is when at full health. Not much can take break his sub in one hit (well, it already took things like Latias DPulse, for example), specially if you Roost after subbing. His shuffling and paralysis support are ESSENTIAL for the team, proving nice amounts of damage and support. The unexpected MVP.
Moves: Subroost, even without Pressure, is a nice way to stall and wait for
a opportunity (Full paralysis in most time) to appear. Add multi scale, and your set up is basically guaranteed. Dragon Tail can deal some nice damage, specially if you add (at least) 12,5% damage + shuffle.
EVs/Nature: No brain here: Max HP, and 274/277 Defenses. Speed isnt needed at all, as barely nothing has the 800 speed needed to outspeed him after paralysis. Attack EVs also arent needed, as 304 attack is more than enough for something that focus on residual damage. Careful because 100 > 95. Any better display is welcome, though.
Spider (Ferrothorn) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Protect
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
He is the number 1 in the ladder for a reason, I guess. Awesome typing, stats, trait, moves....
In this team, however, his best niches are: TWave and Spikes spreading and Gyro Ball against fast, Outrage locked, dragons. Also, his Power Whip is my best option against Motisma-eau.
Moves: Thunder Wave and Spikes are here for support. Power Whip is needed so i'm not unarmed against water pokes (even though I'm going to set up on them on most times) and Gyro Ball destroys Gengars and other stuff. Switched Gyro Ball for Leech Seed. But Ferro didnt have enough time to set up Seed, TWave AND Spikes, so i dropped it for Protect. This should be useful for scouting CB Scizor and such.
EVs/Nature: Pretty random, I stole them from a set I've seen somewhere, not really sure where. Suggestions are welcome.
BrickSlayer (Conkeldurr) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Payback
Able to take Jellicent, weakened Excadrill (If i see one of them in the team preview i try to save Ferrothorn as much as possible, as Power Whip + Mach Punch is a KO on most variants), Nattorei and TTar with ease, this guy is the glue of the team. He usually cleans up the field after everything is paralyzed.
Moves/Evs/Nature: Standart BU Conkeldurr, ripped from the analysis. Payback acts as my coverage and Pringles eater move, Drain Punch as my main weapon to both survive and deal damage and Mach Punch acts as a finisher or glass breaker.
Gamageroge (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 244 HP / 36 SAtk / 12 SDef / 216 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Torment
- Protect
- Lava Plume
Good ol' Tormentran. God, its incredible the amount of stuff this guy stops.
I know it cant beat bulky waters who can recover theirselves, but allowing a free switch in after a protected surf is something that often gives me the match. He is, also, my best answer to sun teams, blocking Ninetales, most Volcaronas, and a lot of other things.
Moves: Sub-Torment-Protect are the moves that define tormentran. The last move, Lava Plume, is here for the PPs and the burning side effect, that have 2 side effects:
1- Render a lot of physical sweepers useless.
2- Allow me to beat almost any bulky mon that dont have a recovery move (Heatran and Rotom-W being the biggest exception that com to my mind)
Also, a 80 BP Stab move coming from something with 305 Stak isnt anything to laugh at.
EVs/Nature: Ripped from 4 Gen analysis, the special bulk it achieves is impressive. Worked wonders so far, but im open for suggestions.
Nightmare (Gengar) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
OH DAMN, SUB BRELOOM IS GONNA BEAT ME! -not
OH DAMN, ROOBUSHIN IS GONNA SWEEP ME! -not (i will explain that single case later)
OH DAMN, REUNICLUS -not (i need a crit to beat this one, but the odds of having no CH in 24 hits are... ridiculous.)
OH DAMN -not
This set shuts down anything slower (110 base speed helps a lot with this) that have a single move that can hit Gengar. Think about it: they come in, Sponging the shadow ball. You sub, and they break it. You Disable. Now, unless they want to take Base 130 Stab SBs or Focus Blasts, they HAVE to switch out.
In that list, enter:
1-SubSD Chomp
2-Most Gliscors
3-Spore Breloom (Tricky, as some use Stone Edge)
4-(*)Conkeldur
5-CB Scizor (if i have a sub when they switch in)
6-Paralyzed Scarfers
7-CB/CSpecs everything else
8-Machamp (they can still BP me, but SBall delas more)
9-Ferrothorn
10-Toxicroak
And many, many other threats.
Moves: Sub/Disable are essential for the set to work. The former for scouting/forcing the opponent to use their coverage move and the latter to... disable it. Shadow Ball + Focus Blast provides unresisted coverage while allowing me to deal a good chunk to most threats.
EVs/Nature: Nothing special here. 252/252 for maximum speed and power. I can't decide about nature, however. While Timid allow me to outrun a lot of things (ape, musketeers, among others), Modest ensured a 2HKO on Conkeldurrs, something that can ensure me a victory.
(*) Gengar vs. Conkeldurr: I usually try to avoid that battle until Conkel is at the 80% (2 spikes + SR can solve that problem). I usually sub on the first turn, and they break my sub with a payback.
The next turn is critical: If the opponent KNOWS im using a Disable set, they will probably mach punch, preventing payback from being disabled. So, if through the match i discover that my opponent is smart, or if i INTENTIONALLY reveal them disable, i just SBall for a 2HKO. That 2HKO isnt guaranteed if the Conkel is at full HP and there is no SS in the field, though.
