Since Rising_Dusk already posted his RMT, I figured why not post mine?
I had experimented with a number of different playstyles when approaching the Necturna metagame. I initially experimented with offensive teams, including using Necturna as an offensive spin blocker on a spike stacking team. However, I believe that Necturna's biggest contribution to the metagame was to stall; with its unique Ghost/Grass typing and bulky stat spread, it was the most reliable spin blocker around. Thanks to Sketch in its movepool, it was also very unpredictable and able to be adapted for almost any purpose.
The general goal with this team was to get hazards up and keep them up for as long as possible. Residual damage is key for this, and any other stall team, to function. With a combination of hazards, Burn and Poison damage, any team can be quickly worn down. However, this team is not totally offenseless; it can kill things directly when it needs to. This isn't exactly a conventional stall team as I'm not actually running any traditional walls, although it can still hold itself very well together due to a bold palette of resistances. Also unlike a lot of other stall teams, this team can continue to function even if a key member has been KOd prematurely.
In terms of success... I'd say this team has done pretty well. Not outstandingly, but it has been fairly consistent. I managed to obtain 2nd place on the ladder fairly early on and hold it for some time, although I was never quite able to overtake Rising_Dusk with his (lets face it, superior) stall team. :P
The name of this RMT was derived from a random word generator because I don't have any creativity when it comes to naming my teams. So yeah, lets just get on with this!
Necturna (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Forewarn
EVs: 236 HP / 56 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Horn Leech
- Will-O-Wisp
- Spikes
- Pain Split
Necturna is obviously the reason that this team even exists in the first place. The usefulness of its role as a spin blocker cannot be stressed enough. That is not its only role, however. My Necturna doubles up as a Spiker for this team, and performs excellently in that role due to having many chances in a game to come in and set them up, doesn't share the same vulnerability to Magnezone as the other Spikes users, and can also block Rapid Spin simultaneously; a trait shared only by Frosslass. Unlike Skarmory/Forretress/Ferrothorn, Necturna is also able to neuter the powerful physical attackers that roam around such as Scizor with Will-o-Wisp. Sure this makes it big Heatran bait, but remember that every time the opponent switches, I get to set a free layer of Spikes. In general, Necturna's typing really does help the team deal with other threats such as Rotom-W. Pain Split is pretty crappy I'll admit, but it has situational uses and is Necturna's best recovery option. Horn Leech + Leftovers does help keep it alive as well.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Protect
Specially defensive Heatran just oozes class, especially in the Necturna metagame. As Necturna was obviously going to be on every team I would face, a solid counter to most variants of it was absolutely essential. It also pairs up perfectly with my own Necturna; each covering the other's weaknesses. Heatran fulfils a number of roles for this team. Its primary role is to set up Stealth Rock. Once that job is completed, it is able to cause havoc on the opponent by phazing. With Roar, I can shuffle the opponent's team around, letting hazard damage build up and keeping the momentum on my side. Protect aids my team in dealing with things like CB Terrakion and CS Landorus whom may find an opening to come in on Heatran if I'm not careful. Heatran also helps deal with both sun and hail teams.
Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 8 SDef / 36 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
Tentacruel is a huge asset to this team. Its ability to come in on virtually any bulky Water and start setting up cannot be overlooked. Toxic Spikes is the crux of this set, and pretty much of the whole team. Nothing else has the potential to wear down the opponent more, and having two layers of Toxic Spikes up is often the key to beating other stall teams. Tentacruel has the important role of keeping hazards away from my team with Rapid Spin. Spinning is far from an easy feat in the Necturna metagame, but this Tentacruel has found a way around it. You've probably already noticed that I have both Toxic and Toxic Spikes on the same set, which you thought was dumb. However, it is anything but that. With Toxic, Tentacruel is able to lash out at incoming Necturna switch-ins. This puts it on a timer, heavily restricting how many times it can attempt to spin away my hazards.
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
I initially had Porygon2 in this spot, whom was effective as a non-specialised wall, much like Cresselia was back in the early D/P era. However, I realised I could not rely completely on Gliscor to take Ground and Fighting attacks, so I needed a secondary resistance. Gyarados was an ideal replacement as it still walls a large proportion of the metagame, whilst having a more useful set of resistances, and the ability to phaze. Having a secondary phazer was very useful in the long run as well, as it allowed my team to put more pressure on the opponent from Spikes + Stealth Rock damage. I'm running Dragon Tail over Roar because it cannot be Taunted, isn't stopped by Magic Bounce and deals even more residual damage; especially useful when dealing with things like Dragonite. Gyarados also acts this team's status taker, as old fashioned as that role is.
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Aside from Necturna, I'd say this is definitely the MVP of my team. Gliscor is a juggernaut, essentially being almost invincible thanks to a combination of Poison Heal, Substitute and Protect. Generally the rest of my team has utility jobs of setting up hazards and crippling things, whereas Gyarados and Gliscor make up the actual stalling element of the team. Gliscor is just brilliant at what it does, and is responsible for most of my wins. Although Toxic Spikes may eliminate the need for Toxic on many foes, it still helps deal with things like Rotom-W whom are immune to Toxic Spikes. Besides, you can never have too much poison. :P Outside of stalling everything into oblivion, Gliscor is also a great check to CB Terrakion, one of stall's biggest threats.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SDef / 96 Spd
Careful Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Wish
- U-Turn
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
Despite not really having a specific role, Jirachi is a fantastic glue for this team. It provides Wish support, which is a huge boon for this team as none of its members have access to reliable recovery. Jirachi is somewhat of a "failsafe" for this team: if there's something really annoying like a CM Reuniclus which I know I can't do anything about, I'll hope lady luck kicks in and I can flinch-hax such threats to death. Body Slam's paralysis obviously conflicts with Toxic Spikes, but I won't use Toxic Spikes if I see a Reuniclus in the team preview. Often, even the 60% flinch chance of Iron Head without paralysis support is enough to send them packing. I would've liked to use Protect on this set but it means I'm Magnezone bait; U-Turn allows it to retreat to safety. Jirachi has a lot of general resistances such as Dragon and Psychic, which help my team deal with a lot of things.
Introduction
I had experimented with a number of different playstyles when approaching the Necturna metagame. I initially experimented with offensive teams, including using Necturna as an offensive spin blocker on a spike stacking team. However, I believe that Necturna's biggest contribution to the metagame was to stall; with its unique Ghost/Grass typing and bulky stat spread, it was the most reliable spin blocker around. Thanks to Sketch in its movepool, it was also very unpredictable and able to be adapted for almost any purpose.
The general goal with this team was to get hazards up and keep them up for as long as possible. Residual damage is key for this, and any other stall team, to function. With a combination of hazards, Burn and Poison damage, any team can be quickly worn down. However, this team is not totally offenseless; it can kill things directly when it needs to. This isn't exactly a conventional stall team as I'm not actually running any traditional walls, although it can still hold itself very well together due to a bold palette of resistances. Also unlike a lot of other stall teams, this team can continue to function even if a key member has been KOd prematurely.
In terms of success... I'd say this team has done pretty well. Not outstandingly, but it has been fairly consistent. I managed to obtain 2nd place on the ladder fairly early on and hold it for some time, although I was never quite able to overtake Rising_Dusk with his (lets face it, superior) stall team. :P
The name of this RMT was derived from a random word generator because I don't have any creativity when it comes to naming my teams. So yeah, lets just get on with this!
Overview
Detail
Necturna (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Forewarn
EVs: 236 HP / 56 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Horn Leech
- Will-O-Wisp
- Spikes
- Pain Split
Necturna is obviously the reason that this team even exists in the first place. The usefulness of its role as a spin blocker cannot be stressed enough. That is not its only role, however. My Necturna doubles up as a Spiker for this team, and performs excellently in that role due to having many chances in a game to come in and set them up, doesn't share the same vulnerability to Magnezone as the other Spikes users, and can also block Rapid Spin simultaneously; a trait shared only by Frosslass. Unlike Skarmory/Forretress/Ferrothorn, Necturna is also able to neuter the powerful physical attackers that roam around such as Scizor with Will-o-Wisp. Sure this makes it big Heatran bait, but remember that every time the opponent switches, I get to set a free layer of Spikes. In general, Necturna's typing really does help the team deal with other threats such as Rotom-W. Pain Split is pretty crappy I'll admit, but it has situational uses and is Necturna's best recovery option. Horn Leech + Leftovers does help keep it alive as well.
Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Protect
Specially defensive Heatran just oozes class, especially in the Necturna metagame. As Necturna was obviously going to be on every team I would face, a solid counter to most variants of it was absolutely essential. It also pairs up perfectly with my own Necturna; each covering the other's weaknesses. Heatran fulfils a number of roles for this team. Its primary role is to set up Stealth Rock. Once that job is completed, it is able to cause havoc on the opponent by phazing. With Roar, I can shuffle the opponent's team around, letting hazard damage build up and keeping the momentum on my side. Protect aids my team in dealing with things like CB Terrakion and CS Landorus whom may find an opening to come in on Heatran if I'm not careful. Heatran also helps deal with both sun and hail teams.
Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 8 SDef / 36 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Toxic
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
Tentacruel is a huge asset to this team. Its ability to come in on virtually any bulky Water and start setting up cannot be overlooked. Toxic Spikes is the crux of this set, and pretty much of the whole team. Nothing else has the potential to wear down the opponent more, and having two layers of Toxic Spikes up is often the key to beating other stall teams. Tentacruel has the important role of keeping hazards away from my team with Rapid Spin. Spinning is far from an easy feat in the Necturna metagame, but this Tentacruel has found a way around it. You've probably already noticed that I have both Toxic and Toxic Spikes on the same set, which you thought was dumb. However, it is anything but that. With Toxic, Tentacruel is able to lash out at incoming Necturna switch-ins. This puts it on a timer, heavily restricting how many times it can attempt to spin away my hazards.
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
I initially had Porygon2 in this spot, whom was effective as a non-specialised wall, much like Cresselia was back in the early D/P era. However, I realised I could not rely completely on Gliscor to take Ground and Fighting attacks, so I needed a secondary resistance. Gyarados was an ideal replacement as it still walls a large proportion of the metagame, whilst having a more useful set of resistances, and the ability to phaze. Having a secondary phazer was very useful in the long run as well, as it allowed my team to put more pressure on the opponent from Spikes + Stealth Rock damage. I'm running Dragon Tail over Roar because it cannot be Taunted, isn't stopped by Magic Bounce and deals even more residual damage; especially useful when dealing with things like Dragonite. Gyarados also acts this team's status taker, as old fashioned as that role is.
Gliscor (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Aside from Necturna, I'd say this is definitely the MVP of my team. Gliscor is a juggernaut, essentially being almost invincible thanks to a combination of Poison Heal, Substitute and Protect. Generally the rest of my team has utility jobs of setting up hazards and crippling things, whereas Gyarados and Gliscor make up the actual stalling element of the team. Gliscor is just brilliant at what it does, and is responsible for most of my wins. Although Toxic Spikes may eliminate the need for Toxic on many foes, it still helps deal with things like Rotom-W whom are immune to Toxic Spikes. Besides, you can never have too much poison. :P Outside of stalling everything into oblivion, Gliscor is also a great check to CB Terrakion, one of stall's biggest threats.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SDef / 96 Spd
Careful Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Wish
- U-Turn
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
Despite not really having a specific role, Jirachi is a fantastic glue for this team. It provides Wish support, which is a huge boon for this team as none of its members have access to reliable recovery. Jirachi is somewhat of a "failsafe" for this team: if there's something really annoying like a CM Reuniclus which I know I can't do anything about, I'll hope lady luck kicks in and I can flinch-hax such threats to death. Body Slam's paralysis obviously conflicts with Toxic Spikes, but I won't use Toxic Spikes if I see a Reuniclus in the team preview. Often, even the 60% flinch chance of Iron Head without paralysis support is enough to send them packing. I would've liked to use Protect on this set but it means I'm Magnezone bait; U-Turn allows it to retreat to safety. Jirachi has a lot of general resistances such as Dragon and Psychic, which help my team deal with a lot of things.
Conclusion
This team is far from perfect, but it's been fun to use. It was refreshing to be able to successfully run stall, which I think is one of most enjoyable play styles to use despite common opinion suggesting otherwise. Necturna was a fantastic pokemon to use, and had a positive impact on the metagame, essentially filling the spot that Rotom-A filled in DPPt, yet at the same time being an versatile threat that kept players on their toes. It's a shame the playtest is now over, for I would've liked to have to experimented more with Necturna. It had almost limitless potential. I have tried the team out in the regular BW metagame with Roserade over Necturna, but the team just wasn't so great without its spin blocking prowess.
