So hey I got linked to Smogon and since I kind of have been busy doing other stuff I haven't had a chance to stop by the best generation's forum (That would be this one, for those who may not know of my love of GSC)
Anyway I have seen a few threads around with quite a bit of odd reasoning as to what is and what isn't anti-stall and some seem mystified how to beat the dreaded, and rightfully feared, stall team.
If you really want to be anti-stall, you first have to accept that randomly using explosion on Pokemon really isn't the answer. There is a difference in having anti-stall pokemon and having pokemon that have no second option, in fact I'd say unless you are very skilled with explosion teams, it is one of the worst possible choices you can make vs a stall team. It limits your options and traps you into a corner, making it easier and easier, as the battle goes on, to make more and more of your pokemon a non factor as spikes, defensive walls, and small jabs of offense slowly and effectively disable your team.
1. Always keep your options open, and have almost all of your pokemon be able to take on any pokemon that may come its way. Mixed sweepers, such as Zapdos (Before Hidden Power was banned anyway) some Tyranitar sets, Tentacruel of late, and even random physical attacks that have fire blast on them, have usually filled the role of "Bring on everything you've got, something dies versus this thing" of an anti-stall tea. It just isn't about type balance, you have to throw an opponent off guard with move selection every now and then. This doesn't mean to randomly try to predict, but it can be beneficial to let the battle lull for a couple of dozen turns to try to gain a psychological edge on your opponen, because stall battlers have usually been there done that, and will very rarely go outside of a set pattern, surprising them once in awhile usually rattles their mindset.
2. Be aggressive. You don't want to stall? Then don't stall. Have your team set up with Pokemon that can take a beating, but if need be can dish out massive amounts of damage to almost any pokemon. The JoltWak combo is one of the best anti-stall measures in the game, given that if not predicted it is going to cause a lot of damage, and likely one kill, in a match. Even then if not mishandled, it can cause trouble. Many stall teams can't really win when they are behind, especially if you can just reload your set up on how you killed their pokemon (Such as using Sub with Jolteon again, and passing it right off to Marowak again)
Of course there are counters for Jolteon's baton passing, and Marowak isn't without its weaknesses, but I was just using them as an example. All too often do I see players who really hate stall play into a stall game because they are afraid to take a risk. Risks are how you do it. Stall is based off patterns to ensure their Pokemon don't die, sometimes you have to risk a pokemon (not suicide, risk, as in, attack a bit more often than may be safe) to land that critical prediction (or in my case, a critical hit!) to have a key for victory.
3. Don't be afraid to get lucky, in a 100 turn battle, you are DUE those 6 CHes, don't let them cry too much. That is part of the stigma, that CHes are evil. For stallers maybe. Ches are one of the biggest downfalls of stall teams, for all of their efforts, one CH can cripple them. And even if a lot of people disagree, the average GSC battle you are in fact due 6 to 12 Ches every time. I've always liked the odds of one of those making their team weakened.
But yeah, it isn't always about the team, although you have to prep accordingly. Being recklessly offensive versus a stall team won't get you anywhere, most battlers know how to outlast those who are willing to let their own pokemon die for nothing. Have a plan of a attack from the start, hell, have 3. Look to execute those plans aggressively, and be careful not to get trapped into a corner by status, and you won't need some dream team to beat stallers.
But Curselax helps.
Anyway I have seen a few threads around with quite a bit of odd reasoning as to what is and what isn't anti-stall and some seem mystified how to beat the dreaded, and rightfully feared, stall team.
If you really want to be anti-stall, you first have to accept that randomly using explosion on Pokemon really isn't the answer. There is a difference in having anti-stall pokemon and having pokemon that have no second option, in fact I'd say unless you are very skilled with explosion teams, it is one of the worst possible choices you can make vs a stall team. It limits your options and traps you into a corner, making it easier and easier, as the battle goes on, to make more and more of your pokemon a non factor as spikes, defensive walls, and small jabs of offense slowly and effectively disable your team.
1. Always keep your options open, and have almost all of your pokemon be able to take on any pokemon that may come its way. Mixed sweepers, such as Zapdos (Before Hidden Power was banned anyway) some Tyranitar sets, Tentacruel of late, and even random physical attacks that have fire blast on them, have usually filled the role of "Bring on everything you've got, something dies versus this thing" of an anti-stall tea. It just isn't about type balance, you have to throw an opponent off guard with move selection every now and then. This doesn't mean to randomly try to predict, but it can be beneficial to let the battle lull for a couple of dozen turns to try to gain a psychological edge on your opponen, because stall battlers have usually been there done that, and will very rarely go outside of a set pattern, surprising them once in awhile usually rattles their mindset.
2. Be aggressive. You don't want to stall? Then don't stall. Have your team set up with Pokemon that can take a beating, but if need be can dish out massive amounts of damage to almost any pokemon. The JoltWak combo is one of the best anti-stall measures in the game, given that if not predicted it is going to cause a lot of damage, and likely one kill, in a match. Even then if not mishandled, it can cause trouble. Many stall teams can't really win when they are behind, especially if you can just reload your set up on how you killed their pokemon (Such as using Sub with Jolteon again, and passing it right off to Marowak again)
Of course there are counters for Jolteon's baton passing, and Marowak isn't without its weaknesses, but I was just using them as an example. All too often do I see players who really hate stall play into a stall game because they are afraid to take a risk. Risks are how you do it. Stall is based off patterns to ensure their Pokemon don't die, sometimes you have to risk a pokemon (not suicide, risk, as in, attack a bit more often than may be safe) to land that critical prediction (or in my case, a critical hit!) to have a key for victory.
3. Don't be afraid to get lucky, in a 100 turn battle, you are DUE those 6 CHes, don't let them cry too much. That is part of the stigma, that CHes are evil. For stallers maybe. Ches are one of the biggest downfalls of stall teams, for all of their efforts, one CH can cripple them. And even if a lot of people disagree, the average GSC battle you are in fact due 6 to 12 Ches every time. I've always liked the odds of one of those making their team weakened.
But yeah, it isn't always about the team, although you have to prep accordingly. Being recklessly offensive versus a stall team won't get you anywhere, most battlers know how to outlast those who are willing to let their own pokemon die for nothing. Have a plan of a attack from the start, hell, have 3. Look to execute those plans aggressively, and be careful not to get trapped into a corner by status, and you won't need some dream team to beat stallers.
But Curselax helps.
