Team Flower Power
Introduction
I am Harsha, and I was probably last relevant on Smogon in 2012. However, my friend Jirachee and I now lead RMT, and I figured it would be best to learn about the metagame before taking the reigns. From my past (limited) experience in XY OU, I knew that stall was an extremely strong archetype. In most of my XY matches I ended up using a team built by Eo Ut Mortus that most of the tournament community refers to as Eo Stall; it was essentially a lot of fat Pokemon that sponged hits extremely well. There were likely at least 10 variants of the team that people were running given that I have five saved on my computer. Essentially, the same core of Pokemon has remained consistent while the XY metagame developed. FWG cores along with Chansey and a Steel-type still remain a constant and integral portion of every stall team. Pokemon are interchangeable and are replaced with every metagame shift, but the concept remains, and I am led to believe that it will always remain unless major metagame developments occur following the release of the upcoming Pokemon games. My goal in building this team was to have a solid core of Pokemon that would be as close to unbreakable as possible. However, I wanted to make sure that none of my Pokemon were helpless in the face of any opposing threat. You'll notice that I have a lot of attacking moves for a stall team, but I believe that many are necessary. The team is built to pressure the opponent—to make him think carefully, even when he is in an advantageous position.
When building this team, I knew I wanted a tried and true core of Pokemon at the center. While FWG isn't necessarily a good thing to have, you will notice that most good stall teams feature an FWG core still. Lots of Pokemon are interchangeable in this setup, but I went for a core that was featured in one of the variants of Eo Stall: Mega Venusaur, Quagsire, and Heatran. Between these Pokemon, I knew powerful special attackers with coverage against Mega Venusaur and Heatran would be a giant problem, so I chose to use Chansey as my fourth teammate. Oddly enough, I ended up with a sort of SkarmBliss core when I added Skarmory to help me cope with physical threats such as Mega Pinsir and other powerful attackers; Skarmory came with the added benefit of Defog support. I've always preferred using a stall build with a fast Pokemon as the last member; in DPP and BW, you would often see Choice Scarf Tyranitar rounding out a lot of stall teams for its utility in picking off pesky Pokemon through Pursuit trapping and the added possibility of a late-game sweep. I chose to go in a little bit of a different direction with this team though—Keldeo became my last choice. With Choice Specs, Keldeo pressures the opponent heavily, and it has the added bonuses of a Stealth Rock resistance and a chance for Scald burns. The team performed fairly well for me, but I soon realized I had a gaping weakness: Knock Off Landorus. My friend Stathakis suggested I use a specially defensive Gliscor, and we decided to replace Quagsire. This is essentially where we left off with the teambuilding process.
The Team
Venusaur @ Venusaurite *** Flowers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Earthquake
Venusaur is an essential component in my defensive core; it holds off many threats, including—but not limited to—Keldeo, Thundurus (without Hidden Power Flying), Breloom, and Aegislash. Thick Fat is an incredibly useful ability, giving Mega Venusaur defensive neutrality to Fire- and Ice-type attacks; in fact, Mamoswine's Ice STAB moves do pitiful damage, and both Mega Charizard forms are unable to outright OHKO Venusaur, which is quite a testament to its bulk. Venusaur is my first choice against opposing Keldeo because it resists both of Keldeo's STAB moves and it takes pitiful damage from Icy Wind. I also send it out against most Aegislash because even though they might be special sets, Chansey cannot do any damage to Aegislash. However, Venusaur actually beats Aegislash with Earthquake, and it can sponge hits fairly easily from Shadow Ball as long as I don't suffer from an unfortunate Special Defense drop. Venusaur is also incredibly useful against Azumarill, as it resists Play Rough, Waterfall, and Aqua Jet, Knock Off cannot take away Venusaurite, and Thick Fat helps against Ice Punch.
Giga Drain provides the obligatory primary STAB move, and as an added bonus, it heals Venusaur. I often use it when I can tell Landorus will switch in, as it's a good way of getting chip damage. It additionally gives me coverage against Water-types, though most will avoid coming in when Venusaur is in play. Sludge Bomb is useful for damaging Latios, Latias, and Mega Charizard Y on the switch, and it helps me in 1v1 situations against opposing Mega Venusaur. Sludge Bomb is also useful against Clefable and other Fairy-types. The 30% chance of poison from Sludge Bomb can be useful at times, though Sludge Bomb cannot be spammed as Scald or Lava Plume would be because of how common Steel-type Pokemon are. Synthesis was an obvious choice for a stall team because I want Venusaur to be as healthy as possible throughout the match, and it helps me stall the opponent out of PP if need be. The last moveslot came between Earthquake and Leech Seed, though I ultimately decided to go with Earthquake to get big damage on Aegislash and Heatran should they switch in. Earthquake does more damage to Aegislash than Hidden Power Fire, so I have not really considered switching for it.
One problem with Venusaur is that you have to be extremely careful switching it into Keldeo. A stray Scald burn can effectively neuter Venusaur for the entirety of the match, and it makes the game extremely hard because Venusaur can no longer stall out Aegislash effectively, especially should a Special Defense drop occur. I can't necessarily send Chansey out against Keldeo at the risk of Secret Sword, so I essentially have to aim to poison Keldeo as early as possible so that the opponent will not want to keep it on the field. Giving it as few opportunities to switch in as possible is key when using this team. Smart opponents will use Scald because if the opponent uses Hydro Pump, my Venusaur essentially switches in for free.
Venusaur provides a decent switch-in for Mega Mawile, who can do big damage to a lot of teams. Luckily, Venusaur resists Play Rough, and has neutrality against Fire Fang thanks to Thick Fat. I can deal damage back with Earthquake, though that is only a 3HKO. I have to be very careful if the opposing Mawile sets up a Swords Dance. I usually hope that the opponent uses Sucker Punch, as I can threaten to stall out its PP with Synthesis and then attack with Earthquake, though Play Rough does a lot of damage as well, so smart opponents won't blindly attack with Sucker Punch. Heatran is usually better at beating Mawile, though.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb *** Peaceland
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Taunt
Originally Quagsire occupied this spot on the team, but the more I played with it, the more I realized that my team suffered a large weakness to anti-stall Pokemon. You could attribute this weakness to matchup, but I wanted my team to be as solid as possible in all matchups, so I knew I needed to make a change. Landorus ended up being my biggest problem; I could not safely switch Chansey in to sponge hits because of the threat of Knock Off, and Focus Blast dealt a load of damage. Stathakis saw this problem too and came to the conclusion that I should fit a specially defensive Gliscor on the team. Quagsire was not doing a great deal considering I already had other methods of removing Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar and Swords Dance Mega Mawile, so I decided to swap it out with this Gliscor and I've been happy with the results.
Gliscor essentially is the best possible answer for my team to Landorus, as it no longer needs a Toxic Orb after Poison has activated, and Psychic fails to 2HKO. While there's always the threat of a random Hidden Power Ice, it's uncommon enough to say that my team is safe against Landorus. Additionally, Gliscor gives me another Toxic user so that I can spread status. While I can't sponge hits from physical threats as reliably with this variant of Gliscor, Roost and Poison Heal gives me back 62% of my health every use, so I can attempt to stall their attacks; I also have Skarmory to contribute to the cause should the need arise, and Venusaur can take resisted hits. I chose to use Earthquake over Knock Off so that I have a reliable move that deals with Mega Mawile, though I like to switch to Knock Off if I'm sure I will be facing another stall team so that I can remove the opponent's Leftovers recovery.
I generally will try and activate Poison Heal as early as possible in order to truly counter Landorus, as I can't exactly switch in on an incoming Knock Off. While Gliscor is not my only answer, as I do have Keldeo, I cannot reliably switch any other Pokemon on my team in, so I do have to keep it relatively healthy. While Gliscor is immune to Electric attacks, I rarely switch it into Thunder Wave or predicted Thunderbolts because most Electric-type attackers—specifically Thundurus—will carry Hidden Power Ice, and I already have Chansey to deal with those moves. I have considered using Protect to help activate my Toxic Orb without any interruptions, but Taunt is extremely useful in stall vs stall matchups, so I have not tried out Protect.
Heatran @ Leftovers *** Spiral
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power / Protect
- Toxic
Heatran covers up some holes in the team; between its immunity to Fire-type moves, its great resistances, its Fire STAB, and its access to Stealth Rock, Heatran makes a great Pokemon for stall teams. Heatran is my first (and admittedly, only real) answer to Talonflame, though should Heatran falter, Gliscor can pick up the slack with Roost and Poison Heal stalling. Heatran also provides a great answer to Mawile should I need to switch in, as Play Rough is 4x resisted, and Heatran is immune to Fire Fang. Sucker Punch does a lot of damage to Heatran, though, especially if boosted, so I have considered running Roar in order to save my Heatran until I can afford to lose a large chunk of HP later in the match. Roar would also be useful against setup sweepers that try and use Heatran as fodder. This is a change I have never tried, though it might be worth making.
Lava Plume is an essential move on Heatran because it has a 30% chance to burn the opponent, which in turn deters him from switching in even Pokemon that resist Fire, as a burn might render them useless. Earlier on in the team's development, I used Earth Power to hit opposing Heatran and bulky Water-types, though I've found that it does minimal damage to Water-types so I might as well hit them with Lava Plume and fish for a burn. Opposing Heatran are not a big threat to my team, as Chansey covers them quite well, and Keldeo and Venusaur can simply kill them off. Protect is fairly useful for Toxic stalling and fishing out moves from Choice-locked opponents—specifically Choice Specs Keldeo. If I used Roar, I would likely use it in the third slot over Earth Power and Protect, but I've never truly found a time to test its advantages.
I use Stealth Rock on Heatran instead of Skarmory and Chansey because I think Heatran conserves the most momentum, as it can function as an offensive threat. I would not be able to run either Toxic or Seismic Toss on Chansey, which would mean the opponent would be able to set up easily on Chansey. Skarmory is already pressed with Defog support, and running Stealth Rock alongside Defog seemed wonky to me, so Heatran was the logical choice. When I talk about the offensive pressure Heatran brings, I mean the ability to force switches, as I can pressure with the threat of a Lava Plume burn or a surprise Toxic, meaning the opponent has to play very carefully.
Heatran is my primary switch-in to Latias, as even though I have Chansey, Heatran can nullify Latias's Defog immediately by laying Stealth Rock again. Most Latias do not carry Surf, so switching Heatran in is a fairly safe bet; however, the same cannot be said about Latios. You have to be extremely careful when switching Heatran in on Mega Charizard Y on a predicted Fire Blast, as if the opponent predicts well and hits you with a Focus Blast, Heatran will be in a heap of trouble. For this reason, it's often best to try and sponge hits with Chansey. Charizard's PP is fairly easy to stall out, so once Focus Blast runs out of PP, Heatran is the safest bet. In practice, Heatran always ends up being one of the most useful members of the team.
Skarmory @ Leftovers *** Feather
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 16 SpD / 8 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Counter / Brave Bird
- Whirlwind
While Skarmory operates in a more limited role, it's still an essential Pokemon on the team. I do often find it to be the most replaceable member of the team, but it also patches up a lot of holes. Defog support is critical for stall teams; the only entry hazard on my team is Stealth Rock, which can be set up easily given an opening, so losing my entry hazards is not a major problem. Otherwise, Skarmory is my stop to Mega Pinsir, Excadrill, Garchomp (that lack Fire Blast), Mega Gyarados outside of rain, Diggersby, and other various physical threats. Though the power creep is very visible this generation, Skarmory can still handle most physical threats that don't pack super-effective coverage.
I feel like Skarmory is essentially locked into the moves I have listed this generation. Before Defog support was so essential, back in BW OU, Skarmory had a bit of freedom to run Taunt or Spikes, but nowadays, you only see Skarmory with Roost, Defog, and Whirlwind. I originally had Counter as my preferred move for the last slot, but I've found it to be annoying when Brave Bird could deal with an opposing Pokemon faster. I've recently switched around between the two moves, but I have had no real clear-cut favorite move because each is useful in its own situation. For instance, Counter is useful for when an opponent uses Knock Off to get rid of my Leftovers, though Brave Bird allows me to get an immediate KO on last Pokemon Mega Pinsir instead of playing guessing games with Counter and Roost to get Sturdy back (this is only applicable to weakened Skarmory).
Whirlwind is useful for preventing setups, and it punishes Pokemon for trying to put up a Substitute, though Skarmory is known well enough to where that will not happen except for in a last Pokemon scenario. I run 8 Speed to creep 4 Speed Skarmory, though I'm not particularly willing to keep creeping for anything above that. I always try and keep the field free of entry hazards if I see an opposing Mega Gardevoir because Chansey wants to always be at full health against those teams. For this reason, Skarmory comes out earlier than usual unless the opponent fails to get Stealth Rock down.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs *** Prayer
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind
While Keldeo seems like an odd choice for a stall team, it's actually served me really well. Choice Specs Scald always pressures the opponent because of the threat of a Scald burn. I see a lot of 5 fat Pokemon + 1 offensive Pokemon stall teams with a genie as the offensive Pokemon, though I prefer Keldeo because it resists Stealth Rock and pressures a little better. Of the Pokemon that can fill the offensive Pokemon role, there are: Greninja, Landorus, Thundurus, Latios, Latias, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Keldeo has fairly notable qualities over all of these Pokemon.
Greninja seems like a great choice for an offensive Pokemon, but it's unfortunately far too frail, and the while it gets a STAB bonus on every attack in its arsenal, I simply cannot switch it in. Additionally, even with a Life Orb, it fails to land a lot of notable KOs that I would need, such as one on Mega Gardevoir. Landorus and Thundurus are actually quite good choices on stall teams for offensive Pokemon, as they can both pack Knock Off to punish common switch-ins, but Stealth Rock punishes both of them a little too much for my liking, and Landorus isn't necessarily that fast, while Keldeo can at least Speed-tie opposing Keldeo and Terrakion. Additionally, Mega Mawile can prey on weakened genies with Sucker Punch, whereas Fighting typing helps Keldeo simply force a switch.
Latios and Latias are fairly good, and both do bring assets to the table. Should Latios run a Choice set, it can Trick an item to neuter opposing stall teams, while Life Orb Latios is useful for doing big damage to a lot of threats. Latias has Healing Wish to restore a weakened wall back to its full health, which can be useful if my Mega Venusaur is burnt, but needed as a win condition, or if a Pokemon is too weak to switch in while Stealth Rock is on the field. However, this is fairly situational, and often it is not worth sacrificing a Pokemon on a stall team. Ultimately, the weakness to Pursuit is their undoing, as Bisharp and Aegislash suddenly gain the ability to play checkmate games with me. I did not want to use Terrakion given that it simply does not provide the same presence as Keldeo. Thus, I chose to use Keldeo.
As I said earlier, Scald is a godsend. Whenever Keldeo is in and it isn't tasked with a revenge KO, I generally use Scald. Secret Sword provides the threat against Chansey, making opposing Chansey users wary of sending it in so soon. It also provides the OHKO on Ferrothorn, giving Keldeo two great options against Ferrothorn teams (with Scald being the other). I rarely use Hydro Pump unless I have managed to play opposing Mega Gardevoir users into allowing my Keldeo to come in, in which case I will try to get rid of the looming threat as soon as possible. Hydro Pump also does big damage if the opponent brings rain, but otherwise it does not see too much use. Icy Wind is mainly to nail Latios, Latias, and Dragonite switches, though Scald honestly threatens them enough.
Chansey @ Eviolite *** Island
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Softboiled
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Chansey is, simply put, the glue that holds this team together. It sponges far too many hits to not be a staple on almost all stall teams. It takes Mega Charizard Y's attacks like a champ, and it's my saving grace against opposing Mega Gardevoir (though Taunt Mega Gardevoir is still a major headache, and I have to play around with Keldeo to beat it). While SkarmBliss might not be the core it once was with the major power creep that has come along in the past few generations, Chansey is probably at its strongest now.
I don't think this set is very common nowadays (though I might be wrong), but I use an old set I like a lot back in BW Ubers. Essentially, the goal is to get a Toxic off and play the role of a cleric with Wish. Without Protect, Wish can be somewhat dangerous on Chansey, but I run it along with Softboiled so that I have a source of immediate recovery while still having room to not leave me helpless to Taunt. I have never liked Chansey that lack Seismic Toss because they are pure setup fodder, and Chansey can both break Substitute and poison the opposing Pokemon should the opponent try and set up.
I try and be extremely conservative with Chansey if I play against opposing Mega Gardevoir because they are simply the biggest threat to stall. I cannot risk getting 2HKOed by Focus Blast so I often keep the field clean of entry hazards should I see one. While Chansey can wall Landorus, more and more have begun to use Knock Off, so I generally leave Gliscor up to that task, which it accomplishes quite well between Toxic and Roost.
I have considered using Blissey because Leftovers recovery is extremely useful, but Chansey passes Wishes that are big enough already, and Blissey takes more immediate damage, subjecting it to some unsavory 2HKOs. I think Chansey is overall better because these 2HKOs are not all that uncommon—Landorus has the ability to 2HKO Blissey with Focus Blast, while Chansey survives and can stall out its PP. The biggest advantage Blissey brings is that it is not as helpless as Chansey without its items; however, I have Gliscor and Venusaur to take Knock Off, so it's not a big issue overall.
I have considered using a Wish + Protect set over my current set, but have never gotten to it. I assume it would help me waste the opponent's PP and scout Choice attacks, but it has both its negatives and its positives (such as suffering extra passive damage if afflicted by status or in sand). Chansey itself has never really lent itself to change, though. The fact remains: it does its job, and it does its job extremely well.
Conclusion
I will end this RMT by stating the obvious: no team is without its flaws, this one included. Like all stall, you cannot cover every single threat with one team; this holds especially true in XY OU because of the large number of Pokemon available for use. Mega Gardevoir is perhaps the biggest threat to this team, as it can 2HKO Chansey and essentially beats the rest of my team. I can revenge kill it with Keldeo, but the opponent can switch out, meaning I have only postponed the problem. Predicting a Taunt and sacking Keldeo (unless it gets a good damage roll) to KO Keldeo is my best option, but it's extremely risky and often not worth doing. Mega Medicham is also a fairly large threat given that nothing in my team can safely switch into it, though Keldeo again can revenge kill it. I can also bait it with Gliscor and then switch to Keldeo on the Ice Punch, but again, this is fairly risky. Otherwise, I have not found too many Pokemon to be problematic. XY OU is extremely matchup-based, so with stall you have to pick and choose your battles. By the way, be sure to check out Paprika's blog, where I found the amazing pictures I used for the RMT.
Introduction
I am Harsha, and I was probably last relevant on Smogon in 2012. However, my friend Jirachee and I now lead RMT, and I figured it would be best to learn about the metagame before taking the reigns. From my past (limited) experience in XY OU, I knew that stall was an extremely strong archetype. In most of my XY matches I ended up using a team built by Eo Ut Mortus that most of the tournament community refers to as Eo Stall; it was essentially a lot of fat Pokemon that sponged hits extremely well. There were likely at least 10 variants of the team that people were running given that I have five saved on my computer. Essentially, the same core of Pokemon has remained consistent while the XY metagame developed. FWG cores along with Chansey and a Steel-type still remain a constant and integral portion of every stall team. Pokemon are interchangeable and are replaced with every metagame shift, but the concept remains, and I am led to believe that it will always remain unless major metagame developments occur following the release of the upcoming Pokemon games. My goal in building this team was to have a solid core of Pokemon that would be as close to unbreakable as possible. However, I wanted to make sure that none of my Pokemon were helpless in the face of any opposing threat. You'll notice that I have a lot of attacking moves for a stall team, but I believe that many are necessary. The team is built to pressure the opponent—to make him think carefully, even when he is in an advantageous position.
When building this team, I knew I wanted a tried and true core of Pokemon at the center. While FWG isn't necessarily a good thing to have, you will notice that most good stall teams feature an FWG core still. Lots of Pokemon are interchangeable in this setup, but I went for a core that was featured in one of the variants of Eo Stall: Mega Venusaur, Quagsire, and Heatran. Between these Pokemon, I knew powerful special attackers with coverage against Mega Venusaur and Heatran would be a giant problem, so I chose to use Chansey as my fourth teammate. Oddly enough, I ended up with a sort of SkarmBliss core when I added Skarmory to help me cope with physical threats such as Mega Pinsir and other powerful attackers; Skarmory came with the added benefit of Defog support. I've always preferred using a stall build with a fast Pokemon as the last member; in DPP and BW, you would often see Choice Scarf Tyranitar rounding out a lot of stall teams for its utility in picking off pesky Pokemon through Pursuit trapping and the added possibility of a late-game sweep. I chose to go in a little bit of a different direction with this team though—Keldeo became my last choice. With Choice Specs, Keldeo pressures the opponent heavily, and it has the added bonuses of a Stealth Rock resistance and a chance for Scald burns. The team performed fairly well for me, but I soon realized I had a gaping weakness: Knock Off Landorus. My friend Stathakis suggested I use a specially defensive Gliscor, and we decided to replace Quagsire. This is essentially where we left off with the teambuilding process.
The Team
Venusaur @ Venusaurite *** Flowers
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Earthquake
Venusaur is an essential component in my defensive core; it holds off many threats, including—but not limited to—Keldeo, Thundurus (without Hidden Power Flying), Breloom, and Aegislash. Thick Fat is an incredibly useful ability, giving Mega Venusaur defensive neutrality to Fire- and Ice-type attacks; in fact, Mamoswine's Ice STAB moves do pitiful damage, and both Mega Charizard forms are unable to outright OHKO Venusaur, which is quite a testament to its bulk. Venusaur is my first choice against opposing Keldeo because it resists both of Keldeo's STAB moves and it takes pitiful damage from Icy Wind. I also send it out against most Aegislash because even though they might be special sets, Chansey cannot do any damage to Aegislash. However, Venusaur actually beats Aegislash with Earthquake, and it can sponge hits fairly easily from Shadow Ball as long as I don't suffer from an unfortunate Special Defense drop. Venusaur is also incredibly useful against Azumarill, as it resists Play Rough, Waterfall, and Aqua Jet, Knock Off cannot take away Venusaurite, and Thick Fat helps against Ice Punch.
Giga Drain provides the obligatory primary STAB move, and as an added bonus, it heals Venusaur. I often use it when I can tell Landorus will switch in, as it's a good way of getting chip damage. It additionally gives me coverage against Water-types, though most will avoid coming in when Venusaur is in play. Sludge Bomb is useful for damaging Latios, Latias, and Mega Charizard Y on the switch, and it helps me in 1v1 situations against opposing Mega Venusaur. Sludge Bomb is also useful against Clefable and other Fairy-types. The 30% chance of poison from Sludge Bomb can be useful at times, though Sludge Bomb cannot be spammed as Scald or Lava Plume would be because of how common Steel-type Pokemon are. Synthesis was an obvious choice for a stall team because I want Venusaur to be as healthy as possible throughout the match, and it helps me stall the opponent out of PP if need be. The last moveslot came between Earthquake and Leech Seed, though I ultimately decided to go with Earthquake to get big damage on Aegislash and Heatran should they switch in. Earthquake does more damage to Aegislash than Hidden Power Fire, so I have not really considered switching for it.
One problem with Venusaur is that you have to be extremely careful switching it into Keldeo. A stray Scald burn can effectively neuter Venusaur for the entirety of the match, and it makes the game extremely hard because Venusaur can no longer stall out Aegislash effectively, especially should a Special Defense drop occur. I can't necessarily send Chansey out against Keldeo at the risk of Secret Sword, so I essentially have to aim to poison Keldeo as early as possible so that the opponent will not want to keep it on the field. Giving it as few opportunities to switch in as possible is key when using this team. Smart opponents will use Scald because if the opponent uses Hydro Pump, my Venusaur essentially switches in for free.
Venusaur provides a decent switch-in for Mega Mawile, who can do big damage to a lot of teams. Luckily, Venusaur resists Play Rough, and has neutrality against Fire Fang thanks to Thick Fat. I can deal damage back with Earthquake, though that is only a 3HKO. I have to be very careful if the opposing Mawile sets up a Swords Dance. I usually hope that the opponent uses Sucker Punch, as I can threaten to stall out its PP with Synthesis and then attack with Earthquake, though Play Rough does a lot of damage as well, so smart opponents won't blindly attack with Sucker Punch. Heatran is usually better at beating Mawile, though.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb *** Peaceland
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Taunt
Originally Quagsire occupied this spot on the team, but the more I played with it, the more I realized that my team suffered a large weakness to anti-stall Pokemon. You could attribute this weakness to matchup, but I wanted my team to be as solid as possible in all matchups, so I knew I needed to make a change. Landorus ended up being my biggest problem; I could not safely switch Chansey in to sponge hits because of the threat of Knock Off, and Focus Blast dealt a load of damage. Stathakis saw this problem too and came to the conclusion that I should fit a specially defensive Gliscor on the team. Quagsire was not doing a great deal considering I already had other methods of removing Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar and Swords Dance Mega Mawile, so I decided to swap it out with this Gliscor and I've been happy with the results.
Gliscor essentially is the best possible answer for my team to Landorus, as it no longer needs a Toxic Orb after Poison has activated, and Psychic fails to 2HKO. While there's always the threat of a random Hidden Power Ice, it's uncommon enough to say that my team is safe against Landorus. Additionally, Gliscor gives me another Toxic user so that I can spread status. While I can't sponge hits from physical threats as reliably with this variant of Gliscor, Roost and Poison Heal gives me back 62% of my health every use, so I can attempt to stall their attacks; I also have Skarmory to contribute to the cause should the need arise, and Venusaur can take resisted hits. I chose to use Earthquake over Knock Off so that I have a reliable move that deals with Mega Mawile, though I like to switch to Knock Off if I'm sure I will be facing another stall team so that I can remove the opponent's Leftovers recovery.
I generally will try and activate Poison Heal as early as possible in order to truly counter Landorus, as I can't exactly switch in on an incoming Knock Off. While Gliscor is not my only answer, as I do have Keldeo, I cannot reliably switch any other Pokemon on my team in, so I do have to keep it relatively healthy. While Gliscor is immune to Electric attacks, I rarely switch it into Thunder Wave or predicted Thunderbolts because most Electric-type attackers—specifically Thundurus—will carry Hidden Power Ice, and I already have Chansey to deal with those moves. I have considered using Protect to help activate my Toxic Orb without any interruptions, but Taunt is extremely useful in stall vs stall matchups, so I have not tried out Protect.
Heatran @ Leftovers *** Spiral
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Earth Power / Protect
- Toxic
Heatran covers up some holes in the team; between its immunity to Fire-type moves, its great resistances, its Fire STAB, and its access to Stealth Rock, Heatran makes a great Pokemon for stall teams. Heatran is my first (and admittedly, only real) answer to Talonflame, though should Heatran falter, Gliscor can pick up the slack with Roost and Poison Heal stalling. Heatran also provides a great answer to Mawile should I need to switch in, as Play Rough is 4x resisted, and Heatran is immune to Fire Fang. Sucker Punch does a lot of damage to Heatran, though, especially if boosted, so I have considered running Roar in order to save my Heatran until I can afford to lose a large chunk of HP later in the match. Roar would also be useful against setup sweepers that try and use Heatran as fodder. This is a change I have never tried, though it might be worth making.
Lava Plume is an essential move on Heatran because it has a 30% chance to burn the opponent, which in turn deters him from switching in even Pokemon that resist Fire, as a burn might render them useless. Earlier on in the team's development, I used Earth Power to hit opposing Heatran and bulky Water-types, though I've found that it does minimal damage to Water-types so I might as well hit them with Lava Plume and fish for a burn. Opposing Heatran are not a big threat to my team, as Chansey covers them quite well, and Keldeo and Venusaur can simply kill them off. Protect is fairly useful for Toxic stalling and fishing out moves from Choice-locked opponents—specifically Choice Specs Keldeo. If I used Roar, I would likely use it in the third slot over Earth Power and Protect, but I've never truly found a time to test its advantages.
I use Stealth Rock on Heatran instead of Skarmory and Chansey because I think Heatran conserves the most momentum, as it can function as an offensive threat. I would not be able to run either Toxic or Seismic Toss on Chansey, which would mean the opponent would be able to set up easily on Chansey. Skarmory is already pressed with Defog support, and running Stealth Rock alongside Defog seemed wonky to me, so Heatran was the logical choice. When I talk about the offensive pressure Heatran brings, I mean the ability to force switches, as I can pressure with the threat of a Lava Plume burn or a surprise Toxic, meaning the opponent has to play very carefully.
Heatran is my primary switch-in to Latias, as even though I have Chansey, Heatran can nullify Latias's Defog immediately by laying Stealth Rock again. Most Latias do not carry Surf, so switching Heatran in is a fairly safe bet; however, the same cannot be said about Latios. You have to be extremely careful when switching Heatran in on Mega Charizard Y on a predicted Fire Blast, as if the opponent predicts well and hits you with a Focus Blast, Heatran will be in a heap of trouble. For this reason, it's often best to try and sponge hits with Chansey. Charizard's PP is fairly easy to stall out, so once Focus Blast runs out of PP, Heatran is the safest bet. In practice, Heatran always ends up being one of the most useful members of the team.
Skarmory @ Leftovers *** Feather
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 16 SpD / 8 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Counter / Brave Bird
- Whirlwind
While Skarmory operates in a more limited role, it's still an essential Pokemon on the team. I do often find it to be the most replaceable member of the team, but it also patches up a lot of holes. Defog support is critical for stall teams; the only entry hazard on my team is Stealth Rock, which can be set up easily given an opening, so losing my entry hazards is not a major problem. Otherwise, Skarmory is my stop to Mega Pinsir, Excadrill, Garchomp (that lack Fire Blast), Mega Gyarados outside of rain, Diggersby, and other various physical threats. Though the power creep is very visible this generation, Skarmory can still handle most physical threats that don't pack super-effective coverage.
I feel like Skarmory is essentially locked into the moves I have listed this generation. Before Defog support was so essential, back in BW OU, Skarmory had a bit of freedom to run Taunt or Spikes, but nowadays, you only see Skarmory with Roost, Defog, and Whirlwind. I originally had Counter as my preferred move for the last slot, but I've found it to be annoying when Brave Bird could deal with an opposing Pokemon faster. I've recently switched around between the two moves, but I have had no real clear-cut favorite move because each is useful in its own situation. For instance, Counter is useful for when an opponent uses Knock Off to get rid of my Leftovers, though Brave Bird allows me to get an immediate KO on last Pokemon Mega Pinsir instead of playing guessing games with Counter and Roost to get Sturdy back (this is only applicable to weakened Skarmory).
Whirlwind is useful for preventing setups, and it punishes Pokemon for trying to put up a Substitute, though Skarmory is known well enough to where that will not happen except for in a last Pokemon scenario. I run 8 Speed to creep 4 Speed Skarmory, though I'm not particularly willing to keep creeping for anything above that. I always try and keep the field free of entry hazards if I see an opposing Mega Gardevoir because Chansey wants to always be at full health against those teams. For this reason, Skarmory comes out earlier than usual unless the opponent fails to get Stealth Rock down.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs *** Prayer
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Icy Wind
While Keldeo seems like an odd choice for a stall team, it's actually served me really well. Choice Specs Scald always pressures the opponent because of the threat of a Scald burn. I see a lot of 5 fat Pokemon + 1 offensive Pokemon stall teams with a genie as the offensive Pokemon, though I prefer Keldeo because it resists Stealth Rock and pressures a little better. Of the Pokemon that can fill the offensive Pokemon role, there are: Greninja, Landorus, Thundurus, Latios, Latias, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Keldeo has fairly notable qualities over all of these Pokemon.
Greninja seems like a great choice for an offensive Pokemon, but it's unfortunately far too frail, and the while it gets a STAB bonus on every attack in its arsenal, I simply cannot switch it in. Additionally, even with a Life Orb, it fails to land a lot of notable KOs that I would need, such as one on Mega Gardevoir. Landorus and Thundurus are actually quite good choices on stall teams for offensive Pokemon, as they can both pack Knock Off to punish common switch-ins, but Stealth Rock punishes both of them a little too much for my liking, and Landorus isn't necessarily that fast, while Keldeo can at least Speed-tie opposing Keldeo and Terrakion. Additionally, Mega Mawile can prey on weakened genies with Sucker Punch, whereas Fighting typing helps Keldeo simply force a switch.
Latios and Latias are fairly good, and both do bring assets to the table. Should Latios run a Choice set, it can Trick an item to neuter opposing stall teams, while Life Orb Latios is useful for doing big damage to a lot of threats. Latias has Healing Wish to restore a weakened wall back to its full health, which can be useful if my Mega Venusaur is burnt, but needed as a win condition, or if a Pokemon is too weak to switch in while Stealth Rock is on the field. However, this is fairly situational, and often it is not worth sacrificing a Pokemon on a stall team. Ultimately, the weakness to Pursuit is their undoing, as Bisharp and Aegislash suddenly gain the ability to play checkmate games with me. I did not want to use Terrakion given that it simply does not provide the same presence as Keldeo. Thus, I chose to use Keldeo.
As I said earlier, Scald is a godsend. Whenever Keldeo is in and it isn't tasked with a revenge KO, I generally use Scald. Secret Sword provides the threat against Chansey, making opposing Chansey users wary of sending it in so soon. It also provides the OHKO on Ferrothorn, giving Keldeo two great options against Ferrothorn teams (with Scald being the other). I rarely use Hydro Pump unless I have managed to play opposing Mega Gardevoir users into allowing my Keldeo to come in, in which case I will try to get rid of the looming threat as soon as possible. Hydro Pump also does big damage if the opponent brings rain, but otherwise it does not see too much use. Icy Wind is mainly to nail Latios, Latias, and Dragonite switches, though Scald honestly threatens them enough.
Chansey @ Eviolite *** Island
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Atk
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Softboiled
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Chansey is, simply put, the glue that holds this team together. It sponges far too many hits to not be a staple on almost all stall teams. It takes Mega Charizard Y's attacks like a champ, and it's my saving grace against opposing Mega Gardevoir (though Taunt Mega Gardevoir is still a major headache, and I have to play around with Keldeo to beat it). While SkarmBliss might not be the core it once was with the major power creep that has come along in the past few generations, Chansey is probably at its strongest now.
I don't think this set is very common nowadays (though I might be wrong), but I use an old set I like a lot back in BW Ubers. Essentially, the goal is to get a Toxic off and play the role of a cleric with Wish. Without Protect, Wish can be somewhat dangerous on Chansey, but I run it along with Softboiled so that I have a source of immediate recovery while still having room to not leave me helpless to Taunt. I have never liked Chansey that lack Seismic Toss because they are pure setup fodder, and Chansey can both break Substitute and poison the opposing Pokemon should the opponent try and set up.
I try and be extremely conservative with Chansey if I play against opposing Mega Gardevoir because they are simply the biggest threat to stall. I cannot risk getting 2HKOed by Focus Blast so I often keep the field clean of entry hazards should I see one. While Chansey can wall Landorus, more and more have begun to use Knock Off, so I generally leave Gliscor up to that task, which it accomplishes quite well between Toxic and Roost.
I have considered using Blissey because Leftovers recovery is extremely useful, but Chansey passes Wishes that are big enough already, and Blissey takes more immediate damage, subjecting it to some unsavory 2HKOs. I think Chansey is overall better because these 2HKOs are not all that uncommon—Landorus has the ability to 2HKO Blissey with Focus Blast, while Chansey survives and can stall out its PP. The biggest advantage Blissey brings is that it is not as helpless as Chansey without its items; however, I have Gliscor and Venusaur to take Knock Off, so it's not a big issue overall.
I have considered using a Wish + Protect set over my current set, but have never gotten to it. I assume it would help me waste the opponent's PP and scout Choice attacks, but it has both its negatives and its positives (such as suffering extra passive damage if afflicted by status or in sand). Chansey itself has never really lent itself to change, though. The fact remains: it does its job, and it does its job extremely well.
Conclusion
I will end this RMT by stating the obvious: no team is without its flaws, this one included. Like all stall, you cannot cover every single threat with one team; this holds especially true in XY OU because of the large number of Pokemon available for use. Mega Gardevoir is perhaps the biggest threat to this team, as it can 2HKO Chansey and essentially beats the rest of my team. I can revenge kill it with Keldeo, but the opponent can switch out, meaning I have only postponed the problem. Predicting a Taunt and sacking Keldeo (unless it gets a good damage roll) to KO Keldeo is my best option, but it's extremely risky and often not worth doing. Mega Medicham is also a fairly large threat given that nothing in my team can safely switch into it, though Keldeo again can revenge kill it. I can also bait it with Gliscor and then switch to Keldeo on the Ice Punch, but again, this is fairly risky. Otherwise, I have not found too many Pokemon to be problematic. XY OU is extremely matchup-based, so with stall you have to pick and choose your battles. By the way, be sure to check out Paprika's blog, where I found the amazing pictures I used for the RMT.
