Hi everyone. I built this team when I realized a lot of my teams, even though they started out with different Pokemon, morphed into the same thing. Even using my Dark Horse of Hippowdon, I still ended up with the type of team. My team reflected my playstyle, balanced teams that used spike stacking to sweep while Gengar or Jellicent were thrown in to spin block. Well, of course the teams and the game would get stale! Thus, I decided to venture into the alien and unknown for me: stall. Not many people play it now, certainly a dying breed. It also comes with the stigma of being boring to play by its nature. With an open mind, I ventured into it and after a long series of starting from scratch and tweaking, this was the end result. As a playstyle, stall isn't bad, and its fun to play too. With the plethora of new offensive threats in OU and the sense of no fun, stall is not doing so well. It certainly facing some:
The Teambuilding Process
One aspect that what I think deters a lot of people from stall is that it is difficult to build a good team, you always had cracks. I found out it is a lot more than just slapping six walls around into a team. When adding a poke to the team, I had to think hard about a couple of factors. What does this poke bring to the table? How well does it synergize with the team? If it doesn't how much am I going to change all the other members? Does it offer a niche that other pokes don't have? All these led to a team building process that (I hope) I can explain concisely.
Here is the guy I started with. Rotom-W has always been a great addition to any team. I really wanted to build a team around the SubSplit set (yes that one). Even if its a offensive set, Rotom's great typing and defenses will surely be able to pull him through.
Toxic Spikes, Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock support? Yes please! Forretress looked like a great fit for a stall team. IMO there are 5 threats that every team should cover in OU. Forretress counters one of them: Dragons.
To stick around, it was obvious that Forretress needed Wish support. Blissey was the perfect canidate, covering the special spectrum that Forretress couldn't very well. Her huge HP would guarantee that Forretress would get up to full health.
Next up I need to a poke who could counter Volcarona, and more importantly, stop Sun teams. Heatran fit the bill perfectly. Specially defensive Heatran would help Blissey wall the special spectrum, as well as benefit from her wishes. This also met that Forretress could free up room for Spikes as opposed to Stealth Rock.
Victory was dependent on hazards and I had all three of them on my team. Naturally, I needed a spinblocker. The pool of spin blockers was certainly limited in OU, seemingly only having two choices. Naturally, Jellicent was placed on my team. He also provided an answer to powerful, rain boosted water-attacks.
I noticed that Forretress had a lot of pressure on him to defend against physical attackers. Wanting to add to the residual damage, I needed to add Sandstorm. Hippowdon seemed like the perfect choice aiding against physical attackers. The team now complete, I thought I had a pretty mean stall team.
Oh boy was I wrong. This team screamed "set up bait" even with phazers on both sides of the spectrum. When I tried to fix one problem, it would lead to another, which would require even more adjustments. This process continued until I realized I would need to start from scratch again. Starmie could still spin my hazards away against Jellicent as well. To top it off CM Reuniclus laughed in my face. I took the two best members of my team and Rotom-W to start again.
Meet the current team! Skarmory is a much more reliable spiker and wall than Forretress ever was. Roserade is one of the few viable pokemon with Toxic Spikes. She provides a lot of niches to this team such as absorbing Toxic Spikes, a second status absorber, a big offensive presence, and the ability to beat ScizorWash. Finnally, what became the jewl of this team :naughty: was Sableye. Sableye will beat standard CM Reuniclus 1 vs 1 every single time. On top of that, he makes an excellent spin blocker, stall breaker, and status spreader with priority burn. Now onto the team!
Biggest Threats; Hardest Times:
Psyshock Latios: As of now, almost all Latios carry Surf. If Surf is boosted by Rain, Heatran will only be able to get 1 Dragon Pulse off at full health. Why can't Blissey take him? Because Psyshock does so much damage to Blissey it still is a 2HKO-3HKO. Add to the fact that Latios is only damaged by SR neutrally, he is a big threat.
Breloom: If Skarm is down, Breloom becomes a huge threat. Poison Heal prevents the burn from Sableye and Breloom resists both of Rotom-W's moves.
Infernape: The coverage provided by Inferape makes him very hard to switch around him. Coupled that he is not able to get burned due to his Fire typing, it can cause trouble. Toxic Spikes is the best route of action against Inferape.
DD Salamence: Surprisingly I can switch around MixMence, its his DD set that causes me trouble. Fire Blast hurts Skarmory a lot, moreso since he doesn't have leftovers. The best route of action against Salemence is get SR down and burn him with Sableye.
Import Me
Conclusion
Stall isn't the boring playstyle that some people make it out to be! It can allow you to go out of the box with your pokes. Sure, there are a lot of new, powerful offensive threats this gen, but the defensive side has made some pretty big strides too (Ferrothorn, Pringles, Prankster Sableye). I hope you enjoyed my read and can get stall through its hard times.
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Hard Times
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The Teambuilding Process
One aspect that what I think deters a lot of people from stall is that it is difficult to build a good team, you always had cracks. I found out it is a lot more than just slapping six walls around into a team. When adding a poke to the team, I had to think hard about a couple of factors. What does this poke bring to the table? How well does it synergize with the team? If it doesn't how much am I going to change all the other members? Does it offer a niche that other pokes don't have? All these led to a team building process that (I hope) I can explain concisely.
Here is the guy I started with. Rotom-W has always been a great addition to any team. I really wanted to build a team around the SubSplit set (yes that one). Even if its a offensive set, Rotom's great typing and defenses will surely be able to pull him through.
Toxic Spikes, Rapid Spin, Stealth Rock support? Yes please! Forretress looked like a great fit for a stall team. IMO there are 5 threats that every team should cover in OU. Forretress counters one of them: Dragons.
To stick around, it was obvious that Forretress needed Wish support. Blissey was the perfect canidate, covering the special spectrum that Forretress couldn't very well. Her huge HP would guarantee that Forretress would get up to full health.
Next up I need to a poke who could counter Volcarona, and more importantly, stop Sun teams. Heatran fit the bill perfectly. Specially defensive Heatran would help Blissey wall the special spectrum, as well as benefit from her wishes. This also met that Forretress could free up room for Spikes as opposed to Stealth Rock.
Victory was dependent on hazards and I had all three of them on my team. Naturally, I needed a spinblocker. The pool of spin blockers was certainly limited in OU, seemingly only having two choices. Naturally, Jellicent was placed on my team. He also provided an answer to powerful, rain boosted water-attacks.
I noticed that Forretress had a lot of pressure on him to defend against physical attackers. Wanting to add to the residual damage, I needed to add Sandstorm. Hippowdon seemed like the perfect choice aiding against physical attackers. The team now complete, I thought I had a pretty mean stall team.
Oh boy was I wrong. This team screamed "set up bait" even with phazers on both sides of the spectrum. When I tried to fix one problem, it would lead to another, which would require even more adjustments. This process continued until I realized I would need to start from scratch again. Starmie could still spin my hazards away against Jellicent as well. To top it off CM Reuniclus laughed in my face. I took the two best members of my team and Rotom-W to start again.
Meet the current team! Skarmory is a much more reliable spiker and wall than Forretress ever was. Roserade is one of the few viable pokemon with Toxic Spikes. She provides a lot of niches to this team such as absorbing Toxic Spikes, a second status absorber, a big offensive presence, and the ability to beat ScizorWash. Finnally, what became the jewl of this team :naughty: was Sableye. Sableye will beat standard CM Reuniclus 1 vs 1 every single time. On top of that, he makes an excellent spin blocker, stall breaker, and status spreader with priority burn. Now onto the team!
The Team
*Edits are in Red
Mrs.Annoying (Skarmory) (F) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
- Drill Peck
Ah Skarmory, the bane of physical attackers since 2nd Gen. Skarmory most important roles on this team are providing Spikes and countering the rampant physical Dragons in OU. She also provides phazing from the physical side of the spectrum to rack up hazard damage. Shed Shell is an odd choice, but it prevents my team from being steamrolled by Magnezone+Attackers teams. Shed Shell comes at a price however. With Shed Shell I'm running Max/Max+ defenses because without it Skarmory has the potential to be 2HKO'ed by boosted Dragonites Fire Punch as opposed to 3 with Leftovers. Drill Peck has to be run too, since Leftovers makes me more cautious with the HP. Finally, I can't regain health all the way to Sturdy as easily compared to having Leftovers. Skarmory continues to perform however and is a great fit on this team.
I have found that running Speed EV's aren't necessary like the standard because Skarmory can switch out of Wobbufett with Shed Shell to Sableye. The extra defense EV's allow me to live 2 boosted Fire Punch's from Dragonite. These extra defense EV's aren't needed if I used lefties. However, I am sticking with Shed Shell. I have found that it gives me the win on teams that rely on Magnezone and the niche it provides are a much greater boon than if I used leftovers.
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Mrs. Wall (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Protect
- Toxic
- Wish
- Seismic Toss
Of course Skarmbliss returns on a stall team! Support Blissey takes the spot over Wish Blissey. Blissey is the Pokemon that has Stealth Rock on this team, as I have found that she is the poke who most often has the oppurtunity to set up. Toxic is for the pokemon that Toxic Spikes don't hit, and it can make facing Latios substantially easier. Seismic Toss for the most consistent damage, especially against Latios. However I have found Blissey the most liable and replaceable member of my team. She always becomes set-up bait and she falters against some of the pokemon she is supposed to counter. Psyshock on Latios is very hard on Blissey, thus the team. However, after fiddling with her slot I still can't find something suitable. With Latias opposing Latios are a problem, Jirachi shares the Gound weakness with Heatran, while Vaporeon can't stick up against special hits as easily. Can anyone suggest a suitable poke for her place?
Still no one has suggested a replacement for Blissey, but now I see her in a new light. I was wrong, wish really does help the team out. Not only does it help Heatran, it eases up the pressure on Skarmory because of Skarmory's lack of Leftovers. Protect let's her take advantage of Toxic Spikes as well as scout for choiced moves where I can switch in the appropiate counter to (particularly with fighting moves to Sableye). I am sticking with Seismic Toss because I don't want my entire team walled by Heatran and it does decent damage to Latios. Toxic is still on their because it helps greatly with CM Latias and wearing down Latios.
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Mr.Gradgrind (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Protect
I have not been dissapointed by Heatran's performance on this team. He stops a lot of pokes cold, specifically Volcarona and Sun teams. Heatran isn't the first switch in to special attackers, that's Blissey. However, when the time calls for it, Heatran is a great backup to Blissey if she has to much to handle. If need be, Heatran is the secondary physical Dragon counter for this team. Lava Plume and Roar are pretty standard, one provides burn support to pokes that can't be Toxic'ed and to make Rotom's subs studier while the other is phazing on the special spectrum. Dragon Pulse may seem like a weird option, but it allows him to hit Latios for a good 50%; a good thing for a poke only taking neutral SR damage. In addition it helps against Dragonites without Earthquake, specifically the Sub DDnite endgame. Protect works wonders in conjunction with Toxic Spikes and gives him the extra healing he needs. Even without wish support, I often find Heatran one of the pokes around until the end of the match.
Boy was I wrong. The Wish from Blissey turns Heatran from a stop to a full on wall. Stealth Rock is now on Heatran as opposed to Blissey. Heatran has trouble setting up Stealth Rock against Rain teams, but it can usually find the opportunity against Tornadus or Ferrothorn. Heatran acts as a good stop to Lati@s, sun teams, and Volcarona. However, I've been think about replacing him. Sun teams have been finding ways around Heatran, paticularly Dugtrio, and I still have to be wary of HP Ground Volcarona (don't know how many use HP Ground in the statistics). Therefore I have been thinking about replacing him on this team, but TBH I don't know what could replace his role of taking on Sun teams or Volcarona.
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Louisa (Roserade) (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
152 HP / 68 SAtk / 252 SDef / 36 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rest
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Out of all the pokes on my team, Roserade is the one who has surprised me the most with her effectiveness. The idea for a bulky Roserade came from tehy, who used it against me when I first started battling. 124 Spd EV's allowes it to outspeed a defensive Rotom-W. 60 Special Attack EV's gives her a good chance to OHKO Scizor with SR down when he switches in or decides to U-turn. ScizorWash is the reason I run Black Sludge, to disuade Rotom's trick. The rest of the EV's are placed into HP and SDef for maximum bulk. It also gives her a great offensive option with Leaf Storm. Roserade plays a very crucial part against Rain teams. She absorbs Tentacruels Toxic Spikes while tanking the Scalds, not caring for the burn with natural cure. If Tentacruel or Starmie try to spin, Roserades threatens heavy damage to them with Leaf Storm. If Starmie attacks with Ice Beam Roserade can tank it and KO back. What makes Roserade so phenomenal is Rest+Natural Cure. With the offensive pressure she provides, she can easily get a Rest. There is nothing more annoying to my opponent than to see Roserade Rest and come back out of the brink of death unscathed.
Roserade's EV spread has been updated to make it more efficent. I also realized that I could take a few points out of special attack and put them into Special Defense to maximize it. Sludge Bomb is taken into consideration for Breloom, but it would undermine my abililty to take on ScizorWash. Giga Drain is now in place over Leaf Storm so I can still be able to KO Scizor if he switches in on the Grass move. It also gives Roserade more staying power and recovery than Leaf Storm. The initial power is a lose, but being able to stay in on some targets is crucial.
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Lol@Reuni (Sableye) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
What you are looking at is the new face and staple of BW stall, Sableye! To say the least, Sableye is a pretty weird pokemon competitive wise, but he is the most important member of my team. Sableye's primary purpose on this team is to spin block. Forretress and Tentacruel won't enjoy taking a burn, then not be able to do anything because of Taunt+Recover. Of course Starmie is the hardest to spin block against, but with a layer of Toxic Spikes down, Sableye can delay Rapid Spin for two turns. Priority Recover allows him to do this, he is the only spin blocker to "outspeed" Starmie. Hopefully, with Toxic Spikes down, Sableye can force her out at low enough health or send in Roserade to put Starmie in a pickle.
Sableye also acts as a stall breaker with priority Taunt+Recover and wittling opposing stall with Will-o-Wisp/Night Shade. Sableye's taunt is the main reason this team didn't fit in a spinner, because opposing hazards are hard to set up early game. In the same way, Sableye beats standard CM Reuniclus with Taunt+Night Shade. I say standard because I was trolled by a Psychic+Shadow Ball one. Sableye can beat Alakazam too with priority Recover+Nigh Shade, Shadow Ball only does around 37%. Finally, Sableye acts as a fail safe to physical sweepers with his priority burn. The burn Sableye spreads helps Rotom-W's subs, beefs up everyone's defenses, and adds residual damage to those not affected by Toxic.
Still has been doing and TBH I don't think anything can take his place anymore. Sableye is truly the MVP of this team, he takes on so many roles and has such great utility. He is the spinblocker, CM Reuniclus counter, stallbreaker, fighting type counter, and status spreader for this team! Priority burn has saved me many times, especially from Dragons and Terrakion, to my opponents dismay. I have tried foul play (particularly for Alakazahm) but Night Shade performs better overall.
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Tom (Rotom-W) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Substitute
- Pain Split
This is where the team started. Rotom-W is the biggest offensive power on this team. With the Toxic Spikes supplied by Roserade, Rotom-W's main counters are going to be in severe trouble even with this Rotom in. If Rotom's counters stay in, they face being wittled down to death by Pain Split and severe poisoning. If they switch out, they now have to face a Rotom-W with a free substitute in the position to KO a different team mate. This set has a surprising amount of power when boosted by Life Orb. Towards the end of the game, Rotom-W has the potential to clean up due to the opposing team being severely weakened. Due to everyone expecting Volt Switch, getting a free Substitute is very easy with Rotom. Overall, he adds the last touch to the team, giving it the necessary fire power to take down certain opponents.
Rotom-W has performed well and I noticed he made dealing with Gliscor and Mamoswine much easier. However, this spot has been taken up by Donphan recently for a Rapid Spinner and Rock resist. Rotom-W has performed, but as of now, this was the spot where I needed a Rapid Spinner. If there is a way I can keep Rotom-W around (the team started with him) that would be great.
Honorary Member
Mr. Dumbo (Donphan) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
After suggestions that I add a rapid spinner, I took a look at the very limited options. I tried Tentacruel in place of Roserade but he didn't do very well at either setting Toxic Spikes or Rapid Spinning. I wanted a defensive Rapid Spinner so I was left with Forry and Hitmontop. Hitmontop didn't do so well spinning against Skarmory and Forry added another fire weakness. However, seeing as how Donphan is now OU I decided to try it and I have been pleased. Donphan adds a much needed Rock resistance to my team and provides a great switchin to (obvious) Choiced Electric moves. Roserade's presences means he does not have to be Poison'ed by Toxic Spikes. Donphan makes many threats a lot easier to deal with such as Terrakion (Sableye+Donphan), Landorus, and Dragons.
The extra attack EV's make all the difference. A decently powerful Ice Shard makes it a great secondary check to Dragon's and Landorus (does 60%). If the opponent's pokemon are weakened enough, particularly Latios, Ice Shard has the potential to checkmate certain threats that might have otherwise been impossible to deal with. EQ is for the dependable STAB and to hit Ferrothorn for a decent chunk. Stealth Rock is just filler but it can be replaced on either Donphan or Heatran for another. It is rare, but Double SR has come into play though and makes it very difficult to keep it off the field being able to set it from both sides of the spectrum. It is that important sometimes.
*Edits are in Red
Mrs.Annoying (Skarmory) (F) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
- Drill Peck
Ah Skarmory, the bane of physical attackers since 2nd Gen. Skarmory most important roles on this team are providing Spikes and countering the rampant physical Dragons in OU. She also provides phazing from the physical side of the spectrum to rack up hazard damage. Shed Shell is an odd choice, but it prevents my team from being steamrolled by Magnezone+Attackers teams. Shed Shell comes at a price however. With Shed Shell I'm running Max/Max+ defenses because without it Skarmory has the potential to be 2HKO'ed by boosted Dragonites Fire Punch as opposed to 3 with Leftovers. Drill Peck has to be run too, since Leftovers makes me more cautious with the HP. Finally, I can't regain health all the way to Sturdy as easily compared to having Leftovers. Skarmory continues to perform however and is a great fit on this team.
I have found that running Speed EV's aren't necessary like the standard because Skarmory can switch out of Wobbufett with Shed Shell to Sableye. The extra defense EV's allow me to live 2 boosted Fire Punch's from Dragonite. These extra defense EV's aren't needed if I used lefties. However, I am sticking with Shed Shell. I have found that it gives me the win on teams that rely on Magnezone and the niche it provides are a much greater boon than if I used leftovers.
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Mrs. Wall (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Protect
- Toxic
- Wish
- Seismic Toss
Of course Skarmbliss returns on a stall team! Support Blissey takes the spot over Wish Blissey. Blissey is the Pokemon that has Stealth Rock on this team, as I have found that she is the poke who most often has the oppurtunity to set up. Toxic is for the pokemon that Toxic Spikes don't hit, and it can make facing Latios substantially easier. Seismic Toss for the most consistent damage, especially against Latios. However I have found Blissey the most liable and replaceable member of my team. She always becomes set-up bait and she falters against some of the pokemon she is supposed to counter. Psyshock on Latios is very hard on Blissey, thus the team. However, after fiddling with her slot I still can't find something suitable. With Latias opposing Latios are a problem, Jirachi shares the Gound weakness with Heatran, while Vaporeon can't stick up against special hits as easily. Can anyone suggest a suitable poke for her place?
Still no one has suggested a replacement for Blissey, but now I see her in a new light. I was wrong, wish really does help the team out. Not only does it help Heatran, it eases up the pressure on Skarmory because of Skarmory's lack of Leftovers. Protect let's her take advantage of Toxic Spikes as well as scout for choiced moves where I can switch in the appropiate counter to (particularly with fighting moves to Sableye). I am sticking with Seismic Toss because I don't want my entire team walled by Heatran and it does decent damage to Latios. Toxic is still on their because it helps greatly with CM Latias and wearing down Latios.
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Mr.Gradgrind (Heatran) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Protect
I have not been dissapointed by Heatran's performance on this team. He stops a lot of pokes cold, specifically Volcarona and Sun teams. Heatran isn't the first switch in to special attackers, that's Blissey. However, when the time calls for it, Heatran is a great backup to Blissey if she has to much to handle. If need be, Heatran is the secondary physical Dragon counter for this team. Lava Plume and Roar are pretty standard, one provides burn support to pokes that can't be Toxic'ed and to make Rotom's subs studier while the other is phazing on the special spectrum. Dragon Pulse may seem like a weird option, but it allows him to hit Latios for a good 50%; a good thing for a poke only taking neutral SR damage. In addition it helps against Dragonites without Earthquake, specifically the Sub DDnite endgame. Protect works wonders in conjunction with Toxic Spikes and gives him the extra healing he needs. Even without wish support, I often find Heatran one of the pokes around until the end of the match.
Boy was I wrong. The Wish from Blissey turns Heatran from a stop to a full on wall. Stealth Rock is now on Heatran as opposed to Blissey. Heatran has trouble setting up Stealth Rock against Rain teams, but it can usually find the opportunity against Tornadus or Ferrothorn. Heatran acts as a good stop to Lati@s, sun teams, and Volcarona. However, I've been think about replacing him. Sun teams have been finding ways around Heatran, paticularly Dugtrio, and I still have to be wary of HP Ground Volcarona (don't know how many use HP Ground in the statistics). Therefore I have been thinking about replacing him on this team, but TBH I don't know what could replace his role of taking on Sun teams or Volcarona.
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Louisa (Roserade) (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
152 HP / 68 SAtk / 252 SDef / 36 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Rest
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Out of all the pokes on my team, Roserade is the one who has surprised me the most with her effectiveness. The idea for a bulky Roserade came from tehy, who used it against me when I first started battling. 124 Spd EV's allowes it to outspeed a defensive Rotom-W. 60 Special Attack EV's gives her a good chance to OHKO Scizor with SR down when he switches in or decides to U-turn. ScizorWash is the reason I run Black Sludge, to disuade Rotom's trick. The rest of the EV's are placed into HP and SDef for maximum bulk. It also gives her a great offensive option with Leaf Storm. Roserade plays a very crucial part against Rain teams. She absorbs Tentacruels Toxic Spikes while tanking the Scalds, not caring for the burn with natural cure. If Tentacruel or Starmie try to spin, Roserades threatens heavy damage to them with Leaf Storm. If Starmie attacks with Ice Beam Roserade can tank it and KO back. What makes Roserade so phenomenal is Rest+Natural Cure. With the offensive pressure she provides, she can easily get a Rest. There is nothing more annoying to my opponent than to see Roserade Rest and come back out of the brink of death unscathed.
Roserade's EV spread has been updated to make it more efficent. I also realized that I could take a few points out of special attack and put them into Special Defense to maximize it. Sludge Bomb is taken into consideration for Breloom, but it would undermine my abililty to take on ScizorWash. Giga Drain is now in place over Leaf Storm so I can still be able to KO Scizor if he switches in on the Grass move. It also gives Roserade more staying power and recovery than Leaf Storm. The initial power is a lose, but being able to stay in on some targets is crucial.
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Lol@Reuni (Sableye) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
What you are looking at is the new face and staple of BW stall, Sableye! To say the least, Sableye is a pretty weird pokemon competitive wise, but he is the most important member of my team. Sableye's primary purpose on this team is to spin block. Forretress and Tentacruel won't enjoy taking a burn, then not be able to do anything because of Taunt+Recover. Of course Starmie is the hardest to spin block against, but with a layer of Toxic Spikes down, Sableye can delay Rapid Spin for two turns. Priority Recover allows him to do this, he is the only spin blocker to "outspeed" Starmie. Hopefully, with Toxic Spikes down, Sableye can force her out at low enough health or send in Roserade to put Starmie in a pickle.
Sableye also acts as a stall breaker with priority Taunt+Recover and wittling opposing stall with Will-o-Wisp/Night Shade. Sableye's taunt is the main reason this team didn't fit in a spinner, because opposing hazards are hard to set up early game. In the same way, Sableye beats standard CM Reuniclus with Taunt+Night Shade. I say standard because I was trolled by a Psychic+Shadow Ball one. Sableye can beat Alakazam too with priority Recover+Nigh Shade, Shadow Ball only does around 37%. Finally, Sableye acts as a fail safe to physical sweepers with his priority burn. The burn Sableye spreads helps Rotom-W's subs, beefs up everyone's defenses, and adds residual damage to those not affected by Toxic.
Still has been doing and TBH I don't think anything can take his place anymore. Sableye is truly the MVP of this team, he takes on so many roles and has such great utility. He is the spinblocker, CM Reuniclus counter, stallbreaker, fighting type counter, and status spreader for this team! Priority burn has saved me many times, especially from Dragons and Terrakion, to my opponents dismay. I have tried foul play (particularly for Alakazahm) but Night Shade performs better overall.
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Tom (Rotom-W) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 32 HP / 224 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Substitute
- Pain Split
This is where the team started. Rotom-W is the biggest offensive power on this team. With the Toxic Spikes supplied by Roserade, Rotom-W's main counters are going to be in severe trouble even with this Rotom in. If Rotom's counters stay in, they face being wittled down to death by Pain Split and severe poisoning. If they switch out, they now have to face a Rotom-W with a free substitute in the position to KO a different team mate. This set has a surprising amount of power when boosted by Life Orb. Towards the end of the game, Rotom-W has the potential to clean up due to the opposing team being severely weakened. Due to everyone expecting Volt Switch, getting a free Substitute is very easy with Rotom. Overall, he adds the last touch to the team, giving it the necessary fire power to take down certain opponents.
Rotom-W has performed well and I noticed he made dealing with Gliscor and Mamoswine much easier. However, this spot has been taken up by Donphan recently for a Rapid Spinner and Rock resist. Rotom-W has performed, but as of now, this was the spot where I needed a Rapid Spinner. If there is a way I can keep Rotom-W around (the team started with him) that would be great.
Honorary Member
Mr. Dumbo (Donphan) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Ice Shard
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
After suggestions that I add a rapid spinner, I took a look at the very limited options. I tried Tentacruel in place of Roserade but he didn't do very well at either setting Toxic Spikes or Rapid Spinning. I wanted a defensive Rapid Spinner so I was left with Forry and Hitmontop. Hitmontop didn't do so well spinning against Skarmory and Forry added another fire weakness. However, seeing as how Donphan is now OU I decided to try it and I have been pleased. Donphan adds a much needed Rock resistance to my team and provides a great switchin to (obvious) Choiced Electric moves. Roserade's presences means he does not have to be Poison'ed by Toxic Spikes. Donphan makes many threats a lot easier to deal with such as Terrakion (Sableye+Donphan), Landorus, and Dragons.
The extra attack EV's make all the difference. A decently powerful Ice Shard makes it a great secondary check to Dragon's and Landorus (does 60%). If the opponent's pokemon are weakened enough, particularly Latios, Ice Shard has the potential to checkmate certain threats that might have otherwise been impossible to deal with. EQ is for the dependable STAB and to hit Ferrothorn for a decent chunk. Stealth Rock is just filler but it can be replaced on either Donphan or Heatran for another. It is rare, but Double SR has come into play though and makes it very difficult to keep it off the field being able to set it from both sides of the spectrum. It is that important sometimes.
Biggest Threats; Hardest Times:
Psyshock Latios: As of now, almost all Latios carry Surf. If Surf is boosted by Rain, Heatran will only be able to get 1 Dragon Pulse off at full health. Why can't Blissey take him? Because Psyshock does so much damage to Blissey it still is a 2HKO-3HKO. Add to the fact that Latios is only damaged by SR neutrally, he is a big threat.
Breloom: If Skarm is down, Breloom becomes a huge threat. Poison Heal prevents the burn from Sableye and Breloom resists both of Rotom-W's moves.
Infernape: The coverage provided by Inferape makes him very hard to switch around him. Coupled that he is not able to get burned due to his Fire typing, it can cause trouble. Toxic Spikes is the best route of action against Inferape.
DD Salamence: Surprisingly I can switch around MixMence, its his DD set that causes me trouble. Fire Blast hurts Skarmory a lot, moreso since he doesn't have leftovers. The best route of action against Salemence is get SR down and burn him with Sableye.
Import Me
Zorro? (Roserade) (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 208 HP / 80 SAtk / 96 SDef / 124 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rest
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Lol@Reuni (Sableye) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Rotom-W @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Mrs.Annoying (Skarmory) (F) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
- Drill Peck
Mr. Flamer (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Protect
Mrs. Wall (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 208 HP / 80 SAtk / 96 SDef / 124 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rest
- Toxic Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Lol@Reuni (Sableye) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Rotom-W @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 16 HP / 240 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Substitute
- Pain Split
Mrs.Annoying (Skarmory) (F) @ Shed Shell
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
- Roost
- Drill Peck
Mr. Flamer (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Protect
Mrs. Wall (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
Conclusion
Stall isn't the boring playstyle that some people make it out to be! It can allow you to go out of the box with your pokes. Sure, there are a lot of new, powerful offensive threats this gen, but the defensive side has made some pretty big strides too (Ferrothorn, Pringles, Prankster Sableye). I hope you enjoyed my read and can get stall through its hard times.
