4th Gen Semi-Stall team

[the calligrapher]

4th Gen -

Hello Smogon, for the people who care I would like to start with an introduction of myself. I have been playing on the PO 4th Gen ladder for quite some time now, this is my first RMT ever as I'm normally one of those people who would only read other RMT's, however I came across a very nice RMT(Which I assume I cannot address without their permission) which inspired me to create one myself. I never claimed to be the best nor do I claim to be a good player, in fact my skills are mediocre however this team I built has brought me some success. I recently decided to quit playing Pokemon as it takes up too much of my time, usually grinding on the Ladder. I am also going to college after summer and Pokemon is the last thing I want to be on my mind. I have always favored the offensive style because it’s less time consuming, however a bad match up will always lead to an inevitable loss, which is why I made the move from offensive to a stall which I suppose is incorporated in to this team.


On to the team, it can be considered the standard Semi-Stall although there are some nice additions you don’t normally see, however the core is commonly used therefore most of you have probably seen or even made a similar team (If not the exact same lol). The team definitely is not perfect and has very huge problems against certain threats, hence why I’m here asking for your input and suggestions. Anyways I’m aware that hardly anyone will be reading this seeing I normally browse through the RMT section with hardly any replies, but it’s still nice to get any feedback possible. I think that is enough for the introduction, here’s the team.

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Veil
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -Sp. Atk)
EV: 252 HP/ 252 Spd/4 Def
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice fang
- Roost

I like to lead with gliscor in most of my matches seeing as it has a fairly good matchup against most leads, such as Heatran and Metagross. Gliscor allows me to reliably set up SR in most of the matches I’ve played, unless something unexpected happens. The EV’s are pretty standard with 252 HP for bulk, I like to run 252 Spd to speed tie other gliscors as well as out speeding some Base 100’s depending on their EV’s. Needless to say Gliscor plays an important role on my team; it walls a large number of physical threats such as Tyranitar, Scizor, and Breloom and Lucario to name a few while also taking pressure off Skarmory and allow it to setup spikes. Ice fang is mainly there to pick off weakened Dragonites and Flygons locked in to Outrage, it also allows me to break Breloom’s substitutes which can be proven to be quite annoying for this team. It also allows me to break Azelf/Aerodactyl’s sash as they attempt to taunt me.

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
Careful Nature (+ Sp. Def, - Sp. Atk)
EV: 252 HP/252 Sp. Def/4 Def
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird

No stall team functions without spikes, obviously mine is no different. I picked Skarmory as opposed to Forretress mainly because my team lacks wish support, thus affecting the durability of Forretress, and I personally hate to play stall without instant healing on all of my Pokemon. I prefer specially defensive Skarmory mainly because it allows me to have more opportunity to set up spikes, it also gives me a switch in to common grass types such as Roserade, Shaymin, Celebi and the like. Skarmory also provides as the only Dragon resist on my team, which is essential as it’s my initial switch into Dragonite and Flygon. Brave Bird allows me to output nice damage thanks to its base 120 STAB, I can normally OHKO some common counters if I’m able to predict their switch in correctly with the help of SR and Spikes, it is also a nice move to have to counter Machamp leads. Whirlwind is obviously for pHazing, and Roost is there for the reliable recovery.

Rotom-H @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
Bold Nature (+ Def, -Atk)
EV: 252 HP/ 252 Def/4 Sp. Def
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

With multiple entry hazards, there’s no surprise in having a spin blocker. Rotom can handle just about every spinner out there with the exception of offensive Starmie, which I have both Tyranitar and Shaymin to deal with. I originally had a ScarfTom but I never found it to be overwhelmingly useful due to its frailty and the lack of ability to counter Pokes it would otherwise wall, so I made the transition to a defensive Rotom to combat my problem against Zapdos , SD Scizor and to be complete Pursuit bait. I was a bit skeptical at first seeing as now I lacked a fast revenge killer but after some testing I found that the Scarf’d set was inferior to the current set. I prefer the RestTalk set as opposed to pain split simply because it provides a more reliable form of recovery, it also allows Rotom to be my initial sleep fodder thanks to Sleep Talk. I absolutely hate WoW’s accuracy, but it’s there to combat Tyranitar as well as inflicting consistent damage. All in all, the above Rotom set definitely pulls its weight on the team.

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Veil
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, -Sp. Atk)
EV: 4HP/252 Atk/ 252 Spd
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Pursuit

Tyranitar serves as the only Scarfer on my team, although that’s an understatement seeing as even with a Scarf it is out sped by a number of Pokemon. Nonetheless Tyranitar is still a very dangerous Pokemon that can counter a lot of Pokes who would otherwise threaten this team. With a Scarf, Tyranitar can outspeed Base 115 and below, making it the perfect counter to Starmie, Azelf, Gengar and Rotom. Tyranitar is my initial switch in to Azelf leads, and if I can force Starmie in to Thunderbolt or Ice beam and Gengar in to Shadow Ball respectively, then I will either Crunch or Pursuit for the kill depending on the situation. Pursuit also allows me to trap the opponent’s spin blocker making it easier for my Starmie to spin away their hazards. Rock Slide is mainly there for the accuracy, I originally had Stone Edge but I could never hit when I needed it to hit and it has been a crucial factor that resulted in many losses. Therefore Rock Slide is there to stay, although the lack of power is noticeable as it doesn’t even 2HKO defensive Zapdos. I picked Earthquake over Superpower mainly for CM Wish Jirachi, that is probably the most annoying pokemon for this team, and I figured Earthquake solved the problem (Which it did to an extent). Crunch and Pursuit is there for the reasons listed above. Another attribute that Tyranitar brings is Sand Veil, with Sand Veil Tyranitar has monstrous Sp. Def allowing it to easily switch in to the likes of Zapdos and Heatran and retaliate with the appropriate move.




Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
Timid Nature (+Spd, - Atk)
EV: 4 HP/252 Sp. Atk/252 Spd
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Recover

Starmie is one of the best spinners in game; it has reliable recovery, stellar speed and strong STAB making it the perfect spinner to counter common spin blockers such as Spiritomb and Rotom. Entry Hazards, especially Toxic Spikes really hinders my team, and I find the necessity to always have a spinner. Starmie is also my only water type on the team, and serves as a backup check to Heatran if I didn’t feel comfortable switching into Tyranitar. I gave it max Sp. Atk and max Spd as opposed to a bulkier Starmie mainly because I like having the extra power it provides, allowing it to OHKO Heatran, Gengar and 2HKO Rotom after Stealth Rock. Starmie also serves as my only check to Infernape which can be troublesome as it doesn’t like U-turn, which means I have to predict correctly in order to preserve my Starmie, and being Pursuit weak isn’t exactly beneficial either. The main reason I picked Starmie as opposed to Tentacruel or any other spinner is mainly because it is the only spinner that has access to reliable recovery, and with a team that offers no Wish support it is crucial to preserve my spinner.




Shaymin @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
EV: 252 HP/ 40 Sp. Atk/ 216 Spd
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power [fire]
- Rest
- Leech Seed


Shaymin is the most crucial member of the team and is decisive in most of the games I’ve played; it serves a multitude of roles such as fulfilling a check to bulky waters (CM Suicune in particular), as well as constantly forcing switches racking up damage. The EV’s are a tad strange because I decided to maximize its HP while still having the ability to outspeed threats such as Lucario and Gliscor. I would like to carry more Sp. Atk EV but I just can’t afford to take EV’s from HP and Spd. I’ve contemplated running the normal Leech Seed set with Protect but that is unreliable and I normally find my Shaymin at low health due to the inconsistent recovery, so I decided to carry Rest. I could never decide whether to carry HP ice or fire because each have their own pros and cons, the main reason I would carry HP ice is to hit Dragonite and other flying types for SE damage as opposed to being completely walled, however HP Fire is to OHKO Scizor and defensive Forretress after SR. Eventually I settled with the above set as using Leech Seed will force a lot of switches and the pesky flying types that wall Shaymin will be obligated to take 25% of SR damage every time it switches in. Seed Flare is the obvious move of choice seeing as it has 120 base power and it is also STAB, the 40% Sp. Def drop is also a nice addition.

In Conclusion

All in all, each member of the team functions differently but the team itself has perfect synergy, and when played correctly it can be proven to be quite difficult to break the core as stated by a friend of mine. Nonetheless this team is nowhere near perfect as I found huge problems against Infernape, bulky Roserade, and Dragonite especially as I’m forced to Whirlwind with my Skarmory everytime it dances up, or take a Fire Blast if it’s the mixed set, and if it has roost I pretty much have to depend on my Tyranitar to hopefully KO it before it dances up or else I would pretty much lose. Oh and if I sound like a douchebag it's probably because I just finished writing an essay for English, I normally don't sound so serious lol.

 

[IronJustice]

Very interesting team. I would say its a fairy balanced team, leaning towards offensive, since every member can double as a sweeper. Starmie is one of my favorites, happy to see it on this team. Theres a good mix of type coverage here, with mostly multi-types.

I'm not going to say much about the strategy since you have apparently quit Pokemon. My only two criticisms are that almost every Pokemon has leftovers and you have no stat changes to make yours stronger or your enemy's weaker. I can see something lowering SP-A crippling most of these guys. But overall, solid team that should do very well most of the time.

 

[michael]

Honestly, the above rate is not useful. Sp. Att. dropping moves are incredibly rare, Leftovers is possibly the best item in 4th gen, and you don't need stat boosting moves.

On to the rate, it looks as though your team could have some trouble with Shaymin, especially Choiced or full Speed LO variants. You could use Ice Beam over Recover on Starmie to deal significant damage, dealing 50.4% - 59.8% to 0HP/4SpDef variants, which is useful after Stealth Rock, sandstorm and possibly Life Orb recoil. Otherwise, you need to rely on Skarm and hope it has HP Ice.

Other than that, it looks great. I didn't have much time to look through it so forgive me if I missed anything obvious.

 

[Tomahawk]

Cool team man, I like it.

Shaymin with Hidden Power Fire will give you problems. Skarmory can take on Hidden Power Ice variants quite easily, but it is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fire, and the same goes for Shaymin, who is outsped by Timid max Speed variants. The rest of your team all won't enjoy taking a Seed Flare, as Tyranitar, Starmie and Gliscor are all KOed with a bit of residual damage (Stealth Rock) and Rotom-H is 2HKOed and outsped while Thunderbolt does 18% max and Will-O-Wisp is Natural Cured off. Your own Shaymin can't beat it since you won't 2HKO other Shaymin with Hidden Power Fire, but other Shaymin with Life Orb will outspeed you and 2HKO, or OHKO after a Seed Flare Special Defense drop.
Mixed Flygon (Draco Meteor / Earthquake / Fire Blast / Roost) will also give you problems, as all of your Pokemon take heavy damage from it. Skarmory takes upwards to 86% from Fire Blast, while Shaymin takes up to 79% from the same attack. Gliscor takes 99% max from Draco Meteor, and is almost always KOed after Stealth Rock damage, while Rotom takes 86% max from the same attack, and not being able to harm Flygon bar statusing it. Starmie is always OHKOed by Draco Meteor (barring Special Attack drops) while Earthquake can do up to 79%. Surf from Starmie won't KO either, even with Flygon using a Speed-hindering nature, doing 68% maximum damage. Tyranitar takes 97% from Earthquake maximum, so it is likely KOed after Stealth Rock while Crunch won't come close to KOing Flygon.
Also, as you mentioned Infernape can prove to be troublesome if it has U-Turn or Grass Knot. Starmie is your best Infernape switchin but it takes a lot from U-turn, taking 74 - 88% from it, so if something that forces out Starmie, such as Choice Scarf Flygon, is brought in you can say goodbye to Starmie. Even if you are able to double switch Starmie into Infernape next time and have a chance to Recover, entry hazards will kill Starmie. The rest of your team has a hard time dealing with Infernape: Gliscor, Skarmory, Rotom-H, and Shaymin all have a hard time taking STABed Fire-type attacks, as for example a Choice Band Flare Blitz will OHKO all of them, and Life Orb Fire Blast will OHKO all of them bar Rotom-H as well (assuming Stealth Rock for Gliscor). However, Thunderbolt does about 50-60% damage to Infernape unless it has used Close Combat, so it won't KO. Tyranitar can try to revenge kill Infernape, but it can't switch in on Close Combat, and some Infernape even have Mach Punch to KO you before you can move.

I think you should consider replacing Shaymin with a Snorlax. Shaymin is useful, but I think Snorlax can be more useful on your team. For one, it is able to take on both Shaymin as well as Flygon. Shaymin isn't even able to 4HKO with Seed Flare unless it gets a Special Defense drop, while Snorlax can Curse up, and then KO Shaymin with Return at +3, or 2HKO Shaymin at +1. Flygon isn't able to 2HKO Snorlax with either Draco Meteor + Earthquake or two Earthquakes, and Snorlax can then Curse to reduce the damage done from Earthquake, Rest when necessary, and then KO Snorlax with Return when it wakes up, doing 95 - 112% at +2. Snorlax is still a good check to bulky waters such as Suicune, as with its great special bulk it can just Curse up, and Return for the 2HKO without taking too much damage. Also, Snorlax gives you a good switchin to Specs Heatran, which you currently lack. Especially when Heatran is able to come in on Will-O-Wisp from Rotom, it is able to OHKO even Starmie with Specs Overheat. Snorlax only takes 38 - 45% from the same attack. The exact set is:

Hide

Snorlax @ Leftovers | Thick Fat
Careful | 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SpD
Curse / Return / Earthquake / Rest

Snorlax really fits well on your team in my opinion: Ghost-types such as Rotom and Gengar who normally wall this Snorlax are Pursuited by Tyranitar, letting you sweep much more easily. Unfortunately this change doesn't exactly help against Infernape. However, I suggest that you change Rotom's set to a Scarf one. I know you have used it before and didn't like it because of its frailty, but I suggest that you use a bulkier spread, namely 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature. This spread is very useful, letting you outspeed everything it needs to, such as +1 Gyarados and Dragonite, but it also gives Rotom a lot of bulk. The moveset I suggest is Thunderbolt / Hydro Pump / Hidden Power Ice / Trick. With Hydro Pump, Rotom is actually not Pursuit bait, since with hazards it actually 2HKOes Scarf Tyranitar. This Rotom is also able to beat Starmie, something your current Rotom cannot, meaning you often lose your hazards for nothing. Hidden Power Ice is great because it really helps against Mixed Flygon, Mixed Dragonite and Dragon Dance Dragonite, all of which can prove troublesome to the current team. Finally, this Rotom really helps against Infernape. With Snorlax or Tyranitar luring out Close Combat or pretty much anything but Fire Blast (which btw only does 67% max), this Rotom can switch in easily and OHKO with Hydro Pump.

Also, I think you should consider changing Starmie's EV spread. With Tyranitar to Pursuit Rotom-A and Gengar the Special Attack EVs aren't quite as useful. Also, even with the current SpA EVs you're not OHKOing Gengar, and with less EVs it's still a 2HKO as well. The lower damage output against Heatran can be a little disappointing but avoiding the 2HKO from Heatran on the other hand more than makes up for that. The EV spread I suggest is 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe, which lets you outspeed Gengar and also provides a lot of bulk.

Finally consider replacing Ice Fang on Gliscor with Taunt. On your team I don't really see the use of Ice Fang to be honest, as Dragonite and Flygon locked in Outrage are already taken care of by Skarmory. Taunt on the other hand gives you a much easier time against opposing defensive teams and prevents them from setting up hazards or statusing you, so you don't have to bring out Starmie early and risk being Pursuited.

Cool team, good luck!