#hipsters (OU Stall Team)

[The Great Gastly]

#HIPSTERS
(lol poor Heatran don't get the 3D.)

Anyway, that's my team at a glance. You might be confused by the title, so here...

- I was the first to post the Wish/Protect/CM/Moonblast Clefable 3 weeks into the metagame swearing by its fabulousness, but literally nobody cared. Now (almost 2 months later) it's getting a set in the analysis because it's her "best set". PROOF... edit: I did get one response, and of course I failed to notice it.

- Also, I used Mandibuzz before it was cool. no proof...

As for the team itself, yes: this is a stall team! It is by no means perfect, but it's what I have right now and it's been pretty successful. Basically, the goal / win condition is to sweep with Clefable when the time is right -- which is easy to find after stalling for many turns. :]

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Protect

Here she is, the one who inspired my team's name AND the team itself! Clefable is an amazing pokemon this gen thanks to getting re-typed into mono-Fairy; this now lets her resist Dark, Bug, and Fighting while gaining an immunity to Dragon. That should be obvious to anyone familiar with the type chart, but these resistances now allow her to bring actual type synergy in addition to her fantastic movepool and abilities. This set serves a 3 primary functions (in order of importance)... Wish Passing, CM Sweeping, and nullifies set-up.
Wish passing gives some basic utility for stall teams like this, considering some of her team members don't have HP restoration moves.

However, the real attraction is Unaware... everyone expects Magic Guard, so knowing this, I often try to disguise that she doesn't have it. It's astounding how many people don't even bother to status her just assuming she's packing Magic Guard. Most importantly, Unaware allows her to face off (and defeat) many set-up sweepers that think they're making progress, but in reality, are making none.

Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 Spd
Impish Nature
- Knock Off
- Taunt
- Defog
- Roost

Mandibuzz is hipster #2 for this team, and is this gen's rising star of OU. Being a defensive Dark-type this gen is HUGE considering Dark + Ghost have so few resists, and Mandibuzz is the quintessential of her kind. Overcoat also got a buff, so now she gains an immunity to powder moves (SPORE) in addition to the immunity to damaging weather. I now run a physically defensive EV spread since I already have two solid special walls, and running Max Def means she can even surpass Skarmory in physical bulk. 56 Spd EVs outruns 4 Spd Rotom-W so I can Roost before they Volt Switch and/or Taunt any attempts at Will-O-Wisp.

Taunt has proven itself to be miles more useful than Toxic ever was, and I've also taken some advice by running Defog. This team doesn't have room for Spikes atm, so Defog is a great tool for removing hazards from my side of the field. (Taunt also helps keep them off!) Lastly, Knock Off is a great disruption tool. It strips enemies of their passive recovery, nerfs their power, helps scout for Mega Stones, etc.

Slowbro @ Leftovers / Assault Vest?
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave / Psychic?
- Slack Off / Fire Blast?

Slowbro has taken Rotom-W's spot as the "physically defensive water-type that spreads burns" role. He trades a few added weakness in exchange for a few added resistances (notably Fighting and Psychic), and provides a lot more efficient longevity with his Regenerator ability.

Scald is standard annoying Water STAB that burns 100% 30% of the time, which is a fantastic boon for stall teams. Ice Beam is necessary for hitting pesky dragon-types that Slowbro can take hits from, and also gives him a way to hurt grass-types after burning them on the switch in!

The last two spots constantly fluctuate, but are entirely dependent on the item choice. Assault Vest bolsters his average Special Defense to a more respectable level, but limits his last two moveslots to Fire Blast + Psychic-STAB. If I opt for Leftovers, then Thunder Wave + Slack Off are chosen instead -- which allows for more status spreading and makes Slowbro less reliant on Regenerator to stay alive. (I have not chosen yet, so I'd like some advice here!)

Heatran (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar

I have done a complete 180 on my opinion of Heatran being on a stall team. Every time I tried to make a revision, he just found itself right back on the lineup because he's just so damn useful! His typing + ability provide a multitude of key resistances (Ice, Fire, Dragon, Normal, and Flying being most notable), he sets up Stealth Rock reliably, and he actually has room to use Roar successfully!

I went with Toxic > Will-O-Wisp because Lava Plume gets burn-hax anyways, and I like to always have at least 2 inducers of the move. He covers the omnipresent Talonflame, and overall serves as an excellent special wall for the team!

Venusaur (M) @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll (Thick Fat)
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Def / 188 SDef
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Synthesis
- Toxic / Sludge Bomb?
- Roar / Earthquake?

Mega Venusaur is the ultimate defensive behemoth, and any stall team lacking it should definitely give it a shot!

Shiny Venusaur is also awesome, and happens to be one of my favorite mega evolutions. :s

Anyway, I have opted for a Mixed Defensive spread, since I think full investment on one side shafts M-Venusaur's otherwise fantastic mixed defensive potential. After hitting the highest odd HP stat, I aimed for a jump point in Defense and pumped the rest into Sp.Defense. I'm also using a rather unorthodox set on him, as well. Giga Drain + Synthesis are standard fare seen on most movesets, as they provide HP recovery and a reliable STAB move. Roar racks up SR damage and serves as yet another countermeasure to set-up pokemon... and overall just allows Venusaur to do something when he's against something he can't touch. Toxic is 100% accurate thanks to Venusaur's poison dual-type, and is a great move spread around on stall teams.

Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Aromatherapy
- Thunder Wave / Toxic?
- Soft-Boiled

And finally, we have Pink 2.0! (have fun reading this fabulous color)

Status was absolutely WRECKING my team, since I never had a reliable switch-in to Scald, and I could never bring myself to run Aromatherapy or Magic Guard on Clefable... thus Chansey was added. First off, I went with Calm > Bold Nature since the difference between 109 vs. 119 Defense is less significant than 309 SDef vs. 339 SDef. The EV spread is just a lazy full investment in both defenses, so if there's a better Chansey spread I'd love to hear it. :]

The moveset is her standard cleric set, and it does its job. Status is no longer as much of an issue for the team, and Chansey is sturdy as fuck so she won't be going down very easily. I'm liking Thunder Wave so she can actually threaten Gengar and other faster threats. (plus two Toxic users is enough)

Soooooooooo..... that's it! The type synergy is pretty solid overall, but I do lack a Rock-resist so that kind of concerns me.

Threats/Concerns
- no rock resist?
- no spinblocker?

TESTING...
nothing atm.

I'm terrible at conclusions, so I'll just end it here. Thanks for reading! (credit to serebii.net and bulbapedia.net for the images)

 

[ouchalargerock]

Oh, you.

Anyways, I can offer only a few suggestions.

Give Clefable Cosmic Power. Seriously. If the opponent thinks you aren't running unaware, they will be spooked once they realize they are doing 1/2 of their normal damage after 2 turns. Verrrrry spooky. While I like the Stored Power+Cosmic Power+Charge Beam set better, I feel like this could be interesting and really throw some teams off.

Where is your Sunny Day! Seriously. You can't rely on Harvest, it seems that 50% never works in your favor. Also, using Tentacruel may be a good choice in favor of Heatran to get rid of some of that Redundancy and let you fear Fire-Types a bit less. Also, it can Rapid Spin and Toxic Spikes.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[Manveru123]

You could maybe use a Togekiss with Defog and Heal Bell instead of Mandibuzz. Takes care of two of your concerns at once, but it might require some adjustment in playstyle since you're running Spikes and Defog clears your hazards too.

 

[Rofellos]

I like this theme and in response to your rapid spin problem Why not take toxic off of Mandibuzz and add defog right there? Klefki does an excellent job as your prankster already, so defog on mandibuzz seems like a good option to give you defense against screens, sticky web, and stealth rocks against your mandibuzz, however as stall you'd be ruining your own hazards as well so if a key defog doesnt work for you maybe try out replacing Heatran for forretress? It loses the fire resist on your team but it spins, gets rocks, volt switch dance partner with rotom, and has sturdy! Could be a possible solution but im up for debating other patches.

 

[The Great Gastly]

post.

Sunny Day is not an option, Harvest does just fine without it in every battle I've used Trevenant in. :]

However, Tentacruel sounds like a good idea for an additional hazard + rapid spin (and still gives a fire resist!), but then I wouldn't know where to put Stealth Rock... Cosmic Power is an option I'll test out over Clefable for sure, thanks for the rate!

post.

Switching to Togekiss would be a 3rd fairy type, so it doesn't really solve redundancy issues. However, the idea of Defog is something I will probably try on Mandibuzz once more. Thank you!

post.

I'm a little iffy on removing Toxic from Mandibuzz, since having only one Toxic user is a little sparse for a stall team. Like with the previous rate, Defog would certainly be a decent option without causing too many drastic changes -- I will give it a 2nd chance on Mandibuzz for sure, but I'm worried it'll be too conflicting. :s

Replacing Heatran for Forretress would not be a bad idea, but the added Fire weakness might be a problem... thank you for the advice!

 

[fleurdyleurse]

Defog on Mandibuzz won't be a great idea since it also removes your own hazards.

 

[Plasma.EXE]

Maybe run taunt instead of Toxic? Since you have 3 will-o-wisp users, there's a pretty good chance burn would clash with toxic (user switches in burned pokemon while you use toxic). Skarmory/Forretress/Ferrothorn can set up hazards pretty easily on you otherwise, even if you have Heatran to deal with them which is all they really need to do. Walls that are taunted are more prone to switching out so you can whirlwind right after.

 

[EternalZ]

I've never been into stall much, the closest I've come to that is semi-stall. However, I do agree with everyone else- defog and stall don't mix. Stall absolutely needs hazards for that residual damage, and those turns you spend setting them up AGAIN could possible even lose you the game. What I recommend is just a solid rapid spinner. Mega Blastoise is an excellent choice with solid bulk and a great move pool. Rather than the standard offensive spinner, yours can be more of a tankish spinner designed to stay in for the long run.

Blastoise @ Blastoisite
Trait: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 52 SpA
Nature: Bold
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Roar / Dragon Tail
- Dark Pulse

 

[Mulligan]

Well, I never thought CM Wish Unaware Clefable was bad :[

Pretty cool team. There's a few things I think could help out. First off, I agree that you need some sort of hazard removal. Contrary to what some have already said, I suggest dropping Toxic for Defog on Mandibuzz. I get where you were going, but I think you are overdoing it just a bit as far as status goes. Five of your six 'mons carry either Toxic or Will-o-Wisp and a decent opponent will just use the 'mon you already burned/poisoned as their status absorber if nothing else. Defog gives you hazard control. A lot of people think Defog contradicts with hazards, but that is assuming you have the ideal setup of SR and three layers of Spikes. The reality is that the most common scenario in a game for the stall player is SR and one layer of Spikes. If you Defog them away, that is easy enough to set back up. It'll especially come in handy if you run up against other stall teams.

Mega Lucario pretty much annihilates your entire team. Which sucks because I can tell you put in a ton of effort to ward off physical threats (Bold ChestoRest Rotom-W, three members packing Will-o-Wisp, EV spreads focused on Defense etc). With all those preparations though, Mega Lucario will still sweep you if it gets in safely and grabs an SD. It will 2HKO Clefable with Bullet Punch regardless. Even mixed Lucario, which is getting more popular, can do serious damage. Against any team packing Lucario, currently, you have to Will-o-Wisp...a lot....and sometimes when you don't want to (when you could be doing something else). I always advocate some type of Scarfer to deal with threats that inevitably get away from stall teams. But the only slot I can see changing is Rotom-W, which I would hate to do. So, I'll suggest two different ways to go about it. You can either replace Rotom-W with a Choice Scarf Rotom-H or drop Toxic for Thunder Wave on Klefki. You lose a switch-in to Greninja by going the Rotom-H route (not that Rotom-W is the safest switch to Greninja) and you lose the FWG core you had going, but you gain the ability to revenge kill any Lucario with Overheat. Defog will help in mitigating the SR weakness Rotom-H has. Trick will help cripple opposing stall as well as sweepers that manage to get out of control. Priority Thunder Wave on Klefki stops fast, powerful sweepers cold outside of Excadrill and Garchomp. You may have to sac Klefki in situations where they've boosted, but it will keep the rest of the team alive.

One other thing I would try is replacing Trevenant with Gourgeist-Small. If you're going to go the SubSeed route, I honestly feel that Small Gourgeist does it better than Trevenant, even with Harvest. Small Gourgeist has arguably better physical bulk, a smaller base HP which means you get more HP back with Leech Seed than you would Trevenant, and is way faster at base 99 Speed. While it won't help the Mega Lucario issue, this does allow you to get a Sub down first against a wider variety of offensive threats since you will outspeed them, particularly anything at base 80 Speed or slower.

Here are the Rotom-H and Gourgeist sets if you go that route:

Rotom-Heat @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Trick
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice / Will-o-Wisp
- Overheat

Gourgeist-Small (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Will-o-Wisp
- Phantom Force / Seed Bomb

Hope I helped and good luck.

 

[The Great Gastly]

great rate!

Wow, you sure gave me a lot to think about!

- Small Gourgeist sounds like a really cool option, since (like you said) it has a perfect combination of bulk, speed, and low base HP to be a great sub-seeder! I will definitely give it a shot over Trevenant and hopefully it's as good as it sounds. :D

- As for Mandibuzz, I think you might be right about swapping to Defog. Realistically, I don't often get more than 1 or 2 layers up per game, so setting them up again isn't TOO bad... but I can't help but think there's another way to include hazard control. (plus I love Whirlwind so much, and switching to Defog is basically mandating a switch to Taunt > Whirlwind)

- The Lucario weakness.... yeah. Swapping to Rotom-H would give a redundancy with Heatran's Fire typing, and I do like to maintain a FWG core on most teams due to how well they work together. However, if I were to go with Rotom-H I'd probably replace Heatran with a water-type. T-Wave on Klefki seems like the best option for this problem, however, it seems out of place with Torment.

Overall, I really appreciate you providing me with some sound advice! I'm still least attached to Heatran, and am DYING to replace it... so what comes to mind would be something like: Rotom-H > Rotom-W and Tentacruel > Heatran.

(I'm also open to Klefki being replaced as well...)

 

[The Great Gastly]

little bump, I have mixed results with Gourgeist-S.

I haven't had time to test any other changes, but what I do plan on testing is in the OP! More suggestions are welcome, of course. :]

 

[Moonclawz]

Just some small suggestions- if you put Defog on Mandibuzz as was suggested by JackieChun you won't need a Rapid Spinner. In addition, Defog more effectively removes hazards since the only way to prevent it is to Taunt the user.

Also, I would use Toxic over Will-o-wisp on Heatran. Since you already have Will-o-wisp on Trevenant and Rotom-W, an extra Will-o-wisp user seems kind of redundant. In addition, Toxic allows you to cripple Pokemon like Latios/Latias with Roost, especially Calm Mind variants, which wouldn't mind a burn too much. Toxic also allows you to more effectively stall out most fire-types, since they are immune to burn.

Hope this helps!

 

[The Great Gastly]

Just some small suggestions- if you put Defog on Mandibuzz as was suggested by JackieChun you won't need a Rapid Spinner. In addition, Defog more effectively removes hazards since the only way to prevent it is to Taunt the user.

Also, I would use Toxic over Will-o-wisp on Heatran. Since you already have Will-o-wisp on Trevenant and Rotom-W, an extra Will-o-wisp user seems kind of redundant. In addition, Toxic allows you to cripple Pokemon like Latios/Latias with Roost, especially Calm Mind variants, which wouldn't mind a burn too much. Toxic also allows you to more effectively stall out most fire-types, since they are immune to burn.

Hope this helps!

I do run Toxic on Heatran, just forgot to edit it in. :]

I will continue to give Defog a chance, but in my testing I can't seem to use it correctly... I'm also currently testing an Assault Vest Tentacruel (over Rotom-W) to support with both Rapid spin and Knock Off, allowing Mandibuzz to forego Knock Off (and Defog) for Taunt + Toxic!

 

[Kakimori]

I really like that Trevenant, but what happens if a setup sweeper gets a Substitute up on him? I think he'll completely troll non-Substitute Pokemon that don't outspeed with Taunt, but have you had any bad experiences with him yet?