Introduction
Teambuilding
Seeing as how Stallrein was the crux of DPP hail stall, I wanted him to be at the center of this team. He can annoy everyone with Toxic + Protect and is fat enough to take a lot of hits (literally tho because Thick Fat), is specially defensive, and is really the heart of the kind of hail stall team I wanted to build.
The next thing I wanted on this team was a Hail abuser, so I ended up finding Avalugg who has Ice Body. I orginally wanted to use Leftovers + Ice Body for lots of HP recovery every turn, but it has Recover anyway so I went with Icy Rock for longer Hail. I also wanted someone I could use as sort of a mini core so I could take hits on the physical side of things which Avalugg fits quite nicely.
At this point I was looking for Pokemon that could set Hail and potentially abuse it. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of those in the tier so I ended up going with Simipour, and slapped Blizzard on her so she could hit super hard. She's also fast and can hit hard with STAB Hydro Pump.
On a Hail team you're obviously going to have a glaring weakness to Fighting, so I wanted someone who wouldn't have to worry about that at all. Dusknoir does that and can cripple physical hitters with Will-O-Wisp. It's super bulky and can also be a pretty good tank in times of need, while getting a movepool that lets me have more type coverage than I otherwise would. It also acts as a Spin blocker which is incredibly useful.
At this point I'm thinking I need a SR setter and a Cleric because I'm not trying to have to play beat the clock if I get Toxic-ed. Celfairy appealed to me because it's another fighting resist, gets SR and can Knock Off opposing Eviolites. Magic Guard is also great because I can switch into Hazards, Status, and not have to worry about Hail hurting my own team.
Finally I knew I wanted entry hazards - as many as I could possibly get up. I ended up taking SR off Clef and put it on Crustle because Sturdy ensures I get at least one layer up. Crustle having access to SR and Spikes really appealed to me so I can get as much residual damage as possible, and take advantage of Walrein's phazing.
The Team
Seeing as how Stallrein was the crux of DPP hail stall, I wanted him to be at the center of this team. He can annoy everyone with Toxic + Protect and is fat enough to take a lot of hits (literally tho because Thick Fat), is specially defensive, and is really the heart of the kind of hail stall team I wanted to build.
The next thing I wanted on this team was a Hail abuser, so I ended up finding Avalugg who has Ice Body. I orginally wanted to use Leftovers + Ice Body for lots of HP recovery every turn, but it has Recover anyway so I went with Icy Rock for longer Hail. I also wanted someone I could use as sort of a mini core so I could take hits on the physical side of things which Avalugg fits quite nicely.
At this point I was looking for Pokemon that could set Hail and potentially abuse it. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of those in the tier so I ended up going with Simipour, and slapped Blizzard on her so she could hit super hard. She's also fast and can hit hard with STAB Hydro Pump.
On a Hail team you're obviously going to have a glaring weakness to Fighting, so I wanted someone who wouldn't have to worry about that at all. Dusknoir does that and can cripple physical hitters with Will-O-Wisp. It's super bulky and can also be a pretty good tank in times of need, while getting a movepool that lets me have more type coverage than I otherwise would. It also acts as a Spin blocker which is incredibly useful.
At this point I'm thinking I need a SR setter and a Cleric because I'm not trying to have to play beat the clock if I get Toxic-ed. Celfairy appealed to me because it's another fighting resist, gets SR and can Knock Off opposing Eviolites. Magic Guard is also great because I can switch into Hazards, Status, and not have to worry about Hail hurting my own team.
Finally I knew I wanted entry hazards - as many as I could possibly get up. I ended up taking SR off Clef and put it on Crustle because Sturdy ensures I get at least one layer up. Crustle having access to SR and Spikes really appealed to me so I can get as much residual damage as possible, and take advantage of Walrein's phazing.
Crustle @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Shell Smash
- Rock Blast
Crustle is my suicide lead, which is uncommon on a Stall team, but he almost always gets up SR + at least one layer of Spikes at the beginning of the match. Cutsap Berry ensures that I get the hazards I want and/or helps me stop it from being set up fodder, as Rock Blast has a lot of power behind it, will break subs and usually put a sizable chunk in an opponent's HP. The EVs let me capitalize on Shell Smash if Opponent's are dumb enough to let me get it, and even if I have low HP, Cutsap will make up the difference and let me get a Rock Blast off. It's an extremely vital part of the team as the hazards really help widdle teams' HP down while I fire off Toxics and Hails.
Avalugg @ Icy Rock
Ability: Ice Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
- Avalanche
- Hail
After Crustle dies I usually go into one of my Hail setters, Avalugg more often than not, because I can Spin away opposing Hazards which is necessary and useful, but also so I can set up Hail and get even more residual damage off. Having access to Recover is a Godsend because I can just Stall out teams with the reliable recovery plus Ice Body restoring HP. Avalanche hits incredibly hard because Avalugg is slow anyway, and has STAB backing up its attacks. It's physical defense is insane and can actually switch into super effective fighting type physical moves more often than not if it needs to. Max SpD is pretty much necessary so I can at least live, but sometimes even Recover stall out Special Attackers. Don't need a lot of Def Evs because of how ridiculously high it's Def Stat is anyway.
Simipour @ Icy Rock
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Blizzard
- Hail
- Low Kick
If I don't go into Avalugg after Crustle dies I'll usually go into Simipour, because it's really fast which lets me pick off anything that Crustle got damage on with really high power, and resists 2/3 of Crustle's weaknesses. This is one of the only real "Hail abusers" I have, with the 100% accurate Blizzard, which I understand should be separate from my Hail setter because I lose a coverage move in Grass Knot, but I haven't found a solution yet. Low Kick is excellent for opposing Rock, Steel, and Normal types, 2HKOing Regice and Lickylicky. Just about everything else gets hit pretty hard by this Mon, and I can keep it around long enough to set up more Hail if need be.
Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Knock Off
Clefairy is a really underrated Pokemon in the PU meta in my opinion, as Eviolite lets it take a LOT of hits, and heal with reliable recovery. It works great as a Cleric, getting rid of Sleep and Poison, and any other annoying status on the rest of the team, and Magic Guard lets it not have to worry about residual damage from a status of it's own, as well as Hail. Knock Off lets me get rid of opposing Eviolites, and hit Psychics and Ghosts pretty hard. Combined with Moonblast it has perfect neutral coverage (I'm pretty sure) which is an excellent STAB that hits hard and can wear down opponents. It's specially defensive letting me take hits from things like Ninetails or Rapidash that may want to switch in. It's become an invaluable member of the team simply for the Knock Off + Cleric Support.
Dusknoir @ Spell Tag
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Will-O-Wisp
This is an offensive spread on Dusknoir because it already has base 135 Def and SpD, making it a pretty impressive Tank. Shadow Sneak puts priority on the team which gets boosted by Spell Tag, potentially feigning the Choice Band while letting me Wisp incoming Pokemon. Ice Punch and Earthquake gives good coverage and hit hard with Max attack Adamant. Frisk is also great because it lets me see what the other Pokemon has if I'm unsure of it's item. The Speed Evs let me outspeed Prinplup and Metang, neither of which really want to take an Attack + Shadow Sneak. Its Ghost typing also makes it a Spinblocker which this team desperately needs because I need to get as much chip damage as possible on Pokemon switching in, and keeping Hazards up means they can't just switch around to lessen Toxic damage from Walrein.
Walrein @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Roar
- Toxic
- Surf
- Protect
Walrein is an excellent Toxic Staller and the Center of what I wanted to base the team around. This set actually isn't much different from the DPP set, the main ones being Thick Fat > Ice Body to take Fire moves way better and Roar over Substitute so I can phaze out the opposing team. Surf is generally the preferred option over Blizzard, because otherwise I can get pretty good Chip damage on other Pokemon. If I'm unsure what to do against a Pokemon Toxic almost always is my answer, as it adds the damage up on opposing Mons really quickly. Protect is vital because it lets me scout out opponents as well as Stall with Toxic. Max SpD + Calm provides a great Physical/Special Defense core with Avalugg, as Avalugg can actually take physical fighting moves pretty well, and Walrein takes fighting and steal moves. A problem I have with this Mon is that it doesn't have reliable recovery, and Clefairy doesn't have enough moveslots for me to successfully Wish pass. I usually have to rely on Protect to recover if I have taken heavy damage. But I'm not sure what to take out or really even put in. Most players overall become pretty annoyed with this Pokemon though, which is exactly what I wanted when I made this team.
Conclusion
Well if you made it this far I thank you for reading my RMT. This team has a lot of problems and I've tested with it a bunch but I can't seem to figure out what changes to make. I recognize both I and this team are probably pretty bad. I need more Hail Abusers I think, among many other things I'm sure. Any and all criticism is welcome and encouraged and I'm willing to make just about any change, although I'd prefer not to get rid of Walrein or Avalugg (mostly Walrein). Thank you again Smogon Forumers!
