WHO SAID STALL WASN'T MANLY?
An NU Stall Team
Let's face it, a majority of Pokemon players are men. We like MANLY things! Some men might turn to CB Sawk or BU Gurdurr for their daily dose of testosterone. Some of the REAL men out there may even turn to Shell Smash Clamperl or Belly Drum Linoone, in pursuit of true manhood. Those with chest hair look at these strategies and smile fondly, but with a hint of sadness in their eyes. Do you know why?
BECAUSE IT ISN'T MANLY ENOUGH. WE WANT MORE.
And the best part? We can have more. We have options of an even more manly style of play than smashing clams and drumming ferrets. Yeah, that's right. I'm talking about stall. You heard me correctly- what, do you have fucking gumdrops stuck between your eardrums and that sack of meat you call a brain?
"Stall is boring." "Stall is easy." "Stall is all about mindlessly switching." "Stall is for pussies that can't play." Says Mr. Rainbow Twiddly Fucks-Not! These are just a few of the lies spread by those that defy the True Way. Real men know that manliness isn't found by mindlessly pounding your opponent's small, devoted magical companion into a fine pulp with brute strength and 'roid rage! Such concepts stray from the Path! A real man smiles at his opponent's small, devoted magical companion as he watches it suffer to death slowly, relishing in its futile attempts to scratch the hide of pure muscle and iron, created by years of training and preparation under waterfalls and boulders.
Preparation. Skill. Guts. Mind-reading. A strong body that can endure the assaults of all that would challenge manhood. All of these are necessary traits for playing a successful stall team, and all of which scream out masculinity. And the saddest part? All of those that would call themselves "men" are still stuck in their hyper-offensive pussy havens, while stall goes completely shunned, cast into the shadows of disuse.
But I can see a bright new future. A horrible future. A future defined by a new face, bringing terror to all that lay eyes upon its ugly grinning visage. Well... actually, three faces, to be exact. Anyone weak of heart should go back to the playground where they belong before reading any further, because pissing yourself will not be tolerated.
An NU Stall Team
Let's face it, a majority of Pokemon players are men. We like MANLY things! Some men might turn to CB Sawk or BU Gurdurr for their daily dose of testosterone. Some of the REAL men out there may even turn to Shell Smash Clamperl or Belly Drum Linoone, in pursuit of true manhood. Those with chest hair look at these strategies and smile fondly, but with a hint of sadness in their eyes. Do you know why?
BECAUSE IT ISN'T MANLY ENOUGH. WE WANT MORE.
And the best part? We can have more. We have options of an even more manly style of play than smashing clams and drumming ferrets. Yeah, that's right. I'm talking about stall. You heard me correctly- what, do you have fucking gumdrops stuck between your eardrums and that sack of meat you call a brain?
"Stall is boring." "Stall is easy." "Stall is all about mindlessly switching." "Stall is for pussies that can't play." Says Mr. Rainbow Twiddly Fucks-Not! These are just a few of the lies spread by those that defy the True Way. Real men know that manliness isn't found by mindlessly pounding your opponent's small, devoted magical companion into a fine pulp with brute strength and 'roid rage! Such concepts stray from the Path! A real man smiles at his opponent's small, devoted magical companion as he watches it suffer to death slowly, relishing in its futile attempts to scratch the hide of pure muscle and iron, created by years of training and preparation under waterfalls and boulders.
Preparation. Skill. Guts. Mind-reading. A strong body that can endure the assaults of all that would challenge manhood. All of these are necessary traits for playing a successful stall team, and all of which scream out masculinity. And the saddest part? All of those that would call themselves "men" are still stuck in their hyper-offensive pussy havens, while stall goes completely shunned, cast into the shadows of disuse.
But I can see a bright new future. A horrible future. A future defined by a new face, bringing terror to all that lay eyes upon its ugly grinning visage. Well... actually, three faces, to be exact. Anyone weak of heart should go back to the playground where they belong before reading any further, because pissing yourself will not be tolerated.
~~~
Say hello to the stuff of nightmares, folks:
Exeggutor(The Great Grasshole) @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Harvest
EV's: 252 Hp/252 Def/ 4 SpAtk
Bold Nature (+ Def - Atk)
~ Psychic
~ Leech Seed
~ Substitute
~ Protect
Alomomola? Tangela? Such physical walls are certainly manly in their own ways, but both combined fail to hold a candle to the luminous glory of SubSeed Exeggutor. The whole team is centered around this bad boy, and if you test it out, it won't take you too long to see why. Exeggutor is the only Pokemon in the game, barring the mediocre Tropius and NFE Exeggcute, with access to the ability Harvest, which gives it a 50% chance of recovering a berry after use, and a 100% chance of recovering it in the sun.
Sit back and let that sink into your little monkey brains for just a second. Let's assume that Exeggutor has a Sitrus Berry in hand, and let's say your opponent predicts a switch and uses a Fire Blast from an Altaria you expected to be using Dragon Dance or some shit, catches you off guard, and knocks your Eggy down to 10% Hp. Sitrus berry kicks in, and now you're at 35%. Then, at the end of the turn, you recover the berry again, and now you're at a very comfortable 60%, and ready to switch into an appropriate counter. All of this, without using a single move. As if that isn't enough, let's say you don't get so lucky, and you only eat the berry once. Well, now you can just use Protect, and you have a 50% chance of recovering it again. Real men like taking chances, and the odds are actually in your favor much more often than not. You can even Protect after getting out of Sitrus Berry range, just to have a free turn in hopes of recovering it again. This also means that Exeggutor is one of the very few Pokemon in the game that can actually BENEFIT from having hazards on its side of the field, as sometimes switching in at almost half health can knock it below 50%, allowing it to recover health with its Sitrus Berry and take the incoming hit even better.
Now, let's factor Leech Seed into the mix. With Leech Seed recovery and Protect abuse, not only are you gaining health and sapping away your opponent's HP, but you're also maximizing your chances of berry recovery. Get this thing behind a sub, and there's literally nothing your opponent can do, besides maybe a multi-hit move. And the only multi-hit move in the tier that Exeggutor has to look out for is Piloswine's Icicle Spear, and with Leech Seed Recovery, Sitrus Berry and a little guts, Eggy can even stall that out. Exeggutor doesn't even need leech seed recovery to stall out opponents, as Sitrus Berry fully restores all the Hp consumed by a Sub, so if your opponent is toxic'd, you don't even need to waste a turn using Leech Seed. But we'll get to this later. For now, Calcs:
Exeggutor(The Great Grasshole) @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Harvest
EV's: 252 Hp/252 Def/ 4 SpAtk
Bold Nature (+ Def - Atk)
~ Psychic
~ Leech Seed
~ Substitute
~ Protect
Alomomola? Tangela? Such physical walls are certainly manly in their own ways, but both combined fail to hold a candle to the luminous glory of SubSeed Exeggutor. The whole team is centered around this bad boy, and if you test it out, it won't take you too long to see why. Exeggutor is the only Pokemon in the game, barring the mediocre Tropius and NFE Exeggcute, with access to the ability Harvest, which gives it a 50% chance of recovering a berry after use, and a 100% chance of recovering it in the sun.
Sit back and let that sink into your little monkey brains for just a second. Let's assume that Exeggutor has a Sitrus Berry in hand, and let's say your opponent predicts a switch and uses a Fire Blast from an Altaria you expected to be using Dragon Dance or some shit, catches you off guard, and knocks your Eggy down to 10% Hp. Sitrus berry kicks in, and now you're at 35%. Then, at the end of the turn, you recover the berry again, and now you're at a very comfortable 60%, and ready to switch into an appropriate counter. All of this, without using a single move. As if that isn't enough, let's say you don't get so lucky, and you only eat the berry once. Well, now you can just use Protect, and you have a 50% chance of recovering it again. Real men like taking chances, and the odds are actually in your favor much more often than not. You can even Protect after getting out of Sitrus Berry range, just to have a free turn in hopes of recovering it again. This also means that Exeggutor is one of the very few Pokemon in the game that can actually BENEFIT from having hazards on its side of the field, as sometimes switching in at almost half health can knock it below 50%, allowing it to recover health with its Sitrus Berry and take the incoming hit even better.
Now, let's factor Leech Seed into the mix. With Leech Seed recovery and Protect abuse, not only are you gaining health and sapping away your opponent's HP, but you're also maximizing your chances of berry recovery. Get this thing behind a sub, and there's literally nothing your opponent can do, besides maybe a multi-hit move. And the only multi-hit move in the tier that Exeggutor has to look out for is Piloswine's Icicle Spear, and with Leech Seed Recovery, Sitrus Berry and a little guts, Eggy can even stall that out. Exeggutor doesn't even need leech seed recovery to stall out opponents, as Sitrus Berry fully restores all the Hp consumed by a Sub, so if your opponent is toxic'd, you don't even need to waste a turn using Leech Seed. But we'll get to this later. For now, Calcs:
(Eat your heart out, Skuntank; this Psychic don't give shit.)
252 Atk Adamant Black Sludge Skuntank Pursuit (no switch) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 23.35 - 27.91%
252 Atk Adamant Black Sludge Skuntank Crunch vs 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 47.2 - 55.32%
252 Atk Adamant LO Skuntank Pursuit (no switch) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 30.45-36.29%
252 Atk Adamant LO Skuntank Crunch vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 61.42-71.82%
252 Atk Adamant Piloswine Icicle Spear (3 Hits) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor : 47.2 - 56.34% (0% chance to 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
252 Atk Adamant Piloswine Icicle Spear (5 Hits) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor : 76.14 - 89.84% (0% chance to 1HKO)
So those are the Physical attackers that are supposed to "counter" Exeggutor. Let's see some calcs of stuff that Exeggutor itself is supposed to counter.
252 Atk Adamant Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 31.97 - 37.56%
252 Atk Adamant Choice Band Sawk Ice Punch vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 53.29 - 62.94% (Incredibly low [like, 2%?] chance of 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
252 Atk Jolly Toxic'd Zangoose Facade vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 63.95 - 75.38%
252 Atk Jolly Toxic'd Zangoose Night Slash vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 43.14 - 50.76% (0% chance of 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
124 Atk Adamant Leftovers Golurk (Iron Fist) Shadow Punch vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 47.71 - 56.85% (0% Chance to 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
In essence, if Exeggutor isn't 2HKO'd, it will proceed to Leech Seed its opponent, recover health, tank the next hit, and set up a sub in the face of the frustrated opponent. Fun, right? :3
252 Atk Adamant Black Sludge Skuntank Crunch vs 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 47.2 - 55.32%
252 Atk Adamant LO Skuntank Pursuit (no switch) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 30.45-36.29%
252 Atk Adamant LO Skuntank Crunch vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 61.42-71.82%
252 Atk Adamant Piloswine Icicle Spear (3 Hits) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor : 47.2 - 56.34% (0% chance to 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
252 Atk Adamant Piloswine Icicle Spear (5 Hits) vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor : 76.14 - 89.84% (0% chance to 1HKO)
So those are the Physical attackers that are supposed to "counter" Exeggutor. Let's see some calcs of stuff that Exeggutor itself is supposed to counter.
252 Atk Adamant Choice Band Sawk Close Combat vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 31.97 - 37.56%
252 Atk Adamant Choice Band Sawk Ice Punch vs. 252Hp/252Def Bold Exeggutor: 53.29 - 62.94% (Incredibly low [like, 2%?] chance of 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
252 Atk Jolly Toxic'd Zangoose Facade vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 63.95 - 75.38%
252 Atk Jolly Toxic'd Zangoose Night Slash vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 43.14 - 50.76% (0% chance of 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
124 Atk Adamant Leftovers Golurk (Iron Fist) Shadow Punch vs. 252Hp/252 Def Bold Exeggutor: 47.71 - 56.85% (0% Chance to 2HKO with Sitrus Berry)
In essence, if Exeggutor isn't 2HKO'd, it will proceed to Leech Seed its opponent, recover health, tank the next hit, and set up a sub in the face of the frustrated opponent. Fun, right? :3
Full EV investment in Defense is used over the Speed investment recommended on the official set because personally, I just prefer the extra bulk over outspeeding something like Alomomola, as it turns some important potential 2HKOs into 3HKOs. Psychic is used over Giga Drain, because A.) You're an idiot if you do otherwise, allowing yourself to be completely walled by any grass type and B.) It nets some valuable Super-Effective hits, as well as providing an excellent offensive option against something to actually make the grass types/Sap Sippers that are bound to switch into Exeggutor cringe, coming from base 125 SpAtk. The rest of the set is self-explanatory.
One very important thing to note is that even fully invested Exeggutor gets absolutely destroyed by a U-Turn from anything. Also, while Eggy's physical bulk is surprisingly excellent, its special bulk is depressing, so mixed attackers give it a hard time. When playing with this set, it's imperative to know when to be gutsy and stay in, and when to take the safe route and switch out. High risk, high reward generally isn't associated with stall, but this set combines a little bit of both, so use with caution.
~~~
BUT IT'S 4X WEAK TO BUG MOVES!
Altaria (Dumpling Wings) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/4 Def
Calm Nature (+SpDef -Atk)
~ Heal Bell
~ Roost
~ Toxic
~ Cotton Guard
Although unfortunately not very manly in appearance, Altaria provides invaluable support to the team. Special Bug moves got you down? Don't worry; Altaria is more than happy to take those for you. Fire moves been ruining your day? Altaria is happy to help. Just general special attacks giving you trouble? Hey, 75/90/105 defenses can take care of just about anything. Admittedly, Altaria does share an Ice weakness with Exeggutor, but other than that, the two have excellent synergy, using their combined force to take hits from both sides of the spectrum quite well.
Cotton Guard is used over Dragon Pulse to help cover physical variants of Samurott, a real nuisance to this team (Megahorn from any variant is a clean 1HKO on Exeggutor. :C). With Altaria's good physical bulk, even uninvested, it can set up Cotton Guard and proceed to wall any other physical attacks the samurai otter thing can dish out with its admittedly masculine mustache. It's also a lovely answer to any Quiver Dancer in the tier, able to Toxic stall a broad majority of Specially attacking threats, even after several boosts.
The Stealth Rock weakness hurts, but it's moderately handled by two other Pokemon on this team, so it isn't such a big deal; not to mention, with Stealth Rock weakness also comes immunity to Spikes, which is always a plus.
It's Taunt bait to the highest degree, but let it set up to +6 and unless you have an Ice-type move or something immune to Toxic, you're in for some trouble. Heal Bell supports the team, and is (again) very important for some later-mentioned teamates, as well as being a necessity for any Stall team worth its weight in bacon. Toxic (and even Para) can really screw over Exeggutor, so cleric support is greatly appreciated.
It's manly if you squint your eyes and look at it from a distance.
~~~
That Shit's Weak to Ice Moves!
Tentacool (I <3 Japan!) @ Eviolite
Trait: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/4 SpAtk
Calm Nature (+SpDef -Atk)
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Rapid Spin
~ Giga Drain
~ Rest
"Rapid Spin is shit in NU." If you're a pussy and use some garbage piece of crap like Wartotle or Armaldo, maybe (let's face it, those things suck major dukey, although Armaldo to a lesser extent). 40/35/100 defenses sound laughable until you factor in Eviolite. This thing is almost as bulky on the Special side as Tangela is on the Physical, and it has a surprisingly quick 70 base Speed, a very useful benchmark in NU.
Its typing is deceptively good too, granting it notable resistances to Water, Ice, Bug, and Fire, and also making it neutral to Grass type attacks. It's even capable of taking Super Effective hits well, although I wouldn't recommend keeping it in on any kind of physical attacker.
With this, Tentacool can come in on practically any special attacker in the tier not named Eelecktross and start setting up T-Spikes. It's fast enough to outspeed bulky hard-hitters, and bulky enough to handle even the most powerful of special blows. To demonstrate the sheer bulk of this Japanese tentacle monster, a +2 Timid Gorebyss with White Herb in Rain does only 36.62 - 43.31% with Hydro Pump. Tentacool then buttfucks it with Giga Drain (which is a 100% chance of 3HKO with Stealth Rock, by the way) and laughs as one of the greatest monsters in NU gets T-Spikes set up on it and is subsequently killed by a NFE generally perceived as a crappy waste of a teamslot.
Shitting yourself yet? This thing doesn't just set up T-spikes, but it spins too, making it useful even against teams laden with Poison type Pokemon. Tentacool's biggest problem, lack of recovery, is handled with a combination of Rest and Heal Bell from its teammates. In some scenarios, it doesn't even need to switch out to a teammate to Heal Bell it, because it can just sit in and take hits until it wakes up and uses Rest again while the opponent suffers from Toxic/Leech Seed/LO damage.
Liquid Ooze is just there for shenanigans against any silly Ludicolo using Giga Drain or any SubSeeders. I've gotten some hilarious KO's just by switching in and taking a hit from a weakened Pokemon, and with Giga Drain being so widespread with the power bump it got, it sees more use than you would generally expect.
~~~
Lolwut Braviary?
Regirock (Rock Hard~) @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpAtk)
EV's: 252 Hp/252 Def/4 Atk
~ Stealth Rock
~ StoneMiss Edge
~ Earthquake
~ Rest
I once knew a man that challenged a rock. Like, not just your average pebble used for fucking hopscotch or something- I mean, this thing was a REAL. ROCK. 50 metric tons of imposing stone manhood jutting from the ground in a dizzying arc up into the sky, light casting a deep shadow behind it that stretched for miles, and a heavenly choir standing beside it singing in chorus night and day, without break for food or drink. Okay, maybe not the last bit, but damn this rock was huge. But this dude had been working out and drinking maybe a little too much, so he thought he could defeat the rock. You know what happened to him?
Moral of the story? Don't challenge rocks. You won't win. The rock won't care.
Regirock is that rock- hell, it has rock in its NAME! Braviary thinks it can Brave Bird through the team? Nope, Regirock. Zangoose is gonna Facade you and it's gonna hurt? Regirockblocked. Luvdisc Tackle threatening... something at 1% Hp? Regirock may be able to handle it. The point is, at 80/200/100 defenses and full Defensive investment, there aren't many physical attackers in the tier that are ever going to 3HKO Regirock with a neutral or resisted attack, and even Super Effective hits are 2HKOs at best. Special attacks? Base 100 SpDef has hardly ever been considered BAD, and it really sets Regi apart from all the other Rock types in the tier.
Stealth Rock is a no-brainer, as it's arguably the best move in the game, and fantastic on a stall team that causes switches more often than a Nascar race causes rednecks to stand up and sit down again. Stone Edge, when it doesn't miss (read: .001% of the time) packs a punch that'll send Braviary and Swellow running back to their nests, and provides a (semi) reliable STAB attack that causes significant damage to anything thinking they can get a free switch-in. Unfortunately, Rock Slide is greatly inferior to Stone Edge in this scenario, as if Regirock plans on doing anything besides tanking hits like the rock it is, it needs the extra power, especially without any Attack investment. Earthquake complete's the infamous EdgeQuake coverage, and punishes poison types that like to switch in and absorb Toxic Spikes.
Regirock's biggest drawback is its lack of recovery, but fear not! With Rest in its arsenal, so long as Regirock survives, it can fully restore its Hp, clear itself of status, and switch out for a cleric to heal the team and wake it up later! There's nothing more painful than working at taking down Regirock for three turns, only to watch it Rest off the damage that you so agonizingly wasted turns to create. That sense of helplessness your opponent feels as they watch your health bar fully replenish... ahh, it sends shivers down my spine.
~~~
Dem Grass Moves
Miltank (Sexy Udders) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sap Sipper
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
EVs: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
~ Heal Bell
~ Toxic
~ Milk Drink
~ Return
So back when I first made this team, Amoonguss was running all over the place in the tier. Sap Sipper was a hilarious answer, as basically any Amoonguss automatically gave me a free turn to Heal Bell my team up. Now that the stupid shroom is gone, I've still found Sap Sipper to have some utility, but I'm on the edge about it, and thinking about switching to Thick Fat to handle shit like Solar Power Charizard a little better. For now, it's sticking, as Tangela and Butterfree Sleep Powders are still annoying enough, and free turns are always invaluable, on any team.
Full Special Defense, because Attack EVs are for pussies. The physical side is entirely handled by Regirock and Exeggutor, as the two have fantastic physical synergy. Toxic hits Special fliers that are immune to toxic spikes, such as the Rotom formes, Mantine, and champion Chimeco. Milk Drink is for refreshing recovery after a long day of manly sweat. Return does amusing damage after a Sap Sipper Boost, and breaks subs. Heal Bell is the main reason why I'm even using Miltank, as it serves as a backup cleric if Altaria goes down. I actually end up using Miltank more often than Altaria for my Special tanking needs, since it isn't Stealth Rock weak, which is always a plus.
Look at those udders. Do you feel your manhood stirring yet!?
~~~
But What About Setup Sweepers!?
Misdreavus (Hair Tear) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
EVs: 252 Hp/ 252 Spd/ 4 SpAtk
~ Trick
~ Taunt
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Shadow Ball
Eviolite? What kind of puppy farm team do you think this is? I don't need any damn items to boost my defenses! Behold, the most annoying Pokemon conceived, bar SubSeed Exeggutor and the elite Dunsparce. Everyone falls for it. They see a wall, get a setup opportunity boner, come in with their Musharna foaming at the mouth and start setting up Calm Minds, only to watch in mortification as their Psychic embryo... cow... thing... gets completely crippled for the rest of the match. Stealth Rock setters? Goodbye. Walls? They're now useless. I named this Missy "Hair Tear" for a reason!
Having a scarf Poke also helps me have a "panic button" of sorts, in case things start to get out of hand, so I can revenge kill a weakened foe. Misdreavus' plethora of immunities give her plenty of chances to switch in and wreck havoc. Will-o-Wisp is monstrous in tangent with Trick and Taunt, as your opponent is bound to be switching a lot, so spreading burn is easier, making Physical hits even easier than before, allowing even Altaria and Miltank to take attacks from the likes of Zangoose and Sawk.
Now I know what you're thinking: why use Will-o-Wisp when I already have Toxic Spikes? It's true, the two do clash, but I generally end up using Toxic Spikes later in the game, once the Poison types have been eliminated, so spreading burn rarely conflicts. Shadow Ball allows Missy to finish off weakened foes, breaks subs, and surprises SubDisable Haunters as it outspeeds and hits for a guaranteed 1HKO. Taunt is used when I want to conserve my Choice Scarf, and is very useful after something's been Tricked.
I often end up Tricking bulky setup sweepers, so it's not too uncommon for me to pick up Eviolite along the way, further trolling my opponent. Misdreavus, Exeggutor, and Regirock can also switch back and forth between each other, as they share great immunities/resistances together that cover each other's weaknesses against Non-Choiced Pokemon with a lot of coverage.
~~~
Conclusion/Overview/Testosterone
This team is fantastic. I've used it countless times to great success. It requires a lot of switching and predicting, as all manly teams do, yet the punishments for misprediction usually aren't as crippling as they would be on a more offensive team. The only real threat that the team has difficulties handling are mixed Samurott variants, and even then, I can cover them if I Trick a Scarf onto them with Misdreavus. Once Exeggutor's set up and the T-Spikes are out, it's basically gg, and the scary thing is, that isn't too difficult of a scenario to pull off.
This stall team, unlike most, doesn't rely on hazards and residual damage from phazing for victory. It instead utilizes weak, but constant attacks, Leech Seed/Toxic/Will-o-Wisp damage, and unbreakable recovery to wear the opponents down, slowly but surely. Teams with multiple setup sweepers can be a bit of a problem, but there's almost always something on the team that can tank a hit and set up.
So, there you have it. Any advice/critique is highly appreciated, although I'm pretty damn satisfied with the team as it is. But whatever; have at it.
One very important thing to note is that even fully invested Exeggutor gets absolutely destroyed by a U-Turn from anything. Also, while Eggy's physical bulk is surprisingly excellent, its special bulk is depressing, so mixed attackers give it a hard time. When playing with this set, it's imperative to know when to be gutsy and stay in, and when to take the safe route and switch out. High risk, high reward generally isn't associated with stall, but this set combines a little bit of both, so use with caution.
~~~
BUT IT'S 4X WEAK TO BUG MOVES!
Altaria (Dumpling Wings) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EV's: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/4 Def
Calm Nature (+SpDef -Atk)
~ Heal Bell
~ Roost
~ Toxic
~ Cotton Guard
Although unfortunately not very manly in appearance, Altaria provides invaluable support to the team. Special Bug moves got you down? Don't worry; Altaria is more than happy to take those for you. Fire moves been ruining your day? Altaria is happy to help. Just general special attacks giving you trouble? Hey, 75/90/105 defenses can take care of just about anything. Admittedly, Altaria does share an Ice weakness with Exeggutor, but other than that, the two have excellent synergy, using their combined force to take hits from both sides of the spectrum quite well.
Cotton Guard is used over Dragon Pulse to help cover physical variants of Samurott, a real nuisance to this team (Megahorn from any variant is a clean 1HKO on Exeggutor. :C). With Altaria's good physical bulk, even uninvested, it can set up Cotton Guard and proceed to wall any other physical attacks the samurai otter thing can dish out with its admittedly masculine mustache. It's also a lovely answer to any Quiver Dancer in the tier, able to Toxic stall a broad majority of Specially attacking threats, even after several boosts.
The Stealth Rock weakness hurts, but it's moderately handled by two other Pokemon on this team, so it isn't such a big deal; not to mention, with Stealth Rock weakness also comes immunity to Spikes, which is always a plus.
It's Taunt bait to the highest degree, but let it set up to +6 and unless you have an Ice-type move or something immune to Toxic, you're in for some trouble. Heal Bell supports the team, and is (again) very important for some later-mentioned teamates, as well as being a necessity for any Stall team worth its weight in bacon. Toxic (and even Para) can really screw over Exeggutor, so cleric support is greatly appreciated.
It's manly if you squint your eyes and look at it from a distance.
~~~
That Shit's Weak to Ice Moves!
Tentacool (I <3 Japan!) @ Eviolite
Trait: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/4 SpAtk
Calm Nature (+SpDef -Atk)
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Rapid Spin
~ Giga Drain
~ Rest
"Rapid Spin is shit in NU." If you're a pussy and use some garbage piece of crap like Wartotle or Armaldo, maybe (let's face it, those things suck major dukey, although Armaldo to a lesser extent). 40/35/100 defenses sound laughable until you factor in Eviolite. This thing is almost as bulky on the Special side as Tangela is on the Physical, and it has a surprisingly quick 70 base Speed, a very useful benchmark in NU.
Its typing is deceptively good too, granting it notable resistances to Water, Ice, Bug, and Fire, and also making it neutral to Grass type attacks. It's even capable of taking Super Effective hits well, although I wouldn't recommend keeping it in on any kind of physical attacker.
With this, Tentacool can come in on practically any special attacker in the tier not named Eelecktross and start setting up T-Spikes. It's fast enough to outspeed bulky hard-hitters, and bulky enough to handle even the most powerful of special blows. To demonstrate the sheer bulk of this Japanese tentacle monster, a +2 Timid Gorebyss with White Herb in Rain does only 36.62 - 43.31% with Hydro Pump. Tentacool then buttfucks it with Giga Drain (which is a 100% chance of 3HKO with Stealth Rock, by the way) and laughs as one of the greatest monsters in NU gets T-Spikes set up on it and is subsequently killed by a NFE generally perceived as a crappy waste of a teamslot.
Shitting yourself yet? This thing doesn't just set up T-spikes, but it spins too, making it useful even against teams laden with Poison type Pokemon. Tentacool's biggest problem, lack of recovery, is handled with a combination of Rest and Heal Bell from its teammates. In some scenarios, it doesn't even need to switch out to a teammate to Heal Bell it, because it can just sit in and take hits until it wakes up and uses Rest again while the opponent suffers from Toxic/Leech Seed/LO damage.
Liquid Ooze is just there for shenanigans against any silly Ludicolo using Giga Drain or any SubSeeders. I've gotten some hilarious KO's just by switching in and taking a hit from a weakened Pokemon, and with Giga Drain being so widespread with the power bump it got, it sees more use than you would generally expect.
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Lolwut Braviary?
Regirock (Rock Hard~) @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpAtk)
EV's: 252 Hp/252 Def/4 Atk
~ Stealth Rock
~ Stone
~ Earthquake
~ Rest
I once knew a man that challenged a rock. Like, not just your average pebble used for fucking hopscotch or something- I mean, this thing was a REAL. ROCK. 50 metric tons of imposing stone manhood jutting from the ground in a dizzying arc up into the sky, light casting a deep shadow behind it that stretched for miles, and a heavenly choir standing beside it singing in chorus night and day, without break for food or drink. Okay, maybe not the last bit, but damn this rock was huge. But this dude had been working out and drinking maybe a little too much, so he thought he could defeat the rock. You know what happened to him?
Moral of the story? Don't challenge rocks. You won't win. The rock won't care.
Regirock is that rock- hell, it has rock in its NAME! Braviary thinks it can Brave Bird through the team? Nope, Regirock. Zangoose is gonna Facade you and it's gonna hurt? Regirockblocked. Luvdisc Tackle threatening... something at 1% Hp? Regirock may be able to handle it. The point is, at 80/200/100 defenses and full Defensive investment, there aren't many physical attackers in the tier that are ever going to 3HKO Regirock with a neutral or resisted attack, and even Super Effective hits are 2HKOs at best. Special attacks? Base 100 SpDef has hardly ever been considered BAD, and it really sets Regi apart from all the other Rock types in the tier.
Stealth Rock is a no-brainer, as it's arguably the best move in the game, and fantastic on a stall team that causes switches more often than a Nascar race causes rednecks to stand up and sit down again. Stone Edge, when it doesn't miss (read: .001% of the time) packs a punch that'll send Braviary and Swellow running back to their nests, and provides a (semi) reliable STAB attack that causes significant damage to anything thinking they can get a free switch-in. Unfortunately, Rock Slide is greatly inferior to Stone Edge in this scenario, as if Regirock plans on doing anything besides tanking hits like the rock it is, it needs the extra power, especially without any Attack investment. Earthquake complete's the infamous EdgeQuake coverage, and punishes poison types that like to switch in and absorb Toxic Spikes.
Regirock's biggest drawback is its lack of recovery, but fear not! With Rest in its arsenal, so long as Regirock survives, it can fully restore its Hp, clear itself of status, and switch out for a cleric to heal the team and wake it up later! There's nothing more painful than working at taking down Regirock for three turns, only to watch it Rest off the damage that you so agonizingly wasted turns to create. That sense of helplessness your opponent feels as they watch your health bar fully replenish... ahh, it sends shivers down my spine.
~~~
Dem Grass Moves
Miltank (Sexy Udders) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sap Sipper
Careful Nature (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
EVs: 252 Hp/252 SpDef/ 4 Atk
~ Heal Bell
~ Toxic
~ Milk Drink
~ Return
So back when I first made this team, Amoonguss was running all over the place in the tier. Sap Sipper was a hilarious answer, as basically any Amoonguss automatically gave me a free turn to Heal Bell my team up. Now that the stupid shroom is gone, I've still found Sap Sipper to have some utility, but I'm on the edge about it, and thinking about switching to Thick Fat to handle shit like Solar Power Charizard a little better. For now, it's sticking, as Tangela and Butterfree Sleep Powders are still annoying enough, and free turns are always invaluable, on any team.
Full Special Defense, because Attack EVs are for pussies. The physical side is entirely handled by Regirock and Exeggutor, as the two have fantastic physical synergy. Toxic hits Special fliers that are immune to toxic spikes, such as the Rotom formes, Mantine, and champion Chimeco. Milk Drink is for refreshing recovery after a long day of manly sweat. Return does amusing damage after a Sap Sipper Boost, and breaks subs. Heal Bell is the main reason why I'm even using Miltank, as it serves as a backup cleric if Altaria goes down. I actually end up using Miltank more often than Altaria for my Special tanking needs, since it isn't Stealth Rock weak, which is always a plus.
Look at those udders. Do you feel your manhood stirring yet!?
~~~
But What About Setup Sweepers!?
Misdreavus (Hair Tear) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
EVs: 252 Hp/ 252 Spd/ 4 SpAtk
~ Trick
~ Taunt
~ Will-o-Wisp
~ Shadow Ball
Eviolite? What kind of puppy farm team do you think this is? I don't need any damn items to boost my defenses! Behold, the most annoying Pokemon conceived, bar SubSeed Exeggutor and the elite Dunsparce. Everyone falls for it. They see a wall, get a setup opportunity boner, come in with their Musharna foaming at the mouth and start setting up Calm Minds, only to watch in mortification as their Psychic embryo... cow... thing... gets completely crippled for the rest of the match. Stealth Rock setters? Goodbye. Walls? They're now useless. I named this Missy "Hair Tear" for a reason!
Having a scarf Poke also helps me have a "panic button" of sorts, in case things start to get out of hand, so I can revenge kill a weakened foe. Misdreavus' plethora of immunities give her plenty of chances to switch in and wreck havoc. Will-o-Wisp is monstrous in tangent with Trick and Taunt, as your opponent is bound to be switching a lot, so spreading burn is easier, making Physical hits even easier than before, allowing even Altaria and Miltank to take attacks from the likes of Zangoose and Sawk.
Now I know what you're thinking: why use Will-o-Wisp when I already have Toxic Spikes? It's true, the two do clash, but I generally end up using Toxic Spikes later in the game, once the Poison types have been eliminated, so spreading burn rarely conflicts. Shadow Ball allows Missy to finish off weakened foes, breaks subs, and surprises SubDisable Haunters as it outspeeds and hits for a guaranteed 1HKO. Taunt is used when I want to conserve my Choice Scarf, and is very useful after something's been Tricked.
I often end up Tricking bulky setup sweepers, so it's not too uncommon for me to pick up Eviolite along the way, further trolling my opponent. Misdreavus, Exeggutor, and Regirock can also switch back and forth between each other, as they share great immunities/resistances together that cover each other's weaknesses against Non-Choiced Pokemon with a lot of coverage.
~~~
Conclusion/Overview/Testosterone
This team is fantastic. I've used it countless times to great success. It requires a lot of switching and predicting, as all manly teams do, yet the punishments for misprediction usually aren't as crippling as they would be on a more offensive team. The only real threat that the team has difficulties handling are mixed Samurott variants, and even then, I can cover them if I Trick a Scarf onto them with Misdreavus. Once Exeggutor's set up and the T-Spikes are out, it's basically gg, and the scary thing is, that isn't too difficult of a scenario to pull off.
This stall team, unlike most, doesn't rely on hazards and residual damage from phazing for victory. It instead utilizes weak, but constant attacks, Leech Seed/Toxic/Will-o-Wisp damage, and unbreakable recovery to wear the opponents down, slowly but surely. Teams with multiple setup sweepers can be a bit of a problem, but there's almost always something on the team that can tank a hit and set up.
So, there you have it. Any advice/critique is highly appreciated, although I'm pretty damn satisfied with the team as it is. But whatever; have at it.
