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Other Metagames has MANY metagames, and that can be frightening to some people first exploring this strange subforum. This thread is here to aid newer players by providing teams that allow them to help learn the metagame they're interested in. This thread is only for popular metagames or metagames with permanent ladders*! We're trying to open up more people into foreign metagames and posting a team from a metagame that hasn't been played in months does no good to anybody. Some metagames that are accepted include Balanced Hackmons, OU Monotype, Inverse Metagame, Tier Shift, STABmons, and AAA. Before we begin, to keep this in order, there will be a few rules:
This thread will be heavily moderated, any bad team or post will be deleted.
This is not an RMT thread! Post any RMT you want here, not in this thread.
Be sure to test the team you post in tournaments and on the ladder.
Be sure the team you post includes elements of that OM that reflect the overall flavor of how that OM functions.
Be sure this team is easy to pick up on and newer players can still use it and learn. Your team could be amazing, the best ever, but if it's too hard to play with unless you're experienced, it's not going to be allowed.
Posting replays also will help people see how to play with your team (not required, but is recommended.)
Keep in mind when posting your intent of your actual post. This means do you want your team to showcase the metagame, or do you want it to showcase an underrated playstyle? Things like that!
Here's a basic tier shift rain team that went 2-0 in ompl. Its pretty standard, fairly easy to use and makes the most of the advantage rain gives against opposing non weather teams.
Politoed @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: null Atk
- Scald
- Perish Song
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
Politoed sets up rain and manages to stick around for longer than it should with rest talk and great bulk. Kabutops is the first swift swimmer, hitting hard on the physical side with the potential to set up and demolish stall. Ludicolo is the other swift swim user hitting on the special side with the potential to cripple counters like ferrothorn with a scald burn. Thundurus provides priority thunder wave and rain dance to support the team. Scizor and Shedinja (has base 16 hp now so doesn't die to residual damage) give a defensive back bone of sorts with the potential to set up. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-145270730 http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-147834230
Not exactly my best team, though it did peak #2 on the ladder and reached a winning streak of 40+ before my only loss under my alt just gimmicks. Didn't plan on sharing it to begin with, but at this point a couple of people are already using it anyway. http://pastebin.com/iwthf6EG
This team works as the very vast majority of the meta is countered one way or another. A defensive dual prankster core of giratina+yveltal allows it to deal with pretty much every offensive mon, in particular mold breakers. Giratina resists the weaknesses of both of my wonder guards, locking them into it with encore. It's amazing bulk allows it to wall almost everything. Yveltal switches in to mold breaker gengar and mold breaker mega-mewtwo-y. An offensive dual mold breaker core of aerodactyl+gyarados is pretty effective as well, aerodactyl punching holes early to mid-game with it's ability to 2HKO literally everything but physically defensive giratina without hazards. Gyarados sweeps late game, don't go mega too early though. The only real thing to remember while using this team is to scout enough.
The only actual troublesome things to worry about when using this team is huge power mega-mewtwo with coverage for both wonder guards and shadow tag+mold gengar cores as my only gengar counter, yveltal, can be trapped.
Most of my saved replays are stupidly long so no point in sharing them.
Arceus-Rock @ Stone Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Recover
- Judgment
- Will-O-Wisp
I built this team a while ago, back when Averagemons was OM of the Month, and with it I peaked at #1 on the Averagemons ladder with a w/l ratio of 43-0. Since then, I have used it to win multiple tours in the Other Metas room, and asterat used it to win the last two rounds of The Hunger Metagames.
Anyway, onto the team. This team has three extremely potent threats in Sableye, Kaangaskhan, and Talonflame, each of which can tear a team to shreds if given the chance. Most teams will not have multiple answers to each of these Pokemon, so there is usually one Pokemon that can be removed to leave the opponent wide open to be swept. The aim when playing this team is to use Gothitelle to trap and kill the opponent's answer to one of these Pokemon, and then sweep. Sableye is the glue that holds the team together, as it checks most of the metagame, and can shut down most Pokemon with its Prankster Will-o-wisp and Taunt. As well, it has the potential to stall out entire teams if given a chance, so you should try and play carefully with Sableye and preserve it for a potential sweep in the late game. Unaware Clefable beats most set-up sweepers, and is great at spreading Toxic around opposing teams. Clefable's Aromatherapy is great for keeping the team healthy, as many of the Pokemon on it are quite prone to status. Talonflame is a great revenge killer, and can sweep on a dime if it gets a Swords Dance up. It is also the team's best answer to Sableye, as it is immune to burns. Kangaskhan is another great sweeper and wallbreaker, and has basically no switchins. Finally, Arceus-Rock is there to counter opposing Talonflame (and other powerful fire-types that threaten Sableye), as well as to Defog Stealth Rock away to keep Talonflame healthy. It is also a great back-up check to the likes of Exploud and Kangaskhan.
This team has trouble against Magic Guard set-up sweepers like Clefable; your best bet is the switch straight to Gothitelle and Trick them the choice scarf. This team also has quite a water weakness; Pokemon like Kyogre cause this team a lot of trouble.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Sacred Fire
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head
Aggron @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Heres a Tier Shift Team I recently created. It is a balanced team, leaning slightly towards the stally side. I chose balance because I feel it is the easiest for new players to use and have fun with. It is more forgiving of mistakes then Hyper Offense, but battles are shorter than stall. The team centers around a defenseve core of Gligar and Aromatisse, with support from Cressilia and Mega Aggron. Kyurem and Choice Band Entei act as the main wallbreakers, and can beat almost any core Tier Shift has to offer. Mega Aggron can help support the wall breaking effort, as well as set up the essential Stealth Rocks and spreading unexpected Toxic. Gligar doubles as a hazard remover, and Aromatisse as a clergic. The point of all of this is for Cressilia to set up Calm Minds and sweep. If the team is suitably weakened, other pokemon may sweep but Cressilia usually does.
Teambuilding: The first thing I started with was a Cressilia and Gligar core. While they don't cover each other's weaknesse's they are both immensly bulky and can beat most attackers on their respective fortes. Gligar can remove hazards and Cress can set up to sweep. But they both didn't like taking Knock Offs, and couldn't handle Dark-types like Mega Absol. So I added Aromatisse. This covered that weakness, and gave even more resistance to Fighting-type attacks. It also acted as a clergic that could remove the status that Cress and Gligar hate taking. This works as a pretty good defensive core. Until a Bisharp comes (haven't actually faced one with this team). So Mega Aggron was added. It takes down most physical attackers and can smash Fairies, especially Granbull which removes the status that Meggron and Gligar love to spread. So who benefits from the removal of Fairies? Why none other than Kyurem, one of the most feared mixed attackers in Tier Shift. This was added to smash walls that can stop Cress's sweep, and punch holes in the opposing team. His power is supported by the final member of the team, Choice Banded Entei. This thing loves to spread burns with Sacred Fire, has powerful priority in Extreme Speed, and has very nice bulk that can take a hit or two. The whole team is relativly bulky, and even the wall breakers benefit from Wish support and removal of pesky status. This team takes advantage of the fact that Tier Shift gives a boost to all stats, letting them be both bulky and very powerful. It also relies upon the improval of stats to outspeed some threats and hit them first.
This team works because of the nice defensive synergy and great offensive power. The combination of Gligar, Aromatisse, Cressilia, and Mega Aggron is so hard to push through. Most attackers are easily walled by one or more of them, and are therefore useless. Cressilia is especially dangerous, as Max Defense Calm Mind is very tough to break through and can set up on way too many pokemon. It can even beat other Calm Minders with STAB Psyshock. Mega Aggron is also a threat, as anything weighing around 175 pounds or less is taking a 120 power attack, not even factoring in STAB. It can also set up Sneaky Pebbles, which can turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs, and 2HKOs into OHKOs. Toxic can be substituted for Roar to phase away stat boosts and make them taking damage from SR, or Metal Burst to dish out more than you took (this works well with Sturdy). Aromatisse holds the team together, healing those who can't heal themselves and taking away crippling status. Gligar takes on most physical threats, and can Toxic stall them and remove hazards. Kyurem blows apart most physical walls, and can still do a lot of damage to most special walls (including a guranteed 2HKO on 4/252 Chansey). It beats defensive cores, and opens up holes that other pokemon can take advantage of. Entei does the same job, except with a high burn chance, powerful priority, and goes physical instead of mainly special.
This team is fairly easy to play with. I lot of defensive switch-ins are avalible, giving players choice about what to beat threats with. This team does not iniate a lot of abnormal 50/50 mindgames, like Sucker Punch users. It also has a pretty straight forward goal, and the pokes are simple in nature. Gligar removes hazards when it has a turn, and racks up Toxic damage while staying healthy. Earthquake hits Poison and Steel types that are immune to Toxic super-effectively. Aromatisse heals status when it needs to, Wishes to keep momentum and Moonblast to hurt foes. Protect can help stall out Toxic damage on foes that are poisoned. Mega Aggron sets up Stealth Rocks when they are necessary, hits hard with STAB Heavy Slam, and uses Toxic to beat walls. Kyurem uses the appopriate coverage move, weakening the opposing team until it can be finished. Entei can be brought in to spread burns, kill with powerful Extreme Speed, or simply hit hard right off the bat. Cressilia can serve as a wall, until the late game when it sets up Calm Minds and can sweep the weakened team. My advice is to bring in Cress sparingly, until all of the threats to it have been eliminated. If Cressilia is not optimal for a sweep, it can be used as a wall and the team will weaken opposing until Entei and Kyurem can clean up the rest. Whittle down their team, and bring in the wallbreakers when you can to finish off opposing pokemon.
Threats: Mega Scizor with Roost can be problematic if Entei is gone. Everything else struggles to wound it and it can beat the team easily. Keep Entei alive if you see an opposing Scizor or Mega Scizor
Crocune: CroCune (Rest / Sleep Talk / Scald / Calm Mind Suicune) can be hard to deal with, although Cress can usually beat it with Psyshock and Calm Mind.
Shedinja: This can be hard to deal with without Entei, but can be worn down with Stealth Rocks and Toxic.
This battle I led with Gliscor, to combat Hippowdon, Cradily, or Acheops trying to get rocks up. He instead led with Jellicent, a good prediction. I switched into Aromatisse fearing the Scald, but instead got tricked a Choice Scarf. This crippled Aromatisse untils its inevitable death later. It and Jellicent exchanged a few blows, until I went into Cressilia to get a burn on myself (it would be better than Toxic) and set up Calm Minds. He went into to Hippowdon right after that, making me fear a Toxic (which would be harder to heal with Aromatisse crippled. I switched into Gligar to oustall it, as he revealed Whirlwind. I was forced into my Aromatisse, who Wished on my opponents switch to Cradily. I went into Aggron to destroy it with Heavy Slam, or Toxic something. He Infestation as I came in. Aggron scared him out, and I mega evolved and went for a Heavy Slam as he went for Hippowdon. I then used Toxic, as my lure had worked. This helped cripple Hippowdon and let me beat his core more easily. I then set up rocks, too help wear his team down. Jellicent came in and burned me, as I missed my Toxic. This was unforetunate as I needed both parts of his core crippled and he had no way to heal status. I went into Cress for the same reasons as before, but went straight for a Psyshock to get damage off on the Hippowdon. This was lucky as he went into his Arheops, and the combination of the attack and Stealth Rocks was enough to knock it into Defeatist range. It then went for a Head Smash, which missed as I went for another Psyshock. After he hit the next head smash, he died of recoil and my Cress was still pretty healthy. He went into Cradily, and I knew this would be a good time for Aromatisse to come in. I switched into Infestation, but was able to survive and heal the status of Meggron with an Aromatherapy. He Cursed as my poke died a brave death, sacrificing itself for its comrads. I decided it would be a great time to bring in Kyurem, and I did. I used Focus Blast (which I prefer but I have Earth Power instead on the importable) as he switched into Jellicent. This Jellicent was probably the biggest threat on his team, so I used Draco Meteor to get off some good damage. It burned me but I didnt care, since Outrage would not be very useful this battle. I used Draco Meteor again, just to make sure he didn't try to heal on my switch. When he went into Cradily instead, I went into Aggron to stall it out. Meggron was able to Toxic the Jellicent, ensuring the slow demise of his core. Now all I needed was to weaken up the rest of his team. I went into Cress as before to counter Jellicent, healed up. His Jellicent continued to get crits but not burns, which was bad for him. He went into Hippowdon to Whirlwind me away, as I set up a Calm Mind. I went for Moonblast for a little free damage as he forced me into Gligar. This was good. Gligar beat the rest of his team, including the Jellicent since it was low on HP. I tried to finish off Hippo with Earthquake, but it got its health back up with Slack Off. He went into Stoutland to try and break through Gligar, and I missed my Toxic. From here I walled Stoutland and Gogoat, and knocked out Jellicent. He soon surrendered, realizing I could stall out the rest of his team. GG
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/tiershift-154531989 This is a battle I had against an opponent called researchinbreeder. The team was doing good until a Focus Miss, then Cloyster punched holes in it. Specific comments will be added later.
Hi! In order to give some more incentive to post here, I should inform you all that there is a possibility that good teams in certain OMs (which OMs remains to be decided, but BH and Monotype are near certainties), will end up being uploaded on our site. This is about all the information I can share for now, but I encourage people to participate. I will also link this thread on the OM Hub once it has enough teams in it, so there will at least be a link to this thread with your teams on our site if you wish to share them. :)
Might as well give my 2 cents and post my most successful AAA team. To testify to the success of it, I have went 24-2 on the ladder (one loss to sand stall and another to Rain Offense + Weavile) ever since I started using it (hey, at least that's better than most of my other teams). Another thing to note is that this is the team that pioneered chlorophyll + specs + eruption heatran, something unheard of at the time, and was the main reason my team had any success in the first place. So without further ado:
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
- Volt Switch
Teambuilding: One day, while I was using Sand Rush offense with things like Kyurem, Chandy, and Rampardos, I started wondering why I didn't just use Sun offense, which also had speed-doubling abilities. However, unlike Sand, Sun boosted fire type attacks, made solarbeam (very powerful move) charge up in 1 turn, and to top that off, had another excellent ability in solar power. So I decided to use sun. The first step was finding a setter. By typing a (/ds stealth rock, u-turn, all) command into the PS chat, I was able to find the perfect pokemon for the job: Infernape. With access to sun-boosted flare blitz, stealth rock, u-turn for initiative, and will-o-wisp to cripple physical attacking mons (especially sucker punchers), Infernape has remained, in my opinion, one of the best sun setters there is. Next, I wanted a sweeper. Recalling how powerful specs Typhlosion is in NU, I decided to use a chlorophyll + eruption user, as it was such a powerful and deadly combination. After realizing that the strongest eruption user is Heatran, it was added to my team. The bulk and power it has over typhosion has saved me numerous times, and is always my primary win condition (unless against rain, in which case my win condition is thundy). Realizing that stealth rock and spikes reduce Heatran's power, I needed a defogger, and found the perfect one in Gale Wings Skarmory.
The next parts of my team have changed a few times, but I understand this is not an RMT, so I'll try to keep it brief. Solar Power Weavile was used in the 4th slot as a sweeper, but after someone mentioned that solar power only affects special attacks, it was changed to intimidate Zapdos, which dealt with bird spam and flash fire skarm, which pretty much saved the team (the only 2 gale wings users I had faced before were played fairly poorly). The 5th slot was used for a third sweeper, fire blast + DD mega Gyara. This was changed for storm drain+ calm mind lando, due to my problems with CM + roar + scald + protect PH Suicune. The last slot used to be Drought Excadrill, for an additional spinner due to my rock weakness, a strong EQ abuser, want of another sun setter, and good defensive synergy. However, EQ abuse wasn't really needed on my team, gale wings skarm got rid of rocks reliably enough, and for synergy, my team was offensive and fast anyways. So I replaced it with Drought Ludicolo to deal with Rain teams, 4X resisting water, and getting 75% from synthesis. After realizing that having a second sun abuser was pointless due to my only using 1 sun offensive pokemon, I decided to add a win condition against rain (which I lost to twice on the ladder and 1 time in a tour). Swift Swim Thundy-T let me kill suicune more easily as well as pretty much win against rain teams, and that's where the team is today.
Why the team works: As long as Sun is up, Heatran provides so much offensive pressure that entire teams collapse. Not even things like Keldeo and Azumarill live Eruption after rocks. If Gale wings users come in to try to weaken your eruption, Zapdos takes abysmal damage from any brave bird. It then volt switches out, giving a free switch into Heatran, which proceeds to kill things some more. Gale Skarm is such a good revenge killer and defogger that rocks aren't much of a worry for the team, so Heatran can kill things as long as it wants. Infernape's use as death fodder allows Heatran to, like before, kill things. Thundy-T patches up the team's weakness to rain, and pretty much single-handedly destroys it, although you could use Thundy-I for swift swim keldeo. Overall a very simple but fun team to use.
How to play with this team: Keep trying to get a free switch into Heatran; as long as it is alive, the odds are in your favor of winning. The best way is to lure in something that Zapdos or Thundy threatens with electric attacks, then volt switch out into heatran and kill things. Another way to get Heatran in is to sac Infernape when Sun is down, then get the sun up and sweep; however, NEVER sacrifice infernape if there is something else that threatens you under sun. Most of the time, Heatran will just steamroll the opponent's team effortlessly, it is worth noting that you should almost never directly switch in Heatran though.
Another way to win with this team is to slowly volt-turn your way to victory, launching the occasional flare blitz or will-o-wisp or HP ice on the way. If you're aiming to win like this, make sure Zapdos is healthy, as it will be your win condition then. In this case, Zapdos is the win condition and Heatran is merely a late-game cleaner.
Facing rain teams is a completely different story: Heatran is practically dead-weight, Infernape's only use is rock setting and burning things, and Thundy-T is the win condition. As long as Thunder is spammed endlessly, it should be possible for Thundy to muscle its way through. Play with Thundy the same way Heatran is played.
What threatens this team: Magnet pullers are the number 1 threat to this team, thankfully they are not that common. 2 of the most important parts of this team, heatran and Skarmory, are weak to Magnet Pullers, especially if they are prepared for them (magnet pull keldeo, for example, isn't a threat to skarm but is a threat to Heatran without sun).
Sand is the number 1.1 threat to this team, fortunately, like magnet pull, it is not that common. Sand stall pretty much beats this team, although I have only seen 1 sand stall team. Sand offense can be won against, but that's more of a weather wars issue.
Rain wins against this team when Thundy is dead, not much to say here.
Scarf Keldeo (never seen one, but just be aware that it exists) wins against this team, with the only roadblock being gale Skarm. Replays
I don't have many replays of this team, but I guess I few very old ones will suffice:
Okay, here's a Balanced Hackmons team I've been working on and, after seeing this thread, tailoring it more or less for the purposes of being a good sample team that can ease people into the meta while showcasing a few underrated, but effective, threats. The goals of this team are, as follows:
1: Be effective enough to able to consistently achieve a positive win ratio
2: But not be so good that it is top-tier material.
2a: This is to avoid the player potentially thinking they should be winning easily just because they're using a top tier team.
2b: This is also because I feel new players shouldn't be given a top tier team right from the get go. Top tier sets? Sure, that's fine. But if they want a strong team, they need to learn to build it themselves rather than copypastaing already existing teams.
3: Be easy to pick up, understand, and play.
4: Employ a simple and straight forward strategy that can function even if the team has taken losses and doesn't require dozens of turns to set-up complicated situations.
5: Be balanced as possible, so new players can easily adjust it to their preferred play style.
6: Avoid utilizing the things that there are talks of being suspected just in case they managed to get bad, thus hopefully keeping this team relevant and useful for new players for as long as possible. There is one exception though because it outclasses all other alternatives so badly that not using it would just be silly. (Also, I will not speak of the topic of suspects/banning in this thread farther since this is not the place. I only mention it because it was a goal of mine.)
With that out of the way, here's the importable followed by an explanation of the team.
Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Low Kick
- Diamond Storm
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Manectric-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Taunt
Kyurem-Black @ Life Orb
Ability: Skill Link
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Bone Rush
- Water Shuriken
- Swords Dance
Tentacruel @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 240 HP / 140 SpA / 112 SpD / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Sludge Wave
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 200 HP / 154 Def / 154 SpD
Bold Nature
- Foul Play
- Milk Drink
- Heal Bell
- Will-O-Wisp
This team deploys three offensive Pokemon and three defensive Pokemon, thus achieving a good, balanced mix. As the situation in the battle changes, the player has the option of going on the offensive with quick, powerful hits or setting up a dangerous sweeper. Or they can do defensive by utilizing residual damage from burns and fast Volturning to stall an opponent or abuse the Regenerator core to outlast most forms of residual damage stall. It also handles both physical and special ends of the spectrum both offensively and defensively. Additionally, the team is Imposter resistant as there is at least one member of the team to check any given Pokemon on the team.
The strategy here is simple: it uses strong hits from naturally strong attackers to apply offensive pressure and uses Volturn to maintain momentum as the opponent attempts to switch to answers to the player's current Pokemon. Mewtwo-X often leads the charge here with its devastating power, even without its LO, though Sheer Force Manectric is no slouch and also packs a very fast Taunt against defensive Pokemon. Kyu-B usually doesn't come out to play as much as either of them, though as long as it hasn't attacked yet, it can bluff of Fridge set whenever it wants to by simply switching in on anything that would be weak to it. From there, the player can set-up and attempt to poke holes in the opponent with a set that checks or counters most Fridge checks/counters or switch out to scout the foe's response.
If the opponent is able to press more offensive pressure than this team can muster, it can easily shift into defensive mode to force out or punish the attacker. Aggron's titanic bulk is used to sponge physical hits, able to shrug off even SE attacks from all but the most powerful STAB users in the tier. It can proceed to set rocks in their face, shuffle them out if they try to set-up, or hit them with Gear Grind, which can do significant damage to frail sweepers, such as Y-two and Aerodactyl. Tentacruel answers special threats by sponging their hits, threatening burns and hazard removal, and able to switch out to do it recover and do it again later. Finally, Umbreon is the mixed wall that checks most set-up sweepers. Umbreon's typing means it hates most physical attackers, which is fine since Wisp + Foul Play utterly destroys the majority of them.
In terms of introducing the player to the tier, all of the sets here purposely play similarly to what one might expect. Manectric, Umbreon, and Tentacruel all fill more or less similar roles they serve in standard, except better thanks to access to new abilities and moves. Meanwhile, Mewtwo thinks it's Mienshao while Aggron is more or less pretending to be Skarmory. Kyu-B is the odd one out that doesn't match anything in at least typing, but it probably plays closest to either Heracross-M or Cincinno. As such, the team should be easy to pick up and play for someone new to the tier while still being good enough to let them see all the other, more common stuff BH has to offer without being wrecked by it all.
I didn't think to grab replays while testing the team and getting up to an acceptable level of effectiveness for posting it here, so I only have one. However, it is effective enough to defeat the majority of the players I encounter, even if I get into a bad spot before the opponent does. However, it consistently loses to top tier players when they're using top tier teams, so I feel I've achieved my goal of "good but not too good" so that, hopefully, once the new player has started to develop an understanding of the tier, they can go and build their own teams rather than relying on pre-made ones.
I would be lying if I said I had this team from the beginning. In fact, when I began, I had an ultra-gimmicky Red Card + Metal Burst Forretress lead. Then I realized that the Meta was becoming increasingly offensive. We all know what that calls for - Stall. But I couldn't convince myself to build a out-and-out stall team in a Metagame with so much more possibilities. So I thought passive-offensive was the only way to go that would give me an increased chance of winning over an all-out offensive team and still retain some fun in actually 'sweeping' in the sense of the word (I still believe a well-built STABmons Stall team has the best chance of winning. If I recall correctly, w0rd used one to get to #1, while I was hopelessly stuck behind him at #2).
Why The Team Works
The whole idea of the team is to struggle against the most-used strategy in tier, which is pretty much just setting up and sweeping. Well that and good prediction skills. You have to know from the Fake Out damage done by Diggersby that whether or not the opponent will be KOed by the upcoming ExtremeSpeed; you have to guess if the opponent's Diggersby is going to use Earthquake or Fake Out and then switch into Landorus-T or Sableye respectively; you have to fix when the right time is for Scizor to set up shop and sweep. Beyond that, the team works itself out with almost no problems.
How To Play With The Team
Sableye is the core member of the team, with Sableye crippling Physical/Special Attackers with Will-O-Wisp/Dark Void, Parting Shot and switching back to another team member of choice: Quagsire, who will take pathetic damage from anything the crippled opponent can muster and then stall him out; Landorus-T, who adds injury to the insult by intimidating a helpless, burned -1 Attack opponent and leaves him no choice but to switch out; Chansey, who handles Special Attackers, who are less in numbers in the tier. Chansey's other important role is to heal the team with Wish and Aromatherapy, which contributes to the longevity a good Stall team needs. Plus, it also gets rid of any unwanted Burn or Sleep. Transform helps in some situations, but only sparingly, like dealing with a Doom Desire + Sacred Fire Heatran.
Scizor and Diggersby are back up plans for when none of these three can handle a team, Diggersby more so than Scizor. I actually had a Mega Mawile before it got banned. So, just a heads up, if it ever gets out of the ban, be free to make use of the additional fire power (They both perform more or less the same role). Although they're 'sweepers', they're both fully invested in HP, with Scizor even having Roost for what it is worth. Diggersby's Fake Out + Extreme Speed can take out most whittled-down opponents. I recently replaced its Belly Drum with Smack Down to take care of the pesky Skarmory (Trust me, you don't need Belly Drum). Scizor is a wallbreaker mostly, Roosting off any damage while setting up. It can 2HKO even resisted mons with its superb combination of STAB Technician Pin Missile and Gear Grind. You wouldn't believe how hard these things hit at +2.
So in conclusion, while using this team, try as best as you can to Stall and then utilize Diggersby to snipe. Scizor is really just there to have fun. I could replace it with something like a Heatran or even something less boring like Alomomola. The team would still work, there just wouldn't be a lot of fun.
What To Watch Out For
Like I mentioned earlier, another well-built Stall team, especially one with a lot of Taunters and perfect counters to Scizor and Diggersby can ruin the team's entire plan. But as you can see, the terms are very steep and very specific. If a Stall team has Taunters, but nothing to take a +2 STAB Technician Gear Grind, you can break it; and vice-versa.
Importable
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Brave Bird
Sableye (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dark Void
- Parting Shot
- Foul Play
Might as well use this thread myself. Here's a fun Tier Shift team of mine that is really consistent and easy and fun to use.
The teambuilding process, despite taking a while, was pretty straightforward. I knew I wanted to use CM Reuniclus because OM regulars are notorious for having tremendous stall boners, and it pretty much 6-0s stall in almost every metagame thanks to Magic Guard with reliable recovery. From there, I knew I'd want a Dark resist that wasn't boned by Knock Off. I was originally going to go with Cobalion, but it's so weak and kind of minds Knock Off. So I went with Mega Heracross, another Pokemon that does a fantastic job of fucking up stall. With that playstyle really well covered, I needed a defensive backbone against offensive teams. I couldn't really hope to out-offense them because Reuniclus is bad about losing momentum. The first thing I wanted covered was Flying-types. I considered Zapdos in this slot, but it gets royally fucked by Tinted Lens Yanmega, which I figured would be a big threat with +10 in every stat. Heatran was a natural fit, as it covered nearly every Flying-type (Staraptor, Mega Pinsir, and Hawlucha standing out as the exceptions) without getting boned by Yanmega. Rain is another big issue, so a Water-resist that didn't crumble to rain's common coverage was necessary. Amoonguss fit well here. Still, Kabutops kind of wrecked what I had going on, so I tossed on Gastrodon as a general check to physical Fire-types such as Entei and Emboar as well as Kabutops of course. From there, I wanted something that could serve as a catch-all against the offensive Pokemon that my team couldn't really stand up to. A strong priority user or Choice Scarf Pokemon would be a natural fit, and with its traumatic drop to UU, Jirachi sounded like a fun choice. It was also a good choice because the things this team is weak to tend to be quite random, and Jirachi can beat just about anything given enough luck.
I feel like the obvious answer as to why the team works is because I built it, but the less conceited answer is because it covers every common Tier Shift playstyle really well. As I mentioned above, anything that I can't handle is usually caught by Jirachi, which helps out a ton. FWG defensive cores are also great, and Heatran, Amoonguss, and Gastrodon happen to have incredible dual typings to help make their jobs even easier. But really, the main reason why it works is because things are so meticulously prepared for, as seen in the above section. I didn't add anything to the team simply because it sounded like it would be fun. Everything has a designated purpose, and that's what makes the team so consistent.
You play with the team like you would with any balanced team really, but due to the defensive nature of the team, you often have the flexibility to play more carefully than you would your average balanced squad. An important thing to keep in mind is that Gastrodon, Reuniclus, and Amoonguss to an extent are the only things on the team with reliable recovery, so you have to work hard to ensure the rest of the team doesn't get worn down too quickly. If there is a particular Pokemon standing in the way of you sweeping with Heracross or Reuniclus or even cleaning with Jirachi, you can take some extra measures to take those Pokemon out when you get the opportunity. If you have to lose part of your defensive core to take out the one thing standing in the way of you winning the match, do it. But only do it if you're confident that you can still win the game without that Pokemon. Also, Protect with Heatran liberally. The point of the move is primarily to gain extra Leftovers recovery, with the added benefit of racking up Toxic damage on the foe. Try not to do it if you think the opponent is going to set up on you. Otherwise, Protect just for the sake of it if you've taken damage, or do it to scout the opponent's moveset. You can rarely go wrong by spamming it early on in the match.
With no form of hazard removal and a really slow team outside of Jirachi, Spikes-stacking offense can be a pain. Take extra measures to try to keep Spikes off your side of the field. Aggressively double switch early on if you need to do it in order to gain momentum and cockblock the opponent's Spikes setter, but do so wisely. Dragon-types with Ground coverage are also quite bothersome, especially because Gastrodon doesn't have Ice Beam. Do what you can to keep your team healthy when the opponent is using them, but you'll probably have to win some prediction games against things like DD Dragonite and Garchomp. Thankfully, you have Scarf Jirachi as backup in case they get out of control. Otherwise, it's mostly weak to obscure shit that is impossible to prepare for. This is another reason why Protecting liberally with Heatran is beneficial; you can get an idea of what the opponent is trying to do with little risk involved.
Other minor notes:
- Because of the aforementioned Dragon-types with Ground coverage problem, feel free to run Ice Beam over Earth Power on Gastrodon.
- Focus Blast or Shadow Ball might be better on Reuniclus than Signal Beam, but I wanted to be able to hit both Dark-types and Psychic-types. Also helps with the occasional Malamar, which is generally rare but still kind of scary. Energy Ball is also an option to demolish Quagsire and help out in the stall matchup even more. You can also use Life Orb for an extra damage push against offensive teams. Use whatever you feel is best.
- I like Rock Blast considerably more on Heracross than Knock Off, but (especially with the ban of Aegislash), Doublade is fairly common. Still, Gastrodon usually does really well against it, so if you're not a wimp like me, feel free to switch back to Rock Blast.
- Trick and U-turn are both pretty unnecessary on Jirachi due to the nature of the team. Trick is mostly used to hurt defensive teams, which my team doesn't really struggle with, while U-turn is pretty disappointing on a team with such a sturdy backbone that doesn't really need the momentum swing. Healing Wish is a common move on Scarf Jirachi, but the only really good target for it on the team is Heracross, which makes it seem underwhelming. I'm still toying with Jirachi, but I've come to believe the best set for this team is Iron Head / Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Trick. This can help wallbreak against defensive teams that can just scout out your move every time it comes in and go to the appropriate check. Another really interesting option would be to fit Body Slam or Thunder Wave somewhere on the set. This works especially well if you keep Trick, and it can serve as an even better catch-all against things the team might not be suited to handle.
- In general, the sets are quite malleable to your preference. This is a really solid build for the Tier Shift meta, and it's easy to adapt as tier changes occur and the metagame shifts.
Here's an Inverse Battle stall team I've had a lot of success with (43-2 on the account word, 61-2 on the account hssad, multiple room tournament wins).
Teambuilding
The team is built around the difficult to break ChansLugg defensive core. Chansey handles almost every special attacker and Avalugg handles almost every physical attacker. Tangrowth and Mew complement the core well with their nice mixed bulk and good defensive typing making the team's defensive backbone even harder to break through. Latios and Deoxys are unorthodox choices for a stall team, but the team was built when many powerful Ubers were still allowed in the tier, so some offensive presence was required to take some of the pressure off the walls.
Why the team works
The Chansey-Avalugg-Tangrowth-Mew defensive core is simply too strong for most teams to break through - and by the time they have, they're usually in range for Latios and Deoxys to finish them off. The addition of stallbreaker Mew and Trick Latios gives you the advantage against opposing stall teams.
How to play with the team
This team is pretty simple to use. You basically just switch into the appropriate wall depending on what pokemon is attacking and use recovery moves when necessary. If you aren't sure if an attacker is special, physical or mixed, sending in Tangrowth to scout and then regenerating the damage is often your best bet. Deoxys is best played conservatively and its Focus Sash should remain intact for as much of the match as possible (I usually only send it in as a backup plan if something goes wrong).
What to watch out for
The team can generally handle most matchups well, but there are some things that can be fairly difficult to face.
Strong fighting types (Breloom, Scrafty and Mega Medicham in particular).
Regenerator stall
Swords Dance Diggersby
Well played Volt-turn teams
Shell Smash Cloyster (Scarf Latios outspeeds but something will usually die)
This is a team that I've laddered to 49-3 with (two of the losses coming from the first 10 games when the team was incomplete and not that great) under the alt Klang2, which has served me well during the Aerilate metagame and while a tad outdated, is still very good now.
Almost Any Ability
Teambuilding
This team is designed to be able to utilize stall in AAA while utilizing Bisharp to run over other stall teams. Regirock and Goodra are here to abuse regenerator, having crazy bulk on the physical and special sides of the spectrum respectively. They are complimented by Unaware Skarmory and Magic Bounce Cresselia, which handle attackers that Regirock and Goodra would otherwise have trouble with. While Poison Heal Vaporeon may seem outclassed by Suicune, it offers important recovery to Bisharp (and sometimes cress because moonlight is ass) via Wish + a minimum speed Baton Pass, which means wearing Bisharp down while Vaporeon is alive is an impossibility. The Sword Blade Pokemon can then dispose opposing stall teams while not caring about Life Orb recoil or stray attacks.
Why the team works
Synergy aside, the raw bulk of Regirock and Goodra means that only absurdly strong mixed attackers can break through the core unless they carry a STAB super-effective attack. When combined with the fact that both hazards (unless mold breaker) and most physical set-up Pokemon are denied via Magic Bounce and Unaware, the team becomes increasingly difficult to break.
How to play with the team
Scouting attackers with your regenerators helps identify what Pokemon on your team you should use to wall what, and if something on your opponent's team has the potential to break through your team you should do your best to keep its best check as healthy as possible. Once you know what your opponent is running however, there is generally little to worry about.
When playing against stall, the battles become much easier. Simply abuse Bisharp to the fullest while healing it when it gets low on health with Vaporeon. If the opponent doesn't carry a hard counter (which is is hard to come across) he will be left helpless.
What to watch out for
This team generally deals with most of the metagame very well, but mainly has trouble with:
This is a Sky Battles team I built recently. It has never lost except when I have accidently Dced (my computer is crappy). It has won around 20 games and has beaten some of the better players in the meta. It is an offensive team, as Defensive teams are very rare and hard to build in Sky Battles. It can beat every major threat while providing plenty of offensive power. It is able to dominate lesser teams in epic battles that leave my opponent wondering about how my catfish can actually fly. Because of this random logic and the fact the everything on my team does the same repetitive animation, I have named it Birdemic in honor of the great movie.
Dragonite @ Choice Band
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Extreme Speed
Thundurus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Cryogonal @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Freeze-Dry
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Rock]
One of the most important factors in Sky Battles is control of Stealth Rock. Many pokemon in this meta take 25 or 50 percent from them and that damage is simply too good to pass up. This in mind, I needed a lead to stop the fastest common SR lead: Aerodactyl. I chose Scarfed Landorus-Therian for a few reasons. First, it has an amazing attack stat which can easily blast through opposing teams when coupled with Stone Edge and a Choice Scarf. This includes the frailer Aerodactyl. Secondly, it has Stealth Rocks. This allows me to easily set them up withou being outsped and KOed. Third, its access to Knock Off to cripple mons like Gliscor and U-Turn for switch iniative are simply too good to beat. It helps take out fast threats such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Charizard X and Y, and the Lati twins. It also remains suprisingly bulky with Intimidate. The EVs are to outspeed +1 Adamant Mega Charizard X while retaining more bulk.
The next pokemon added in attempt to control the hazards war was Cryogonal. It is the best offensive spinner in the tier, as Ice STAB is very valuable. While 95 Special Attack is medicore, having STAB on Ice Beam and Freeze Dry for Water-types makes it invaluable. It also sits at a very nice speed tier, able to outspeed Thundurus-Therian, Mega Charizard X and Y, and other threats. Rapid Spin is used to clear away SR when needed. HP Rock hits Talonflame and Mega-Charizard Y hard.
Then Latios was added. It was a hugely powerful threat that can threaten way too many mons. I decided to go with a Scarf set, as the double scarf can be very suprising to most players and Scarf Latios outspeeds almost anything. Trick can cripple some walls and annoying threats such as Sigyliph. Draco Meteor puts a huge dent in anything that doesn't resist, Psyshock deals with Cryogonal, Ice Beam hits almost everything for a lot of damage. It provides a fast and powerful attacker when one is needed.
Thundurus-Therian was an addition meant to sweep or crippled the opposing team. It has great Special Attack, and Electric is a great offensive typing. Thunderbolt is backed up by Hidden Power Ice, making sure this thing can hit 90% of the meta for Super Effective damage. Nasty Plot boosts its SpA to the level where it can basically OHKO everything. Volt Switch allows it to form a Volt-Turn core with Landorus-T, and they can help defeat each other's counters. It helps wallbreak and sweep weakened teams.
CB Dragonite is simply too powerful. Outrage is a nuke, which makes even the hardiest walls cower in fear. Extreme Speed is the only priority on the team, and one of the best ways to kill off weakened pokemon and beat Talonflame. Fire Punch deals massive damage to Skarmory, the only thing that truly walls it otherwise. Stone Edge is there to hit a vast portion of the metagame for SE damage. Its role is to wallbreak and kill other weakened pokemon who would otherwise be a threat.
Finally is the Mega. In Sky Battles, there are 4 to choose from. Mega Aerodactyl isn't bulky enough for my taste. Mega Charizard X and Y both hate SR, and are taken down by common coverage. That leaves Mega Gyarados. Sure it is weak to electricity, but no Stealth Rocks weakness after mega evolving is a lot more than the others can say. It also as immense bulk with Intimidate and good Special Defense. This is usually not needed, by when it is it delivers. Dragon Dance is to set up for the sweep. After 1 or 2 of these, just try stopping it if you lack Rotom-W. Taunt helps it beat walls like Skarmory. Waterfall and Stone Edge let it beat nearly everything.
Why the Team Works
This team works because of constant offensive pressure and the ability to stop Stealth Rocks from ever being set up. Between all of the avalible options the player is usually able to check any given pokemon with two or more team members. Sure Thundurus-T might lose to specially defensive Cryogonal, but Cryo is easily beaten by Dragonite, Landorus, or Latios. This offensive synergy and the ability to constantly pressure the opposing teams makes it hard for them to set up or gain momentum. This all lets you win games and be the very best in Sky Battles.
How to Play with the Team
The most important tip I can give is tell you what to lead with. The main SR leads you will see are Landorus(-T), Aerodactyl, and Skarmory. Landorus is beaten by Latios, Cryogonal, and Gyarados. Aerodactyl is beaten by Latios, Landorus, and Gyarados. Skarmory is beaten by Thudurus-T and Gyarados. As you can see, Taunt Gyarados easily beats and sets up on all the leads, especially Skarmory. Once you have prevented SR, keep using your power and speed to stop your opponent from gaining momentum or setting up.
Threats
Mega-Gyarados: This pokemon can be very hard to deal with if it gets up a DD or two. Landorus-T can do 26% max with Stone Edge after Intimidate. It can also set up against Dragonite locked into anything but Outrage. After a few DDs, it can easily sweep my team.
Choice Scarf Moxie Salamence: I have not actually encountered this but it could be a huge threat if Latios is gone. +1 Outrage can smash everything on my team except Landorus-T and Dragonite if Multiscale is intact.
Bumping again, not sure if 1 1/2 months is too much (3 weeks more than last bump), but meh, I think this thread deserves the bump, since metagames have changed a lot since this thread first started.
While Kl4ng stall was successful for a long time, the meta has really shifted. People have learned to Adaptability spam, sheer force spam, chatot spam, and sun spam, and while the team was god in the old days, it just doesn't cut it today. So I decided to test my own stall, as no one uses it these days, and quite honestly, it worked out excellently. I've kept track of the record; it has gone ~44-3 (all three losses happened when the team was in early development)
also oml why is the intro so creepily similar to Kl4ng's o.o
Almost Any Ability
Krookodile: So I wanted to use stall. What threatens stall these days? Sheer force gengar, Banded mold breaker victini, adaptability latios immediately stood out. Since these pokemon are extremely hard to succesfully counter throughout a match, I decided to exploit their pursuit weaknesses. AV bulletproof krookodile was used for knock offing, but mostly pursuit trapping Latios, gengar, victini, and sludge bomb thundurus. While bulletproof may seem gimmicky, it allows krookodile to tank aura spheres, focus blasts, energy balls, etc, and it's pretty much one of the few ways (if only) to counter SF gengar.
Azumarill:
No, this is not a stall breaker. It's a fantastic wall with a fantastic typing, and decent bulk. I use volt absorb azumarill because it beats no guard zapdos, and all forms of thundy, both of which utterly annihilate stall. It pulls its weight versus many teams by getting scald burns, and stalling with toxic while leftovers provides decent recovery over time with protect.
Vaporeon:
Yes, this is Kl4ng's vape, and yes, it is just as good as it was in the old days. I needed the wish-pass support, and quite honestly, Vaporeon does a great job at providing it with baton pass. It doesn't really check much that I need checked, since Azu/Chans/Skarm check the majority of the meta, but it does get a nice and strong scald that can be vital sometimes.
Chansey:
Okay, chansey, pretty much a staple on stall teams. Blah blah blah, walls special attackers, blah blah blah. Chansey's job on the team is to be a cleric, spread paralysis for heracross, wall special attackers, and more uniquely, wall sun. I run flash fire because Chlorophyll heatran OHKOs everything on the team after rocks barring vape, and 2HKOs regular Chansey and vaporeon with sun boosted eruptions. Then Tough claws victini requires a sacrifice for a pursuit trapping with krookodile, something that I don't really want to do. With flash fire, chansey is also able to absorb will-o-wisps and beat all the fire type attackers like Entei one on one.
Skarmory:
Intimidate = rip tough claws
oh and it defogs
that's about it
The ultimate stall breaker. Unboosted, it OHKOs regirock, Cresselia, and friends, and at +2, only intimidate hippowdon, zapdos, and certain very bulky unaware mons aviod the 2HKO. Combined with wish passes and heal bell support, this thing can get very annoying, very fast. Oh, and OHKOs skarm at +2 if anyone wanted to know.
I basically ripped the viability rankings from B- to S rank, and managed to check off EVERY single offensive threat. So for short, the teams works in an extremely anti-meta fashion. Heracross destroys stall, and the rest of the team can counter everything on stall that manages to check it. Vaporeon is able to keep the team consistently healthy, and Krook just fills in the gaps. Another reason that this works is that several strong AAA mons use choice items. Since Azu + Vape both have protect, it's extremely easy to scout choice moves.
1. Switch in appropriate check. Click healing move/phazing move/attacking move. Rinse and repeat.
2. When you see a -2 latios, a latios locked into psyshock or a gengar, pursuit trap with krookodile.
3. If you're unsure about getting something in, use vaporeon as a pivot with baton pass.
4. Try to keep hazards off the field.
5. When you see a set up sweeper, do whatever you can to stop it.
Life orb Magic guard Rampardos: Huge threat, especially with sticky web support. If chansey is in, then pretty much something dies.
Unaware Suicune: I can mostly PP stall it, but that's boring and lame.
Bisharp + Magnet pull core: I get my shed shell knocked off, skarm is trapped, then I have to kill bisharp with either krook or heracross.
Magic bounce BP Mew: I can't whirlwind it out; if it passes to a strong threat, rip my team. Fortunately it's very uncommon, but I have went against it before.
Oh yeah and one thing I've lost to:
Sub + Belly drum darmanitan. yeah I was too lazy bad to attempt mad prediction pp stall mode.
Krookodile @ Assault Vest
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Heal Bell
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
Heracross @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
A bit gimmicky, but the team certainly works. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like playing stall, or is a stall player who is just coming in to AAA. Also it has yet to lose to chatot. So that's a perk i guess???
Normal is the only type that has access to Smeargle, so Geomancy Spam is always an option. I decided that Porygon-Z will be the recipient of Geomancy because it has a great ability, nice coverage (100% accurate moves), and decent stats. However, there has to be a backup plan because there will be times where your sweep will fall short. Normal also happens to have 2 of the best walls in the whole metagame so I slapped them on (Chansey + Porygon-2). However, instead of using Chansey's normal (puns4days) Wish / Heal Bell / Protect / Toss etc, I made a set where it'd support its teammates to the fullest extent. Normal also has a Brave Bird spammer (Staraptor), and a Huge Power user (Diggersby), which is perfect for Offensive teams. This team is simple, but I assure you, it works great.
Why the team works:
Geomancy Porygon-Z wrecks everything, and it has a Smeargle to help it happen.
~
Offensive Side:
Diggersby are generally slow so it really appreciates T-wave support. Same goes with Staraptor. The reason why I chose Scarf Staraptor because it hits a lot of Levitate mons for large amounts of damage (Gengar, Eelektross, Rotom-W, The 3 Lake spirits) who may resist or be immune to Diggersby's attacks. Double-Edge also hits a lot of the faster Electric types who are immune to Thunder Wave. Staraptor + Diggersby form a pretty good offensive core as well.
Purpose: To weaken eachother's checks / counters, and to just kill everything
Defensive Side:
Chansey + P2 wall everything that isn't named a Fighting type. Chansey provides Heal Bell support if something ends up getting statused, and can spread some herself. Porygon2 walls a mjaority of physical attacks, and Trace lets it copy useful abilities such as Flash Fire, and Intimidate. The Bolt Beam combo screws up Flying types as well who are big threats in today's metagame.
Purpose: Spread T-wave, and to support the offensive side with Heal Bell.
How to play with the team:
It's really simple and easy to use, and it yields high rewards if played right.
Start out with Smeargle, use Spore / Taunt / Magic Coat as you see fit. Spore is for slower leads, Magic Coat / Taunt are for stuff like Sableye and Ferrothorn respectively.
Geomancy it up
Baton Pass it to Porygon-Z
Sweep.
If that doesn't work, there is a plan B:
Send out Chansey / P2 (They make a great Eviolite core) and cripple as many things as you can with T-wave
Sweep w/ Staraptor and Diggersby.
What to watch out for:
Knock Off Spam (Aka Bisharp):
Bisharp's a bitch since it can use Knock Off to remove P2 and Chansey's precious Eviolites and nothing can take a +2 Knock Off / Sucker Punch / Iron Head. (Except a Diggers w/ full health)
How to beat it?
Successfully set up Porygon-Z since a neutral Sucker Punch won't 1HKO.
Paralyze it and hope for parahax
Beat it before it sets up +2
Crocune
If it sets up on Chansey / Porygon2 then you're in trouble since it can put a dent in your team before it dies. (IF it dies)
How to beat it?
Paralyze it, switch into Diggersby, spam Wild Charge, and hope for Parahax
Set up Porygon-Z or just spam Thunderbolt / Tri-Attack.
Fighting Types
It hits almost everything for Super Effective Damage
How to beat it?
Spam Staraptor, paralyze faster threats then repeat.
Sack something then paralyze it w/ T-wave or Discharge
This is all I have in mind atm, I'll add more if I remember them.
Importable:
Smeargle @ Power Herb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Geomancy
- Magic Coat / Taunt
- Baton Pass
Well, I built a fairly successful team for Balanced Hackmons, which happened to help me get a respectable win ratio on the ladder. I built it mainly because I had some inspiration, so I was like "Why not?" Without anything else to say, here is the team:
This team was basically just a small idea at first. It was basically just about using Mega Gengar to eliminate Imposter Blobs while using a stall core to wait until one is about to come in, and then switch in Mega Gengar. This then allowed Mega Rayquaza and Contrary Mega Mewtwo X (although he was replaced after I realized he wasn't doing enough for the team) to start defeating things. It is a simple strategy, but it can get very deadly if you don't know how to fight it. To testify to its success, it managed to defeat a certain skilled person three times, this team only making menial changes (such as an item or a nature) in between while that person used a different team each time. If you want win to lose ratio, it is currently 21-2, of which the first was due to hax and the other, to Adrian. This may not be impressive, but this win ratio is my all time best.
Any ways, this team, although semi-decent, it had quite a bit of history in terms of teambuilding and testing. I first started with Mega Gengar because I have a deep hatred for Imposter Chansey, and Mega Gengar so easily brushes Chansey away that it is stupid. I just used the standard set, as there is no reason not to sway from it. Then I decided that a stall core would really help, as any team can benefit from a stall core. I did a bit of research, and I came up with Giratina+Registeel. I easily went with this suggetion, mainly due to an inner love for Giratina. However, since I wanted this team to be different, I went with Poison Heal Giratina instead of Prankster which I tend to use. However, for Registeel, I went with the one I sort of stole from karutobi, as it tends to get the job done. Then I decided to work a bit more on my offense. I ended up going to Mega Rayquaza because, hell, any offense that isn't Mega Rayquaza tends to fall flat. Same thing for Chansey: as adrian has said, and I can surely confirm, you can't have a team without any Imposter blobs. Chansey is the better of the blobs due to Eviolite. Finally, I wanted a mon who would really appreciate Imposter blobs gone. I went to Contrary Mega Mewtwo X after shortly contemplating Poison Heal Primal Kyogre. It was a good thing I went for Mega Mewtwo X, as it helped me win 20 of my battles with the team. So why isn't it here? Well, for my twenty-second battle, I fought Adrian. He beat the crap out of me, so naturally, I wanted to change the team. I ended up getting the suggestion of using another stop to -ate spam. My choice was Flash Fire Mega Aggron. It really is a defensive titan, and mainly, people run Blue Flare or Magma Storm on their -ate abusers. While it wasn't immune to other moves they tend to use, it can usually tank most of the common moves from them, except maybe Precipice Blades, which i have yet to see on a Mega Rayquaza to be honest, but even Precipice Blades can't OHKO even with max physical attack. Although it can 2HKO, you don't really see Mega Rayquaza with an Attack Boosting nature, but with a speed boosting nature instead. So at most it is a 57% chance of an OHKO. Basically, it doesn't take much from Mega Rayquaza i.e. from any real -ate abuser.
I would honestly have expected this team to suck, but so far it is doing well. I would have to say reason why it works is because I got professional advice, but to be bluntly honest, it works in ways I would never have imagined: it can easily take out entire teams with offense, while its defensive core can easily stop most offense in Balanced Hackmons. Because the offense is basically limited to Imposter blobs, Contrary, and -ate spam, offense in Balanced Hackmons is fairly easy to dismantle with the right amount of prediction and skill. Defense, on the other hand, is a bit tricky. Giratina can function as both an offensive pokemon to wear out stall, with Registeel functions as both a cleric and a main supporter. Mega Aggron is just stupidly bulky, so it can afford to go a bit on the offense to contribute to the erosion of a stall team. In other words, it handles the metagame pretty well.
This team was designed to be played in a defensive manner, like most of my teams. Basically, you use Giratina to wear out the opposition with Curse and Spiky Shield, while switching for defensive purposes as needed. For instance, if the opponent has Mega Rayquaza out, use Spiky Shield and switch to either Registeel if the oponent used Fake Out i.e. you need to know more about the set, or to Mega Aggron if it used a fire type move. That sort of thing. The defense is easy to play, but the offense is not.The offense is played late game. Send out Mega Gengar when you anticipate an Imposter blob is going to switch in. Once the blobs are all gone, you can send in Mega Rayquaza at will.
Despite how good I am making this team seem (I hope I make it seem good), it has several weaknesses. Its main weakness is stall. Despite what everyone feels about stall, it is very hard to break, and you need dedicated stallbreakers for it. Sadly, this team lacks any stallbreakers, except maybe Mega Gengar. Another huge gaping flaw is the occasional Refrigerate Mega Mewtwo X, which can really wreck entire teams. Also HO in general can be a problem if you don't know what you are doing. Thankfully, these threats are fairly uncommon: Refrigerate Mega Mewtwo X is only really used by karutobi, stall is only used by me, Adrian, and a significantly small amount of ther people in Balanced Hackmons, while HO is sort of outclassed by bulky offense in Balanced Hackmons (make no mistake, I was nearly destroyed by one in my first battle with the team).
I have no replay at the moment, sorry! Will edit this post when I get some, and will also edit my win lose ratio when I do so.
Since ORAS is just around the corner and the metagame is about to drastically change and I don't play that often lately, I figured I might as well post my archive of XY STABmons teams so that they don't go to waste.
Only brief descriptions because there are so many teams, but if you want more info on how a particular team works let me know. All of the teams that I've tested (most of them) have performed well, but some might be a little outdated now.
They are roughly in chronological order, so they provide a nice look at how the metagame has evolved.
#1: Sand Balance
My gen 5 STABmons team, but with Diggersby replacing Porygon-Z which was banned
#3: The Shape of STABmons to Come
Another take on Sand Balance. Pretty influential team. Features fun sets such as Shift Gear Heatran and Mirror Coat Slowking
Tyranitar @ Tyranitarite
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Taunt
Since ORAS is just around the corner and the metagame is about to drastically change and I don't play that often lately, I figured I might as well post my archive of XY STABmons teams so that they don't go to waste.
No descriptions because there are so many teams, but if you want more info on how a particular team works let me know. All of the teams that I've tested (most of them) have performed well, but some might be a little outdated now.
They are roughly in chronological order, so they provide a nice look at how the metagame has evolved.
Teambuilding. This is the primary team I use for the STABmons Frontier challenge. As such, I wanted a themed team to have some fun with, so I decided to make it Gen V-centric and bring back some of the big threats of BW. Originally I only used items or moves that existed in that generation as well, but I found the team needed a few XY additions to be able to compete most of the time.
Why the team works. I think I just got lucky with the combination honestly. It's a mashup of big Gen V threats and somehow they all managed to function well together. There's not a lot of synergy or support going on--each member pretty much acts on their own. I guess a team of six, individually capable Pokemon is still just as threatening as one where all the pieces play off each other. At least this way if one member falls, the rest aren't completely screwed.
How to play with the team. I would consider this a basic composition: click the appropriate move for the current situation. It leans toward offense, but I wouldn't call it hyper. I've slashed in a lot of options, so you can cater most of the Pokemon to the current metagame.
Ursaring: Fake Out+Espeed (aka FakeSpeed) from Guts-boosted Ursaring hits harder than Diggersby with the downside of residual Toxic damage. Technically you can swap in Diggersby, but this is a Gen V team, remember? Play Rough OHKOs max Defense Sableye 50% of the time, something Diggers can never do with Earthquake. Close Combat wrecks Heatran and Tyranitar(-Mega), but Earthquake hits Heatran harder and bypasses King's Shield. Be smart with your attacks, however--Ursaring dies pretty fast if played sloppily.
Kyurem-B: Get up a Sub and start DDing. Kyurem ignores enemy abilities like Unaware, so Quagsire is easily dispatched as it can't break your subs fast enough. Not much else to say. The EVs give you 101 HP subs.
Espeon: This is the classic Espyqueen set from Gen V. You could drop Fist Plate Judgment for HP Fighting and put on a Focus Sash, but this team lacks Spin/Defog support, so if you miss the chance to Bounce them back, the Sash will be useless. Psystrike over Stored Power for immediate damage.
Sableye: Dark Void is too predictable and Wisp tends to hurt things more, especially with Taunt. Destiny Bond is a failsafe against out-of-control sweepers. Parting Shot was added even though it's not a Gen V move, and honestly, Sableye is often on the move and doesn't have time to Recover, so PS is usually a better choice.
Landorus: Landorus really only needs Ground/Flying coverage, so Gravity ensures it can hits anything it wants with both.
Scizor: The only potential mega, and even then not mandatory, since Life Orb outdamages Mega Scizor and Leftovers are just nice to have for sponging resisted and neutral hits. Bullet Punch is a good panic attack if a rogue Fairy happens to set up with Geomancy, otherwise Gear Grind is an outright monster. Setup if you want, but Roost can prolong Scizor's role on the battlefiend as a revenger. I prefer Pin Missile over any other Bug attack for breaking subs. Superpower for Heatran.
What to watch out for. There's no good Skarmory check on this team. Sableye can Taunt it, but otherwise you'll need to get in a Gravity from Landorus to take it out or get Kyurem behind a sub on a weakened Skarm and pray for a flinch before it can Whirlwind you out. Both Charizards will explode anything that switches in against them. This team runs hazardless, so finding a spot for Stealth Rock can help against them. Keldeo is trouble since nothing can stomach a Water Spout except Kyurem, who hates Secret Sword. Ursaring picks it off, but it will just switch out.
Overall, this team can be picked apart by a few major threats since it doesn't rely on team synergy to balance weaknesses. That being said, each member is a threat itself, and if something like Kyurem-B manages to get rolling, it can dismantle entire teams by itself.
Replay: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-164353892
This is an early battle in this team's history, but it shows how dangerous Kyurem-B is once it sets up. Lum helped with the burn, but smart Subs would have been just as, if not more, helpful. It also didn't have the HP investment, hence why Chansey broke the sub with Seismic Toss.
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
Quick intro. I made this team several months ago soon after the protean ban. I managed to peak the ladder with it, and it continued to be my go-to team whenever I just wanted to win quickly or didn't feel like using stall. I decided to ladder with it again recently, and got #1 on the ladder with my Pagoose account using mostly this team. I then got #2 with my pangoose account using this team with a w/l ratio of 25-2. This team was very good back then and is just as good now, and will probably continue to be good barring major metagame shifts.
Teambuilding. I decided I wanted to build a hyper offence hazard stacking team, so I started with the best hazard setter around, Deoxys-S. I then added one of the biggest threats in AAA: Sheer Force Life Orb Gengar. Not only was it an amazing pokemon for just killing things, it also could spin block the rare Excadrill or Starmie(even if I just sacked to to prevent the spin) and check the Extreme-Speed spam that was still rampant in the metagame. I then added tough claws choice band Dragonite for Extreme-Speed spam revenge killing and a kill button in outrage. I then decided to add magnet pull Mega Manectric, a set word used to beat me on the ladder with. It's used to remove steel types so that Dragonite can have some fun. It also gives me a birdspam check and a good fast pokemon I can use to clean up offensive teams lacking strong priority with. It also helps me to check things like dd Dragonite, dd Gyarados and sd Lucario.
I then realized that there was a steel type that can't be trapped with magnet pull; Aegislash. I needed a pursuit user and I chose Bisharp, as it was one of the strongest pursuit users, and also gets powerful priority in sucker punch. I gave it defiant, and while some might find this weird, it allows me to trap Aegislash without getting my attack halved by kings shield. It's also nice for coming in on the extremely common Zapdos and getting an attack boost from defog. Finally, I needed something that could switch into Flash Fire Ferrothorn, the only common steel that isn't trapped by Manectric. I went with Lucario, as it is serves as a very strong win condition with +2 Extreme-Speed, along with being complimented by pursuit Bisharp nicely, removing ghosts that wall Lucario.
Why the team works. The team relies on hazard stacking and trapping to wear down and remove counters to Dragonite and Lucario, with gengar there to wallbreak and check extreme-speed spam. Mega Manectric gives me a strong pivot that can eat up physical hits decently well with intimidate and volt switch out, racking up hazard damage. Basically, everything breaks for everything else. I can click extreme-speed, which brings something into the range for another extreme-speed, which then brings something else into range for sucker punch etc.
How to play with the team. Always lead with Deoxys-S and try to get up as many hazards as possible. Use taunt against things that could setup rocks or other hazards but can't threaten you that much. Examples would be Regirock or Chesnaught. Do not taunt against Mamoswine; most people will expect taunt and kill you with icicle spear or earthquake+ice shard. Even if he does stealth rock, then you have stealth rocks+spikes and he has just stealth rocks. I would recommend only taunting defog users after you have stealth rocks and at least 1 layer of spikes up; if you taunt when you only have stealth rocks the majority of people would just attack you expecting rocks. Lucario and Bisharp are 2 huge threats to my team, most of the time I setup rocks and then taunt if they sd to prevent them from getting to +4. Magic Coat is to be used against other obvious hazard leads such as Deoxys-S/D, and things like Fortress. After it dies, send in an appropriate check.
Try to mega evolve Manectric as early as possible, unless they have a steel type you can trap, in which case try to lure it in as soon as possible. This is especially important if they have something like braviary that manectric is my only switch-in to. Also, whenever you have something annoying such as prankster mew, dusclops, or anything similar that walls lucario or dragonite, use manectric as a pivot into the appropritate switch-in. (usually bisharp or gengar)
What to watch out for.
Heatran: Chlorophyll specs tran and scarf tran are both extremely problematic for this team. Everything except dragonite die to fire blast outside of sun, let alone in sun. I have to try check it with dragonite and wear it down with hazards enough that I can take it out with sucker punch or 2 extreme-speeds from Dragonite+Lucario. Prankster Will-O-Wisp Users: Mew and a few ghosts are both very annoying to this team, walling 1 of the things that doesn't mind will-o-wisp and hitting the other for super effective damage DD Mega/Normal Tyranitar: While uncommon, I have been beaten by this before. It sets up on dragonite locked into Espeed, mega manectric and on gengar missing focus blast grrrr. It also resists all my forms of priority and so I lose at +1 unless for some reason they don't have earthquake or something.
I don't have many good replays other than ones where Lucario sweeps teams, but I will try to post one soon.
