[OVERVIEW]
* Stoutland fulfills an unique niche in the UU metagame thanks to its ability, Sand Rush, as it allows Stoutland to outpace most Pokemon in sand, making it a fearsome late-game cleaner against frailer teams.
* Even though its base Attack isn't outstanding, Stoutland can afford to run an Adamant nature due to its blistering Speed in sand. This, coupled with the fact that Choice Band is almost always the preferred item on it, means that it hits hard enough to break through many bulkier Pokemon.
* For an offensive Pokemon, Stoutland's bulk is respectable, which allows it shrug off most priority moves, as well as tanking some stronger hits if required.
* Although its typing is far from the best, it gives Stoutland reasonably good neutral coverage, only truly struggling to get past Steel- and Ghost-type Pokemon.
* Stoutland has an expansive movepool, featuring many useful coverage options such as Superpower, Crunch, Pursuit, and Fire Fang, which allows it to play around many threatening Pokemon that would force it out otherwise.
* Due to its niche as a Sand Rush abuser, Stoutland should always be paired with either Hippowdon or Gigalith. As a consequence, this makes Stoutland a lot harder to fit onto teams than most offensive Pokemon, and it also means that Stoutland is pretty much useless outside of sand in most circumstances.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Return
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Facade / Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Return is Stoutland's main attacking move, denting most Pokemon that don't resist it for respectable damage.
* Superpower covers most common Normal-resistant Pokemon such as Bisharp, Mega Aerodactyl, and Cobalion.
* Crunch is a coverage move that hits Ghost-type Pokemon, which Stoutland wouldn't be able to damage otherwise.
* Facade is an option that allows Stoutland to function even when burned, improving its matchup against Water-type Pokemon and making Stoutland even stronger when statused.
* Pursuit is an interesting alternative that allows Stoutland to remove some frailer Pokemon that it forces out from the match, such as Gengar and Latias.
* Fire Fang can be used in the last moveslot to secure the OHKO on Scizor, but it is generally not worth it, considering that Superpower already does considerable damage to it.
Set Details
========
* An Adamant nature coupled with maximum Attack investment and Choice Band maximizes Stoutland's damage output.
* Maximum Speed investment and Sand Rush allow Stoutland to outrun the entire uninvested metagame and most Choice Scarf users under sand, only missing out on Choice Scarf Keldeo and Infernape.
Usage Tips
========
* Stoutland should never be brought into the field without sand up, so preserving the Sand Stream user of choice throughout the match is key to Stoutland's success.
* Since there's a limited number of turns that sand is up for, being able to capitalize on the opponent's attempts to stall it out is important. With that in mind, hitting likely Normal-resistant Pokemon on the switch with the appropriate coverage move can prove fatal for the opposing team.
* There are two different roles that Stoutland is able to perform, depending on the kind of team it is up against: it can be used as a wallbreaker, racking up damage on defensive switch-ins, allowing one of its teammates to clean up after the opponent's team has been weakened, or as a late-game cleaner, using its Speed and power to pick off weakened targets.
* If it's using Facade as its fourth move, Stoutland can be brought in on predicted status moves and weaker Water-type Pokemon.
* Alternatively, if it is carrying Pursuit, Stoutland can use it to weaken targets that try to switch out, which can potentially help other Pokemon with closing off the game.
Team Options
========
* As it has already been mentioned, Sand Stream support is absolutely vital to Stoutland's success. Hippowdon and Gigalith are the two viable options for that role, with Hippowdon usually being a better fit on bulky offensive teams and Gigalith working more effectively on faster-paced teams.
* Sand Stream users aside, Magneton is arguably the best partner for Stoutland, since it can weaken or even eliminate many of the Steel-type Pokemon that would be able to switch into Stoutland's STAB moves otherwise. Besides that, Magneton can also use Volt Switch to get Stoutland in safely.
* Wallbreakers such as Mew, Haxorus, Decidueye, and Primarina can help Stoutland by softening up bulkier teams for it to clean up later on in the match.
* U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Scizor and Raikou can support Stoutland by providing it with many safe switch in opportunities.
* Due to its vulnerability to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web, Stoutland doesn't appreciate having entry hazards on its side of the field, which makes Pokemon that can remove them, such as Tentacruel and Starmie, great partners for it.
* On the other hand, considering that most immediate answers to Stoutland are incredibly vulnerable to entry hazard damage themselves, Spikes setters such as Klefki and Forretress are very good partners for it.
* Pokemon that can handle the many Fighting-types that threaten Stoutland, such as Clefable, Celebi, and Mega Aerodactyl are also able to support it nicely. It's also worth mentioning that all of the referred Pokemon have tools that allow them to lure and weaken opposing Steel-type Pokemon, something that Stoutland benefits from massively.
* Although it isn't mandatory, Pursuit support from the likes of Krookodile, Bisharp, and Mega Absol can be very helpful, since eliminating Ghost-type Pokemon from the match makes it easier for Stoutland to mindlessly use its STAB moves.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Howl is an alternative that allows Stoutland to retain its ability to hit hard without locking itself onto a single move. However, there are many other issues that come with Howl, such as the limited amount of set up opportunities and having to drop a valuable moveslot for it.
* Stoutland can run Normalium Z with Return and the aforementioned Howl, which gives it access to a one-time nuke or a +2 Attack boost, respectively. Alternatively, Fightinium Z coupled with Superpower allows Stoutland to act as a lure for Steel-types, paving the way for Pokemon such as Calm Mind Clefable to win the game.
* Stoutland has access to both Play Rough and Psychic Fangs, which allow it to hit bulkier Fighting-type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr slightly harder. However, neither option is generally worth dropping a moveslot for, and the latter also happens to be incompatible with Superpower.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Bulky Pokemon:** Pokemon such as Slowbro, Mandibuzz, and Arcanine can shrug off Stoutland's attacks with relative ease and proceed to cripple it with Thunder Wave, Knock Off, and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. Thanks to its ability, Bewear is able to avoid the 2HKO from Stoutland's Return and can effortlessly remove it from the match with its STAB Fighting-type moves.
**Sun Setters:** Even though Ninetales and Torkoal have a hard time dealing with Stoutland directly, they both have the ability to remove Sand from the battlefield, which makes it a lot easier to revenge kill Stoutland later on in the match.
**Priority Users:** Fighting-type priority users like Conkeldurr, Infernape, and Lucario can pick Stoutland off after it has taken some prior damage. Other strong priority users, such as Zygarde-10%, Crawdaunt, and Talonflame can also do the same, but they're generally less reliable than the aforementioned Pokemon, as they either do less damage or need to be at full HP to have priority on their moves.
**Steel-types:** Although they should be wary of Superpower and Fire Fang, Steel-type Pokemon such as Cobalion, Scizor, and Klefki are resistant to both Return and Facade, which allows them to discourage Stoutland from using its STAB moves. Besides that, they can also set up on Stoutland or even cripple it with Thunder Wave.
**Ghost-types:** In a similar fashion to the previously mentioned Steel-types, Ghost-type Pokemon like Jellicent, Decidueye, and Gengar also have an easy time switching onto Stoutland's Normal- and Fighting-type moves, only truly fearing Crunch and the less common Pursuit. Doublade in particular can afford to tank a Crunch or two if its user fails to predict properly.
**Fast Choice Scarf users:** While neither of them can switch in directly onto Stoutland's attacks, Choice Scarf Keldeo and Choice Scarf Infernape are able to outpace and KO Stoutland under sand with their respective Fighting-type STAB moves.
**Alolan Ninetales:** Very much like Ninetales and Torkoal, Alolan Ninetales shouldn't be switched in directly to Stoutland, but it can negate Sand Rush's Speed boost with its own ability, Snow Warning, which allows its teammates to outpace Stoutland. Aside from that, it can also set up Aurora Veil to drastically decrease Stoutland's damage output.
