Hello!
I've been playing competitive pokemon for quite some time now, and although I'm no master, I do have a good grasp of the game and the meta. The release of BW2 and the meta-game shifts made stalling even harder than it was in BW. Things like genesect and kyurem B, along with new toys for old pokemon, are all new threats that a stall team must account for. However, I challenged myself to see if I could make a team that covers as many threats as possible.
First, I needed a sand starter. I chose Tyranitar because of his special bulk, trapping ability, and to set up stealth rocks.
Next is Gliscor. He's an awesome physical wall that can toxic stall a substantial part of the metagame.
Gliscor and Tyranitar are weak to water attacks, and Gliscor is also weak to ice, so Jellicent would good to patch up some holes. Additionally, his ghost typing allows him to serve as my main spinblocker.
I need another pokemon to lay down hazards, so Forretress seemed to be a good choice. Additionally, his access to rapid spin allows him to serve as my main spinner.
Ah, Blissey. Arguable the best special wall in the game. I chose Blissey over Chansey because leftovers offsets sandstorm damage, and Chansey is more vulnerable to trick.
I needed another pokemon to patch up some holes, so I looked to Wobbuffet. He serves as a trapper that allows me to counter and eliminate specific defensive and offensive threats.
After some playing, Wobbuffet wasn't doing his job that well, so I replaced him with Skarmory to complete the classic SkarmBliss core. Skarmory also gives me another spiker and phazer.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 Hp
Nature: Jolly
-Pursuit
-Crunch
-Earthquake
-Ice punch
Tyranitar will most likely be my lead. He lets me set up eternal sandstorm, which is what this entire team is based around. A choice scarf lets me outspeed and kill certain threats such as swords dance Terrakion or Garchomp. Pursuit lets me trap Espeon, Starmie, and Xatu, all of which are large threats because of their ability to prevent me from laying hazards. Crunch is for Reuniclus and others that can survive a pursuit, such as Jellicent. Earthquake deals with Heatran and possibly Ferrothorn, and ice punch kills flying types and dragons. EVs are the standard 252/252 with 4 in Hp, and a Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed base 110s like Lati@s and Starmie. Unfortunately, Tyranitar is still not fast enough to outspeed Alakazam and Tornadus-T, both of which are large threats to my team.
Gliscor @ Toxic orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Hp/252 Def/4 Atk
Nature: Impish
-Toxic
-Earthquake
-Ice fang
-Protect
Gliscor is one of my main physical walls. He's a great counter to physical threats like Terrakion and Scizor, and he can stall opponents with toxic. I prefer this set over a fling set because it allows me to toxic more than one opponent, and a misprediction or a lum berry will make fling wasted. Earthquake is a physical STAB that lets me hit back, and Ice fang is mainly to check dragons and grass types (most likely Breloom). Protect furthers my toxic stalling capabilities and allows me to switch to a good counter in front of a choiced Genesect or other pokemon. EVs and nature maximize physical bulk, and 4 Atk gives me more attacking power.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Evs: 252 HP/220 SpD/ 36 Def
Nature: Calm
-Recover
-Scald
-Will-O-Wisp
-Shadow ball
Jellicent serves as my spinblocker as well as another special wall. While I'll mostly be switching him in to spinners, his special bulk still allows him to take several hits if needed. Recover is for instant recover, and Scald lets me damage opponents and threaten a burn. Will-O-Wisp burns physical threats and steel types such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, or Jirachi, which are immune to toxic. Shadow ball hits Starmie for super-effective damage, and it also lets me check other psychic or ghost types like Gengar, Alakazam, or Reuniclus. Additionally, Jellicent is a sufficient check to Genesect, resisting U-turn or bug buzz as well as flamethrowers and ice beams directed at other team mates. EVs are mainly for special bulk, but 36 Def lets me take earthquakes from Donphan better.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Hp/176 Def/80 SpD
Nature: Bold
-Stealth rock
-Rapid spin
-Volt switch
-Toxic spikes
Forretress is my main hazard layer, with his access to spikes and toxic spikes. Additionally, rapid spin lets me spin away hazards on my own side of the field to keep my other members healthy. Volt switch is a great move because it lets me switch to a good counter while easing prediction. Unfortunately, I often find my self as set up bait, so I might replace spikes with gyro ball. Other than that, Forretress is has very good physical defense, and he can take hits if needed, but his lack of instant recovery means I'd rather let other team members take the hit. EVs give hims good physical bulk, and the 80 SpD EVs lets him set up entry hazards on things like defensive Politoed without taking too much damage.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def/252 SpD/4 Hp
Nature: Calm
-Wish
-Toxic
-Softboiled
-Seismic Toss
Blissey is my go-to special wall. While she's susceptible to being set up bait to things like Alakazam and Venusaur, what she brings to the team is outweighed by her flaws. Wish lets me heal team mates, and softboiled gives me more instant recovery in times of crisis. Toxic helps me toxic stall special threats not named Venusaur, Alakazam, or Reuniclus, ans seismic toss lets me do some damage and prevents me from becoming completely shut down by taunt. I choose Blissey over Chansey because Chansey's lacks leftovers, and this is a sand team. 252 EVs are given to both special and physical defense to maximize walling capabilities, with the last 4 going in Hp. A calm nature raises special bulk even higher.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Hp/232 Def/24 Spe
Nature: Impish
-Roost
-Brave Bird
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
Skarmory is another physical wall and completes my SkarmBliss core. Unless the opponent is mixed, Skarmory and Gliscor can basically wall the entire physical meta-game. Roost is for instant recovery, and brave bird lets me hit things like Conkledurr and Breloom for super-effective damage. Skarmory also serves as a secondary spiker, and his physical bulk lets him set up several layers. Whirlwind lets me phaze physical threats, and when combined with roar on Tyraniter, I can phaze most of the set up sweepers in the meta-game. EVs maximize physical bulk, and 24 Spe lets me outspeed Wobbuffet. Unfortunately, both Skarmory and Forretress have a glaring weakness to fire types, so that may prevent me from laying down entry hazards.
Well, there we have it. It's not perfect, and there are still several threats that my team fails to check, but it's sufficient to stall out a large portion of the meta-game. Notable threats include Kyurem-B, Alakazam, Venusaur, Reuniclus, and some others that are not as common.
I've been playing competitive pokemon for quite some time now, and although I'm no master, I do have a good grasp of the game and the meta. The release of BW2 and the meta-game shifts made stalling even harder than it was in BW. Things like genesect and kyurem B, along with new toys for old pokemon, are all new threats that a stall team must account for. However, I challenged myself to see if I could make a team that covers as many threats as possible.
Team Building Process:
First, I needed a sand starter. I chose Tyranitar because of his special bulk, trapping ability, and to set up stealth rocks.
Next is Gliscor. He's an awesome physical wall that can toxic stall a substantial part of the metagame.
Gliscor and Tyranitar are weak to water attacks, and Gliscor is also weak to ice, so Jellicent would good to patch up some holes. Additionally, his ghost typing allows him to serve as my main spinblocker.
I need another pokemon to lay down hazards, so Forretress seemed to be a good choice. Additionally, his access to rapid spin allows him to serve as my main spinner.
Ah, Blissey. Arguable the best special wall in the game. I chose Blissey over Chansey because leftovers offsets sandstorm damage, and Chansey is more vulnerable to trick.
I needed another pokemon to patch up some holes, so I looked to Wobbuffet. He serves as a trapper that allows me to counter and eliminate specific defensive and offensive threats.
After some playing, Wobbuffet wasn't doing his job that well, so I replaced him with Skarmory to complete the classic SkarmBliss core. Skarmory also gives me another spiker and phazer.
Team at a Glance
The Team
The Team
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 Hp
Nature: Jolly
-Pursuit
-Crunch
-Earthquake
-Ice punch
Tyranitar will most likely be my lead. He lets me set up eternal sandstorm, which is what this entire team is based around. A choice scarf lets me outspeed and kill certain threats such as swords dance Terrakion or Garchomp. Pursuit lets me trap Espeon, Starmie, and Xatu, all of which are large threats because of their ability to prevent me from laying hazards. Crunch is for Reuniclus and others that can survive a pursuit, such as Jellicent. Earthquake deals with Heatran and possibly Ferrothorn, and ice punch kills flying types and dragons. EVs are the standard 252/252 with 4 in Hp, and a Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed base 110s like Lati@s and Starmie. Unfortunately, Tyranitar is still not fast enough to outspeed Alakazam and Tornadus-T, both of which are large threats to my team.
Gliscor @ Toxic orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Hp/252 Def/4 Atk
Nature: Impish
-Toxic
-Earthquake
-Ice fang
-Protect
Gliscor is one of my main physical walls. He's a great counter to physical threats like Terrakion and Scizor, and he can stall opponents with toxic. I prefer this set over a fling set because it allows me to toxic more than one opponent, and a misprediction or a lum berry will make fling wasted. Earthquake is a physical STAB that lets me hit back, and Ice fang is mainly to check dragons and grass types (most likely Breloom). Protect furthers my toxic stalling capabilities and allows me to switch to a good counter in front of a choiced Genesect or other pokemon. EVs and nature maximize physical bulk, and 4 Atk gives me more attacking power.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Evs: 252 HP/220 SpD/ 36 Def
Nature: Calm
-Recover
-Scald
-Will-O-Wisp
-Shadow ball
Jellicent serves as my spinblocker as well as another special wall. While I'll mostly be switching him in to spinners, his special bulk still allows him to take several hits if needed. Recover is for instant recover, and Scald lets me damage opponents and threaten a burn. Will-O-Wisp burns physical threats and steel types such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, or Jirachi, which are immune to toxic. Shadow ball hits Starmie for super-effective damage, and it also lets me check other psychic or ghost types like Gengar, Alakazam, or Reuniclus. Additionally, Jellicent is a sufficient check to Genesect, resisting U-turn or bug buzz as well as flamethrowers and ice beams directed at other team mates. EVs are mainly for special bulk, but 36 Def lets me take earthquakes from Donphan better.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Hp/176 Def/80 SpD
Nature: Bold
-Stealth rock
-Rapid spin
-Volt switch
-Toxic spikes
Forretress is my main hazard layer, with his access to spikes and toxic spikes. Additionally, rapid spin lets me spin away hazards on my own side of the field to keep my other members healthy. Volt switch is a great move because it lets me switch to a good counter while easing prediction. Unfortunately, I often find my self as set up bait, so I might replace spikes with gyro ball. Other than that, Forretress is has very good physical defense, and he can take hits if needed, but his lack of instant recovery means I'd rather let other team members take the hit. EVs give hims good physical bulk, and the 80 SpD EVs lets him set up entry hazards on things like defensive Politoed without taking too much damage.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def/252 SpD/4 Hp
Nature: Calm
-Wish
-Toxic
-Softboiled
-Seismic Toss
Blissey is my go-to special wall. While she's susceptible to being set up bait to things like Alakazam and Venusaur, what she brings to the team is outweighed by her flaws. Wish lets me heal team mates, and softboiled gives me more instant recovery in times of crisis. Toxic helps me toxic stall special threats not named Venusaur, Alakazam, or Reuniclus, ans seismic toss lets me do some damage and prevents me from becoming completely shut down by taunt. I choose Blissey over Chansey because Chansey's lacks leftovers, and this is a sand team. 252 EVs are given to both special and physical defense to maximize walling capabilities, with the last 4 going in Hp. A calm nature raises special bulk even higher.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Hp/232 Def/24 Spe
Nature: Impish
-Roost
-Brave Bird
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
Skarmory is another physical wall and completes my SkarmBliss core. Unless the opponent is mixed, Skarmory and Gliscor can basically wall the entire physical meta-game. Roost is for instant recovery, and brave bird lets me hit things like Conkledurr and Breloom for super-effective damage. Skarmory also serves as a secondary spiker, and his physical bulk lets him set up several layers. Whirlwind lets me phaze physical threats, and when combined with roar on Tyraniter, I can phaze most of the set up sweepers in the meta-game. EVs maximize physical bulk, and 24 Spe lets me outspeed Wobbuffet. Unfortunately, both Skarmory and Forretress have a glaring weakness to fire types, so that may prevent me from laying down entry hazards.
Changes
Specially defensive Tyranitar > Choice Scarf Tyranitar
On Forretress, spikes > stealth rock
On Forretress, spikes > stealth rock
Conclusion
Well, there we have it. It's not perfect, and there are still several threats that my team fails to check, but it's sufficient to stall out a large portion of the meta-game. Notable threats include Kyurem-B, Alakazam, Venusaur, Reuniclus, and some others that are not as common.