Metagame USUM Pure Hackmons

[WindySnivy_]

this auto lose to impostor once chansey is dead while you have no good switch in against almost everything if they double switch impostor into any offensive mon, and lose to imp+imp/imp+evoboost/imp+mguard and all such combo. I do admit this is good on ladder but unimproofed ho like this shall not be what the new players will be using


-----------------------Im bored so look below if you want to see rage bait---------------------------------------
guys stop spamming random sample submissions. Samples should be those that can represent the meta and can teach the new players about how to play this meta, especially when pure hackmons have tons of new mechanics like CFZs, and the meta is completely new to them. Thus we shall not have those teams with a weak (yes I am saying innards is a weak improof) or even no improof as sample teams, as a team that auto lose to the most imporant thing in the meta is clearly not good. And please include at least 4 relatively common mons in your team, as you want the new players to know who are the main characters. I do not know how the council will rate the teams, but clearly teams like this or 6 shedninjas will not be considered. Yet I am not in the council, so I will stop here.

yay dual scarf offense fits all of these

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

yay dual scarf offense fits all of these

tbf that is better than those I was primarily targeting on in my post and I will say that is a viable sample submission, just try to fit in some hazards control especially when you have 3 sash in your team. And mray is not actually really improving mgar and that kart. If I am you I would have a prank bond mbro or just an egg on the kart#2 slot but Im not you so you can do whatever you want. And that actually does a good job on showing how offense works to some extent, but triage mray is actually kind of wield especially when you have 2 scarf user already. Try smash slak mabye im not good at building. After all I am no one but a random ladder enjoyer

 

[WindySnivy_]

ok but in testing i always taunted them before they could set hazards up, anti hazarded them or just blew them up before they could click hazards
also triage mray is really good because a lot of teams have answers for mgar and mray can break things that mgar can't, also mray beats priority and ash gren sorta aligns but doesn't play the same role

but i definetely agree that the hazards are pretty annoying when they come up

 

[WindySnivy_]

i do think balance teams are better for samples though, here's a random balance team that i like using

NDW HYPER OFFENSIVE BALANCE
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​

not going to go into teambuilding process or bother to use correct grammar for this one because it's not that important, i played like 15 games or something with this and it seems good but be warned that it hasn't been completely tested. however i will provide a brief explanation of all the mons

a good offensive wg improofed by sthief melo, it also has 5 moveslots so that's pretty cool, also it improofs mbee
improof to ndw and mmy as well as defogger. this mon is also really annoying with core+sthief
cool rocks setter that eyeos destroyed me with once
same kart i used in dual scarf offense, hard to improof but mbee usually gets the job done assuming they only have one imp
fakespeed sthief slak is really good into the meta currently, however it's also hard to improof
fun ng improofed by ndw, also a good webs setter

as long as no one uses double imp you should be fine, it also has 4 relatively common mons and hazard removal

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

i do think balance teams are better for samples though, here's a random balance team that i like using

NDW HYPER OFFENSIVE BALANCE
-----
​

not going to go into teambuilding process or bother to use correct grammar for this one because it's not that important, i played like 15 games or something with this and it seems good but be warned that it hasn't been completely tested. however i will provide a brief explanation of all the mons

a good offensive wg improofed by sthief melo, it also has 5 moveslots so that's pretty cool, also it improofs mbee
improof to ndw and mmy as well as defogger. this mon is also really annoying with core+specthief
cool rocks setter that eyeos destroyed me with once
same kart i used in dual scarf offense, hard to improof but mbee usually gets the job done assuming they only have one imp
fakespeed sthief slak is really good into the meta currently, however it's also hard to improof
fun ng improofed by ndw, also a good webs setter

as long as no one uses double imp you should be fine, it also has 4 relatively common mons and hazard removal

balance is bad in general why is it good for sample
ok we usually call this kind of thing offense + this is better than your dual scarf imo

 

[WindySnivy_]

offense doesn't run 2 wg usually but
ok

 

[WindySnivy_]

real question time: what happened on march 10 2025 and who is cscl

 

[sussyamongusdrip]

Personal VR Post-HPL II
like i said in my semis winpost (where i won using imo the best usum team i built this tour, https://pokepast.es/fd56631229247192) vrs hella outdated due to the phpl meta shift towards almost exclusively offense/ho/some bo teams. hpl has shown that this meta is relatively stable even though there is definitely still some development to be made, especially in the cleaners that people are picking-i think setup multihit/pbond users, mguard sweepers, and naturally fast non-scarfers are all underused. im intending for this to be used as a source of opinions for a potential future vr update, still its def based a lot on my own personal perception of the meta. mons are ordered within tiers, wg vr is not separate and factored into main rankings
S RANK
S
Blissey
S-
Chansey
A RANK
A+
Mewtwo-Mega-Y
Slaking
Aerodactyl-Mega
Gengar-Mega
Regigigas
Kartana
Mewtwo-Mega-X
A
Yveltal
Arceus
Groudon-Primal
Pheromosa
A-
Audino-Mega
Deoxys-Speed
Zeraora
Lunala
Zygarde-Complete
Gyarados-Mega
Meloetta ( Oranguru)
Muk-Alola
B Rank

B+
Diancie-Mega
Celesteela
Rayquaza-Mega
Deoxys-Attack
Slowbro-Mega
Scizor-Mega
Giratina-Origin
Doublade
Kyogre-Primal
Houndoom-Mega
Marowak-Alola
Alakazam-Mega
Lopunny-Mega
Ferrothorn
B
Solgaleo ( Necrozma-Dusk-Mane)
Ash-Greninja
Kyurem-White
Ho-oh
Sableye-Mega
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
Aggron-Mega ( Steelix Mega)
Heatran
Hoopa-Unbound
Swampert-Mega
Kyurem-Black
Sceptile-Mega
Registeel
Metagross-Mega
B-
Articuno
Banette-Mega
Guzzlord
Type: Null
Necrozma-Ultra

Barely viable nonsense

Bisharp
Heracross-Mega
Weavile
Excadrill
Pidgeot-Mega
Pikachu
Zekrom
Giratina
Landorus-Therian
Reshiram
Aegislash-Blade
Umbreon
Lugia
Regice

in hindsight i probably should have added a c rank just like how in hindsight building mmx spam in hpl 1 would have annihilated the entire meta

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

YOOOOO MAERO ON A+

as you might not know usually one liners is banned because if the thread is fulfilled with one liners it will become harder to find useful informations. i can understand that you want to reply to those post but cant come up with a informative long answer, in such situation we usually comment in discord

 

[hello1433]

hi, as you are being honest, I'm gonna be honest too. So this team is not good, and the sets on their own on the last 3 mons are very bad. I will recommend you to play gen 6 pure hackmons as beedrill is really a big thing there, but in gen 7 its mostly outclassed by pheromosa as a no guard uturn user, and huge power mbee can potientially be sth but still its not really good. I can build you a team with mbeedrill that can beat the ladder tho if you want.
https://pokepast.es/d1183dd7bd95678d
so sth like this can beat the ladder.
modified from https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...ng-positive-innards-out-hazard-stack.3757712/

thanks this is the new team https://pokepast.es/b25d9a000a3ea9fa for gen7 ph

 

[Child of Night]

Stall building guide​

---

Introduction​

Hello, I like Stall. I have been playing and making stall teams for PH USUM for about a year now, but it has sadly grown stagnant. This is why I want to make this guide: to help newer players make their own creative teams. Diversity is a strength, and as such, having more players play the archetype will surely push it forward to even greater heights than it is currently.

(I categorize Stall as a team that mainly does damage passively and shall treat Semi-Stall as normal Stall.)

---

Generally, you can start building a team with any mon, but I think it is good to start with arguably the most important part of a stall team; the Wonder Guards (WG for short). Basically, every stall team should have at least two Wonder Gurads that are NOT weak to the ground or ice type so they can block the moves Sheer Cold and Fissure, which are really common. Having only 1 is not enough due to users of said moves commonly having ways of removing your ability, so you should have at least 2 that you can switch around with. Also, since you are playing Stall, you can have 3 or 4 Defensive WGs, but that's kind of pushing it. The sweet spot is usually 2 so you can fill your other 4 Pokémon slots with more diverse abilities.

Commonly used defensive WG pokemon

Audino-Mega - Usually used for either utility or walling special threats

Ho-Oh - Special Wall

Gyarados-Mega - Resists every Moldy Move but is weak to a lot of common coverage

Meloetta - Special Wall but is weak to some coverage

Muk-Alola - Special wall that is weak to ground

Slowbro-Mega - Extremely bulky Physical Wall

Oranguru - Same as Meloetta

Celesteela - Physical Wall

Ferrothorn - Physical Wall immune to Spore

Scizor-Mega - Physical Wall

Swampert-Mega - Physical Wall

Kyogre-Primal - Special Wall

Sableye-Mega - Walls Pokémon with only Photon Geyser as their Moldy Move

Honorary Sturdy mentions

Heatran - General Wall but is not that bulky (usually used to stop Kartana)

Doublade - Extremely bulky Physical Wall that uses Eviolite

You can, of course, use other Pokémon outside of this list, but there is a reason they are the most commonly used. Firstly, all of them are not weak to ground or ice moves (Except the Sturdy Pokemon, but they are an exception). Secondly, all of them have great bulk. They can take hits from strong Pokémon and live. Third, most of them either resist or are immune to (or are bulky enough to take on) the 3 most used moves in the format: Moongiest Beam, Sunsteel Strike and Photon Geyser, which all have the secondary effect of ignoring abilities, which means WG will not stop them.

WGs usually work in cores, where 1 is a physical wall and the other is a special wall, but this isn't always necessary, as you can have 1 of them be for utility instead, for example.

After choosing your 2 WGs, you will have to choose their item and moves. Defensive WGs basically only run 2 items, Safety Goggles and Shed Shell. Spore is a huge threat, so Safety Goggles are basically a must-have item on at least 1 Pokémon, usually on Special Walls. Shed Shell is used to counter trapping moves and abilities that can be deadly to passive Pokémon.

Onto which moves you should use, there is a lot to consider, but I have made a list of moves that are commonly used on passive WGs.

Commonly used moves on defensive WG pokemon

(Any self-healing move, such as Recover) - Basically every WG (and realistically EVERY Pokemon on your team) should have a way to reliably heal themselves.

Defog - You should have at least 1 WG with this move to remove hazards

Aromatherapy/Heal Bell - Highly recommend having on at least 1 WG to remove harmful Status conditions

Stealth Rocks, Spikes and Toxic Spikes - Used to punish switching

U-Turn/Baton Pass/Parting Shot - Used to pivot around your Pokémon

Toxic - Used to deal passive damage

Will-O-Wisp - Used to deal passive damage and cripple Physical attackers, but only has an 85% hit chance

Spectral Thief - Used to stop Setup Sweepers, but is unreliable against other WGs

Roar - Used for stopping Setup Sweepers and phasing out Pokemon, but is ineffective against Ingrain and Magic Bounce

Haze - Used to stop Setup Sweepers, but is a bit unreliable

Lava Plume/Scald - Both have a 30% chance to burn the opponent and they deal damage

Sacred Fire - 50% chance to burn the opponent and does direct damage

Knock Off - Item removal and it deals damage

Examples of WG/Sturdy sets

Audino-Mega (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Soft-Boiled
- Aromatherapy
- Spectral Thief
- Defog

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Magic Coat

Ho-Oh @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shore Up
- Sacred Fire
- U-turn
- Spectral Thief

Celesteela @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Muk-Alola @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Aromatherapy
- Shore Up
- Knock Off

Heatran @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Recover
- King's Shield
- Defog

Slowbro-Mega @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Meloetta @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Defog
- Spikes
- Soft-Boiled

Sableye-Mega @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Shore Up
- Magic Coat
- Parting Shot

Sableye-Mega @ Flame Orb
Ability: Wonder Guard
Level: 1
Hardy Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 1 Spe
- Psycho Shift
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Curse

Despite the name "Passive WG", you really shouldn't just let your opponent keep hitting you unless you are trying to waste their PP. Because of this, on at least 1 of your Special and Physical wall WGs, you should have at least 1 way of stopping Setup Sweepers (Pokémon that use Setup moves such as Shell Smash).

---

Although WG Pokémon are very important, you will probably want other abilities on your team as well. On Stall, the three most popular abilities to use other than WG are Magic Bounce, Prankster, Fur Coat, and Imposter.

Magic Bounce (MB for short) - One of the best abilities to use on Stall and against Stall. Passive damage is actually a big problem for Stall, but MB can help a lot against it as it bounces back a lot of Status moves. Similarly, since Stalls' primary way of dealing damage is Passive damage, MB can also be extremely difficult to deal with, so bring some ways of dealing with it. Magic Bounce can also be a great way to Imposter Proof your Pokémon.

Prankster (Prank for short) - Also a very good ability to use on stall, it is used to stop Setup Sweepers by using (priority) Haze.

Fur Coat - A pretty good way of stopping big Physical Threats. They usually run sets that are identical to Passive WGs but should always use moves that can stop Setup Sweepers.

Imposter (Imp for short) - Almost exclusively used by Chansey and Blissey. "As soon as the user comes into battle, it transforms into its opponent. Broadly, the target's appearance (including form), types, Ability, stats, and moves are copied; the user retains its HP and level." Chansey and Blissey are considered by many to be the best Pokémon in the format due to this Ability (alongside Innards Out). If you can fit it, I highly recommend having one Imposter Pokémon on your team as it can basically perform any role you give it, and is the best Pokémon for scouting the opponents' sets. Common items used on it are Shed Shell, Choice Scarf and Safety Goggles. Imposter is also a big threat to Stall so be sure to Imposter Proof (Improof for short) your own team. This can be quite hard for newer players to do, so don't be afraid to ask for help from others. I won't get too into it here but the gist is that you should have an answer to every Pokémon on your team.

Improof example

https://pokepast.es/c4c7d83b7deb1ee9

You can see here that Imposter basically can't do anything (except with ,Chansey but it isn't too big of a deal). You can see if it turns into any Pokémon on my team, I can just switch around my team to not let it do anything. For example, if it turns into Celesteela, I can just switch between Zygarde and Ho-Oh since both of them are immune to Will O Wisp, making Imposter at most a waste of time and not at all a threat. You don't have to go this far with your improofing, but it is nice to have in longer games. Just make sure you don't struggle to much into it and you should be fine.

Commonly used Magic Bounce Pokemon

Zygarde-Complete - General Wall (most used MB Pokemon)

Steelix-Mega - Physical Wall

Aggron-Mega - Physical Wall


(Honorary mentions)

Ferrothorn - Mostly a Physical Wall

Heatran - General Wall

Commonly used Prankster Pokemon

Zygarde-Complete - General Wall (most used Prankster Pokemon)

Slowbro-Mega - Physical Wall

Ho-Oh - Special Wall

Lugia - Physical Wall

Ferrothorn - Mostly a Physical Wall

(Honorary mentions)

Kyogre-Primal - Special Wall

Blissey - Special Wall

Commonly used Prankster sets

Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Haze
- Thousand Waves
- Heal Order
- Reflect

Lugia @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Order
- Reflect
- Baton Pass
- Haze

Steelix-Mega @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Reflect
- Thousand Waves

Commonly used Fur Coat set

Slowbro-Mega @ Shed Shell
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Magic Bounce Pokémon can use a wide variety of moves to great success, but they usually run moves similar to Passive WGs. It is also common to use trapping moves such as Anchor Shot or Thousand Waves to trap and kill Imposter Pokémon. There really isn't a "common" MB set, but generally, it should be able to heal and somehow do passive damage to opponents.

---

After adding at least 2 WGs, an MBer, an Imp, and Prank Pokemon, you will likely have 1 or 2 slots left to fill. Here, you can get really creative and put basically whatever you want on your team.

Commonly used Filler Abilities

Shadow Tag (Stag for short)

Innards Out

Harvest

Now, you may think that is a small number of abilities to choose from, which, to be fair, it is, but all of them have a wide variety and roles that can be used.

Shadow Tag Pokémon are commonly used to trap threats to your team, like passive WGs who can get rid of your hazards or cure status, or just generally offensively threatening Pokémon.

Commonly used Shadow Tag sets

Lugia @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- King's Shield
- Encore
- Shore Up


Groudon-Primal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Trick
- Thousand Arrows
- V-Create
- Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom

Innards Out can be really nice to have on a team, as it is basically a get-out-of-jail-free card that you can use almost whenever. If the opponent has a Pokémon that is hard for you to deal with, just sacrifice Innards Out Chansey to it. There are some ways of countering Innards Out Chansey, like Magic Guard Pursuit, so watch out for stuff like that.

Commonly used Innards Out sets

Chansey @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Trick
- Taunt
- Baton Pass
- Shore Up

Harvest is a pretty unique ability that is almost exclusively used with the item Leppa Berry and CFZ (Crystal Free Z-Move)s. It can be a bit difficult to Imposter Proof these sets so be careful. Besides that, they can be extremely powerful sweepers that are very hard to stop for certain teams.

Commonly used Harvest sets

Slaking @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Recover
- Substitute
- Extreme Evoboost
- Searing Sunraze Smash


Giratina-Origin @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom
- Clangorous Soulblaze
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Extreme Evoboost


Dialga @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Searing Sunraze Smash
- Substitute
- Clangorous Soulblaze
- Recover

---

Besides all of what I have mentioned so far, you can use basically anything else, this is just what is commonly used. Go wild. But, to help you, I want to talk a little more about the threats you will be facing.

Specific threats to Stall

I have already mentioned No Guard (NG for short) + OHKO (One Hit KO) move sets, but I will clarify a bit more about how they work. The best NG sets will have ways to punish WGs like Sing, Gastro Acid, and Stealth Rocks, which can be very annoying to face against. I don't really have more tips to face these, so good luck.

Common NG sets

Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sheer Cold
- Stealth Rock
- Sing
- Gastro Acid

Mewtwo-Mega-Y @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Fissure
- Zap Cannon
- Photon Geyser

The other biggest threat to Stall is Huge Power (HP for short) Pokémon. Mainly Kartana and Mewtwo-Mega-X (MMX for short). These sets can cleanly OHKO even some of the bulkiest Pokémon in just one hit after using a boosting move. It is very hard to deal with them because if they have the right coverage moves, they can always beat you. This is why having 2 or more Physical Walls on your team is crucial, just make sure they don't share type weaknesses. Huge Power sets come in a huge (pun intended) variety, so I will just put like, three of them as an example, as there are truly too varied to realistically display.

Common HP sets

Slaking @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Extreme Evoboost
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-Create
- Photon Geyser

Groudon-Primal @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Thousand Arrows
- Ice Shard

Even though Harvest is commonly used on Stall, it is at the same time one of the hardest things for Stall to deal with. There is basically no way to chip it down if they have a recovery move, no way to PP stall it as they have infinite PP and so on. Sadly, the best way of dealing with them is to use Innards Out Chansey or Blissey. You can try to poison them with Toxic and delay their progress with Phazing moves such as Roar, but if they have countermeasures to these, there is basically nothing you can do to stop Harvest Pokémon from destroying your team. Refer to earlier Harvest section for common Harvest sets.

(I will lump offensive Magic Guard and WG Pokémon in here since they are both pretty easy to play against if you are prepared, they can be quite tricky if you are not. Have some way to hit Magic Guard Pokemon with direct damage and WG Pokemon with Status, or just phaze them out.)

Another very big threat to Stall is something that every threat so far commonly uses, which is CFZ moves. Moves with such high base power that also ignore abilities can be hellish to play around, and you will often have to sacrifice less Important Pokémon to stop threats that use CFZ. For clarity, Light That Burns the Sky (LTBtS for short), Searing Sunraze Smash (SSS for short), and Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom (MMM for short) are the CFZ that ignore abilities. CFZ are one of the main reasons to have Ghost and Psychic immune Pokémon on your team, as even if you resist these moves, they will often times still deal huge amounts of damage. CFZ can be used on basically any Pokémon, so be sure to scout your opponents' sets whenever possible, preferably with Imposter.

This may sound a bit silly, but Normalize Gengar can be a threat to Stall. Common ways of dealing with it are Trick and MB.

Basically the only Normalize Gengar set

Gengar-Mega @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Normalize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Entrainment
- Judgment
- Moongeist Beam
- Shell Smash

Lastly, I would like to mention that Offensive threats are far from the only ones you should worry about. Other Stall can be a very tough matchup if you are not prepared, and Balance as well, to a lesser extent. Stall is a numbers game, and you should always have more than your opponent and find ways to spend fewer resources than them at any given moment. PP stalling is a legitimate strategy I have had to use in MANY games, and you may be forced to do so as well, so play smart and use your resources when needed. Using things like Status and Hazards is a great way of slowly chipping away at your opponent, but it is also very useful against Stall, so be prepared.

Anyway, there are, of course, other threats that I failed to mention, but USUM PH just has so many that I don't think I could ever list them all.

---

Before getting to the end of this post, I just wanted to mention a huge part of team building that I cannot help you with. Playtesting is extremely important, and in my eyes, without it, a team is considered bad. Pay attention in your games and see where your team is struggling, and try to find ways to fix flaws in your team, rewatch your matches if you have to.

---

Alright, well, that's basically it. I will leave you with some of my own Stall teams here and some replays with them, but the rest is up to you. I hope to see more Stall on Ladder in the future!

https://pokepast.es/d42f8cac6ba3229a - Big Bird Stall
https://pokepast.es/c4c7d83b7deb1ee9 - The first Ho-Oh Stall team (Fav)
https://pokepast.es/c41e223c12e69b23 - Big Bird Stall 2
(I may be a bit biased towards Ho-Oh)

---

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2446141622-nmt9ps72qii9w62njuxpw97ywdf0cjcpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2443443343-h6bh7fdojcu59cwbb5jn1ipi06jt0xspw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2301275538-uvkr7u4iso2air8v6hsv01k7p61v7w6pw
(I am the person using Stall in these replays, just on alts)

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

Stall building guide​

---

Introduction​

Hello, I like Stall. I have been playing and making stall teams for PH USUM for about a year now, but it has sadly grown stagnant. This is why I want to make this guide: to help newer players make their own creative teams. Diversity is a strength, and as such, having more players play the archetype will surely push it forward to even greater heights than it is currently.

(I categorize Stall as a team that mainly does damage passively and shall treat Semi-Stall as normal Stall.)

---

Generally, you can start building a team with any mon, but I think it is good to start with arguably the most important part of a stall team; the Wonder Guards (WG for short). Basically, every stall team should have at least two Wonder Gurads that are NOT weak to the ground or ice type so they can block the moves Sheer Cold and Fissure, which are really common. Having only 1 is not enough due to users of said moves commonly having ways of removing your ability, so you should have at least 2 that you can switch around with. Also, since you are playing Stall, you can have 3 or 4 Defensive WGs, but that's kind of pushing it. The sweet spot is usually 2 so you can fill your other 4 Pokémon slots with more diverse abilities.

Commonly used defensive WG pokemon

Audino-Mega - Usually used for either utility or walling special threats

Ho-Oh - Special Wall

Gyarados-Mega - Resists every Moldy Move but is weak to a lot of common coverage

Meloetta - Special Wall but is weak to some coverage

Muk-Alola - Special wall that is weak to ground

Slowbro-Mega - Extremely bulky Physical Wall

Oranguru - Same as Meloetta

Celesteela - Physical Wall

Ferrothorn - Physical Wall immune to Spore

Scizor-Mega - Physical Wall

Swampert-Mega - Physical Wall

Kyogre-Primal - Special Wall

Sableye-Mega - Walls Pokémon with only Photon Geyser as their Moldy Move

Honorary Sturdy mentions

Heatran - General Wall but is not that bulky (usually used to stop Kartana)

Doublade - Extremely bulky Physical Wall that uses Eviolite

You can, of course, use other Pokémon outside of this list, but there is a reason they are the most commonly used. Firstly, all of them are not weak to ground or ice moves (Except the Sturdy Pokemon, but they are an exception). Secondly, all of them have great bulk. They can take hits from strong Pokémon and live. Third, most of them either resist or are immune to (or are bulky enough to take on) the 3 most used moves in the format: Moongiest Beam, Sunsteel Strike and Photon Geyser, which all have the secondary effect of ignoring abilities, which means WG will not stop them.

WGs usually work in cores, where 1 is a physical wall and the other is a special wall, but this isn't always necessary, as you can have 1 of them be for utility instead, for example.

After choosing your 2 WGs, you will have to choose their item and moves. Defensive WGs basically only run 2 items, Safety Goggles and Shed Shell. Spore is a huge threat, so Safety Goggles are basically a must-have item on at least 1 Pokémon, usually on Special Walls. Shed Shell is used to counter trapping moves and abilities that can be deadly to passive Pokémon.

Onto which moves you should use, there is a lot to consider, but I have made a list of moves that are commonly used on passive WGs.

Commonly used moves on defensive WG pokemon

(Any self-healing move, such as Recover) - Basically every WG (and realistically EVERY Pokemon on your team) should have a way to reliably heal themselves.

Defog - You should have at least 1 WG with this move to remove hazards

Aromatherapy/Heal Bell - Highly recommend having on at least 1 WG to remove harmful Status conditions

Stealth Rocks, Spikes and Toxic Spikes - Used to punish switching

U-Turn/Baton Pass/Parting Shot - Used to pivot around your Pokémon

Toxic - Used to deal passive damage

Will-O-Wisp - Used to deal passive damage and cripple Physical attackers, but only has an 85% hit chance

Spectral Thief - Used to stop Setup Sweepers, but is unreliable against other WGs

Roar - Used for stopping Setup Sweepers and phasing out Pokemon, but is ineffective against Ingrain and Magic Bounce

Haze - Used to stop Setup Sweepers, but is a bit unreliable

Lava Plume/Scald - Both have a 30% chance to burn the opponent and they deal damage

Sacred Fire - 50% chance to burn the opponent and does direct damage

Knock Off - Item removal and it deals damage

Examples of WG/Sturdy sets

Audino-Mega (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Soft-Boiled
- Aromatherapy
- Spectral Thief
- Defog

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Magic Coat

Ho-Oh @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shore Up
- Sacred Fire
- U-turn
- Spectral Thief

Celesteela @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Muk-Alola @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Aromatherapy
- Shore Up
- Knock Off

Heatran @ Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Recover
- King's Shield
- Defog

Slowbro-Mega @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Meloetta @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- U-turn
- Defog
- Spikes
- Soft-Boiled

Sableye-Mega @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Shore Up
- Magic Coat
- Parting Shot

Sableye-Mega @ Flame Orb
Ability: Wonder Guard
Level: 1
Hardy Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 1 Spe
- Psycho Shift
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Curse

Despite the name "Passive WG", you really shouldn't just let your opponent keep hitting you unless you are trying to waste their PP. Because of this, on at least 1 of your Special and Physical wall WGs, you should have at least 1 way of stopping Setup Sweepers (Pokémon that use Setup moves such as Shell Smash).

---

Although WG Pokémon are very important, you will probably want other abilities on your team as well. On Stall, the three most popular abilities to use other than WG are Magic Bounce, Prankster, Fur Coat, and Imposter.

Magic Bounce (MB for short) - One of the best abilities to use on Stall and against Stall. Passive damage is actually a big problem for Stall, but MB can help a lot against it as it bounces back a lot of Status moves. Similarly, since Stalls' primary way of dealing damage is Passive damage, MB can also be extremely difficult to deal with, so bring some ways of dealing with it. Magic Bounce can also be a great way to Imposter Proof your Pokémon.

Prankster (Prank for short) - Also a very good ability to use on stall, it is used to stop Setup Sweepers by using (priority) Haze.

Fur Coat - A pretty good way of stopping big Physical Threats. They usually run sets that are identical to Passive WGs but should always use moves that can stop Setup Sweepers.

Imposter (Imp for short) - Almost exclusively used by Chansey and Blissey. "As soon as the user comes into battle, it transforms into its opponent. Broadly, the target's appearance (including form), types, Ability, stats, and moves are copied; the user retains its HP and level." Chansey and Blissey are considered by many to be the best Pokémon in the format due to this Ability (alongside Innards Out). If you can fit it, I highly recommend having one Imposter Pokémon on your team as it can basically perform any role you give it, and is the best Pokémon for scouting the opponents' sets. Common items used on it are Shed Shell, Choice Scarf and Safety Goggles. Imposter is also a big threat to Stall so be sure to Imposter Proof your own team. This can be quite hard for newer players to do, so don't be afraid to ask for help from others. Imposter Proofing is very complicated, so I sadly won't be explaining it here.

Commonly used Magic Bounce Pokemon

Zygarde-Complete - General Wall (most used MB Pokemon)

Steelix-Mega - Physical Wall

Aggron-Mega - Physical Wall


(Honorary mentions)

Ferrothorn - Mostly a Physical Wall

Heatran - General Wall

Commonly used Prankster Pokemon

Zygarde-Complete - General Wall (most used Prankster Pokemon)

Slowbro-Mega - Physical Wall

Ho-Oh - Special Wall

Lugia - Physical Wall

Ferrothorn - Mostly a Physical Wall

(Honorary mentions)

Kyogre-Primal - Special Wall

Blissey - Special Wall

Commonly used Prankster sets

Zygarde-Complete @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Haze
- Thousand Waves
- Heal Order
- Reflect

Lugia @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Order
- Reflect
- Baton Pass
- Haze

Steelix-Mega @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Reflect
- Thousand Waves

Commonly used Fur Coat set

Slowbro-Mega @ Shed Shell
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Roar
- Shore Up
- Will-O-Wisp

Magic Bounce Pokémon can use a wide variety of moves to great success, but they usually run moves similar to Passive WGs. It is also common to use trapping moves such as Anchor Shot or Thousand Waves to trap and kill Imposter Pokémon. There really isn't a "common" MB set, but generally, it should be able to heal and somehow do passive damage to opponents.

---

After adding at least 2 WGs, an MBer, an Imp, and Prank Pokemon, you will likely have 1 or 2 slots left to fill. Here, you can get really creative and put basically whatever you want on your team.

Commonly used Filler Abilities

Shadow Tag (Stag for short)

Innards Out

Harvest

Now, you may think that is a small number of abilities to choose from, which, to be fair, it is, but all of them have a wide variety and roles that can be used.

Shadow Tag Pokémon are commonly used to trap threats to your team, like passive WGs who can get rid of your hazards or cure status, or just generally offensively threatening Pokémon.

Commonly used Shadow Tag sets

Lugia @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- King's Shield
- Encore
- Shore Up


Groudon-Primal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Shadow Tag
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Trick
- Thousand Arrows
- V-Create
- Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom

Innards Out can be really nice to have on a team, as it is basically a get-out-of-jail-free card that you can use almost whenever. If the opponent has a Pokémon that is hard for you to deal with, just sacrifice Innards Out Chansey to it. There are some ways of countering Innards Out Chansey, like Magic Guard Pursuit, so watch out for stuff like that.

Commonly used Innards Out sets

Chansey @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Innards Out
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Trick
- Taunt
- Baton Pass
- Shore Up

Harvest is a pretty unique ability that is almost exclusively used with the item Leppa Berry and CFZ (Crystal Free Z-Move)s. It can be a bit difficult to Imposter Proof these sets so be careful. Besides that, they can be extremely powerful sweepers that are very hard to stop for certain teams.

Commonly used Harvest sets

Slaking @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Recover
- Substitute
- Extreme Evoboost
- Searing Sunraze Smash


Giratina-Origin @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom
- Clangorous Soulblaze
- Light That Burns the Sky
- Extreme Evoboost


Dialga @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Searing Sunraze Smash
- Substitute
- Clangorous Soulblaze
- Recover

---

Besides all of what I have mentioned so far, you can use basically anything else, this is just what is commonly used. Go wild. But, to help you, I want to talk a little more about the threats you will be facing.

Specific threats to Stall

I have already mentioned No Guard (NG for short) + OHKO (One Hit KO) move sets, but I will clarify a bit more about how they work. The best NG sets will have ways to punish WGs like Sing, Gastro Acid, and Stealth Rocks, which can be very annoying to face against. I don't really have more tips to face these, so good luck.

Common NG sets

Deoxys-Speed @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sheer Cold
- Stealth Rock
- Sing
- Gastro Acid

Mewtwo-Mega-Y @ Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Fissure
- Zap Cannon
- Photon Geyser

The other biggest threat to Stall is Huge Power (HP for short) Pokémon. Mainly Kartana and Mewtwo-Mega-X (MMX for short). These sets can cleanly OHKO even some of the bulkiest Pokémon in just one hit after using a boosting move. It is very hard to deal with them because if they have the right coverage moves, they can always beat you. This is why having 2 or more Physical Walls on your team is crucial, just make sure they don't share type weaknesses. Huge Power sets come in a huge (pun intended) variety, so I will just put like, three of them as an example, as there are truly too varied to realistically display.

Common HP sets

Slaking @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Extreme Evoboost
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed

Mewtwo-Mega-X @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- V-Create
- Photon Geyser

Groudon-Primal @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Thousand Arrows
- Ice Shard

Even though Harvest is commonly used on Stall, it is at the same time one of the hardest things for Stall to deal with. There is basically no way to chip it down if they have a recovery move, no way to PP stall it as they have infinite PP and so on. Sadly, the best way of dealing with them is to use Innards Out Chansey or Blissey. You can try to poison them with Toxic and delay their progress with Phazing moves such as Roar, but if they have countermeasures to these, there is basically nothing you can do to stop Harvest Pokémon from destroying your team. Refer to earlier Harvest section for common Harvest sets.

(I will lump offensive Magic Guard and WG Pokémon in here since they are both pretty easy to play against if you are prepared, they can be quite tricky if you are not. Have some way to hit Magic Guard Pokemon with direct damage and WG Pokemon with Status, or just phaze them out.)

Another very big threat to Stall is something that every threat so far commonly uses, which is CFZ moves. Moves with such high base power that also ignore abilities can be hellish to play around, and you will often have to sacrifice less Important Pokémon to stop threats that use CFZ. For clarity, Light That Burns the Sky (LTBtS for short), Searing Sunraze Smash (SSS for short), and Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom (MMM for short) are the CFZ that ignore abilities. CFZ are one of the main reasons to have Ghost and Psychic immune Pokémon on your team, as even if you resist these moves, they will often times still deal huge amounts of damage. CFZ can be used on basically any Pokémon, so be sure to scout your opponents' sets whenever possible, preferably with Imposter.

This may sound a bit silly, but Normalize Gengar can be a threat to Stall. Common ways of dealing with it are Trick and MB.

Basically the only Normalize Gengar set

Gengar-Mega @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Normalize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Entrainment
- Judgment
- Moongeist Beam
- Shell Smash

Lastly, I would like to mention that Offensive threats are far from the only ones you should worry about. Other Stall can be a very tough matchup if you are not prepared, and Balance as well, to a lesser extent. Stall is a numbers game, and you should always have more than your opponent and find ways to spend fewer resources than them at any given moment. PP stalling is a legitimate strategy I have had to use in MANY games, and you may be forced to do so as well, so play smart and use your resources when needed. Using things like Status and Hazards is a great way of slowly chipping away at your opponent, but it is also very useful against Stall, so be prepared.

Anyway, there are, of course, other threats that I failed to mention, but USUM PH just has so many that I don't think I could ever list them all.

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Before getting to the end of this post, I just wanted to mention a huge part of team building that I cannot help you with. Playtesting is extremely important, and in my eyes, without it, a team is considered bad. Pay attention in your games and see where your team is struggling, and try to find ways to fix flaws in your team, rewatch your matches if you have to.

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Alright, well, that's basically it. I will leave you with some of my own Stall teams here and some replays with them, but the rest is up to you. I hope to see more Stall on Ladder in the future!

https://pokepast.es/d42f8cac6ba3229a - Big Bird Stall
https://pokepast.es/c4c7d83b7deb1ee9 - The first Ho-Oh Stall team (Fav)
https://pokepast.es/c41e223c12e69b23 - Big Bird Stall 2
(I may be a bit biased towards Ho-Oh)

---

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2446141622-nmt9ps72qii9w62njuxpw97ywdf0cjcpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2443443343-h6bh7fdojcu59cwbb5jn1ipi06jt0xspw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2301275538-uvkr7u4iso2air8v6hsv01k7p61v7w6pw
(I am the person using Stall in these replays, just on alts)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2446141622-nmt9ps72qii9w62njuxpw97ywdf0cjcpw
Look Familiar?

Scenes like these are happening all over the ladder, right now!‍

You could be next.

That is unless you make the most important decision of your life.(*snap*)

Prove to yourself that you have the strength and the courage to win.

Join...the wall breakers.

Become part of an elite peacekeeping force.

See exotic new sets.

And spread Managed Democracy througout the ladder.

Become a hero.

Become a legend.

BECOME A WALLBREAKER.

learn more:

Metagame Post in thread 'USUM Pure Hackmons'

Aug 5, 2025

HOW TO DO OFFENSIVE WALL BREAKING
progress:80%/100%​

Ever been trolled on ladder? Or just want to stop being annoyed by your friends? The Stall archetype has been playing these roles for years. Today, I will explain how to beat viable Pure Hackmons stall teams. But first, we must discuss the fundamentals of Beating PH stall teams, such as:

1. You will need to generally need a mon without a hard check to win. because else they can literally stall you out. Soft checks could be fine as long as you have ways to chip them down.
2. The stall team usually...

• AnsonIsTheBest

• 
• 

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

Post hpl VR with sets​

Pokemon will be ranked in descending order; there is no divide in viability inbetween ranks. There is no differentiation in offensive and defensive Pokemon.

Metagame Definer tier

Chansey (Impostor)

S tier

Chansey(Innards Out)

Blissey (Impostor)

S- tier

Blissey (Innards Out)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Huge Power)

Slaking(Huge Power)

Regigigas(Huge Power)

A+ tier

Mewtwo-mega-y(Innards Out)

Mewtwo-mega-y(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Mewtwo-mega-y(No guard)

Zygarde-Complete(Prankster)

Zygarde-Complete(Arena Trap/Shadow Tag)

Gengar-Mega(Parental Bond)

Slowbro-Mega(Wonder Guard)

Slowbro-Mega(Fur Coat)

Slowbro-Mega(Prankster)

Steelix-Mega(Prankster)

Groudon-Primal(Huge Power)

Groudon-Primal(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Mewtwo-Mega-X(Shadow Tag)

A tier

Audino-Mega(Wonder Guard)

Meloetta(Wonder Guard)

Deoxys-Attack(Huge Power)

Deoxys-Attack(Psychic Surge)

Mewtwo-Mega-y(Psychic Surge)

Mewtwo-Mega-y(Protean)

Gyarados-Mega(Wonder Guard)

Gyarados-Mega(Magic Guard)

Greninja-Ash(Wonder Guard)

Greninja-Ash(No Guard)

Kartana(Wonder Guard)

A- tier

Gyarados-Mega(Magic Bounce)

Deoxys-Attack(Protean)

Muk-Alola(Wonder Guard)

Kartana(Huge Power)

Gengar-Mega(No Guard)

B+ tier

Gyarados-Mega(Prankster)

Lunala(innards Out)

Mewtwo-Mega-Y(Comatose)

Yveltal(Magic Guard)

Yveltal(Magic Bounce)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Pheromosa(No Guard)

Pheromosa(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Arceus(Wonder Guard)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane(Huge Power)

Deoxys-Speed (No Guard)

B tier

Deoxys-Attack(Magic Guard)

Necrozma-Dawn-Wings (Wonder Guard)

Groudon-Primal(Mold Breaker)

Kyogre-Primal(Wonder Guard)

Gengar-Mega(Magic Guard)

B- Tier

Gyarados-Mega(Huge Power)

Marowak-Alola-totem(Huge Power)

Kyogre-Primal(Posion Heal)

Gyarados-Mega(Posion Heal)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Magic Guard)

Lunala(No guard)

Kartana(Magic Guard)

Mewtwo-mega-x(No Guard)

Deoxys-Attack(No Guard)

C+ tier

Mewtwo-mega-y(Huge Power)

Rayquaza-Mega(Aerilate)

Necrozma-Dawn-Wings (No Guard)

Necrozma-Dawn-Wings (Magic Guard)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Wonder Guard)

C tier

Kartana(No Guard)

Gengar-Mega(Queens Majesty/Dazzling)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Innards Out)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Physics Surge)

Mewtwo-mega-x(Harvest)

Zygarde-Complete(Fur Coat)

Deoxys-Speed (Mold Breaker)

Deoxys-Attack(Mold Breaker)

C- Tier

Rayquaza-Mega(Triage)

Lunala(Magic Guard)

Kartana(Magic Bounce)

F Tier

Shedinja(sturdy)

Entei(Wonder Guard)



N/A Tier(N/A stands for No Aura)

Non totem Marowak-Alola

Completely No Aura compared to Marowak-Alola-Totem

Note for myself:

Solgaleo(Huge Power)

Solgaleo(No Guard)

Solgaleo(Innards Out)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane (Huge Power)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane (No Guard)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane (Magic Guard)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane (Harvest)

Zygarde-Complete(Magic Bounce)

Gengar-Mega(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Mewtwo-Mega-Y(Wonder Guard)

Mewtwo-Mega-Y(Magic Guard)

Groudon-Primal(Magic Guard)

Groudon-Primal(No Guard)

Groudon-Primal(Wonder Guard)

Rayquaza-Mega(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Rayquaza-Mega(Magic Guard)

Rayquaza-Mega(No Guard)

Gyarados-Mega(No Guard)

Gyarados-Mega(Arena Trap/Shadow Tag)

Yveltal (Huge Power)

Yveltal (Posion Heal)

Yveltal (No Guard)

Yveltal (Arena Trap/Shadow Tag)

Greninja-Ash (Magic Guard)

Greninja-Ash (Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)

Greninja-Ash(Huge Power)

Slaking(Harvest)

Slaking(Wonder Guard)

Regigigas(Harvest)

Regigigas(Wonder Guard)

Giratina-Origin (Innards Out)

Giratina (Innards Out)

Giratina (Magic Bounce)

Giratina (Prankster)

Giratina (No Guard)

 

[splodge]

Post HPL II VR​

View attachment 774286View attachment 774287

(with abilities (possibly with sets in the future) AND overall!)
(technically my 6th new project while I have 5 unfinished)


Pokemon will be ranked in descending order; there is no divide in viability inbetween ranks. There is no differentiation in offensive and defensive Pokemon.

With sets:
Metagame Definer tier
Chansey (Impostor)

S tier
Chansey(Innards Out)
Blissey (Impostor)

S- tier
Blissey (Innards Out)
Mewtwo-mega-x(Huge Power)
Slaking(Huge Power)
Regigigas(Huge Power)

A+ tier
Mewtwo-mega-y(Innards Out)
Mewtwo-mega-y(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)
Mewtwo-mega-y(No guard)
Zygarde-Complete(Prankster)
Zygarde-Complete(Arena Trap)
Gengar-Mega(Parental Bond)
Slowbro-Mega(Wonder Guard)
Slowbro-Mega(Fur Coat)
Slowbro-Mega(Prankster)
Steelix-Mega(Prankster)
Groudon-Primal(Huge Power)
Groudon-Primal(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)
Mewtwo-Mega-X(Shadow Tag)

A tier
Audino-Mega(Wonder Guard)
Meloetta(Wonder Guard)
Deoxys-Attack(Huge Power)
Deoxys-Attack(Psychic Surge)
Mewtwo-Mega-y(Psychic Surge)
Mewtwo-Mega-y(Protean)
Gyarados-Mega(Wonder Guard)
Gyarados-Mega(Magic Guard)
Greninja-Ash(Wonder Guard)
Greninja-Ash(No Guard)

A- tier
Gyarados-Mega(Magic Bounce)
Deoxys-Attack(Protean)
Muk-Alola(Wonder Guard)

B+ tier
Gyarados-Mega(Prankster)
Lunala(innards Out)
Yveltal(Magic Guard)
Yveltal(Magic Bounce)
Pheromosa(No Guard)
Pheromosa(Shadow Tag/Arena Trap)
Arceus(Wonder Guard)
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane(Huge Power)

B tier
Greninja-Ash(Huge Power)

B- Tier
Gyarados-Mega(Huge Power)
Marowak-Alola-totem(Huge Power)

C+ tier
Mewtwo-mega-y(Huge Power)

C tier

C- Tier

D Tier

F Tier
Shedinja(sturdy)
Entei(Wonder Guard)

N/A Tier(N/A stands for No Aura)

Non totem Marowak-Alola

Completely No Aura compared to Marowak-Alola-Totem

I would like to know what voices in your head made you forget to rank Kartana.

I would also like to show that Lunala is a pretty diverse mon and should have more sets listed and stop this post being a one-liner. (ok this is more of a crackhead lunala sets showcase than a personal vr nom but whatever)


Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tail Glow
- Moongeist Beam
- Photon Geyser
- Light That Burns The Sky

My personal favourite set. After a Tail Glow, this nukes almost everything in the tier barring Alolan Raticate and specially defensive Pranksters with Stealth Rock up. The reason I use this over NFW (Necrozma-Fraud-Wings) is so it isn't dead weight into offense, as it outspeeds MMY (and some other mons) with Sticky Web up, while NFW doesn't. The extra bulk is also nice. Psychic/Ghost is also a pretty nice offensive type into offensive mons, so you don't always need to set up (but unfortunately, even with rocks up it doesn't always OHKO MMY without the Z-move (252+ SpA Adaptability Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Mewtwo-Mega-Y: 348-412 (83.6 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock).


Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- Photon Geyser
- Light That Burns the Sky

Similar to the set above, except with Shell Smash so it isn't reliant on Sticky Web to outspeed things. This set runs Tinted Lens over Adaptability as not running Tail Glow makes it not OHKO as many resisted mons even with Z-moves, but unfortunately it no longer OHKOs as many neutral hits without a Z-move, like Not-a-fraudino (I already know that the people will disagree with me) and Arceus.


Darktrix's favourite set (Lunala) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Haze
- Roost
- Reflect
- U-turn

Inspired by Yourself, this is a much different set, being defensive over offensive like the others. This set takes advantage of Lunala's resistance to Photon Geyser, immunity to Normal and Fighting moves, and overall solid bulk on both sides. It works as a decent soft check to MMX not running coverage for it (252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Lunala through Reflect: 136-160 (28.4 - 33.4%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO) and Slaking. Unfortunately it is 4x weak to Moongeist and Dark moves, which does limit its capability as a wall.


Lunala @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Extreme Evoboost
- Moongeist Beam
- Roost
- Destiny Bond

I've saved the weirdest (and sheistest) for last. This does seem like a very weird set at first, but there is some reasoning to it. With Prankster, it can click Evoboost before getting attacked, and Calm nature allows for calcs like 252 SpA Expert Belt Protean Mewtwo-Mega-Y Moongeist Beam vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ SpD Lunala: 365-437 (76.3 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. Even without +SpA, +2 Moongeist still OHKOs most offensive mons. Roost is for longevity, and I chose Destiny Bond over coverage so it can always trade with an offensive mon it can't beat, instead of only chipping certain targets.

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

I would like to know what voices in your head made you forget to rank Kartana.

I would also like to show that Lunala is a pretty diverse mon and should have more sets listed and stop this post being a one-liner. (ok this is more of a crackhead lunala sets showcase than a personal vr nom but whatever)


Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tail Glow
- Moongeist Beam
- Photon Geyser
- Light That Burns The Sky

My personal favourite set. After a Tail Glow, this nukes almost everything in the tier barring Alolan Raticate and specially defensive Pranksters with Stealth Rock up. The reason I use this over NFW (Necrozma-Fraud-Wings) is so it isn't dead weight into offense, as it outspeeds MMY (and some other mons) with Sticky Web up, while NFW doesn't. The extra bulk is also nice. Psychic/Ghost is also a pretty nice offensive type into offensive mons, so you don't always need to set up (but unfortunately, even with rocks up it doesn't always OHKO MMY without the Z-move (252+ SpA Adaptability Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Mewtwo-Mega-Y: 348-412 (83.6 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock).


Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- Photon Geyser
- Light That Burns the Sky

Similar to the set above, except with Shell Smash so it isn't reliant on Sticky Web to outspeed things. This set runs Tinted Lens over Adaptability as not running Tail Glow makes it not OHKO as many resisted mons even with Z-moves, but unfortunately it no longer OHKOs as many neutral hits without a Z-move, like Not-a-fraudino (I already know that the people will disagree with me) and Arceus.


Darktrix's favourite set (Lunala) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Haze
- Roost
- Reflect
- U-turn

Inspired by Yourself, this is a much different set, being defensive over offensive like the others. This set takes advantage of Lunala's resistance to Photon Geyser, immunity to Normal and Fighting moves, and overall solid bulk on both sides. It works as a decent soft check to MMX not running coverage for it (252+ Atk Huge Power Mewtwo-Mega-X Sunsteel Strike vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Lunala through Reflect: 136-160 (28.4 - 33.4%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO) and Slaking. Unfortunately it is 4x weak to Moongeist and Dark moves, which does limit its capability as a wall.


Lunala @ Leppa Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Extreme Evoboost
- Moongeist Beam
- Roost
- Destiny Bond

I've saved the weirdest (and sheistest) for last. This does seem like a very weird set at first, but there is some reasoning to it. With Prankster, it can click Evoboost before getting attacked, and Calm nature allows for calcs like 252 SpA Expert Belt Protean Mewtwo-Mega-Y Moongeist Beam vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ SpD Lunala: 365-437 (76.3 - 91.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. Even without +SpA, +2 Moongeist still OHKOs most offensive mons. Roost is for longevity, and I chose Destiny Bond over coverage so it can always trade with an offensive mon it can't beat, instead of only chipping certain targets.

I would like to know what voices in your head made you forget to list no guard luna there.
Lunala @ Lunalium Z / Focus Sash
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Fissure / Sheer Cold
- Photon Geyser / Light that burns the sky
- Shell Smash

No more suffer from yveltal and alola muk
pretty self explained set



Also I did not forget kartana I just havent decided where should the sets go yet

 

[PenultimateToast]

hi, it's ptoast. haven't seen much meta discussion lately (tho with hpl ending recently i'm expecting a bit more) so i'm here to talk about pbond sweepers, as i really only see pbond on scarfers nowadays and i think pbond sweepers have a decent amount of potential right now.


Diancie-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
i love this guy. sunsteel geist fairy coverage so you're really only walled by wg arc/slak and kyogre/ho-oh, pbond to ignore sashes, and you can take prio if needed due to your typing. broken as fuck mon go use her


Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- misc coverage 1
- misc coverage 2
easier to wall but in return you don't have to worry about espeed even if you're on sash, and you're easier to proof. don't like this guy as much as pbond diancie cause of how easy it is to wall (most geist walls will end up walling him) but he isn't bad in my opinion either. go use him he's cool

i feel like there's other unexplored options out there, though i haven't messed around with them at all so i can't say for sure.

 

[AnsonIsTheBest]

hi, it's ptoast. haven't seen much meta discussion lately (tho with hpl ending recently i'm expecting a bit more) so i'm here to talk about pbond sweepers, as i really only see pbond on scarfers nowadays and i think pbond sweepers have a decent amount of potential right now.


Diancie-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
i love this guy. sunsteel geist fairy coverage so you're really only walled by wg arc/slak and kyogre/ho-oh, pbond to ignore sashes, and you can take prio if needed due to your typing. broken as fuck mon go use her


Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- misc coverage 1
- misc coverage 2
easier to wall but in return you don't have to worry about espeed even if you're on sash, and you're easier to proof. don't like this guy as much as pbond diancie cause of how easy it is to wall (most geist walls will end up walling him) but he isn't bad in my opinion either. go use him he's cool

i feel like there's other unexplored options out there, though i haven't messed around with them at all so i can't say for sure.

the biggest problem for such nukes are that they are hard to proof, especially when they are a sweeper which means having not a self proof is bad, and relying on innards to improof is not a good idea

 

[LemonLime78]

hi, it's ptoast. haven't seen much meta discussion lately (tho with hpl ending recently i'm expecting a bit more) so i'm here to talk about pbond sweepers, as i really only see pbond on scarfers nowadays and i think pbond sweepers have a decent amount of potential right now.


Diancie-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Shell Smash
- Sunsteel Strike
- Moongeist Beam
- Moonblast
i love this guy. sunsteel geist fairy coverage so you're really only walled by wg arc/slak and kyogre/ho-oh, pbond to ignore sashes, and you can take prio if needed due to your typing. broken as fuck mon go use her


Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Moongeist Beam
- misc coverage 1
- misc coverage 2
easier to wall but in return you don't have to worry about espeed even if you're on sash, and you're easier to proof. don't like this guy as much as pbond diancie cause of how easy it is to wall (most geist walls will end up walling him) but he isn't bad in my opinion either. go use him he's cool

i feel like there's other unexplored options out there, though i haven't messed around with them at all so i can't say for sure.

Pbond mgar mentioned


Gengar-Mega @ Focus Sash
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moongeist Beam
- Sludge Wave / Bug Buzz
- Aura Sphere
- Shell Smash

This is the set I generally like to run as it's pretty much unwallable except by either meloetta or maud of your choice (or normal/flying but no one uses that), although that does make it more obvious which move you're running on preview. I think pbond mgar has especially great synergy with pursuit mg to remove hazards and innards. Overall, mgar can be an extremely potent endgame sweeper if it's allowed to set up once its checks are removed.

 

[GhastlyPixie]

Pix’s guide to building:
I am mainly making this post as I am bored and want to involve myself more in the USUM community. My tour teams were mostly successful (my USUM PH teams) with only two losses that I can remember and I’ve had decent success with various teams I’ve built on ladder currently sitting at 1607 (top 25).

HYPER OFFENSE GUIDE
I built a decent amount of HO teams and my advice on building HO is for one, always have at least 1 innards or imposter user, both of these options will help into any opposing structure, imposter is especially great because on HO teams you are already claiming kills with a lot of your mons so you can usually clear improofs and maybe even sweep with your opponents breakers. You also want to make sure you have outs into setup, otherwise you’ll find yourself losing to evoboost sets like harvest. Spectral thief is always good and can be easily slotted on mons like MMX and Kartana. You also want to make sure that your team is cohesive and works well together as well as fitting anti offense, one of my regular picks for this is scarf pbond users like MMX, MMY and MGAR.
I also generally try to use some offensive wg as an improof to certain mons or in a pinch will proof with innards.

I’ll post some examples of HO teams below:
https://pokepast.es/158aa83aef07530d
Edited version of the finals team that lost, I feel like with Slaking it is less fishy and the MGAR proof was fraudulent anyway. This team has worked decently for me tho I haven’t saved any replays.


https://pokepast.es/171db1b7cd371951
This team worked beautifully in Aidan’s tour match despite not being the up to date version.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7purehackmons-870948
https://pokepast.es/04ecaba66a3b933c

This team really focuses on wearing down teams with double imp and can cheese wins with scarf pbond mgar, bounce is here as a soft check to ng leads (assuming they aren’t fissure) as well as hazard/spore leads.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7purehackmons-869036

https://pokepast.es/a25e15ddc9ade077

This team ultimately lost in tour and I could definitely optimize this a lot more but the phero + illusion mmy + harvest yvel and having stag in the back is an amazing combo that has definitely won me games.

https://pokepast.es/e0316d0cf4cba499

This team is a favorite of mine tho it does struggle into scarf pbond mgar.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2425209086-6363vivx7xlbgvrar3dqjcocrqmmxawpw

https://pokepast.es/2c6e22262a9a74f5

I don’t have any replays of this team as far as I know but innards spam is always simple enough and illusion cheese works well to secure wins.


Bulky Offense Guide:
For Bulky Offense you want bulkier mons who can still secure kills while not dying to a breeze, I make use of mons like pdon and msciz a decent bit for these teams, you also still want to have outs into setup and note that even the bulkiest of teams can’t always take HP LTBTS very well so you have to play around HP MMX very well still. Just generally make sure you have outs into offense as well as not losing to stall too hard.

https://pokepast.es/8ca35680e9193ac6

This team is a bit stupid but I’ve had decent enough success with it.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2452803942-2ubkupib3isvnox3pbg46uu6mtvvmblpw

Original iteration beat Lycanroc.

https://pokepast.es/c7a436956969d109

Team is old af but still holds up well.

https://pokepast.es/2cc0bb3a1e6d9040

Team has been successful for me on ladder.

https://pokepast.es/3672ff5d6f4c21cb

One of my favorite teams ever, has proven valiant for me on ladder and in tour.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7purehackmons-864032

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7purehackmons-2453122193-br3n44fqlpb2a577044iwr0e12mbrmjpw

That is all I have for now, feel free to use this post to cteam me in PHPL.