So, I stopped playing pokemon between gen 3 and 6, and came back with XY. In gen 3, my favorite style was stall. So, I've been experimenting with it this generation after adapting to all the changes in the metagame since gen 3. Without further ado, my take on... semi-stall? in gen6.
The Leads
The following two pokemon I use as a lead, depending on what I see in team preview.
"Prescreening"
Espeon @ light clay
Ability: Magic bounce
Timid, 252HP/252Spd
Light Screen
Reflect
Dazzling Gleam
Psychic
I use this as a lead when I see an obvious hazard setter in team preview, or if I think any other situation calls for it (Ie, baiting a tyranitar switch). It has just enough bulk and speed to usually set up screens mid-match if not used as a lead, and also functions as a psychic resist for m-venusaur.
"Swirlie"
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Modest, 232HP/ 56Spa/ 224Spe
Volt Switch
Will-o-wisp
Hydro pump
Trick
This is one of my favorite pokemon to use and one of the most important pokemon on my team. Choice scarf Rotom-W seems to catch a lot of people off guard. If I expect a lead that is either going to try to set up or a lead that is particularly item-reliant, I use rotom-w to trick them a choice scarf and neuter that pokemon for the rest of the match. If not doing this in the lead, then it also functions well midmatch. In particular, none of my opponents have ever appreciated having their aegislash choice scarfed, especially being locked into swords dance or something that allows a free switch. In addition to all this, people don't expect to be outsped by a rotom-w which allows for some nice surprise KOs
The Support
"Mad Murdoch"
Skarmory@leftovers
Ability: sturdy
Impish, 252HP/252Def
Spikes
Roost
Brave bird
Whirlwind
Skarmory does now what he did for me in Gen3- wall physical attackers to hell and back. He's my go-to switch-in for any boosting physical attacker, with whirlwind to get rid of them. He has more than enough bulk to lay down spikes for me. In particular, he's a great sponge of nasty steel-type moves, as well as immune to poison.
"Ganondorf"
Chansey@Eviolite
Ability: natural cure
Bold, 252HP/252Def
Toxic
Aromatherapy
Seismic Toss
Softboiled
In a sortof-blast from the gen3 past, I'm also using Chansey to create the gen6 twist on skarmbliss. Like it's namesake, Chansey is fat, irritating, and no matter how much you hit it it just wont die. My all-purpose special wall and status cleric sponges special attacks that my most important pokemon can't handle, especially poison attacks. It also soaks up status and heals it on my other pokemon. I chose softboiled over wish because 2/3 of my pokemon have recovery of their own, and softboiled allows me to pack more ways to hurt stuff rather than being forced to run protect. Chansey is also great at handing out status and indescriminate damage, unless your name happens to be Aegislash or Gengar.
The Tank
M-Venusaur
Ability: Overgrow/Thick Fat
Relaxed,252HP/252Def
Earthquake
Sludge bomb
Giga Drain
Synthesis
My jack-of-all-trades tank hits hard, tanks hard, and all around is a team player. It can eat prettymuch any non-SE hit as long as it has decent health and hit back hard with any of its moves. It also is useful for absorbing toxic spikes, steel and poison type moves, and denting the things that cause me problems like tyranitar.
The Win Condition
"Chuck Norris"
Clefable
Ability: Magic Guard
Bold,252HP/252Def
Charge Beam
Cosmic Power
Moonlight
Stored Power
This is my win condition- Keep Clefable alive, wear down or take out its checks and counters, then set up as many Cosmic Powers and Charge Beam boosts as you can and wreck faces. At max defenses, nothing bar a critical super effective special hit can kill this thing. Anything that could kill it with setup doesn't live long enough to do so. Seriously, at +5 sp. attack and +17 total boosts, this set cleanly OHKOed a Blissey. Opponents expecting unaware try to status it only for it to set up Cosmic Power in their face. If dark types are taken out, then nothing stops this set. Even dark types don't like a multi-boosted charge beam. The rest of my team is designed around taking out the most comon dark types, as well as protecting against steel and poison, so as to allow Clefable to set up safely. Even when I'm down to 5-1, I've come back to win with this monster.
If I can get clefable set up, most of my opponents have just straight forfeited on me.
If I had to say there was a weakest link on my team, I would say Espeon. I just don't know what to replace it with that would help protect Clefable.
The Leads
The following two pokemon I use as a lead, depending on what I see in team preview.
"Prescreening"
Espeon @ light clay
Ability: Magic bounce
Timid, 252HP/252Spd
Light Screen
Reflect
Dazzling Gleam
Psychic
I use this as a lead when I see an obvious hazard setter in team preview, or if I think any other situation calls for it (Ie, baiting a tyranitar switch). It has just enough bulk and speed to usually set up screens mid-match if not used as a lead, and also functions as a psychic resist for m-venusaur.
"Swirlie"
Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Modest, 232HP/ 56Spa/ 224Spe
Volt Switch
Will-o-wisp
Hydro pump
Trick
This is one of my favorite pokemon to use and one of the most important pokemon on my team. Choice scarf Rotom-W seems to catch a lot of people off guard. If I expect a lead that is either going to try to set up or a lead that is particularly item-reliant, I use rotom-w to trick them a choice scarf and neuter that pokemon for the rest of the match. If not doing this in the lead, then it also functions well midmatch. In particular, none of my opponents have ever appreciated having their aegislash choice scarfed, especially being locked into swords dance or something that allows a free switch. In addition to all this, people don't expect to be outsped by a rotom-w which allows for some nice surprise KOs
The Support
"Mad Murdoch"
Skarmory@leftovers
Ability: sturdy
Impish, 252HP/252Def
Spikes
Roost
Brave bird
Whirlwind
Skarmory does now what he did for me in Gen3- wall physical attackers to hell and back. He's my go-to switch-in for any boosting physical attacker, with whirlwind to get rid of them. He has more than enough bulk to lay down spikes for me. In particular, he's a great sponge of nasty steel-type moves, as well as immune to poison.
"Ganondorf"
Chansey@Eviolite
Ability: natural cure
Bold, 252HP/252Def
Toxic
Aromatherapy
Seismic Toss
Softboiled
In a sortof-blast from the gen3 past, I'm also using Chansey to create the gen6 twist on skarmbliss. Like it's namesake, Chansey is fat, irritating, and no matter how much you hit it it just wont die. My all-purpose special wall and status cleric sponges special attacks that my most important pokemon can't handle, especially poison attacks. It also soaks up status and heals it on my other pokemon. I chose softboiled over wish because 2/3 of my pokemon have recovery of their own, and softboiled allows me to pack more ways to hurt stuff rather than being forced to run protect. Chansey is also great at handing out status and indescriminate damage, unless your name happens to be Aegislash or Gengar.
The Tank
M-Venusaur
Ability: Overgrow/Thick Fat
Relaxed,252HP/252Def
Earthquake
Sludge bomb
Giga Drain
Synthesis
My jack-of-all-trades tank hits hard, tanks hard, and all around is a team player. It can eat prettymuch any non-SE hit as long as it has decent health and hit back hard with any of its moves. It also is useful for absorbing toxic spikes, steel and poison type moves, and denting the things that cause me problems like tyranitar.
The Win Condition
"Chuck Norris"
Clefable
Ability: Magic Guard
Bold,252HP/252Def
Charge Beam
Cosmic Power
Moonlight
Stored Power
This is my win condition- Keep Clefable alive, wear down or take out its checks and counters, then set up as many Cosmic Powers and Charge Beam boosts as you can and wreck faces. At max defenses, nothing bar a critical super effective special hit can kill this thing. Anything that could kill it with setup doesn't live long enough to do so. Seriously, at +5 sp. attack and +17 total boosts, this set cleanly OHKOed a Blissey. Opponents expecting unaware try to status it only for it to set up Cosmic Power in their face. If dark types are taken out, then nothing stops this set. Even dark types don't like a multi-boosted charge beam. The rest of my team is designed around taking out the most comon dark types, as well as protecting against steel and poison, so as to allow Clefable to set up safely. Even when I'm down to 5-1, I've come back to win with this monster.
If I can get clefable set up, most of my opponents have just straight forfeited on me.
If I had to say there was a weakest link on my team, I would say Espeon. I just don't know what to replace it with that would help protect Clefable.
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