Having created a few Fake Stall teams in generation 8 Balanced Hackmons, I realized that gen 6 Pure Hackmons perhaps had the perfect storm of elements necessary to create a Fake Stall team that would be consistent enough to peak ladder. From its established meta to the availability of strong abilities like No-Guard and Huge to lure in and snipe pokemon there was a lot of potential for a team to be created that could capitalize on typical patterns of play and twist them to its advantage. Following some building and testing I was thoroughly surprised as to how effective the strategy could be. So many opportunities that would never otherwise exist can present themselves simply by having an opponent left in the dark as to what the intention of one’s team and sets are.
Since Giratina is most commonly used as a passive defensive pokemon with either Magic Bounce or Prankster, many players have learned that a Giratina often means an opening to make progress with strong special attackers or to get off support moves like Wish or Aromatherapy. Choice Band Giratina turns that notion on its head with its respectable bulk in tandem with its powerful Huge Power Boosted moves. Choice Band Giratina’s role is to surprise and punish pokemon that try and take advantage of Giratina's typical shortcomings. Shadow Sneak is used to snipe fast and frail attackers that would take advantage of other Giratina variants like Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Mewtwo X, and Mega Latios. The rest of its moveset is tailored to beating many of the more common Wonder Guard pokemon that would normally attempt to sit on Giratina and use their support moves. Gear Grind Targets and removes Xerneas and Mega Audino. Close Combat targets and removes Regigigas Slaking and Arceus, and lastly Thousand Arrows targets and mauls Primal Groudon, Mega Manectric, and Drapion.
Delirious Dreams (Giratina) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Encore
- Curse
- Destiny Bond
The second Giratina on the team is the typical passive prankster defensive set used by most of the ladder. Instead of seeking to lure in and KO pokemon attempting to take advantage of it this Giratina serves as a valuable defensive piece. The combination of Encore, Curse, and Destiny Bond consistently put a halt to Substitute passing and most set-up attempts from pokemon such as Gyrados and Primal Groudon. However, in addition to serving as a form of defensive counterplay against the diverse cast of Shell Smash set-up users, Prankster Giratina also factors into the mind games the team attempts to play. The pseudo Illusion effect of the two nearly identical Giratinas keeps opponents guessing and on the back- foot even if the lure itself is already revealed somehow.
Tides of Sleep (Kyogre-Primal) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Water Shuriken
- Play Rough
- Gear Grind
- Sacred Fire
From the little experience I’ve had with Pure Hackmons, Primal Kyogre was predominantly used as a passive Wonder Guard or Magic Bounce support pokemon. And as such Primal Kyogre, with its reputation for not being a significant offensive threat was the optimal choice for the second Huge Power lure on the fake Stall team. Many don’t seem to realize that Primal Kyogre has a very functional 150 attack stat that when put in tandem with Huge Power can make it an offensive threat worthy of respect. Kyogre’s moveset similar to Giratina's is tailored to hit as many Wonder Guard options as possible. Play Rough removes Sableye and Spiritomb, Sacred Fire OHKO’s Scizor and targets steel types, and lastly, Gear Grind Knocks over Xerneas variants that are foolish enough to try and set Substitutes up. Water Shuriken, as counterintuitive as it is, is by far the most vital move on Kyogre as it allows it to easily snipe Diancie, Mega Gengar, Xerneas, and Primal Groudon even after they’ve boosted their speeds with Shell Smash. Primal Kyogre opts for Safety Goggle over Choice Band so it can easily switch between its weak but fast Water Shuriken and its slow but powerful other moves whilst also being resistant to Sleep moves like Spore.
Fractured Visions (Genesect-Burn) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SpA / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Shell Smash
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Genesect is most commonly used as a faster, but nonetheless passive Wonder Guard pivot. For the team, however, I decided on a much more aggressive approach and opted for a Shell Smash Wonder Guard strategy. Wonder Guard Genesect serves the team by simultaneously being a defensive option against Huge Power and No-Guard pokemon and being a late-game sweeper. Genesect’s moves, similar to the Huge Power pokemon prior, have been optimized to hit as many relevant Wonder Guard pokemon while still having sound coverage against the rest of the meta. Freeze Dry targets and 2 hit KOs Wonder Guard Kyogre and OHKOs Rayquaza, Flash Cannon KOs the ever omnipotent Wonder Guard Fairy types. Hidden Power Fire might seem bizarre at first as a coverage option, however, Imposter is still a relevant threat in Pure Hackmons and Hidden Power Fire ensures Genesect can hit Imposter Chansey and Imposter Chansey cannot hit back since it’s unlikely Chansey will carry the correct IV’s to obtain hidden Power Fire. Hidden Power Fire also frees up Genesect’s item slot for a Shed Shell, since it doesn’t need Fire Type Judgment or Techno-Blast to be Imposter-Proofed. This is important against Shadow Tag pokemon that might try to trap and remove Genesect from the game to attempt to cripple the team’s integrity against threats like No-Guard OHKO spammers.
Nightmare's Root (Gengar-Mega) @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Judgment
- Sludge Bomb
- Spore
Gengar, unlike Genesect, functions as an offensive pivot for the team rather than a late-game sweeper. Gengar’s ability Wonder Guard ensures it can switch into most attacks while its Powerful STAB Judgement and Sludge Bomb make it difficult for opposing offensive Pokemon to survive taking hits back. The last two moves in Gengar’s arsenal: Spore and Baton Pass further drain momentum from foes. Spore allows Gengar to target and Sleep other Wonder Guard pokemon and win 1 v 1 most Mold Breaker and Huge Power Pokemon, while Baton Pass allows Gengar to safely escape Pursuit and bring teammates into an advantageous position after an opposing Pokemon is put to sleep with Spore. Gengar’s item and EV spread, much like its moves have been optimized to ensure it hits as hard as possible and can put the maximum amount of foes it can safely put to Sleep. The item Spooky Plate turns Gengar’s Judgement into a reliable 120 bp Ghost move, while its EV spread of maximum speed, maximum special, and timid nature allows it to abuse its powerful Judgment and its debilitating Spore to the fullest.
Flowing Fantasies (Xerneas) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Water Gun
- Judgment
- Spore
Xerneas uses its excellent Fairy typing and ability Mold Breaker to hit through Wonder Guard and threaten most Prankster Pokemon. This is vital for the rest of the team as it prevents the team from bricking in the event that the two huge power lures aren’t enough on their own to break through Wonder Guard. Xerneas’s moveset of Shell Smash, Water Gun, Judgement, and Spore ensures it can consistently set up Shell Smashes via the free turns offered by Sleep and can threaten a wide range of pokemon with strong fairy moves. Judgment is used over its cousin Moonblast so both Giratina’s can cover for Imposter Chansey if it somehow copies Xerneas with its boosts (and because it’s stronger than Moonblast). Water Gun might seem out of place, however it is perhaps the most important move on Xerneas as it both hits Primal Groudon’s quadruple weakness and helps with perpetuating the bluff that the team is in fact a stall team. Since Water Gun is typically found on Stall teams as a superior alternative to Scald by virtue of having more power points, Water Gun is perhaps the team’s most effective tool to lead opponents astray in their initial assessments and assumptions of the team.
As can be seen on the scoreboard below my alt for this team was 3dactop10phsoeasy, and the team peaked at #1 with a 93% gxe and a winrate of about 65-2.
Threatlist:
Mega Beedrill:
Mega Beedrill is quite the annoyance for this team since it can outspeed and shut down Wonder Guard Gengar and can switch into Band Giratina. Generally, the best bet is to try to lure it in with Primal Kyogre or Genesect and try and KO it with a Fire move.
Mega Manectric:
Mega Manatric is annoying for reasons that are similar to Mega Beedrill. The best option is to try and shut it down with either Giratina or attempt to break it down with Xerneas.
Fissure:
Since one of the Wonder Guard users on the team is Gengar, the combination of Fissure, Gastro Acid, and sleep can be problematic. In the case of a No-Guard with Fissure, the best option is to revenge kill the user with the combination of Kyogre’s Water Shuriken and Choice Band Giratina’s Shadow Sneak.
Blissey:
Blissey has a lot of special bulk and commonly carries Wonder Guard so it can be quite the obstacle for Xerneas, Kyogre, Gengar, and Genesect. The best options for beating Blissey are cheesing through it with Mold Breaker Xerneas and luring it in and Knocking it out with Band Giratina’s Close Combat.
Dark Void:
While the team has a couple of Safety Goggles users to defend against Spore Spam it doesn't have much to defend against Dark Void. Ideally, Dark Void users will have to be dealt with proactively with Gengar's fast Spore. However, if this doesn’t work out, Kyogre, Band Giratina, and Prankster Giratina can sometimes take a couple of hits and gamble with Sleep Turns to attempt to take out Dark Void users.
The Team:
Delirious Dreams (Giratina) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Thousand Arrows
- Close Combat
- Gear Grind
Delirious Dreams (Giratina) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Thousand Arrows
- Close Combat
- Gear Grind
Since Giratina is most commonly used as a passive defensive pokemon with either Magic Bounce or Prankster, many players have learned that a Giratina often means an opening to make progress with strong special attackers or to get off support moves like Wish or Aromatherapy. Choice Band Giratina turns that notion on its head with its respectable bulk in tandem with its powerful Huge Power Boosted moves. Choice Band Giratina’s role is to surprise and punish pokemon that try and take advantage of Giratina's typical shortcomings. Shadow Sneak is used to snipe fast and frail attackers that would take advantage of other Giratina variants like Mega Gengar, Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Mewtwo X, and Mega Latios. The rest of its moveset is tailored to beating many of the more common Wonder Guard pokemon that would normally attempt to sit on Giratina and use their support moves. Gear Grind Targets and removes Xerneas and Mega Audino. Close Combat targets and removes Regigigas Slaking and Arceus, and lastly Thousand Arrows targets and mauls Primal Groudon, Mega Manectric, and Drapion.
Delirious Dreams (Giratina) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Encore
- Curse
- Destiny Bond
The second Giratina on the team is the typical passive prankster defensive set used by most of the ladder. Instead of seeking to lure in and KO pokemon attempting to take advantage of it this Giratina serves as a valuable defensive piece. The combination of Encore, Curse, and Destiny Bond consistently put a halt to Substitute passing and most set-up attempts from pokemon such as Gyrados and Primal Groudon. However, in addition to serving as a form of defensive counterplay against the diverse cast of Shell Smash set-up users, Prankster Giratina also factors into the mind games the team attempts to play. The pseudo Illusion effect of the two nearly identical Giratinas keeps opponents guessing and on the back- foot even if the lure itself is already revealed somehow.
Tides of Sleep (Kyogre-Primal) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Water Shuriken
- Play Rough
- Gear Grind
- Sacred Fire
From the little experience I’ve had with Pure Hackmons, Primal Kyogre was predominantly used as a passive Wonder Guard or Magic Bounce support pokemon. And as such Primal Kyogre, with its reputation for not being a significant offensive threat was the optimal choice for the second Huge Power lure on the fake Stall team. Many don’t seem to realize that Primal Kyogre has a very functional 150 attack stat that when put in tandem with Huge Power can make it an offensive threat worthy of respect. Kyogre’s moveset similar to Giratina's is tailored to hit as many Wonder Guard options as possible. Play Rough removes Sableye and Spiritomb, Sacred Fire OHKO’s Scizor and targets steel types, and lastly, Gear Grind Knocks over Xerneas variants that are foolish enough to try and set Substitutes up. Water Shuriken, as counterintuitive as it is, is by far the most vital move on Kyogre as it allows it to easily snipe Diancie, Mega Gengar, Xerneas, and Primal Groudon even after they’ve boosted their speeds with Shell Smash. Primal Kyogre opts for Safety Goggle over Choice Band so it can easily switch between its weak but fast Water Shuriken and its slow but powerful other moves whilst also being resistant to Sleep moves like Spore.
Fractured Visions (Genesect-Burn) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 176 HP / 252 SpA / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Shell Smash
- Freeze-Dry
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Genesect is most commonly used as a faster, but nonetheless passive Wonder Guard pivot. For the team, however, I decided on a much more aggressive approach and opted for a Shell Smash Wonder Guard strategy. Wonder Guard Genesect serves the team by simultaneously being a defensive option against Huge Power and No-Guard pokemon and being a late-game sweeper. Genesect’s moves, similar to the Huge Power pokemon prior, have been optimized to hit as many relevant Wonder Guard pokemon while still having sound coverage against the rest of the meta. Freeze Dry targets and 2 hit KOs Wonder Guard Kyogre and OHKOs Rayquaza, Flash Cannon KOs the ever omnipotent Wonder Guard Fairy types. Hidden Power Fire might seem bizarre at first as a coverage option, however, Imposter is still a relevant threat in Pure Hackmons and Hidden Power Fire ensures Genesect can hit Imposter Chansey and Imposter Chansey cannot hit back since it’s unlikely Chansey will carry the correct IV’s to obtain hidden Power Fire. Hidden Power Fire also frees up Genesect’s item slot for a Shed Shell, since it doesn’t need Fire Type Judgment or Techno-Blast to be Imposter-Proofed. This is important against Shadow Tag pokemon that might try to trap and remove Genesect from the game to attempt to cripple the team’s integrity against threats like No-Guard OHKO spammers.
Nightmare's Root (Gengar-Mega) @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Judgment
- Sludge Bomb
- Spore
Gengar, unlike Genesect, functions as an offensive pivot for the team rather than a late-game sweeper. Gengar’s ability Wonder Guard ensures it can switch into most attacks while its Powerful STAB Judgement and Sludge Bomb make it difficult for opposing offensive Pokemon to survive taking hits back. The last two moves in Gengar’s arsenal: Spore and Baton Pass further drain momentum from foes. Spore allows Gengar to target and Sleep other Wonder Guard pokemon and win 1 v 1 most Mold Breaker and Huge Power Pokemon, while Baton Pass allows Gengar to safely escape Pursuit and bring teammates into an advantageous position after an opposing Pokemon is put to sleep with Spore. Gengar’s item and EV spread, much like its moves have been optimized to ensure it hits as hard as possible and can put the maximum amount of foes it can safely put to Sleep. The item Spooky Plate turns Gengar’s Judgement into a reliable 120 bp Ghost move, while its EV spread of maximum speed, maximum special, and timid nature allows it to abuse its powerful Judgment and its debilitating Spore to the fullest.
Flowing Fantasies (Xerneas) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Water Gun
- Judgment
- Spore
Xerneas uses its excellent Fairy typing and ability Mold Breaker to hit through Wonder Guard and threaten most Prankster Pokemon. This is vital for the rest of the team as it prevents the team from bricking in the event that the two huge power lures aren’t enough on their own to break through Wonder Guard. Xerneas’s moveset of Shell Smash, Water Gun, Judgement, and Spore ensures it can consistently set up Shell Smashes via the free turns offered by Sleep and can threaten a wide range of pokemon with strong fairy moves. Judgment is used over its cousin Moonblast so both Giratina’s can cover for Imposter Chansey if it somehow copies Xerneas with its boosts (and because it’s stronger than Moonblast). Water Gun might seem out of place, however it is perhaps the most important move on Xerneas as it both hits Primal Groudon’s quadruple weakness and helps with perpetuating the bluff that the team is in fact a stall team. Since Water Gun is typically found on Stall teams as a superior alternative to Scald by virtue of having more power points, Water Gun is perhaps the team’s most effective tool to lead opponents astray in their initial assessments and assumptions of the team.
Proof of Laddering Peak:
As can be seen on the scoreboard below my alt for this team was 3dactop10phsoeasy, and the team peaked at #1 with a 93% gxe and a winrate of about 65-2.
Threatlist:
Mega Beedrill:
Mega Beedrill is quite the annoyance for this team since it can outspeed and shut down Wonder Guard Gengar and can switch into Band Giratina. Generally, the best bet is to try to lure it in with Primal Kyogre or Genesect and try and KO it with a Fire move.
Mega Manectric:
Mega Manatric is annoying for reasons that are similar to Mega Beedrill. The best option is to try and shut it down with either Giratina or attempt to break it down with Xerneas.
Fissure:
Since one of the Wonder Guard users on the team is Gengar, the combination of Fissure, Gastro Acid, and sleep can be problematic. In the case of a No-Guard with Fissure, the best option is to revenge kill the user with the combination of Kyogre’s Water Shuriken and Choice Band Giratina’s Shadow Sneak.
Blissey:
Blissey has a lot of special bulk and commonly carries Wonder Guard so it can be quite the obstacle for Xerneas, Kyogre, Gengar, and Genesect. The best options for beating Blissey are cheesing through it with Mold Breaker Xerneas and luring it in and Knocking it out with Band Giratina’s Close Combat.
Dark Void:
While the team has a couple of Safety Goggles users to defend against Spore Spam it doesn't have much to defend against Dark Void. Ideally, Dark Void users will have to be dealt with proactively with Gengar's fast Spore. However, if this doesn’t work out, Kyogre, Band Giratina, and Prankster Giratina can sometimes take a couple of hits and gamble with Sleep Turns to attempt to take out Dark Void users.
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Giratina By Konveekou. Check out their Devianart here: https://www.deviantart.com/konveekou/art/Giratina-the-Shadow-Lord-505071699
Primal Kyogre by ふりゃ. Check their Pixiv here: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/13813830
Genesect by Dragonith. Check out their Devianart here: https://www.deviantart.com/dragonith/gallery?page=2
Mega Gengar by Sires J Blacks. Check out their Pinterest page here: https://www.pinterest.com/evilapple513/
Xerneas by Shupamikey. Check out their Devianart here: https://www.deviantart.com/shupamikey/art/Xerneas-729796229
Primal Kyogre by ふりゃ. Check their Pixiv here: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/13813830
Genesect by Dragonith. Check out their Devianart here: https://www.deviantart.com/dragonith/gallery?page=2
Mega Gengar by Sires J Blacks. Check out their Pinterest page here: https://www.pinterest.com/evilapple513/
Xerneas by Shupamikey. Check out their Devianart here: https://www.deviantart.com/shupamikey/art/Xerneas-729796229
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