Other Metagames Better Pixi-late Than Never [STABmons]

EV

Banned deucer.
Hi. This is my first RMT! I chose to make it STABmons, the OM I created a few years ago when I was first getting involved in the Other Metagames forum. For anyone not familiar with it, this OM gives Pokemon access to all moves that match their typing, including any pre-evolutions that have changed types (so Eevee gives Normal moves to all its evolutions.)

STABmons was my claim to fame and what kept me around in Other Metagames for so long. It's a lot of fun (have you ever seen a Landorus-T with reliable Flying STAB before?) but it can be frustrating at times because of all the crazy setup and strategies that come out of it. As such it lost a good portion of its playerbase because people gave up on it even after I changed the premise completely to try and balance it out. Unfortunately with ladder plays dwindling down under 1000/month, my fellow OM co-leader The Immortal and I decided the metagame's run on the simulator would come to an end with the release of the next Pokemon game.

Just recently I reverted it back to its original premise to make it easier for newer players to pickup for the Other Metas Grand Slam, and as a send-off for all the loyal players who stuck around. I should have done one of these a long time ago, but like the title says, it's better late than never!


THE TEAM




TEAMBUILDING PROCESS

With Mega Metagross sent packing, Mega Altaria reigns supreme as the best mega Pokemon in STABmons, and for good reason! I wanted to teambuild around it because even with Belly Drum banned, it has a potent Swords Dance set that abuses PixiSpeed, turning normal would-be stops to most setup (Sableye) into pools of jelly.


There are a few Pokemon Mega Altaria struggles with depending on its coverage, so I added Magnezone to remove those Steel-types it can't break through without getting crippled or phazed in the process, namely Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor.


I really like defensive Rotom-W. It's an amazing pivot because it checks a lot of common threats while also threatening most of the metagame with a Scald or Volt Switch as not much can comfortably take both.


Landorus-T and Rotom-W form a great VoltTurn core in standard play due to their defensive synergy and the decent offensive pressure they exert simultaneously. Landorus-T is also the definition of a "blanket check" in STABmons due to Intimidate, reasonable bulk, and a handy typing, meaning it gimps a ton of physical threats reliably throughout the match. I also needed a Defogger and it's about as good as they come in this metagame.


It's baaack! Yes the return of Diggersby is upon us. How could I pass up the best revenge killer in the history of Pokemon? FakeSpeed is mandatory in STABmons and nothing does it better than Diggersby. That's about it.


Celebi is not something I normally run on my STABmons teams but it's pretty useful right now, mainly as my Keldeo check. I also wanted a Stealth Rock setter and I hate running Rocks on my Defoggers.

THE SETS
Mmm~♪ Hmm~♪ I like to hum to myself.

Altaria @ Altarianite | Natural Cure (Pixilate)
16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe | Adamant Nature
[Swords Dance / Extreme Speed / Earthquake / Roost]

// At a glance // I often lead with Altaria because it just pressures so many threats in STABmons right off the bat. Is it Dragon Dance? Is it mixed Boomburst? Is it FakeSpeed? This forces a lot of players to lead with their Mega Altaria check - or rather what they hope is their check. Not even lead Sableye is safe as +0 Extreme Speed has a 68.8% chance to OHKO before they can burn you or flee with Parting Shot.

Speaking of which, Mega Altaria can still sweep with burns, and it's preferred over something like paralysis or toxic. However, I'll often wait to mega Altaria so I can pivot into stuff like Heatran and Rotom-W to absorb status as needed.

// The build // 240 Speed beats neutral Speed Diggersby letting you Extreme Speed it and pick it off at 65% HP or less. Adamant is the most useful ability because you'll be hitting at +2 most the time anyway and you already outspeed stuff like Heatran that dies to Earthquake. I'm running Swords Dance for the ability to mitigate Intimidate drops while also putting a lot of offensive pressure on the opponent very quickly. Roost pairs well with Swords Dance because Altaria has a great defensive typing and can setup on something like non-Whirlwind Skarmory until you 2HKO at +6.

I'm considering either Dragon Dance to beat Scarf Heatran or just running enough Special Defense to live its Modest Flash Cannon. The immediate power of Swords Dance is hard to ignore, though.



Magnezone @ Life Orb | Magnet Pull
4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe | Timid Nature
[Thunderbolt / Hidden Power [Fire] / King's Shield / Flash Cannon]

// At a glance // As I'm not running Fire Blast on Mega Altaria I need a way to remove Steels such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory that would put a real damper on its ability to sweep. Magnezone can also act as a check to Thundurus without Focus Blast, but I tend to rely on my Espeeders as many carry Nasty Plot and can beat a weakened Magnezone. It's also funny to trap a Scarf Heatran on Flash Cannon trying to revenge your Mega Altaria.

// The build // Max Speed and Special Attack are pretty mandatory for any Magnezone. HP Fire for those Steels, obviously, and Thunderbolt because sometimes I don't want to switch with my Electric STAB. Flash Cannon is cool for getting damage on Landorus-T and Garchomp. Lastly, and the whole crux of this set, is King's Shield. Why King's Shield on an offensive Pokemon like Magnezone? Well it guarantees I can trap and remove the mega that gives Atlaria the most grief, which is Scizor. Once you see it come in, switch to Magnezone immediately because it will setup Shift Gear every single time. Scout the Superpower with King's Shield to nab a -2 drop or just punish Knock Off then eliminate with HP Fire. This has never failed me.

(Theoretically they can Shift Gear again on my King's Shield to burn the move's turn which puts me in a lot of trouble if they actually carry Superpower. Fortunately Magnezone can live a +2 Knock Off and if HP Fire doesn't kill you can revenge Scizor with Diggersby or Mega Altaria.)



Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers | Levitate
248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA | Bold Nature
[Volt Switch / Scald / Nuzzle / Pain Split]

// At a glance // I don't know if I've built a STABmons team without Rotom-W in the last six months to be quite honest. It's just so good at pivoting in and out on the opponent I find it too good to pass up. As I mentioned above, not a lot likes risking Scald damage and a burn or eating a Volt Switch instead. For example if Landorus-T is their only Electric immunity it has to juggle the risk of swallowing a Scald or grant you the momentum as you Volt Switch out. The typing and ability grant it a ton of opportunities to get in safely and it's a nice backup check to Scizor should things go south with Magnezone early.

// The build // I run max physical Defense for things like Landorus-T, Scizor, and non-Earth Power Kyurem-B. At full health this guy can survive quite a lot and retaliate with a Nuzzle, debilitating the target so you can either Volt Switch out or even Pain Split them down to get back health from the first hit. Honestly I've been running this set for a long time and I don't think it will ever change. People just really hate random Nuzzles lol.



Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers | Intimidate
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def | Impish Nature
[Defog / U-turn / Earthquake / Roost]

// At a glance // Another great pivot seen on nearly every STABmons team. This thing checks a lot of FakeSpeeders (Ice Punch Diggersby tho) and scary physical attackers such as Terrakion, Excadrill, and Garchomp. Plus it can hit back relatively hard, too. I use it to Defog thanks to that immunity to Spikes and the very rare Sticky Web and a neutrality to Stealth Rock. Between Rotom-W and this you have quite a few things handled in just two Pokemon. However with how offensive the metagame is right now it can be difficult to get a Roost in and often you just have to keep clicking U-turn to stay up with the opponent, which isn't really a bad thing.

// The build // This set is pretty standard. Defog of course grants that hazard control and Roost keeps it healthy when you have the time. I've run Knock Off but I find U-turn more important for reasons listed above. Earthquake has great coverage and power but Precipice Blades is always an option if you can stomach a miss every now and again. I'd love to have Flying STAB as well (as this team lacks it and Flying is a great offensive type) but I just don't have the room. Some people also like Rocky Helmet but I prefer Leftovers to ease the burden of tanking FakeSpeed. Max physical bulk is mandatory on this type of Landorus-T.



Diggersby @ Silk Scarf | Huge Power
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe | Adamant Nature
[Fake Out / Extreme Speed / Precipice Blades / Knock Off]

// At a glance // Basically just kill things. Diggersby has the best revenging utility in STABmons for a few reasons. Namely Huge Power gives it a ridiculous Attack stat for free. Next it has the coveted combination of Fake Out and Extreme which in STABmons we call FakeSpeed, giving it a 1-2 punch equal to a 120 BP STAB attack before the target can even blink. FakeSpeed is why sweepers carry Protect. It's why Landorus-T runs Rocky Helmet. It's why you just can't think about setting up otherwise because Diggersby will take you out. :3

// The build // Adamant is pretty standard and I enjoy the boost in power from that nature as most times you're faster anyway. I like Silk Scarf over Life Orb because 1) I click Fake Out and Extreme Speed 99% of the time, and consequently 2) it's almost as powerful as its Life Orb Normal attacks. Precipice Blades does a TON of damage against neutral hits, particularly Sableye thinking it can absorb your Fake Out. I run Knock Off in the last slot for a few reasons: Gengar, Eviolite, and Rocky Helmet chiefly among them. Other options include Ice Punch for Landorus-T but I've got Rotom-W for that.



Celebi @ Leftovers | Natural Cure
252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe | Calm Nature
[Stealth Rock / Recover / U-turn / Psystrike]

// At a glance // Oh, Celebi. You're essentially my filler. I wanted a Rock setter not named Landorus-T plus I needed a dedicated check to Keldeo and another status sponge. Even though Celebi just flat out loses to a ton of common threats in STABmons it still manages to pull its weight on the team. If any Pokemon gets changed on this team it should probably be this one, though coming across reliable Keldeo checks is pretty difficult.

// The build // It's a bit unorthodox but it's been working. Stealth Rocks because I need to break sashes for Mega Altaria's Extreme Speeds and to bring some birds into KO range. Recover is needed to continuously tank Water Spouts. Psystrike was my STAB of choice for having more power than its Grass options. I run U-turn because a lot takes advantage of Celebi but with two other momentum users I may change it to Spore.

REPLAYS
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305684169 - vs Kingslayer2779 he normally plays Tier Shift and Balanced Hackmons but picked up STABmons again after the reversion. Here I get an early trap with Magnezone and still manage to remove the Scizor even though my King's Shield scouting was less than savory.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305704027 - vs jeran an excellent OM battler that had me on my toes even though his team was outdated. A clutch Blue Flare miss allowed me to stall out his PP so my Celebi ended up walling and beating his Heatran at the end.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305721607 - vs Scyther no Swiping another outdated albeit well-built team, mostly showing that Mega Altaria doesn't give a fuck about burns.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305727067 - vs AdamH121 (aka Leafstorm121) A good example of King's Shield doing what it needs to do versus Mega Scizor.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305742402 - vs Lcass4919 another excellent OM player trying some stuff out, I mostly troll him with Rotom-W and Diggersby picks shit apart

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305768459 - vs Kl4ng ANOTHER excellent OM player running ANOTHER outdated but very solid team that I somehow managed to beat even though I tried to quit like five times.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305791687 - vs unfixable and his antics such as Wisp Zard Y to "beat" Mega Altaria, a bit of hax on my end but that's Nuzzle for you.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305809490 - vs hotdogsjunior the only ladder match I could get at the time with a random Dusclops and a team that just isn't prepared for Mega Altaria.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-305814882 - vs baconbagon one of my favorite STABmons players that should have had this at team preview with that double Ice core but I somehow pull things out at the end.

SHOUT OUTS
next time!


IMPORTABLE
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Roost

Magnezone @ Life Orb
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- King's Shield
- Flash Cannon

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Nuzzle
- Pain Split

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Defog
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Roost

Diggersby @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Extreme Speed
- Precipice Blades
- Knock Off

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Recover
- U-turn
- Psystrike
 
Last edited:

so bummed

Banned deucer.
So it's bye stabmons for good Eh? Well I'm going to miss it for sure. Nice RMT and better late than never. Sad about stabbies going :[
 

EV

Banned deucer.
A bit of an update:

I'm trying out Latias > Celebi as an alternative Keldeo check with Defog and Lunar Dance support. It might be a little overburdened but we'll see. This let me add Stealth Rock to Landorus-T.


Latias @ Leftovers | Levitate
252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD | Calm Nature
[Defog / Recover / Lunar Dance / Psystrike]

// At a glance // So it still tanks whatever Keldeo wants to throw at it (252+ SpA Choice Specs Keldeo SE Hidden Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Latias: 130-154 (35.7 - 42.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO) and like Landorus-T before it it can Defog hazards reliably thanks to a neutrality to Rocks and immunity to the others. Unfortunately it isn't helping with my Ice weakness, particularly physical attackers, but thanks to Rotom-W and some well placed Intimidates from Landorus-T I can somewhat mitigate my weakness to them.

// The build // While I hate to run mono attack especially when its STAB does nothing to a very common type in STABmons I couldn't pass up Recover due to the need to come in on Keldeo throughout the match. Defog is here because I moved Rocks to Landorus-T and Lunar Dance gives me the opportunity to replenish Mega Altaria for another round of terror, especially since I play it liberally and get burned often. :o

Also, some more replays! They don't show the Latias in action but they do show Rotom-W being amazing.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-306152008 - vs unfixable somehow he sneaks in a BANNED Mega Metagross but luckily defensive Rotom was on the scene.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/stabmons-306162933 - vs Joshz using the same double Ice core team that Bacon ran. I lead with Rotom-W again because nothing wants to switch into really. This replay also shows how handy SD is over DD on Mega Altaria for breaking down Landorus-T.
 

Josh

=P
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Haha shit team yo so ima give this a rate, nice team mr nerd.

The first thing I see is that Altaria should just have 252 Spe rather than 240. Your reasoning is fine, and all, but you neglected 1 thing... other Altarias! People run the most random spreads on Altaria both in OU and STABmons because of how versatile it is, but seeing as you're lacking Fake Out especially, I think just going for the full 252 and at least guaranteeing the speed tie on other neutral nature Alts is invaluable. They're on nearly every team, so I think its worth the relatively unimportant HP EVs.

Rocky Helmet > Leftovers on Lando-T lets you annoy fakespeeders as well as any physical attacker, more. I'd almost suggest Spikes and Stealth Rock > Roost and Defog, because your team really appreciates hazard stacking (prevent scizor from having a chance to live hp fire, make alt and diggs kill more stuff) but that is kind of personal preference.

I don't really agree with your Ice Weakness, because while typing wise you are very weak, alt just bops most relevant Ice-types (see: Weavile, Kyub), and Diggs can as well. However, if it is a huge problem from experience, Yache Berry > Leftovers could work on Latias. If you make this change, Dragon Coverage > Psychic Coverage because p much all relevant Ice-types are more threatened by it. Alternatively, Colbur Berry > Leftovers is an option if you find Latias a victim of Pursuit trapping often.

Ya so great team, grats on showcase.
 

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