Bulky Semi-Stall with Double Scarfers?

[deinosaur]

Team at a glance:

What was your favorite Gen IV team? Think back all the way to the beginning, as far back as you can. Well I loved all of my Gen IV teams, but most of the teams I made were pretty bad, as I was just starting out. But this one, I just had a great feeling about this one. One day while reading the OU combos thread, something strange dawned upon me. I decided I wanted to try a Hippowdon/Empoleon combo. However, that team failed epically. But I got most of the ideas for this team off of that. Enjoy.

Skarmory@Leftovers
Sturdy
252 HP, 240 Def, 16 Spe
Impish
-Spikes
-Whirlwind
-Roost
-Brave Bird

Description:
Skarmory is extremely helpful to this team. Spikes alone would earn it a spot. However, it has much more to offer. This can set up on tons of different pokes who think he doesn’t carry Whirlwind to phaze them away. I love how this baby can get at least 2 layers up through the course of the battle. It is also another phazer. He is now in the lead position and running full defensive set.

EVs:
This is your average everyday Spikes Skarmory. He easily takes neutral or resisted attacks with ease, and lay spikes.Pretty basic.

Teamwork:
This is just one of my favorite parts of the team. He was actually the second pokemon I ever tried out on a wifi team the first time I played vs. someone else (can you guess my first and favorite???). He helps with every single kill by spiking, which helps greatly when trying to take something out. Pair it up with a CM Jirachi or a Scarfed Flygon, and kills just start racking up. He is truly important to this team.

Heatran@Leftovers
Flash Fire
248 HP, 132 SpD, 128 Spe
Calm
-Lava Plume
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Roar

Description:
This Heatran was stolen right out of reyscarface’s Enclose Murciélago (sorry dude it was amazing) because I just couldn’t resist the defensive prowess this thing offers. Lava Plume, while not majorly strong, kills what it needs to and has a small chance to burn. This baby stays alive for usually the whole match with Rest+Sleep Talk in order to keep special sweepers at bay. Plus, Roar gets +0 priority with ST, which is great. He is my third and final phazer.

EVs:
These EVs allow Heatran to take hits from either side of the spectrum, and especially special attacks. He is like a Blissey with resistances, phazing, an attack, and defense.

Teamwork:
I really like how this Heatran phazes out whatever it can’t handle at the time, only for them to receive entry damage. When most people see a Heatran, they expect scarf, which allows me to get some freedom as they switch around in fear. This Heatran makes the jobs of my other pokemon a little easier.

Starmie@Leftovers
Natural Cure
252 HP, 4 Def, 252 Spe
Timid
-Rapid Spin
-Surf
-Thunderbolt
-Recover

Description:
This Starmie has proved itself worthy of a spot on my team. She is extremely great at spinning and very good at saving my butt when it needs to be saved. She can destroy that weakened Rotom keeping spikes on the field, T-bolt a Gyarados hoping to set up, or just killing that pesky Gliscor. You might also be asking: “Blissey, why didn’t you pick Forretress??? Then your whole team would be immune to sandstorm!” Well I have news. Forretress would not add anything to this team that I don’t have. So I picked Starmie.

EVs:
The EVs here give it good bulk as well as a fast rapid spinner. Pretty basic, really not anything else to say.

Teamwork:
This Starmie is great keeping everything alive by getting rid of entry hazards. It removes threats that I might have trouble with, such as Gliscor. It is also a sweeper in it’s own right with good coverage and power with Surf and Thunderbolt. A great team slot choice, IMO.

Jirachi@Leftovers
Serene Grace
252 HP, 224 Def, 32 Spe
Bold
-Calm Mind
-Wish
-Thunderbolt
-Flash Cannon

Description:
I love how people expect the physical Haxachi and switch to a physical wall, only to tremble in fear when it CMs. Then it CMs on the switch to Blissey, and begins to stall the crap out of it with CM and Wish until you are at +6 and start haxing her special defense down with STAB Flash Cannon. It is really easy to set up this Jirachi. Switch into a resisted attack, and wreaks havoc. I love this thing.

EVs:
Jirachi runs defense because I need her to be able to set up in even the smallest opportunities. Physical sweepers are in abundance in OU, so I set up in their face.

Teamwork:
It is easy to call Jirachi the MVP of this team, but it is hard not to say the same about everything else. I use her to keep Flygon at decent health to clean up later, and so far it has not led me astray. Abusing it’s resistances to full potential.

Flygon@Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
Jolly
-Earthquake
-U-Turn
-Outrage
-Fire Blast

Description:
Keeping Flygon healthy and hidden may prove to be the best thing you do, every match. It comes in and revenges anything using DD I can’t take on the spot. It can revenge basically anything else it wants too, with decent 80/80/80 defenses to abuse his resistances. Flygon stays hidden until it can either save the game or win it.

EVs:
Extremely standard. Max speed to outspeed anything less than Base 100 Scarfers. Max attack because, Flygon needs max attack.

Teamwork:
Flygon takes advantage of what this team is set out to do. This team weakens pokemon by forcing them to switch, not allowing them to set up, and tanking every hit. So after that takes place, Flygon ends it with Outrage. Flygon is great.

Rotom-W@Choice Scarf
Levitate
4 HP / 252 SpAtk /252 Spe
Timid
-Thunderbolt
-Shadow Ball
-Hydro Pump
-Trick

Description:
Rotom was suggested to me by the raters of this team, and has been a great decision. He can eat up DD Gyaras like nothing and can take down anything that needs to be outsped. He makes Flygon a little less usable though, which in a way proves it's effectiveness. He gets amazing coverage and power as well as the abilty to cripple walls.

EVs:
These EVs are as basic as possible and makes it so that Rotom can outspeed what it needs to while also having lots of power.

Teamwork:
This thing helps my pokemon stay alive during a heated battle by owning them in mid-sweep. It effectively checks many problems to the team and can keep Tyranitar at bay. He keeps my hazards alive which I love. He was an incredibly smart choice and I thank you raters.

Closing Words:
I felt pokemon getting a little stale to me, so I built this team. It has saved me from utter boredom and makes pokemon worth playing again.
If any of you steal this team (new players, it is sadly a great way to start out), remember these things:
-Keep Flygon and Jirachi hidden until you must use them.
-Phaze a lot, don’t let opponents set up
-Push for entry hazards early. Keep them the whole game.

Okay, so rate it, hate it, steal it, archive it, I don’t care.
Give me any advice on anything I can do to make this RMT better.
Thanks in advance.

-BLISSEYOFDOOM.

 

[aVocado]

Neat team.

One question though: What is Starmie doing on your team ? I see it doing nother other than Rapid Spin, which your team really doesn't need, at all. Most of your Pokemon take 12% and 6% from SR, all of them are immune to Toxic Spikes except for Starmie, the only reason to Spin is for Spikes, which isn't really that big. It can't sweep with no SpA investment, IMO it can't even sweep with SpA investment because it's SpA is rather poor.

I suggest replacing it; although I'm not sure what to replace it with because I'm no expert in Stall teams.

 

[The Grand Babido]

Hi, this is a pretty solid Calm Mind Jirachi team, however I do see a number of looming problems. Currently you have no spin-blocker and you really don't want to see all your Spiking efforts removed by a simple Rapid Spin from Starmie, Forretress, Hitmontop or Tentacruel. You also have absolutely no good switch-in to fighting-type attacks and currently your only resist is Starmie. Lucario is a huge threat for your team, and if Hippowdon is weakened and Flygon has taken even the most minimal damage, it pretty much is good game. I think you know what is coming up. A simple Scarf Rotom over your current Flygon would patch up these weaknesses very well. What you lose from Flygon does not really matter. Flygon is able to revenge Dragon Dance Dragonite as it has the ability to OHKO with Outrage, whereas Rotom cannot OHKO. However DD Nite does not threaten your team that much, seeing as you have Skarmory, Hippowdon and Bold Jirachi to handle it. The latter after it has been locked into Outrage, which can be baited quite easily. Flygon offers a solid electric-type immunity, however your Hippowdon already offers that. Flygon also acts as a solid check for pretty much all forms of Tyranitar, but with Hippowdon and Skarmory, that is pretty unnecessary. What Rotom brings to the table is a solid answer to revenge Lucario, although it may need a bit of prior damage if you opt for Wash-forme, a better revenge killer to Life Orb Starmie, seeing as it can come in on an Ice Beam as well as a Thunderbolt, or a Rapid Spin, and a good fighting-resist to help fend off foes like Breloom and, once again, Lucario, who are threats to this team.

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Timid | Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk /252 Spe
Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball / Overheat or Hydro Pump / Trick

The choice between Overheat or Hydro Pump is whether you want a solid answer to Lucario or whether you want to be less Pursuit bait, and hit Heatran on the switch, who can be pretty annoying for your team, seeing as Starmie is your only answer to it. Consider Psychic on Jirachi, it is a much better STAB and Flash Cannon's only utility it hitting Tyranitar, now that Latias is gone.

Good luck!

 

[Faladran]

@Arikado: This isn't a stall team though; semi-stall, perhaps. A decent portion of the team possesses at least some degree of offensive firepower, and the general battle strategy is to lay down entry hazards so these team members can sweep successfully. The team looks pretty decent, but I'm really concerned about your lack of a spinblocker. Not having a Ghost-type on a team that utilizes entry hazards is equivalent to forgoing the use of Stealth Rock. Blissey, I've read your reasons for not using a spinblocker, but this really isn't the ideal strategy to utilize in the long run or against competent opponents. While you may be able to get entry hazards up early in the game, there is absolutely no way you'll be able to "Keep them the whole game" without a spinblocker.

Scarf Rotom-W seems to be the ideal choice for the role, since it would give you a solid check to Gyarados and weakened Lucario. Starmie may seem like a good choice to replace, but it is actually the only safe switch-in on this team to offensive variants of Heatran. I would personally just use Skarmory to lead the team and give it Stealth Rock over Brave Bird, replacing Hippowdon with your choice of spinblocker. Hippowdon's Sand Stream ability may seem useful, but entry hazards already wear down teams enough for your Pokemon to sweep through. Moreover, Hippowdon doesn't really check any threats that you don't already have covered (Skarmory stalls out / phazes Agiligross, Flygon checks DD Tyranitar). Having a Ghost-type spinblocker is really a necessity, so adding one would honestly be the best immediate improvement for this team.

Good luck!

 

[deinosaur]

I eat every word I said. This Rotom helps the team way more than Hippowdon ever could. THANK YOU.

 

[deinosaur]

Bumpity bump bump bump.

 

[Faladran]

Hey Blissey, this team is looking really good now. One quick nitpick I'd like to make would be to replace Brave Bird with Stealth Rock on Skarmory's moveset, which I suggested earlier. Both entry hazards are vital to this team's success. Additionally, the only reason that Skarmory would actually need Brave Bird would be to check DD Gyarados and Grass-types. However, you have the former reasonably well-covered and Heatran / Flygon to deal with the latter. Stealth Rock is also pretty much essential on any team, but I'm sure you were already aware of that. Other than that, I'm glad you liked the changes! I personally preferred to keep Flygon on the team because it makes for an outstanding late-game cleaner with entry hazard support, but Heist's suggestions were pretty similar anyway.

 

[deinosaur]

I'll try that out. I have been struggling a little with lack of Stealth Rock. Thanks!

 

[undisputed]

Hello BlisseyofDoom,

Cool team you have, and it looks like some solid changes were already suggested. The biggest weakness I can see right now is a problem with opposing Heatran and Infernape. Currently, it looks like the best switch in to both of them is Starmie, but it isn't fit to repeatedly stop those Pokemon. Often times you'll be forced to recover in order to make sure you can beat them again and you'll be worn down by having to play "catch-up". Otherwise you're going to be forced to sacrifice Pokemon (or have them significantly damaged) in order to get Rotom-a or Flygon into the match and threaten a KO. So to help with this weakness, I am going to suggest that you use Rest Talk Gyarados over Scarf Flygon. Here is the set:

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Nature: Impish
-Waterfall
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Roar

This also doubles as a check to offensive Dragon Dancers like you mentioned Flygon covering, plus it beats Lucario should Rotom-a get pursuited. Also, you already have a spinning Starmie, so keeping Stealth Rock off the field shouldn't be a big problem.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[deinosaur]

I really like Flygon on the team, because he actually gets in rather easily against Heatran during an Earth Power or something along those lines. Infernape I could see getting a little tricky, but so far has been easily baited into Close Combat where I can switch in Rotom, and end it with Hydro Pump.