So a few weeks ago I decided to get back into Pokemon after not playing since 5th Gen. Needless to say, the metagame is very different since I left when I was running SandStall. After about half a dozen failed teams, I made this one. I'm currently at 1643 on the Pokemon Showdown OU ladder, which is about 100 points higher than I was last gen, and that number is still improving. However, there are a few problems with this team I'd still like to fix.
I always have run some version of stall, so what better way to start a team than with the ultimate special wall. Toxic and Wish support are always a must.
From my limited experience in 6th Gen and my time in 5th Gen, I knew Quagsire would have to be on the team. The ability Unaware is godsend to stall, which laughs in the face of boosting sweepers.
Next I needed a strong defensive core. I picked Gliscor due to my familiarity with him in SandStall, using toxic heal with sub/protect to no end. Rotom-Wash compliments Gliscor well, covering it's weaknesses (water and ice) and burning stronger offensive Pokemon. Gliscor is only neutral to Rotom-Wash's only weakness (grass), but strong physical grass attacks are few and far between.
I added Skarmory to round out the physically defensive part of my team. In addition to its 4x resistance to Grass, Skarmory has can clear hazards, set them and use Whirlwind. While Skarmory does suffer from 4 moveslot syndrome the most on my team, it works well with the other Pokemon.
With five Pokemon dedicated to stall, I needed one that could hit things. I decided on Mawile, who, when mega-evolved, has an insanely high attack stat, access to Swords Dance, and a super-effective STAB against Clefable, who can otherwise frustrate my team to no end (assuming Magic Guard).
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
Chansey is the only special wall on the team, but is very good at it. I decided on a Wish/Protect set to heal my other Pokemon and let them switch in on a hit and instantly recover all HP. Protect is also useful for Chansey to act as a scout and to rack up toxic damage. Seismic Toss is useful so Chansey doesn't become complete Taunt bait, and Toxic is there to slowly kill opposing Pokemon while spamming Wish/Protect. I have considered and tried using Heal Bell over Toxic, but I can nullify most status by using Chansey's natural cure, Gliscor's Toxic Heal and immunities to Poison and Thunder Wave across the team. I also want to run Toxic on Chansey because Gliscor runs Stealth Rock over Toxic, meaning Chansey and Quagsire are the only ones with it. 0 Atk IVs and an Atk reducing nature on Chansey, Skarmory and Rotom-Wash are to minimize Foul Play damage.
Possible Changes: I could run Stealth Rock on Chansey and Toxic on Gliscor, but I feel like both moves are better where they are now. I also saw a different EV spread, 4 HP / 252 DEF / 252 SpD, and I'm not conviced that would be any better. 252 HP EVs means bigger Wish Passes, and Chansey's not lacking in Special Bulk. But I'm all ears to other opinions.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
Like I said in the Team Building section, Skamory suffers the most from 4 moveslot syndrome. Brave Bird, Taunt and Stealth Rock would all be very useful on this set, but I feel like the four I've chosen are better for my purposes. Roost is necessary to keep Skamrory alive and I need Defog to keep my side of the field clear. I originally didn't run Spikes and had Stealth Rock in this slot, but I feel like replacing Gliscor's toxic with Stealth Rock to open up a slot for Spikes on Skarmory is worth it. However, many people, including myself, question the wisdom of running spikes with defog. I don't like it, but I think it's the best solution I have now. I would have to majorly reconstruct the team (which I am open to doing, I just don't see the best way to do it) to add a rapid-spinner. Whilrwind is there to phaze out boosting sweepers that Quagsire can't/doesn't want to deal with as well as rack up residual damage from SR and Spikes.
Possible Changes: I highlighted them above. If you have a way to improve my hazards situation I'd love to hear it.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
I've been spamming SubProtect on Gliscor since it got Poison Heal in Dream World. While Gliscor doesn't have unlimited Sand chipping off 1/16th of opponents' HP per turn, Toxic does the job well enough. However, as I explained above, I'm running Stealth Rock in place of Toxic right now. Not that that makes Gliscor useless, but just a bit harder to abuse. Substitute and Protect are necessary for Gliscor to sit in place and not lose any HP. Earthquake hits most Pokemon immune to Toxic pretty hard. Gliscor is also my go to lead when I see Amoonguss or Breloom, since after a protect it is immune to Spore.
Possible Changes: This guy's great. If I do change Gliscor I would probably move Stealth Rock to another Pokemon replace that slot with Toxic. I have seen some sets with Taunt and Roost instead of Substitute and Protect, but that loses it's ability to stay in forever (or at least until Substitute and Protect run out of PP).
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
In all nearly all other cases, Rotom-Wash is my lead. It can Volt Switch to the appropriate Pokemon or burn an offensive threat on the first turn, starting the battle in my favor. I run Hydro Pump for coverage and Pain Split to keep Rotom-Wash alive. Rotom-Wash's Smogon analysis says to run this set with a Chesto Berry and Rest in the last slot, but Rotom-Wash really misses Leftovers and Pain Split just takes a bit of prediction to run well. However, with no cleric on the team Rotom-Wash does occasionally miss the status cure that Rest provides.
Possible Changes: I'm not sure. I'd need a pretty convincing argument to run ChestoRest, and the rest of the moveset is pretty standard.
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover
Quagsire is actually the best. I've had many a battle where it looks like all is lost and Quagsire comes to save the day. Still, too many people don't know what Unaware does. Unaware lets Quagsire ignore opponent's boosts, offensive or defensive. Quagsire's 95/85/65 defenses aren't the best, but a max defensive investment and recover keep it alive against nearly any physical attacker without a grass attack. Quagsire would like to Toxic stall all of its opponents, but Scald and Earthquake can deal quite a fair amount of damage if needed. Also, Quagsire with at least 70% HP, can beat any Aegislash. With 95 Speed it is always slower than Aegislash, meaning it just has to wait and take a Sacred Sword or Shadow Ball and OHKO with Earthquake on its Attack Form. That's always fun.
Possible Changes: Again, I think Quagsire's fine. 5th Gen I ran a Specially Defensive set with Recover/Toxic/Curse/Waterfall, but with more people knowing what Unaware does that set becomes less and less viable. I also like the coverage Scald and Earthquake provide.
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
The way I've set up my team the 6th slot is pretty much just plug and play with a strong offensive Pokemon. I decided on Mawile for a few reasons: That attack stat, access to Swords Dance and STAB Iron Head, which can OHKO Clefable who can wreck my team. I ran a different set using Substitute and Focus Punch over Iron Head and Swords Dance before, but it didn't add much and left me vulnerable to Clefable. Sucker Punch is necessary because with Mawile's Speed stat it needs priority. Play Rough provides decent coverage and has a STAB boost. One downside to this set is Sucker Punch is the only move even neutral to Steel types, meaning that it can still be walled.
Possible Changes: Currently the biggest threat to my team is Venusaur-Mega. It can't really kill me, but I've got nothing on it, especially if it runs Synthesis. Even when Skarmory runs Brave Bird it can only do about 30% IIRC, and it can't stand up to HP Fire. So if you have a Pokemon that can beat both Venusaur-Mega and Clefable, without losing too much of what Mawile already covers, I'll definitely give it a try.
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