Team Overview
Well, it's been a while.
I never intended Arcturus to reach such a high profile as it did. Being such a powerful stall team, most teams simply did not have the counters for it and lost to it instantly. Towards the end of the life of Generation 7 Balanced Hackmons, the team reached its peak, however many good players were still scourging the tier looking for battles at this time.
Evidence for 1823 elo
At this time, 1,823 Elo was barely enough to sit above every person on the ladder. The screenshots are unfortunately long gone. Keep in mind that this was done on an outdated version of the team.
Process -
The team started when I tried to build a team centered around Sand Stream Nihilego. Because of the extreme Special Defense that Nihilego happens to possess under Sand Stream, coupled with the fact that Nihilego has a high health stat, it manages to live a Sheer Force Mewtwo-Mega-Y Earth Power from full health - 252 SpA Sheer Force Mewtwo-Mega-Y Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Nihilego in Sand: 304-360 (72 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Giratina is by far the best Prankster in the tier, and had to be included. Its immunity to Shedinja, the ability to be immune to Trick users, coupled with its bulk beyond most Pokemon allowing it to check multitudes of physical attackers made it the prime choice for this team.
Ho-Oh was initially the choice for the team as a special wall. Little did I know at the time that Heavy-Duty boots did not exist, and as this was my Pokemon of choice to remove entry hazards, the team would end up struggling against SpikeStack teams that simply tore through the team.
Due to the team's extreme weakness to Mewtwo-Mega-X at this time of building, Mega Slowbro was introduced as the secondary physical wall. With Poison Heal on its side and its immense physical bulk, it is able to hard check the vast majority of Mewtwo-Mega-X sets, sans those that use Trick, or those who use Shell Smash paired with Power Trip.
Xerneas is the premier Pokemon here. With the bulk it possesses, and its ability to set up very easily against a multitude of Pokemon, some teams simply crumbled under the pressure that this Pokemon set. Once the Prankster was dead, Xerneas rendered the opponent's team as a sitting duck.
What is a stall team without Blissey? One that crumbles when the Prankster is dead, of course. Unfortunately there is no cure-all when it comes to walling Pokemon in this tier (not even Shedinja due to Mold Breaker moves like Sunsteel Strike), so Blissey has to do for now.
Long after its peak, I noticed the fatal flaw this team had. There was no Dialga check, and Ho-Oh was simply taking too much trying to defog. Dialga was my solution, giving the team a more consistent Xerneas check, a Pokemon that can Rapid Spin and act as a Regigigas check as well. Had I caught this issue earlier, the team would have peaked at or around 1920 elo.
The team -
The team (raw data)
Niflheim Parasite (Nihilego) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Shore Up
- Spectral Thief
- Revelation Dance
Explanation: Toxic Spikes lets it weaken Pokemon such as Chansey, Primal Kyogre and Giratina without directly poisoning the imposter. Shore Up heals 66% of it's health, meaning that the user can be a little more liberal when using this Pokemon. Spectral Thief and Revelation Dance are there to make this Pokemon less passive against Gengar-Mega and Xerneas respectively. Without this Pokemon, the team would be a lot more vulnerable to Gengar-Mega.
Shattered Reality (Giratina) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Core Enforcer
- Destiny Bond
Of course, no Generation 7 Balanced Hackmons team can function without a Prankster. There have been attempts, but none successful. Giratina's main purpose is to shut down incoming sweepers before the battle becomes a lost cause. Griseous Orb renders Giratina immune to Knock Off and Trick. The first few moves are fairly standard, with the last move being a last-resort option against sweepers, preventing them from completely demolishing the team if Giratina is at a low health.
Sands of Time (Dialga) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Revelation Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Core Enforcer
After I noticed this team had a fatal flaw that I did not notice earlier, this was my solution. Spectral Thief renders it able to shut down opposing Xerneas, as Dialga is very bulky and can live boosted Earth Powers. Revelation Dance stops Normalize Gengar-Mega whilst also OHKOing Diancie-Mega no matter what. Rapid Spin keeps the field safe of entry hazards and Core Enforcer is standard on all RegenVest Pokemon.
Saggitarius A* (Slowbro-Mega) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- U-turn
- King's Shield
- Spikes
Slowbro-Mega is by far the most consistent check to Mewtwo-Mega-X, due to its typing and massive defense. This set is very standard and aims to set up entry hazards, set off burns against opposing Pokemon and scout for moves via King's Shield. U-Turn prevents it from being trapped.
Protostar (Xerneas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Lava Plume
By far the best special attacker in the tier. Quiver Dance and Moonblast is key to any specially offensive Xerneas, otherwise Giratina comes in for free. Thunder exists to nuke opposing Ho-Oh, Kyogre-Primal and Celesteela (which is done after two Quiver Dances, very easy for Xerneas to pull off given its bulk and Core Enforcer immunity) and Lava Plume exists to counter Registeel, Aegislash and Solgaleo whilst not killing Nihilego at the same time should Xerneas die to a critical hit from Imposter.
Cloak Tech (Blissey) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Soft-Boiled
- Final Gambit
- Trick
- Spikes
Imposter Blissey is a staple on many teams for many reasons. First, it exposes the moveset and ability of the opposing Pokemon, meaning its behavior can easily be identified. Secondly, Blissey is able to pull off a reverse sweep when given a chance, and hence requires the meta to adapt around it or die. The moveset allows Blissey to heal, set entry hazards, shut down an opposing Pokemon for good, or in dire situations remove a Pokemon from the field entirely. The moveset for Blissey doesn't really matter anyway; 99.9999% of the time it's going to be an imposter.
Replays:
To be added later
Threatlist:
- Mewtwo - Pixilate Mewtwo-Mega-X is able to hit Mega Slowbro on the weak side. It, however does not like Xerneas. Mewtwo-Mega-Y is countered by Dialga.
- Strong Boomburst users are countered by Dialga.
- Imposter rarely makes any progress on the team.
Xerneas - Dependent on the set, Xerneas may be able to break the team. Your standard Spikes Xerneas is countered by Dialga. Spikes + Strength Sap Xerneas is countered by Nihilego. Rapid Spin + Boomburst Xerneas is countered by Nihilego, and physically offensive variants are countered by Slowbro, but it can't wall it for long.
Yveltal - Countered by Dialga or Xerneas.
Shedinja - Countered by Nihilego. It also can't do anything against Giratina.
Gengar - Countered by Nihilego or Dialga.
Kartana - Countered by Giratina.
Garchomp-Mega - Countered by Slowbro.
Kyurem-Black - Countered by Slowbro.
Regigigas and Slaking - Countered by Giratina.
Tyranitar-Mega - Scout for moveset first by Slowbro. If it's Knock Off, switch to Giratina. If it's Pursuit, use Scald.
Zekrom - Countered by Dialga.
Dialga - Defensive movesets don't make much progress on the team after all hazards are up. Offensive movesets are countered by Dialga.
Beedrill - Countered by Giratina.
Greninja-Ash - Countered by Dialga.
Blaziken-Mega: This Pokemon's always Tinted Lens anyway, so scout for V-Create using Slowbro. Since Blaziken is now weakened, you can wall it using Giratina.
Well, it's been a while.
I never intended Arcturus to reach such a high profile as it did. Being such a powerful stall team, most teams simply did not have the counters for it and lost to it instantly. Towards the end of the life of Generation 7 Balanced Hackmons, the team reached its peak, however many good players were still scourging the tier looking for battles at this time.
Evidence for 1823 elo
At this time, 1,823 Elo was barely enough to sit above every person on the ladder. The screenshots are unfortunately long gone. Keep in mind that this was done on an outdated version of the team.
Process -
The team started when I tried to build a team centered around Sand Stream Nihilego. Because of the extreme Special Defense that Nihilego happens to possess under Sand Stream, coupled with the fact that Nihilego has a high health stat, it manages to live a Sheer Force Mewtwo-Mega-Y Earth Power from full health - 252 SpA Sheer Force Mewtwo-Mega-Y Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Nihilego in Sand: 304-360 (72 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Giratina is by far the best Prankster in the tier, and had to be included. Its immunity to Shedinja, the ability to be immune to Trick users, coupled with its bulk beyond most Pokemon allowing it to check multitudes of physical attackers made it the prime choice for this team.
Ho-Oh was initially the choice for the team as a special wall. Little did I know at the time that Heavy-Duty boots did not exist, and as this was my Pokemon of choice to remove entry hazards, the team would end up struggling against SpikeStack teams that simply tore through the team.
Due to the team's extreme weakness to Mewtwo-Mega-X at this time of building, Mega Slowbro was introduced as the secondary physical wall. With Poison Heal on its side and its immense physical bulk, it is able to hard check the vast majority of Mewtwo-Mega-X sets, sans those that use Trick, or those who use Shell Smash paired with Power Trip.
Xerneas is the premier Pokemon here. With the bulk it possesses, and its ability to set up very easily against a multitude of Pokemon, some teams simply crumbled under the pressure that this Pokemon set. Once the Prankster was dead, Xerneas rendered the opponent's team as a sitting duck.
What is a stall team without Blissey? One that crumbles when the Prankster is dead, of course. Unfortunately there is no cure-all when it comes to walling Pokemon in this tier (not even Shedinja due to Mold Breaker moves like Sunsteel Strike), so Blissey has to do for now.
Long after its peak, I noticed the fatal flaw this team had. There was no Dialga check, and Ho-Oh was simply taking too much trying to defog. Dialga was my solution, giving the team a more consistent Xerneas check, a Pokemon that can Rapid Spin and act as a Regigigas check as well. Had I caught this issue earlier, the team would have peaked at or around 1920 elo.
The team -
The team (raw data)
Niflheim Parasite (Nihilego) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sand Stream
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Toxic Spikes
- Shore Up
- Spectral Thief
- Revelation Dance
Explanation: Toxic Spikes lets it weaken Pokemon such as Chansey, Primal Kyogre and Giratina without directly poisoning the imposter. Shore Up heals 66% of it's health, meaning that the user can be a little more liberal when using this Pokemon. Spectral Thief and Revelation Dance are there to make this Pokemon less passive against Gengar-Mega and Xerneas respectively. Without this Pokemon, the team would be a lot more vulnerable to Gengar-Mega.
Shattered Reality (Giratina) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Haze
- Shore Up
- Core Enforcer
- Destiny Bond
Of course, no Generation 7 Balanced Hackmons team can function without a Prankster. There have been attempts, but none successful. Giratina's main purpose is to shut down incoming sweepers before the battle becomes a lost cause. Griseous Orb renders Giratina immune to Knock Off and Trick. The first few moves are fairly standard, with the last move being a last-resort option against sweepers, preventing them from completely demolishing the team if Giratina is at a low health.
Sands of Time (Dialga) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spectral Thief
- Revelation Dance
- Rapid Spin
- Core Enforcer
After I noticed this team had a fatal flaw that I did not notice earlier, this was my solution. Spectral Thief renders it able to shut down opposing Xerneas, as Dialga is very bulky and can live boosted Earth Powers. Revelation Dance stops Normalize Gengar-Mega whilst also OHKOing Diancie-Mega no matter what. Rapid Spin keeps the field safe of entry hazards and Core Enforcer is standard on all RegenVest Pokemon.
Saggitarius A* (Slowbro-Mega) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- U-turn
- King's Shield
- Spikes
Slowbro-Mega is by far the most consistent check to Mewtwo-Mega-X, due to its typing and massive defense. This set is very standard and aims to set up entry hazards, set off burns against opposing Pokemon and scout for moves via King's Shield. U-Turn prevents it from being trapped.
Protostar (Xerneas) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Moonblast
- Thunder
- Lava Plume
By far the best special attacker in the tier. Quiver Dance and Moonblast is key to any specially offensive Xerneas, otherwise Giratina comes in for free. Thunder exists to nuke opposing Ho-Oh, Kyogre-Primal and Celesteela (which is done after two Quiver Dances, very easy for Xerneas to pull off given its bulk and Core Enforcer immunity) and Lava Plume exists to counter Registeel, Aegislash and Solgaleo whilst not killing Nihilego at the same time should Xerneas die to a critical hit from Imposter.
Cloak Tech (Blissey) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Soft-Boiled
- Final Gambit
- Trick
- Spikes
Imposter Blissey is a staple on many teams for many reasons. First, it exposes the moveset and ability of the opposing Pokemon, meaning its behavior can easily be identified. Secondly, Blissey is able to pull off a reverse sweep when given a chance, and hence requires the meta to adapt around it or die. The moveset allows Blissey to heal, set entry hazards, shut down an opposing Pokemon for good, or in dire situations remove a Pokemon from the field entirely. The moveset for Blissey doesn't really matter anyway; 99.9999% of the time it's going to be an imposter.
Replays:
To be added later
Threatlist:
- Mewtwo - Pixilate Mewtwo-Mega-X is able to hit Mega Slowbro on the weak side. It, however does not like Xerneas. Mewtwo-Mega-Y is countered by Dialga.
- Strong Boomburst users are countered by Dialga.
- Imposter rarely makes any progress on the team.
Xerneas - Dependent on the set, Xerneas may be able to break the team. Your standard Spikes Xerneas is countered by Dialga. Spikes + Strength Sap Xerneas is countered by Nihilego. Rapid Spin + Boomburst Xerneas is countered by Nihilego, and physically offensive variants are countered by Slowbro, but it can't wall it for long.
Yveltal - Countered by Dialga or Xerneas.
Shedinja - Countered by Nihilego. It also can't do anything against Giratina.
Gengar - Countered by Nihilego or Dialga.
Kartana - Countered by Giratina.
Garchomp-Mega - Countered by Slowbro.
Kyurem-Black - Countered by Slowbro.
Regigigas and Slaking - Countered by Giratina.
Tyranitar-Mega - Scout for moveset first by Slowbro. If it's Knock Off, switch to Giratina. If it's Pursuit, use Scald.
Zekrom - Countered by Dialga.
Dialga - Defensive movesets don't make much progress on the team after all hazards are up. Offensive movesets are countered by Dialga.
Beedrill - Countered by Giratina.
Greninja-Ash - Countered by Dialga.
Blaziken-Mega: This Pokemon's always Tinted Lens anyway, so scout for V-Create using Slowbro. Since Blaziken is now weakened, you can wall it using Giratina.
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