I usually just make whatever team I think would be fun, but this time I decided to try my hand at a truly competitive team. As it says on the tin, it's a stall team that's capable of changing match momentum, either by wearing down the big threats on the other team or by creating subtle but lasting momentum of its own. (I say this as if all good stall teams didn't do this, haha.)
Anyway, here it is. I should note that I use 0 IVs in attack wherever I can, as it makes the team more resistant to Foul Play. This is especially important for Latias, who takes more damage than anyone.
Happy rating!
Gred (Rotom-Wash) Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Calm
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Will-o-Wisp
-Pain Split
A standard Rotom-Wash set. He resists Heatran's ground and water weaknesses, providing some free switches and opportunities to Volt Switch the switch-in to gain momentum in my favor. Vetting ice attacks aimed at Latias and Gliscor is one of his favorite hobbies.
The WoW hinders physical switch-ins, making them much easier for the rest of the team to wall. I decided to put the 4 spare EVs into SpA instead of Spe in order to ensure that he goes last against other Rotoms in the Volt Switch race, allowing me to come out on top. (I might also consider running a Sassy nature to avoid speed ties with opposing uninvested Rotoms, though, unless this means I won't outspeed something critical.) Pain Split gives it the advantage when facing other special walls, especially with its low base HP letting it steal a huge chunk of their health before Volt Switching out. (Eat your heart out, Blissey.)
Cory (Heatran) Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Calm
-Lava Plume
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic
-Roar
Heatran's great at getting out the sneaky pebbles, and can often serve as an alternative lead when the situation demands it. (Eat your heart out, Genesect.) The fire immunity and double ice and fairy resistances means it plays well with both Ferrothorn and Latias.
Again, this is a pretty standard set. Physically defensive Heatran just isn't as good and sacrificing utility moves for coverage tends to just give it better match-ups against other Heatran, a threat this team can already handle. The phasing combined with its typing is a boon to the team, as it gives me a response to setup sweepers and predicted switches. This is made even more effective at gaining momentum with the hazard support from Stealth Rock as well as Ferrothorn's Spikes later in the game. Oh, and speaking of setup sweepers, Heatran has slain many a cocky Mega-Lucario who thought this molten badass didn't have the cajones to face him one-on-one and tried to set up on Heatran's switch. I have found that Luke does not appreciate a Lava Plume to the face.
Gordon (Tornadus-Therian) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
Nature: Calm
-Air Slash
-Heat Wave
-Knock Off
-U-Turn
The most non-standard team member, as well as the one most able to gain the team momentum. His typing gives the team fighting and bug resistance rolled into one convenient 'mon, letting Latias, Heatran, and Ferrothorn breath a little easier.
His STAB hits for super-effective on enemies of the aforementioned types, often prompting switches that he can then U-Turn away from into a teammate more suited to the new threat. With more bulk than Rotom combined with Regenerator and U-Turn, he's the ultimate special pivot. Stealth Rock weakness does hinder him, but he still comes away with 8% more HP. Another option he has is to Knock Off a switch-in's item and then use his amazing speed to U-Turn out. As you can imagine, this causes some pretty problematic disruption for the other team.
Mega-Ampharos is so jealous.
Pollyanna (Latias) Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Bold
-Calm Mind
-Psyshock
-Surf
-Roost
With fighting, water, and ground resistances, Latias plays exceptionally well with Heatran. The physical defense EVs mean Ferrothorn's in love with her, too. (It's not the resistances, it's just that they have something in common. <3)
Did I say Heatran? That reminds me: Latias walks all over offensive Heatran variants. One Calm Mind sees Latias become an imposing mixed wall, and two or three see her hitting like a truck. Psyshock and Surf give solid coverage, while Roost lets her negate any damage she takes during set up or defense. Late-game Calm Mind stacking is where Latias really shines, though. Once her counters and checks are eliminated and there isn't enough time for the opponent to Toxic stall, Latias just wrecks everything in sight. However, with proper prediction, she can sometimes get Calm Minds off in the early game and take out two or three prominent threats on the other team before going down.
Without a doubt, versatility is this set's best point. Physical defense EVs and naturally good special bulk let it defend against both ends of the offensive spectrum, while Calm Mind attacks let it do some damage of its own.
Charlie (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Relaxed
-Leech Seed
-Spikes
-Gyro Ball
-Protect
Either the first casualty or the last man standing, Ferrothorn comes in with a job to do. He's going to sap away health with Leech Seed and then get down layers of Spikes. His water resistance works wonders for Heatran and Gliscor, while Rotom appreciates the grass resistance.
Gyro Ball hits many sweepers amazingly hard. Protect lets him either continue Toxic stalling where Heatran or Gliscor left off, trap a choice user into an unfavorable move, or do some pseudo-stalling of his own with Leech Seed. Combined with the team's many forms of passive damage, Iron Barbs can often turn his KO into a one-for-one trade with a physical attacker.
With no means of recovery aside from Leftovers and Leech Seed, Ferrothorn can be whittled away and then switch into a strong attack later in the match to provide a free entrance for a teammate. It's not the first strategy to try for, but it certainly helps when in a pinch.
Jimmy (Gliscor) Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Impish
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Substitute
-Protect
People say stall players feed on your tears, and Pokemon like Gliscor are why. Great physical bulk with only two weaknesses completely compensated for by Ferrothorn -- and the compensation is mutual with Gliscor resisting fighting and taking neutral damage from fire -- make him a valuable element in my physically defensive core that can make up for any physical shortcoming from Latias.
Gliscor is the ultimate Toxic-stalling fiend, and if he can't poison it, odds are he can send an Earthquake its way. Uninvested, it's faster than most Rotom variants and can live through one Hydro Pump and poison Rotom in return, though this isn't always the optimal strategy. Gliscor also defeats Mega-Lucario more often than not, as physical variants fail to KO it and fall to one Earthquake. And while Adaptability Flash Cannons from special variants one-shot Gliscor, hitting them on their setups nips that problem in the bud.
Another great thing about Gliscor is that he can act as a last resort at nearly any point in the game. Toxic stalling in the early and mid game usually prompts switches, which Gliscor takes advantage of to set up a Substitute and then poison the enemy switch-in before switching out itself.
This set is completely walled by Skarmory, Gengar, and other Gliscor, but the team has enough ways to deal with those threats that it doesn't matter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for your time. I hope you liked the team! One flaw I already know is that it doesn't resist ghost or dark attacks, which means Latias has two weaknesses I can't reliably switch her out of. However, this hasn't been too much of an issue yet.
Let me know what you think!
Anyway, here it is. I should note that I use 0 IVs in attack wherever I can, as it makes the team more resistant to Foul Play. This is especially important for Latias, who takes more damage than anyone.
Happy rating!
Gred (Rotom-Wash) Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Calm
-Hydro Pump
-Volt Switch
-Will-o-Wisp
-Pain Split
A standard Rotom-Wash set. He resists Heatran's ground and water weaknesses, providing some free switches and opportunities to Volt Switch the switch-in to gain momentum in my favor. Vetting ice attacks aimed at Latias and Gliscor is one of his favorite hobbies.
The WoW hinders physical switch-ins, making them much easier for the rest of the team to wall. I decided to put the 4 spare EVs into SpA instead of Spe in order to ensure that he goes last against other Rotoms in the Volt Switch race, allowing me to come out on top. (I might also consider running a Sassy nature to avoid speed ties with opposing uninvested Rotoms, though, unless this means I won't outspeed something critical.) Pain Split gives it the advantage when facing other special walls, especially with its low base HP letting it steal a huge chunk of their health before Volt Switching out. (Eat your heart out, Blissey.)
Cory (Heatran) Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Calm
-Lava Plume
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic
-Roar
Heatran's great at getting out the sneaky pebbles, and can often serve as an alternative lead when the situation demands it. (Eat your heart out, Genesect.) The fire immunity and double ice and fairy resistances means it plays well with both Ferrothorn and Latias.
Again, this is a pretty standard set. Physically defensive Heatran just isn't as good and sacrificing utility moves for coverage tends to just give it better match-ups against other Heatran, a threat this team can already handle. The phasing combined with its typing is a boon to the team, as it gives me a response to setup sweepers and predicted switches. This is made even more effective at gaining momentum with the hazard support from Stealth Rock as well as Ferrothorn's Spikes later in the game. Oh, and speaking of setup sweepers, Heatran has slain many a cocky Mega-Lucario who thought this molten badass didn't have the cajones to face him one-on-one and tried to set up on Heatran's switch. I have found that Luke does not appreciate a Lava Plume to the face.
Gordon (Tornadus-Therian) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpD, 4 SpA
Nature: Calm
-Air Slash
-Heat Wave
-Knock Off
-U-Turn
The most non-standard team member, as well as the one most able to gain the team momentum. His typing gives the team fighting and bug resistance rolled into one convenient 'mon, letting Latias, Heatran, and Ferrothorn breath a little easier.
His STAB hits for super-effective on enemies of the aforementioned types, often prompting switches that he can then U-Turn away from into a teammate more suited to the new threat. With more bulk than Rotom combined with Regenerator and U-Turn, he's the ultimate special pivot. Stealth Rock weakness does hinder him, but he still comes away with 8% more HP. Another option he has is to Knock Off a switch-in's item and then use his amazing speed to U-Turn out. As you can imagine, this causes some pretty problematic disruption for the other team.
Mega-Ampharos is so jealous.
Pollyanna (Latias) Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Nature: Bold
-Calm Mind
-Psyshock
-Surf
-Roost
With fighting, water, and ground resistances, Latias plays exceptionally well with Heatran. The physical defense EVs mean Ferrothorn's in love with her, too. (It's not the resistances, it's just that they have something in common. <3)
Did I say Heatran? That reminds me: Latias walks all over offensive Heatran variants. One Calm Mind sees Latias become an imposing mixed wall, and two or three see her hitting like a truck. Psyshock and Surf give solid coverage, while Roost lets her negate any damage she takes during set up or defense. Late-game Calm Mind stacking is where Latias really shines, though. Once her counters and checks are eliminated and there isn't enough time for the opponent to Toxic stall, Latias just wrecks everything in sight. However, with proper prediction, she can sometimes get Calm Minds off in the early game and take out two or three prominent threats on the other team before going down.
Without a doubt, versatility is this set's best point. Physical defense EVs and naturally good special bulk let it defend against both ends of the offensive spectrum, while Calm Mind attacks let it do some damage of its own.
Charlie (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Relaxed
-Leech Seed
-Spikes
-Gyro Ball
-Protect
Either the first casualty or the last man standing, Ferrothorn comes in with a job to do. He's going to sap away health with Leech Seed and then get down layers of Spikes. His water resistance works wonders for Heatran and Gliscor, while Rotom appreciates the grass resistance.
Gyro Ball hits many sweepers amazingly hard. Protect lets him either continue Toxic stalling where Heatran or Gliscor left off, trap a choice user into an unfavorable move, or do some pseudo-stalling of his own with Leech Seed. Combined with the team's many forms of passive damage, Iron Barbs can often turn his KO into a one-for-one trade with a physical attacker.
With no means of recovery aside from Leftovers and Leech Seed, Ferrothorn can be whittled away and then switch into a strong attack later in the match to provide a free entrance for a teammate. It's not the first strategy to try for, but it certainly helps when in a pinch.
Jimmy (Gliscor) Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Nature: Impish
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Substitute
-Protect
People say stall players feed on your tears, and Pokemon like Gliscor are why. Great physical bulk with only two weaknesses completely compensated for by Ferrothorn -- and the compensation is mutual with Gliscor resisting fighting and taking neutral damage from fire -- make him a valuable element in my physically defensive core that can make up for any physical shortcoming from Latias.
Gliscor is the ultimate Toxic-stalling fiend, and if he can't poison it, odds are he can send an Earthquake its way. Uninvested, it's faster than most Rotom variants and can live through one Hydro Pump and poison Rotom in return, though this isn't always the optimal strategy. Gliscor also defeats Mega-Lucario more often than not, as physical variants fail to KO it and fall to one Earthquake. And while Adaptability Flash Cannons from special variants one-shot Gliscor, hitting them on their setups nips that problem in the bud.
Another great thing about Gliscor is that he can act as a last resort at nearly any point in the game. Toxic stalling in the early and mid game usually prompts switches, which Gliscor takes advantage of to set up a Substitute and then poison the enemy switch-in before switching out itself.
This set is completely walled by Skarmory, Gengar, and other Gliscor, but the team has enough ways to deal with those threats that it doesn't matter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for your time. I hope you liked the team! One flaw I already know is that it doesn't resist ghost or dark attacks, which means Latias has two weaknesses I can't reliably switch her out of. However, this hasn't been too much of an issue yet.
Let me know what you think!
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