ORAS RU Team Style Analysis

[Kableye]

approved by atomicllamas
co-ran with MainEvent and MrAldo

s/o to Schaff for the art!​

Hello there! Welcome to the RU Team Style Analysis thread! My name is Kableye, I have been an RU player since about early to mid XY and have always been very fascinated with the concept of teambuilding. It's always interesting to me to see how different people have their own style of building, which is why I opened this thread up to the public. Make sure if you have the time to read through the other posts in this thread to get the perspective of other RU players.

The RU metagame is one of the most difficult metagames to build in, since RU has about a vast collection of threats that have little to no counters whatsoever. The goal of this thread is to ease team building for new players by giving in-depth frameworks of each play style in RU. The frameworks will be broken down by the type of Pokemon seen on the play style, roles to fill and sample teams. Each framework should only be used as building blocks as there is no perfect way to build a team. The thread also features research weeks dedicated to a style, teambuilding competitions and soon will add specific sections on teams based around certain Pokemon.

I recommend before even trying to build a team in RU check out the links below to learn what is good in RU and what it does. Going into a meta game blind is never a good idea.

Offensive Role Compendium

Hazard Control

• Dedicated Suicide Leads
  
  
  
  
  
• Stealth Rock
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Spikes
  
  
  
  
• Removal
  
  
  
• Spin Blocker
  
  
  
  
  
  

Pokemon Options

• Special Wall Breaker
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Physical Wall Breaker
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mixed Wall Breaker
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Revenge Killer
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Special Sweeper
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Physical Sweeper
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Pivots
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Utility
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Defensive Role Compendium

Hazard Control
Stealth Rock

Spikes

Toxic Spikes

Removal

Spin Blocker

Pokemon Options
Special Sweepers

Physical Sweepers

Non-Setup Stall Breakers

Phazers

Haze or Clear Smog

Other

Clerics
Wish

Heal Bell and Aromatherapy

Status Absorbers

Useful Teambuilding Tools:​

• Viability Ranking
• Role Compendium
• Check Compendium
• Rarelyused SmogDex

 

[Kableye]

Getting into RU (or competitive pokemon in general)
There are a few thing's that are almost required in RU unless running a straight hyper offense team. Below is a check list of things each every team should make sure they have. This probably the most useful section to people who already get the basics of team building and wish to transfer from another tier. I am going to assume you already understand what every Pokemon does in this guide, and now are wondering how you can put them onto a team. For more on trivial information like movesets and typings check out the Smogon Dex!

Terminology
Cleric A Pokemon that supports defensive teams. It does this by using Heal Bell/Aromatherapy or Wish to keep the team healthy.
Pivot These Pokemon use their typing to switch-in on attacks and force the opposing Pokemon out. The user can then switch to a Pokemon through U-Turn, Baton Pass, Volt Swift or just hard switching to gain momentum in the match.
Stallbreakers More on this below, a Pokemon that is able to break through strategies on stall that keep the walls from losing to wallbreaker.
Sweepers A Pokemon that is able to take out multiple Pokemon, usually following a set up move or because the Pokemon is just naturally fast, such as Accelgor.Trappers Pokemon that are specifically tailored to capturing a certain Pokemon and removing it from the game. Trappers come in many forms such as Pokemon with Arena Trap or Pursuit users. They are very prevalent in RU because of the high percentage of Psychic types and Dugtrio.
Walls A Pokemon that is meant to take certain hits while defeating the Pokemon its put against purely because of its typing or bulk and not actual offensive presence.
Wallbreakers Support the main sweeper by breaking Pokemon that would otherwise prevent it from sweeping. They are extremely powerful but usually lack the abilty to sweep on their own.

Influential Pokemon
Someone
Virizion
Venusaur
Alomomola
Fletchinder
Sneasel
Fighters
Mega Glalie
Dugtrio
Slowking
Meloetta / Sigilyph

Stallbreaking Guide
A lot of players struggle with breaking stall. It takes a lot of patience and concentration, but as long as you play correctly and have a stallbreaking method you should be able to win the battle. Here's a list of some of the tier's available dedicated stallbreakers:

(SubCM)
On offense, all you really need is a set up sweeper or two with wallbreakers that weaken its checks. Keep in mind the most common Pokemon on stall is Alomomola and this Pokemon's huge Wishes makes keeping these checks low a challenge. Stall and balance use dedicated stallbreakers like SubCM Meloetta or Jellicent but note they still need to be able to break the opposing stall teams answer to these Pokemon. These Pokemon all of ways to avoid status.

 

[Kableye]

permission from checkmater75 to use a similar format from here

Bulky Offense

Hide

Win condition

-This is the most important part of the team. Proper teams, no matter the playstyle, have a plan to achieve victory. For offense, a good starting point could be a specific sweeper, one that is either already fast or has a method to boost its speed. I suggest checking out the Viability Ranking and watching tournament games (spl, rupl, ssnls, etc.) before choosing. Find a sweeper that has a positive match-up versus what is common at the moment and work from there.

-An example of a bulky offense win condition is:

Offensive Trick Room Diancie
Checks / Counters after setting up:

Breakers, Lures and Trappers

-A common issue people have when building teams is that they assume their opponents are morons and they are just going to sack their threats to your main sweeper. Rather than adding Pokemon because they can beat the counters to your win condition, choose Pokemon that share these counters. These are called breakers, they will be able to lure out and actually deal damage to the Pokemon your main win condition needs defeated.

-Less reliable than breakers, lures can be used to beat counters. A lure is a Pokemon that has changed its moveset to beat Pokemon that would usually counter it. These can be drastic changes, for instance running Hidden Power Flying on Rotom-C to lure Virizion. Toxic can also be used as a lure to hinder to walls with good recovery such as Alomomola; a very common and effective strategy.

A few lures that support OTR Diancie:

-Trappers are not required on every team but there are some Pokemon that really appreciate its support such as Medicham. As Shadow Tag is banned, there are three categories of trappers: Pursuit Trappers, Magneton and Dugtrio. Pursuit Trappers vary in what they can actually trap because of their different typings, but are great for fighting types that needs ghost and psychic types gone. Magneton can remove Mega Steelix and other Steel types that are critical to defensive cores. Dugtrio has a wider pool of things that can be trapped, but fails to OHKO a lot of things it would like to. It can trap Virizion, Drapion, Registeel, Hoopa and a few more. If your main win condition has a Pokemon that is weak to one of these trappers, definitely try to include it on the team.

Hazard Support

Fitting a rocker on defensive oriented builds takes some thought. Stealth Rock users for this kind of build are usually to pivots that can stick around through out the game. Use a Stealth Rock user that provides more than just Stealth Rocks, for instance Uxie provides a much needed check on offense for Medicham and a variety of support moves. Viable Stealth Rock users for bulky offense include:

Spikes aren't mandatory but pair well with bulky offense since it is so centered around switching. There are two types of Spike setters that can be used, offensive and defensive. Defensive Spikers fit bulky offense better because of the defensive synergy they provide. Offensive spikers can still be use, forgoing bulk for offensive pressure, but I would not recommend using more than 1 Pokemon that lacks defensive capabilities on these sort of teams.
Defensive Spikers:

Offensive Spikers:

Cover your bases
Good rule of thumb: don't use more than one frail Pokemon. Defensive synergy etc.

Hyper Offense

Balance

Semistall

Stall

 

[Kableye]

More In-depth Analysis:

Sticky Web (Hyper Offense Sub-Style)

Rain (Hyper Offense Sub-Style)

Sun (Hyper Offense Sub-Style)

 

[Natural Talent]

KingT Team Archive - Kableye said it would be a good idea

Semi - Stall

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Curse
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Scald

Amoonguss @ Assualt Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 244 SpA/ 16 Spe
Modest Nature
- Foul Play
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain

Braviary @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Substitute
- Brave Bird
- Bulk Up

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Def / 252 SpD
calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic

Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
- Protect

Overview

wanted to base this stall around Curse Gastrodon, and i saw it pared really well with Amoonguss so i threw it on the team. I then added Aromatisse since a cleric is needed with curse Gastro. I then saw i lost to cm sigiliyph or any sigilyph for that matter so i slapped on BU Braviary since it's really bulky and can BU aside heat wave sigilyph and win in some positions. i needed a normall resist ( exploud switch in) so i added steelix since it got roar for sub cm meloetta and stealth rocks. Lastly i needed Something to help beat exploud so i put on toxic alomomola to have a even bulkier wish to heal all my mons back to full or near full. I have @ win cons in Braviary and Gastrodon and a cleric as wel as an exploud switch in. But still Durant can do some damage.

Offense

Venomoth @ Black Sludge
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Bug Buzz

Sawk @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 204 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Scald

Camerupt-Mega @ Cameruptite
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 152 SpD / 104 Spe
Calm Nature
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Toxic

Meloetta @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Hyper Voice
- Grass Knot

Durant @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- Baton Pass
- X-Scissor

Overview

Probably one of the best Venomoth teams i have made, I have a Sawk to break down potential threats to Veomoth such ass steelix, Bronzong, Rhyperior, Registeel and then maybe some psychics that catch a strong knock off to the face. Camerupt is my rocker that can wear down core with toxic and stabs to hit steels rocks and what not. Jellicent is my fighting immunity and fire resist, and can hinder things with burning them and decreasing their damage output. I decided Durant as a scarfer because of it's great attack and speed and it's coverage hitting many good speed boosters

Balance

Venomoth @ Leftovers
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Quiver Dance
- Sleep Powder
- Bug Buzz

Emboar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Toxic

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Toxic
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake

Tyrantrum @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Outrage

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Defog

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 204 SpD / 52 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Scald

Overview

Venomoth is a super good mon right now. I decided to throw it on a more bulky team this time. Jellicent can cripple things and widdle down venomoths checks. Bronzong is my Earthquake switch in that gets rocks up. I have Flygon for hazard removal while it can still get momentum with u-turn. Emboar is my durant and virizion check and my scarfer. Tyrantrum is my early or late game sweeper. The core of bronzong + jellicent + flygon is hard to break but i have emboar in case of wandering scrafties.

Hail

Aurorus @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Calm Nature
- Blizzard
- Stealth Rock
- Freeze-Dry
- Thunder Wave

Rotom-Frost @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Blizzard
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Trick

Jynx @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Lovely Kiss
- Psyshock
- Blizzard

Braviary @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 208 SpD / 52 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Brave Bird
- Bulk Up
- Roost

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell
- Protect

Meloetta @ Assault Vest
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Return

Overview

Not really much to say about this team just a Hail core i made + 3 fillers. I chose Braviary to sort og check physical threats with bulk up and tank special hits. Aromatiss is my wish passer and cleric so nothing on the team falls too quickly. Last is Meloetta-P since it gets nice speed when it transforms and can outspeed scarfed emboar

Trick Room

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 2 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Trick Room
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Shadow Ball

Emboar @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Sucker Punch

Bronzong @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Wish

Rotom-Mow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Trick
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Thunderbolt

Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn

Overview

I wanted to build around OTR Cofagrigus. It pairs really well with Emboar since emboar resist knock and other dark type moves. I threw on Bronzong as I needed a rocker and another Trick Room setter. Mental Herb is to block taunt so i can get up Trick room on things like Qwilfish. Aromatisse is my fighthing resist and secondary Fletchinder Check since tbolt has a chance to ko when fletch is at full. rotom is for speed control since i lose to hone claws dureant and what not. Last is SD Rhyperior which is a monster under Trick Room.

My Turn. Offense is an amazing play style in this meta, Sorry in advance for the lack of writing, since everything has already been covered
Best part of this will probably be the free teams
Pokemon I enjoy Using on this PlayStyle:

-Roles you feel The style needs to fill: 1- Hazards/ (usually fast)2Physical Set Up sweepers or 2Special Set Up Sweepers or one of each/Special Wall breaker or Physical Wall breaker/Stall Beaker/ Scarfer or 2- Hazards/ 3 Wall Breakers/Scarfer/ Pivot
-Threats to the style:

(fast mons)

(Sticky Webs)

(scarfers)

(Strong Priority)

(Hone Claws)

(Quiver Dance)

(Shift Gear)

(SD)

(SD)

(DD)

(DD) (Set Up sweepers, either fast or gain speed)

Team Examples will be in my reserved post because that will be my archive for all my teams

Balance

-Pokemon I Enjoy Using on The Style:

-Roles you feel The style needs to fill: Hazards/ Stall Breaker/ Pivot/ Bulky wall/ Wall breaker/ Set up sweeper
-Roles you feel you should try to fit into the style: Hazard Removal. Durant Check

-Threats to the style:

(wtf switches into this)

(Specs or sub cm Destroy cores)

(sub Bulk Up)

(LO CM)

(Nasty Plot)

(Trapping things is fun)

Semi - Stall and Stall
"2 birds 1 stone u get geese when trees roll"
-Pokemon I Enjoy Using on The Style:

Stall
-Roles you feel The style needs to fill: Wish Passer/ Cleric/ Win Condition/ 3 fillers ( preferably a rocker, durant check,Exploud checks, hazard removal)

-Threats to the style:

(sub calm mind)

(magic guard)

(cm)

(banded can cause trouble with no resist)

(taunts everything)

Semi - Stall
-Roles you feel The style needs to fill: Wish Passer/ Cleric/ 2 Win Conditions/ Exploud check/ Filler (preferably either rocker, durant check)
-Threats to the style:

(wall breaking sets)

(sub bulk up)

The difference between Semi - stall and full stall is that semi stall is a bit more offensive, for me i tend to use 2 win cons, a wish passer, cleric, rocker, and something to remove hazards. I don't use one mon for cleric and one mon for wish and such bc i want to have more placement for other mons , but at the same time i don't want to have my mons doing to many jobs and get over loaded. Semi stall has a really hard time with mons such as durant and exploud because they lack even more proper switch ins. The only thing i can think of that switches into durant is quagsire and that's only banded sets, alomomola has to get lucky and burn it to beat it. exploud is just stupid and the only way to beat it is to toxic stall it. Sigilyph is also hell for stall since you can't toxic stall it. best way i deal with it is t- waving itand then trying to ko it with my win con.
Amoongus is really nice on stall. It checks a lot of threats suck as rotom - C Durant to an extent with hp fire and is just a nice pivot in all seriousness. Alomomola is known as the backbone on stall but it isn't always needed, I run it sometimes but not always since arommatisse can still do a nice job as well as Audino.

Hail
Not Explored a great deal since abomasnow left.

-Pokemon I Enjoy Using on The Style:

(main mon) | (fillers)

-Roles you feel each style needs to fill: Hail Setter / At least 2 Abusers / Scarfer / Filler(s)
-Threats to the style:

(Scarf) (rain)

Trick Room

Pokemon you enjoy using on the style:

-Roles you feel each style needs to fill: 2 Trick Room Setters / 2 Wall Breakers / Scarfer Or Speed Control (something fast) / Filler (either a rocker, hazard control, or another wall breaker)
-Threats to the style:

(Taunt mons)

 

[migzoo]

As a suggestion, I think it would be insightful to have replays for each style matchup, to see how teams of a given style play differently when matched up against different styles. e.g. replays of balanced vs. stall, HO vs. Bulky Offense, etc.
with analysis for each replay, of course

 

[Kableye]

As a suggestion, I think it would be insightful to have replays for each style matchup, to see how teams of a given style play differently when matched up against different styles. e.g. replays of balanced vs. stall, HO vs. Bulky Offense, etc.
with analysis for each replay, of course

Talked this over with MrAldo and gorex and we all agree this should be added, kind of amazed we didn't think of this sooner. Added to OP, thanks for the input!

 

[MrAldo]

Ok, guess gotta help this get going and stuff.

I feel like the general idea of balance is to have a good defensive backbone while another part of the team provides enough offensive presence. The problem is that sometimes this mixture tries to do too much with only 6 slots since it wants to go with a mix of offensive so certain roles are absolutely vital to withstand a chance against the metagame. Lets go with the questions

- Pokemon you enjoy using on the style:

I feel balance is the playstyle where you can actually try a lot of stuff while still having decent success in most cases. Actually there is a long list of mons I like using so I will least some I really like to use and some mons that are pretty effective:

- Roles you feel each style needs to fill:

- Physically bulky mon, specially bulky mon (both being able to pivot through stuff), stallbreaker, balance breaker or wallbreaker, mon that fairs well against offense that could be a scarfer or strong priority, a mon to cover potential weaknesses or that could provide needed utility like defog or pursuit trapper depending on what the team needs (can be a hard spot to fill I have to admit, at least for me). Role compression is pretty important so the balance breaker, stallbreaker and scarfer should be pretty efficient. Being able to hit a lot of mons and fare pretty well against a playstyle on its own.

- Threats to the style:

Pretty big threats to the style in question. Gallade with swords dance and its pretty perfect neutral coverage can put a dent to any balanced team, same as calm mind or specs delphox with its powerful coverage and great speed tier. Sigilyph having magic guard and easily set up against many of the defensive mons a balanced team have. All out attacker meloetta (LO or specs) and taunt + 3 attacks samurott can be a real pain to switch into, especially with hazards. Hitmonlee being the traditional wallbreaker that hits really hard. Mega camel with sheer force can be extremely difficult to switch into given a free switch. Gurdurr and scrafty setting up against common defensive mons, etc. Malamar can be really difficult to deal with and get out of control pretty easily thanks to rest talk, something that many people leave enough but thankfully isnt common. Nasty plot houndoom, swords dance or calm mind virizion. Exploud... switch-ins pls

Dont think I should go much in deep about this but may as well mention the problematic sets against balanced teams (pretty sure I forgot someone, some mon that looks like a pineapple...)

- Example teams you've built

Coming soon! Dont feel comfortable enough posting a team without even testing it tbh

- Replays using the style vs. other styles expressing how they interact

Coming soon, along with the team! Will work on this during the week hopefully

Hopefully this could attract some well experienced players and share your opinions about balance in RU nowadays. It just doesnt have to answer the questions in the OP, even if it is preferred to answer at least some of them.

Just share your opinion and what you think!

 

[Lord Death Man]

Kableye asked me to post even though MrAldo's post is way better than anything I could do, so I'm really just going to answer thing where my opinion differs.

- Pokemon you enjoy using on the style:
Anything with moveslot compression or a great mix of offense/defense/utility - mons like Drapion, Emboar, Rotom-C, Tangrowth, and Jellicent are all stand outs. Gurdurr, Sigilyph, Xatu, Meloetta, Virizion, Ludicolo, Rhyperior, Spiritomb are also mons I personally like a whole lot on this style of play. I'm a huge fan of lures, especially because a well played lure lets the playstyle beat something that it might otherwise struggle with. In different metas, I'd add Qwilfish, Lanturn and Druddigon, but I don't currently feel they offer quite what I'm looking for in this environment to be both fun and effective.

I'd add Mesprit, Piloswine and Durant to the list as well even if I haven't touched them in a while - they're cool guys who can offer just enough in the right scenario.

- Roles you feel each style needs to fill:
SR setter, hazard remover. I'm not a big fan of the physical defense + special defense core and often prefer to use two mixed defensive mons as my defensive "backbone", especially in the current phyically inclined meta. I usually reverse engineer teams by looking at threats to a playstyle and building from there, but with balance that can be difficult to do, so lately I've been dropping the typical Scarf/Wallbreaker/Sweeper/Phys Wall/Special Wall/Pivot type builds for teams that rely on dual stallbreakers, which in optimal situations act as a mix between a sweeper, wallbreaker and wall and in bad matchups do nothing. There's so many roles that needed filled but balance can function by forgoing one role to stack on another, though too far and it ends up stall/offense.

- Threats to the style:
Everything, honestly - very few mons can get by on only being good against offense/stall, and it just so happens balance gets caught in the middle. Strong wallbreakers, fast sweepers, fast all out attackers, trappers, hazards, all of these are especially bad for balance. In terms of mons, the big one I think MrAldo forgot is Durant - what comes in on this monster? What if it's a different set than you expect (top two items for it in 1760 are Scarf and Life Orb).

I'd definitely give a strong shout out to sun and rain for having mons - Victrebel and Ludicolo - who have a great match up against a lot of balance teams on their own.


Other stuff is coming soon (I don't have any non-hax replays and I don't want to post a team without a good replay)

 

[P is For Penguin]

Alrighty here is my turn, and even though most of what i will be saying has probably already been covered feel free to give it a read.

~Pokemon I Enjoy Using on This Style
Balance is probably the playstyle that can use/take advantage of the most mons. There is a wide variety of things you can use and be successful. The pool i have listed below is some of my favorite mons but there is many more i have used.

~Threatlist
The biggest threats to balance imo are going to be boosting sweepers, if you are not careful and allow them to set up the game could already be over. Other threats include powerful scarfers which if used correctly can just run through a balance team. And lastly just straight up wallbreakers can run over your team if not handled correctly.

just listed a few, however would like to point out that 1 pretty big one and one semi important one were missed in the above 2. Tyrantrum is pretty important threat to balance scarf/band just demolishes balance even the dd set can be a problem. Alongside that scarf/band Braviary will do massive damage especially if it switches into a defog.

~Roles
When building balance it is extremely important to layer your roles. If you can have 1 mon filling multiple roles it will just make your building process easier. Balance likes hazards, 1 if your mons should be able to provide stealth rock support, it helps to break sashes and apply chip damage upon switches. Balance needs some bulk, 2 of your mons should be fairly bulky(1 being physically bulky and 1 being specially bulky). Balance doesn't like walls, 1 mon should be a wall breaker which will allow your team to get pass any wall or multiple walls your opponent may bring. Balance likes some speed, you should bring 1 revenge killer something that is either (A) Extremely fast or (B) Has reliable priority or (C) Even better has both, this is where you can fit a scarf mon if needed. Balance likes support, at least 1 or your mons should be a supporting role. This can be in the form of wish passing, status spreading, defog, status cleansing, taunting + encore, or even trapping. Now if you can layer/compress these listed roles into less than 6 mons when building that gives you more freedom, giving you the ability to add more support if needed or add a mon to cover any outstanding weakness your team might have.
*For balance i would highly recommend having defog/cleric in your supporting role.

~Example Teams

Triple Turn ft. Exploud + Scarf Lee

Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Boomburst
- Surf
- Flamethrower
- Sleep Talk

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 120 HP / 136 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Scald
- Toxic
- Protect

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Defog

Uxie @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn

Hitmonlee @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Close Combat

Magneton @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Credit DKFirelord

Virizion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge

Exploud @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Surf
- Focus Blast
- Work Up

Meloetta @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 32 SpA / 104 Spe
Modest Nature
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Substitute

Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 220 SpD
Careful Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic Spikes
- Pain Split

Togetic @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Dazzling Gleam
- Roost
- Defog

~Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-254123389
This is a fairly decent replay other than him missing draco on turn one, sorry about that. This is a pretty good example of balance vs what looks to be a form of bulky offense as you can see exploud rips through the slower bulkier team and mola does a good job at the end being able to wall the opposing tyrantrum and then magneton cleans it up enjoy.

DKFirelord's Replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-254592948
Replay provided by DKFirelord illustrating how his team works

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-254598476
Here is an example of DK's team vs Stall

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-254601946
And here is an example of DK's Team Vs Offense

Newer players i hope this helps, experienced players feel free to share you opinions ^.^

 

[Double01]

Many offensive teams I see nowadays seem like they just throw a bunch pokemon together with good defensive synergy (FWG core, etc), but really don't have a plan to execute to actually kill their opponent. The team might end up being just fine but when teams lack true offensive synergy they will struggle vs stall or more defensive cores (which is why stall is free wins vs many "noobs" and good for climbing ladder). Today I will show you how I build offense that does good vs all matchups because it has an actual plan I'm trying to achieve opposed to hoping one of my 3 set up sweepers break through. Having a systematic way of team building is ideal because it gets you to as close of a final product as possible. Sure you may make a stellar team without any good team building but it will take many tests and retests to come to that team. However using this guide should shorten that process tremendously.

How to build offense (feat. Double01):​

I honestly have no clue if this is considered bulky offense or w.e so you can decide that for yourself. I will be showing you my thought process on how I built this particular offensive team recently.

The basic structure of offense:

Many are familiar with Limitless' structure to offense which is roughly: Hazard Lead / Breaker 1 / Breaker 2 / Pivot / Sweeper / Speed. This is a great framework for beginner builders and I suggest reading his framework guide here. But for more experienced builders this process comes naturally and you aren't forced to follow such a rigid framework. Here is a step by step process of how I build my offensive teams.

Step 1 (The Sweeper):
The first step I look for when building offense is finding a good sweeper, preferably one that is a setup sweeper. This will be your main win condition that you will be trying to achieve. A good set up sweeper has a finite number of checks and counters that will stop it from sweeping but once those checks and counters are gone it should be able to sweep. Personally I prefer sweepers that have a speed boosting move so it is not easily revenge killed by scarfers such as Tyrantrum or Durant. However bulky sweepers that are good vs the scarfers can also work (For example, SubCM Uxie was a great set up sweeper back in BW RU). This sweeper is imperative to your team and will help mold the rest of your team.

Set up sweepers include (but are not limited to):
RP

| SubSalac

|

|SubBU

|

|

|

|SS

|

|SubNP

Obviously there are many more sweepers out there, but notice that most of these sweepers can either outspeed opposing scarfers that try to revenge kill it or be behind a sub so it can't be revenge killed. This is pivotal in finding a good set up sweeper. Obviously different setup sweepers will be better in different metas and it's up for you to decide which are the best and want to build around.
For the purposes of this guide I will be building around my good friend

. Klinklang outspeeds all scarfers at +2 (bar jolly durant) and most importantly can set up on one of the scariest mons in the tier Scarf Tyrantrum.


Step 2 (The lures/breakers):
In order for your set up sweeper to actually sweep you will need a way to handle and beat its checks and counters. Luckily for you, you have five other teammates to help accomplish that goal. For this step you must first locate all the checks and counters of your sweeper.
For the case of klinklang his checks and counters include:

Obviously I'm missing a few but you get the general idea of what beats Klinklang.
You're gonna want to prioritize the hard counters (M-steelix, Camerupt, Quagsire, Gurdurr) over the checks (Emboar, Tangrowth, Escavalier). Now comes the hard part of finding a mon that either breaks or lures Klinklang hard checks. And generally you are gonna want to have 2-3 of these mons that focuses specifically on luring these counters. However all 5 of your teammates can still contribute even if there not exactly the role of a lure/breaker.
For my team I decided to add CB

as it lures perfectly M-Steelix and M-Camerupt, 2 of klinklangs biggest counters. Granbull is also a great addition because it adds a solid switchin to things like Gurdurr and Hitmonlee which Klinklang doesn't enjoy either. It also is not a bad lure for Escavalier either with Fire Punch.

Now while granbull can switch into gurdurr, it doesn't exactly lure gurdurr because Gurdurr will simply switch out. So for the next mon I decided to add 4 attack LO

. Gurdurr is a pretty common switch into durant, but Durant is also adding even more pressure to Camerupt and M-steelix. This is the main point of offense. Overwhelming your opponents counters until they finally break. Lastly, durant adds some much needed speed to the team as well as luring klinklang's checks such as eelektross, emboar, and escavalier. It also does quite a bit of damage to Quagsire.

For my last breaker I still thought my team was too weak to stall. As you build your team you have to evaluate if your team is weaker more towards stall or offense. Because Klinklang is so strong vs offense, as well as durant, it isn't exactly the strongest vs stall. With that all said I decided to add Special LO

. Flygon fulfills many important roles. It acts as a strong wall breaker for things like Quagsire and Tangrowth. It also provides a much needed fire and ground resist to the team so you can handle bulky mons such as rhyperior. While your primary focus should be on offensive synergy, one can't completely forego defensive synergy. The last role is that it lures in fairy types and provides momentum through u-turn. This is probably the most important role because your team may have the best lures in the world, but it does no good if your setup sweeper can't actually setup on anything. U-turn provides perfect setup opportunities against Alomomola and fairy types. This ability to find setup opportunities for your sweeper will take time, practice, and a good understanding of the metagame.

Step 3 (The glue and hazard support):
The third and final step is one of the more easier steps but can still easily be messed up. You have to look at what offensive or defensive mons look "annoying" and at a defensive backbone to handle these threats. You have to see what types you don't have covered but still find a mon that can help break down your sweepers checks and counters. A look at my team and I was lacking a water type resist and only had one fire type resist so I decided to go with defensive

. I wanted a mon that could handle Clawitzers, M-Camel, and Emboar. I also have an extreme bias against Tyrantrum and figured you can never have too many checks to that. Gastrodon also provides synergy because it can toxic many klinklang checks like Eelektross and Tangrowth making it easier for klinklang to break through. This is probably the mon that will need the most testing at is the easiest to replace.

Now that I'm 5 mon's in I am just looking for an ideal hazard user that still puts pressure on my sweepers checks and counters. I was still quite scared of LO Tangrowth, so I decided to put in Mix LO SR

. This added a much needed SR user as well as pressuring M-steelix and Tangrowth. It provided important priority with Sucker Punch and is overall a good fit for the team.
An important note is that if you have hazards on your glue mon and feel like your team is too slow vs offense, a scarfer is a great final mon. I felt I was strong enough vs offense that I didn't need a scarfer but every team is different.

Conclusion:
So now that I went through my teambuilding process of building offense I hope you learned something from it. Due not that just because you read this guide, you won't magically become a god teambuilder. It takes time and practice and a very good understanding of the metagame. You will likely fail dozens of times before you come up with good team if you are new to teambuilding. It is a struggle at first but soon it will become second nature.

Here is the final team I built a few days ago following this process:

Hide

Klinklang @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 136 HP / 252 Atk / 120 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind
- Wild Charge

Durant @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thunder Fang
- Superpower
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor

Granbull @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
- Close Combat

Flygon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- U-turn

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Recover

Druddigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 136 HP / 252 Atk / 100 SpA / 20 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Flamethrower
- Outrage
- Sucker Punch

It may not be perfect, but no team ever is without practicing and refining. The whole point of the guide is to get to as close to the final product as possible and hopefully it helps a few of you out there.

A few replays of this team in action:

Hide

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ru-78172
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-ru-78359

Edit: It is also important to note that if one of the counters to your setup sweeper has recovery that you should focus on those first. Also didnt realize this week was for Balance only haha.

Llamas edit: newb

Spirit edit: LOL

 

[gorex]

So I was supposed to do this a long while ago, but whatever. So I am here to post my personal thoughts on balance

Pokemon I enjoy using on the style

As probably made clear here, I am a more offensive player that tends to fall back on 1-2 defensive pivots because I honestly prefer faster games and I don't really like having to play too much into defensive mons. I tend to prefer those with a good speed tier but most of it that you see that are slow I like because they are bulky set up sweepers or they just wall break easily because of a huge attack/special attack set which enable them to hit hard with STAB(s).

Roles I feel need to be filled on all balance
rocker/cleric/bulky set-up sweeper/specially defensive pivot/offensive set-up sweeper/momentum grabber/(toxic)spikes mon/wallbreaker/hard hitting mon

I tend to follow this style to get my 6 mons for any balance teams that I build looking at my teams. I strongly believe in always having at least one bulky set-up sweeper since it can double up as a pivot into strong hits and force in switches to prevent a sweep and I often stack hazards to take advantage of that. I prefer having 1-2 fighting checks/counters defensively instead of having an offensive one as I think that strong fighting types (example: Sawk, Gurdurr after set up) can really tear up balance single-handedly just forcing a weak resist into a first hit and pressure it to prevent it from being able to nurse back its health from a cleric throwing up a Wish etc.

Threats

This are pretty much all the mons that I have noted to be able to tear up balance singlehandedly, whether it be a strong attack/special attack stats with great STABs, or a good bulky/offensive set-up sweeper that threatens to break down walls methodically and then just tears through a team

How does MainEvent effortlessly miss out some of these mons? sigh

Sample Teams

Importable

Meloetta @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 24 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute

Drapion @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Toxic Spikes
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab

Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Psychic

Aromatisse @ Leftovers
Ability: Aroma Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Aromatherapy
- Moonblast

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Atk / 36 Def / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off

Kabutops @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge

Explanation

Started out with SubCM Meloetta, and followed up with SD Toxic Spikes Drapion, to provide more offensive utility and Poison Jab over a potential Earthquake in the last slot is due to Cobalion leaving the tier and there only being Mega Steelix left to hit, which doesn't even get 2HKO'ed by +2, and it also helps beat Fairies for Gurdurr to be able to function as a late game win-condition. Followed with Uxie + Aroma defensive core to pretty much handle all the fighting types in this tier as the team was looking weak to almost every common fighting type. Went with Bulk Up Gurdurr next because it helped Meloetta and Drapion break down Steel-types. Lastly, Kabutops to function as a potential late game sweeper with Swords Dance and also having priority, all in one mon, which is pretty much what I wanted when I added Kabutops

Replays: http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru-246791256

Really the only one I could find, showcases how great of a bulky set-up sweeper Meloetta can be on balance. Gurdurr had the potential to sweep that game too, but I never expected Gastrodon to have Clear Smog, because you don't really see Clear Smog on Gastrodon and it kind of caught me off guard, staying in there was also a bad play and I kinda choked Gurdurr away. Gurdurr is really a great mon against balance/stall(kinda) as you would see if you use this team.

I have some more balance teams that I will post about here when I have tested and certified them to be good for this metagame, even after this week is over, so don't worry that there are a lack of teams for balance. I know this is already in the "OP" but I wanted to give a bit of explanations as to the choices on the team and also include a replay to show how the team can function as a whole.

Thanks for reading this and I hope it helped you in any way

 

[Kableye]

So sorry I haven't made a post on this myself, was going to this weekend but I was unexpected dragged to the beach for the weekend so never got around it it. I'm not sure there's much I could have contributed though with how much has already been said. There's debate that has been going on though is if to change Bulky Offense to just Offense. For now, we're skipping that section in general (sorry D01 I knew you were excited ;_;). I've updated the OP for hyper offense as well as added some more information. I know a lot of people either weren't done with replays so I never actually added a section in the OP. Just because we've moved on from balanced doesn't mean we're done with it, if you have anything else you feel should have been added or a new sample team feel free to post it or pm (actually I'd love a few more sample teams if you have one you particularly like). Otherwise moving on to Hyper Offense! Feel free to post your thoughts on HO and on Offense vs Bulky Offense.

 

[Lord Death Man]

Hyper Offense is the best playstyle.

-Pokemon you enjoy using on the style

I'm a big fan of beating other offensive teams, so I really prioritize weird sets - OTR Aromatisse/Cofagrigus/Jellicent, and stand alone RD Ludicolo being big stand outs. I also love Healing Wish on all playstyles, but it really shines in HO because it essentially lets you use your sweeper/wallbreaker with the best match up twice.

-Roles you feel each style needs to fill
Hazard lead, priority, most common priority resist, etc. Hazard Lead + Scarf + Wallbreaker + Wallbreaker + Sweeper + Sweeper is usually a good way to build this. Don't let yourself get bullied by hazard removers or particularly fat mons - bring something that capitalizes on the best ones in the tier.

-Threats to the style
Good hazard removal, an anti-lead, priority, weather (Rain/Sun teams AND Sand/Stand Alone Hippo are all rough), trick room, and Xatu are all big ones. Particular defensive cores (depending on match up, of course) can really stall out even a well-built offensive team. Balance or stall-oriented hazard stack can also be rough. Bulky Offense can be a problem if they can OHKO but you can't.

-Example teams you've built
Pretty basic HO team, a little on the slow side though. I opted for Megalix over Glalie for team support, but the Accelgor/Qwilfish + Rocks Mon core is easy to adjust and obvious. Examples include Qwil + Mesprit, Accelgor + Druddigon, etc.

Hide

Accelgor @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- U-turn
- Final Gambit
- Encore

Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 144 SpD / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar

Spiritomb @ Black Glasses
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Taunt

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam

Meloetta @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 32 SpA / 104 Spe
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball

Hitmonlee @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Sucker Punch

-Replays using the style vs. other styles expressing how they interact
Versus semi-stall I think
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-253301236
Great match up from the start - if I had any other mon but Ludicolo this could have very easily gone incredibly different. (team was also a little weak to SubCM Meloetta with a sub up but I didn't have a whole lot of chances for that)

Versus Bulky Offense/Balance? I think
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-253359679
Hazards + Glalie really do me in here; notable, I think, because it shows the real importance of having a fast offensive mon, something I disregarded to bring Spiritomb and/or Steelix, which bites me in the end, and also how some offensive mons just don't match up well against other playstyles. Team pick is huge in HO and you need to know what you can and can't beat.

Offense vs Bulky Offense
The difference is Alomomola. :)

 

[Kableye]

So basically the goal of hyper offense is to just beat down with offensive pressure without caring for defensive synergy, which is what makes it differ so much from offense. Games with hyper offense usually go really quick, as it either destroys the opponent or gets destroyed.
Pokemon I enjoy using on the style

Hyper offense isn't as open as balanced, there's quite a few things like Registeel that don't have a much of a role on offense. These are pretty much Pokemon I've used on random hyper offense teams I've built in 10 seconds and enjoyed (granted a lot of those teams were ever used again lol). Durant+Meloetta is a big one, I really like those two and think they work great together. I left a few things out mostly because I never used them and I figured other people would post them.
-Roles you feel each style needs to fill
There's limitless's old Hazard setter/ breaker / breaker / pivot / sweeper / fast mon which is pretty decent. D01 did a great job in his post on expanding on this and I'm honestly not sure I can match his post. Offense should definitely focus on breaking threats for its main sweeper by using Pokemon that weaken threats for the main sweeper.
-Threats to the style
The biggest threat to hyper offense in my opinion is match up. Trick room is also hella annoying though not as common. As for particular Pokemon, here's a list:
fast pokemon:

scarfers:

priority:

speed boosting sweepers:

**I understand the lack of viability of some of these, but because of their speed or boosting moves are still a threat to hyper offense
-Example teams you've built
making a dank team for this
-Replays using the style vs. other styles expressing how they interact
soon

 

[complete legitimacy]

what the fuck llamas my post was great

 

[P is For Penguin]

fast pokemon:

Based Ambipom

 

[P is For Penguin]

Ayy im ready to go again :3

Even tho i dont find myself being the best HO player. Its really not all that hard and i feel even newer players to the tier can pickup this play style fairly quickly and do quite well, most of the time. But blah blah blah, you guys came here for style analysis' and sample teams so here i go.

~Pokemon I Enjoy Using on The Style

So compared to balance, HO has a smaller pool of mons that can be used and actually be successful, you really don't want any momentum killers. When playing HO if you have the momentum you can probably pretty easily handle the opposing team. Moves to gain and help keep momentum include u-turn, volt switch, memento, healing wish, and baton pass.

~Roles
Hazards/Sweeper 1/Sweeper 2/Breaker 1/Breaker 2/Utility(can be pivot)

So yea this is just a rough framework, DO1 has an in depth version of this and linked a framework guide for newer players. So feel free to refer to his post.

~Threats
Speed Boosters:

(kable is a noob)

(its here)

(ayy tailwind)
Scarfers:

Priority:

Hazard Control:

Also TR is a pretty good counter to most HO teams because they tend to lack good answers to it.

~Example Teams

Return to Webs

Leavanny @ Focus Sash
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sticky Web
- Knock Off
- Leaf Blade
- Fell Stinger

Tyrantrum @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Head Smash
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake

Seismitoad @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SpA / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb

Virizion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Braviary (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Return
- Superpower
- U-turn

Hitmonlee (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin

Hazards + HW Support

Qwilfish @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Scald
- Thunder Wave

Mesprit @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dazzling Gleam
- Ice Beam
- Healing Wish

Emboar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Superpower
- Sleep Talk

Durant @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- Superpower
- X-Scissor

Meloetta @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Dazzling Gleam

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
- Rain Dance

~Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-255987604
Here is one vs slurmz~ HO team that he built for the teambuilding comp.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-256113414
The second HO team i decided to drop, as you can see how i have the momentum the entire game and it just makes the game extremely hard for my opponent to play against and he just ends up forfeiting.(HO vs Balance)

 

[MrAldo]

DONT EVEN THINK FOR A MOMENT I FORGOT ABOUT THIS

Im not quite the HO player myself, I rarely play it but I can get the hang of it thanks to being a fairly easy playstyle to pick up. A pretty straightforward goal with can be approached in many different situations. I like the style cause you can be pretty creative with it and have great results with a proper approach of the concept. Double01 actually made a pretty complete guide on how to build and work with offense. Let get to the questions

- Pokemon I Enjoy Using on The Style

, ---->niche stuff

There are a couple more but in general this is the pool of mons that I feel are pretty effective for the style (and many of them that I really like to use). Kind of small if you compare to the likes of balance but overall there are plenty of room for creativity in picking mons to be honest. Some mon just simply dont fit the style though, isnt like you can pick random passive mons and slap them on a HO team, keeping the momentum is pretty important either through pivoting or aggressive switches. Gotta keep the mind on the game.

- Roles to cover

Hazards Setter or screen setter depending from the take on offense / booster / booster / wallbreaker or balance breaker / wallbreaker or balance breaker, pivot (defensive or offensive)

This is a pretty basic framework on how offense and hyper offense work, Double01 guide emphasize a lot more in the teambuilding process so thats certainly to look out for.

- Threats to the style

Hyper offense is inherently weak to a lot of stuff. Anything that boost its speed and hit hard on the get go is an inmediate threat given many HO mons rely on their naturally high speed to deal with the opposition. Threats like this include vivillon and venomoth with quiver dance (sub variants are nightmare-ish to face), rock polish mons like aurorus and torterra albeit uncommon and rhyperior, dragon dancers in tyrantrum and scrafty, klinklang with shift gear and shell smash users like omastar and barbaracle.

Powerful scarfers are also a problem for HO builds since it is the same problem as mons that can boost its speed by the means of a move but the prediction comes into play so you be extra careful when facing a potent scarfer. Common scarfers like braviary, flygon, medicham, hitmonlee, durant, emboar and delphox can be extremely threatening given the chance.

Ah priority, HO hates this since many frail mons are part of the build so strong priority coming from common users like gurdurr, spiritomb, fletchinder, sneasel, hitmonlee and mega glalie is definitely something you need to be careful about.

Hazard removal isnt something that is extremely worrying but it is pretty annoying when your main mean of doing residual damage is blown away by defoggers like togetic and flygon and spinners like hitmonlee and hitmontop, good taunt and spinblockers are a way to get past this issue

The matchup against TR is absolutely saddening to the point you may get 6-0d or be forced to make some pretty insane predictions or stop the trick room setter from setting it (with a taunt user). It can be seen from team preview so be extremely aware of it when using HO.

HO build can afford to soft check (thats the idea) many of the threats to the style but you need to be certain of what you need and what to sack given the chance, this isnt balance where you can afford to run some defensive mons to blanket check a portion of the metagame

- Example Teams

/

Tailwind Hyper Offense

Fletchinder
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Tailwind
- Roost

Sneasel @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Ice Shard
- Knock Off
- Low Kick
- Icicle Crash

Hitmonlee @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Sucker Punch

Samurott @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Taunt
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump

Meloetta @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 32 SpA / 104 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Hyper Voice
- Dazzling Gleam

Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Atk / 208 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

OR

Tyrantrum @ Hard Stone
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Superpower
- Head Smash

The idea behind this team is pretty straightforward. It makes use of a fascinating form of speed control with tailwind while still working as a general HO team.

It follows the basic framework with fletchinder and meloetta being the boosters, hitmonlee and samurott being the wallbreakers, sneasel being a cleaner finishing off teams when the boosters and wallbreakers punch holes on opposing teams and mega steelix to provide invaluable utility to the team acting as a pivot, rock setter, flying resist, klinklang counter, venomoth check and electric check.

How it works? In the need of sacking fletch you can ditch a priority tailwind to help your wallbreakers outspeed everything relevant for a good couple of turns. Meloetta for something to get past bulkier teams which is a necessity otherwise no solid way to get past mons like mola. The rest is fairly standard besides fletch. Tyrantrum is another option I have been testing which does similar roles to mega steelix but cant deal with jolteon that well sadly, definitely an option though.

- Replays

With Tyrantrum:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-257097846

^ This replay gives an idea of how the team works

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-257105852

^ Fletchinder doing work

With Mega Steelix:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-257365342

^ Low quality but it showcases the team with mega steelix.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-257395421

^ How it deals against balance and how hitmonlee and samurott provides solid power to get past it.

Cheers!

 

[Kableye]

Time to change styles again, this week we're doing stall. I'll be updating the hyper offense post (and adding my own team(s) haha), it should be done by Tuesday or Wednesday, been kinda busy. You can still post for HO and Balanced if you didn't get a chance.

 

[tehy]

i'm with some bulkmons i got em all
i know some HO mons we could wall
i don't know what i would do without y'all
I'ma stall till the day i fall

Mons I Like To Use On Stall:

stall's appeal is to create a perfect team and win effortlessly. in practice it does usually take skill, but the hope is to minimize that as much as possible. while niggas call you cheap you laugh all the way to the bank. (sadly ladder rank no longer matters much so you're laughing pretty meaninglessly, but Oh Well)

Mons I like Using On Stall:

Currently testing out Scrafty as a Wincon, not a Huge fan of Registeel, Pelipper, Gastrodon, Xatu, Malamar (may try it over Scrafty too), Hitmontop, Uxie, Drapion, Escavalier, Druddigon, Qwilfish, Seismitoad (not sure if this should count as a stallmon at all personally), rhyperior, or Meloetta, but these are also stall mons i guess. Poliwrath and bulky boar count too ig, defensive rotom-s is marginally enjoyable. Regirock is a no no never.

Roles to cover:

SR Setter
Aromatherapist
Wish-passer (optional depending on build, recommended if something can't heal itself)
stops to various threats
STALLBREAKER ! ! !

Threats to the style:

these come in a few flavors:

Full-on stallbreakers like M-camel (restalk especially), various CM sigilyph, offensive tangrowth, even Spikes Rose. HC durant, CB boar, CB tyrantrum, Houndoom, and how could i forget the don Exploud.

Clerics. This is the most important; if you can't use an opponent's aromatisse against them, then balance will just end up defeating you-they can stalemate you indefinitely, and unlike you they have the ability to create offensive momentum. if you fully wall everything else you might be able to sneak out a victory, but don't count on it. Wish Alomomola is also a giant pain. Also, opposing stall can end up outstalling you.

the structure of stall: wall everything you can, and try to include as much stallbreaking / balance breaking as possible in a defensive way. make sure that it is impossible or at least very difficult to indefinitely stalemate you. do all of this, and i will acknowledge you as a lord because this is hard as shit haha.

 

[P is For Penguin]

Time to change styles again, this week we're doing stall. I'll be updating the hyper offense post (and adding my own team(s) haha), it should be done by Tuesday or Wednesday, been kinda busy. You can still post for HO and Balanced if you didn't get a chance.

You messaged me saying lets do a fun one this week, i come on and see stall lol...


Edit: Dat Alo gif doe :O A+++

 

[Lord Death Man]

You messaged me saying lets do a fun one this week, i come on and see stall lol...

stall is fun, it got me into srs mons. anyways.

-Threats to the style
Stallbreakers you don't have covered
Hax
Losing something just to have it be revealed to wall something it shouldn't
Hax
Innovation
Venomoth
Hax
The games are longer so hax happens more over time
Ice Beam Freezes
Full Paras
Crits

 

[Ping_Pong_Along]

Well, Tehy's a much better stall player than I am, but let's give this a shot!

The fun of stall for me is it's like a puzzle with a solution that is constantly shifting. Changes in the metagame effect stall more than most play styles.

- Pokemon you enjoy using on the style:

I tried to be pretty thorough with this list. As such, I broke this down into Pokemon that I've used and found to be effective (Gewd) and those that I've seen others use effectively, think might be good, or found effective in previous metagames (Cewd be Gewd).

Gewd:

Cewd be Gewd:

- Roles you feel each style needs to fill:

- I've got to admit, my teambuilding has largely been a bastardization of Tehy's style and a post that Hilarious wrote over a year ago about building stall, as well as my own trial and error. As such, here are the things that I require in a team:

Wish Passer (I find that there are too many defensive mons that lack recovery in the tier)
Cleric
Defogger / Rapid Spinner
Stealth Rock setter
Secondary hazard setter
Phazer

In addition, I quite like having a Taunt user, a grounded Poison type to absorb Toxic Spikes, and a Spinblocker, though neither of these are essential.

Along with the roles listed above, the team needs to be prepared for pretty much anything.

- Threats to the style:

That's a lot of threats! That's the point of stall though is to find a way to be prepared for basically all of these. Wallbreakers and setup sweepers all give stall a hard time. Stall does its best when it can keep everything alive and healthy. When a wallbreaker punches a whole in the team, it narrows your team's defensive coverage, which is very bad. The ones I've found to be the scariest are Exploud, Band Tyrantrum, and Specs Meloetta. Wallbreakers suck, but setup sweepers are often scarier since they will straight up win the match if given an opportunity. Running more passive mons gives them quite a lot of opportunity as well. Every setup sweeper is scary, with Hone Claws Durant, Quiver Dance Venomoth, and Dragon Dance Scrafty being particularly harsh.

A big part of stall is gradually wearing down the opponent with entry hazards, status, and chip damage. With that in mind, Sigilyph can be a huge threat to stall. Luckily, it has a relatively low defense stat, so it can often be busted through.

- Example teams you've built

Bark 2: Electric Boogaloo

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 136 HP / 104 Def / 244 SpD / 24 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Wish
- Protect

Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Impish Nature
- Curse
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Rest

Cradily @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Recover
- Giga Drain
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock

Good Doggie! (Granbull) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 20 Atk / 240 Def
Impish Nature
- Play Rough
- Roar
- Earthquake
- Heal Bell

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Roost
- Dragon Tail

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic Spikes
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Pain Split

Team Building Process

Here's a team that I had success with before Venomoth dropped. Please note that it really doesn't have a solid way of dealing with Moth. I built this team around Granbull and Alomomola. Granbull is a really powerful, consistent answer to Scrafty, Fighting types in general, and physical setup sweepers. It pairs well with Mola for Wish + Heal Bell support. This core is pretty susceptible to powerful special attackers, so I added Cradily since it provides rock support, has access to recovery, and is one of the few things that does decently against Exploud (watch out for Focus Blast). Grass is a nice offensive type as well. Offensive fire types can be a real pain for stall and I needed a defogger, so I went with specially defensive Flygon as it can survive Houndoom and Delphox pretty well and KO with earthquake. Roost makes it very survivable. This team was looking better, but it did leave me susceptible to a lot of strong physical attackers (Granbull can only do so much). I found that Cofagrigus made for a good teammate with Granbull since many of the best attackers in the tier are dependent on their ability (Tyrantrum, Emboar, Durant, etc). From here, I really needed a phazer. I went with Mega Steelix because of its offensive presence and ability to deal with Durant, Fletchinder, and Mega Glalie. Despite being entirely defensive, Mega Steelix, Flygon, Granbull, and Cofagrigus all do pretty solid damage while also supporting the party. The team did well for the most part, but had trouble with Meloetta and other psychic types. I made it to the top 30 on the ladder at one point with either this or my previous iteration (which was largely the same except Roselia > Cradily). If I were to use this team now, I'd probably swap Mega Steelix out for specially defensive Drapion running Knock Off, Taunt, Whirlwind, and Poison Jab. This would open me up more to physical attackers, so it's a bit of a toss up.

I'm still fairly new to building stall, so if there's anything I missed out on or something you feel I completely messed up, please PM me or hit me up on PS or IRC. I'd hate to clog up this thread with that conversation unless it adds to people's general knowledge of building stall.

Edit: I updated this a bit. Nothing major. Just changed around some EV spreads and moves.

 

[Senpai D.M]

What is there not to love about stall rof, I'd like to just say building stall can be fun at times after trial and error of course because no team is "perfect" A lot of testing I feel is needed until you reach a final product, that's where you get to see what works and doesn't. Stall you have a bit of freedom to use mons that aren't seen as much and actually work, whereas in like ho you'd probably get laughed at. :[ I'm just going to share a bit on how I go about team building!

-Pokemon I enjoy using on this style

hazards

hazard control

taunt

clerics

wincons/set up sweepers
*note All pokemon listed can go into other roles, example Qwilfish under taunt

-Roles

Stealth rocks are the most important move of the game! And spikes, t spikes help as well.
Hazard control is important not to get worn down yourself Hitmontop is the only spinner I use if I'm not using a deofg user listed above.
Along with hazards you might want to avoid defog by using a taunt user or annoy other stall builds
Clerics play a big role in keeping the team alive long enough to stall, Also healing wish is neat for a wincon or important mon
When building stall I like to have a wincon to break down opposing stall. It's nice to end the game a bit quicker lol

-Threats

Watch out for heavy hitters and set up sweepers! Every pokemon in stall is important it feels like so if one goes down early it could cost you the match. So switch carefully to handle these threats and you'll be golden :]

-Sample Teams

Importable

Flygon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 116 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Defog

Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover

Audino @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 232 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpA / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Dazzling Gleam
- Heal Bell

Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Seismic Toss
- Rest

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Explanation

Ok first we have our hazard control and bulky Flygon that can toxic stall if needed. Malamar is the Wincon and can set up on alot of the tier when the time is right. Quagsire is our go to guy for set up sweepers trying to get cheeky. Audino is the cleric and knock off eater it also doesnt have to mega evolve right away. Registeel is the rocker and spDef wall that can break subs with seismic toss and t wave faster mons to help Malamar late game! Amoongus is the fairy killer and fighting/ grass spam blanket. It also spreads stun spore to help Malamar as well.

-Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-257883844
VS Sun offense weather can be p deadly to any playstyle luckily we have enough checks