Hello all! During the past 5 months I have regained my interest in competitive pokemon. I used to play a lot and was even around during the first suspect tests. I've never been particularly good but I haven't ever been totally overmatched. I've always built stall teams and have tried to deviate from the Obi and Jabba molds as much as possible. My goal was to create a new mold of stall on par with those legendary teams. However, stall is not easy to manage and I've had some problems.
The team below was built to handle the top threats in the metagame and, I will admit, does this job rather poorly. It doesn't handle much of anything but instead requires some serious guesswork to win. This is precisely the opposite of what I try to achieve: make a team that relies on its own characteristics instead of my prediction skills in order to win matches. Despite these shortcomings, my team has performed rather well on the bottom stages of the ladder. At the higher levels it has faltered (read: I've been owned) and I am forced to rely on the occasional critical hit or freeze to secure a victory. In my mind this is unacceptable. I would love to see the team do better and look forward to your advice. I realize there are many, many teams to rate (and recently many stall teams) and I hope you take the time to consider mine. Without further ado, my stall team (I hid the descriptions because people don't like blocks of text):
Briefly:
In depth:
Rhino (Nidoqueen)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Super Fang
- Taunt
Nurse (Blissey)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 240 HP/252 Def/16 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
Airplane (Skarmory)
Item: Shed Shell
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/176 Def/80 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
Squidward (Tentacruel)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Electric] / Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Toxic Spikes
+
Oven (Rotom-h)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-wisp
Quack (Cresselia)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Psycho Shift
- Reflect
- Moonlight
Here is a brief overview on how I take on the biggest threats around on both sides of the spectrum.
Offensive Threats
Defensive Threats
Well, that's my team. Gengar, Jirachi, Machamp, Rotom-a, and Suicune cause me much grief but I've been able to work around them for the most part. Oftentimes they take out a key member that causes another pokemon to sweep, which is a really bad thing to have happen. I've been pretty successful at irritating opponents and have been very good at inducing rash decisions (like Explosion after Blissey just took down 2 special attackers). I am currently looking for a new Skarmory EV spread to suite my needs a bit better ("handling" Machamp, sponging random physical attacks and taking on weak special attacks) and advice on Nidoqueen v. Gliscor. Though I love Nidoqueen to death and really appreciate the power of Super Fang, I always look at Gliscor and know that he counters Lucario better, gets instant recovery, and gets 3 of the same moves plus a few others that I would consider.
Thanks for getting this far! Please rate and suggest changes. And thanks for taking on my team over the plethora of other teams available to rate.
The team below was built to handle the top threats in the metagame and, I will admit, does this job rather poorly. It doesn't handle much of anything but instead requires some serious guesswork to win. This is precisely the opposite of what I try to achieve: make a team that relies on its own characteristics instead of my prediction skills in order to win matches. Despite these shortcomings, my team has performed rather well on the bottom stages of the ladder. At the higher levels it has faltered (read: I've been owned) and I am forced to rely on the occasional critical hit or freeze to secure a victory. In my mind this is unacceptable. I would love to see the team do better and look forward to your advice. I realize there are many, many teams to rate (and recently many stall teams) and I hope you take the time to consider mine. Without further ado, my stall team (I hid the descriptions because people don't like blocks of text):
Briefly:
In depth:
Rhino (Nidoqueen)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Super Fang
- Taunt
Nidoqueen is not a great lead. I'll be quite honest there. But she is the best suited pokemon for the job and so she got the spot. Nidoqueen's job is simple: do something annoying to my opponent's lead. Outside of the lead spot Nidoqueen has one purpose: stop Lucario. While a +2 Adamant Life Orb Ice Punch does have a chance to OHKO even without Stealth Rocks, Nidoqueen is the best option I have available. With only 25% of Lucario running Ice Punch and more than 50% running the Swords Dance / Extremespeed / Close Combat / Crunch set, I still fare pretty well against SD Luke. If enough people give me a good enough reason to use Gliscor instead I'll do that, but Nidoqueen has really been pulling her own weight recently with Super Fang. Max HP and Defense mean she can take a hit or two though, again, she doesn't function absolutely perfectly. Poison Point is underrated, especially on a stall team. I've had many pokemon crippled because they tried to take out my precious Nidoqueen with a physical attack.
Nidoqueen's attacks are pretty self-explanatory. Earthquake provides a necessary STAB attack and threatens a decent number of special attackers trying to switch in. Stealth Rock is a mandatory move on any stall team and almost every team in general. Nidoqueen got the job as Stealth Rocker because I already had a pokemon with Toxic Spikes and I didn't want Nidoqueen wasting valuable time setting a second layer of Toxic Spikes as so many OU pokemon just love switching in on her. Super Fang is fantastic way to punish switches. 50% off your health bar is a lot. With all the entry hazards I set down, this usually brings my opponents down into the 30-40% range, letting me expend less firepower into taking my opponents down and forcing rash decisions from my opponents. Taunt is another way I deter pokemon looking for a free set-up. The bonus is with Taunt is that, as a lead, Nidoqueen has the chance to prevent Stealth Rocks from ever going up. Taunt also prevent Gengar and Rotom-a, the two pokemon who don't take any damage from Nidoqueen's attacks, from setting up and taking out my entire team.
Nidoqueen is probably the most replaceable member of the team. She does her job well but lacks the ability to be a true defensive threat. Her lack of instant recovery really hurts sometimes, though I love Super Fang and am not willing to run a RestTalk set. Gliscor would be a solid replacement, as Nidoqueen's only job is to set Stealth Rock and provide a Lucario counter. Still, I love her to death and it will take serious convincing to make me change this, or any, slot.
Gliscor v. Nidoqueen
I mentioned Gliscor as a possible substitute for Nidoqueen. There are 2 reasons why I chose the rhino over the bat. Firstly is the poison typing, allowing me to not expend resources to get rid of Toxic Spikes even when Tentacruel goes down. Even though Blissey is the only pokemon on my team that falls prey to the poisonous hazards, she is absolutely essential to my team's success and I can't afford her loss. Then there is Super Fang, which hits drops everything to 50% of their health or lower. Gliscor can run the same set and be a more successful Taunter and more effective Lucario counter. However, the lack of Super Fang did not make up for this nor the instant recovery available in Roost. U-turn is another great move that Gliscor could run. But I decided to stick with Nidoqueen and the results have been very good.
Nidoqueen's attacks are pretty self-explanatory. Earthquake provides a necessary STAB attack and threatens a decent number of special attackers trying to switch in. Stealth Rock is a mandatory move on any stall team and almost every team in general. Nidoqueen got the job as Stealth Rocker because I already had a pokemon with Toxic Spikes and I didn't want Nidoqueen wasting valuable time setting a second layer of Toxic Spikes as so many OU pokemon just love switching in on her. Super Fang is fantastic way to punish switches. 50% off your health bar is a lot. With all the entry hazards I set down, this usually brings my opponents down into the 30-40% range, letting me expend less firepower into taking my opponents down and forcing rash decisions from my opponents. Taunt is another way I deter pokemon looking for a free set-up. The bonus is with Taunt is that, as a lead, Nidoqueen has the chance to prevent Stealth Rocks from ever going up. Taunt also prevent Gengar and Rotom-a, the two pokemon who don't take any damage from Nidoqueen's attacks, from setting up and taking out my entire team.
Nidoqueen is probably the most replaceable member of the team. She does her job well but lacks the ability to be a true defensive threat. Her lack of instant recovery really hurts sometimes, though I love Super Fang and am not willing to run a RestTalk set. Gliscor would be a solid replacement, as Nidoqueen's only job is to set Stealth Rock and provide a Lucario counter. Still, I love her to death and it will take serious convincing to make me change this, or any, slot.
Gliscor v. Nidoqueen
I mentioned Gliscor as a possible substitute for Nidoqueen. There are 2 reasons why I chose the rhino over the bat. Firstly is the poison typing, allowing me to not expend resources to get rid of Toxic Spikes even when Tentacruel goes down. Even though Blissey is the only pokemon on my team that falls prey to the poisonous hazards, she is absolutely essential to my team's success and I can't afford her loss. Then there is Super Fang, which hits drops everything to 50% of their health or lower. Gliscor can run the same set and be a more successful Taunter and more effective Lucario counter. However, the lack of Super Fang did not make up for this nor the instant recovery available in Roost. U-turn is another great move that Gliscor could run. But I decided to stick with Nidoqueen and the results have been very good.
Nurse (Blissey)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 240 HP/252 Def/16 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Thunder Wave
- Wish
Ah, the number 1 special wall in the game. Numero uno. The best. Blissey has rarely let me down. This set requires very little explaining. I love WishBliss. She is just so good at finding an opportunity to use Wish. With special attacks doing around 20% to her, Blissey is one tough mother to take down and finds lots of time to use support moves. Wish and Protect allow me to heal and scout, preventing errant Explosions from ruining my day and also helping me decide whether or not to switch against a pokemon that might know Pursuit. I'm not afraid to Protect twice, as a 50% chance of evading attack isn't all that bad. Opponents often get really mad (bad words start flying around) but critical hits and most secondary effects have a much lower chance of occurring and not too many people get worked up over them. Wish also provides me with the opportunity to heal pokemon without self-healing moves, in this case Nidoqueen and Tentacruel. The other 2 slots used to be Toxic and Flamethrower. Though these have served me well many, many times, it was time for a change. When Latias was brought down I needed a way to deal with it, and Flamethrower just wasn't good enough. The SubPeteya Empoleon rage from a few months ago also made Flamethrower obsolete. Toxic was easily avoided by Scizor, who would come in to trap me with Pursuit. Heatran had a field day and required extra work to stop. This just wasn't acceptable. I first switched the status attack of choice to Thunderwave. Togekiss, Jirachi, Heatran, Gengar, Salamence, and Gyarados (and previously Latias), just to name a precious few, hate being paralyzed. For a stall team, the ability to outspeed something is incredibly useful. The 25% chance to stop an attack was just icing on the cake. However, this conflicted with the main status available to the team: Toxic Spikes. Realizing Toxic Spikes don't have an effect on many threatening pokemon and the fact that they wouldn't always be down was enough reason for me to stick with Thunderwave. My damaging move was limited to Flamethrower, Seismic Toss, or Ice Beam. Ice beam was quickly ruled out because Heatran, Scizor, Infernape, and Lucario got in for free. Flamethrower is great for its 10% burn rate and the way it scares off Scizor and Lucario. However, the faults mentioned above were too much to bear. The steady damage Seismic Toss deals to any non-Ghost allows me to threaten every switchin with 25-35% of their health.
But Blissey is not without her faults. Gengar continues to be a major source of trouble. The new Substitute + Pain Split variations wreak havoc with the team. My only hope is to status it before it gets a Substitute up. Sustitute + Calm Mind Jirachi is in the same boat. It takes 2 hits for Seismic Toss to break the Substitute and so Jirachi gets free turns to set up. Calm Mind + Wish Jirachi falls to Thunderwave and repeated Seismic Tosses. Also, physical attackers flock to Blissey in droves. Though Seismic Toss, Thunderwave, Wish, Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes give me a chance to do something useful, a free turn for my opponent to set up is a free turn no matter how you look at it. Still, Blissey's job is solidified in the team and I don't expect to change her slot anytime soon.
But Blissey is not without her faults. Gengar continues to be a major source of trouble. The new Substitute + Pain Split variations wreak havoc with the team. My only hope is to status it before it gets a Substitute up. Sustitute + Calm Mind Jirachi is in the same boat. It takes 2 hits for Seismic Toss to break the Substitute and so Jirachi gets free turns to set up. Calm Mind + Wish Jirachi falls to Thunderwave and repeated Seismic Tosses. Also, physical attackers flock to Blissey in droves. Though Seismic Toss, Thunderwave, Wish, Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes give me a chance to do something useful, a free turn for my opponent to set up is a free turn no matter how you look at it. Still, Blissey's job is solidified in the team and I don't expect to change her slot anytime soon.
Airplane (Skarmory)
Item: Shed Shell
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP/176 Def/80 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
I've never been a fan of Skarmory, but she does a job too well to pass up. Skarmory has almost no purpose on this team other than setting down Spikes and psuedo-Hazing. She doesn't counter anything particularly important, though her ability to take an Outrage is well appreciated. But Skarmory just does her job too well and is always available to help out. Spikes almost always hit the field during my matches. Whirlwind is almost always my first way to get rid of something I don't know what to do against. With all the entry hazards I set up Whirlwind is also a form of damage much more reliable than Brave Bird or Drill Peck. Speaking of those two, the decision to use Brave Bird was based solely on the fact that it could deal enough damage to Machamp (67.2%-79.7% vs. 45.3%-53.6%), Salamence (39%-46.2% vs. 26.3%-31.1%), Gyarados (31.6%-37.3% vs. 21.1%-25.1%), and Dragonite (34.7%-41.2% vs. 23.5%-27.9%) to keep them low enough on health to make them think twice about trying to use Skarmory as setup bait. Though the recoil sucks without Leftovers to make up for it, I don't like losing pokemon to Magnezone and refuse to risk my metal bird's life just to gain a little extra health every turn.
Skarmory is not without faults, though everyone is aware of them. Heatran and Infernape come in and force me out, though Infernape doesn't like Toxic Spikes or Brave Bird (which OHKOs most of the time without Stealth Rock). Basically any special attacker makes me change pokemon, though the small Special Defense investment is helpful in absorbing weaker special attacks. Still, if someone can suggest a better spread I would gladly use it because special attack still take out a large chunk of HP. Roost is predictable and is often the way opponents take out Skarmory. Heavy hitters like Lucario cannot be stopped by the steel bird and just blow right through. Skarmory's defenses, though good, are not great. Although I would love to replace Skarmory, no one else can do her job.
Skarmory is not without faults, though everyone is aware of them. Heatran and Infernape come in and force me out, though Infernape doesn't like Toxic Spikes or Brave Bird (which OHKOs most of the time without Stealth Rock). Basically any special attacker makes me change pokemon, though the small Special Defense investment is helpful in absorbing weaker special attacks. Still, if someone can suggest a better spread I would gladly use it because special attack still take out a large chunk of HP. Roost is predictable and is often the way opponents take out Skarmory. Heavy hitters like Lucario cannot be stopped by the steel bird and just blow right through. Skarmory's defenses, though good, are not great. Although I would love to replace Skarmory, no one else can do her job.
Squidward (Tentacruel)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Electric] / Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Toxic Spikes
The only male member of my team (after all, Squidward is a dude), Tentacruel functions as a utility wall. With Latias gone, Infernape fever is likely to ensue (and it as already set in). I wanted to take advantage of this and make my opponents say hello to the greatest MixApe counter of all: Tentacruel. Though ScarfCruel would be more effective at answering Infernape, I wanted my squid to do more than that. Tentacruel also functions as my Rapid Spinner and is a damn good one at that. Though his 80 base Special Attack is not impressive, Tentacruel gets the job done in scaring away potential Rapid Spin blockers. Rotom forms take a solid amount of damage and have to think twice about coming in on the squid. However, I usually avoid going for the Surf unless something threatening to facing me. If a switch to a Spin blocker is obvious I almost always set down a layer of Toxic Spikes. Toxic Spikes were given to Tentacruel over Nidoqueen because Nidoqueen can utilize Stealth Rock. Tentacruel also finds himself with more free turns than Nidoqueen, giving me the chance to set down 2 layers of poisonous hazards more often. Toxic Spikes are essential to my strategy for taking out threats like Tyranitar and Machamp and help wear down balanced teams, as well. The last attack is up for grabs right now. Hidden Power [Electric] makes Gyarados think twice about coming in out and helps against Empoleon, though Blissey does a fine job there. Though I don't like the pitiful damage Knock Off does, the effect is one of the most useful in the game and makes almost every pokemon think twice before coming in. Choice users all of a sudden aren't nearly so powerful, Life Orbers die hard as they miss out on their OHKOs, and Leftovers pokemon feel the need for recovery as the entry hazards pile up.
Tentacruel is another team member that I would hate to see go. I know there are many decent Rapid Spinners out there but Tentacruel has always come through for me. His fragility is always a problem and he loses his usefulness once Infernape is gone. A lack of instant recovery is another place of worry and prevent Tentacruel from being a true OU threat.
Tentacruel is another team member that I would hate to see go. I know there are many decent Rapid Spinners out there but Tentacruel has always come through for me. His fragility is always a problem and he loses his usefulness once Infernape is gone. A lack of instant recovery is another place of worry and prevent Tentacruel from being a true OU threat.
Oven (Rotom-h)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-wisp
Rotom-h was the last member of my team to be added. Spiritomb used to fill this spot but was not as effective as Rotom forms have been for me. There is really nothing to say about this set. Rapid Spin is annoying when I spent all that time laying Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes. Rotom attempts to block this Rapid Spin epidemic. Starmie effectively avoids a confrontation, however, as LO Hydro Pump is a little too much to handle. However, Forretress and Tentacruel get a swift Rotom to the face. Rotom works extremely well, though the accuracy of Will-o-Wisp gets on my nerves sometimes. I needed a status absorber and Rotom does the job well. Gyarados used to be a problem for my team, and though he still is the threat is greatly reduced. Will-o-Wisp was given a spot despite the fact that I was using Toxic Spikes and Thunderwave already. Burning physical opponent's is the best way of neutering them and I wanted to take advantage of that. Thunderbolt giver Rotom the power necessary to compete on the OU tier. I really don't have much to say here.
Rotom gets the job done but finds himself in constant need of healing. 50 / 107 / 107 defenses are not very good. Rotom's typing and typing alone have put him into the OU tier. Mispredictions usually result in Rotom's death for my team. I sometimes find Will-o-Wisp to be useless but I cannot imagine what I would do if it wasn't an option during most matches.
Rotom gets the job done but finds himself in constant need of healing. 50 / 107 / 107 defenses are not very good. Rotom's typing and typing alone have put him into the OU tier. Mispredictions usually result in Rotom's death for my team. I sometimes find Will-o-Wisp to be useless but I cannot imagine what I would do if it wasn't an option during most matches.
Quack (Cresselia)
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Psycho Shift
- Reflect
- Moonlight
Why this duck got booted down into BL I will never know, though I assume it has something to do with a metal bug. Cresselia acts as my Dragon counter and does a damn fine job at it. With Ice Beam she can take out Dragonite and Salamence without issues (though Dragonite proves to be a little too bulky sometimes). Kingdra falls to Toxic Spikes and wearing down and Flygon dies hard to Ice Beam, though I must watch out for the U-turn. Ice Beam and Reflect were givens on the set. Ice Beam, though it provides pretty poor coverage, takes out enough of the metagame to be considered useful. Reflect lets her tank physical onslaughts much better and provides insurance against pokemon like Tyranitar looking to trap her with Pursuit. Reflect also supports my team magnificently, giving me that extra insurance against Lucario and Machamp. I had 2 options for healing: Rest or Moonlight. Though Rest was the superior option, Moonlight would not leave a Salamence sweep to chance, so it got the job. Tyranitar causes problems with healing but the damage recovered is always appreciated (25% isn't that bad). The last attack was something I experimented with quite a bit. Calm Mind got the first spot and let me perform a sweep of sorts when the match had settled down. But Toxic and Will-o-Wisp were wearing me down. I wanted to protect Cresselia from status, so I took the rather risky route and went with Psycho Shift. I already had several ways of inducing status upon my opponent, but I decided the pay was worth the risk. And it has never failed me. Burns from Ghosts make their way onto Scizor and Tyranitar like nobody's business. Paralysis makes its way onto Gengar and Heatran.
I couldn't be happier with Cresselia's performance on the team. She walls most of the metagame but unfortunately cannot hit back. Her lack of power is a serious concern, even with all the entry hazards I use. Reflect almost always ends sooner than I hoped and Moonlight fails in the sand. Psycho Shift is not without its risks but the payoff always makes up for it. Cresselia is almost always the last pokemon standing and has pulled off a few miraculous late game stalls.
I couldn't be happier with Cresselia's performance on the team. She walls most of the metagame but unfortunately cannot hit back. Her lack of power is a serious concern, even with all the entry hazards I use. Reflect almost always ends sooner than I hoped and Moonlight fails in the sand. Psycho Shift is not without its risks but the payoff always makes up for it. Cresselia is almost always the last pokemon standing and has pulled off a few miraculous late game stalls.
Here is a brief overview on how I take on the biggest threats around on both sides of the spectrum.
Offensive Threats
Aerodactyl - Seen only as a lead. Nidoqueen uses Super Fang the Focus Sash and then switches out to Rotom, who promptly Thunderbolts for the KO. Many don't Taunt first turn and go straight to the Stealth Rock, making me always think about using Stealth Rock of my my own, but getting Taunted is a waste of a turn and I shouldn't allow that to happen.
Azelf - As a lead I almost always go for the Super Fang. Psychic hits hard but usually a Flamethrower or Fire Blast comes my way. Then I escape to Blissey and Protect the Explosion. If no Explosion ensues I Thunderwave and begin using Seismic Toss. Mid-game I throw out Blissey and follow the same procedure.
Breloom - I go to Rotom to take the sleep, then to Cresselia or Skarmory to threaten. Cresselia is typically the better choice but I use Skarmory for so much less that I usually go to the metal bird.
Dragonite - Cresselia takes him on. However, Dragonites are bulky enough to take an Ice Beam, so I take more damage than I would like. DDNite and CBNite can be a problem but the wear and tear of facing this team is usually enough to take him down. Skarmory can come out on the bulky Outrage / Earthqauke versions and proceed to set up, but most Dragonite are smarter than that.
Empoleon - Blissey and Tentacruel handle the penguin very nicely. Blissey used to have Flamethrower which made Hidden Power [Electric] a necessity on Tentacruel. Now that Blissey has Seismic Toss this is not so important but it does help to have backup.
Flygon - Skarmory takes everything but Fire Blast. Cresselia takes everything but U-turn. Tentacruel provides middle ground but pays for it dearly. This is simply a matter of prediction, which is not something I like. However, I am willing to deal with it because Flygon is pretty easy to take down.
Gengar - Blissey has to get a Thunderwave or Cresselia / Rotom some other status on this guy or it's gg. I need to outspeed him to do anything at all or wait for a burn to wear him down. If I thunderwave I can go to Skarmory and Brave Bird for a fair amount of damage. With a burned Gengar I switch around trying to take advantage of resistances. If Gengar manages a Substitute I usually have to sacrifice something in order to bring in Tentacruel unharmed. Then I use Surf and hope I don't die.
Gyarados - Rotom can come in and survive the hit and retaliate. Though Rotom is not the best counter, he is the best I have. Skarmory doesn't like Gyarados but can take on the Bounce set if need be. Cresselia loves setting up Reflect but can do absolutely nothing the sea serpent. Basically I rely on Stealth Rock to discourage the switch and then hope Rotom is at full health. Tentacruel can use Hidden Power [Electric] for about 50%, but I don't like having to sacrifice my squid unless Infernape is gone.
Heatran - Blissey and Tentacruel take care of this guy. Explosion is a pain but I usually predict very well so it isn't too bad. Heatran hates Thunderwave and isn't too big of an issue.
Infernape - Tentacruel says hi. After that we run into issues. Cresselia can take a hit and chip away with Ice Beam but everyone else is OHKO'd by something.
Jirachi - Special variants set up on Blissey while physical variants flinch me to death. Rotom has to get in a burn for anything good to happen. Blissey's Thunderwave isn't too bad either. Thankfully Scarf variants don't do much to me (if Iron Head doesn't flinch me) so I can work around it. I can't really do much damage to it either. This is a pretty serious issue.
Jolteon - Blissey and the other pokemon's resistances takes care of everything. Prediction is minimal because Blissey is a whore.
Kingdra - Toxic Spikes take their toll as Skarmory and Cresselia wall it. Rotom also works well in a pinch.
Lucario - Nidoqueen stops any non-Ice Punch variants while non-Crunch variants are hit hard by Rotom. Both need to be in peak physical shape, however, so Lucario sweeps aren't uncommon for me. However, Lucario hates coming in on multiple layers of Spikes and has weak enough defenses to make that fact useful.
Machamp - I basically pray that confusion doesn't hit and wear him down with anything. Toxic Spikes is my primary mode of damage. Leads get hit by a Super Fang before they can attack. After that I play it by ear and try to chip in the last 50%. Skarmory is great if I can predict anything non-Dynamicpunch but most people see that coming. This guy spells trouble.
Magnezone - Blissey. I'm always careful about Explosion variants. Since Magnezone doesn't trap anything on my team he isn't much of a threat.
Mamoswine - Skarmory does a great job and mixed versions eat Cresselia. Though he hits hard I manage to work around him. Toxic Spikes are my best friend here.
Metagross - Skarmory Whirlwinds him away, Nidoqueen can Earthquake, and Rotom can burn him. Though I don't really have an answer to Metagross, I can work around it and make something work. As a lead I always go for the Earthquake until he uses Earthquake or Meteor Mash. Then I switch out to Rotom and proceed to try and burn him.
Roserade - Blissey walls her completely after Rotom gets hit by Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes don't pose a threat because of my 2 poison types. As a lead I would like advice here. I usually go to Rotom to take the sleep but I end up getting hit hard by a special attack. If Nidoqueen stays in she takes a Leaf Storm. After I get Rotom statused I go to Blissey and start Seismic Tossing and Thunderwaving (randomly so as to try and cripple something else).
Salamence - Cresselia takes on all versions, though she must be at full health. After that Skarmory takes on Outrages or I hope for a burn/paralysis on a dumb switch. I don't like letting this guy set up and sometimes do dumb things.
Scizor - I pray it's not an SD variant and go to Rotom. Rotom can use Will-o-Wisp's amazing accuracy to cripple Scizor some 75% of the time. Thunderbolt's damage output isn't great either but it gets the job done. U-turn, if predicted, gets a Skarmory switch. Bullet Punch is also asking for Skarmory to come in, though I can't imagine a time when a Scizor has had to use Bullet Punch on me. SD variants screw me over really, really badly. I just wait for Life ORb recoil to wear them down.
Starmie - Blissey says hi. Rapid Spin sucks but I'm a manly man and I don't cry.
Togekiss - Blissey comes in to paralyze, then anyone can help out. I try to avoid statusing Skarmory and Tentacruel but everyone else is fine.
Tyranitar - Nidoqueen and Skarmory take the hit. ScarfTar doesn't really threaten me at all but CBTar sucks to face. Toxic Spikes is a huge help here.
Weavile - Skarmory is my best bet for walling him. Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock wear him down quickly and the damage output isn't anything spectacular.
Azelf - As a lead I almost always go for the Super Fang. Psychic hits hard but usually a Flamethrower or Fire Blast comes my way. Then I escape to Blissey and Protect the Explosion. If no Explosion ensues I Thunderwave and begin using Seismic Toss. Mid-game I throw out Blissey and follow the same procedure.
Breloom - I go to Rotom to take the sleep, then to Cresselia or Skarmory to threaten. Cresselia is typically the better choice but I use Skarmory for so much less that I usually go to the metal bird.
Dragonite - Cresselia takes him on. However, Dragonites are bulky enough to take an Ice Beam, so I take more damage than I would like. DDNite and CBNite can be a problem but the wear and tear of facing this team is usually enough to take him down. Skarmory can come out on the bulky Outrage / Earthqauke versions and proceed to set up, but most Dragonite are smarter than that.
Empoleon - Blissey and Tentacruel handle the penguin very nicely. Blissey used to have Flamethrower which made Hidden Power [Electric] a necessity on Tentacruel. Now that Blissey has Seismic Toss this is not so important but it does help to have backup.
Flygon - Skarmory takes everything but Fire Blast. Cresselia takes everything but U-turn. Tentacruel provides middle ground but pays for it dearly. This is simply a matter of prediction, which is not something I like. However, I am willing to deal with it because Flygon is pretty easy to take down.
Gengar - Blissey has to get a Thunderwave or Cresselia / Rotom some other status on this guy or it's gg. I need to outspeed him to do anything at all or wait for a burn to wear him down. If I thunderwave I can go to Skarmory and Brave Bird for a fair amount of damage. With a burned Gengar I switch around trying to take advantage of resistances. If Gengar manages a Substitute I usually have to sacrifice something in order to bring in Tentacruel unharmed. Then I use Surf and hope I don't die.
Gyarados - Rotom can come in and survive the hit and retaliate. Though Rotom is not the best counter, he is the best I have. Skarmory doesn't like Gyarados but can take on the Bounce set if need be. Cresselia loves setting up Reflect but can do absolutely nothing the sea serpent. Basically I rely on Stealth Rock to discourage the switch and then hope Rotom is at full health. Tentacruel can use Hidden Power [Electric] for about 50%, but I don't like having to sacrifice my squid unless Infernape is gone.
Heatran - Blissey and Tentacruel take care of this guy. Explosion is a pain but I usually predict very well so it isn't too bad. Heatran hates Thunderwave and isn't too big of an issue.
Infernape - Tentacruel says hi. After that we run into issues. Cresselia can take a hit and chip away with Ice Beam but everyone else is OHKO'd by something.
Jirachi - Special variants set up on Blissey while physical variants flinch me to death. Rotom has to get in a burn for anything good to happen. Blissey's Thunderwave isn't too bad either. Thankfully Scarf variants don't do much to me (if Iron Head doesn't flinch me) so I can work around it. I can't really do much damage to it either. This is a pretty serious issue.
Jolteon - Blissey and the other pokemon's resistances takes care of everything. Prediction is minimal because Blissey is a whore.
Kingdra - Toxic Spikes take their toll as Skarmory and Cresselia wall it. Rotom also works well in a pinch.
Lucario - Nidoqueen stops any non-Ice Punch variants while non-Crunch variants are hit hard by Rotom. Both need to be in peak physical shape, however, so Lucario sweeps aren't uncommon for me. However, Lucario hates coming in on multiple layers of Spikes and has weak enough defenses to make that fact useful.
Machamp - I basically pray that confusion doesn't hit and wear him down with anything. Toxic Spikes is my primary mode of damage. Leads get hit by a Super Fang before they can attack. After that I play it by ear and try to chip in the last 50%. Skarmory is great if I can predict anything non-Dynamicpunch but most people see that coming. This guy spells trouble.
Magnezone - Blissey. I'm always careful about Explosion variants. Since Magnezone doesn't trap anything on my team he isn't much of a threat.
Mamoswine - Skarmory does a great job and mixed versions eat Cresselia. Though he hits hard I manage to work around him. Toxic Spikes are my best friend here.
Metagross - Skarmory Whirlwinds him away, Nidoqueen can Earthquake, and Rotom can burn him. Though I don't really have an answer to Metagross, I can work around it and make something work. As a lead I always go for the Earthquake until he uses Earthquake or Meteor Mash. Then I switch out to Rotom and proceed to try and burn him.
Roserade - Blissey walls her completely after Rotom gets hit by Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes don't pose a threat because of my 2 poison types. As a lead I would like advice here. I usually go to Rotom to take the sleep but I end up getting hit hard by a special attack. If Nidoqueen stays in she takes a Leaf Storm. After I get Rotom statused I go to Blissey and start Seismic Tossing and Thunderwaving (randomly so as to try and cripple something else).
Salamence - Cresselia takes on all versions, though she must be at full health. After that Skarmory takes on Outrages or I hope for a burn/paralysis on a dumb switch. I don't like letting this guy set up and sometimes do dumb things.
Scizor - I pray it's not an SD variant and go to Rotom. Rotom can use Will-o-Wisp's amazing accuracy to cripple Scizor some 75% of the time. Thunderbolt's damage output isn't great either but it gets the job done. U-turn, if predicted, gets a Skarmory switch. Bullet Punch is also asking for Skarmory to come in, though I can't imagine a time when a Scizor has had to use Bullet Punch on me. SD variants screw me over really, really badly. I just wait for Life ORb recoil to wear them down.
Starmie - Blissey says hi. Rapid Spin sucks but I'm a manly man and I don't cry.
Togekiss - Blissey comes in to paralyze, then anyone can help out. I try to avoid statusing Skarmory and Tentacruel but everyone else is fine.
Tyranitar - Nidoqueen and Skarmory take the hit. ScarfTar doesn't really threaten me at all but CBTar sucks to face. Toxic Spikes is a huge help here.
Weavile - Skarmory is my best bet for walling him. Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock wear him down quickly and the damage output isn't anything spectacular.
Defensive Threats
Blissey - While Natural Cure, Wish support, and Aromatherapy are annoying, I can take care of Blissey without too many difficulties. It's just a question of wearing her down. Toxic Spikes force her to waste PP healing and Nidoqueen's Super Fang takes out enormous mounds of HP.
Bronzong - I don't like Bronzong. Skarmory likes to set up on this guy and does it with gusto. Rotom is another option because of his burning capabilities.
Celebi - I hate Celebi and hope it dies. I don't really have a plan here. Skarmory can hit back with Brave Bird and Tentacruel sits there taking hits. Blissey is a great switch but Leech Seed is really, really bad for me so I don't do that often.
Forretress - Rotom isn't the best at stopping spinners from doing their job. I can scare out Forry because of my Rotom form but Payback hits me hard. Skarmory is a much more reliable choice because I can play mindgames with Whirlwind and Spikes. Nidoqueen stops any Spikes from going down with Taunt and Tentacruel uses a Rapid Spin of his own.
Gliscor - Gliscor can be a pain. Cresselia is able to take him out with a simple Ice Beam but no one else can deal with the flying bat.
Hippowdon - I basically rely on Toxic Spikes to work their magic. Cresselia and Tentacruel are somewhat threatening to it but Roar is a pain that I don't want to deal with. The sandstorm isn't a big deal most of the time though Cresselia's Moonlight gets hit. As a lead I Taunt first, then go to Rotom to take any Earthquake/switch and attempt to burn.
Rotom-A - I usually try to predict its set and adjust. Cresselia takes on Will-o-Wispers, Nidoqueen takes Choiced forms, and Blissey stalls for time. SubCharge Rotoms petty much destroy me so help on that would be greatly appreciated.
Skarmory - Tentacruel and Rotom show up and say hello. Nidoqueen is also fun with Super Fang and Taunt, but I usually don't take that route. Skarmory can be a pain. Leads get a Super Fang and a switch to Rotom.
Snorlax - I rely on Rotom to burn the big guy, then go to Nidoqueen to Taunt and Super Fang until he dies. This can get tricky but it almost always works. In fact, it always has.
Suicune - Toxic Spikes eat away at anything without Rest and anything with Rest just destroys me. Blissey can only use Seismic Toss so many times against Suicune and Nidoqueen can't Taunt for fear of Surf or Ice Beam. Thankfully Rest variants aren't all that popular.
Swampert - Toxic Spikes do a great job. Most of the time I see this guy as a lead. Nidoqueen Taunts and switches out to Skarmory, who begins to set down layers of Spikes.
Tentacruel - I don't fear Tentacruel and go straight to my Spin blocker. Rotom doesn't like STAB'd Surfs but Tentacruel's poor atttacking stats make it a decent trade.
Vaporeon - Tentacruel sets up all over this guy. So does Blissey. Roar variants are annoying but Toxic Spikes take their toll.
Zapdos - Blissey's Seismic Toss is a win, though I can't do it all day because of Pressure. Thunderwave also helps and Cresselia's Ice Beam is very useful, as well.
Bronzong - I don't like Bronzong. Skarmory likes to set up on this guy and does it with gusto. Rotom is another option because of his burning capabilities.
Celebi - I hate Celebi and hope it dies. I don't really have a plan here. Skarmory can hit back with Brave Bird and Tentacruel sits there taking hits. Blissey is a great switch but Leech Seed is really, really bad for me so I don't do that often.
Forretress - Rotom isn't the best at stopping spinners from doing their job. I can scare out Forry because of my Rotom form but Payback hits me hard. Skarmory is a much more reliable choice because I can play mindgames with Whirlwind and Spikes. Nidoqueen stops any Spikes from going down with Taunt and Tentacruel uses a Rapid Spin of his own.
Gliscor - Gliscor can be a pain. Cresselia is able to take him out with a simple Ice Beam but no one else can deal with the flying bat.
Hippowdon - I basically rely on Toxic Spikes to work their magic. Cresselia and Tentacruel are somewhat threatening to it but Roar is a pain that I don't want to deal with. The sandstorm isn't a big deal most of the time though Cresselia's Moonlight gets hit. As a lead I Taunt first, then go to Rotom to take any Earthquake/switch and attempt to burn.
Rotom-A - I usually try to predict its set and adjust. Cresselia takes on Will-o-Wispers, Nidoqueen takes Choiced forms, and Blissey stalls for time. SubCharge Rotoms petty much destroy me so help on that would be greatly appreciated.
Skarmory - Tentacruel and Rotom show up and say hello. Nidoqueen is also fun with Super Fang and Taunt, but I usually don't take that route. Skarmory can be a pain. Leads get a Super Fang and a switch to Rotom.
Snorlax - I rely on Rotom to burn the big guy, then go to Nidoqueen to Taunt and Super Fang until he dies. This can get tricky but it almost always works. In fact, it always has.
Suicune - Toxic Spikes eat away at anything without Rest and anything with Rest just destroys me. Blissey can only use Seismic Toss so many times against Suicune and Nidoqueen can't Taunt for fear of Surf or Ice Beam. Thankfully Rest variants aren't all that popular.
Swampert - Toxic Spikes do a great job. Most of the time I see this guy as a lead. Nidoqueen Taunts and switches out to Skarmory, who begins to set down layers of Spikes.
Tentacruel - I don't fear Tentacruel and go straight to my Spin blocker. Rotom doesn't like STAB'd Surfs but Tentacruel's poor atttacking stats make it a decent trade.
Vaporeon - Tentacruel sets up all over this guy. So does Blissey. Roar variants are annoying but Toxic Spikes take their toll.
Zapdos - Blissey's Seismic Toss is a win, though I can't do it all day because of Pressure. Thunderwave also helps and Cresselia's Ice Beam is very useful, as well.
Well, that's my team. Gengar, Jirachi, Machamp, Rotom-a, and Suicune cause me much grief but I've been able to work around them for the most part. Oftentimes they take out a key member that causes another pokemon to sweep, which is a really bad thing to have happen. I've been pretty successful at irritating opponents and have been very good at inducing rash decisions (like Explosion after Blissey just took down 2 special attackers). I am currently looking for a new Skarmory EV spread to suite my needs a bit better ("handling" Machamp, sponging random physical attacks and taking on weak special attacks) and advice on Nidoqueen v. Gliscor. Though I love Nidoqueen to death and really appreciate the power of Super Fang, I always look at Gliscor and know that he counters Lucario better, gets instant recovery, and gets 3 of the same moves plus a few others that I would consider.
Thanks for getting this far! Please rate and suggest changes. And thanks for taking on my team over the plethora of other teams available to rate.