Sharp Teeth and Pointy Stones
Hello everyone! Some of you may know me but for those who don't, I have currently been playing Pokemon for 11 years, and competitively on showdown for 5 years. I started this new profile to commemorate me getting back into competitive Pokemon after a 6 month hiatus. Partly what brought me back was the release of the new megas with ORAS in which two of my favorite Pokemon, Swampert and Sableye, received respectable megas. Sableye-Mega especially caught my eye, with a great ability both in mega form and out of it, and with boosted defenses. My first attempt to build a team around him was fairly catastrophic but I have emerged from the ashes. I have now taken the ultimate challenge in creating a semi-stall team in this hyper offensive metagame, although I have no problem in this becoming a bulky offensive (which is probably what it will become). With Pokemon like Charizard-X and Mega-Gallade running around, it seems to be difficult to pull stall off successfully. This is where I thought that your guys could help me with as I have hit a brick wall, I am under the conclusion that this team as sort of lost its focus. I find team building to be really long and painstaking for me and am really not the best. I got the basis of the team down and latter up to around 1600, but I feel like that it could use some improvements. The goal is that the walls will abuse Sableye's magic bounce while withering down opponents for an eventual Sableye sweep. So, now that we got the basis down, here is the team building process:
Team Building Process
So, this is my core I started off with. Both Pokemon I have used in the past and are pretty solid and reliable. Heatran absorbs fairy attacks aimed at Sableye while Sableye absorbs fighting attacks aimed at Heatran, a simple relationship. Heatran also gets rid of steels that could be difficult to break through such as Skarmory and also sets up hazards.. All in all, it is pretty basic although this core definitely has some holes. It is also important to note that I didn't know this was going to be a stall team at this point in time.
To patch up the holes previously mentioned, I decided to create a FWG subcore with Heatran, Chesnaught, and Slowbro. Each covers everyone elses's weaknesses fairly well, illuminating Heatran's capablity of walling talonflame, Chesnaught's massive defense, and Slowbro's great movepool. With Chesnaught comes a reliable spiker, bringing a second hazard setter to the table.
At this point, I realized that none of my bulky Pokemon, outside of Sableye had reliable recovery. Chansey seemed to fit the bill just fine. Massive Hp= Massive wishes which brought the longevity of my team to a whole new level. Chansey also provides a suitable counter to Greninja and Rotom-Wash, two top tier Pokemon. Natural Cure allows it to absorb statuses if it is too dangerous to bring in Sableye to bounce them away.
Out of the depths of UU I pull out Crobat to fill the 6th slot of the team. After trying out numerous Pokemon for the sixth slot (which would have been too pointless and too numerous to include) Crobat has proved its worth in the high stakes OU battlefield. Crobat provides me with a much needed wall breaker to fight against other stall teams, as well as a defensive counter to incoming fighting and ground moves. Perhaps more importantly, Crobat provides speed and the ability to revenge kill if needed. Brave Bird gives me an answer to Breloom, Chesnaught, and Mega-Heracross, while cross poison pegs Fairy types which have been giving me trouble.
So that is what I was thinking during the Team Building Process! Upon reflection, I think that the synergy here is close to perfect, with at least two Pokemon resisting any weakness, except for Slowbro's weakness to Dark types. Moving on to the In-Depth Analysis!
In Depth Analysis
252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Bold Nature (+Def, -Att)
Prankster/ Magic Bounce
Sablenite
Calm Mind
Recover
Will-o-Wisp/Dazzling Gleam
Dark Pulse
Anyone who doesn't have a mega on their team is kidding themselves. It is illogical to pass up a mega when building your team, and so I now present to you mine. My favorite Pokemon has turned from an asshole, to an even bigger asshole with the new mega (I wonder what that says about me lol). Sableye functions as my lead as setting up magic bounce is key. From there, I can either will-o-wisp, set up, or get out. I found that my team can still function with out one or two of my Pokemon, but Sableye is key to the whole deal. Due to Magic Bounce, I have no defoggers or clerics, allowing me to branch out to use other moves. As long as he is alive, I have a taunt free, hazard free, status free, stall team. I like using Calm Mind Sableye over a more Defensive set to put offensive pressure on the opponent. There have been multiple times when I have swept through a whole team that was unprepared for this monster. Whats more is that magic bounce provides free switch ins to walls like Ferrothorn and Skarmory. The set is pretty basic. Evs max out the defense as I boost my special defense with calm mind, although I am wondering if I should max out my special defense because I run w-o-w as it would make switching in easier, what do you guys think? Anyways, Dark Pulse is a more reliable STAB when compared to Shadow Ball and functions as my main move. I originally had dazzling gleam in replace of w-o-w as it had perfect coverage with Dark Pulse, hitting everything for at least neutral damage outside of Klefki, but I changed it due to constant suggestions that I should, and I could see why. Synergy-wise, Sableye's typing is near perfect. Immune to both of STABS of Gallade is noteworthy, while absorbing psychic attacks aimed at Chesnaught and Crobat, and absorbing fighting attacks aimed at Heatran and Chansey. All in all, it is a pretty great Pokemon and the only one on this team I will not be cutting.
252 Hp/ 4 SpA/ 252 SpD
Calm (+SpD, -Att)
Flash Fire
Leftovers
Lava Plume
Earth Power
Roar
Stealth Rock
Our next member of the team is a very reliable Pokemon that almost always ends up on every team I make. The ability to totally counter Talonflame, a threat found on many teams, and to set up rocks on it is great. Chesnaught especially benefits from the removal of Talonflame. The ev spread is pretty simple. Max out special defenses and a slight boost in special attack. Lava Plume is the go-to move, able to burn Pokemon who switch in, Earth power is for Magnezone and other Heatrans, although the match-up does not always goes as planned. With the synergy of the team in general, Heatran has plenty of chances to set up rocks. Roar is to capitalize on this effect, causing chaos in the opponents plan. It is especially effective if Chesnaught already laid its spikes down. As far as Sableye goes, Heatran is often used to combat other Heatran as burning Sableye with Lava Plume really hampers its longevity. For this reason, I am not sure if I should focus on a more offensive Heatran to capitalize on this role.
252 Hp/ 252 SpA/ 4 SpD
Modest (+SpA, -Att)
Regenerator
Assault Vest
Scald
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
Psyshock
The third slot belongs to Slowbro. His role on the team leans towards more of a Tanker and a Lure. For example, Fire Blast OHKOs Ferrothorn and Ice Beam OHKOs Gliscor and both Forms of Landorus, while doing considerable damage to Garchomp. Scald is the go to move as the STAB and burn is always nice to have. Psyshock is only used if it is super effective (and also forces Keldeo to switch out) or if the Pokemon is specially defensive. Psyshock 2HKOs Sylveon and the like. A Modest nature is used to allow Slowbro to hit as hard as it can. That being said, I am relying mostly on Slowbro's natural bulk and assault vest to tank hits. His typing also helps him to tank hits very well, as he resists STABs of top tier threats like Keldeo. He is very suited for the job although he brings a lot of weaknesses to the table that need to be covered, so I am eager for a better option.
252 Hp/ 4 Att/ 252 Def
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
Bulletproof
Leftovers
Spiky Shield
Spikes
Drain Punch
Wood Hammer
Everyone, make way for the new bulky grass type of OU! I consider Chesnaught one of the most underrated Pokemon of this Generation, although more and more people are starting to see his potential. Forming a great core with Slowbro, Chesnaught counters some threats to this team like Azumarill, Breloom, and Garchomp with his massive defense. As his role, Chesnaught is a reliable hazard setter, getting at least one or two layers of spikes up each game. For this reason, the ev spread is pretty self explanatory. Its ability allows it to completely wall Gengars who don't run dazzling gleam, becoming immune to both Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb. Spiky Shield gets that little extra damage to punish physical attackers. Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to OHKO many threats such as Azumarill, Quagsire, and Mega-Swampert. Drain Punch is also a reliable move to regain some of the Hp lost from Wood Hammers.
252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Bold (+Def, -Att)
Eviolite
Natural Cure
Wish
Protect
Toxic
Seismic Toss
Upon reviewing my team, I realized that none of my Pokemon, outside of Sableye, has reliable recovery. Chansey was obviously the best for the job for wish support and so everything is as you would expect for your standard wish passer. There really is nothing much to say about this mon except that it is a great counter to Rotom-Wash, Manetric-Mega, and Greninja, which would all otherwise give this team a hard time. Ok, so moving on!
64 Hp/ 252 Att/ 192 Spe
Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
Infiltrator
Black Sludge
Brave Bird
Taunt
Roost
Cross Poison
Out of all the Pokemon on this team, I feel that Crobat is the best addition I have made so far. As the sixth slot, he really brings this team together. He can revenge kill and clean up if necessary while getting rid of threats like Clefable, Sylveon, Mega-Heracross, and Breloom. That being said, he has by far the most offensive presence on the team. The evs are custom in that I have given him enough speed to outspeed Greninja, a lot of Attack to OHKO Keldeo, Conkledurr, and other mons, and the rest thrown into bulk. Also, Crobat combats bulky set up sweepers and defoggers which can be a pain. I feel the need to run Cross Poison over other moves like Super Fang, U-Turn, Toxic, or Defog because I need an offensive threat to the Fairies that can destroy Sableye. All in all, a very good team member.
In Conclusion
In Conclusion, I feel that I have the basis down for the team, although I am open to any changes, replacements or tweaks suggested. I welcome any suggestions and advice on how to better use this team, what to do, and how I can improve! Oh, and can anyone tell me how I can install drop down boxes in here? I could never find those.
Nevertheless, this team has major problems:
Threats
Offensive Threats
These 4 threaten my team like no tomorrow. After a belly drum, swords dance, dragon dance, etc, these guys have the power to sweep through my whole team. Beedrill is super dangerous as it is often paired with a reliable defogger and can sweep through my whole team with x-scizzor, drill run, and poison jab. Belly Drum Azumarill hits like a truck, altough it is the least dangerous of the 4 because Chesnaught outspeeds and OHKOs. Charizard X is immune to burn and as bulk to support it. Its unpredictability makes it hard to deal with because it is hard to determine if he runs earthquake or not. Lopunny, shits on Sableye with its ability scrappy, though thankfully I still have Slowbro to deal with her. Greninja, particularly Greninja with low kick is dangerous because that is what is going to hit Chansey the hardest. Thankfully, thinks don't really get out of hand too fast when dealing with the frog.
Eon Twins
Reliable defoggers, particularly the eon twins, put a real damper on my team. Crobat cannot taunt them or else risks getting OHKO'd by Psyshock, Chansey also can't switch in easily either for Psyshock as well. Heatran walls both of them effectivly unless one runs earthquake but I haven't ran into one of those yet.
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-188466465
More Replays Coming Soon!
Importable
Give this team a try yourself!
Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Dark Pulse
- Will-O-Wisp
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Roar
Slowbro @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Wood Hammer
- Drain Punch
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Cross Poison
- Roost
- Taunt
Hello everyone! Some of you may know me but for those who don't, I have currently been playing Pokemon for 11 years, and competitively on showdown for 5 years. I started this new profile to commemorate me getting back into competitive Pokemon after a 6 month hiatus. Partly what brought me back was the release of the new megas with ORAS in which two of my favorite Pokemon, Swampert and Sableye, received respectable megas. Sableye-Mega especially caught my eye, with a great ability both in mega form and out of it, and with boosted defenses. My first attempt to build a team around him was fairly catastrophic but I have emerged from the ashes. I have now taken the ultimate challenge in creating a semi-stall team in this hyper offensive metagame, although I have no problem in this becoming a bulky offensive (which is probably what it will become). With Pokemon like Charizard-X and Mega-Gallade running around, it seems to be difficult to pull stall off successfully. This is where I thought that your guys could help me with as I have hit a brick wall, I am under the conclusion that this team as sort of lost its focus. I find team building to be really long and painstaking for me and am really not the best. I got the basis of the team down and latter up to around 1600, but I feel like that it could use some improvements. The goal is that the walls will abuse Sableye's magic bounce while withering down opponents for an eventual Sableye sweep. So, now that we got the basis down, here is the team building process:
Team Building Process
So, this is my core I started off with. Both Pokemon I have used in the past and are pretty solid and reliable. Heatran absorbs fairy attacks aimed at Sableye while Sableye absorbs fighting attacks aimed at Heatran, a simple relationship. Heatran also gets rid of steels that could be difficult to break through such as Skarmory and also sets up hazards.. All in all, it is pretty basic although this core definitely has some holes. It is also important to note that I didn't know this was going to be a stall team at this point in time.
To patch up the holes previously mentioned, I decided to create a FWG subcore with Heatran, Chesnaught, and Slowbro. Each covers everyone elses's weaknesses fairly well, illuminating Heatran's capablity of walling talonflame, Chesnaught's massive defense, and Slowbro's great movepool. With Chesnaught comes a reliable spiker, bringing a second hazard setter to the table.
At this point, I realized that none of my bulky Pokemon, outside of Sableye had reliable recovery. Chansey seemed to fit the bill just fine. Massive Hp= Massive wishes which brought the longevity of my team to a whole new level. Chansey also provides a suitable counter to Greninja and Rotom-Wash, two top tier Pokemon. Natural Cure allows it to absorb statuses if it is too dangerous to bring in Sableye to bounce them away.
Out of the depths of UU I pull out Crobat to fill the 6th slot of the team. After trying out numerous Pokemon for the sixth slot (which would have been too pointless and too numerous to include) Crobat has proved its worth in the high stakes OU battlefield. Crobat provides me with a much needed wall breaker to fight against other stall teams, as well as a defensive counter to incoming fighting and ground moves. Perhaps more importantly, Crobat provides speed and the ability to revenge kill if needed. Brave Bird gives me an answer to Breloom, Chesnaught, and Mega-Heracross, while cross poison pegs Fairy types which have been giving me trouble.
So that is what I was thinking during the Team Building Process! Upon reflection, I think that the synergy here is close to perfect, with at least two Pokemon resisting any weakness, except for Slowbro's weakness to Dark types. Moving on to the In-Depth Analysis!
In Depth Analysis
252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Bold Nature (+Def, -Att)
Prankster/ Magic Bounce
Sablenite
Calm Mind
Recover
Will-o-Wisp/Dazzling Gleam
Dark Pulse
Anyone who doesn't have a mega on their team is kidding themselves. It is illogical to pass up a mega when building your team, and so I now present to you mine. My favorite Pokemon has turned from an asshole, to an even bigger asshole with the new mega (I wonder what that says about me lol). Sableye functions as my lead as setting up magic bounce is key. From there, I can either will-o-wisp, set up, or get out. I found that my team can still function with out one or two of my Pokemon, but Sableye is key to the whole deal. Due to Magic Bounce, I have no defoggers or clerics, allowing me to branch out to use other moves. As long as he is alive, I have a taunt free, hazard free, status free, stall team. I like using Calm Mind Sableye over a more Defensive set to put offensive pressure on the opponent. There have been multiple times when I have swept through a whole team that was unprepared for this monster. Whats more is that magic bounce provides free switch ins to walls like Ferrothorn and Skarmory. The set is pretty basic. Evs max out the defense as I boost my special defense with calm mind, although I am wondering if I should max out my special defense because I run w-o-w as it would make switching in easier, what do you guys think? Anyways, Dark Pulse is a more reliable STAB when compared to Shadow Ball and functions as my main move. I originally had dazzling gleam in replace of w-o-w as it had perfect coverage with Dark Pulse, hitting everything for at least neutral damage outside of Klefki, but I changed it due to constant suggestions that I should, and I could see why. Synergy-wise, Sableye's typing is near perfect. Immune to both of STABS of Gallade is noteworthy, while absorbing psychic attacks aimed at Chesnaught and Crobat, and absorbing fighting attacks aimed at Heatran and Chansey. All in all, it is a pretty great Pokemon and the only one on this team I will not be cutting.
252 Hp/ 4 SpA/ 252 SpD
Calm (+SpD, -Att)
Flash Fire
Leftovers
Lava Plume
Earth Power
Roar
Stealth Rock
Our next member of the team is a very reliable Pokemon that almost always ends up on every team I make. The ability to totally counter Talonflame, a threat found on many teams, and to set up rocks on it is great. Chesnaught especially benefits from the removal of Talonflame. The ev spread is pretty simple. Max out special defenses and a slight boost in special attack. Lava Plume is the go-to move, able to burn Pokemon who switch in, Earth power is for Magnezone and other Heatrans, although the match-up does not always goes as planned. With the synergy of the team in general, Heatran has plenty of chances to set up rocks. Roar is to capitalize on this effect, causing chaos in the opponents plan. It is especially effective if Chesnaught already laid its spikes down. As far as Sableye goes, Heatran is often used to combat other Heatran as burning Sableye with Lava Plume really hampers its longevity. For this reason, I am not sure if I should focus on a more offensive Heatran to capitalize on this role.
252 Hp/ 252 SpA/ 4 SpD
Modest (+SpA, -Att)
Regenerator
Assault Vest
Scald
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
Psyshock
The third slot belongs to Slowbro. His role on the team leans towards more of a Tanker and a Lure. For example, Fire Blast OHKOs Ferrothorn and Ice Beam OHKOs Gliscor and both Forms of Landorus, while doing considerable damage to Garchomp. Scald is the go to move as the STAB and burn is always nice to have. Psyshock is only used if it is super effective (and also forces Keldeo to switch out) or if the Pokemon is specially defensive. Psyshock 2HKOs Sylveon and the like. A Modest nature is used to allow Slowbro to hit as hard as it can. That being said, I am relying mostly on Slowbro's natural bulk and assault vest to tank hits. His typing also helps him to tank hits very well, as he resists STABs of top tier threats like Keldeo. He is very suited for the job although he brings a lot of weaknesses to the table that need to be covered, so I am eager for a better option.
252 Hp/ 4 Att/ 252 Def
Impish (+Def, -SpA)
Bulletproof
Leftovers
Spiky Shield
Spikes
Drain Punch
Wood Hammer
Everyone, make way for the new bulky grass type of OU! I consider Chesnaught one of the most underrated Pokemon of this Generation, although more and more people are starting to see his potential. Forming a great core with Slowbro, Chesnaught counters some threats to this team like Azumarill, Breloom, and Garchomp with his massive defense. As his role, Chesnaught is a reliable hazard setter, getting at least one or two layers of spikes up each game. For this reason, the ev spread is pretty self explanatory. Its ability allows it to completely wall Gengars who don't run dazzling gleam, becoming immune to both Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb. Spiky Shield gets that little extra damage to punish physical attackers. Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to OHKO many threats such as Azumarill, Quagsire, and Mega-Swampert. Drain Punch is also a reliable move to regain some of the Hp lost from Wood Hammers.
252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpD
Bold (+Def, -Att)
Eviolite
Natural Cure
Wish
Protect
Toxic
Seismic Toss
Upon reviewing my team, I realized that none of my Pokemon, outside of Sableye, has reliable recovery. Chansey was obviously the best for the job for wish support and so everything is as you would expect for your standard wish passer. There really is nothing much to say about this mon except that it is a great counter to Rotom-Wash, Manetric-Mega, and Greninja, which would all otherwise give this team a hard time. Ok, so moving on!
64 Hp/ 252 Att/ 192 Spe
Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
Infiltrator
Black Sludge
Brave Bird
Taunt
Roost
Cross Poison
Out of all the Pokemon on this team, I feel that Crobat is the best addition I have made so far. As the sixth slot, he really brings this team together. He can revenge kill and clean up if necessary while getting rid of threats like Clefable, Sylveon, Mega-Heracross, and Breloom. That being said, he has by far the most offensive presence on the team. The evs are custom in that I have given him enough speed to outspeed Greninja, a lot of Attack to OHKO Keldeo, Conkledurr, and other mons, and the rest thrown into bulk. Also, Crobat combats bulky set up sweepers and defoggers which can be a pain. I feel the need to run Cross Poison over other moves like Super Fang, U-Turn, Toxic, or Defog because I need an offensive threat to the Fairies that can destroy Sableye. All in all, a very good team member.
In Conclusion
In Conclusion, I feel that I have the basis down for the team, although I am open to any changes, replacements or tweaks suggested. I welcome any suggestions and advice on how to better use this team, what to do, and how I can improve! Oh, and can anyone tell me how I can install drop down boxes in here? I could never find those.
Nevertheless, this team has major problems:
Threats
Offensive Threats
These 4 threaten my team like no tomorrow. After a belly drum, swords dance, dragon dance, etc, these guys have the power to sweep through my whole team. Beedrill is super dangerous as it is often paired with a reliable defogger and can sweep through my whole team with x-scizzor, drill run, and poison jab. Belly Drum Azumarill hits like a truck, altough it is the least dangerous of the 4 because Chesnaught outspeeds and OHKOs. Charizard X is immune to burn and as bulk to support it. Its unpredictability makes it hard to deal with because it is hard to determine if he runs earthquake or not. Lopunny, shits on Sableye with its ability scrappy, though thankfully I still have Slowbro to deal with her. Greninja, particularly Greninja with low kick is dangerous because that is what is going to hit Chansey the hardest. Thankfully, thinks don't really get out of hand too fast when dealing with the frog.
Eon Twins
Reliable defoggers, particularly the eon twins, put a real damper on my team. Crobat cannot taunt them or else risks getting OHKO'd by Psyshock, Chansey also can't switch in easily either for Psyshock as well. Heatran walls both of them effectivly unless one runs earthquake but I haven't ran into one of those yet.
Replays
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-188466465
More Replays Coming Soon!
Importable
Give this team a try yourself!
Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Dark Pulse
- Will-O-Wisp
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Roar
Slowbro @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Spiky Shield
- Wood Hammer
- Drain Punch
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Cross Poison
- Roost
- Taunt
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