Smogonite Says What?

[Annalysia]

I really only play Gen IV OU (not a big fan of the weather-basics in Gen V to be honest, heh) and this is one of my favorite stall teams. It needs some patching up, which is why I came to Smogon for some help!

Team Building Process:

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Okay, to start with I wanted a Grass/Fire/Water core, not too big of a surprise. One of my favorite grass types ever is Breloom, while Heatran and Gyarados have wonderful synergy with him and each other.

Now, I needed something that could help Heatran with entry hazards, and specially defensive Forretress could be a huge help. It can also help rapid spin Rocks away for Gyarados.

With all of these entry hazards, I need a spin blocker. What's better than a good-old fashioned Rotom-form?

And now, to end it all, I wanted a decent offensive threat that could take out opposing ghosts... Tyranitar fits the bill perfectly while also bringing a Sandstorm to help negate leftovers.

And that's the team-building process. A fairly standard team, which could have a few switches (SubSplit Gengar instead of ChargeRotom perhaps?)

And now, the moment we've been waiting for...
The Team!



Forretress:

Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
~ Rapid Spin
~ Payback
~ Toxic Spikes
~ Spikes

Forretress does pretty well at setting up entry hazards, especially when facing leads that lack a hard-hitting move or taunt. I chose the specially defensive set since it throws a lot of people off-guard and helps him live longer. Toxic Spikes are the main selling point in this set, allowing my team to stall out bulkier opponents much easier. Spikes is just for more hazards. Rapid Spin isn't crucial besides getting rid of Stealth Rocks for Gyarados, so I'm considering another choice. Payback smacks ghosts and taunting Azelf's in the face. The only thing I need to keep for sure is Toxic Spikes, so other suggestions for this set are much appreciated.


Breloom:

Ability: Poison Heal
Nature: Impish
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spe
~ Spore
~ Substitute
~ Leech Seed
~ Focus Punch

Breloom is a wonderful sub-seeder, especially with Toxic Orb attached. The EVs are to increase his survivability while still being able to out-speed a few notable threats. Spore cripples anything that Toxic Spikes can't take care of, such as foes with Levitate. Substitute with Leech Seed make him increasingly difficult to take down and Focus Punch is for a hard-hitting STAB attack that's easier to shoot off behind a sub. Breloom also pairs well with Gyarados, absorbing most status effects heading their way.


Heatran:

Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
~ Stealth Rocks
~ Flamethrower
~ Roar
~ Protect

A standard support Heatran set, but still effective. Shuca Berry is to help absorb a ground-type attack for an almost-always guaranteed success at getting Rocks up. I switch between this and leftovers. Stealth Rocks are for more hazards while protect allows me to scout choice users and wrack up more residual damage. Roar is to help Gyarados when shuffling the opponent's Pokemon.


Gyarados:

Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Waterfall
~ Roar

Gyarados is an amazing physical wall, especially when combined with Rest and Sleep talk. The EVs and nature are to make him much more durable. Waterfall is for a nice STAB attack that can also grab a flinch or two if Lady Luck is on my side. Roar is to help rack up residual damage and get rid of pesky stat boosters. He's a pretty awesome addition in this team, so I don't have many regrets with him at all.


Rotom-H

Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 128 HP / 168 SpA / 212 Spe
~ Substitute
~ Charge Beam
~ Shadow Ball
~ Hidden Power [Fighting]

This set is extremely effective and probably one of my favorite spin-blockers in the game. (SubSplit Gengar being closely behind, though his overall bulk is a downfall.) It's pretty easy to get a Substitute up and then in return a BeamBoost. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power [Fighting] give him un-resisted coverage. This set is also a good switch-in for Blissey, oddly enough. Especially if T-Spikes have been laid down. If you have any comments or concerns about this set, feel free to put new ideas in front of me.



Tyranitar

Ability: Sand Stream
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
~ Stone Edge
~ Crunch
~ Earthquake
~ Pursuit

This is my check to most ghost Pokemon attempting to stop Forretress from spinning and can also help absorb a few non-boosted special attacks when needed. The sandstorm Tyranitar brings also helps negate leftovers. Stone Edge and Earthquake are just for wonderful coverage while Crunch and Pursuit help me either destroy ghosts or heavily damage them on their way out. Pursuit also helps me weaken Pokemon that are on the physically frail side that try to escape (Jolteon anyone?).


And there it is, a very fun stall team that has done pretty well so far. Please feel free to leave your rates, comments and concerns below.
Much thanks,
- Annalysia

 

[BKC]

The main problem for this team is Stallbreaker Gliscor; your best counter, Gyarados, is managing 50% at most with Waterfall while it is Taunt+Toxic stalled to its death. Strong special attackers with wide coverage such as Starmie, Jolteon and Gengar can also give you trouble, as relying on Tyranitar for all of them may be a bit more than it can handle. To fix these issues, I suggest trying a Scarf Rotom-W over your current Rotom-H.

Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf | Timid | EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Thunderbolt | Shadow Ball | Hydro Pump | Trick

This set is a fantastic late-game cleaner when hazards have been laid down, but more importantly, the addition of another revenge killer will take alot of pressure off Tyranitar (if you do go with Scarf Rotom, it's worth considering a CB Tar if you don't want two scarfers). It's also a much better spinblocker than the SubCharge set because it's bulkier and it's not cutting its own health with Substitute. Rotom-W also fixes the Gliscor issue, taking him out in one shot with Hydro Pump. If you're worried about accuracy, you can use HP Ice over Shadow Ball; it'll come with the added bonus of hitting Dragonite and Flygon, but it'll be require Gengar to be at lower health before you try revenging it. The choice is up to you. Max HP on a scarfer might seem odd but the longevity really helps and you need the bulk to take on LO Starmie. The power loss isn't too noticeable with hazards.

One last change I'd consider is running a specially defensive Heatran over your current set. Your team's defensive playstyle would really appreciate the extra longevity it brings, as well as another phazer, and it'd give you a real Zapdos/Jolteon counter, so you wouldn't rely on having to revenge kill them. A Calm nature @ Leftovers, 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD, Stealth Rock / Lava Plume / Roar / Protect is the ideal moveset. Lava Plume's burn rate might seem redundant with Toxic Spikes but it hits certain flyers that aren't affected by them, such as Flygon, Gyarados and Dragonite. Cool team, hope I helped.

 

[Annalysia]

I'll definitely be trying both of these changes.
My only problem with Lava Plume would be the fact that it eliminates almost all chances for Breloom's Spore.
I'll probably also switch Tyranitar to a CB just so I don't have two scarfers.

Very awesome advice, thank you.
:]

 

[mimi]

instead of CB tar you could run a mix set

Hasty Nature @ expert belt/ babiri berry
252 Atk / 16 SpA / 240 Spe
~stone edge / crunch
~pursuit
~Super power
~fire blast/flamethrower/ice beam

with this set you still that have a ghost killer for the stall team, You can bluff scarf and kill some heavy threats when the come in for revenge (such as scizor)

 

[Annalysia]

So far the Heatran change is permanent. He's performing extremely well. I'm still trying to get the hang of the new Rotom set, so I'm not 100% sure about it as of right now.

Choice Band Tyranitar has actually picked me up a few games I would have otherwise lost (that Stone Edge is pretty fearsome); however, I'm not opposed to trying the mixed set.

Again, thank you both. :]