I'll be honest, I've never really been that great at OU. It's always been a bit of a difficult tier for me to grasp. But lately I made a new Ou team, and instead of being balanced offense like all my other ones, this one is the trolliest playstyle available: stall. The sets I use aren't too common bar a few of them, but they do their job well enough to justify themselves.
This Pokemon recently replaced another, so I currently don't have an in depth description for it. Below is a brief quote from a post below explaining why I switched it out.
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 100 SpA / 156 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves: Substitute, Calm Mind, Dazzling Gleam, Thunder Wave
Klefki is probably one of my favorite Pokemon on my team just because of how much of an asshole it can be. This set is not only annoying to deal with but also has a neat sort of surprise factor to it since Klefki is commonly associated with dual screens and laying down spikes rather than being an offensive Pokemon. It's a fun set to use and has a little bit of a resemblance to Crocune. EVs and nature are mostly put into defensive bulk because priority CM can patch up its special stats quickly. While it lacks reliable recovery, it spends more time behind a substitute then typical sub users because of its bulky nature, at least if it's facing a special attacker, giving is more turns of leftover recovery.
Substitute is a key move on this set, keeping Klefki safe from all sorts of nasty moves like T-wave, Will-o, and Taunt, which would otherwise cripple it or just render it useless altogether. After a couple of CMs any special attacker is going to have a toughf time breaking down its sub, giving it ample time to set up and then attack. Calm Mind is obviously the key to this whole set, and without it Klefki is useless. In addition to making it a great special tank, it also boosts its less than impressive special attack to decent levels. Dazzling Gleam is its only attack, and while Steel and Fire are annoyingly common, so is Fighting and to some extent, Dark, and nothing is immune to it, making it a good choice for Klefki's only damaging move. Lastly is Thunder Wave, a staple on most Klefki sets. In conjunction with Substitute, this can make Klefki much harder to take down by granting it free turns or just forcing the opponent out. It also aids its teammates, none of which are particularly fast themselves. All in all I love this set, and its few checks and counters can be easily countered by other members of the team, bar maybe Megagross depending on what moves it's running.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
Moves: Swords Dance, Earthquake, Toxic, Protect
The first thing one might notice about Gliscor's moveset is that it lacks Substitute, Roost, Protect, and/or Toxic, all very standard moves on Gliscor. The problem with this set is four moveslot syndrome, which unfortunately keeps me from running these (though it still functions well, or else I obviously wouldn't be using it). I have to run SD automatically to make offensive Gliscor work, at least work well, so that's a slot. EQ is mandatory STAB as it is on pretty much every physical Ground type ever, so that's a slot. Acrobatics is so Flying types don't totally well me after Flinging my Toxic Orb, so that's a slot. And lastly, I need Fling so Acrobatics can actually be worth using, so there goes my last slot. I just can't see any move that I could afford to drop for any of Gliscor's more standard moves. Anyways, on to the moves themselves. SD is a little obvious, raising Gliscor's attack to respectable levels and with its bulk it might even find and opportunity to get to +4. EQ, like I said before, is pretty much a given, and I need it to keep klefki's counters in check. Fling not only makes Acrobatics into a powerful STAB move with a higher BP than EQ, but partially helps alleviate the absence of Toxic, giving me at least one opportunity to poison a foe. And Acrobatics is there mostly for coverage, but after Fling it becomes a powerful attack that compliments Ground coverage well. It also OHKOs Serperior at +2, and if Serperior hasn't gained any boosts yet it can tank one Leaf Storm, letting it take out a potential threat to the rest of my team.
^It should be noted that all of this is outdated, but it still highlights Gliscor's basic job on my team so if you want a loose grasp on its role, you should still read it. I'll try to update it with Gliscor's new moveset soon.
Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves: Calm Mind, Shadow Ball, Recover, Will-O-Wisp
Taking a break from rarer, more niche sets, here is a pretty standard CM Sableye set. While not the most creative thing I've ever slapped together, it does its job incredibly well and doesn't really need to be different or outstanding. Sableye is an excellent wall both physically and specially, with Will-o covering the physical side and CM to cover the special side. And with its great typing, its only weakness is Fairy, and it can even cripple certain Fairies like Mega Altaria, Azumarill, and Slurpuff if it plays its cards right and catches the small windows of opportunity in which they are vulnerable. One of the best parts about it are its immunities to Fighting and Psychic, two types that can give my team a hard time. Sableye is definitely the glue that holds my team together. EVs are fairly self explanatory, maxing physical bulk while it boosts is special side. Bold nature adds to this, making it hard for physical attackers to keep it down while it sets up, bar some annoying exceptions like Bisharp and most DDance users.
Calm Mind is pretty standard on Mega Sableye. It's both simple and effective, turning it into a sweeper and a tank. Shadow Ball is chosen over Dark Pulse because Fairies that might switch into Sableye don't resist it. The drawback to this is it's forced to wear down Normal types with Will-o, leading to long, drawn out situations. On top of this it is totally shut down by Chansey (not that Dark Pulse would be to threatening to Chansey in the first place though) who can shrug off anything Sableye tries to do and out stall it easily, forcing it to switch and give the opponent a free turn if I fail to predict Chansey coming in. Recover, like CM, is pretty much mandatory on all Sabley, mega or not. This lets it regain any HP lost while setting up once its health is whittled down to low levels. Will-o checks physical Pokemon who can muscle past it's high defense like Tyranitar (as long as it isn't a DDance set) and Landorus T.
Sableye is generally just an overall great Pokemon who takes a lot of pressure off its teammates to work around statuses and entry hazards.
This Pokemon recently replaced another, so I currently don't have an in depth description for it. Below is a brief quote from a post below explaining why I switched it out.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Calm Nature
Moves: Wish, Toxic, Protect, Seismic Toss
Last but certainly not least is Chansey, one of the most infamous stall Pokemon since generation one. It glues my team together along with Sableye, and along with it and Klefki, form an incredible specially defensive core.That and holy hell they're all so cute. With Natural Cure it can sponge statuses for the team and then just switch back out. I hate facing these things as much as I love using them. Its EVs help it take physical hits surprisingly well, with a mostly uninvested special defense still able to take special attacks like a brick wall because of its great HP. A calm nature is chosen over bold, however, because bold only gives a minor boost to defense.
First and foremost is Wish. Since I don't need Aromatherapy/Heal Bell on account of being able to avoid literally every status condition simply through clever switching, that opens up a move slot that lets me run Protect. That's good because a lot of my team doesn't have reliable recovery and I need those fat 350 HP Wishes to keep them alive. Protect also lets me Toxic stall a lot easier, especially against Pokemon who can Roost or Recover to negate Seismic Toss's effects. Toxic is chosen over T-wave because in addition to already having T-wave on Klefki, Chansey is pretty easily taken advantage of without the increasing damage provided by Toxic. Of course Skarmory is still a big problem, but luckily I have ways to play around it. Protect is a pretty good utility move, especially since I lack the immediate recovery of Soft Boiled. It also helps me stall out Pokemon who can't be killed with Seismic Toss. Seismic Toss is still a decent move on Chansey though, and Pokemon who don't have reliable recover can easily be worn down by a combination of it and Toxic
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And that's my team! I can't say it's perfect, but I've definitely been having more success with it than my other attempts at OU, which I guess says something about what my best playstyle actually was this whole time. This is the first stall team I've ever made in any tier, and I'm not great at OU to begin with, so it might not be great. If you see any glaring flaws please share with me. I do my best to improve, or at least I try!
This Pokemon recently replaced another, so I currently don't have an in depth description for it. Below is a brief quote from a post below explaining why I switched it out.
Skarmory (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar
First is Skarmory. This is my Empoleon replacement, and also helps me deal with the loss of Chesnaught, which I'll touch on in a bit. It still does mainly the same job as Empoleon did, but a little differently. Using it over Empoleon has its cons, such as the inability to score free burns with Scald spam and missing out on Knock Off, but it also has an invaluable immunity to Ground, far superior bulk, and most of all, Roost. Recovery is obviously a big deal on stall teams, so having one more Pokemon who can keep itself alive takes a lot of pressure off of Chansey. It's also a lot better at setting up Stealth Rock, and I need SR, so having a mon who is guarantied to live at least on turn is already a huge step up from the more risky approach I took with Empoleon. Overall, switching Empoleon out for Skarmory has had little cost with big payoff.
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Roar
First is Skarmory. This is my Empoleon replacement, and also helps me deal with the loss of Chesnaught, which I'll touch on in a bit. It still does mainly the same job as Empoleon did, but a little differently. Using it over Empoleon has its cons, such as the inability to score free burns with Scald spam and missing out on Knock Off, but it also has an invaluable immunity to Ground, far superior bulk, and most of all, Roost. Recovery is obviously a big deal on stall teams, so having one more Pokemon who can keep itself alive takes a lot of pressure off of Chansey. It's also a lot better at setting up Stealth Rock, and I need SR, so having a mon who is guarantied to live at least on turn is already a huge step up from the more risky approach I took with Empoleon. Overall, switching Empoleon out for Skarmory has had little cost with big payoff.
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Def / 100 SpA / 156 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves: Substitute, Calm Mind, Dazzling Gleam, Thunder Wave
Klefki is probably one of my favorite Pokemon on my team just because of how much of an asshole it can be. This set is not only annoying to deal with but also has a neat sort of surprise factor to it since Klefki is commonly associated with dual screens and laying down spikes rather than being an offensive Pokemon. It's a fun set to use and has a little bit of a resemblance to Crocune. EVs and nature are mostly put into defensive bulk because priority CM can patch up its special stats quickly. While it lacks reliable recovery, it spends more time behind a substitute then typical sub users because of its bulky nature, at least if it's facing a special attacker, giving is more turns of leftover recovery.
Substitute is a key move on this set, keeping Klefki safe from all sorts of nasty moves like T-wave, Will-o, and Taunt, which would otherwise cripple it or just render it useless altogether. After a couple of CMs any special attacker is going to have a toughf time breaking down its sub, giving it ample time to set up and then attack. Calm Mind is obviously the key to this whole set, and without it Klefki is useless. In addition to making it a great special tank, it also boosts its less than impressive special attack to decent levels. Dazzling Gleam is its only attack, and while Steel and Fire are annoyingly common, so is Fighting and to some extent, Dark, and nothing is immune to it, making it a good choice for Klefki's only damaging move. Lastly is Thunder Wave, a staple on most Klefki sets. In conjunction with Substitute, this can make Klefki much harder to take down by granting it free turns or just forcing the opponent out. It also aids its teammates, none of which are particularly fast themselves. All in all I love this set, and its few checks and counters can be easily countered by other members of the team, bar maybe Megagross depending on what moves it's running.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
Moves: Swords Dance, Earthquake, Toxic, Protect
The first thing one might notice about Gliscor's moveset is that it lacks Substitute, Roost, Protect, and/or Toxic, all very standard moves on Gliscor. The problem with this set is four moveslot syndrome, which unfortunately keeps me from running these (though it still functions well, or else I obviously wouldn't be using it). I have to run SD automatically to make offensive Gliscor work, at least work well, so that's a slot. EQ is mandatory STAB as it is on pretty much every physical Ground type ever, so that's a slot. Acrobatics is so Flying types don't totally well me after Flinging my Toxic Orb, so that's a slot. And lastly, I need Fling so Acrobatics can actually be worth using, so there goes my last slot. I just can't see any move that I could afford to drop for any of Gliscor's more standard moves. Anyways, on to the moves themselves. SD is a little obvious, raising Gliscor's attack to respectable levels and with its bulk it might even find and opportunity to get to +4. EQ, like I said before, is pretty much a given, and I need it to keep klefki's counters in check. Fling not only makes Acrobatics into a powerful STAB move with a higher BP than EQ, but partially helps alleviate the absence of Toxic, giving me at least one opportunity to poison a foe. And Acrobatics is there mostly for coverage, but after Fling it becomes a powerful attack that compliments Ground coverage well. It also OHKOs Serperior at +2, and if Serperior hasn't gained any boosts yet it can tank one Leaf Storm, letting it take out a potential threat to the rest of my team.
^It should be noted that all of this is outdated, but it still highlights Gliscor's basic job on my team so if you want a loose grasp on its role, you should still read it. I'll try to update it with Gliscor's new moveset soon.
Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
Moves: Calm Mind, Shadow Ball, Recover, Will-O-Wisp
Taking a break from rarer, more niche sets, here is a pretty standard CM Sableye set. While not the most creative thing I've ever slapped together, it does its job incredibly well and doesn't really need to be different or outstanding. Sableye is an excellent wall both physically and specially, with Will-o covering the physical side and CM to cover the special side. And with its great typing, its only weakness is Fairy, and it can even cripple certain Fairies like Mega Altaria, Azumarill, and Slurpuff if it plays its cards right and catches the small windows of opportunity in which they are vulnerable. One of the best parts about it are its immunities to Fighting and Psychic, two types that can give my team a hard time. Sableye is definitely the glue that holds my team together. EVs are fairly self explanatory, maxing physical bulk while it boosts is special side. Bold nature adds to this, making it hard for physical attackers to keep it down while it sets up, bar some annoying exceptions like Bisharp and most DDance users.
Calm Mind is pretty standard on Mega Sableye. It's both simple and effective, turning it into a sweeper and a tank. Shadow Ball is chosen over Dark Pulse because Fairies that might switch into Sableye don't resist it. The drawback to this is it's forced to wear down Normal types with Will-o, leading to long, drawn out situations. On top of this it is totally shut down by Chansey (not that Dark Pulse would be to threatening to Chansey in the first place though) who can shrug off anything Sableye tries to do and out stall it easily, forcing it to switch and give the opponent a free turn if I fail to predict Chansey coming in. Recover, like CM, is pretty much mandatory on all Sabley, mega or not. This lets it regain any HP lost while setting up once its health is whittled down to low levels. Will-o checks physical Pokemon who can muscle past it's high defense like Tyranitar (as long as it isn't a DDance set) and Landorus T.
Sableye is generally just an overall great Pokemon who takes a lot of pressure off its teammates to work around statuses and entry hazards.
This Pokemon recently replaced another, so I currently don't have an in depth description for it. Below is a brief quote from a post below explaining why I switched it out.
Whimsicott (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Taunt
- Moonblast
- Leech Seed
Like I said earlier, I removed Chesnaught from my team. What was its replacement? Well, this, obviously. Just like Chesnaught, Whimsicott still really isn't a defensive juggernaut like the rest of my team. It makes up for this, however, by being able to totally dismantle the foe and keep them from ever getting to attack it in the first place. I knew I needed a Taunt user after a Rest user out-stalled me, along with various other status move related mishaps that could have easily been avoided with the move Taunt. Whimsicott seemed like a good solution to this because of its good typing and great movepool and ability. It's main drawback is its Poison weakness, but just a quick glance at my team shows that I pretty much have that covered. Whimsicott also has good synergy with Sableye and Klefki, because it can give them free recovery with Leech Seed, then disable the opponent for them while they set up. Whimsicott does have its drawbacks, but its a pretty good Pokemon to have around, and so far has given me more success than Chesnaught.
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Taunt
- Moonblast
- Leech Seed
Like I said earlier, I removed Chesnaught from my team. What was its replacement? Well, this, obviously. Just like Chesnaught, Whimsicott still really isn't a defensive juggernaut like the rest of my team. It makes up for this, however, by being able to totally dismantle the foe and keep them from ever getting to attack it in the first place. I knew I needed a Taunt user after a Rest user out-stalled me, along with various other status move related mishaps that could have easily been avoided with the move Taunt. Whimsicott seemed like a good solution to this because of its good typing and great movepool and ability. It's main drawback is its Poison weakness, but just a quick glance at my team shows that I pretty much have that covered. Whimsicott also has good synergy with Sableye and Klefki, because it can give them free recovery with Leech Seed, then disable the opponent for them while they set up. Whimsicott does have its drawbacks, but its a pretty good Pokemon to have around, and so far has given me more success than Chesnaught.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Calm Nature
Moves: Wish, Toxic, Protect, Seismic Toss
Last but certainly not least is Chansey, one of the most infamous stall Pokemon since generation one. It glues my team together along with Sableye, and along with it and Klefki, form an incredible specially defensive core.
First and foremost is Wish. Since I don't need Aromatherapy/Heal Bell on account of being able to avoid literally every status condition simply through clever switching, that opens up a move slot that lets me run Protect. That's good because a lot of my team doesn't have reliable recovery and I need those fat 350 HP Wishes to keep them alive. Protect also lets me Toxic stall a lot easier, especially against Pokemon who can Roost or Recover to negate Seismic Toss's effects. Toxic is chosen over T-wave because in addition to already having T-wave on Klefki, Chansey is pretty easily taken advantage of without the increasing damage provided by Toxic. Of course Skarmory is still a big problem, but luckily I have ways to play around it. Protect is a pretty good utility move, especially since I lack the immediate recovery of Soft Boiled. It also helps me stall out Pokemon who can't be killed with Seismic Toss. Seismic Toss is still a decent move on Chansey though, and Pokemon who don't have reliable recover can easily be worn down by a combination of it and Toxic
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And that's my team! I can't say it's perfect, but I've definitely been having more success with it than my other attempts at OU, which I guess says something about what my best playstyle actually was this whole time. This is the first stall team I've ever made in any tier, and I'm not great at OU to begin with, so it might not be great. If you see any glaring flaws please share with me. I do my best to improve, or at least I try!
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