Stall to Sweep - One Change after Another *Replacements*

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

Well, time for some explanations on how the team works outside of the title it's given. 4 Pokemon with a "Close to Perfect" as some have said, Defensive Core lay Spikes and Stealth Rock, break walls with Landorus-T, and each Pokemon is meant to force switches without actually forcing them. Once their jobs are complete and the opposition is weakened, the final 2 Pokemon lay on the Choice-Item Sweep. If needed, the two Locked Pokemon can Revenge Kill a threat or two. There are some things to consider with how I make teams:

1. Item Clause is something not enforced in OU, but I enforce it in Team Building to force a bit of variety. I have something against teams that use two of the same item, and you'd think that'd stop the stall, but two Pokemon are in the team for additional healing.

2. There was an extra challenge in this team: No reliable healing moves outside of Wish. No Softboiled, no Recover, no Slack Off, etc. This was a self-involved challenge as to how it would work without them. This rule can be broken if needed, though, since it was just a challenge.

3. It will be a while before I get pictures and tests at the same time. I'm typing this on an iPad, guys, so come on...

Some changes were made below. Look for the lines!

Now to begin the go through of the team.

Pinky (Chansey) @ Eviolite
Bold Nature
Ability: Natural Cure
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
- Aromatherapy
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss

Wish was the one healing move I allowed myself to run, so what better Pokemon to use it than Chansey? On top of Wish, I needed a Cleric in case of Status Hax (since only a single Pokemon wouldn't want to be Badly Poisoned). It came in handy against some Freeze Hax recently and I haven't looked back at the decision since. The last move needed to be an attacking move in case of Taunt from a Non-Ghost, so Seismic Toss is in the pool. Pinky is a reliable Pokemon in the core with only a sole weakness that two Pokemon can cover on both spectrums.

(Gliscorus) Landorus-T @ Leftovers
Bold Nature
Ability: Intimidate
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
- Stealth Rock
- Gravity
- U-Turn
- Earthquake

Once, this slot was given to Gliscor, but once I needed the Physical Wall-capabilities more and more, Landorus-T looked like the better option. His nickname follows from Gliscor's Role here thanks to being absolutely annoying and quite bulky Physically. Since Landorus-T can't learn Taunt (I was very sad), I gave it Gravity instead to increase the accuracy of a couple specific moves and force more Pokemon to take Spikes Damage. Honestly, I couldn't find a better move for a Defensive Landorus-T. Earthquake is there when in need of an Attacking-STAB. U-Turn is an excellent move to use for Scouting threats it can't handle.

Crystal (Skarmory) F @ That Half-Eaten Apple
Careful Nature
Ability: Sturdy
252 HP/24 Def/232 SpDef
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Taunt

Looking back, Skarmory deals with the one Pokemon that gives my team problems better than Landorus-T does: Toxicroak. Something else that Skarmory does that Landorus-T doesn't is Taunt, which is very important for this team. Whirlwind is also just as important to force switches and force Hazard Damage to ravage the opponent's Pokemon. Finally, whereas Tank was the Spikes Layer, the role was given to Skarmory, as I found more opportunities to lay Spikes with Skarmory than I did Ferrothorn.

Man O War (Tentacruel) M @ Black Sludge
Calm Nature
Ability: Rain Dish
Shiny: Yes
252 HP/4 Def/252 SpDef
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
- Scald
- Protect

One of the best partners for Landorus-T is Tentacruel thanks to its natural resistances. Landorus-T is a decent partner for Tentacruel thanks to how it is immune to Thunder/Thunderbolt and Earthquake/Earth Power. Anyways, Man O War (yay for Beta Names) is something every Stall Team can't go without: Toxic Spikes Absorber. Even though only 1 Pokemon is weak to Toxic Spikes (Chansey with Natural Cure and Aromatherapy doesn't count), absorbing Toxic Spikes and spinning the rest is still important. Man O War does my personal favorite strategy: ToxicStall. If needed, Scald can possibly burn threats and reduce their Attack Stats (kinda makes up for his role as a Specially Defensive Pokemon).

Tank (Ferrothorn) M @ Rocky Helmet
Bold Relaxed Nature
Ability: Iron Barbs
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Spikes Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave Gyro Ball

Oh look, Leftovers is being used on Landorus-T. What item can be used fo--Rocky Helmet. This is, almost literally, my Girlfriend's Ferrothorn. I don't have much of a problem with Fire Attacks thanks to Tentacruel and Chansey's Natural Bulk. Fight-Type moves are typically Physical. There is one more role that Tank has: A Pseudo-SpinBlocker. Without a Ghost-Type (I couldn't fit Gengar in), I need a Pokemon that makes Physical Attackers pay unless they have Earthquake. Besides this, Tank is the Spikes Stealth Rock Layer and the Pokemon to spread Paralysis to the appropriate threats. The addition of Gyro Ball has greatly helped with faster threats that would possibly stop this team, particularly Kyurem-B. As a bonus, Tank can Pseudo Heal teammates with Leech Seed. When by himself, Protect can help Stall out when combined with Man O War's Toxic.

Ram (Terrakion) @ Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature
Ability: Justified
4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- X-Scissor
- Zen Headbutt

Now we're getting into the Hyper Offense of the Team and I know what you're thinking: Why in the name of Arceus does Terrakion have Zen Headbutt? There are a couple Pokemon that can possibly stop Terrakion, specifically Nidoking/Nidoqueen, Gengar, Toxicroak, and the plethora of Fight-Types like Conkeldurr. In case of a midprediction with Gengar in the open, Zen Headbutt becomes a somewhat safe Fail-Safe just in case. Other than that, it's a typical "Outspeed a double boost bulky Volcarona" Choice Scarf Terrakion Ram does his job well and always has when I use him.

Spoony (Alakazam) M @ The Focus Item that isn't Band
Timid Nature
Ability: Magic Guard
4 HP/252 SpAtk/252 Spe
IVs: 30 Spe
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power (Ice)

What a replacement here...now to explain why. This isn't just because of the "NO LEGENDARIES" Challenge. This was because of the threat of Poison and Fight-Types on the opponnent teams, especially the Pokemon that combined both: Toxicroak. On top of that, the coverage given allows some Dragons to be taken out, as Dragonite was once a bit of a problem for this team. No longer is that true, as Spoony is here to the rescue. Psyshock is there to catch the OHKO on Non-Scarf Terrakion. Shadow Ball is over Signal Beam in case of a Jellicent/Gengar switch in on a possible Celebi hit. Focus Blast rounds the coverage almost perfectly, hitting Tyranitar for impressive damage As for Hidden Power Ice, this is for those Pesky Dragons not named Kyurem.

Fury (Scizor) F @ Choice Band
Adamant Nature
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
252 Atk/4 Def/252 SpDef
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
- Pursuit
- Superpower

Finally, Scizor's OU Usage...is too damn high, but very much needed for this team. Fury here is one of my most effective Pokemon, especially with some keen prediction. On top of being part of the Hyper Offense in the team, Fury acts as a Revenge Killer, Scouter, and Pursuit Trapper. Everything Choice Band Scizor is good for has been said to death--no, scratch that; Scizor's Dead Horse is being beaten with another Dead Horse, so...now to give you a list of Pokemon that have been thrown out of the team earlier.



Gliscor

Gliscor was a ToxicStall Pokemon with Tentacruel, but the need for a more Physically Bulky Pokemon with Stealth Rock came in need, so Landorus-T came in and replaced it.

Skarmory

Physically Defensive Skarmory used Spikes, Taunt, Roost, and Whirlwind to screw with the opposition (when I allowed Roost), but when Stealth Rock was needed and Landorus-T needed Leftovers, I didn't want to use Custap Berry with Skarmory due to the constant need of Spikes. I needed a bulky Pokemon, so that's when Ferrothorn came in. Kinda killed me because I like Skarmory...oh well.

Landorus-T

Once a staple on the team...not so much, though I will miss using Earthquake on Dragonite. Besides Stealth Rock, Landorus-T didn't do much as a whole against the opponent or FOR his own. I found that Skarmory, was, truly, a much better option.

Terrakion

His STAB is fantastic...and I will miss it, but replacing him with Alakazam was, overall, a wiser move. I needed that extra bit from Alakazam for other reasons, so for now...it was good back then, Terrakion.

Porygon2

This was, to me, the biggest loss. With Porygon2, Toxic was a huge worry on it, on top of residual damage. Before, Recover was allowed, so it wasn't a problem. Even with Recover, Chansey was just a better Pokemon to use thanks to her ability to heal her Team's HP and Status. At that point...the Eviolite Flag was passed to Pinky.

As usual, comment, suggest, rate, etc.--whatever you all do.

 

[tellko]

i just want to say how awesome it is someone actually playing with item clause. I personally do that as well and it brings extra chalange and enjoyment when building a team. Try also playing without any legendaries, it brings even more fun to team building IMO.

 

[Soulfly]

Hi, i'm not familiar with item clause so i wont suggest other pokemons, however i personally used a tentacruel and i prefer liquid ooze on him. This because drain punch, leech seed and giga drain are quite frequent lately. That makes tentacruel a pretty good check to the likes of ferrothorn, toxicroak, etc.
Rain dish makes him alot more tanky yes but if thundurus dies a drain puncher sweeps you pretty easily (unless i missed something). Thundurus his bulk also isnt great enough to be the only 'counter' to fighting types.

 

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

i just want to say how awesome it is someone actually playing with item clause. I personally do that as well and it brings extra chalange and enjoyment when building a team. Try also playing without any legendaries, it brings even more fun to team building IMO.

I'm looking into doing just that, actually ^_^

Hi, i'm not familiar with item clause so i wont suggest other pokemons, however i personally used a tentacruel and i prefer liquid ooze on him. This because drain punch, leech seed and giga drain are quite frequent lately. That makes tentacruel a pretty good check to the likes of ferrothorn, toxicroak, etc.
Rain dish makes him alot more tanky yes but if thundurus dies a drain puncher sweeps you pretty easily (unless i missed something). Thundurus his bulk also isnt great enough to be the only 'counter' to fighting types.

Drain Punch, you say? *Looks at Landorus-T* I disagree. How many Trainers use Drain Punch? Literally, it comes down to Conkeldurr and Toxicroak as the main users...every now and again a Breloom. Other than that, not too many Pokes, so I'm not overly worried. I see your concern, but I've yet to go against a dangerous Drain Punch user with problems, so...we'd see how that goes.

 

[Soulfly]

I'm looking into doing just that, actually ^_^



Drain Punch, you say? *Looks at Landorus-T* I disagree. How many Trainers use Drain Punch? Literally, it comes down to Conkeldurr and Toxicroak as the main users...every now and again a Breloom. Other than that, not too many Pokes, so I'm not overly worried. I see your concern, but I've yet to go against a dangerous Drain Punch user with problems, so...we'd see how that goes.

First off: fat Soulfly??? :P

You might be right, i recently had alot of drainers in the enemy team wich gave me the impression drain punch is frequent. However the fact remains that landorus T is your only fighting check. I have to admit, because sprites are missing, i thought it was thundurus. With the EV's you gave him he can tank the fighting types, but loosing him leaves you wide open. Thats why i stick to the liquid ooze suggestion, as it worked fine for me so far.

 

[4daptability]

I believe Soulfly was referring to Ice Punch on Toxicroak, which can prove to be rather threatening to your team, outside of revenge killing it. I think you might want to consider the Ferrothorn moveset that is currently on site, as it carries attacks, Gyro Ball, in particular, that can help it deal with the likes of Kyurem-B and Dragonite. Thunder Wave is by no means a bad move, but when the only thing that can benefit from the speed drops are your Terrakion, who is already Choice Scarfed, and outspeeds all of the unboosted metagame. Another issue is that you are running a Bold Nature on Ferrothorn and Landorus-T, who would much rather have speed lowered(unless you're trying to hit a specific speed tier), in the form of Relaxed, or Sassy.

 

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

I believe Soulfly was referring to Ice Punch on Toxicroak, which can prove to be rather threatening to your team, outside of revenge killing it. I think you might want to consider the Ferrothorn moveset that is currently on site, as it carries attacks, Gyro Ball, in particular, that can help it deal with the likes of Kyurem-B and Dragonite. Thunder Wave is by no means a bad move, but when the only thing that can benefit from the speed drops are your Terrakion, who is already Choice Scarfed, and outspeeds all of the unboosted metagame. Another issue is that you are running a Bold Nature on Ferrothorn and Landorus-T, who would much rather have speed lowered(unless you're trying to hit a specific speed tier), in the form of Relaxed, or Sassy.

I like the recommends here. I've done some tests with Unboosted Toxicroaks against Landorus-T (using the EV Spread for the Bulk Up set) and it couldn't even 3HKO it. Gyro Ball was, indeed, an option, though it was between that and Thunder Wave for me. I'm going to give Gyro Ball a shake at it for a couple days and see if that does anything better. Then again...I'm the same guy that actually still runs Choice Band Ferrothorn from time to time...oh, the DragMags ruined with it...

I was actually going up against a few PWT rounds with Chansey, Tentacruel, and Scizor today and noticed that the lack of Physical Bulk on Tentacruel was a bit of a problem. In my mind, Politoed is still a big deal, and the Special Bulk helps Tentacruel deal with Special Attackers like Politoed. Without the Physical Bulk, I run into some problems with Earthquake when by itself, so I'm considering EV shifting some SpDef to Def for future reference.

As far as Speed goes, Landorus-T I can see with minimal speed, so I'm going to test that out.

One threat I can DEFINITELY say my team has problems with is Toxicroak. I went up against my Girlfriend's Rain Team and the only Pokemon to give me problems was her Toxicroak. She's a bit weary of both Landorus-T tanking 2 Ice Punches (she runs SubBulk Toxicroak) without dying and coming back with Earthquake and Terrakion hitting with Zen Headbutt (probably the biggest reason I considered running Zen Headbutt in the first place), but outside of that, my team is relatively weak against it. I don't see if often anymore, but when I do, I'm on my absolute guard...and taking Tentacruel out since it can't even touch it.

I'm surprised that NOBODY has talked about moves like Gravity on Landorus-T and Zen Headbutt on Terrakion, really. I find it odd that nobody really has too much of a problem with Aromatherapy+Wish Chansey, either. A couple days of testing and I'll be back with some updates of sorts--this is the one team I've been impressed with so far, though, and I'm going to do my absolute best to refine it ^_^

 

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

Okay, so some things were taken into consideration for the team and some Pokemon were ultimately replaced. Have a look and judge for yourselves