AM QC: MewBby
QC: allstarapology (grats on PU c&c mod) / quizel / ?
GP: ? / ?
[OVERVIEW]
Stoutland is the premier wallbreaker for offensive sand teams in NU, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame once its Sand Rush ability is activated, and can be devastating for balance offense teams to play around due to its high Attack, coverage, and Speed under sand. Stoutland also possesses decent bulk for a wallbreaker, meaning that the most common forms of priority besides Mach Punch from Hitmonlee won't do a lot, giving teams a harder time revenge killing it under sand. Although Stoutland's coverage of Normal-, Fighting-, and Dark-type attacks hits the entire tier neutrally and can be hard to switch into, Pokemon such as physically defensive Diancie, defensive pivot Slowbro, and Palossand can do so if Stoutland locks itself into the wrong move. Furthermore, Gigalith and Stoutland share a weakness to Fighting-types, so teams wanting to utilize Stoutland must pack Fighting-resistances such as Slowbro and Garbodor. Finally, Stoutland is reliant on sand to adequately peform its role as a wallbreaker, as otherwise it's very susceptible to be revenge killed by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Passimian.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Return
move 2: Facade / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Crunch / Pursuit
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is Stoutland's most reliable STAB attack, reliably 2HKOing Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Vileplume. When it becomes induced with status, Facade becomes Stoutland's new most spammable move, able to break down the sturdiest of defensive walls such as Uxie and Slowbro. Iron Head nails Fairy-types such as Diancie and Whimsicott while also hitting Vanilluxe and opposing Gigalith without the drops from Superpower. Superpower nails Rock- and Steel-types such as Steelix and Gigalith while also being its strongest move against Pokemon such as Incineroar. Crunch hits Ghost-types such as Palossand and Rotom-N that would otherwise being fully immune to the rest of Stoutland's attacks, rounding out its coverage in the process. Pursuit allows Stoutland to trap Pokemon such as Xatu and Rotom-N but locking yourself into Pursuit can be problematic if one opts to run a Choice Band.
Set Details
========
Maximum EVs in Attack alongside an Adamant nature allow Stoutland to wallbreak efficiently, hitting as hard as possible, whereas maximum EVs in Speed allow Stoutland to outpace Pokemon such as Incineroar, Bulk Up Braviary, and Modest Vanilluxe without sand and Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Passimian with Sand Rush activated. Choice Band turns Stoutland from a strong physical attacker into an overwhelming wallbreaker. Life Orb doesn't give Stoutland nearly the same power boost as Choice Band, but allows it to freely change moves and is not as prediction reliant against opposing Ghost-types.
Usage Tips
========
Stoutland is an important Pokemon for any sand team and should be preserved for as long as possible. Therefore, Stoutland should switch out in the face of healthy Fighting-types such as Passiamian and Scrafty that aren't in range of a Return. If there are several turns of sand left but Stoutland is at low health, consider foddering it to allow Sandslash to safely be brought in without losing momentum. Even if it runs Facade, Stoutland does not appreciate being induced with status very much. Poison recoil cuts down on Stoutland's lifespan, paralysis cancels out Sand Rush, and a burn prevents Stoutland from effectively using its other coverage moves. Stoutland, when equipped with a Choice Band, is reliant on predicting correctly in order to catch its switch-ins off guard. For instance, if Stoutland is predicting Steelix to come in, go for Superpower. If Stoutland is predicting Palossand to come in, go for Crunch. Stoutland can also be used as a late-game sweeper, cleaning through the opposing team once all of the Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-type Pokemon are weakened or removed.
Team Options
========
Gigalith is a mandatory teammate for Stoutland, setting up eight turns of sand via its ability Sand Stream and acting as a solid defensive pivot into Pokemon such as Delphox, Houndoom, and Vanilluxe. Sandslash is another common sight on the sand offense team Stoutland is commonly used on, as it too has access to Sand Rush and can use its fantastic Rock- and Ground-type coverage in tandem with Swords Dance to pose as an offensive threat alongside Stoutland. Sandslash can also set up on the Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon Stoutland brings in. Stoutland and Sandslash are also able to very easily remove one another's checks, paving the way for one of them to sweep late-game. Fighting-type resists such as Vileplume, Slowbro, and Whimsicott make great partners for Stoutland as the former two are great defensive switch-ins and the latter two can threaten them out with their super effective STAB attacks. Fast, offensive Pokemon such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Choice Scarf Passimian can act as speed control even when sand is not up and preserve momentum until sand is activated again. In particular, Sneasel can Pursuit trap Ghost-types such as Rotom-N, Mismagius, and Froslass, while Whimsicott and Passimian can generate momentum with U-turn. Special wallbreakers such as Sceptile, Vikavolt, and Sigilyph can assist Stoutland by breaking down physically defensive walls such as Steelix, Palossand, and Diancie so that Stoutland can more freely spam its Normal-type STAB. Eject Button users such as Slowbro can generate instant momentum for a sand hyper offense team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Jolly nature allows Stoutland to outspeed opposing Adamant Stoutland both inside and outside of sand, as well as Timid Choice Specs Vanilluxe and Klinklang outside of sand. This speed creep comes at the cost, however, of a noticeable power loss. Scrappy allows Stoutland to hit Ghost-types such as Rotom-N and Mismagius without having to predict between Crunch and another move. However, changing Stoutland's held item from Choice Band to Life Orb resolves this issue without losing Sand Rush, the primary purpose of using Stoutland in the first place. Toxic cripples defensive Water-types such as Slowbro, Blastoise, and Jellicent but doesn't accomplish much otherwise, and invites in Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Klinklang if Stoutland holds a Choice Band. Stoutland can bluff a Choice item utilizing Silk Scarf, Normalium Z, or Fightinium Z, but serves more as a lure than a main set. Work Up allows Stoutland to have the strength of a Choice Band with the freedom the change moves at the cost of losing coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock- and Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Rhydon, Gigalith, Steelix, and Silvally-Steel are not afraid of any move of Stoutland's bar Superpower. Diancie, in particular, is a great check, as its secondary Fairy typing makes Superpower only a neutral hit. Diancie must be wary of Iron Head though.
**Ghost-types**: Pokemon such as Rotom-N, Palossand, and Jellicent are unfazed by Stoutland locking itself into any move besides Crunch. These Ghost-types, in particular, can make great use of a Colbur Berry, allowing them to take one hit and cripple Stoutland by inducing status or attacking it. Palossand is especially noteworthy as it has a great matchup against Stoutland, Gigalith, and Sandslash due to its immense physical bulk and access to reliable recovery that regenerates even more health under sand.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Scrafty, Passimian, and Medicham all put offensive pressure on Stoutland by threatening it out with their super effective STAB attacks outside of sand. Hitmonlee and Toxicroak can also threaten Stoutland out with priority Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave.
**Faster Pokemon**: While they are few and far between, Pokemon that outspeed Sand Rush Stoutland such as Choice Scarf Heliolisk can take Stoutland out with Focus Blast. Pokemon that can outspeed Stoutland outside of sand such as Sceptile, Scyther, Delphox, and Accelgor can also revenge kill it.
**Defensive Switch-ins**: Physically defensive Pokemon such as Slowbro, Altaria, Uxie, and Blastoise can switch in and chip at it. However, it should be noted that only Slowbro and Altaria have access to reliable recovery.
QC: allstarapology (grats on PU c&c mod) / quizel / ?
GP: ? / ?
[OVERVIEW]
Stoutland is the premier wallbreaker for offensive sand teams in NU, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame once its Sand Rush ability is activated, and can be devastating for balance offense teams to play around due to its high Attack, coverage, and Speed under sand. Stoutland also possesses decent bulk for a wallbreaker, meaning that the most common forms of priority besides Mach Punch from Hitmonlee won't do a lot, giving teams a harder time revenge killing it under sand. Although Stoutland's coverage of Normal-, Fighting-, and Dark-type attacks hits the entire tier neutrally and can be hard to switch into, Pokemon such as physically defensive Diancie, defensive pivot Slowbro, and Palossand can do so if Stoutland locks itself into the wrong move. Furthermore, Gigalith and Stoutland share a weakness to Fighting-types, so teams wanting to utilize Stoutland must pack Fighting-resistances such as Slowbro and Garbodor. Finally, Stoutland is reliant on sand to adequately peform its role as a wallbreaker, as otherwise it's very susceptible to be revenge killed by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Passimian.
[SET]
name: Sand Rush
move 1: Return
move 2: Facade / Iron Head
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Crunch / Pursuit
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Return is Stoutland's most reliable STAB attack, reliably 2HKOing Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Vileplume. When it becomes induced with status, Facade becomes Stoutland's new most spammable move, able to break down the sturdiest of defensive walls such as Uxie and Slowbro. Iron Head nails Fairy-types such as Diancie and Whimsicott while also hitting Vanilluxe and opposing Gigalith without the drops from Superpower. Superpower nails Rock- and Steel-types such as Steelix and Gigalith while also being its strongest move against Pokemon such as Incineroar. Crunch hits Ghost-types such as Palossand and Rotom-N that would otherwise being fully immune to the rest of Stoutland's attacks, rounding out its coverage in the process. Pursuit allows Stoutland to trap Pokemon such as Xatu and Rotom-N but locking yourself into Pursuit can be problematic if one opts to run a Choice Band.
Set Details
========
Maximum EVs in Attack alongside an Adamant nature allow Stoutland to wallbreak efficiently, hitting as hard as possible, whereas maximum EVs in Speed allow Stoutland to outpace Pokemon such as Incineroar, Bulk Up Braviary, and Modest Vanilluxe without sand and Pokemon such as Sneasel, Sceptile, and Choice Scarf Passimian with Sand Rush activated. Choice Band turns Stoutland from a strong physical attacker into an overwhelming wallbreaker. Life Orb doesn't give Stoutland nearly the same power boost as Choice Band, but allows it to freely change moves and is not as prediction reliant against opposing Ghost-types.
Usage Tips
========
Stoutland is an important Pokemon for any sand team and should be preserved for as long as possible. Therefore, Stoutland should switch out in the face of healthy Fighting-types such as Passiamian and Scrafty that aren't in range of a Return. If there are several turns of sand left but Stoutland is at low health, consider foddering it to allow Sandslash to safely be brought in without losing momentum. Even if it runs Facade, Stoutland does not appreciate being induced with status very much. Poison recoil cuts down on Stoutland's lifespan, paralysis cancels out Sand Rush, and a burn prevents Stoutland from effectively using its other coverage moves. Stoutland, when equipped with a Choice Band, is reliant on predicting correctly in order to catch its switch-ins off guard. For instance, if Stoutland is predicting Steelix to come in, go for Superpower. If Stoutland is predicting Palossand to come in, go for Crunch. Stoutland can also be used as a late-game sweeper, cleaning through the opposing team once all of the Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-type Pokemon are weakened or removed.
Team Options
========
Gigalith is a mandatory teammate for Stoutland, setting up eight turns of sand via its ability Sand Stream and acting as a solid defensive pivot into Pokemon such as Delphox, Houndoom, and Vanilluxe. Sandslash is another common sight on the sand offense team Stoutland is commonly used on, as it too has access to Sand Rush and can use its fantastic Rock- and Ground-type coverage in tandem with Swords Dance to pose as an offensive threat alongside Stoutland. Sandslash can also set up on the Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon Stoutland brings in. Stoutland and Sandslash are also able to very easily remove one another's checks, paving the way for one of them to sweep late-game. Fighting-type resists such as Vileplume, Slowbro, and Whimsicott make great partners for Stoutland as the former two are great defensive switch-ins and the latter two can threaten them out with their super effective STAB attacks. Fast, offensive Pokemon such as Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Choice Scarf Passimian can act as speed control even when sand is not up and preserve momentum until sand is activated again. In particular, Sneasel can Pursuit trap Ghost-types such as Rotom-N, Mismagius, and Froslass, while Whimsicott and Passimian can generate momentum with U-turn. Special wallbreakers such as Sceptile, Vikavolt, and Sigilyph can assist Stoutland by breaking down physically defensive walls such as Steelix, Palossand, and Diancie so that Stoutland can more freely spam its Normal-type STAB. Eject Button users such as Slowbro can generate instant momentum for a sand hyper offense team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Jolly nature allows Stoutland to outspeed opposing Adamant Stoutland both inside and outside of sand, as well as Timid Choice Specs Vanilluxe and Klinklang outside of sand. This speed creep comes at the cost, however, of a noticeable power loss. Scrappy allows Stoutland to hit Ghost-types such as Rotom-N and Mismagius without having to predict between Crunch and another move. However, changing Stoutland's held item from Choice Band to Life Orb resolves this issue without losing Sand Rush, the primary purpose of using Stoutland in the first place. Toxic cripples defensive Water-types such as Slowbro, Blastoise, and Jellicent but doesn't accomplish much otherwise, and invites in Pokemon such as Toxicroak and Klinklang if Stoutland holds a Choice Band. Stoutland can bluff a Choice item utilizing Silk Scarf, Normalium Z, or Fightinium Z, but serves more as a lure than a main set. Work Up allows Stoutland to have the strength of a Choice Band with the freedom the change moves at the cost of losing coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock- and Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Rhydon, Gigalith, Steelix, and Silvally-Steel are not afraid of any move of Stoutland's bar Superpower. Diancie, in particular, is a great check, as its secondary Fairy typing makes Superpower only a neutral hit. Diancie must be wary of Iron Head though.
**Ghost-types**: Pokemon such as Rotom-N, Palossand, and Jellicent are unfazed by Stoutland locking itself into any move besides Crunch. These Ghost-types, in particular, can make great use of a Colbur Berry, allowing them to take one hit and cripple Stoutland by inducing status or attacking it. Palossand is especially noteworthy as it has a great matchup against Stoutland, Gigalith, and Sandslash due to its immense physical bulk and access to reliable recovery that regenerates even more health under sand.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Scrafty, Passimian, and Medicham all put offensive pressure on Stoutland by threatening it out with their super effective STAB attacks outside of sand. Hitmonlee and Toxicroak can also threaten Stoutland out with priority Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave.
**Faster Pokemon**: While they are few and far between, Pokemon that outspeed Sand Rush Stoutland such as Choice Scarf Heliolisk can take Stoutland out with Focus Blast. Pokemon that can outspeed Stoutland outside of sand such as Sceptile, Scyther, Delphox, and Accelgor can also revenge kill it.
**Defensive Switch-ins**: Physically defensive Pokemon such as Slowbro, Altaria, Uxie, and Blastoise can switch in and chip at it. However, it should be noted that only Slowbro and Altaria have access to reliable recovery.
Last edited:
I realize this is an A+ mon and you want to ship this out quickly, so I'll try to get this finished by this time Wednesday, if not sooner.
