Hello.
This is my first post here at Smogon. Despite that I have been lurking and coming to this site for many months now. I began trying to get into competitive battling around February but school distracted me. I resumed around mid July when I downloaded shoddy and tried to teach myself the basics. Stall is one of the styles of play I'm more comfortable playing with, so this is the first one I made. I win most of the time, but I do often times find myself going on a lose streak of about 3-4 battles, which keeps me plateaued around 1200 on the shoddy ladder. At the same times I've been playing with UU team mostly as well, so my CRE stays low. The team takes advantage of entry hazards and a sandstorm to counter threats and wear down at the opponents team. At the very end of the match, Lucario comes in to clean up with extreme ease. DoD stands for the Department of Defense. Changes will be made in bold. Without further adieu I present to the Pokemon....
Department of Defense
In - Depth
Ogre (Hippowdon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP/168 Def/90 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
The lead who phazes and sets up the all important SR, Hippowdon is one of the most crucial members of the team. Without her I wouldn't be able to Lucario as easily as I can now. She is a basic physical wall, I like how she will never be OHKO'ed by any un-boosted physical move. Roar is great for coming into setup pokes and blowing them away. This simultaneously racks up large damage from spikes and SR, and gives me info of the foe's team and what to expect. This becomes relatively easy for a poke with 108 / 118 physically defensive stats. One of the problems I face is that earthquake, while a powerful move, is her only attacking option. So while she'll be able to roar away threats she's rendered completely useless to the many levitate and flying pokes. Still, every move is crucial and there is no slot that can fit an attacking option. Instant recovery is always handy, especially with the multiple assaults she'll be taking. The EV's are from the standard set which simply allow optimal physical defenses while not leaving special defense too vulnerable
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Phantasma (Dusknoir) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/42 Atk/216 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Pain Split
- Will-o-wisp
- Earthquake
The spin blocker who can effectively counter many threats and revenge kill, all at the same time. A spin blocker was obviously needed when spikes and SR are a huge part of my strategy. Dusk takes hits like a real pro with those gargantuan 45 / 135 / 135 defenses. Although his very low Hp stat may be a letdown, it's made up by his other defenses and allows me to use pain split rather effectively. Shadow sneak is great for picking out the weakened opponent and revenge killing as well. Will-o-wisp is really a fantastic move that completely cripples physical attackers and speeds up the killing process. Ev's are slightly changed, but still of course OHKO 4 Hp / 0 Def Heatran. Dusknoir was used over Rotom because of better defenses and pain split. One of the main reasons people choose Rotom is to counter Gyarados, but that's is something Vaporeon does well already. Pain split + WoW is also useful for taking down opposing tanks and walls such as Swampert.
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Boulder (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/100 Atk/158 Def IV's: 0 Spd
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
Another important part of my strategy is to use spikes and rid of entry hazards, the ability to do both is almost exclusive to Forry. He's the only defensive steel type of the team, and as such provided many important resists. With 3 layers of spikes and SR down, neutral non flying pokes take 37% every time they switch in. Gyro ball's power is boosted tremendously with a relaxed nature and 0 speed IV's, hitting a 79 speed stat. One of Forry's most useful assets is to switch into a Mence outrage and 2HKO with gyro ball. Lately I've been having second thoughts about explosion. Forry is obviously too slow to pull it off at low health, and I prefer him to stay in the battle for a while. I'm also searching for an alternative EV spread that focuses more on special defense, so suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated. Ev's are once again simply a slight deviation.
---
Bloo (Vaporeon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/70 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Protect
- Surf
- Wish
Vaporeon, the bulky water, Gyara counter, and holder of the sacred move wish. Wish support is invaluable to most teams, and mine is no exception. Wish is great for Forry and even Dusknoir sometimes, as he can appreciate reliable recovery the turn he switches in. Surf and ice beam was the original attacking combo I had, but HP electric helps me with the battle against flyers such as Skarmory and other waters. Vappy also goes pretty well in tandem with Hippowdon. Hippowdon can take the electric attacks aimed at Vappy, while Vaporeon can take grass knots, water and ice type attacks directed at hippo. She also is a great Infernape counter, since most variants (especially mixed) can have fun with my team. Since bliss has aromatherapy vappy will most likely being the one to take any sleep status and activate sleep clause. When the threat has been handled, her status is simply blown away. I moved the Spd EV's into SpAtk since outspeeding Skarmory and Metagross wasn't too important to me.
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Juevo (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def/6 Spd/252 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Aromatherapy
Without a doubt, the #1 special wall in the game deserved a rightful place on my team. She stops pretty much any specially based assault completely cold, then handles accordingly to take them down. The last thing I need is toxic to plan the doom of Dusknoir and Hippowdon, so aromatherapy prevents such status from ruining the team. Toxic itself is always handy to have for opposing walls, even sweepers as to speed up and plan an impending death. The main reason I chose seismic toss was for damage output. Flamethrower, ice beam and thunderbolt simply don't give enough damage, while seismic toss reliably puts a large dent in most of OU. Sure, I'm walled by Gengar, but most Gengar can't deal significant damage to her (of course, sub punch variants can be handled otherwise), and Gengar typically don't stay in against something they can't possibly put a dent in. Since I no longer have the attack, I moved the SpAtk ev's into SpDef. the leftover 4 went into speed, since outspeeding other Blissey was the most useful thing I can do with the 4.
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Anakin (Lucario) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extremespeed
- Swords Dance
Luke, the broom of the team. After all the status that foe has likely taken, and all the extra damage from hippo's phazing and switches, Luke's sweep becomes a tiny breeze. I'm sure everyone knows this works- SD then clean up with STAB and powerful priority. Crunch for ghosts. Rather simple, but deadly in effectiveness. The team isn't revolved around him, however, nor does anything the team do, do it only for aiding his sweep. His sweep, like anything else, is aided greatly by everything else the team has done, is all.
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Team Building Process
I started out with no guaranteed spots on my team. I knew exactly what I wanted though- a physical wall, special wall, wish support, cleric support OR a sleep absorber, status absorber, spikes and SR support, a RS'er, a spin blocker and a late game sweeper. Multiple roles, yes, but all were filled.
Hippowdon was chosen first. She is a great physical wall, can setup SR and has the addition of setting up a permanent sandstorm.
Next I found Rotom to be a great spin blocker. Once I found vappy with HP electric though, I quickly found dusk's advantages and chose him instead.
I then came across Forretress. He has good typing, with access to rapid spin and spikes. Definitely earned a spot on the team.
The list of necessities was narrowing and I really wanted to find a wish passer. Vaporeon has a fantastic ability, good defenses, great typing and access to wish. Instantly made it's way onto the team.
I then realized I only needed 3 more roles filled, but only 2 spots left. Blissey has the addition of being THE best special wall, and provides reliable cleric support, so those roles were filled.
Lastly was the cleaner. I had a long list at my disposal that was narrowed down to SubBounce Gyara, Mixmence, DDmence, Agiligross and SDLuke. Lucario shined above the rest late game, so he filled the last position.
And thus, the team was complete. Two big bonuses were that no poke was SR weak, and I have at least 1 resist or immunity to every type except ground.
Well, thats my RMT. I'm open to all criticism and viable suggestions, all will be taken into account and tested. A threat list will be in the next post. I guess that's it, I hope you enjoyed my first Smogon RMT!
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This is my first post here at Smogon. Despite that I have been lurking and coming to this site for many months now. I began trying to get into competitive battling around February but school distracted me. I resumed around mid July when I downloaded shoddy and tried to teach myself the basics. Stall is one of the styles of play I'm more comfortable playing with, so this is the first one I made. I win most of the time, but I do often times find myself going on a lose streak of about 3-4 battles, which keeps me plateaued around 1200 on the shoddy ladder. At the same times I've been playing with UU team mostly as well, so my CRE stays low. The team takes advantage of entry hazards and a sandstorm to counter threats and wear down at the opponents team. At the very end of the match, Lucario comes in to clean up with extreme ease. DoD stands for the Department of Defense. Changes will be made in bold. Without further adieu I present to the Pokemon....
Department of Defense
In - Depth
Ogre (Hippowdon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP/168 Def/90 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Roar
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
The lead who phazes and sets up the all important SR, Hippowdon is one of the most crucial members of the team. Without her I wouldn't be able to Lucario as easily as I can now. She is a basic physical wall, I like how she will never be OHKO'ed by any un-boosted physical move. Roar is great for coming into setup pokes and blowing them away. This simultaneously racks up large damage from spikes and SR, and gives me info of the foe's team and what to expect. This becomes relatively easy for a poke with 108 / 118 physically defensive stats. One of the problems I face is that earthquake, while a powerful move, is her only attacking option. So while she'll be able to roar away threats she's rendered completely useless to the many levitate and flying pokes. Still, every move is crucial and there is no slot that can fit an attacking option. Instant recovery is always handy, especially with the multiple assaults she'll be taking. The EV's are from the standard set which simply allow optimal physical defenses while not leaving special defense too vulnerable
---
Phantasma (Dusknoir) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/42 Atk/216 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Pain Split
- Will-o-wisp
- Earthquake
The spin blocker who can effectively counter many threats and revenge kill, all at the same time. A spin blocker was obviously needed when spikes and SR are a huge part of my strategy. Dusk takes hits like a real pro with those gargantuan 45 / 135 / 135 defenses. Although his very low Hp stat may be a letdown, it's made up by his other defenses and allows me to use pain split rather effectively. Shadow sneak is great for picking out the weakened opponent and revenge killing as well. Will-o-wisp is really a fantastic move that completely cripples physical attackers and speeds up the killing process. Ev's are slightly changed, but still of course OHKO 4 Hp / 0 Def Heatran. Dusknoir was used over Rotom because of better defenses and pain split. One of the main reasons people choose Rotom is to counter Gyarados, but that's is something Vaporeon does well already. Pain split + WoW is also useful for taking down opposing tanks and walls such as Swampert.
---
Boulder (Forretress) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/100 Atk/158 Def IV's: 0 Spd
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
Another important part of my strategy is to use spikes and rid of entry hazards, the ability to do both is almost exclusive to Forry. He's the only defensive steel type of the team, and as such provided many important resists. With 3 layers of spikes and SR down, neutral non flying pokes take 37% every time they switch in. Gyro ball's power is boosted tremendously with a relaxed nature and 0 speed IV's, hitting a 79 speed stat. One of Forry's most useful assets is to switch into a Mence outrage and 2HKO with gyro ball. Lately I've been having second thoughts about explosion. Forry is obviously too slow to pull it off at low health, and I prefer him to stay in the battle for a while. I'm also searching for an alternative EV spread that focuses more on special defense, so suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated. Ev's are once again simply a slight deviation.
---
Bloo (Vaporeon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 188 HP/252 Def/70 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Electric]
- Protect
- Surf
- Wish
Vaporeon, the bulky water, Gyara counter, and holder of the sacred move wish. Wish support is invaluable to most teams, and mine is no exception. Wish is great for Forry and even Dusknoir sometimes, as he can appreciate reliable recovery the turn he switches in. Surf and ice beam was the original attacking combo I had, but HP electric helps me with the battle against flyers such as Skarmory and other waters. Vappy also goes pretty well in tandem with Hippowdon. Hippowdon can take the electric attacks aimed at Vappy, while Vaporeon can take grass knots, water and ice type attacks directed at hippo. She also is a great Infernape counter, since most variants (especially mixed) can have fun with my team. Since bliss has aromatherapy vappy will most likely being the one to take any sleep status and activate sleep clause. When the threat has been handled, her status is simply blown away. I moved the Spd EV's into SpAtk since outspeeding Skarmory and Metagross wasn't too important to me.
---
Juevo (Blissey) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def/6 Spd/252 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Aromatherapy
Without a doubt, the #1 special wall in the game deserved a rightful place on my team. She stops pretty much any specially based assault completely cold, then handles accordingly to take them down. The last thing I need is toxic to plan the doom of Dusknoir and Hippowdon, so aromatherapy prevents such status from ruining the team. Toxic itself is always handy to have for opposing walls, even sweepers as to speed up and plan an impending death. The main reason I chose seismic toss was for damage output. Flamethrower, ice beam and thunderbolt simply don't give enough damage, while seismic toss reliably puts a large dent in most of OU. Sure, I'm walled by Gengar, but most Gengar can't deal significant damage to her (of course, sub punch variants can be handled otherwise), and Gengar typically don't stay in against something they can't possibly put a dent in. Since I no longer have the attack, I moved the SpAtk ev's into SpDef. the leftover 4 went into speed, since outspeeding other Blissey was the most useful thing I can do with the 4.
---
Anakin (Lucario) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extremespeed
- Swords Dance
Luke, the broom of the team. After all the status that foe has likely taken, and all the extra damage from hippo's phazing and switches, Luke's sweep becomes a tiny breeze. I'm sure everyone knows this works- SD then clean up with STAB and powerful priority. Crunch for ghosts. Rather simple, but deadly in effectiveness. The team isn't revolved around him, however, nor does anything the team do, do it only for aiding his sweep. His sweep, like anything else, is aided greatly by everything else the team has done, is all.
---
Team Building Process
I started out with no guaranteed spots on my team. I knew exactly what I wanted though- a physical wall, special wall, wish support, cleric support OR a sleep absorber, status absorber, spikes and SR support, a RS'er, a spin blocker and a late game sweeper. Multiple roles, yes, but all were filled.
Hippowdon was chosen first. She is a great physical wall, can setup SR and has the addition of setting up a permanent sandstorm.
Next I found Rotom to be a great spin blocker. Once I found vappy with HP electric though, I quickly found dusk's advantages and chose him instead.
I then came across Forretress. He has good typing, with access to rapid spin and spikes. Definitely earned a spot on the team.
The list of necessities was narrowing and I really wanted to find a wish passer. Vaporeon has a fantastic ability, good defenses, great typing and access to wish. Instantly made it's way onto the team.
I then realized I only needed 3 more roles filled, but only 2 spots left. Blissey has the addition of being THE best special wall, and provides reliable cleric support, so those roles were filled.
Lastly was the cleaner. I had a long list at my disposal that was narrowed down to SubBounce Gyara, Mixmence, DDmence, Agiligross and SDLuke. Lucario shined above the rest late game, so he filled the last position.
And thus, the team was complete. Two big bonuses were that no poke was SR weak, and I have at least 1 resist or immunity to every type except ground.
Well, thats my RMT. I'm open to all criticism and viable suggestions, all will be taken into account and tested. A threat list will be in the next post. I guess that's it, I hope you enjoyed my first Smogon RMT!
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