There are two ways in which one can fight a battle: outright hammering or a slow, painful, nauseating stall. I haven't had much much success with option A, but after a few experiments, have found option B to be more rewarding (both in terms of number of victories and the satisfaction in each). So, here are the six most annoying things I could manage to work with:
1. Smeargle (Butt Brush)
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Moveset:
Spore
Stealth Rock
Endeavor
Extreme Speed
My preferred lead, Smeargle the Versatile. While this might be different from standard baton-pass variants, and might even seem gimmicky at first, it has also been least expected and hence provided satisfactory results. Focus Sash allows it to survive any attack from faster opponents, after which it can put them to sleep with Spore, and either set up Stealth Rock or destroy them with Endeavor and Extreme Speed. Of course, this is even simpler in case of slower, bulky opponents, and has put an unexpected end to several would-be tanks. Naturally, this doesn't work with Grass-types or Magic Bouncers, but I have other answers for them.
2. Sableye (Gollum)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp. Def / 4 Def
Movest:
Taunt
Will-O-Wisp
Recover
Foul Play
This is the standard Sableye set, but it is nevertheless effective. The logic is pretty straightforward: Taunt shuts up boosters and puts walls like Blissey out of comission, Will-O-Wisp puts the burn (literally) on every aspiring physical attacker before they can move, and Recover keeps Preciousss alive. Foul Play is a good answer to Espeon and Aegislash, and is Sableye's most effective attacking option, as it disregards the burn on the opponent when usin its attack to calculate damage. Sableye can also switch in on a predicted Rapid Spin, and punish the troublemaker with a burn or a Taunt. I often run this as a lead to shut up Trevenant or other things that might prove troublesome.
3. Skarmory (Plucked Turkey)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Moveset:
Spikes
Roost
Whirlwind
Brave Bird
There's no surprise here. Skarmory's the standard spiker. Sturdy and Roost keep it alive and Whirlwing gets rid of boosters and substitutes while also shredding the opponents with entry hazards. Brave Bird gives a decent attacking option to prevent Skarmory from becoming complete Taunt bait and also helps get rid of Grass and a few Fighting or Bug types like Breloom, Heracross or even Infernape on the switch-in. 24 Speed EVs give it just enough pep to try and outspeed troublemakers like the aforementioned Breloom or Heracross.
4. Blissey (Drug Addict)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 Sp. Def / 4 HP
Moveset:
Wish
Heal Bell
Toxic
Seismic Toss
Blissey is pure utility. It can come in on any special attack, providing a useful lifesaver with a Wish or a Heal Bell as the opponent switches, and also play a few disruptive tactics like spreading Toxic. Investing in HP is redundant, as it is sky-high anyway; instead, the Evs are maximized in both defenses to allow Blissey to survive a Psyshock or a few weak Fighting attacks, and to help it in its job as a wall. Natural Cure helps it to rid itself of status with a switch, and Seismic Toss gives it a consistent attacking option while also killing most Subsitutes.
5. Rotom-W (Made in China)
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Calm
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Sp. A / 232 Sp. Def
Moveset:
Trick
Will-O-Wisp
Volt Switch
Hydro Pump
Everyone seems to hate this one! Rotom-W is my support system, prime scout, and surefire counter to the cursed Talonflame. The aim is to cripple the opponent with a useless Choice Scarf (This does put the rage on Blissey or a thing like Dragonite caught in boosting) and then further cripple with a burn. After that, it's either smash with Hydro Pump or a quick exit with Volt Switch. Rotom itself can use the Choice Scarf to scout as a lead, quickly make a blow and then exit with Volt Switch (thus also breaking sashes or popping balloons) or stay in to launch speedy Hydro Pumps on things like Gliscor. The EVs may seem odd, for a standard Choice Rotom would seek to maximize Special Attack and Speed, but my main goal is for Rotom to be a tank, which it cannot be if it does not invest in health and bulk. 28 Sp. Atk Evs ensure an OHKO on max HP Gliscor with Hydro Pump.
6. Gliscor (Anorexic Dracula)
Item: Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 40 Def / 224 Spe
Moveset:
Toxic
Substitute
Protect
Earthquake
Ah, Gliscor! My first staller and my best partner. Also, the most eyeball-tearing rage inducer ever seen in OU. There's nothing flashy about this set: Poison the opponent with Toxic, keep stalling with SubProtect, and watch as they lose huge amounts of HP even as Gliscor gains it with Poison. Earthquake provides a solid STAB to prevent complete Taunt setup, and can also catch a Heatran or something unawares. The EVs again might seem odd; A Jolly nature with 224 Speed EVs hits 310, giving it enough speed to outrun Landorus-T and Lucario, as well as some of the Base 100s without a speed-boosting Nature. 244 HP Evs give it a HP stat which of 352, a multiple of 8, giving it maximum recovery from Poison Heal. In fact, two turns of Poison Heal recovery completely recovers all HP lost by making a Substitute, hence making Gliscor a virtually untouchable stalling machine.
So, there we are. These are the six most rage-inducing Pokemon I can work with, and after a little testing, has led to quite a few victories, long drawn and full of torment. Nevertheless, I lack, and am also susceptible to, Rapid Spin and Knock Off. I have to rely on Sableye to spinblock and slowly choke away things like Starmie or Donphan, and only then proceed to set up hazards. Also, I'm really annoyed by Knock Off users which neuter recovery from Skarmory, Blissey and Sableye. I'm also considering replacing Sableye with Mega Banette, seeing as I don't have a single Megavolution on my team, and also weighing Mega Banette's Prankster Destiny Bond against Sableye's Recover. If you have any suggestions or solutions, or any other opinions, I would be most grateful.
1. Smeargle (Butt Brush)
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Moveset:
Spore
Stealth Rock
Endeavor
Extreme Speed
My preferred lead, Smeargle the Versatile. While this might be different from standard baton-pass variants, and might even seem gimmicky at first, it has also been least expected and hence provided satisfactory results. Focus Sash allows it to survive any attack from faster opponents, after which it can put them to sleep with Spore, and either set up Stealth Rock or destroy them with Endeavor and Extreme Speed. Of course, this is even simpler in case of slower, bulky opponents, and has put an unexpected end to several would-be tanks. Naturally, this doesn't work with Grass-types or Magic Bouncers, but I have other answers for them.
2. Sableye (Gollum)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp. Def / 4 Def
Movest:
Taunt
Will-O-Wisp
Recover
Foul Play
This is the standard Sableye set, but it is nevertheless effective. The logic is pretty straightforward: Taunt shuts up boosters and puts walls like Blissey out of comission, Will-O-Wisp puts the burn (literally) on every aspiring physical attacker before they can move, and Recover keeps Preciousss alive. Foul Play is a good answer to Espeon and Aegislash, and is Sableye's most effective attacking option, as it disregards the burn on the opponent when usin its attack to calculate damage. Sableye can also switch in on a predicted Rapid Spin, and punish the troublemaker with a burn or a Taunt. I often run this as a lead to shut up Trevenant or other things that might prove troublesome.
3. Skarmory (Plucked Turkey)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Moveset:
Spikes
Roost
Whirlwind
Brave Bird
There's no surprise here. Skarmory's the standard spiker. Sturdy and Roost keep it alive and Whirlwing gets rid of boosters and substitutes while also shredding the opponents with entry hazards. Brave Bird gives a decent attacking option to prevent Skarmory from becoming complete Taunt bait and also helps get rid of Grass and a few Fighting or Bug types like Breloom, Heracross or even Infernape on the switch-in. 24 Speed EVs give it just enough pep to try and outspeed troublemakers like the aforementioned Breloom or Heracross.
4. Blissey (Drug Addict)
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 Sp. Def / 4 HP
Moveset:
Wish
Heal Bell
Toxic
Seismic Toss
Blissey is pure utility. It can come in on any special attack, providing a useful lifesaver with a Wish or a Heal Bell as the opponent switches, and also play a few disruptive tactics like spreading Toxic. Investing in HP is redundant, as it is sky-high anyway; instead, the Evs are maximized in both defenses to allow Blissey to survive a Psyshock or a few weak Fighting attacks, and to help it in its job as a wall. Natural Cure helps it to rid itself of status with a switch, and Seismic Toss gives it a consistent attacking option while also killing most Subsitutes.
5. Rotom-W (Made in China)
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Calm
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Sp. A / 232 Sp. Def
Moveset:
Trick
Will-O-Wisp
Volt Switch
Hydro Pump
Everyone seems to hate this one! Rotom-W is my support system, prime scout, and surefire counter to the cursed Talonflame. The aim is to cripple the opponent with a useless Choice Scarf (This does put the rage on Blissey or a thing like Dragonite caught in boosting) and then further cripple with a burn. After that, it's either smash with Hydro Pump or a quick exit with Volt Switch. Rotom itself can use the Choice Scarf to scout as a lead, quickly make a blow and then exit with Volt Switch (thus also breaking sashes or popping balloons) or stay in to launch speedy Hydro Pumps on things like Gliscor. The EVs may seem odd, for a standard Choice Rotom would seek to maximize Special Attack and Speed, but my main goal is for Rotom to be a tank, which it cannot be if it does not invest in health and bulk. 28 Sp. Atk Evs ensure an OHKO on max HP Gliscor with Hydro Pump.
6. Gliscor (Anorexic Dracula)
Item: Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 40 Def / 224 Spe
Moveset:
Toxic
Substitute
Protect
Earthquake
Ah, Gliscor! My first staller and my best partner. Also, the most eyeball-tearing rage inducer ever seen in OU. There's nothing flashy about this set: Poison the opponent with Toxic, keep stalling with SubProtect, and watch as they lose huge amounts of HP even as Gliscor gains it with Poison. Earthquake provides a solid STAB to prevent complete Taunt setup, and can also catch a Heatran or something unawares. The EVs again might seem odd; A Jolly nature with 224 Speed EVs hits 310, giving it enough speed to outrun Landorus-T and Lucario, as well as some of the Base 100s without a speed-boosting Nature. 244 HP Evs give it a HP stat which of 352, a multiple of 8, giving it maximum recovery from Poison Heal. In fact, two turns of Poison Heal recovery completely recovers all HP lost by making a Substitute, hence making Gliscor a virtually untouchable stalling machine.
So, there we are. These are the six most rage-inducing Pokemon I can work with, and after a little testing, has led to quite a few victories, long drawn and full of torment. Nevertheless, I lack, and am also susceptible to, Rapid Spin and Knock Off. I have to rely on Sableye to spinblock and slowly choke away things like Starmie or Donphan, and only then proceed to set up hazards. Also, I'm really annoyed by Knock Off users which neuter recovery from Skarmory, Blissey and Sableye. I'm also considering replacing Sableye with Mega Banette, seeing as I don't have a single Megavolution on my team, and also weighing Mega Banette's Prankster Destiny Bond against Sableye's Recover. If you have any suggestions or solutions, or any other opinions, I would be most grateful.
