Sableye and the Blobs: Stalling in ORAS OU

Introduction:

The upper portion of the OU ladder has always been notorious for how stall-heavy it is. And as annoying as this playstyle is to many people, it is this common for a reason: it is a very effective, consistent, and safe playstyle to use. Stall's reliability only increased in ORAS, where stall got a few new toys to play with, particularly Mega Sableye, which, as it turned out, was one of the greatest gifts stall could hope for.

Soon enough, a certain type of stall team revolving around Mega Sableye started dominating, and I'll attempt to roughly explain how this kind of stall team is built, what the roles of each Pokeémon are, which specific Pokeémon can fit in which teamslot, and how it functions. Remember: this isn't an exact description of Mega Sableye stall teams, so not all will fit this mold, but most at least loosely follow this type of build.

Teamslot 1: Mega Sableye

Now, you can definitely run a Mega Evolution that isn't Sableye on a stall team. In fact, ORAS introduced three excellent defensive Mega Evolutions—Mega Slowbro, Mega Altaria, and Mega Latias— all of which wall a large portion of the metagame. In fact, if your stall team is not Sableye, it is probably using one of those three.

But Sableye does much more than just wall threats (not that it doesn't take on an impressive portion of the metagame). Sableye is such a huge asset for stall teams because Magic Bounce bounces back all non-attacking targeted moves, except those from Mold Breaker and Skill Swap users. This is absolutely huge; it protects the team from Taunt users, status, and most importantly, entry hazards, which are the bane of stall for their ability to chip away at the team. Stall no longer has to waste multiple turns just to remove Stealth Rock from the field, because most opposing Stealth Rock setters will be unable to set them up in the first place

At the end of the day, there are only two things Sableye is vulnerable to: direct attacks and setup. Therefore, the rest of the team will be built around dealing with all these things.

Teamslot 2: The Entry Hazard Remover

After all this talk about how Sableye prevents entry hazards from being set up, it might not seem like you really need a hazard remover, but you actually do, and for two reasons. The first is that there are a few hazard setters (Clefable, Landorus, offensive Heatran) which are actually able to break past Sableye. Also, Sableye may not Mega Evolve in time to bounce Stealth Rock back, or it may even want to keep Prankster for a priority burn on a threat. The hazard remover on a Mega Sableye stall team is usually just there for early-game hazard removal; after Sableye Mega Evolves, you don't really have to worry about Stealth Rock going up on your side of the field, but they need to be removed, as they can be very annoying to deal with.

Tentacruel is usually picked in this slot, as it has excellent synergy with Sableye. Notably, it deals with Clefable, one of the only Stealth Rock setters that beats Sableye; uses Rapid Spin; which is better than using Defog, as you don't remove hazards from your side of the field; and isn't spinblocked by any OU-relevant Ghost-type, not even Sableye itself, which Tentacruel can actually break past thanks to Acid Spray (an odd move, but one crucial to Tentacruel's effectiveness).
Empoleon isn't quite as good as Tentacruel in this teamslot, because although it can take any hit from Clefable, it can only phaze Clefable out with Roar as opposed to beating it one-on-one if it's the Magic Guard variant. However, it does deal with Azumarill better than Tentacruel does and beats most Latios variants, and its Steel typing offers it a good set of resistances in general.
Skarmory used to be the go-to hazard remover on stall teams, also acting as a great physical wall. However, it lost a bit of its luster because it can't deal with most of the hazard setters that are also able to get past Sableye. Specifically, it can't reliably deal with Clefable, which often carries Flamethrower or Fire Blast, or Heatran for obvious reasons. Still, it's far from a bad option, with its bulk giving it many opportunities to remove hazards.
Bulky Starmie was once a very good hazard remover on stall teams; however, it has fallen out of favor recently, specifically because it is completely spinblocked by opposing Mega Sableye. However, this isn't too big a deal, as many Mega Sableye teams are very defensive and therefore do not pack a Stealth Rock setter that can actually beat Mega Sableye. Another problem with Starmie is that it loses to Clefable quite badly. However, it does deal with offensive Heatran variants very well, unlike Tentacruel, which is vulnerable to Earth Power, and has high Speed and access to reliable recovery, giving it a lot of flexibility.

Teamslot 3: The Super-wall

It can be easy for stall teams to be overwhelmed by repeated powerful hits, so it's nice to have something it can reliably fall back on to sponge hit after hit, usually on the special side. Pokémon that take minimal damage from a lot of common threats can afford to do something else than recover every turn, which is important, as a Pokémon that is forced to recover each turn will eventually end up running out of PP, if the foe doesn't KO it with a critical hit first, and will be unable to deal any damage to the foe. Not that these Pokémon are doing a lot of damage; they are known for their extreme passiveness, but the fact that they take little damage from most of the hits they take (I'm talking around 30% here, tops) gives them a very important place on stall, as a reliable blanket check to many threats.

Chansey is almost always picked here thanks to its ability to not just counter most special attackers but even take very minimal damage from any special attack. It also has quite a lot of physical bulk, being able to stall out the likes of Choice Scarf Garchomp and Mega Aerodactyl. It can also fulfill cleric duties by passing Wishes to teammates that lack recovery and running Heal Bell to heal itself and its teammates from status.
Blissey is for the most part an inferior Chansey; however, it handles two big threats to stall—Knock Off Landorus and Gengar—that Chansey cannot reliably counter. It has much less physical bulk than Chansey does, which means it can't really take on Psyshock users such as Latios as well, so unless your team is weak to these two specific threats, there is no real reason to run it over Chansey.
Cresselia's astronomical mixed bulk enables it to wall both physically and specailly attacking threats. Notably, it's the best counter to Landorus (a very scary wallbreaker) that there is. It can also use Skill Swap to cripple Magic Guard Clefable, which is immune to the passive damage stall thrives on, and break past Mega Sableye. However, it is, if anything, even more passive than Chansey, doesn't provide Wish support, and its typing gives it a few weaknesses it would rather not have.
Porygon2 is a decent wall; however, it has very few notable qualities to distinguish itself from Cresselia and Chansey, which makes it a rare choice on stall teams.

Teamslot 4: The Fairy Killer

One of Sableye's more obvious weaknesses can be deduced from a simple look at a type chart. Fairy-types can very easily dismantle Sableye, so you need a very good answer to them. Specifically, your team needs a counter to Mega Gardevoir, one of the most powerful stallbreakers in the tier, which can even, thanks to the combination of Taunt and Psyshock, break past Chansey, the go-to special wall on stall.

Jirachi is arguably the best Mega Gardevoir counter available, only really fearing the Will-O-Wisp set, which is walled by Chansey anyway. It is also a great answer to Fairies in general, countering Clefable and checking Mega Diancie rather well (Mega Diancie's Earth Power misses out on the 2HKO), and deals with Latios very well. It also has a bunch of utility options such as U-turn and Body Slam and provides useful Wish support for the team.
Bronzong's Ground immunity enables it to deal with Mega Diancie and Mega Altaria much better, as well as take on Ground-types such as Sand Rush Excadrill and Mamoswine. That being said, it lacks reliable recovery and utility options, and cannot reliably beat Clefable, which generally makes it an inferior choice to Jirachi.
Doublade counters Mega Gardevoir, as well as other wallbreakers such as Mega Heracross and Earthquake-lacking variants of Mega Metagross and Mega Pinsir; however, it needs good cleric support to consistently wall threats, cannot reliably counter Clefable, and has to rely on Rest as its only form of recovery.
Heatran is a very good special wall and takes on a large number of threats, although its inability to reliably deal with Gardevoir (it is 2HKOed by Focus Blast) makes it a weaker option than Jirachi for the most part.
Victini seems like a very odd Pokémon to run on stall; however, it can switch into all of Gardevoir and Clefable's most common sets with ease and retaliate with a powerful V-create. Thanks to Will-O-Wisp, it can act as a decent wall in general and has good offensive presence to back it up, although it requires Wish support to function efficiently.

Teamslot 5: The Secondary Physical Wall

As good of a physical wall Sableye is, there are a bunch of physical attackers that can break past it, particularly Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame, as well as Fairy-types such as Azumarill and Mega Altaria. Therefore, a secondary physical wall is needed in order to take on these threats. This is by far the most flexible teamslot, and it essentially determines what you will and won't lose to. There are too many Pokémon to mention here, so I'll briefly cover the more popular options.

Slowbro has a lot of longevity thanks to Regenerator, it and easily switches into many powerful attacks. It deals with Talonflame, Azumarill, Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, and Keldeo.
Hippowdon is a good general answer to a bunch of threats and can rack up passive damage with Sand Stream. It deals with Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Metagross and can also take on Mega Charizard X most of the time.
Chesnaught walls most Dark-types, a threatening type for stall in general; this includes Crawdaunt, Mega Gyarados, and Bisharp.
Quagsire can stop setup sweepers thanks to Unaware, which notably enables it to wall Mega Charizard X and Bisharp.
Rhyperior is a great physical wall that unfortunately lacks reliable recovery, but that doesn't stop it from dealing with Talonflame, Pinsir, Mega Charizard X, and Victini very well.

Teamslot 6: The Mega Sableye Counter

The real irony of Mega Sableye stall is that it is, like any archetype of stall, extremely vulnerable to Mega Sableye, so your team needs a very good answer to Mega Sableye if it wants to stand a chance against opposing Mega Sableye teams.

Clefable is a perfect answer to Mega Sableye, as well a very good defensive Pokémon in general, potentially acting as a Stealth Rock setter and Wish passer. As alluring as Magic Guard is, Clefable usually prefers Unaware when on a stall team in order to take on setup sweepers and wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Mega Heracross, Nasty Plot Thundurus, Calm Mind Diancie, Dragon Dance Altaria, and Tail Glow Manaphy. Unaware is especially good when you consider that setup sweepers are one of Mega Sableye's great weaknesses, so Clefable gives stall an edge against them.
Sylveon is usually inferior to Clefable due to its lower physical bulk and lack of Unaware; however, it can still be chosen if you want a Pokémon with more special bulk and a larger offensive presence.
Specially defensive Swords Dance Talonflame may seem like an odd set, but it can set up all over Sableye and also switch into Pokémon such as Mega Charizard Y and Landorus, which are very big threats to stall.

How to beat Mega Sableye stall

As tough as Mega Sableye stall may look to break through, there are quite a few methods for breaking past these teams. First of all, hard-hitting Pokémon such as Mega Heracross, Landorus, and Crawdaunt can break through certain Mega Sableye stall teams depending on their exact build. Setup wallbreakers such as Tail Glow Manaphy and Swords Dance Mega Charizard X can set up on Sableye and become very hard to wall afterwards. Trapper cores such as Bisharp + Mega Gardevoir or Magnezone + Metagross are effective against Mega Sableye stall teams because the trapper can remove the counter to the wallbreaker, which can proceed to demolish the opposing team. Overloading the opponent with Pokémon that share the same counter can also work, especially if said counter lacks recovery moves. For example, a core such as Mega Pinsir + Talonflame, or Kyurem-B + Garchomp can be quite effective against stall. Your team can also employ lures, which can remove certain elements of stall teams; for instance, Earth Plate Landorus-T can lure Sableye, Mixed Thundurus can lure Chansey, and Hidden Power Bug Keldeo can lure Slowbro, Starmie and Celebi. However, stall teams tend have differing answers to these, so this isn't particularly effective unless you know what you're going to face. Stealth Rock setters that beat Sableye, such as offensive Heatran and Landorus, put pressure on the opposing stall team, especially if the Stealth Rock setter can also beat the opposing hazard remover. Wearing down the opponent via Volt Switch and U-turn can really take its toll on a stall team. Pokémon who carry Trick and a choice item, such as Choice Scarf Latios, can permanently disable a member of the team. Gothitelle is particularly deadly against stall, since it can choose whatever it wants to trap thanks to Shadow Tag.

Generally speaking, when one member of a stall team is removed, the rest of the team tends to fall apart, so finding a way to remove an opposing Pokémon usually the key to beating stall.

Conclusion:

Some of you may remember that back in late XY when Aegislash was banned, stall was declared dead due to the amount of wallbreakers who rose to prominence due to that ban. Fast forward to now, and stall is as dominant as it has been even since the early stages of XY. Part of it was due to the fact that the metagame got faster and bulkier, with most of the new Mega Evolutions being more threatening to offensive and balanced teams than they are to full stall. But most of stall's increase in viability was due to Mega Sableye; the amount of support, protection, and control Mega Sableye provided for stall giving the playstyle a massive boost, to the point where it is almost overwhelming. Whether you like it or not, Mega Sableye's introduction in ORAS pretty much saved stall in OU, and that is an impressive feat for a Pokémon which, two generations prior, was completely unusable in the tier.

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