![Terywj [태리]](/data/avatars/l/71/71007.jpg?1555906021){kind=avatar}
Terywj [태리]
Charismatic Maknae~
Introduction: With Pokemon such as Lilibelle, Calderan, Altaria, and others filling our OU+ metagame, it was almost inevitable that stall would be used to some extent. As with any stall team, entry hazards are employed and I play accordingly while my opponent rips their hair out in frustration. There is a great defensive synergy present in this team and while they may be lacking offensively I have Pokemon to get around that. Without further adieu, let's look at each member of the team.
Calderan @ Leftovers
Levitate / Careful
196 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 54 Spd
~ Stealth Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Waterfall
~ Roar
Analysis: Calderan leads off the team by setting up Stealth Rocks or damaging the Pokemon he's unable to outspeed. Stealth Rock provides the first set of entry hazards, while Earthquake / Waterfall provide physical STAB. Waterfall hits Azelf, Claydol while Earthquake covers Metagross, Froslass and general coverage. Roar allows me to phase and rack up entry hazard damage, but I'm willing to look into more alternatives such as Rest or something silly like Aqua Jet.
Possible Changes: Due to the nature of the entire team, I settled with using Calderan as my lead. I'm not exactly sure what I should do to mold Calderan into a better lead-esque Pokemon. Should I switch out Hitmontop for a different Pokemon perhaps I can juggle the lead position between the two. The EV spread is also a bit iffy, and could use some refining.
Synergy:
--> Skarmory, Lilibelle
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Keen Eye / Impish
252 HP / 96 Atk / 176 Def / 16 Spd
~ Spikes
~ Roost
~ Brave Bird
~ Whirlwind / Toxic
Analysis: Skarmory is probably the most reliable Spiker in the metagame right now so I settled on her. That said, Spikes is an obvious choice, damaging more switch-ins while Roost allows me to take physical hits with a great base 140 Defense stat. Brave Bird provides STAB against Breloom, who otherwise doesn't mind Stealth Rock / Spikes and is generally a nuisance to the team. Brave Bird also rips through Lilibelle as well. Whirlwind is for phasing, but Toxic could be useful against my opponent's bulky Pokemon. SkarmBliss has been a pain since the days of G/S/C, and continues the legend. The EV spread is standard but will possibly be tinkered with should I run a more Specially Defensive set.
Possible Changes: I don't think I'll ever see the need to, but I may swap this variant for a Specially Defensive set, just to toy around with the standard Skarmory counters.
Synergy:
--> Calderan, Aerodactyl
--> Calderan, Lilibelle
Blissey @ Leftovers
Natural Cure / Bold
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp Def
~ Seismic Toss
~ Wish
~ Protect
~ Thunder Wave
Analysis: While Blissey may just seem like regular old WishBliss / SkarmBliss, Blissey has a couple more necessary roles on the team. Seismic Toss is a mandatory attacking move, only stopped by Lilibelle, really. Wish and Protect serve as the recovery method but also passes Wish onto the members of the team who cannot reliably recover such as Calderan or Hitmontop. Blissey also provides Thunder Wave support, forcing more switches and dealing more entry hazard damage. As SkarmBliss goes, Blissey throws everything into HP and Defense to be as effective at walling as possible.
Possible Changes: Rest has been a consideration on several teammates like Calderan, and Aerodactyl already uses Rest. Tossing Heal Bell in place of either Thunder Wave or Protect would help Calderan, etc. immensely because of the more viable recovery. However, doing so loses me either the reliability of Wishstalling, or the great paralysis support from Thunder Wave.
Synergy:
--> Lilibelle
Lilibelle @ Leftovers
Immunity / Calm
200 HP / 56 Def / 252 Sp Def
~ Toxic
~ Shadow Ball
~ Leech Seed / Synthesis
~ Leaf Storm / Energy Ball / Protect
Analysis: Liliebelle works great in tandem with Calderan, and coupled with SkarmBliss makes the defensive core formiddable. Toxic cripples everything but Steel / Poison-types, and acts as an essentially less reliable Toxic Spikes. Shadow Ball is the main attacking method and has decent coverage alongside my Grass-type offensive choice. Leech Seed helps heal Lilibelle with Leftovers, and also forces switching, especially if a special attacker has been Seeded. Synthesis provides more solid recovery but could be hampered by the presence of Tyranitar or Abomasnow. Leaf Storm provides strong STAB, but Energy Ball is more suited in the long run.
Possible Changes: If Shadow Ball loses usefulness Night Shade will be used in its place but it's great for picking off Gengar and Rotom. When I run Leech Seed I might choose to also throw in Protect over a Grass-type move to gain a turn of free Leech Seed / Leftovers recovery. Protect would also help scout switch-ins, etc. Like with Calderan I'm also a bit shaky on the EV spread, particularily the distribution in Defense vs. Special Defense so any help there would be greatly appreciated.
Synergy:
--> Calderan, Aerodactyl
--> Blissey
--> Hitmontop
--> Skarmory, Aerodactyl
--> Skarmory, Hitmontop
Aerodactyl @ Brightpowder
Pressure / Jolly
252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 Sp Def
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Roar
~ Whirlwind
Analysis: Inspired by Umbreon, I decided to test this Aerodactyl set out. In a nutshell, if you're not phazing with Roar or Whirlwind, you're using Rest (or switching out). While under Rest, Sleep Talk will select Roar / Whirlwind 66% of the time. By using Sleep Talk to Roar and Whirlwind gives them normal (+0) priorty rather than the -1. Since Aerodactyl is one of te fastest Pokemon in the game, this leads to some great phazing and hilarious results. If I'm healthy enough to Rest again after two turns it's more rinsing and repeating. The EV spread maximizes Speed, and throws the rest into HP because you're not attacking with anything anytime soon.
Possible Changes: None, really. Opposing Taunt won't work since I'm faster and shoud be asleep / using Sleep Talk anyway. Maybe change the nature to Timid because Aerodactyl is being a shy little jerk.
Synergy:
--> Calderan, Lilibelle
--> Hitmontop
--> Lilibelle
--> Hitmontop
Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Technician / Adamant
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
~ Fake Out
~ Mach Punch
~ Sucker Punch / Rapid Spin / Close Combat
~ Sucker Punch / Rapid Spin / Close Combat
Analysis: I'm not exactly sure why I put Hitmontop on this team. Perhaps I needed a Rapid Spinner so opposing stall wouldn't be as much of a hassle as it would. Anyway this is a general grasp of Technician Hitmontop with some changes. Fake Out enjoys free damage on anything except Ghost-types, while I have a nice pool of options for the remaining moves. Mach Punch provides a STAB priority move but still leaves me vulnerable to Ghost-type switch-ins. The point though is to just lure them in because they'll be taking Stealth Rock damage. Sucker Punch decimates Gengar or Lilibelle trying to take me out with Shadow Ball, while Close Combat lets me muscle against Pokemon like Skarmory. Rapid Spin is viable for reasons explained earlier, and who wouldn't want a Technician boosted Rapid Spin? Maximum HP lengthens bulkiness and Speed isn't necessarily if I'm throwing all priority attacks at my opponent.
Possible Changes: Bullet Punch was another priority option I could've added but I don't really see a need for it other than minor coverage benefits. Likewise with Calderan Rest is a possibility, granting immediate status elimination and full health, whereupon Blissey would use Heal Bell to alleviate the Sleep.
Synergy:
--> Skarmory, Aerodactyl
--> Skarmory
Conclusion: This has worked to some extent. The most pressing matter to me is the position or existence of Hitmontop on the team because I get no surefire way of handling other Skarmory and Breloom. I've considered a Choice Scarf Gallade with Close Combat / Ice Punch / Fire Punch just to deal specifically with those threats, and possibly Psycho Cut so Infernape doesn't walk over the team. Calderan does handle most sets without Grass Knot, though. Speaking of Fire-types, bulky Heatran can also replace Hitmontop because Heatran and Lilibelle also work great as a defensive pairing.
Any and all help / criticism is appreciated; thanks for reading!
~Final Glance~
Calderan @ Leftovers
Levitate / Careful
196 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 54 Spd
~ Stealth Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Waterfall
~ Roar
Analysis: Calderan leads off the team by setting up Stealth Rocks or damaging the Pokemon he's unable to outspeed. Stealth Rock provides the first set of entry hazards, while Earthquake / Waterfall provide physical STAB. Waterfall hits Azelf, Claydol while Earthquake covers Metagross, Froslass and general coverage. Roar allows me to phase and rack up entry hazard damage, but I'm willing to look into more alternatives such as Rest or something silly like Aqua Jet.
Possible Changes: Due to the nature of the entire team, I settled with using Calderan as my lead. I'm not exactly sure what I should do to mold Calderan into a better lead-esque Pokemon. Should I switch out Hitmontop for a different Pokemon perhaps I can juggle the lead position between the two. The EV spread is also a bit iffy, and could use some refining.
Synergy:
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Keen Eye / Impish
252 HP / 96 Atk / 176 Def / 16 Spd
~ Spikes
~ Roost
~ Brave Bird
~ Whirlwind / Toxic
Analysis: Skarmory is probably the most reliable Spiker in the metagame right now so I settled on her. That said, Spikes is an obvious choice, damaging more switch-ins while Roost allows me to take physical hits with a great base 140 Defense stat. Brave Bird provides STAB against Breloom, who otherwise doesn't mind Stealth Rock / Spikes and is generally a nuisance to the team. Brave Bird also rips through Lilibelle as well. Whirlwind is for phasing, but Toxic could be useful against my opponent's bulky Pokemon. SkarmBliss has been a pain since the days of G/S/C, and continues the legend. The EV spread is standard but will possibly be tinkered with should I run a more Specially Defensive set.
Possible Changes: I don't think I'll ever see the need to, but I may swap this variant for a Specially Defensive set, just to toy around with the standard Skarmory counters.
Synergy:
Blissey @ Leftovers
Natural Cure / Bold
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp Def
~ Seismic Toss
~ Wish
~ Protect
~ Thunder Wave
Analysis: While Blissey may just seem like regular old WishBliss / SkarmBliss, Blissey has a couple more necessary roles on the team. Seismic Toss is a mandatory attacking move, only stopped by Lilibelle, really. Wish and Protect serve as the recovery method but also passes Wish onto the members of the team who cannot reliably recover such as Calderan or Hitmontop. Blissey also provides Thunder Wave support, forcing more switches and dealing more entry hazard damage. As SkarmBliss goes, Blissey throws everything into HP and Defense to be as effective at walling as possible.
Possible Changes: Rest has been a consideration on several teammates like Calderan, and Aerodactyl already uses Rest. Tossing Heal Bell in place of either Thunder Wave or Protect would help Calderan, etc. immensely because of the more viable recovery. However, doing so loses me either the reliability of Wishstalling, or the great paralysis support from Thunder Wave.
Synergy:
Lilibelle @ Leftovers
Immunity / Calm
200 HP / 56 Def / 252 Sp Def
~ Toxic
~ Shadow Ball
~ Leech Seed / Synthesis
~ Leaf Storm / Energy Ball / Protect
Analysis: Liliebelle works great in tandem with Calderan, and coupled with SkarmBliss makes the defensive core formiddable. Toxic cripples everything but Steel / Poison-types, and acts as an essentially less reliable Toxic Spikes. Shadow Ball is the main attacking method and has decent coverage alongside my Grass-type offensive choice. Leech Seed helps heal Lilibelle with Leftovers, and also forces switching, especially if a special attacker has been Seeded. Synthesis provides more solid recovery but could be hampered by the presence of Tyranitar or Abomasnow. Leaf Storm provides strong STAB, but Energy Ball is more suited in the long run.
Possible Changes: If Shadow Ball loses usefulness Night Shade will be used in its place but it's great for picking off Gengar and Rotom. When I run Leech Seed I might choose to also throw in Protect over a Grass-type move to gain a turn of free Leech Seed / Leftovers recovery. Protect would also help scout switch-ins, etc. Like with Calderan I'm also a bit shaky on the EV spread, particularily the distribution in Defense vs. Special Defense so any help there would be greatly appreciated.
Synergy:
Aerodactyl @ Brightpowder
Pressure / Jolly
252 HP / 252 Spd / 4 Sp Def
~ Rest
~ Sleep Talk
~ Roar
~ Whirlwind
Analysis: Inspired by Umbreon, I decided to test this Aerodactyl set out. In a nutshell, if you're not phazing with Roar or Whirlwind, you're using Rest (or switching out). While under Rest, Sleep Talk will select Roar / Whirlwind 66% of the time. By using Sleep Talk to Roar and Whirlwind gives them normal (+0) priorty rather than the -1. Since Aerodactyl is one of te fastest Pokemon in the game, this leads to some great phazing and hilarious results. If I'm healthy enough to Rest again after two turns it's more rinsing and repeating. The EV spread maximizes Speed, and throws the rest into HP because you're not attacking with anything anytime soon.
Possible Changes: None, really. Opposing Taunt won't work since I'm faster and shoud be asleep / using Sleep Talk anyway. Maybe change the nature to Timid because Aerodactyl is being a shy little jerk.
Synergy:
Hitmontop @ Leftovers
Technician / Adamant
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
~ Fake Out
~ Mach Punch
~ Sucker Punch / Rapid Spin / Close Combat
~ Sucker Punch / Rapid Spin / Close Combat
Analysis: I'm not exactly sure why I put Hitmontop on this team. Perhaps I needed a Rapid Spinner so opposing stall wouldn't be as much of a hassle as it would. Anyway this is a general grasp of Technician Hitmontop with some changes. Fake Out enjoys free damage on anything except Ghost-types, while I have a nice pool of options for the remaining moves. Mach Punch provides a STAB priority move but still leaves me vulnerable to Ghost-type switch-ins. The point though is to just lure them in because they'll be taking Stealth Rock damage. Sucker Punch decimates Gengar or Lilibelle trying to take me out with Shadow Ball, while Close Combat lets me muscle against Pokemon like Skarmory. Rapid Spin is viable for reasons explained earlier, and who wouldn't want a Technician boosted Rapid Spin? Maximum HP lengthens bulkiness and Speed isn't necessarily if I'm throwing all priority attacks at my opponent.
Possible Changes: Bullet Punch was another priority option I could've added but I don't really see a need for it other than minor coverage benefits. Likewise with Calderan Rest is a possibility, granting immediate status elimination and full health, whereupon Blissey would use Heal Bell to alleviate the Sleep.
Synergy:
Conclusion: This has worked to some extent. The most pressing matter to me is the position or existence of Hitmontop on the team because I get no surefire way of handling other Skarmory and Breloom. I've considered a Choice Scarf Gallade with Close Combat / Ice Punch / Fire Punch just to deal specifically with those threats, and possibly Psycho Cut so Infernape doesn't walk over the team. Calderan does handle most sets without Grass Knot, though. Speaking of Fire-types, bulky Heatran can also replace Hitmontop because Heatran and Lilibelle also work great as a defensive pairing.
Any and all help / criticism is appreciated; thanks for reading!
~Final Glance~
