Stall Is So Much Fun (OR/AS OU)

[Divine Retribution]

This team is sponsored by Clorox brand bleach. After playing with it, you'll want some.



===Foreword===

Okay, I don't like stall. I hate stall. I despise the very existence of stall. It's not fun to play with. It's not fun to play against. I don't see any reason for it to even exist. Some scientific studies even indicate that 99.7% of all stall users are basement dwelling neckbeard degenerates.

So naturally I decided to make a stall team. Don't question it.

Spoiler: Teambuilding

Anyways, I started with Mega Sableye. I mean, Mega Sableye is pretty much what makes stall viable in the first place. Mega Sableye gives me pretty much the best hazard control in the game, a solid wincon, and Will-O-Wisp, which proves immensely useful.

After that I added a dual Regen core. Amoonguss gives me a solid answer to Azumarill, Serperior, and Manaphy, while Slowbro gives me something to throw at Heatran and MegaZard X.

We were still weak to MegaZard Y, Mega Gardevoir, CM Clefable, etc. so I added a Chansey. Chansey also passes Wishes and offers Heal Bell support.

Skarmory provides me with hazards, an answer to various physical attackers such as Landorus-T and BD Azumarill, and some phasing.

Finally I slapped Excadrill in there to help with opposing Stall teams and remove hazards.

Sableye was under too much pressure as both my primary means of hazard control and my only wincon. I dropped Excadrill for Serperior and put Defog on Skarmory. However, some variants of Clefable were now a problem, and Talonflame was a *****, so I dropped Amoonguss for Heatran.

===The Team===

Sableye @ Sablenite
Calm - Prankster ---> Magic Bounce
248 HP, 172 Defence, 88 Sp. Def
-Will-O-Wisp
-Calm Mind
-Recover
-Dark Pulse

Sableye is hands down the best mega for Stall teams, with nothing else even coming close. Magic Bounce is an absolutely fantastic ability for keeping the field clear of hazards and reflecting random Toxics and Thunder Waves. Sableye's fantastic bulk combined with Will-O-Wisp and Calm Mind make him exceptionally difficult to take down, and he makes a great lead thanks to Prankster allowing him to get an effective matchup against most opposing leads.

Heatran @ Leftovers
Calm - Flash Fire
248 HP, 4 Defence, 188 Sp. Def, 68 Speed
-Lava Plume
-Toxic
-Taunt
-Stealth Rock

Heatran is a fantastic Pokemon, shutting down Unaware Clefable, Serperior, Talonflame, Ferrothorn, Scizor, etc. while providing me with Stealth Rock and Taunt. His amazing typing lets him take on nearly all of Sableye's common checks, and the high burn chance of Lava Plume makes it very difficult to switch into. Toxic is also very nice for crippling switchins such as Latios, Landorus-T, and bulky Waters.

Slowbro @ Colbur Berry
Bold - Regenerator
248 HP, 252 Defence, 8 Sp. Atk
-Scald
-Fire Blast
-Slack Off
-Thunder Wave

Slowbro is the 2nd part of my dual Regenerator core. He makes a fantastic answer to a lot of common threats like Mega Charizard X, Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, etc. Colbur Berry helps him take on Bisharp and Weavile a little better by stopping them from getting a buffed Knock Off hit and allowing him to hit them with either Scald or Fire Blast. It also lets him fare better against BD Azumarill in a pinch, although he still needs to rely on a Scald burn. Thunder Wave cripples incoming switchins like Serperior, Alakazam, and Mega Gardevoir. Slack Off provides me with instant recovery.

Chansey @ Eviolite
Bold - Natural Cure
248 HP, 252 Defence, 8 Sp. Def
-Seismic Toss
-Wish
-Protect
-Heal Bell

Chansey and Sableye get fantastic synergy, with Sableye burning opponents and taking Fighting moves and Knock Off without any trouble at all, and Chansey taking on things like Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir without a sweat. She also packs Wish support, which Heatran loves, and Heal Bell, which allows me to be a little more reckless with my other Pokemon.

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Impish - Sturdy
248 HP, 232 Defence, 28 Speed
-Whirlwind
-Spikes
-Defog
-Roost

Skarmory, despite being completely passive, provides a number of important things for my team. It allows me to reset BD Azumarill, who is otherwise quite a large threat, provides Defog support in case my opponent manages to get hazards up, and provides Spikes to stack with Heatran's Stealth Rock for even more passive damage. While I'm a little iffy about not running Iron Head or Brave Bird, I don't really have room for it on this set.

Serperior @ Leftovers
Timid - Contrary
252 Speed, 200 Sp. Atk, 56 HP
-Leaf Storm
-Hidden Power (Fire)
-Leech Seed
-Substitute

SubSeed Serperior is arguably the best late-game wincon in the entire metagame. Once the rest of my team has sufficiently weakened his checks and counters, all I need to do is send him in and click Leaf Storm and it's basically an automatic win. SubSeed lets him get some plays in early-mid game, as well as harassing his usual checks like Heatran, the Latis, and Dragonite. He also checks Manaphy, who is otherwise a huge problem for my team since it can outboost Mega Sableye and only Chansey can really stop it (who 4HKOs at best and must be wary of RDTG sets and random crits).

Spoiler: Importable

Slowbro @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Fire Blast
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 188 SpD / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell

Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 SpD
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Dark Pulse

Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Spikes
- Defog

Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Leech Seed

So yeah, that's it. I hate stall and if you use this team you're pretty much Satan, but it's effective at what it does.
​

 

[togenaught18]

Well, something i surely can safe is you can use 2 megas in you team! Slowbronite is better than no item, because also you cant tricked and only 65 Power Knock off. I still think almost any pokemon needs at least 1 atack move, so think that again in skarmory

 

[Karxrida]

The Dark resist berry is probably better than no item in Slowbro since it still triggers when hit by Knock Off and helps with other Dark moves.

 

[Breeloom]

IMO Slowbro does need an item - any concerns about Knock Off should be alleviated by either a Slowbronite (while it is very unlikely you will ever get to mega evolve it, the option is there if needs be) or a Colbur Berry to weaken the Dark-type move Knock Off. This also adds extra coverage in the event that the Pokémon runs Night Slash, Dark Pulse or another Dark-type move over Knock Off.

Skarmory lacking an attack is complete suicide. While Whirlwind-Spikes may be a positive strategy, the Defog is unnecessary because the entry hazards will be placed near the start while Sableye is still in play 99% of the time. In its place, because you have Roost I would recommend Brave Bird or Aerial Ace in the unlikely event that the opposition opts to run a Minimize or Double Team tactic. There is also Drill Peck and Sky Drop however these are not as optimal as the former two moves. I also like the idea of Steel Wing because of the defense boost chance which can add to your stall but at 10% I'd stil prefer Brave Bird or Aerial Ace.

 

[Karxrida]

IMO Slowbro does need an item - any concerns about Knock Off should be alleviated by either a Slowbronite (while it is very unlikely you will ever get to mega evolve it, the option is there if needs be) or a Colbur Berry to weaken the Dark-type move Knock Off. This also adds extra coverage in the event that the Pokémon runs Night Slash, Dark Pulse or another Dark-type move over Knock Off.

Skarmory lacking an attack is complete suicide. While Whirlwind-Spikes may be a positive strategy, the Defog is unnecessary because the entry hazards will be placed near the start while Sableye is still in play 99% of the time. In its place, because you have Roost I would recommend Brave Bird or Aerial Ace in the unlikely event that the opposition opts to run a Minimize or Double Team tactic. There is also Drill Peck and Sky Drop however these are not as optimal as the former two moves. I also like the idea of Steel Wing because of the defense boost chance which can add to your stall but at 10% I'd stil prefer Brave Bird or Aerial Ace.

This is a Stall team. You don't need attacks on Skarmory for a Stall team. Defog is also needed because there are SR setters that totally body Mega Sableye.

Even if he were to run attacks on it, Aerial Ace is completely worthless on Skarmory in a format where Evasion is banned. Besides, Whirlwind doesn't have an accuracy check so it wouldn't be a huge problem, anyway.

 

[Divine Retribution]

IMO Slowbro does need an item - any concerns about Knock Off should be alleviated by either a Slowbronite (while it is very unlikely you will ever get to mega evolve it, the option is there if needs be) or a Colbur Berry to weaken the Dark-type move Knock Off. This also adds extra coverage in the event that the Pokémon runs Night Slash, Dark Pulse or another Dark-type move over Knock Off.

Skarmory lacking an attack is complete suicide. While Whirlwind-Spikes may be a positive strategy, the Defog is unnecessary because the entry hazards will be placed near the start while Sableye is still in play 99% of the time. In its place, because you have Roost I would recommend Brave Bird or Aerial Ace in the unlikely event that the opposition opts to run a Minimize or Double Team tactic. There is also Drill Peck and Sky Drop however these are not as optimal as the former two moves. I also like the idea of Steel Wing because of the defense boost chance which can add to your stall but at 10% I'd stil prefer Brave Bird or Aerial Ace.

Uh... What?

I see the merits behind slapping a Colbur berry on Slowbro but beyond that... What? Defog is absolutely necessary in matchups against teams that have one of the several things that can set hazards up on Sableye (Heatran, MB Excadrill, Clefable, Lum Berry Garchomp, Mega Diancie, etc) to prevent me from autolosing thanks to the amount of switches I usually need to perform in order to pressure key checks to Sableye and Serperior.

Passive Skarmory, while perhaps not standard on balanced or offensive hazard stack teams, is a mainstay of hazard stacking stall teams and for a good reason; no other Pokemon packs its amazing defensive typing, reliable recovery, Defog, and access to hazards. While it is Taunt bait predicted Taunts are free switches into Mega Sableye. If I were to run an attack it would be either Brave Bird for its reliability or Iron Head for the ability to just murder Mega Diancie, but as I said I don't have room for it. Evasion moves are also banned in OR/AS OU, so I get the feeling you don't really know what you're talking about...

 

[Aduro]

Looks like a solid stall team, should have something that resists all the big ou sweepers and it deals with taunt better than most stall teams I've seen.

Just wondering, did you consider dragon tail on Serperior? It doesn't do much damage by itself, but if you're relying on hazards to deal damage over time it could be a nicer fit, especially as you already have fire blast slowbro and lava plume heatran so I'm not sure how much HP Fire will help. Dragon Tail could do better against opponents' heatrans, breaking balloons looks like it could be important for you. Phazes out quiver dance volcarona too, although given your emphasis on hazard control the moth probably isn't such a big deal for your team.

 

[Yknot]

I'm not an expert at stall but my friend tried a stall team on me with mega gengar and perish song as well. (I had soundproof lol) I had only one pokemon with taunt and it shut down his entire strategy. An attack move on skarmory would make him less helpless against taunt.

Also again not an expert on stall teams because I don't like them either. Do you want to run thunder wave on a stall team? Seems like you would rather toxic or burn it and stall with chancey. Paralize seems to go against the nature of toxic/burn stall since you can't unparalize it to burn/poison it.

 

[Divine Retribution]

I'm not an expert at stall but my friend tried a stall team on me with mega gengar and perish song as well. (I had soundproof lol) I had only one pokemon with taunt and it shut down his entire strategy. An attack move on skarmory would make him less helpless against taunt.

Also again not an expert on stall teams because I don't like them either. Do you want to run thunder wave on a stall team? Seems like you would rather toxic or burn it and stall with chancey. Paralize seems to go against the nature of toxic/burn stall since you can't unparalize it to burn/poison it.

Hi, thanks for the feedback.

This team is meant to be used under the Smogon OU tier (in which both Gengarite and Shadow Tag in general are banned), so Mega Gengar isn't really an issue I have to take into account. To be honest the presence of Mega Gengar would simply make stall unviable no matter what tier you're playing simply by the nature of Shadow Tag.

I can't really afford to drop anything on Skarmory for an attacking move, and it wouldn't help him much versus most common Taunters anyways since they still beat him 1 on 1. If I predict a Taunt I usually switch into Mega Sableye to bounce it back, or Serperior if I think he can threaten the Taunter.

Slowbro's primary job on this team is to provide a counter to Mega Medicham and Mega Lopunny, two Pokemon who are famous for tearing apart Stall teams (and two Pokemon who have a lot of trouble breaking through Slowbro), as well as luring Bisharp, Weavile, and Tyranitar. While burning these Pokemon is ideal there are often situations (especially against Medicham and Lopunny) where I don't want to gamble on Scald's 30% burn chance and will instead opt for Thunder Wave's 100% chance of crippling them.

In addition while this is still a stall team it's more of a hazard stacking stall team than a Toxic stall team (I only carry 1 instance of Toxic and 1 instance of Will-O-Wisp) that aims to set up hazards and then force switches to wear down my opponents until an opening becomes available for Mega Sableye to set up Calm Mind or Serperior to come in and clean up once Talonflame, Heatran, and the likes have been removed. This is how I've won the majority of my matchups anyways.

Anyways thanks for the feedback. If Thunder Wave on Slowbro is really something you'd rather avoid, Toxic can serve you well in many situations but leaves you a little bit more vulnerable to Medicham, Bisharp, Weavile, etc. as if you don't get a Scald burn you won't be able to immediately cripple them, and you may be forced to sacrifice something to take them down.

 

[Yknot]

that's seems good with the thunderwave counter. I personally don't like relying on scald at all for burns, if you want something burnt just use wow.

My only concern is you have to already have sableye mega evolved to bounce it back right? Not sure how common a taunt lead is in OU singles but I see people lead with taunt a lot in doubles so if your seeing a lot of that , that could potentially give you trouble. If you are switching normal sable eye into a taunt all you can do is use a weaker dark pulse after you mega evolve and the taunt has gone off.

This is why I usually avoid singles anyway, because hazards toxic/burn stall is so viable and fairly common. If you don't like stall teams I would suggest just making the switch to doubles. They don't seem to cover VGC rules as much on smogon rather than their OU tiers but there are other competitive sites more dedicated to the VGC format which changes a lot from year to year.