Hey guys! Dugtrio / Microwave Oven here. I have an NU Stall Team for you people today. I don't see much Stall in NU, so I figured this team was worth sharing. I only got up to #6 on the ladder with it (on my Dugtrio account), and I don't see it getting any higher, so it's probably not the best team out there. Still, I had fun using it, and I annoyed a few people with the heavy stall. I don't consider myself to be very knowledgeable about the NU tier, so I'd like to see what others think. Plus, I really wanted an excuse to do a RMT with a Barney song.
Feel free to use the team or change it as you see fit. If you have any suggestions for improvement, feel free to share, though be warned, I most likely will not be implementing any changes. While I am interested in hearing opinions, I rather like the team the way that it is, and I'm guessing that most suggestions, while potentially benefiting the team, will take away from the team's heavy dosage of stall. This is just gonna be a super quick overview, and I'm not gonna write a novel like I did for my last RMT. I'll be doing the Pokemon in the order in which I added them while teambuilding, and I'll be talking about the teambuilding process along the way. Let's get started! Here we go to Grandpa's Farm!
Oh, and consider this to be the conclusion too because I'm not writing one!
Feel free to use the team or change it as you see fit. If you have any suggestions for improvement, feel free to share, though be warned, I most likely will not be implementing any changes. While I am interested in hearing opinions, I rather like the team the way that it is, and I'm guessing that most suggestions, while potentially benefiting the team, will take away from the team's heavy dosage of stall. This is just gonna be a super quick overview, and I'm not gonna write a novel like I did for my last RMT. I'll be doing the Pokemon in the order in which I added them while teambuilding, and I'll be talking about the teambuilding process along the way. Let's get started! Here we go to Grandpa's Farm!
Oh, and consider this to be the conclusion too because I'm not writing one!
The Cow (Miltank) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- Milk Drink
- Body Slam
The Cow, she makes a sound like this, "Moo Moo!"
The idea for this team actually came from the very brief Shaymin meta in RU. For the week Shaymin and Slurpuff were in RU, many people (myself included) ran Miltank as a way of stopping Shaymin. I had a pretty good time running Miltank during that time period, and it gave me the realization that it could function very well in its native NU tier.
What really drew me into Miltank was one basic fact: it has access to both Stealth Rock and Heal Bell. Simple as that. Cramming both of these moves onto one Pokemon gives me few restrictions in deciding the later members of the team. If you've seen any of my teams in the past, you will know that I love doing this. I don't need to go on too deeply about the benefits of these moves. Stealth Rock is great for punishing opponent switches, and Heal Bell keeps the team status-free.
Another thing I like about Miltank is its access to reliable recovery in Milk Drink. Even Uxie and Diancie in RU don't have that; talk about a luxury! And with Miltank's supreme bulk, it can easily take advantage of this extremely reliable recovery move. Speaking of bulk, I went with a Special Defensive set in order to make best use of Thick Fat, since Fire and Ice type moves are most often Special Attacks. When I ran Miltank in RU, I obviously went with Sap Sipper to wall Shaymin. But here, I can run Thick Fat to concentrate on mons like Pyroar and Aurorus. Last thing, Body Slam is a STAB attack that lets me fish for Paralysis. Status is a big part of this team, and every little bit helps!
Every farm needs a cow!
The Pig (Audino) @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
The Pig, she makes a sound like this, "Oink Oink!"
Ok, forgive me if this is an ignorant statement, but I'm gonna make it. All NU Stall teams need Audino. Period. No "ifs", "ands" or "buts". It is the only real viable Wish passer in the tier. How exactly a defensive battler wants to go about using Audino is up to them, but the point is that it needs to be there. And knowing that I was going to build a Stall team, I quickly added Audino to the lineup.
I went with a Special Defensive variant because I knew I would have a plethora of Physically Defensive options later in the team (more on those later). The moves are nothing too unusual. Wish lets Audino heal its teammates, and itself when combined with Protect. Knock Off was chosen as the attack because removing opponent's items is very useful for this team (since it has no Trick Pokemon). Toxic is the best status in the game (in my opinion), so it's always useful.
And now for the obligatory Mega Audino comment. I usually try to avoid Mega Evolving so I can take advantage of Regenerator. But sometimes I have no choice but to Mega Evolve. However, it should only be done as a last resort. You've all heard that before, but it needed to be said.
And yes, Audino gets to be the pig. It is pink after all.
The Snail (Gastrodon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Toxic
The Snail, he doesn't make a sound!
At this point it was time to add some Physically Defensive Pokemon. And first up, I had a choice between Gastrodon and Poliwrath. They're the only two Pokemon in the tier that can really wall Banded Aggron, so I had to include one of them. I chose Gastrodon for several reasons. Gastrodon has reliable recovery and immunity to both Electric and Water Type moves, and I'm quite experienced in using it in RU (although I usually run Special Defensive Gastrodon sets there). Not to mention, Poliwrath struck me as more of a Pokemon that one would use as a Phazer, and I didn't want Gastrodon in that role.
As for the moves, Scald is an outstanding STAB attack with an amazing 30% Burn chance. Earth Power is another nice STAB move that lets Gastrodon hit additional Pokemon, such as Lanturn. Recover is for restoring HP, and Toxic wears the opponent down. Overall, Gastrodon is a simple Pokemon that helps to strengthen the team's defensive core.
And no, there was no snail/slug in the song *sad face*. I suppose it was too quiet and small to be noticed.
Grandpa (Weezing) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Haze
We're on our way, we're on our way, on our way to Grandpa's Farm!
Now halfway through making the team, I wanted some more Physical Defense, and I knew that Weezing was perhaps the best Physically Defensive Pokemon in the metagame. With many strong Physical Attackers in the NU tier, I figured having a Pokemon with Will-O-Wisp would be quite useful. Plus, I had experience running Weezing in RU, so I wanted to use it more here. I knew running it without Toxic Spikes would feel sort of odd, but I decided that it would be okay.
Sludge Bomb is a great STAB attack with an extremely generous 30% Poison chance. Pain Split is the closest thing Weezing has to reliable recovery. Haze is the most unusual move here, but I find it incredibly useful in dealing with setup Pokemon, especially Malamar. I have considered putting Taunt on Weezing, but all of the other moves are so beneficial that I really don't have room for it. And despite only having Pain Split, I have not had many problems in keeping Weezing healthy throughout matches. Wish passes from Audino have played a big role in this.
I guess Grandpa was a chronic smoker.
The Duck (Pelipper) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Defog
- Roost
- Knock Off
The Duck, he makes a sound like this, "Quack Quack!"
The best Defogger in the NU Tier is a PU Mon! Say what? NU Players, I need to ask you: how did you let this bird fall to PU? I've even had some successes running Pelipper in RU where it is great at dealing with both Mega-Camerupt and Escavalier. Like, I know Stall isn't super popular in NU, but Pelipper dropping during the last tier shifts really surprised me. Still, a fall to PU isn't gonna stop me from using it in NU, where I consider it to be the tier's flagship Defogger. I mean with a superb Physical Defense, reliable recovery and access to Scald, how can you go wrong?
Needless to say, deciding to use Pelipper was an easy decision. The difficult part was deciding on a fourth move. Scald (with its legendary 30% Burn rate), Defog (the whole reason I'm running this bird) and Roost (what makes Pelipper better than Mantine), were no-brainers. But the last move was a harder decision. Toxic was my initial decision because you can never go wrong with wearing the opponent down. Air Slash or Hurricane were also options to hit Grass and Fighting Types harder.
But ultimately, I went Knock Off because (as I stated earlier) removing the opponent's items is great for this team. Yeah, Audino already has Knock off, but its so busy that it often doesn't have a chance to use it. Having another opportunity to punish Switches by removing an item is really quite useful. It's also worth mentioning that I really don't care about the actual damage Knock Off brings. This is evident by the fact that I've opted for a Bold Nature. If Pelipper is going to do any real damage, it will be through Scald. Knock Off just helps to cause inconveniences to my opponent.
And yes, I know Pelipper is a pelican, not a duck, but song.
The Skunk (Skuntank) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
The Skunk, he always smells like this, "P-U!"
With 5 mons on the team, I was feeling pretty confident in the team's Special and Physical Defenses. What I wasn't confident in was the team's ability to handle Xatu. I wanted a Pokemon that would give Xatu nightmares, and Skuntank fit the bill.
Deciding to use a Choice Band might have been the most controversial decision of this entire team. Most people would probably say to use a Lum Berry so that it can quickly shake off status (usually a Burn) and hit back with a strong, full-force attack.
But the way I see it, Skuntank is just gonna get burned anyway! Think about it; I switch it in on Mismagius, which hits me with Will-O-Wisp. Lum Berry heals it, but on the next turn, I'm just going to be hit with another Will-O-Wisp. And with how long this team's matches usually go on, Skuntank is inevitably going to get Burned or Paralyzed regardless! Why not say screw all that and boost its Attack to dangerous levels? Even if Skuntank does get Burned, it still maintains some power, and plus I can often just heal it with Miltank later.
Other options included Black Glasses and Life Orb. Black Glasses doesn't give me the boost I want, and Life Orb just wears Skuntank down. No, I need the full power boost of a Banded set. And it's worth the restriction of being locked into a move; with a Choice Band, Skuntank's Attack reaches a staggering 469. For an NU Pokemon, that is some serious power.
Skuntank's ability to trap weakened mons with Pursuit and remove them from the game is a godsend. This especially true for opposing Pokemon that aren't ideally suited for taking Physical Attacks. In other words, it could be argued that Skuntank is perhaps the best trapper in NU. Having a Choice Band only makes this role more deadly.
The moves are straight-forward. Crunch is the go-to STAB attack. Pursuit is for trapping (Xatu, Mismagius, weakened mons). Sucker-Punch is useful when priority is desperately needed. Poison Jab is the alternative STAB attack that is great for Grass Types and other miscellaneous stuff (Mega Audino). As for the EVs, I went max Attack and max HP. I decided that bulk was more important than Speed. Besides, I have Sucker Punch for priority anyway.
What a stinky skunk! P-U!
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The Cow (Miltank) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- Milk Drink
- Body Slam
The Pig (Audino) @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
The Snail (Gastrodon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Toxic
Grandpa (Weezing) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Haze
The Duck (Pelipper) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Defog
- Roost
- Knock Off
The Skunk (Skuntank) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- Milk Drink
- Body Slam
The Pig (Audino) @ Audinite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Wish
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Toxic
The Snail (Gastrodon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Recover
- Toxic
Grandpa (Weezing) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Haze
The Duck (Pelipper) @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Defog
- Roost
- Knock Off
The Skunk (Skuntank) @ Choice Band
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
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