Stall in OU through the ages: from BW to ORAS
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Art by AmirAlexander.
BW
Why is this mushroom always back at full health? And why does my Swords Dance have no effect?
March 4th, 2011. Kids all over the world rushed to neighborhood stores to get themselves a copy of Pokémon Black or White, none of them aware that a frog is about to turn their game's meta upside down.
Yes, generation 5 wasn't all Pokémon musicals and name blacklists. Wanting a more field effect focused metagame, Game Freak buffed two Pokémon—Politoed and Ninetales—more than they have ever buffed a Pokémon before by giving them both permanent weather abilities.
While previous weather setters Groudon and Kyogre were banished to the realm of the Uber tier, both Politoed and Ninetales were governable, so they remained in OU.
Rain, sun, and sand were the three main weather-based playstyles in Black & White, and every competitive team had to have a way to deal with all three. Not in the least of these were BW stall teams, which would play around the advantages and disadvantages that each weather condition had to offer.
Weather
Using rain on stall had its benefits. For starters, it removed other weather conditions that could be detrimental to the stall team. Sand and hail chipped away at defensive Pokémon, making them easier to take down, while sun boosted the Fire-type attacks of wallbreakers such as Volcarona and Victini, making them nigh unwallable. Summoning rain instead weakened these Fire-type attacks aimed at many of the tier's premier walls. Politoed itself wasn't even a terrible pick on stall teams, as it had decent enough bulk to stay alive for a while and could disrupt an opponent's plans with Perish Song and Encore.
Ferrothorn was released in generation 5, and its defensive prowess and ability to lay down hazards were unmatched. Able to stomach even Dragon-type attacks boosted by the newly released Gems, it quickly rose to be the most used Pokémon in the tier, and the tier's Dragons adapted. Rain helped Ferrothorn to consistently check Pokémon with Fire-type coverage throughout the match by weakening their attacks. Skarmory could even take on some of the tier's physical Fire-types under the rain. With Regenerator being introduced in BW, new walls arose that also appreciated a softening of Fire-type assaults. Premier examples included Tangrowth and Amoonguss which both shared a weakness to Hidden Power Fire.
Rain also allowed Rain Dish users, Tentacruel most notably, to regenerate 12.5% of their health every turn when used in combination with Leftovers or Black Sludge. Under rain, Tentacruel served a similar purpose to Gliscor on non-rain teams, being able to repeatedly use Substitute and Protect without losing health. This aided immensely in stalling the opponent on teams that relied on status to deal damage. In addition, every Scald it fired off increased in power under the rain. Because Keldeo was so common and powerful in the rain, stall teams usually had to carry multiple checks to it, with Tentacruel being a good option. Other candidates were the ever-present Celebi or the surprisingly sturdy and effective Jellicent, which was immune to both of Keldeo's STAB moves while not letting physical attackers switch in safely for fear of Will-O-Wisp.
The second most common weather type found on bulkier teams, sun, wasn't used on full stall but rather on more balanced stall teams. Such teams utilized a Dugtrio to overcome the sun stall team's weakness to strong Fire-type attackers like Heatran and to trap opposing weather setters. Dugtrio formed a very strong core alongside Xatu, Ninetales, Cresselia, and the newly upgraded Chansey. This lasted until Dugtrio was banned from OU, though similar cores are still popular on BW stall teams today, sometimes running a Gothitelle or even a Diglett in the spot that Dugtrio originally held. Eventually Diglett, and more recently Gothitelle, also got the banhammer, leaving Magnezone as the only viable trapper. Top threat Keldeo was much less menacing with the sun weakening its Water-type attacks, and these teams made sure the sun's heat didn't go to waste.
Chansey, Blissey's usually inferior pre-evolution, now again saw usage because of a newly introduced item, Eviolite. Giving it a 50% boost to both defenses, Chansey was now more bulky, both physically and specially, compared to its evolution, only lacking Leftovers recovery.
The last of the useful weathers, sand, was generally only used on stall because of its good setters. The lack of bulky Rock-types with access to reliable recovery made the defensive utility sand offers them nonexistent. If the stall team didn't mind taking damage from sand, Hippowdon was a new and effective check against the many physical powerhouses the tier offered, such as Terrakion and Tyranitar. It could also sabotage the opponent's weather and was a reliable check to some of the most prominent threats on sand offense, such as Excadrill and Landorus-T.
Sand stall resorted to cores that aren't affected by the sand, featuring walls such as Gliscor and Bronzong. Hippowdon was also run without its Sand Stream ability so as to not affect its teammates that might have been more hindered than helped by the sand's consistent chip damage.
Stall players usually focused on one of the three weather types, building a team around that specific weather type to prevent giving an opponent the permanent benefit of a favorable weather condition. Of the three, rain was the most common, as the Water-type moves that were boosted were usually specially offensive in nature, and a large number of Pokémon used on stall could sponge even their rain-boosted assault. Examples include the aforementioned Tentacruel and Amoonguss, but Chansey and Latias could also recover off these hits, running active recovery rather than relying on a passive method like Regenerator or Rain Dish.
New Abilities
Weather wasn't all gen 5 had to offer, though. It introduced two abilities we now consider staples on many stall teams: Regenerator and Magic Bounce. While Magic Bounce had to wait a generation before it received a bulky user with widespread use, Regenerator was immediately useful and made otherwise mediocre Pokémon such as Amoonguss and Tangrowth useful on stall. They could be used as a way of repeatedly switching in on attacks and even hazards without losing health in the long run. Its Grass-type users appreciated the brand new Rocky Helmet item as a way to punish repeated use of the amazingly useful U-turn while not taking much damage even if the U-turn user teamed up with Volt Switch users thanks to Grass's Electric resistance. This new move combined well with other U-turn users and was otherwise able to pressure stall teams, as they weren't given a turn to recover off the damage taken. Regenerator prevented a stall team from being run over by tactics like these.
If the opponent tried to set up to overpower this passive healing method, BW gave stall a new method of dealing with self-boosting Pokémon. Unaware got a buff by actually receiving users other than the useless Bidoof family. Otherwise sitting in PU as setup bait, Quagsire now was unaffected by these tactics and found its way on many stall teams needing a more reliable answer to setup Terrakion and Salamence. Quagsire was further helped by the new move Scald: a decently powerful low-risk, high-reward move with a 30% burn chance. Getting a burn meant a foe was whittled down rapidly, as burn still did 12.5% of damage per turn in BW.
Steels and other improved walls
As one of the flagships of BW stall, Skarmory loved the Fire resistance rain offered, and with Sturdy now acting like a free Focus Sash its utility was better used than ever. Dragon- and Ground-types were some of the most common and most threatening physical attacking types, and Skarmory provided a useful resistance to both all while having reliable recovery, a utility option that other Spikes stackers did not have access to.
Lacking Spikes but being at least as bulky, Jirachi was also very resilient against Dragon spam and could use Wish to keep not just itself but also its teammates healthy. Being able to run a multitude of sets and lacking an Electric weakness, it was less vulnerable to getting trapped by Magnezone than Skarmory was, though it was hit harder by the omnipresent Garchomp. Bronzong worked similarly to Jirachi but lacked the movepool that it and Ferrothorn had access to, making it more common on balance teams when paired with Magnezone, rather than pure stall. Its Levitate ability and great typing carve out a niche for it though, dealing better with Garchomp and Dragonite than other Steel-types do.
Another ability-boosted wall, Gliscor already saw decent usage as a Toxic staller in generation 4, but generation 5 gave it Poison Heal, transforming it into a top-tier threat. Similarly to Tentacruel, it could recover 25% every 2 turns, allowing Gliscor plenty of time to Toxic stall opponents using Substitute and Protect as long as it had PP left. In combination with a special wall it worked wonders against the oh-so-common sand teams.
Example team
A popular generation 5 stall team build is similar to the following strong team by M Dragon.
Using rain stall, M Dragon manages to create great synergy within a team. Politoed is the team's starting point, running Toxic to punish Pokémon such as Latios that like to switch in. It can use Scald to burn those that aren't affected by poison. With rain up, most Dragons are walled by the ever-popular Ferrothorn, which can lay down hazards while stomaching a foe's Dragon-type and Psychic-type attacks. Rocky Helmet on Ferrothorn as well as its hazard support help wear physical attackers down quickly, in addition to hurting common spinners.
Ferrothorn forms a resilient physically defensive core with Quagsire, with the salamander walling many Fire- and Fighting-type physical attackers that threaten Ferrothorn, such as Terrakion. If they try to set up alongside Ferrothorn stacking hazards, Quagsire's Unaware stops them cold. As it runs Toxic, Tentacruel is a great help, healing 25% every 2 turns from Rain Dish and Black Sludge. This allows it to Toxic stall effectively while fishing for Scald burns and laying down Toxic Spikes on any free turns given to it.
On the specially defensive side the team features a core of Dragonite and Chansey. Dragonite is able to comfortably take any one hit from full HP because of its ability Multiscale and deal decent damage back with a 100% accurate Hurricane in the rain. Chansey is able to take those special hits because of its immense special bulk, which is helped further by its Eviolite. Because of their great special bulk, reliable recovery, and type synergy, the two of them won't quickly fall to any of the most common special attacks. Where Dragonite can prevent getting set up on by utilizing Dragon Tail, Chansey puts the foe on a timer by crippling them with Toxic. Common threats to rain teams such as Celebi and Reuniclus are dealt with well by the interesting Dragonite set used.
State of current BW stall
With the introduction of Black 2 and White 2, a number of oppressive wallbreakers were released. Tyrants such as the aforementioned Keldeo as well as Kyurem-B, Landorus, and Genesect were very hard to deal with for bulky cores. Even though the latter two were banned to the Uber tier shortly after their release, the introduction of numerous powerful threats made stall harder to use. In addition, the lasting prevalence of Ferrothorn on non-stall teams made it hard for the walls on stall to remain healthy, as premier spinners such as Starmie and Tentacruel couldn't reliably keep the Spikes it spread off the field. Though very effective at the time, against current offensive builds M Dragon's stall team needs a good matchup to perform well.
Dragonite and Quagsire in particular are often forfeited for more archetype-specific Pokémon on current builds, preferring Whirlwind Skarmory over Quagsire as a phazer. The most widely used stall teams nowadays are sun stall builds, utilizing Xatu's Magic Bounce to keep entry hazards off the field. They were not uncommonly run with Gothitelle, the male variant of which could trap specific threats using its new hidden ability Shadow Tag, until it recently got banned from OU, making Magnezone the only trapper left to use on stall teams. Stallish in nature but not running 6 walls, these builds are usually considered semi-stall rather than full stall. Something had to change for full stall to properly become effective again.
A recent stall team used to success was used by z0mOG in Smogon Tour 26 vs ABR. Using a rain stall team, he went on to win the tournament.
X/Y
Eevee has a normal type eeveelution? And why is that Charizard changing shape?
With stall keenly awaiting big changes with the transition from B2W2 to XY, Game Freak did not disappoint in changing things up. A breed of powerful mutations known as Mega Evolutions was introduced, resembling the original Pokemon but after they collected the 7 Chaos Emeralds. Mega Evolving a Pokémon traded in their item slot for a boost in potential, often with enhanced stats, a different typing, and a helpful ability. Though the loss of an item was unfortunate, the increase in power these Pokémon received usually more than made up for it.
Mega Evolutions
Offense now ran a Mega Pokémon on a teamslot previously reserved for a Choice Specs- or Choice Band-holding Pokémon, making some of these breakers easier to handle for stall teams, as they held less raw power than a regular Pokémon boosted by a Choice item. On the other hand, many of the newly released Megas were capable of breaking through stall all by themselves. Their improved base stats and better abilities resulted in widespread use of many of the tier's strongest Mega Pokémon. Stall teams now couldn't suffice with using blanket checks to deal with these powerhouses and had to equip specified checks to many of the most threatening breakers. One of the most notable and most frightening for stall builds was Mega Gardevoir, which much like Keldeo in B2W2 was able to break through both physical and special walls with a single set. It used a combination of Psyshock and Hyper Voice, the latter of which was boosted by one of the newly released -ate abilities, Pixilate. Being able to switch up moves at any time because it holds no Choice item, it still had 2 moveslots left for coverage, annoyance, or setup moves. Steel-types such as Jirachi and Ferrothorn became popular options on stall teams to prevent Gardevoir from breaking through the team. The newly released Aegislash, and after Aegislash's ban Doublade, were alternatives if your team is also weak to the absurdly powerful Mega Heracross.
Both Mega Charizard variants, though still weak to Stealth Rock, were nearly impossible to switch into for stall. The special Y variant set up the sun for itself, powering up its Fire-type moves, and with its enhanced base stats it outperformed Ninetales power-wise. Fortunately for stall, due to the changed weather mechanics its drought only lasted for 5 turns, meaning that only Charizard itself had the time to make good use of the sun it set on dedicated teams.
Stall teams continued to run Chansey as a reliable switch-in to the lizard, but Charizard Y teams adapted by pairing it with a Choice Band Tyranitar, which could KO Chansey outright with Superpower. If Chansey tried to switch out it could trap the blob with Pursuit, weakening it to later stampede through the team with a different, specially based breaker. Charizard's physical X variant saw stallbreaking use too, threatening the 2HKO with Outrage on even a physically defensive Quagsire.
It quickly became obvious that numerous Mega Pokémon introduced in Generation 6 were simply too powerful for OU, so Gengarite, Lucarionite and Kangaskhanite were banned within months to the higher tiers. The most influential of all Megas introduced into OU was Mega Mawile, a Pokémon with a higher Attack stat than already fear-instilling Mega Medicham. With an ability that doubles its Attack and one of the best typings in the game, there was no Pokémon on stall that could reliably switch into it. Fortunately for our pink blobs, Mawile was banned swiftly in XY, making stall a more than viable option again.
Mechanic changes
Mawile's Fairy typing was a new addition to XY that also doubled as a very useful type for stall. Weak only to the uncommon Poison- and Steel-type attacks, Pokémon such as Clefable and Gardevoir became top OU threats with their newly gained typing, gaining an immunity to the once dominant Dragon-type attacks that used to terrorize stall teams in previous generations. The Steel-types whose shoulders this job used to fall on could now focus on walling other threats like Mega Metagross, an ORAS-introduced Mega Evolution that received the new ability Tough Claws and made great use of it.
Clefable especially became one of the best Pokémon in OU, courtesy of its diverse movepool and great typing. Being able to take on threats previously thought unwallable such as Kyurem-B and Mega Heracross, Clefable used its versatility and bulk to cripple entire teams with status moves. It's not all sunshine and rainbows for stall teams though, as Clefable was seen as a double-edged sword. Its typing buff meant stall teams now had a great Unaware wall at their disposal, but also introduced a common Pokémon that was hard to take down on opposing teams, being immune to residual damage because of its other great ability, Magic Guard. Stall teams could not rely on damage from status and entry hazards to wear it down, and they often had to wear it out in the long run by making it spend all of its PP or relying on winning the Clefable vs Clefable 1v1 in a Calm Mind or status war.
The dynamic of entry hazards changed enormously in XY, not in the least by the improved Defog mechanics. Previously a useless move in the competitive scene, it no longer was usable outside in the overworld as an HM but instead served as an entry hazard and screens remover during battle. With Defog being significantly more accessible than the clunky Rapid Spin that was also blocked by Ghosts, many teams now found themselves with access to a reliable method of keeping hazards off the field. This was a huge boost to the reliability of stall teams, as taking the extra chip damage could mean the difference between walling a foe and being 2HKOed. Skarmory, Zapdos, Mew, Mega Scizor, Gliscor and Mandibuzz were just some of the Pokémon useful on XY stall teams that got access to it and could spare a moveslot.
The second huge change in the hazards metagame came later with the release of ORAS. The games introduced 15 new Mega Evolutions, one of which would change how hazards were played around significantly.
Though Mega Slowbro was released in ORAS with its stellar base 180 defense and reliable recovery, all eyes were rightfully on Mega Sableye instead, which gained a 300-pound ruby and about as much bulk. Its main selling point was the combination of a stellar typing and a great ability, Magic Bounce. An ability previously reserved for flimsy Psychic-types, Sableye was the first bulky user with reliable recovery and a great defensive typing. Not only were hazards now easier to remove with a Defogger on every team, they were a challenge to get up in the first place against stall teams using the imp. Dealing over 50% of Mega Sableye's health was the new expectation for hazard setters, and with Sableye only being weak to Fairy-type attacks, a type rarely seen offensively, Sableye was often able to keep hazards off the field by itself with its physically defensive utility set, only generally fearing Stealth Rock Clefable and Heatran. Sableye performed this role so effectively that many stall teams were able to run Flying-types again such as the 4x Stealth Rock-weak Talonflame, a newly released Pokémon with a priority healing move in Gale Wings Roost and an effective support movepool. It could even serve as a win condition against opposing stall teams by setting up with Bulk Up. Other Flying-types such as Togekiss and Zapdos could be used too, helping to alleviate pressure against common stallbreakers like Breloom and Garchomp. Even Shedinja, a Pokémon previously seen as unviable because of its deadly weakness to all entry hazards, was considered a viable option on Sableye stall to stop enemies that couldn't touch or status it such as Keldeo and non-Pursuit Mega Metagross.
Mega Sableye usually formed a bulky core with Chansey. While physically defensive Sableye kept physical attackers at bay, Chansey could prevent most special attackers from running through the team. Typingwise they harmonized well too as Sableye was immune to Chansey's Fighting-type weakness, while Chansey could easily sponge any Fairy-typed assault aimed at Sableye. Opposing setup would not be detrimental to the team as long as there was an Unaware user in the back. As a last resort, many an unwallable threat could now be trapped or fatally crippled by another new gimmick: Shadow Tag.
Shadow Tag and Arena Trap became huge in OU, as they could trap key threats to and on stall teams. With stall being more viable than ever, Gothitelle in particular got a huge boost. Contrary to Wobbuffet and Dugtrio, it had the golden combination of a movepool that made great use of its ability to trap opponents, passable bulk, and a decent defensive typing. It ran a Choice Scarf on stall, Tricking it away during the match to unsuspecting or even suspecting stallbreakers, after which they'd be forced to stay in, locked into their last used move. Top threats Manaphy and Clefable suddenly were a lot less threatening, with a Choice Scarf getting rid of their option to set up and limiting how easily they could recover off damage. Gothitelle was able to revenge kill Mega Heracross and Mega Medicham and also paralyze Gardevoir in a pinch with Thunder Wave, which still cut Speed by three quarters in generation 6. If Gothitelle was on the field against a stallbreaker that could not hit it for major damage, Gothitelle could even set up with Calm Mind after Tricking away its Choice Scarf and proceed to sweep entire teams by itself.
Trapping in other ways, such as Pursuit trapping with Weavile, was also a popular option on stall teams, though ultimately inferior to the immense utility Gothitelle brought to the table.
Stall cores
If Sableye wasn't the Mega Evolution of choice on the stall team, the choice was usually between the Mega variants of Scizor, Venusaur and Slowbro. All of them sporting reliable recovery and high physical bulk, they too formed a good stall core with Chansey. Where Scizor and Venusaur had few weaknesses and thus were able to wall a large range of even top OU threats, Slowbro made up for its array of weaknesses by being able to raise both of its defenses with Calm Mind and Iron Defense, in addition to having great abilities both pre- and post-Mega Evolution.
Often it takes a Mega Evolution to beat a Mega Evolution, and these alternative Mega Evolutions beat a different set of threats that Sableye teams had trouble with. Where Slowbro had a great matchup against Mega Charizard X, Talonflame and Keldeo, Mega Scizor walled Mega Metagross and Bisharp which gained an Attack boost from a foe's Defog. Mega Venusaur stopped Mega Diancie and any variant of Azumarill from hindering the stall team's progress, if the stall team found itself with a bad matchup against them.
Mega Altaria could also be used, and it performed similar to Clefable on stall teams, running Heal Bell for its teammates or Dragon Dance to sweep late-game if needed.
As not all 6 Pokémon on the team could hold a Mega Stone, Regenerator users remained popular choices on stall teams to support the classic stall cores. Healing 1/3rd of their health every time they switched out meant they could stay healthy against the threats they were meant to counter, regardless of team support or if hazards were up on their side of the field. Amoonguss was its most common user with its high bulk, useful typing and 100% accurate Spore, though it could no longer put Grass-types to sleep courtesy of the new powder mechanics. Tornadus-T and Alomomola were other viable options, depending on the utility the stall team needed. Alomomola could pass enormous Wishes to its teammates utilizing its high HP stat while rarely needing to heal itself because of Regenerator; it also didn't take much damage because of its decent defenses and good mono-Water typing. Tornadus-T on the other hand had no reliable recovery move, but it instead used its utility moveset to Defog away hazards and get rid of the foe's items with the newly buffed Knock Off, making them easier to wall or wear down by the rest of the team. Tornadus-T's Flying typing meant that Spikes did not affect it, making it the only user of Regenerator that was guaranteed at least some health as it switched in, no matter how many hazards were stacked against it.
Because weather was no longer a dominant force in the meta, stall teams in generation 6 were no longer forced to come up with a strict game plan in the teambuilder. Whereas in BW stall teams were regularly built with a set team archetype in mind, XY stall teams had more freedom, which made them that much more scary. Rather than following a blueprint, stall teams were formed from cores like Mega Sableye + Chansey or multiple Regenerator Pokémon. As generations progress more Pokémon get access to a reliable recovery move, and this gives stall teams more teammates to choose from.
Example team
A common and successful team at the time was the following, built by CleanerThanRotom-W. It ran the common 'ABR' core of Mega Sableye, Chansey, Gothitelle and Skarmory. Quagsire is chosen as the team's unaware wall, while Cresselia patches up many of the team's holes. Full movesets here.
Mega Sableye was seen as the face of ORAS stall, keeping hazards off the field for its teammates. Calm Mind sets were very common in ORAS: boosting up was seen as more important in early ORAS than the utility Knock Off brought, especially against opposing stall teams without Clefable.
Similarly to Sableye, you'll find a Chansey on every Gen 6 stall team. Having a mammoth HP stat and just one weakness in Fighting, it's clear how Chansey was seen as of the the tier's premier special walls. It took on many of the team's needed roles, including special wall, Stealth Rock setter, cleric, and damage dealer. Running Seismic Toss meant physical attackers such as Terrakion and Landorus-T were limited in the number of times they could switch in, and it could help PP stall recovery moves against opposing walls. As previously discussed, it formed a very effective core with Sableye.
As many of the tier's Mega Evolutions could still instill fear into both Mega Sableye and Chansey, Skarmory was run as the premier switch-in to threats such as Mega Pinsir and Mega Metagross. It ran both Counter and Whirlwind to prevent the team from being swept by said Pinsir and to deal well with Tyranitar and other breakers. Its utility as a physical wall with Defog lifted some of the pressure off Sableye. Rocky Helmet was very useful on Skarmory, not just to punish repeated uses of U-turn but also to reduce the time opposing physical breakers had to fish for Defense drops or crits. It dealt decent damage on every hit of contact damage Skarmory took, though Shed Shell and Leftovers were good options too for alternative versions of the team. Quagsire finished off the traditional physical core, stopping setup with its decent physical bulk and amazing ability rather than a phazing move. As Toxic was already run on Cresselia, it could run Encore to stop rare threats such as Mega Gyarados from setting up on it.
In the era of Landorus, Cresselia was a must-have on many stall teams, being one of the few Pokémon able to switch into its Life Orb-boosted attacks, as Chansey hated losing its Eviolite to a Knocked Off from the mixed sets and also feared setup from the Calm Mind variants. Skill Swap Cresselia is a cool tech that allowed it some breathing room against opposing stall teams running Clefable or Sableye. When run together with Toxic, it's able to Toxic stall the two, while also having regular utility against annoyances like Rotom-W and Landorus.
The other half of the double Psychic core, Gothitelle, finished off the team. As previously explained, its presence is justified by its unique ability to trap opposing Pokémon and put a stop to many threatening stallbreakers. Opposing Thundurus, Latias, Clefable and Manaphy were much less threatening when equipped with a Choice Scarf, or of course they could simply be knocked out by Gothitelle. Gothitelle had the unique ability to put normally threatening sweepers in a position where they won't dare to even appear on the battlefield for fear of getting trapped.
After the Landorus ban, Cresselia was often substituted with Amoonguss on similar teams for its resistance to Keldeo's STAB attacks and amazing ability in Regenerator. Similarly, Weavile took over Gothitelle's spot after Shadow Tag was banned from OU. Weavile fulfilled a similar role, often being sacrificed to cripple or Pursuit trap the opponent's most effective breaker against the user's team.
State of current ORAS stall
During the history of ORAS, most of the top stallbreaking Pokémon in OU were banned from play. This included Greninja with its insane coverage, Landorus with its Sheer Force- and Life Orb-boosted attacks that didn't cost it any HP, and Hoopa-U, which could run a multitude of breaking sets, all of them deadly to stall. With the most powerful wallbreakers being removed from the tier, stall came to be seen as too strong a force in the metagame. Both Shadow Tag and Sableye were subsequently banned from OU, forcing stall to implement alternative Mega Evolutions and trappers.
The existence of many powerful Mega Evolutions and the ban of Sableye and Gothitelle has made full stall tough to use in the current metagame. Though not unviable, many top players now prefer to run semi-stall: a type of stall that also holds a universal sweeper in the back such as a Swords Dance Gliscor, Calm Mind Clefable, Mega Altaria, Mega Slowbro, or a bulky Talonflame. Mega Slowbro in particular is seen as one of the biggest threats in ORAS OU with its immunity to critical hits, high Defense, and access to reliable recovery. It can play most of the match as a regular Slowbro to make use of Regenerator and only Mega Evolve later on when the opponent's team is sufficiently weakened to sweep. Stall teams and semi-stall teams are often run with walls that also sport decent attacking stats like Hippowdon and Tornadus-T. With the abundance of strong threats the game is matchup reliant when featuring these picks, and as a result teams are made more tournament viable, especially if your opponent expects you to run stall.
Stall teams still feature common cores like Chansey plus a physical wall, and multiple Regenerator users. Smogon Tour 26 again showed how effective stall can be in the match between Finchinator and Welli0u. Finchinator was able to stop Welli0u's plans by walling his team with the Regenerator + Chansey core. Setup Mega Slowbro and Gliscor served as his wincon; Slowbro especially was used conservatively until the right opportunity to set up and sweep arrives.
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