XY OU Acid Rap: Pokebank OU Dragalge Stall

[Tokyo Tom]

"How many lab partners have I fucked since I got suspended?"
- good ass intro

Note: When I have time later, I'll add some more stuff, like a threatlist, importable, maybe flesh out the descriptions of each 'Mon a bit more, etc.
Also, your first thought might be "damn, this scrub is running Stall without a spin-blocker!" My response to that is...yeah, fuck

introduction

Hey guys, my name's Tokyo Tom and this is an RMT which aims to explore stall in XY. After my HO team pretty much got sewered by the banning of Gengarite (which I in no way disagree with, for the record), I was left with only a few other 'Mons I wanted to try out in XY. I haven't played the games - the last game I played was Diamond - but when I was browsing through the new XY 'Mons on the Showdown teambuilder, Dragalge immediately stood out with its amazing defensive typing. To me, 6th Gen seemed to be all about new offensive threats, so I thought it would be pretty cool, and a fresh change, to try a defensive team that could check most of the major threats and hopefully break down HO.

The main goal of this team, besides the obvious hazard stacking, push enough damage on the opponent's team to open up opportunities for a late-game priority sweep from Scizor. This is where TSpikes support from Dragalge really comes in handy for wearing down bulky waters. The only other 'Mons Scizor usually struggles with (besides the defensive walls, of course) are Fire types, which are conveniently neutered by SR (in the case of Heatran, it can't touch Dragalge or Washtom - offensive variants cannot 2HKO Dragalge with Earth Power without a Life Orb).

Of course, the residuals from hazard-stacking can't pull this off alone, and especially with Defog's new mechanics it's harder and harder for hazard-based teams to function. I try to bridge this gap in a number of different ways - Volt-Turn, allowing me to force opponents out while doing some chip damage, Status from Dragalge or Washtom, which is irreversible save Rest or a cleric (Stallbreaker Crobat comes in handy to deal with opposing Stall teams), and Skarm's Rocky Helmet, which is a huge boon against U-Turners and Mega Kang. All of this, if it goes as planned, should allow me to SD and just spam Bullet Punch for the rest of the game.

I really think SD + U-Turn Scizor's an under-appreciated set in the game atm, so this team attempts to give it a chance to shine.

Finally, Acid Rap's slow and chilled out, ideally that's what this team's playstyle should be. Chance is one of my favorite rappers right now, hopefully he comes out with some more dope stuff soon

So, here we go:

the team at a glance

the team with a closer look

Dragalge @

***Cocoa Butter Kisses
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Def / 192 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Toxic

This may be one of the most underrated typings in the game. Packing seven resists, including resistances to both parts of the Volt-Turn combo, Dragalge makes for a great pivot and a solid check to things like Charizard-Y, Heatran, Rotom-W, Venusaur, and others. Dragalge also can soak up TSpikes for Hippowdon, which is pretty useful as Toxic ruins its longevity. The EVs are nothing special - I started by maxing Dragalge's bad base 65 HP, getting a jump point in SpDef, and the rest was thrown into Defense. Poison Touch was chosen as the ability so it wouldn't interfere with the Toxic/Burn I'd want to inflict on the opposing team. Dragon Pulse is reliable STAB, which will also be boosted to decent levels with Adaptability whenever it's released, and deters dangerous 'Mons like Latios from coming in for free. Rest-Talk makes up for his lack of reliable recovery, as well as making him a decent status absorber - due to the sleep counter not resetting this Gen, Rest isn't as bad as before. Finally, Toxic allows Dragalge to get past things like Charizard-Y and Rotom-W and wear down offense/balance builds that typically lack clerics. I didn't feel that Poison coverage was needed, since I have multiple checks to the prominent Fairies in Pokebank OU.

Synergy-wise, I have three flying/levitate 'Mons who can take EQs if needed, and Scizor can remove Psychics lacking HP Fire. Washtom and Scizor cover Ice, and Skarm and Scizor patch up the Dragon weakness (I haven't seen any wallbreaking threats like Specs Latios or MixMence so far this Gen).

Everywhere that I go, everywhere they be asking hows it going
Say the goings, well, go figure, Victor's light skinned
Jesus got me feeling like Colin Powell, all praise to the God
God knows he's a pro, he's a pro like Cointel

Rotom-Wash @

***Juice
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rest
- Volt Switch

Yeah, with the prevalence of Talonflame this guy's seen a lot, but hey, he's good at what he does I guess. HPump gets the OHKO on 'Flame, Wisp lets me check SD Aeg very nicely, and Chesto-Resto has been the best variant of Washtom I've run so far. Volt Switch allows Rotom-W to gain momentum and potentially rack up more hazard damage, and in conjunction with Scizor forms a nice Volt-Turn core. Rotom-W also has very good synergy with Scizor, and they can beat most of each others' counters, or at the very least force more switches for more residuals.

303 HP minimizes residuals and 200 Def gets the jump point (and also buffers Washtom from various physical attacks, for example, +2 Aeg can't 2HKO Washtom after SR with Shadow Sneak). 30 Speed IVs allow me to under-speed opposing Rotom-W to get the slower Volt Switch, giving me switch advantage.

God give me one sentence more
Maybe I just gotta get suspended more?
Hash tag it, get mentions for it
Make you love it, get it trending more

Hippowdon @

***Chain Smoker
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 240 HP / 152 Def / 116 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Stone Edge

Originally Forretress, Hippo buffers my team against lots of Mixed and physical threats, like MixAeg (252 Quiet Shadow Ball doesn't 2HKO), Talonflame (EQ OHKOs on Roost), Dragonite (+2 Outrage never OHKOs) and Garchomp. EVs are split, Impish takes advantage of his higher base defense, and the HP gives him a lefties number. The moves are standard, with Stone Edge chosen over Ice Fang for its better overall coverage. Sand Stream was the chosen ability because it provides more residual damage against stuff like offense without hurting the team's longevity too much (because Sand only lasts 5 turns this Gen), but Sand Force could also be used.

And I'm afraid that this one right here
Might be last time that I write a song
Lot of niggas wanna go out with a bang
But I ain't tryna go out at all

Crobat @

***Favorite Song
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 232 HP / 76 Def / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- Defog

Stallbreaker Crobat is a solid pivot on this team. He does a good job at shutting down most HO leads, like Custap Skarm, Sash Smeargle, and Deo-D (bar a Psycho Boost, although with no investment it doesn't OHKO). It can wear down opposing walls, especially the very annoying Grass/Ghosts, laughs at SubToxic Gliscor, and beats popular Defog 'Mons like Skarm and Mandibuzz 1v1. It also can outspeed and OHKO Mega Pinsir after 25% from SR, as well as threatening an OHKO on Mega Heracross. Finally, it can beat stuff like CM Magic Guard Clefable (a bane of stall) or Mega Venusaur 1v1. Infiltrator can help me hit things like Gengar and BPass Scolipede behind a Sub. Crobat has pretty great synergy with Washtom, allowing them to force tons of switches, which again is great for wearing down bulkier 'Mons. Defog, although weird on a Stall team, allows me an easy way of removing hazards if necessary, without the risk involved with spinning (spin-blockers, residuals knocking me out, the general lack of good spinners with reliable recovery). Against offense, I can wear down the opponent's team and hopefully take out their hazard setter and then Defog, then freely set up my own hazards again without worry, and the synergy of the team makes it easy to do so.

The EVs allow me to outspeed Greninja and Noivern, who are very threatening to the team because of their coverage. I get a Lefties number with the HP investment, and the rest is thrown into Defense for some more bulk.

Young Rascal Flatts
Young ass kid ass could rap
Fuck all the faculty, tobacco-packing acrobat
Back-to-back packin' bags back and forth with fifths of Jack

Skarmory @

***Lost
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 216 Def / 60 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind

Skarmory does pretty much what it did in BW2 - soaking up Physical hits. It's a great check to Azumarill, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Pinsir (lol) and Excadrill, stacking up residuals between Rocky Helmet and Whirlwind until they're in range of a KO from Scizor. Rocky Helmet is also great for punishing U-Turners like Landorus-T that don't have reliable recovery. Again, all this extra chip damage really helps Scizor clean up in the endgame. Counter on Skarm is pretty nifty, as it can pretty much guarantee Skarm getting past any 1v1 situations against physical set-up sweepers (unless they pack Taunt, which is unlikely enough, and even after that Skarm can play mindgames with them because of Sturdy). Anyway, Brave Bird doesn't really do too much for Skarm this Gen. Other than that, it's a pretty standard set. Skarm has good longevity and gets a good amount of free turns throughout the match, making Spikes more optimal than Defog.

Most of my walls are geared towards the physical side; there aren't really that many special threats this Gen at the moment imo besides stuff like Gengar. The metagame really took a more Physical turn, especially with weather gone.

Ooh your mama hate me
Daddy wouldn't let you
If he ever met me
If he ever met you

Scizor @

***Everybody's Something
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Atk / 72 SpD / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Roost
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite / U-Turn

I really wanted to try out Mega Scizor, mainly because of its amazing bulk (70/140/100 is crazy for such an offensive 'Mon, but I guess you could make similar claims for most of the Megas). This set is inspired by my friend col49, who ran a 4th and 5th Gen Iron Plate Scizor with the same set. U-Turn looks weird on an SD set, but it's mainly for the midgame - Scizor then aims to pull off some nice priority sweeping in the endgame after all its checks have been severely weakened by hazards. It also lets me bluff a choice set early game if necessary. Scizor can remove annoying Psychics for Crobat and Dragalge (or at least force them out; I don't really want to forgo anything for Pursuit atm, and Espeon can just BPass out). Finally, 'Zor does an admirable job of removing Magic Guard users, like Reuniclus and Clefable, who are always annoying for Stall teams to face.

The EVs give me some nice bulk while outspeeding defensive Rotom-A, the attack also gives me a jump point and IIRC lets me take out 252/0 Mega-Ttar with a pair of Bullet Punches after SR.

EDIT: Bug Bite was found to be a generally a superior option to U-Turn, allowing Scizor to be a more dangerous sweeper right off the bat.

Shooting death with weighted dice
And hitting stains on birthday candles
I know somebody, somebody loves my ass
Cause they help me beat my demon's ass


final thoughts

Honestly, I've really been thinking about running Sableye for the spinblocking, priority Taunt and to better check Mega Kang. However with Defog's new mechanics, it seems to be pretty damn tough to spin-block reliably, and I'm not quite sure who to slot it over.

I'll add a threatlist when I can if anyone wants to see one - I'm procrastinating for exams atm so I don't really have time lol. From a theorymons perspective though, I can see Focus Energy Kingdra being a pretty big threat, although it gets worn down by hazards quickly and I can VoltTurn into the right 'Mon depending on what it tries to do.

Welp, that's pretty much it for now, thanks for reading

Shoutouts to Haxball God for being a bro, The Vampire Diaries for being the manliest show on TV, and Chance for making a dope new song with Justin Bieber (lol jk, but honestly, you should get that collab with Logic going)

importable​

​

Remember jacket shoppin' after listening to Thriller
Remember the first time you heard this dude and thought damn that's that nigga
Everything's good​

 

[Tokyo Tom]

Using that bump :'(

I spent a lot of time on this RMT (honestly probably more than I should have, haha) so even if it's just nitpicks and stuff I'd be happy to hear 'em :] Even if it's for Pokebank, 'cuz I'm probably just gonna transition this team to Pokebank once it's released - I've tested it there and it seems to be doing fine

 

[Chronic Smash]

Hello.

Pretty interesting stall team you have here.Although I'm not a stall specialist I'm gonna try to help you out.Dragalge in my opinion isn't the best Pokemon in the game so I recommend you try out Specially Defensive Heatran over Dragalge. It can provide you with burns on the opposing team in the form of Lava Plume.Which can be pretty useful against offensive teams.And you get another solid check to Talonflame

This team is quite solid so it's a bit tough for me to give it a rate.But a small nitpick here,I recommend you try out Thief over U-Turn on MegaZor which benefits from Technician and takes care of Aegislash with relative ease and I recommend you run an EV Spread of 252 HP / 220 SDef / 36 Spe so you can take on Greninja easier and kill it without much issues.

Heatran set:

Heatran @ Air Balloon/Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EV's: 252 HP / 252 SDef/ 4 Def
IV's: 0 Atk
Calm Nature
-Lava Plume
-Earth Power
-Roar
-Toxic

Hope my suggestions were helpful or at least thought provoking.

Badass signature and good luck and have fun!

 

[Tokyo Tom]

Thanks for the rate man. Eh, using Dragalge was kind of the point of me building the team, but I guess I didn't mention it in the write-up, mb haha (I just want to use some relatively obscure 'Mons n' stuff). But yeah 'Tran's a solid option, and helps me take on MixAeg n' co. better, I'll probably be making that switch.

I'll test out Thief on Sciz, I do like U-Turn to keep flow mid-game but yeah this'll buffer me against MixAeg as well, sounds like a good idea. Just wondering, does Thief do anything to their item if I'm holding something?

For the EVs I know it buffers me on the SpDef side, but atm I'm not 2HKOed by Greninja's Surf after Rocks, and the spread you're using is also 3HKOed. I do like the attack investment as well to beat certain stuff at +2, but I'll try your spread out.

Thanks again :]

 

[vonK]

How much endurance does your Dragalge build have? I really like the idea of a plague-spreader Dragalge capable of inflicting an entire team with poison, its a cool application I never thought of with all the Adaptability hype going around, but if he can't take a hit there's no point. Also you have a lot of weakness to fire on this team, if you're willing to sacrifice Rapid spin for Defog I'd recommend switching Forretress with Gliscor who handles Aegislash better, has reliable recovery and can Status sponge. Gliscor can't learn Defog and Poison heal at the same time so I'd recommend putting Defog on Skarmory.

 

[Ogami]

this team is super weak to garchomp with fireblast. I'd recommend changing forretress. I don't like the redundancy with skarmory and something to handle the physical threats skarm has trouble with would probably be better.

How has Dragalge been performing? I love her (and all seahorse, especially the sea kelp variety), and really wanted her to be good but any adaptability sets I tried sucked eggs. Maybe a more defensive route is where it's at but I'm skeptical of toxic spike's effectiveness this gen. defog makes your life hell and unlike regular spikes one toxic spike really isn't much of a threat so you have to go all in. On top of that I wouldn't be surprised if half of any given team you face is immune to them. As a good example yours has not one pokemon that gives a flying fuck about them and you didn't even try to build it with that in mind. Many of the top pokemon in the meta right now don't care about them because of typing/ability.

does dragalge get spikes? That would be infinitely better.

Looking over your team again I would definitely think about replacing forretress with a special wall that can take the myriad of special attackers than scare dragalge. maybe Tyranitar. I wouldn't call this team full stall, but more of a bulky offense with plenty of pivots. You'll definitely be outlasted by a full stall team unless you invest in something that can hit really hard and open the holes scizor needs to be more than a momentum tool. Maybe CB Tar. Or replacing Crobat with something that actually has defensive synergy with the rest of the team while still packing a punch.

 

[Tokyo Tom]

Aight, thanks for the feedback guys, just want to reply to a couple things

vonK, did I say Dragalge couldn't take a hit? .-. its solid stats coupled with its nice resistances let sponge tons of common attacks n' stuff. Although usually I'd like it, Defog kinda defeats the purpose of a hazard-stacking stall team, unless the opponent was using some sort of suicide Smeargle or Froslass lead (though I see where it can come in handy if I manage to take out the opposing hazard 'Mon, but where on Skarm should I put it over?). It's interesting you bring up Gliscor though, I was actually thinking of somthing similar, Hippowdon over Forre, with something like 240 HP / 56 Def / 212 SDef Impish, either ability, and EQ | Slack Off | SR | Ice Fang. The bulky lets it live a +2 Outrage from DNite after Rocks if necessary, and it's only 3HKOed by either 252 Quiet Aeg's Shadow Ball or +2 252 Brave Aeg's Sacred Sword. The only thing is I'm not too sure how the lack of a Spinner would affect me atm, since with stall it's especially important to be clear of hazards so your 'Mons can take more hits. I thought about Donphan, but it sucks ass, so meh :/

Ogami, yeah fair enough, most 'Chomp are reasonably easy to play around but I see where you're coming from, the Hippo spread above also laughs off Chainchomp n' such so I'll give it a shot. TSpikes are actually pretty dope, and contrary to the popular belief 1 layer is actually very useful, a lot better than 2 against offensive teams, since it does comparatively more damage in a short period of time (24% in 2 turns to 18% I believe). Also there are tons of 'Mons near the top of the usage stats that are worn down by them, like Greninja, Ttar, 'Chomp, Goodra (lol), Azu, Trev/Gour, Malamar, Mega Gyarados, Volc, Florges (forces Aromatherapy/Wish sooner, which gives me a free turn), and 'Loom. Since a lot of these 'Mons are very offensive, 1 layer can set a quick death timer on them, and even if they're switching in and out like Greninja, it helps a lot in wearing them down to the point where Crobat/Scizor can KO them. Also, Dragalge does a lot better defensively than offensively, but actually I might try Adaptability to power up DTail, since Poison Point is really only for Talonflame.

And dude, if Dragalge got Spikes I wouldn't think I'd be that much of a scrub to pass it up -_-

 

[ninjawhitetiger]

Just an idea hear for your scizor, I understand the importance of healing, but using roost on scizor is not very effective in my opinion because pretty much the only thing that can hurt it is fire and pretty much any fire move is gonna kill it anyway, A better option that i have found is knock off as it really is a great move this generation, not only do you get the always great effect of "knocking off" your opponents item, but you also get a really good neutral coverage move that hits very hard on pokemon that are holding items, especially after a boost or two


EDIT : i just realized that this is a pre bank team, I don't think that matters but if scizor only gets knockoff in pokebank please excuse me

 

[Ogami]

Haha I hope you don't think I was implying that by asking about spikes. You make a really solid argument about the first layer of t-spikes. I forgot that regular poison does the same as burn. Hmmm.

Wow, now I really like the implications of a good t spikes setter for teams that need to bust through trev/goodra and other special walls. You sold me.

I'm still not sold on forretress and crobat though. I think you have a very solid defensive core of dragalge, rotom-w, scizor and skarmory that has the ability to turn momentum and push for a finish later with scizor. I think pokemon that shore up type synergy while providing more opportunities to switch momentum with hard hitting moves to open up the holes for scizor and ease defensive responsibilities are better than a stallbreaker and a punchingbag sr setter and spinner. Choice Band Tyranitar seems like a great candidate as it adds defensive and offensive synergy, busting holes in physical walls for scizor and eating psychics that scare dragalge

Have you considered running a cleric? This could allow for things like dragalge without sleeptalk for another move and it would help if you want to take the team closer to full stall.

 

[Tokyo Tom]

Sorry for the late replies guys, been a bit busy - thanks for all the ideas n' help as well :]

@ ogami, Welp, thanks haha. But you are right, TSpikes have been getting less and less useful over time, which sucks 'cuz it's a fun playstyle :/ now they're pretty much only used on Stall, which is pretty gross I'll admit (even this team to an extent .-.)

Aight, yeah I've been trying Hippo over Forre and it's been pretty solid (especially now that Dragalge's TSpikes absorbing-ability has a use), I've been thinking about throwing Defog on one of the flying types to beat offensive teams where the hazard setter is frail or a suicide lead, although with Defog this Gen that's pretty much diminished. I really like the idea of CB Ttar, although it does make the team pretty weak to Ground types like Exca and ChainChomp, I can see the team really appreciating Pursuit Support and a buffer for strong Special Hitters n' such. I'll definitely try that out.

Yeah I've considered it, but I don't want to run Bliss - I'm not really sure what new clerics are good in Gen 6, but I don't think many of the Gen 5 clerics fit well on my team (perhaps Togekiss w/ a Fire move over Crobat, but it's iffy)

@ ninja, Roost is mainly to buffer Scizor against the tons of resisted/neutral hits it's gonna be switching in on (Outrages, EQs, Psychics, etc.), as well as letting it beat things like SubToxic Gliscor 1v1. I like Knock Off (especially its ability to hit Aeg) so I'll try it out, but just want to say Roost is appreciated since Scizor doesn't have any form of Recovery if I forgo it.

 

[Trevorpoke42]

Hey TokyoTom, sweet team. This is a really solid team and there's not too many pokemon I can think of from the top of my head that really threaten it, so props for that. However, I can find some weaknesses to the team rather easily, not as individual pokemon, but maybe some types of play styles. So the first thing is stall, yes you have Crobat with Taunt, but that just doesn't cut it. Your team is so un-prepared for Skarmory and opposing Defoggers such as Mandibuzz, since Rotom-W can't exactly stop them since of all the Trevenant/Gourgeist running around, and Scizor VS Mandibuzz just gets Foul Played. You also have no ghost meaning they can spin on you all they want to. Also I find it kinda redundant to use a Defogger as your only way to remove hazards while your running every entry hazard other then Sticky Web. So with all this said, I suggest you use Physically Defensive Sableye with Knock Off over Crobat. I understand that they perform separate roles, but Sableye can spin block AND break stall, which is in my opinion better then Crobat's gimmicky role of removing both sides of the field with entry hazards, while sometimes stall breaking. With Sableye you immediately remove your Skarmory weakness and Mandibuzz weakness, since Taunt and Will-O-Wisp is easily enough to handle both, while Knock Off leaves a nice little present. Using the standard Sableye set with 252 HP/ 252 Def with the moves Taunt/ Will-O-Wisp/ Knock Off/ Recover should be fine. Finally I suggest you use Sludge Bomb somewhere on Dragalge since that 30% chance of poison is amazing, and so then your not literally walled by fairy types. Maybe exchange Dragon Tail for it. Hope I helped!

 

[CassiusYT]

The EVs on crobat dont give it a lefties number. You need 228 EVs if you want max recovery

 

[Tokyo Tom]

Damn, never saw this, I kinda abandoned this team a while ago (even deleted it off PS haha) but mashwell reply:

Thanks for the rate TrevorPoke! The application of Defog on Crobat is vs. HO teams and sui leads, where I can Defog after their hazard setter is gone and set up my own mid- to late-game. This also works vs. various stuff like Lando-T, which gets worn down repeatedly by Skarm. Although Sludge Bomb does have coverage against Fairies, I'm not really gonna be touching them much anyway besides vs. Azumarill, so atm I think I'd like DTail's phazing/"scouting" ability a little more. As for Mandibuzz and Skarm, Crobat stops them hard (while Washtom beats Skarm as well), but I see the application in Sableye. If I ever go back to this team I'll try it out =)

The EVs on crobat dont give it a lefties number. You need 228 EVs if you want max recovery

Ah, but 228 EVs means it takes max damage from SR. I think the formula is divisible by 16, then +1

 

[CassiusYT]

I guess it all comes down to if you would rather take more damage from SR and have lefties recovery or not have max lefties recovery but take little SR damage