C
Cost
I made this team with Limitless. 
When deciding on what type of team we wanted to build, we looked all the different styles of play and what was most effective in today's OU metagame. We felt that stall teams and defensive teams in general were pretty solid and dominant so we chose stall. After a lot of time and effort, this team finally came together, and both of us were quite satisfied with the final product. Even though I didn't get to battle as much with this team as I wanted to due to school starting, I still had a lot of fun making the team with Limitless and it's one of my best and most favorite teams I've ever made as well.
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As far as team-building goes, it was pretty easy to think of six Pokemon that together had most of the necessary qualities a stall team needs, and from there it was just changing around certain moves, EVs, and maybe a Pokemon or two.
(very) Brief Team-Building Process
I started out thinking about what every single stall needs. A Ghost is pretty essential for a stall team, most notably to prevent entry hazards from being spun away. I also had decided that I wanted to use a Blissey on my team since it's a beast. I wasn't sure if I needed a Wish + Protect one or an Aromatherapy one or what, but I knew that a Blissey would be good for my team, or any stall team for that matter. Also, Limitless encouraged me to run Stealth Rock on Blissey, so I kept that in mind. From there, there are different paths I could have taken; few, but more than one path. I knew I needed users for Spikes, Stealth rock, Toxic spikes (preferably all three), and some Roar / Whirlwind users, all of which are crucial to the success of a stall team. The only users of Spikes that I trust are Skarmory, Forretress, and possibly Roserade.
The other half of this team has changed a few times; later though, Limitless and I decided to keep Celebi and Gyarados for the team since they both got great coverage together and are good at what they do. I didn't have a spinner so I wanted something to absorb Toxic Spikes, and I wanted a Toxic Spikes user as well. I chose Nidoqueen to accomplish this and for a lead too, since I didn't have one yet. Not having a spinner on this team doesn't bother me too much since I don't really need one other than for Gyarados, but I manage. Aromatherapy would be nice on Blissey to cure my two rest users of their sleep condition, but that's optional really, and I do just fine without it. Having two Pokemon weak to Ice and no resists isn't so bad since blissey takes all Ice Beams which is pretty much the only Ice attack I ever see, except for an Ice shard or Ice punch every now and then, but Mamoswine and Weavile aren't a problem for my team.
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Anyways, here's the team in depth:
Nidoqueen @ Lum Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Ability: Poison Point
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spe)
- Toxic Spikes
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Roar
Nidoqueen seems to be a lot bulkier than people think when choosing an attack to use against it. This allows me to get two layers of toxic spikes up with relative ease sometime early in the battle. While I tried to give Nidoqueen small advantages over other leads, the EVs, moves, etc. were chosen from the team's perpective, not just as a lead, and the leads that Nidoqueen does lose to now will beat me no matter what EVs I use or even what attacks I choose since my Attack and Special Attack stat isn't great. Nidoqueen does not preform very well against many leads such as Metagross, Swampert, Hippowdon, etc., but I have a safe switch for each. As I explained before, Nidoqueen's main role is to set up Toxic Spikes and absorb them if necessary. If I sense a Trick coming, I'll usually switch to Nidoqueen to take it. It also counters many physical threats such as Heracross, Infernape, Lucario, Scizor, etc.
I tested a lot of different items for Nidoqueen, mainly Leftovers, Lum Berry, and Shuca Berry, but a Lum Berry proved to be the most useful for the likes of Smeargle and Bronzong allowing me to get at least one layer of Toxic Spikes up. I use a very defensive spread so I can take hits easier while I get two layers up. Fire Blast hits many steels super-effectively like Forretress, Scizor, and Skarmory while Earthquake hits a lot of stuff for neutral damage as well as Heatran and Infernape for super effective damage. I don't attack a lot with Nidoqueen, but when I do, it's usually unexpected since no one really knows what attacks Nidoqueen has or what Nidoqueen does in general, other than set up of Toxic Spikes. I chose Roar as the last move for Nidoqueen pretty much as a filler, but I later realized that it comes in handy for stuff like Ninjask that try to set up at the start, and you can never have enough phazers on your team, right? I tested Taunt / Ice Beam in the last slot too, but both moves were not used much at all.
Skarmory @ Shed Shell
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Ability: Sturdy
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
Not much to say about Skarmory since there's nothing special about it. Setting up two or three layers of Spikes early in a battle goes a long ways, making each win so much easier. Because Skarmory's Defense stat is so high and I don't waste any EVs by putting them in Attack, it can take pretty much any physical hit like a beast and start setting up or phaze depending on the situation.
I use Shed Shell because an extra 6% every turn with leftovers isn't worth it when I end up losing Skarmory to every team with a Magnezone. I used to run 20 Speed Evs to beat 16 Speed Skarms to the Whirlwind, but now a lot of people are using 20 Speed EVs so I now use 24 EVs in Speed to beat most Skarms.
Blissey @ Leftovers
EVs: 202 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpA
Ability: Natural Cure
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Beam
I've used Blissey on a lot of my teams before, and it never lets me down. It's safe to say that Blissey pulls its own weight on this team; Blissey takes any Special attack with ease which makes the jobs of Blissey's team members much easier. A lot of this set came from Limitless, who got some of it from KG I think (the EVs at least).
I was a little skeptical at first when Limitless suggested Stealth Rock on Blissey because I've never used a Blissey with Stealth Rock before, but just after a few battles I noticed how effective it was. Ice beam gets good coverage and threatens Salamence which is pain for Stall teams. Without Flamethrower, Blissey can't threaten Steel-types, but most Steel-types are taken care of by Gyarados and Rotom alone, so that isn't much of a problem.
When I lose a match, on many occasions it is because my Blissey goes down early in the game, allowing stuff like Rotom and Zapdos to wreak havoc against the rest of my team. In other words, when I see "Blissey has fainted!" early in a shoddy battle, it might as well say "You lose!" because that's usually what happens. This is why exploders like Heatran and Gengar make me so nervous, because if I make a wrong move and Blissey gets exploded on, then my opponent has already gone a long way to win the game. My Rotom, with lots of Special Defense, helps out with this problem a bit, as I will explain later.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Ability: Levitate
Calm nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-Wisp
When making a team, a lot of people instantly have an idea of what they want the team to look like or a certain Pokemon they want to include on the team; for this team, I think that Pokemon would be Rotom. Most battlers are familiar with Resttalking Rotoms (I was before I made this team), but this Resttalking Rotom is a little different, specifically the EVs, which I will talk about later.
Besides the EVs, the only thing about Rotom I needed to think about was what would fill those two moveslots. I had a lot of practical options for my main attacking move (Shadow ball, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Hydro Pump / Heat Wave / Leaf Storm etc.) and more options for the other moveslot (another attacking move, Thunder Wave, Reflect, Light Screen, Will-o-Wisp, Toxic, etc.) It came to either Discharge and Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball, and Thunderbolt and Will-o-Wisp. All three work pretty good, but I liked having a status move to cripple attackers and switch-ins, even though I lose some coverage without shadow ball and I have to bluff it sometimes. Leftovers, a Calm nature, and Rest + Sleep Talk are pretty self-explanitory.
I use Special Defense EVs on Rotom for a couple reasons. Besides Blissey, the rest of my team is built Defensively, and there's not much Rotom (Defensively EVd) can counter that the other members of my team can counter already. When Rotom is in on something physical like Scizor, I can burn it which almost makes up for the lacking Defense EVs (just because Rotom isn't Defensively EVd doesn't mean it can't handle a lot of the same stuff). But anyways, Special Defense EVs are useful for Rotom, and on many occasions I pretty much need them to win the match. For instance, almost all Trick users are Special (metagross and bronzong aren't, but Rotom handles both pretty easily with or without Defense EVs), which means Blissey can wall them easily, but Blissey does not want to be Tricked. For this reason, I might need to Nidoqueen to take the Trick since I really don't care what happens to it as long as I get Toxic Spikes up, but often, Nidoqueen is gone because it already did its job (set up Toxic Spikes) and I used it for fodder, so I have to use Rotom to take the potential Trick. The EVs help Rotom take any attack that Alakazam, Latias, Starmie, Togekiss, Porygon-Z, etc. might use instead of trick. Rotom also comes in handy with other Special attackers that don't have Trick. For example: Azelf, who is a huge threat to my team, is 2HKOd from Thunderbolt, and it fails to 3HKO with Psychic (max SpA etc.). Rotom can finish off any Heatran or scout for Explosions without taking too much damage (Fire Blast does not 2HKO Rotom iirc) and Rotom can also come in on Fire Blasts or Flamethrowers from Infernape (or Close Combats). I can burn any mixed Kingdra without having to worry much about Surf or Hydro Pump. Rotom can take any of Latias' attacks while scaring it away, allowing me to burn or get a free t-bolt on the switch-in.
Celebi @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Ability: Natural Cure
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Perish Song
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Grass Knot
The last stall team I made basically lost to late-game stat-upping sweepers so I made sure that it wouldn't be a problem this time around. When I starting testing this team, I started using a Celebi, and I ended using a Celebi; however, I almost got rid of it because I was barely using it at all, game after game, because I was underestimating it. Once I started using Celebi more each game, I noticed I was winning more games because of it. Also, Celebi gets really good coverage with Gyarados like I mentioned in the team-building.
The moveset and EVs are a little different than the bog standard, but not by much. I knew I needed recover and probably Grass Knot and Perish Song before I even started most of the team-building and testing. I had many options for the last slot such as Reflect, U-turn, Thunder Wave, and Leech Seed, and I decided to go with Thunder Wave to spread more status around along with Will-o-wisp from Rotom and Toxic Spikes from Nidoqueen. I don't really think it's worth it to have 36 speed EVs just to outspeed a Jolly Tyranitar so I put those EVs into Defense. Some people like the extra EVs in Special Defense but I find myself needed the Defense more in most match-ups and it doesn't make much of a difference anyway.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Ability: Intimidate
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Waterfall
- Roar
This Gyarados set is very simple, yet very effective. Like Skarmory, this Gyarados is nothing special, but there's really no reason to change anything about it. Gyarados is a fine addition to any platinum stall team because it can phaze very well and consistently, and it has great bulk, useful resists, and even Intimidate to compliment all this.
Even without any Attack EVs, Waterfall is still a pretty powerful attack coming off of 286 Attack and getting STAB as well. Waterfall hits everything I need to hit for at least neutral damage like Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, Heatran, etc. The rest of the moveset (probably Waterfall too) and the EVs should be pretty self-explanatory. It seems like the only downside to Gyarados is the fact that it's weak to Stealth Rock, but this problem is magnified due to the fact that this team has no spinner. It's not the end of the world or anything, but it makes Gyarados' job a little harder and I need to be careful.
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Final Thoughts: I had a lot of fun making this team with Limitless and battling with it, and I'll probably continue to use it for a little longer. This team isn't perfect, but it's pretty close to it having only a few troublesome Pokemon, which can usually be dealt with.
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Threat List:
Aerodactyl – Since it has a fast taunt, I won’t be able to set up with nido (and I’m scared of earthquake), so I need to switch to rotom and t-bolt. Celebi does okay too.
Alakazam – Alakazam is tricky (no pun intended). I usually switch to nido or rotom in case it wants to use trick, but otherwise blissey can pp stall focus blast and use seismic toss a couple times to knock it out. Rotom can scare it away or use t-bolt (rotom is never 2HKO’d from psychic, no specs).
Azelf– On the ladder, I can usually predict around the explosion, but any smart player will psyche me out. Rotom can take three psychics and 2HKO with thunderbolt, as long as I switch in before stealth rock is up. Without explosion, this isn’t a threat at all.
Blissey – As long as I get toxic spikes up, blissey is not a problem. If I don’t get toxic spikes up and I’m up against a blissey, I can usually pp stall its wishes and softboiled’s.
Breloom – I switch to gyarados to take the sleep + intimidate, and then I switch to celebi, who resists both stabs as well as the occasional stone edge. Perish song forces it out. After useless subs + stealth rock and spikes, breloom goes down pretty easily. Nidoqueen resists both stabs as well (and stone edge) and can roar it out / use fire blast. It’s also scared of skarmory with brave bird, and gyarados can come in multiple times just to intimidate it.
Bronzong – Bronzong is tricky because of hypnosis, trick, and explosion. It can’t do anything to rotom, and skarmory can come in and set up after rotom is slept. Without earthquake, nidoqueen can set up.
Celebi– Like blissey, if toxic spikes are down, then it’s not a problem. Without hp fire, Skarmory can come in and set up / threaten with brave bird, and rotom can scare it away and will-o-wisp the switch in.
Cresselia – Cresselia don't really threaten my team, but my team doesn't threaten cresselia. My only answer to it is to phaze it out until it's the last pokemon and perish song it, or pp stall it, which is incredibly annoying.
Dusknoir – Toxic spikes ruin it, and depending on the attacks it has I can set up. Gyarados can switch in and intimidate while taking everything but thunderpunch with ease, and nido can take anything but ice punch with ease and set up toxic spikes if it’s not up already and roar it out.
Empoleon – Blissey walls it. Rotom can t-bolt if blissey is gone (it shouldn’t be) and celebi can wall it if it doesn’t have ice beam.
Flygon – Since most are choiced, I can usually predict my way around it. Gyarados can intimidate and take everything it has with ease, save the rare stone edge. Skarmory can come in on outrages and earthquake, Rotom can come in on earthquakes and fire blasts and threaten with will-o-wisp, and blissey can use ice beam.
Forretress– The toxic spikes it sets up are absorbed by nido (if it’s dumb enough to do that once it sees my nido) and I can set up my own toxic spikes or use fire blast. Rotom can take gyro balls / earthquakes / explosions, and skarmory can as well, + set up spikes.
Gengar – If I don’t predict right, gengar can be a real pain. Rotom can take explosions and blissey can take everything else, but
Gliscor – Blissey can use ice beam, Rotom can burn it, skarmory can set up on it, and gyarados scares it away if it doesn’t have stone edge
Gyarados – Celebi can use t-wave and grass knot, rotom can will-o-wisp and t-bolt, and skarmory can set up and whirlwind away.
Heatran – Gyarados scares it away and Blissey walls it; the explosion is pretty easy to predict, allowing me to switch in rotom, who can take a few fire blasts if I manage to mess up.
Heracross – Nidoqueen walls it very well, resisting fighting, bug, and rock. Rotom resists bug and is immune to fighting and normal (facade). Gyarados needs to be careful of stone edge, but otherwise walls it pretty well.
Hippowdon – Toxic spikes ruins it and I’m not worried about this thing at all. Sandstorm is a little annoying at most.
Infernape – Gyarados usually scares it. Nidoqueen can set up or use earthquake if it doesn’t carry hp ice or vacuum wave. Rotom is immune to fighting moves, can take multiple fire blasts and thunderbolt back.
Jirachi – Against leads, I can always get up toxic spikes, unless it flinches me to death. Gyarados can pivot with intimidate, rotom can will-o-wisp, celebi can t-wave, and skarmory can set up if it’s locked into something like iron head. Nidoqueen / rotom doesn’t mind the trick. Jirachi is still very annoying though.
Jolteon – Blissey or nidoqueen.
Kingdra – Kingdra doesn’t like toxic spikes and blissey can stall it out. Gyarados can intimidate it and rotom can burn it.
Latias – Rotom or Nidoqueen can take the trick and blissey walls it otherwise.
Lucario – Nidoqueen, gyarados, and sort of rotom.
Machamp – Nidoqueen resists most of its attacks nicely and gyarados can intimidate and switch out. Rotom can burn it or it could get poisoned.
Magnezone – Blissey walls it and rotom can take the explosion. Without hp ice, nidoqueen does well.
Mamoswine – Gyarados and skarmory handle it pretty well while rotom can burn it. Mamo doesn’t like toxic spikes.
Metagross – Rotom can handle all metagross. Skarmory does well also, and Gyarados can pivot with intimidate.
Ninjask – Nido, skarm and gyarados all phase without much trouble.
Porygon-Z – I go to rotom first to take a trick / tri-attack. If it doesn’t trick or I find out it’s not choiced, Blissey does fine. I’ve only seen a couple of these.
Rhyperior – Celebi OHKOs with grass knot and gyarados can finish it after some spikes and stealth rock damage. Toxic spikes hurts it a lot.
Rotom – Rotom is a huge threat to my team if something happens to blissey, but as long as I steer clear of trick, then I’m in good shape.
Salamence – Always dangerous, but not a serious threat by any means. Stealth rock, spikes and stealth rock hurt it badly. I have Skarmory to take everything but fire blast, I have rotom to burn it, I have Blissey with ice beam, and I have gyarados to intimidate it.
Scizor – Gyarados, rotom and nidoqueen.
Skarmory – I have nidoqueen with fire blast and rotom with thunderbolt. I also run 20 speed on my skarm just to beat other skarms to the whirlwind.
Smeargle – All it does is use spore and set up spikes, which is annoying, but it’s not a threat to my team or anything.
Snorlax – It’s walled easily by rotom, gyarados and skarmory, and the latter two can phase it. Celebi can use perish song for a late-game curselax.
Starmie – I normally switch rotom in to take a potential trick / rapid spin, or scare it away. Blissey walls it otherwise.
Suicune – Celebi.
Swampert – Toxic Spikes and Celebi.
Tentacruel – Despite its annoyingness due to it switching in and out absorbing my toxic spikes and setting up its own, Rotom can block its rapid spinning attempts and fight back with t-bolt. I guess blissey can wall it too.
Togekiss – Rotom can take a trick and blissey walls it otherwise.
Tyranitar - A decent threat, but it hates poison and I can usually predict around it; its pursuit is what’s so scary. Celebi can use grass knot if it’s been weakened and gyarados can intimidate / waterfall it.
Vaporeon – Toxic spikes and Blissey.
Weavile – Gyarados and skarmory do well to wall it.
Zapdos – Blissey.
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Overall concerns: Trick users, Exploders, Poison-types / Levitators, mix sweepers.
When deciding on what type of team we wanted to build, we looked all the different styles of play and what was most effective in today's OU metagame. We felt that stall teams and defensive teams in general were pretty solid and dominant so we chose stall. After a lot of time and effort, this team finally came together, and both of us were quite satisfied with the final product. Even though I didn't get to battle as much with this team as I wanted to due to school starting, I still had a lot of fun making the team with Limitless and it's one of my best and most favorite teams I've ever made as well.
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As far as team-building goes, it was pretty easy to think of six Pokemon that together had most of the necessary qualities a stall team needs, and from there it was just changing around certain moves, EVs, and maybe a Pokemon or two.
(very) Brief Team-Building Process
I started out thinking about what every single stall needs. A Ghost is pretty essential for a stall team, most notably to prevent entry hazards from being spun away. I also had decided that I wanted to use a Blissey on my team since it's a beast. I wasn't sure if I needed a Wish + Protect one or an Aromatherapy one or what, but I knew that a Blissey would be good for my team, or any stall team for that matter. Also, Limitless encouraged me to run Stealth Rock on Blissey, so I kept that in mind. From there, there are different paths I could have taken; few, but more than one path. I knew I needed users for Spikes, Stealth rock, Toxic spikes (preferably all three), and some Roar / Whirlwind users, all of which are crucial to the success of a stall team. The only users of Spikes that I trust are Skarmory, Forretress, and possibly Roserade.
The other half of this team has changed a few times; later though, Limitless and I decided to keep Celebi and Gyarados for the team since they both got great coverage together and are good at what they do. I didn't have a spinner so I wanted something to absorb Toxic Spikes, and I wanted a Toxic Spikes user as well. I chose Nidoqueen to accomplish this and for a lead too, since I didn't have one yet. Not having a spinner on this team doesn't bother me too much since I don't really need one other than for Gyarados, but I manage. Aromatherapy would be nice on Blissey to cure my two rest users of their sleep condition, but that's optional really, and I do just fine without it. Having two Pokemon weak to Ice and no resists isn't so bad since blissey takes all Ice Beams which is pretty much the only Ice attack I ever see, except for an Ice shard or Ice punch every now and then, but Mamoswine and Weavile aren't a problem for my team.
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Anyways, here's the team in depth:
Nidoqueen @ Lum Berry
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
Ability: Poison Point
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spe)
- Toxic Spikes
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Roar
Nidoqueen seems to be a lot bulkier than people think when choosing an attack to use against it. This allows me to get two layers of toxic spikes up with relative ease sometime early in the battle. While I tried to give Nidoqueen small advantages over other leads, the EVs, moves, etc. were chosen from the team's perpective, not just as a lead, and the leads that Nidoqueen does lose to now will beat me no matter what EVs I use or even what attacks I choose since my Attack and Special Attack stat isn't great. Nidoqueen does not preform very well against many leads such as Metagross, Swampert, Hippowdon, etc., but I have a safe switch for each. As I explained before, Nidoqueen's main role is to set up Toxic Spikes and absorb them if necessary. If I sense a Trick coming, I'll usually switch to Nidoqueen to take it. It also counters many physical threats such as Heracross, Infernape, Lucario, Scizor, etc.
I tested a lot of different items for Nidoqueen, mainly Leftovers, Lum Berry, and Shuca Berry, but a Lum Berry proved to be the most useful for the likes of Smeargle and Bronzong allowing me to get at least one layer of Toxic Spikes up. I use a very defensive spread so I can take hits easier while I get two layers up. Fire Blast hits many steels super-effectively like Forretress, Scizor, and Skarmory while Earthquake hits a lot of stuff for neutral damage as well as Heatran and Infernape for super effective damage. I don't attack a lot with Nidoqueen, but when I do, it's usually unexpected since no one really knows what attacks Nidoqueen has or what Nidoqueen does in general, other than set up of Toxic Spikes. I chose Roar as the last move for Nidoqueen pretty much as a filler, but I later realized that it comes in handy for stuff like Ninjask that try to set up at the start, and you can never have enough phazers on your team, right? I tested Taunt / Ice Beam in the last slot too, but both moves were not used much at all.
Skarmory @ Shed Shell
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Ability: Sturdy
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
Not much to say about Skarmory since there's nothing special about it. Setting up two or three layers of Spikes early in a battle goes a long ways, making each win so much easier. Because Skarmory's Defense stat is so high and I don't waste any EVs by putting them in Attack, it can take pretty much any physical hit like a beast and start setting up or phaze depending on the situation.
I use Shed Shell because an extra 6% every turn with leftovers isn't worth it when I end up losing Skarmory to every team with a Magnezone. I used to run 20 Speed Evs to beat 16 Speed Skarms to the Whirlwind, but now a lot of people are using 20 Speed EVs so I now use 24 EVs in Speed to beat most Skarms.
Blissey @ Leftovers
EVs: 202 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpA
Ability: Natural Cure
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Beam
I've used Blissey on a lot of my teams before, and it never lets me down. It's safe to say that Blissey pulls its own weight on this team; Blissey takes any Special attack with ease which makes the jobs of Blissey's team members much easier. A lot of this set came from Limitless, who got some of it from KG I think (the EVs at least).
I was a little skeptical at first when Limitless suggested Stealth Rock on Blissey because I've never used a Blissey with Stealth Rock before, but just after a few battles I noticed how effective it was. Ice beam gets good coverage and threatens Salamence which is pain for Stall teams. Without Flamethrower, Blissey can't threaten Steel-types, but most Steel-types are taken care of by Gyarados and Rotom alone, so that isn't much of a problem.
When I lose a match, on many occasions it is because my Blissey goes down early in the game, allowing stuff like Rotom and Zapdos to wreak havoc against the rest of my team. In other words, when I see "Blissey has fainted!" early in a shoddy battle, it might as well say "You lose!" because that's usually what happens. This is why exploders like Heatran and Gengar make me so nervous, because if I make a wrong move and Blissey gets exploded on, then my opponent has already gone a long way to win the game. My Rotom, with lots of Special Defense, helps out with this problem a bit, as I will explain later.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Ability: Levitate
Calm nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunderbolt
- Will-o-Wisp
When making a team, a lot of people instantly have an idea of what they want the team to look like or a certain Pokemon they want to include on the team; for this team, I think that Pokemon would be Rotom. Most battlers are familiar with Resttalking Rotoms (I was before I made this team), but this Resttalking Rotom is a little different, specifically the EVs, which I will talk about later.
Besides the EVs, the only thing about Rotom I needed to think about was what would fill those two moveslots. I had a lot of practical options for my main attacking move (Shadow ball, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Hydro Pump / Heat Wave / Leaf Storm etc.) and more options for the other moveslot (another attacking move, Thunder Wave, Reflect, Light Screen, Will-o-Wisp, Toxic, etc.) It came to either Discharge and Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball, and Thunderbolt and Will-o-Wisp. All three work pretty good, but I liked having a status move to cripple attackers and switch-ins, even though I lose some coverage without shadow ball and I have to bluff it sometimes. Leftovers, a Calm nature, and Rest + Sleep Talk are pretty self-explanitory.
I use Special Defense EVs on Rotom for a couple reasons. Besides Blissey, the rest of my team is built Defensively, and there's not much Rotom (Defensively EVd) can counter that the other members of my team can counter already. When Rotom is in on something physical like Scizor, I can burn it which almost makes up for the lacking Defense EVs (just because Rotom isn't Defensively EVd doesn't mean it can't handle a lot of the same stuff). But anyways, Special Defense EVs are useful for Rotom, and on many occasions I pretty much need them to win the match. For instance, almost all Trick users are Special (metagross and bronzong aren't, but Rotom handles both pretty easily with or without Defense EVs), which means Blissey can wall them easily, but Blissey does not want to be Tricked. For this reason, I might need to Nidoqueen to take the Trick since I really don't care what happens to it as long as I get Toxic Spikes up, but often, Nidoqueen is gone because it already did its job (set up Toxic Spikes) and I used it for fodder, so I have to use Rotom to take the potential Trick. The EVs help Rotom take any attack that Alakazam, Latias, Starmie, Togekiss, Porygon-Z, etc. might use instead of trick. Rotom also comes in handy with other Special attackers that don't have Trick. For example: Azelf, who is a huge threat to my team, is 2HKOd from Thunderbolt, and it fails to 3HKO with Psychic (max SpA etc.). Rotom can finish off any Heatran or scout for Explosions without taking too much damage (Fire Blast does not 2HKO Rotom iirc) and Rotom can also come in on Fire Blasts or Flamethrowers from Infernape (or Close Combats). I can burn any mixed Kingdra without having to worry much about Surf or Hydro Pump. Rotom can take any of Latias' attacks while scaring it away, allowing me to burn or get a free t-bolt on the switch-in.
Celebi @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Ability: Natural Cure
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Perish Song
- Recover
- Thunder Wave
- Grass Knot
The last stall team I made basically lost to late-game stat-upping sweepers so I made sure that it wouldn't be a problem this time around. When I starting testing this team, I started using a Celebi, and I ended using a Celebi; however, I almost got rid of it because I was barely using it at all, game after game, because I was underestimating it. Once I started using Celebi more each game, I noticed I was winning more games because of it. Also, Celebi gets really good coverage with Gyarados like I mentioned in the team-building.
The moveset and EVs are a little different than the bog standard, but not by much. I knew I needed recover and probably Grass Knot and Perish Song before I even started most of the team-building and testing. I had many options for the last slot such as Reflect, U-turn, Thunder Wave, and Leech Seed, and I decided to go with Thunder Wave to spread more status around along with Will-o-wisp from Rotom and Toxic Spikes from Nidoqueen. I don't really think it's worth it to have 36 speed EVs just to outspeed a Jolly Tyranitar so I put those EVs into Defense. Some people like the extra EVs in Special Defense but I find myself needed the Defense more in most match-ups and it doesn't make much of a difference anyway.
Gyarados @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Ability: Intimidate
Impish nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Waterfall
- Roar
This Gyarados set is very simple, yet very effective. Like Skarmory, this Gyarados is nothing special, but there's really no reason to change anything about it. Gyarados is a fine addition to any platinum stall team because it can phaze very well and consistently, and it has great bulk, useful resists, and even Intimidate to compliment all this.
Even without any Attack EVs, Waterfall is still a pretty powerful attack coming off of 286 Attack and getting STAB as well. Waterfall hits everything I need to hit for at least neutral damage like Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, Heatran, etc. The rest of the moveset (probably Waterfall too) and the EVs should be pretty self-explanatory. It seems like the only downside to Gyarados is the fact that it's weak to Stealth Rock, but this problem is magnified due to the fact that this team has no spinner. It's not the end of the world or anything, but it makes Gyarados' job a little harder and I need to be careful.
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Final Thoughts: I had a lot of fun making this team with Limitless and battling with it, and I'll probably continue to use it for a little longer. This team isn't perfect, but it's pretty close to it having only a few troublesome Pokemon, which can usually be dealt with.
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Threat List:
Aerodactyl – Since it has a fast taunt, I won’t be able to set up with nido (and I’m scared of earthquake), so I need to switch to rotom and t-bolt. Celebi does okay too.
Alakazam – Alakazam is tricky (no pun intended). I usually switch to nido or rotom in case it wants to use trick, but otherwise blissey can pp stall focus blast and use seismic toss a couple times to knock it out. Rotom can scare it away or use t-bolt (rotom is never 2HKO’d from psychic, no specs).
Azelf– On the ladder, I can usually predict around the explosion, but any smart player will psyche me out. Rotom can take three psychics and 2HKO with thunderbolt, as long as I switch in before stealth rock is up. Without explosion, this isn’t a threat at all.
Blissey – As long as I get toxic spikes up, blissey is not a problem. If I don’t get toxic spikes up and I’m up against a blissey, I can usually pp stall its wishes and softboiled’s.
Breloom – I switch to gyarados to take the sleep + intimidate, and then I switch to celebi, who resists both stabs as well as the occasional stone edge. Perish song forces it out. After useless subs + stealth rock and spikes, breloom goes down pretty easily. Nidoqueen resists both stabs as well (and stone edge) and can roar it out / use fire blast. It’s also scared of skarmory with brave bird, and gyarados can come in multiple times just to intimidate it.
Bronzong – Bronzong is tricky because of hypnosis, trick, and explosion. It can’t do anything to rotom, and skarmory can come in and set up after rotom is slept. Without earthquake, nidoqueen can set up.
Celebi– Like blissey, if toxic spikes are down, then it’s not a problem. Without hp fire, Skarmory can come in and set up / threaten with brave bird, and rotom can scare it away and will-o-wisp the switch in.
Cresselia – Cresselia don't really threaten my team, but my team doesn't threaten cresselia. My only answer to it is to phaze it out until it's the last pokemon and perish song it, or pp stall it, which is incredibly annoying.
Dusknoir – Toxic spikes ruin it, and depending on the attacks it has I can set up. Gyarados can switch in and intimidate while taking everything but thunderpunch with ease, and nido can take anything but ice punch with ease and set up toxic spikes if it’s not up already and roar it out.
Empoleon – Blissey walls it. Rotom can t-bolt if blissey is gone (it shouldn’t be) and celebi can wall it if it doesn’t have ice beam.
Flygon – Since most are choiced, I can usually predict my way around it. Gyarados can intimidate and take everything it has with ease, save the rare stone edge. Skarmory can come in on outrages and earthquake, Rotom can come in on earthquakes and fire blasts and threaten with will-o-wisp, and blissey can use ice beam.
Forretress– The toxic spikes it sets up are absorbed by nido (if it’s dumb enough to do that once it sees my nido) and I can set up my own toxic spikes or use fire blast. Rotom can take gyro balls / earthquakes / explosions, and skarmory can as well, + set up spikes.
Gengar – If I don’t predict right, gengar can be a real pain. Rotom can take explosions and blissey can take everything else, but
Gliscor – Blissey can use ice beam, Rotom can burn it, skarmory can set up on it, and gyarados scares it away if it doesn’t have stone edge
Gyarados – Celebi can use t-wave and grass knot, rotom can will-o-wisp and t-bolt, and skarmory can set up and whirlwind away.
Heatran – Gyarados scares it away and Blissey walls it; the explosion is pretty easy to predict, allowing me to switch in rotom, who can take a few fire blasts if I manage to mess up.
Heracross – Nidoqueen walls it very well, resisting fighting, bug, and rock. Rotom resists bug and is immune to fighting and normal (facade). Gyarados needs to be careful of stone edge, but otherwise walls it pretty well.
Hippowdon – Toxic spikes ruins it and I’m not worried about this thing at all. Sandstorm is a little annoying at most.
Infernape – Gyarados usually scares it. Nidoqueen can set up or use earthquake if it doesn’t carry hp ice or vacuum wave. Rotom is immune to fighting moves, can take multiple fire blasts and thunderbolt back.
Jirachi – Against leads, I can always get up toxic spikes, unless it flinches me to death. Gyarados can pivot with intimidate, rotom can will-o-wisp, celebi can t-wave, and skarmory can set up if it’s locked into something like iron head. Nidoqueen / rotom doesn’t mind the trick. Jirachi is still very annoying though.
Jolteon – Blissey or nidoqueen.
Kingdra – Kingdra doesn’t like toxic spikes and blissey can stall it out. Gyarados can intimidate it and rotom can burn it.
Latias – Rotom or Nidoqueen can take the trick and blissey walls it otherwise.
Lucario – Nidoqueen, gyarados, and sort of rotom.
Machamp – Nidoqueen resists most of its attacks nicely and gyarados can intimidate and switch out. Rotom can burn it or it could get poisoned.
Magnezone – Blissey walls it and rotom can take the explosion. Without hp ice, nidoqueen does well.
Mamoswine – Gyarados and skarmory handle it pretty well while rotom can burn it. Mamo doesn’t like toxic spikes.
Metagross – Rotom can handle all metagross. Skarmory does well also, and Gyarados can pivot with intimidate.
Ninjask – Nido, skarm and gyarados all phase without much trouble.
Porygon-Z – I go to rotom first to take a trick / tri-attack. If it doesn’t trick or I find out it’s not choiced, Blissey does fine. I’ve only seen a couple of these.
Rhyperior – Celebi OHKOs with grass knot and gyarados can finish it after some spikes and stealth rock damage. Toxic spikes hurts it a lot.
Rotom – Rotom is a huge threat to my team if something happens to blissey, but as long as I steer clear of trick, then I’m in good shape.
Salamence – Always dangerous, but not a serious threat by any means. Stealth rock, spikes and stealth rock hurt it badly. I have Skarmory to take everything but fire blast, I have rotom to burn it, I have Blissey with ice beam, and I have gyarados to intimidate it.
Scizor – Gyarados, rotom and nidoqueen.
Skarmory – I have nidoqueen with fire blast and rotom with thunderbolt. I also run 20 speed on my skarm just to beat other skarms to the whirlwind.
Smeargle – All it does is use spore and set up spikes, which is annoying, but it’s not a threat to my team or anything.
Snorlax – It’s walled easily by rotom, gyarados and skarmory, and the latter two can phase it. Celebi can use perish song for a late-game curselax.
Starmie – I normally switch rotom in to take a potential trick / rapid spin, or scare it away. Blissey walls it otherwise.
Suicune – Celebi.
Swampert – Toxic Spikes and Celebi.
Tentacruel – Despite its annoyingness due to it switching in and out absorbing my toxic spikes and setting up its own, Rotom can block its rapid spinning attempts and fight back with t-bolt. I guess blissey can wall it too.
Togekiss – Rotom can take a trick and blissey walls it otherwise.
Tyranitar - A decent threat, but it hates poison and I can usually predict around it; its pursuit is what’s so scary. Celebi can use grass knot if it’s been weakened and gyarados can intimidate / waterfall it.
Vaporeon – Toxic spikes and Blissey.
Weavile – Gyarados and skarmory do well to wall it.
Zapdos – Blissey.
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Overall concerns: Trick users, Exploders, Poison-types / Levitators, mix sweepers.
