I dont want to do an one liner reply but Queenly Majesty Technician Skill Link litteraly 6-0 this kind of team.
Weak Armor isn't technically a self-inflicted drop, since it's triggered by opponents attacks rather than your own, so yes.
like everything else that changes/negates ability, it will only remove the target mon's native ability, and not the shared abilities, i.e. it could only negate pheal on gliscor/breloom but not any teammates.
Gastro acid and core enforcer do actually suppress all abilities - its worry seed that replaces the native ability.
Not true, Core Enforcer, Mold Breaker and Gastro Acid actually ignore all of the targets abilities. I think the difference is that ability altering moves affect a single ability, while ability negating move & abilities work on all of them. OP should probably be changed to reflect this.
"not super common"..? isnt it like...the third best playstyle right now lmao. mold breaker too.OMG, I thought about this evil team.
MagicGuard + Sturdy + Harvest + Drought
With oran berry (restores 10 HP) on level 1 pokemon with 11 HP.
Of course, the team should get destroyed by a skill link team. But, that's not super common. I also encountered a Super Fang. I didn't played much games with it, though.
Solosis @ Oran Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 1
IVs: 1 HP / 0 Atk
- Protect
- Endeavor
- Confuse Ray
- Infestation
Phantump @ Oran Berry
Ability: Harvest
Level: 1
IVs: 1 HP / 0 Atk
- Protect
- Worry Seed
- Pain Split
- Swagger
Nosepass @ Oran Berry
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 1
IVs: 0 Atk
- Pain Split
- Protect
- Block
- Swagger
Lopunny @ Focus Sash
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mirror Coat
- Entrainment
- Return
- Healing Wish
Ninetales @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Solar Beam
- Fire Blast
- Hypnosis
- Foul Play
Gastrodon @ Focus Sash
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Recover
- Whirlpool
- Toxic
Well, if it's the 3rd most played style, it's 30% of the teams at best. For me "super common" would be something above 50% of usage. If you beat 70% of the team, it means it's a force to be considered. (But I have to say I'm surprised skill link isn't played even more, I admit.)
I mentioned Haxorus once but didn't get much of a response, it is a solid mon though. It doesn't fit onto as many playstyles on KyuB but every once in a while it ends up being the better option. Hax is also *slightly* faster so it'll beat KyuB on opposing Unburden teams. Being that it's your only real answer to Unaware though, I'd imagine a lot of games against those teams revolve around keeping Haxorus healthy.A while after my post one page ago and moments before I finished my shower, I brewed an idea that, with humble honesty, I believe it has little counterplay; battling a few has only firmed that belief, and thus I'll share my team here so that perhaps different points of view point out other flaws in it--or just agree that Unburden is absurd and needs to go.
Ladies and gentlemen~
The combo seems simple enough with Sturdy+Magic Guard+Unburden+anything that negates priority, but allow me to explain further.Carracosta @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Liquidation
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
Hawlucha @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics
- Power-up Punch
Haxorus @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance / Swords Dance
- Dual Chop
- Poison Jab
- Reversal
Alakazam @ Life Orb / Weakness Policy
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
Tsareena @ Assault Vest
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- High Jump Kick
- Rapid Spin
- Knock Off / U-Turn
Crawdaunt @ Lansat Berry / Liechi Berry
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet / Superpower
The point of Sturdy, Queenly Majesty and Magic Guard is to allow Unburden to be effective, but the ability holders picked is what makes this team so spicy:
- For one, Crawdaunt boosts all STAB moves, and there are a lot of good STABs to boost in this team while it also makes good use of Unburden with berries. Liechi Berry is a good option to tear up a hole in their team, but Lansat Berry has the amusing Focus Energy boost--and don't take me for silly, I say amusing because I'm talking about +2 Adaptability Focus Energy Crabhammer, much better at fighting Unaware teams and might catch said users off-guard. Aqua Jet is still a great choice as it's still hindered by certain Scarf users, whereas Superpower helps deal with Ferrothorn or Water Absorb/Storm Drain Heatran.
- Alakazam takes care of bulky threats, is overall a good lead when you're not sure about theirs due to built-in Sturdy, and can play as either a simple damage dealer with Life Orb who doesn't mind Unaware teams or switch into a special sweeper, easy to activate when you're Psychic Type. Ever got annoyed by Landorus-T, Scizor and Mega Beedrill? This set cackles at their momentum, and no Sucker Punch or other priority is going to stop that.
- Rather than selecting a common Sturdy mon, such as Aggron, Crustle or Shuckle, I opted for a potential sweeper that goes well with its own ability as well as Unburden, and the following question helps clearing out my reasoning: what is the easiest way to trigger Sturdy? Getting hit by a Super Effective attack--and Carracosta has plenty of weaknesses that are not only common but that deal 4x damage against the tortoise. Weakness Policy abuses that and also activates Unburden after a guaranteed Shell Smash. The absurd amount of speed also doesn't seem to require priority, so rather than Aqua Jet I'm using Superpower to deal with Ferrothorn. It's this simple: if their team lacks Sturdy or Unaware and there is no Cinccino on the field, you win. Really, that's it.
- Tsareena has an interesting niche: not only it ceases any priority attack, I couldn't help but slap an Assault Vest onto those 72/98/98 defenses. Access to Power Whip and High Jump Kick makes it a threat to be considered, Rapid Spin helps remove Sticky Web, protecting the rest of the team from potential high base speed Scarf users. Knock Off helps deal with Eviolute users such as Chansey, whereas a well-timed U-Turn could swing the game towards you.
- Hawlucha is probably the most obvious choice here for Unburden. It's a naturally fast Swords Dancer, with two powerful STABs, further boosted by Adaptability, and Magic Guard makes sure it won't lose HP if HJK misses. PuP turns out a good finishing move against weakened Pokémon--it's not like you need anything else for coverage.
- Haxorus, however, is one I don't think I've ever seen here, and I'm glad I could unleash its potential in this OM! Here's what makes it so powerful compared to other Mold Breakers:
- Good offensive stats, with 147 base attack and 97 base speed;
- Unburden+Sturdy means it can boost itself and Reversal to 200BP;
- STAB Multihit. Seriously, the utility value of Dual Chop is hard to measure in a meta full of Focus Sash users or other Sturdy or Multiscale teams.
Much like other Mold Breaker users, it has access to Poison Jab or Iron Head to deal with Fairy-types. Dragon Dance or Swords Dance is just a matter of preference: while Swords Dance strengthens the beast further beyond, Dragon Dance helps Haxorus against faster already active Unburden users such as Hawlucha.
With all that being said, this team is not flawless: there are a few things you should keep in mind:
I may fix the lack of replay sometime. Real life calls...
- Unaware still renders a good chunk of your team useless, not to mention Marvel Scale and Stamina. Against such teams, you must plan ahead certain potential matchups. Wishing Stall was dead may return mixed results.
- Intimidate teams. But let's be real: if you're running Intimidate teams, you're legitimately asking to be completely butchered by Contrary, Defiant or Competitive teams.
- Burn blows. Lum Berry isn't too ideal and there's no Guts to save you. If you're really desperate about it, you could remove Tsareena's Assault Vest and replace one of its moves for Aromatherapy, but I wouldn't advise that giving how quick the game flows in this meta. Also, because I haven't seen Will-o-Wisp being used much, getting burned most likely implies you were hit by Scald, in which case your Sturdy is gone and there's nothing you can do about it.
- I haven't ran into any Unnerve users yet, but it's easy to see why that would be a stone in your shoe. Still manageable, depending on who you're facing.
- If there's any Skill Link user still standing on their team and it's protected from priority and oneshotting, then it comes down to who boosts first: your Haxorus or their sweeper(s). Don't play around.
- RNG. Really, if you miss a High Jump Kick, a Crabhammer or a Dual Chop, chances are you're screwed. Sadly, changing any of those Pokémon for a Compoundeyes, No Guard or Victory Star user would do more harm than good.
Oh, good call, then!
Finally you recognize stall as a very good playstyle, I have been saying for quite some time that stall would be very good with the main core of regenerator/magicguard/multiscale. Having topped the ladder and the nearest player is 100 points below me, I can safely say stall is the most reliable and consistent playstyle. It is one of the best playstyles and actually requires the most skill out of every playstyle in SP because instead of mindlessly clicking linear moves, it adds back the skill of switching and other elements which were kind of taken away do to how offensive the metagame is. Stall is not broken, its just the metagame has set it up to thrive. For example there are many powerful stall breakers like Kyurem-B, unaware/skill link, Haxorus, and stakeout however most of these things lose to speed offense which is what the majority of the playerbase uses. I do agree that the stall v stall matchup is very cancerous, but stall is needed to balance the meta and prevent things like cloyster from destroying the metagame. However before anything about stall is done, speed playstyles need to be adressed. Unburden, quickfeet, and weak armor are the real problematic abilities and is whats leading to stall dominating the meta. This is because the speed and power these abilities give can invalidate offensive checks to stall like stakeout. The problem with the metagame is that its so matchup based, stall > speed HO > sheer offense, its like rock paper scissors. Because most people use speed hyper offense, sheer offense will not be used much, thus stall will continue to win majority of the games.
Well people having trouble against this team please run merciless as a must on your team,Just sticking my head in again now that I can confidently say that Stall is far better than people give it credit for.
I know it's early days so not the most impressive feat but peaking the ladder certainly proves that it is a viable strategy.
View attachment 100212
Also my win rate is actually far more impressive than my account would prove as I tested multiple other teams 2-3 times each before I decided to grind on Stall to prove a point.
Anyway, seeing as I've ticked that off the list and have so many other teams I'd like to try throughout this busy month, may as well throw it all out there for others to use/prepare for. Haaku. feel free to add this to the Sample Teams.
Stamina + Poison Heal + Marvel Scale + Prism Armor + Unaware + Prankster/Magic Bounce
Concept is reasonably straight forward. First three pokemon form the Defence boosting core, with Toxic Orb + Marvel Scale giving and initial defence boost for the physical walls to survive the initial hit before proceeding to rake in Stamina boosts between Recovery and Protect with Poison Heal. The two win cons both run Calm Mind alongside this Def boosting core to boost both defences while healing with PH to the unbreakable point which cannot be surpasses due to Unaware. Stored Power on Clefable scales up to absurd power levels with Stamina and Calm Mind where as Photon Geyser on Necrozma is used to swiftly defeat opposing teams ignoring the likes of Multiscale, Sturdy, Unaware and more. Prism Armor is also really nice under the radar and makes the set up far harder to stop. Lastly I've thrown in Mega Sableye for Magic Bounce to prevent Taunt, while also having nice typing to shut down the Facade teams I'm sure you're all too familiar with. Prankster pre mega also allows for a free Calm Mind against teams where I can set up a first turn sweep. Sableye's slot is fairly flexible though, with Dragonite being likely the best replacement due to the absurd power of Multiscale, though I initially was using Weavile to Pressure Stall and trap opposing Swoobats and other threats.Mudsdale @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Stamina
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
- Protect
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Roost
Milotic @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Protect
- Dragon Tail
- Scald
- Recover
Necrozma @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Photon Geyser
- Moonlight
- Signal Beam
Clefable @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonlight
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Moonblast
Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Recover
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697903850
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697898028
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697903244
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697908511
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697902305
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7sharedpower-697899847
Have a lovely month people!
honestly without multiscale this meta would become so stale. its the one case where id let "broken checking broken" slide. without it, shit like guts+toxic boost, hustle+toughdapt and the like will have free rein to do whatever they like, and literally 6-0 teams. if anything, id consider magic guard more for suspect, since its widespread, AND is enabling multiscale to be such a problem.
