Valkyria Rain Stall
Introduction
Hi, I'm Valkyria. I've been playing competitive Pokemon for a while now and mostly taught myself how to play, with the help of other RMTs for inspiration, guides for knowledge, etc. I'm primarily a stall player and I'm trying to truly master stall. In the current metagame, Reuniclus is an extremely deadly Pokemon, capable of sweeping a team with 6 Pokemon remaining. I knew that Jirachi would be the Pokemon of choice if Reuniclus were to be stopped, considering how well it walls it and can stall it endlessly with Flinchax. To stop the strong, physical ground types that Jirachi disliked oh-so-much, Tangrowth and Skarmory were added, Tangrowth to take down things like Excadrill, Terrakion and prevent leech seed and Skarmory to wall Physical Dragon types and set up Spikes. Now, it didn't take too long to notice that all 3 of these Pokemon had a Fire Weakness and I still lacked weather, which, while not necessary, it quite helpful in the current meta. Enter the Toed. Politoed is still underrated as a weather starter and can provide exceptional late game power and a decent amount of Bulk. I now wanted a Pokemon possessing an ability that benefited from rain. At first, SubBU Toxicroak seemed like the best idea, but eventually I settled on Tentacruel with Rain Dish, an amazing special wall who lays Toxic Spikes and Spins away my opponents entry hazards. While the poison typing hurts it, Earth Powers from Heatran can be shaken off easily, Tentacruel also works well against Physical Attackers that have been burned by Rotom. Speaking of Rotom, the team's "glue" is no other than the Magical Washing Machine who unleashes powerful torrents of water and mighty bolts from the sky, Rotom-W. On to the team~
A Closer Look
Politoed (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SAtk / 16 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Perish Song
- Focus Blast
Politoed, the team's weather starter, boasting a bulky spread with SpAtk EVS. The 3 attacking moves are for coverage while Perish Song is for killing late game sweeps. I usually switch it out, mainly to preserve the weather, and because Tentacruel fares much better against Ninetales whereas Tangrowth beats Hippowdon and Tyranitar that lack Ice Beam, just because Hail deserves a mention, Skarmory and Jirachi eat up Abomasnow. Its powerful special attacks can nail switch ins and it has the bulk to take hits from Pokemon such as Scizor and T-Tar, provided they aren't Super-effective.
Skarmory (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
As the team's Spike layer and primary physical wall, Skarmory can switch in to many Pokemon, such as Haxorus, Chansey and the like, quite easily. Magnezone switch ins are pretty easy to predict if you have Wi-Fi on and most Magnezone get killed off against Jirachi, who completely walls them in rain, save hax. All in all, Skarmory forms a nice partnership with Tangrowth, taking the Dragons, while Tangrowth takes down Landlos, Terrakion, Excadrill and the like.
Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Protect
Tentacruel is a complete monster. Toxic Spikes are extremely easy to get up and extremely disastrous for the unprepared opponent. The best part about Tentacruel is the amount of Recovery it gets each turns with Rain Dish and Leftovers and unlike things such as Stallrein, it's defensive stats make it a top tier wall. It can wall the likes of Hydreigon easily, provided they lack Draco Meteor [which is then taken like nothing by Jirachi]. I usually scout for D-Meteor with Protect, anyways, so it's not much of a problem. Scald is great for inflicting burnhax on the Pokemon that aren't affected by Toxic Spikes, such as Rotom-W, Latios, Hydreigon, etc.
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SDef / 32 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Iron Head
- Psych Up
- Wish
- Protect
Oh Jirachi, the 5th generation's resident hax machine is one of, if not the most useful Pokemon in the current meta. Boasting great bulk, decent power and one of the most advantageous defensive typings, Jirachi is one of the major contributors to the team's sucess. Now I chose Psych Up over Body Slam for a few reasons, and while it may seem like an unorthodox choice, it was certainly the right one. Firstly, Body Slam doesn't always cause Paralysis, contrary to popular belief, and I'm not one to fish for hax, or rely on it, Scald on Tentacruel is merely to get some damage and a possible burn on things it completely walls or things that switch into it, I can win without burning a Pokemon. Body Slam also conflicts with my Toxic Spikes and, to be honest, my team is capable of handling a variety of sweepers, so I'd rather have damaging status like Poison or Burn, on my foes. Finally, Psych Up allows me to completely destroy CM sweepers like Virizion and Reuniclus by swiping their boosts and responding with powerful physical STAB. Psyshock does around 30% to Jirachi when Reuniclus is at +6, so that really isn't a problem. Once I defeat said sweeper, the opponent is automatically pressured to switch in a fast Physical thread, because Jirachi will be able to take every special attack like it's nothing.
Tangrowth (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Sleep Powder
- Earthquake
Tangrowth is one of the better and more underrated Physical walls in today's metagame. It can provide an effective way of beating Landorus, Excadrill, Terrakion and it handles a variety of other threats well. Leech Seed is great to pass and heal Pokemon like Politoed or Tentacruel. I just took Sleep Powder from a Smogon analysis and I'm probably going to swap it out for something, but I'm having a bit of trouble as to what I should swap it out for.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 252 SAtk / 132 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Rotom-W is the team's glue mon and a pretty effective one at that. Hydro Pump and Thunder effectively beat a wide range of threats, Will O wisp cripples powerful physical attackers that switch in on Rotom and I use Pain Split to heal. This thing usually stays alive for the entire game, except for when it gets hit with status.
To end this RMT, I'll say that the only two things this team would really love to have are a Cleric and a Spin Blocker, so I'm open to one of you guys suggesting one of those, as long as the team's synergy isn't hurt too much.
Last edited:
