Hey, my name is Mac3 (mace) and I've been playing RU for a couple of years now, and this will be my first RMT for Sword & Shield. I've always had a fascination with trying to build stall as it suits my patient playstyle and I think it's satisfying when you're able to completely negate the opponent's team and give them no chance of getting a win from the game. Throughout this gen, I've tried building stall, with varying success. The two most successful teams I built prior to this one was a stall featuring physically defensive Snorlax, here is a game vs solonor24, a good player and friend, while the other successful team I built had a lot of different versions, although I settled on this, which I used in a BLT game (ultimately decided by a miss click on turn 59) vs gorex, who is also a good player and friend. Both of these were solid, although I was never really comfortable enough with them to make them into a RMT. I felt that both my previous stall attempts had a lackluster matchup against opposing fat or even balance with cleric support, I also knew that both of the previous teams had weaknesses against choiced trick users, Loom 's old sample team being a great example of this. This game was effectively decided by turn 5, as my Rotom-Mow counter was taken out of the game completely and my opponent was able to pressure my team and thus get a very easy win, so I also wanted the team to have counterplay to that. Using the Rarely Used Ladder Tour as inspiration, I wanted to create a stall team that had good countermeasures to both of the problems I had faced with earlier teams, as I was expecting to see quite a bit of Umbreon fat and Gardevoir offense.
RU as a tier has generally been very offensive in both generation 8 and generation 7, which has made building stall very difficult. I have a firm belief that when building stall you must be creative and open to using anything that accomplishes your goal, not to lose, is absolutely necessary. Stall always has to be ahead of the meta as you need to be able to counter it, and once the meta shifts, you must shift with it. In the two examples of my previous stall in SS, I used defensive Silvally-Poison and physically defensive Snorlax in the former, while in the latter I used Vibrava and Alcremie. Being innovative when building stall allows you to check the common stallbreakers, although sometimes it causes the team to have little synergy, which results in a bad team, so in order to build a solid stall team, you have to strike a balance between innovation and sticking with standard defensive cores, which is what this team does so well in my opinion. With that, let's move into the teambuilding process.
Teambuilding Process
I started the team by adding Steelix, for a solid electric immunity as in previous attempts at stall in this meta I had used Silvally-Steel to be able to switch into trick, but this fell short as Rotom-Mow would just be able to chip at it while a specs mystical fire from Gardevoir did 62% minimum rendering Silvally-Steel heavily prediction reliant for it to be effective. I had also lost games to Vikavolt as I had no way of stopping the volt switch safely. With this, I thought that having an electric immunity that could pivot into Rotom-Mow and Vikavolt would be very useful (looking at you Quagsire), Steelix also is able to pivot into a lot of dragons, psychics, fairies, and normals thanks to its typing, although you still have to be wary of fire/fighting coverage.
After this, I decided to add a hazard removal core of Eldegoss + Mantine, as they are able to switch into all the spike and stealth rock setters we have in the tier, but even if the setters were to be able to get up their hazards with enough pressure from chip, then Mantine and Eldegoss still find plenty of opportunities to come in and clear them thanks to heavy-duty boots and regenerator respectively. They also provide more valuable utility in the form of cleric support in Eldegoss' case while Mantine gives my team a haze user, which I think is super important because of the amount of cm psychics like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Espeon, and Xatu, who all cannot be pressured through toxic and are able to break through Quagsire's meager special defense.
I then wanted wish support as two of my 'mons don't have a recovery move, so I decided to add Umbreon as it is able to counter all the special dragons like specs Dragalge, specs Drampa, and specs Goodra and also being a stored power immunity if you run into some toxic orb cm Sigilyph shenanigans. Umbreon being a ghost resist is also really good as poltergeist 'mons like Dhelmise, Gourgeist, and Golurk have been gaining traction in the meta. I also added Quagsire at this point for an unaware user which is extremely good for stall as you're able to disregard all types of set-up. I decided on Quagsire instead of Pyukumuku to be able to be more proactive and not be as vulnerable to counter teams at high ladder.
The last addition I decided on was Slowbro-Galar as it would be able to achieve both the weaknesses I set out to cover with this team, being trick mons and opposing fat. In order to do this, I made Slowbro also use Trick, in order to pass the choice scarf right back to the opposing team if they try to get rid of this, unlike Silvally-Steel however, Slowbro-Galar isnt weak to any of the common moves that Gardevoir uses, while also being almost immune to chip thanks to regenerator, which means you aren't forced to make predictions every time Gardevoir comes in, which is vital to be able to have any sort of consistency when a third of the teams you play will have a Gardevoir.
In-Depth Look
ICE CREAM (Steelix) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Head Smash
- Toxic
- Body Press
Steelix is one of the most reliable rockers in the tier, in my opinion, and its movepool is wide enough so that you can customize what you want it to do. I knew I wanted toxic on the set as it's such a good way of chipping at the opposing team, while not having to click an attack every turn. I then also knew I wanted body press on the set as its able to pressure Rotom-Mow, and opposing steel types like Copperajah, Escavalier, and Bronzong. The last move I decided on was Head Smash in order to be able to trade out with Centiskorch and catch other fire types either on the switch or a toxic / knock off in Salazzle's case, a defog for Charizard, or a nasty plot with a Ninetales. This is the move that is most customizable, you can for instance go heavy slam here in order to hit fairies like Gardevoir harder, or you can use stone edge in order to use sturdy. You can also make the spread 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpDef with an Impish nature in order to have a stronger body press.
When playing against 'mons like Gardevoir, Rotom-Mow, and Espeon, your initial switch in should never be Steelix as if it gets tricked a scarf or specs that will put you in a bad position, however, if you are able to scout what move they use with Slowbro or Umbreon and its either Moonblast/Psychic then you can go Steelix as it's your best offensive pressure as either you toxic something or they need to predict what attacking moves you have. If you are put in a position where a Centiskorch comes into your Steelix, and you can live any attack they go for, including a crit, then you should always trade out as Centiskorch is a big threat to the team as Mantine doesn't want its item knocked. Against Drapion you should almost always go Quagsire, as Steelix' doesn't want lefties knocked off because it is its only form of recovery.
NR1 (Eldegoss) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Rapid Spin
- Pollen Puff
- Aromatherapy
Eldegoss is a vital part of this team, as it is both a part of the removal core and is also the cleric. Giga drain is the best STAB that Eldegoss has as it furthers the recovery that it gets from leftovers and regenerator, usually resulting in Eldegoss not needing wish support at all throughout a game. Rapid spin is self-explanatory, and I decided to have Aromatherapy on Eldegoss in order to free up a move slot on Umbreon, which I'll get into later. The last move I chose was pollen puff, as that is Eldegoss' best way of hitting Rotom-Mow which is necessary if it proves to be nasty plot, this is also the reason I gave Eldegoss leftovers instead of heavy-duty boots. The given EV spread is made to outspeed max speed neutral Rhyperior, while putting the rest into defense, although I have a Calm nature in order to better tank np Rotom-Mow's attacks.
When using Eldegoss and you face a Rotom-Mow, much like Steelix, you should always go Slowbro first, as you can scout what set the Rotom is, as trick doesn't put you in a bad position. However, if it shows lefties then you can safely go Eldegoss from there on out. Against other electrics such as Heliolisk and Rotom-N then you should always go Eldegoss, as even though Rotom gets trick, the risk vs reward of going Slowbro first isn't worth it.
PIPPI (Mantine) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roost
- Defog
- Haze
Mantine forms the second part of my removal core. It is able to remove on 'mons like Steelix, Bronzong, Copperajah, Runerigus, Mudsdale, and Coalossal, threatening all with scald and the burn chance. Roost and defog are self-explanatory as they provide recovery and hazard removal. I chose haze as a fourth over other moves like toxic, or flying STAB, as being able to either pivot between Quagsire and Mantine or Mantine and Umbreon against physical set-up sweepers or special set-up sweepers respectively gives the team much more breathing room, especially against sludge bomb Slowbro because of the poison chance. The 16 EVs in speed allows Mantine to outspeed Adamant max speed Rhyperior, which is useful in a pinch.
Mantine is relatively straight forward to use, you pivot into special sweepers and remove their boosts before they snowball, this is especially important with stored power 'mons like Sigilyph and Espeon. There is also a small threat of block cm'ers like Drampa or Cofagrigus, this means that against Drampa your first switch-in could be a bit of a risk if they carry thunderbolt, but the risk of losing Umbreon is just too big usually. Against Cofagrigus you should always go Mantine as they can't pressure you and they might also be toxic spikes.
NU VI SKINER (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonlight
Umbreon serves an important role as this team's wish passer. The first three moves should be pretty obvious, foul play is Umbreon's main attack, wish gives the whole team recovery, and protect allows for scouting and leftovers recovery while letting you get the wish recovery without fear of dying. The last move is pretty unusual paired with wish and protect, but I decided on having moonlight as well for immediate recovery. This helps against the specs dragons as after tanking a draco you don't lose tons of momentum having to wish and then protect against a fighting type or a strong hazard setter like Copperajah or Rhyperior, while you also can't get phased out when protecting by Steelix or Mudsdale. Moonlight also gives you a total of 24pp of recovery, allowing the wishes to moreso focus on the other 'mons, specifically Steelix. The speed EVs allow Umbreon to outspeed Adamant Dhelmise, which is especially good if its banded as then you are able to ohko it with Foul Play as otherwise you would be 2hkoed by power whip or anchor shot.
Umbreon should always be your first switch-in to strong special attackers that don't have a STAB super-effective attack like specs Gardevoir or Ribombee. Using protect to scout choice 'mons like Bewear, Passimian, Braviary, and Gardevoir is also very important in order to not be put in a bad position. Umbreon is usually the most important member on the team because of its ability to blanket a huge portion of the tier, so letting it get chipped is something you should try to avoid as much as possible.
DRIPPING (Quagsire) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Quagsire gives my team a vital unaware user to be able to stop physical set-up sweepers like sd Drapion, sd Bewear, dd or bu Scrafty, etc. Earthquake is chosen for a STAB that has very few immunities paired with toxic, unlike waterfall. Curse is then chosen over Scald as otherwise, Scrafty and Snorlax would be pains to deal with as they shrug off toxic, it also allows Quagsire to boost its defense which is helpful when trying to recover stall a sd Bewear. The EV spread is just used to max out the physical defense in order to better check the Silvallies, and fighting- and rock types.
Quagsire is best used to absorb knock offs from Drapion so that Steelix doesn't have to as Quagsire has reliable recovery. It also functions as this teams wincon late-game if strong special attackers and grass types have been dealt with either by toxic chip or black sludge chip. This makes Quagsire pair really well with Slowbro as Slowbro is great at chipping at Rotom-Mow if it tricks.
FÖRSENT (Slowbro-Galar) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Block
- Slack Off
- Trick
- Sludge Bomb
Slowbro-Galar is what ties this team together. This set is specifically designed to beat both fat and opposing trick mons. Trick allows Slowbro to first off get rid of choiced items that it may receive from Gardevoir, Rotom-Mow, Espeon, Ribombee, etc. However, paired with block it also works as a way of trapping opponent's fat mons like Umbreon, Mantine, Vaporeon, and Steels, as you're able to give them the black sludge which causes them to take 12.5% damage each turn. Pair this with sludge bomb poisons in the cases of Mantine, Umbreon, and Vaporeon, make it so that you are able to eliminate those 'mons, which most likely means that you will win either the stall v stall as they lost their wish passer and cleric, or remove a piece of the defensive core and their hazard removal or rocks in the cases of Mantine and the Steels, repsectively. Slowbro is also able to be a one-shop stop to Virizion which is great as its one of the only physical set-up sweepers which beats Quagsire, thanks to its grass STAB.
Slowbro should always be the first 'mon you pivot into an opponent's 'mons that can learn trick and don't usually carry super-effective coverage like Rotom-N would do. This allows you to both be able to potentially weaken an incoming 'mon that they switch out and getting a lot of chip on the 'mon they used trick with, or just continue chipping away at the 'mon by spamming trick or clicking sludge bomb, which can always get the poison. In the case you see a Dhelmise or Gourgeist on the opponent's team, and they have a mon that likes to spam knock off, like Passimian, getting the black sludge removed is the most risk-free method of dealing with them as they carry Poltergeist as STAB which gets nullified by no-item Slowbro, as the other moves they use usually don't hit Slowbro hard. If the opponent has a Bewear you should also always go Slowbro first and then either pivot into a resist if the Bewear is band, or pivot into Quagsire if the Bewear is swords dance.
Closing Thoughts
This stall team has very few weaknesses, which is shown by my 1741 peak on the ru ladder during RULT. However, it does still have weaknesses like all teams do, Sub Arctovish is one of the biggest ones as my water resists consist of Mantine and Eldegoss, and both are weak to Arctovish's ice type moves. There is very limited counterplay to Arctovish, but trying to trade out with Steelix or tricking it black sludge are the best options that you have. Another big weakness of this team is SD Decidueye, as it can get past both Slowbro and Quagsire, however, if the opponent is careless and switches into a toxic from Quagsire you can outstall Decidueye with protect from Umbreon and Steelix' raw bulk. Indeedee-F is also a threat as its one of the few trick users that Slowbro can't afford switching into as specs boosted expanding force kills, in this matchup, you will have to decide what 'mon you think is most expendable to receive the specs, you are also able to pivot into expanding force once with Eldegoss from full if there aren't any entry hazards on the field which gives you a bit of leeway. Another weakness is Golurk as it hits Umbreon super hard with banded earthquake or close combat, however, if you're able to get Eldegoss knocked you can then pivot into Golurk without fear. I would also like to give a huge shout out to all my rarelyused and tournaments friends, and my friends in general who are able to keep me motivated to play and build without realizing it!
Click for paste!
RU as a tier has generally been very offensive in both generation 8 and generation 7, which has made building stall very difficult. I have a firm belief that when building stall you must be creative and open to using anything that accomplishes your goal, not to lose, is absolutely necessary. Stall always has to be ahead of the meta as you need to be able to counter it, and once the meta shifts, you must shift with it. In the two examples of my previous stall in SS, I used defensive Silvally-Poison and physically defensive Snorlax in the former, while in the latter I used Vibrava and Alcremie. Being innovative when building stall allows you to check the common stallbreakers, although sometimes it causes the team to have little synergy, which results in a bad team, so in order to build a solid stall team, you have to strike a balance between innovation and sticking with standard defensive cores, which is what this team does so well in my opinion. With that, let's move into the teambuilding process.
Teambuilding Process
I started the team by adding Steelix, for a solid electric immunity as in previous attempts at stall in this meta I had used Silvally-Steel to be able to switch into trick, but this fell short as Rotom-Mow would just be able to chip at it while a specs mystical fire from Gardevoir did 62% minimum rendering Silvally-Steel heavily prediction reliant for it to be effective. I had also lost games to Vikavolt as I had no way of stopping the volt switch safely. With this, I thought that having an electric immunity that could pivot into Rotom-Mow and Vikavolt would be very useful (looking at you Quagsire), Steelix also is able to pivot into a lot of dragons, psychics, fairies, and normals thanks to its typing, although you still have to be wary of fire/fighting coverage.
After this, I decided to add a hazard removal core of Eldegoss + Mantine, as they are able to switch into all the spike and stealth rock setters we have in the tier, but even if the setters were to be able to get up their hazards with enough pressure from chip, then Mantine and Eldegoss still find plenty of opportunities to come in and clear them thanks to heavy-duty boots and regenerator respectively. They also provide more valuable utility in the form of cleric support in Eldegoss' case while Mantine gives my team a haze user, which I think is super important because of the amount of cm psychics like Slowbro, Sigilyph, Espeon, and Xatu, who all cannot be pressured through toxic and are able to break through Quagsire's meager special defense.
I then wanted wish support as two of my 'mons don't have a recovery move, so I decided to add Umbreon as it is able to counter all the special dragons like specs Dragalge, specs Drampa, and specs Goodra and also being a stored power immunity if you run into some toxic orb cm Sigilyph shenanigans. Umbreon being a ghost resist is also really good as poltergeist 'mons like Dhelmise, Gourgeist, and Golurk have been gaining traction in the meta. I also added Quagsire at this point for an unaware user which is extremely good for stall as you're able to disregard all types of set-up. I decided on Quagsire instead of Pyukumuku to be able to be more proactive and not be as vulnerable to counter teams at high ladder.
The last addition I decided on was Slowbro-Galar as it would be able to achieve both the weaknesses I set out to cover with this team, being trick mons and opposing fat. In order to do this, I made Slowbro also use Trick, in order to pass the choice scarf right back to the opposing team if they try to get rid of this, unlike Silvally-Steel however, Slowbro-Galar isnt weak to any of the common moves that Gardevoir uses, while also being almost immune to chip thanks to regenerator, which means you aren't forced to make predictions every time Gardevoir comes in, which is vital to be able to have any sort of consistency when a third of the teams you play will have a Gardevoir.
In-Depth Look
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Head Smash
- Toxic
- Body Press
Steelix is one of the most reliable rockers in the tier, in my opinion, and its movepool is wide enough so that you can customize what you want it to do. I knew I wanted toxic on the set as it's such a good way of chipping at the opposing team, while not having to click an attack every turn. I then also knew I wanted body press on the set as its able to pressure Rotom-Mow, and opposing steel types like Copperajah, Escavalier, and Bronzong. The last move I decided on was Head Smash in order to be able to trade out with Centiskorch and catch other fire types either on the switch or a toxic / knock off in Salazzle's case, a defog for Charizard, or a nasty plot with a Ninetales. This is the move that is most customizable, you can for instance go heavy slam here in order to hit fairies like Gardevoir harder, or you can use stone edge in order to use sturdy. You can also make the spread 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpDef with an Impish nature in order to have a stronger body press.
When playing against 'mons like Gardevoir, Rotom-Mow, and Espeon, your initial switch in should never be Steelix as if it gets tricked a scarf or specs that will put you in a bad position, however, if you are able to scout what move they use with Slowbro or Umbreon and its either Moonblast/Psychic then you can go Steelix as it's your best offensive pressure as either you toxic something or they need to predict what attacking moves you have. If you are put in a position where a Centiskorch comes into your Steelix, and you can live any attack they go for, including a crit, then you should always trade out as Centiskorch is a big threat to the team as Mantine doesn't want its item knocked. Against Drapion you should almost always go Quagsire, as Steelix' doesn't want lefties knocked off because it is its only form of recovery.
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Rapid Spin
- Pollen Puff
- Aromatherapy
Eldegoss is a vital part of this team, as it is both a part of the removal core and is also the cleric. Giga drain is the best STAB that Eldegoss has as it furthers the recovery that it gets from leftovers and regenerator, usually resulting in Eldegoss not needing wish support at all throughout a game. Rapid spin is self-explanatory, and I decided to have Aromatherapy on Eldegoss in order to free up a move slot on Umbreon, which I'll get into later. The last move I chose was pollen puff, as that is Eldegoss' best way of hitting Rotom-Mow which is necessary if it proves to be nasty plot, this is also the reason I gave Eldegoss leftovers instead of heavy-duty boots. The given EV spread is made to outspeed max speed neutral Rhyperior, while putting the rest into defense, although I have a Calm nature in order to better tank np Rotom-Mow's attacks.
When using Eldegoss and you face a Rotom-Mow, much like Steelix, you should always go Slowbro first, as you can scout what set the Rotom is, as trick doesn't put you in a bad position. However, if it shows lefties then you can safely go Eldegoss from there on out. Against other electrics such as Heliolisk and Rotom-N then you should always go Eldegoss, as even though Rotom gets trick, the risk vs reward of going Slowbro first isn't worth it.
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roost
- Defog
- Haze
Mantine forms the second part of my removal core. It is able to remove on 'mons like Steelix, Bronzong, Copperajah, Runerigus, Mudsdale, and Coalossal, threatening all with scald and the burn chance. Roost and defog are self-explanatory as they provide recovery and hazard removal. I chose haze as a fourth over other moves like toxic, or flying STAB, as being able to either pivot between Quagsire and Mantine or Mantine and Umbreon against physical set-up sweepers or special set-up sweepers respectively gives the team much more breathing room, especially against sludge bomb Slowbro because of the poison chance. The 16 EVs in speed allows Mantine to outspeed Adamant max speed Rhyperior, which is useful in a pinch.
Mantine is relatively straight forward to use, you pivot into special sweepers and remove their boosts before they snowball, this is especially important with stored power 'mons like Sigilyph and Espeon. There is also a small threat of block cm'ers like Drampa or Cofagrigus, this means that against Drampa your first switch-in could be a bit of a risk if they carry thunderbolt, but the risk of losing Umbreon is just too big usually. Against Cofagrigus you should always go Mantine as they can't pressure you and they might also be toxic spikes.
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Wish
- Protect
- Moonlight
Umbreon serves an important role as this team's wish passer. The first three moves should be pretty obvious, foul play is Umbreon's main attack, wish gives the whole team recovery, and protect allows for scouting and leftovers recovery while letting you get the wish recovery without fear of dying. The last move is pretty unusual paired with wish and protect, but I decided on having moonlight as well for immediate recovery. This helps against the specs dragons as after tanking a draco you don't lose tons of momentum having to wish and then protect against a fighting type or a strong hazard setter like Copperajah or Rhyperior, while you also can't get phased out when protecting by Steelix or Mudsdale. Moonlight also gives you a total of 24pp of recovery, allowing the wishes to moreso focus on the other 'mons, specifically Steelix. The speed EVs allow Umbreon to outspeed Adamant Dhelmise, which is especially good if its banded as then you are able to ohko it with Foul Play as otherwise you would be 2hkoed by power whip or anchor shot.
Umbreon should always be your first switch-in to strong special attackers that don't have a STAB super-effective attack like specs Gardevoir or Ribombee. Using protect to scout choice 'mons like Bewear, Passimian, Braviary, and Gardevoir is also very important in order to not be put in a bad position. Umbreon is usually the most important member on the team because of its ability to blanket a huge portion of the tier, so letting it get chipped is something you should try to avoid as much as possible.
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Quagsire gives my team a vital unaware user to be able to stop physical set-up sweepers like sd Drapion, sd Bewear, dd or bu Scrafty, etc. Earthquake is chosen for a STAB that has very few immunities paired with toxic, unlike waterfall. Curse is then chosen over Scald as otherwise, Scrafty and Snorlax would be pains to deal with as they shrug off toxic, it also allows Quagsire to boost its defense which is helpful when trying to recover stall a sd Bewear. The EV spread is just used to max out the physical defense in order to better check the Silvallies, and fighting- and rock types.
Quagsire is best used to absorb knock offs from Drapion so that Steelix doesn't have to as Quagsire has reliable recovery. It also functions as this teams wincon late-game if strong special attackers and grass types have been dealt with either by toxic chip or black sludge chip. This makes Quagsire pair really well with Slowbro as Slowbro is great at chipping at Rotom-Mow if it tricks.
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Block
- Slack Off
- Trick
- Sludge Bomb
Slowbro-Galar is what ties this team together. This set is specifically designed to beat both fat and opposing trick mons. Trick allows Slowbro to first off get rid of choiced items that it may receive from Gardevoir, Rotom-Mow, Espeon, Ribombee, etc. However, paired with block it also works as a way of trapping opponent's fat mons like Umbreon, Mantine, Vaporeon, and Steels, as you're able to give them the black sludge which causes them to take 12.5% damage each turn. Pair this with sludge bomb poisons in the cases of Mantine, Umbreon, and Vaporeon, make it so that you are able to eliminate those 'mons, which most likely means that you will win either the stall v stall as they lost their wish passer and cleric, or remove a piece of the defensive core and their hazard removal or rocks in the cases of Mantine and the Steels, repsectively. Slowbro is also able to be a one-shop stop to Virizion which is great as its one of the only physical set-up sweepers which beats Quagsire, thanks to its grass STAB.
Slowbro should always be the first 'mon you pivot into an opponent's 'mons that can learn trick and don't usually carry super-effective coverage like Rotom-N would do. This allows you to both be able to potentially weaken an incoming 'mon that they switch out and getting a lot of chip on the 'mon they used trick with, or just continue chipping away at the 'mon by spamming trick or clicking sludge bomb, which can always get the poison. In the case you see a Dhelmise or Gourgeist on the opponent's team, and they have a mon that likes to spam knock off, like Passimian, getting the black sludge removed is the most risk-free method of dealing with them as they carry Poltergeist as STAB which gets nullified by no-item Slowbro, as the other moves they use usually don't hit Slowbro hard. If the opponent has a Bewear you should also always go Slowbro first and then either pivot into a resist if the Bewear is band, or pivot into Quagsire if the Bewear is swords dance.
Closing Thoughts
This stall team has very few weaknesses, which is shown by my 1741 peak on the ru ladder during RULT. However, it does still have weaknesses like all teams do, Sub Arctovish is one of the biggest ones as my water resists consist of Mantine and Eldegoss, and both are weak to Arctovish's ice type moves. There is very limited counterplay to Arctovish, but trying to trade out with Steelix or tricking it black sludge are the best options that you have. Another big weakness of this team is SD Decidueye, as it can get past both Slowbro and Quagsire, however, if the opponent is careless and switches into a toxic from Quagsire you can outstall Decidueye with protect from Umbreon and Steelix' raw bulk. Indeedee-F is also a threat as its one of the few trick users that Slowbro can't afford switching into as specs boosted expanding force kills, in this matchup, you will have to decide what 'mon you think is most expendable to receive the specs, you are also able to pivot into expanding force once with Eldegoss from full if there aren't any entry hazards on the field which gives you a bit of leeway. Another weakness is Golurk as it hits Umbreon super hard with banded earthquake or close combat, however, if you're able to get Eldegoss knocked you can then pivot into Golurk without fear. I would also like to give a huge shout out to all my rarelyused and tournaments friends, and my friends in general who are able to keep me motivated to play and build without realizing it!
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Vs fat balance. This replay (long) shows how extremely good Trick Slowbro can be, trapping Steelix turn 1, tricking Vileplume a scarf on turn 305, and tricking Mantine black sludge on turn 309. It also shows how easily Umbreon + haze Mantine deal with slow special set-up, in the form of cm stored power Slowbro in this replay.
I will add more as I save good ones that showcase how the team works!
I will add more as I save good ones that showcase how the team works!