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Featured
RMT
Original RMT by: Team Hydro Aura
Analyzed by: MagnetBoy
This issue, it's Team Hydro Aura's time to shine; one of Neo's finest battlers for sure, the Hax Queen herself, here she
is with the newest addition to her long history of successful teams, a Sand Stall build. Posted as a Rate my Team in
Pokemon Strategy on August 3rd, I happened to be the first to respond to this team, and if I do say so myself it's a
rather good one. Of course, I'm in no way knowledgeable in any means of stall whatsoever, so don't take my word for
it, see for your puny self!
Please view the original RMT here.
MB's Super Awesome Rubric:

* Practicality: X / 40 Pts

* Synergy:
X / 25 Pts

* Balance:
X / 20 Pts

* Originality: X / 15 Pts
Practicality:

Well, as far as I can tell based on my limited knowledge on stall, this looks pretty solid. Sandstorm is sure to
rack up on anything weak to it, and the hazards will take their toll as well with efficient phazing methods all around.
Consistent paralysis support makes phazing an easier task to accomplish, and as for defense itself, SkarmBliss is a
tried and true stop to most if not all attacking plans out there. The main issue for the pair, Infernape, is taken care of.
Electric-types have some room to work with here though, particularly BoltBeam, although Blissey should be able to
keep the lid on that can of worms. VoltTurn won't be having its way with this any time soon either, although neither
vice versa. Mixed sweepers such as certain Infernape sets, the odd MixVire, even some Abomasnow could present
issues. No obvious plan for other weathers, Politoed in particular demands a dedicated response other than usually
walling it with Blissey. A pseudo-BoltBeam in physical form would be a nightmare, again bringing up mention of
Electivire despite his plummet from usage. Sheer power from the likes of Keldeo and other setup sweepers could
bring pain, seeing as this team lacks Taunt.
36/40

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Synergy:

The synergy showcased here is mind-blowing. I'm honestly at a loss for a hole to pinpoint that's weak to
anything more than a hardly-seen mixed sweeper or a set no one bothers to run. The defensive synergy of SkarmBliss
is of course famed for its efficiency, ParaShuffler DNite is feared throughout the land, and they share no weaknesses
between the three of them. Blissey's lone weakness is Fighting, resisted by DNite and usually physical so Skarmory
can tank. Skarm himself is weak to Fire and Electric, both usually special for Blissey to sponge while Fire is resisted by
DNite. Lance's dragon is weak to Ice, Dragon, and Rock, with Dragon resisted by Skarmory and Rock physical for him
to tank as Blissey sucks up the often-special Ice attacks. Reuniclus adds another Fighting resist while Skarmory covers
the Dark and Ghost weaknesses which Starmie also has, and Hippowdon's Ground typing lets him ignore Electric
attacks aimed at both Skarmory and Starmie. His Ice weakness is of course accounted for, by the special wall in
Blissey as well as the fairly bulky and x2 resistant Starmie.
25/25
Balance:

This isn't a balanced team to begin with, it's a stall team. So with that curve in mind, the construction of the
team very much fits the bill of what a stall team needs: defenses all around, minimal type overlaps, and a pinch of
offense that in this case won't mind sandstorm. Plenty of defensive prowess coupled with Spin, HealBell, and Wish
support make staying alive hardly a concern. If the foe staying alive as well seems like a pain, well, Reuniclus is one of
the most reliable setup sweepers in the game, as I'm sure many of you have learned the hard way at one time or
another. As for physical attacking, a bit lackluster but the three phazers all have physical attacks of some sort.
19/20
Originality:

Ironically, my favorite department of battling falls into the admittedly least important part of actually winning.
Practicality is of course more important, and this team has that so there's hardly a reason to panic. However, if one is
tooooo standard, then one also becomes too predictable and is thus more easily beaten down. So, originality does
carry some level of relevance in competitive play. In this case, defensive Starmie is a rare treat for an originality nut
such as myself. The use of Hippowdon over Tyranitar is, statistically speaking, more original as well. Parashuffler DNite
is a standard set yet not the most common regardless. SkarmBliss is 100% standard but works regardless, so not much
can be said about something that good. More standard than we're used to seeing from Olivia here, not always a bad
thing, only in my eyes. Then again, sand stall is somewhat limited in what can succeed in today's metagame, while
the list of what can't, goes on and on.
11/15






Practicality: 36/40






Synergy:
25/25






Balance:
19/20






Originality: 11/15






Final Score: 91%
On the whole, a great team from a great battler who's an equally great member of the Neoseeker community. And to
top it off, the presentation of the team was virtually flawless. One more congrats to Team Hydro Aura, author of this
issue's Featured RMT. Let's all wish her the best of luck with her battles, as well as with any and all help and advice
gained through her thread.

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