How do you deal with stat boosting?

[KingRazor]

So after over 10 years of playing Pokemon but never playing competitively (other than in stadium), I just recently started playing Ubers and OU on Pokemon Showdown!

One thing I've run into that was never really a problem in the past has been stat boosting.

When playing in game, or playing stadium, I always laughed at people who used moves like swords dance. Because I was usually able to 1-shot them afterward.

But in a game where you can have 252 EVs in two different stats, you can power up one pokemon and wipe out the entire enemy team pretty easily.

I've had some success using the move Psych Up to help level the playing field, but since Haze is illegal in any game but Hackmon, I was curious how the rest of you dealt with this.

In Gen 1 and in stadium I didn't ever bother with status effect moves because in general my team was built to either 1-shot the enemy or be 1-shot by the enemy. My team was all sweepers. And it actually worked quite well most of the time. But in Showdown! with the EVs...things aint what they used to be.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Just saying, Haze IS legal in all metagames. Anyways, I try to find a way to force out the stat-upper by bringing in something that can counter it or wiping away its boosts with a (p)hazing move. If all else fails, I try to roll with the punches.

 

[Dark Azelf]

Roar, Whirlwind <--- These two are the most reliable in forcing switches. Perish Song, Taunt, Haze, Dragon Tail, Perish Song, Trick <choice item>, Encore can all force switches too. Even ghost type Curse has a niche in ruining slow stat uppers by causing them to switch. Status moves like Toxic, Thunderwave and Will-O-Wisp, even Leech Seed is effective them forcing them to heal and/or crippling them. Manaphy can also use Heart Swap which swaps stat changes between yours and their pokemon. Snatch can be used in ubers sometimes and it gets priority which can steal boosts. Malamar gets Topsy Turvy which inverts stat changes. Psych Up can help too which you mentioned.

Intimidate is helpful for physical stat boosters as are strong priority moves if they get faster as are scarfers.

You also have the option of pokemon with the Prankster ability with the aforementioned moves so you are guaranteed to go first and cripple them. For example, Murkrow gets Prankster, Taunt, Haze and Feather Dance so you can pick and choose there.

The ability Unaware ignores stat boosts too so that is rather helpful.

There are plenty of ways to deal with stat boosting, pick some that suite your team.

 

[wolf]

Revenge killers (Pokemon that switch in to KO or cripple the opposing Pokemon after one has already fainted) are probably the most common strategy to deal with stat boosters. This includes Pokemon like Focus Sash + Magic Guard Alakazam (essentially the best example of a revenge killer), Choice Scarf users (see: Keldeo, Garchomp, Terrakion, Rotom-W, etc.), and priority move users (see: Scizor, Breloom, Mamoswine, Azumarill, etc.).