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-
Hyper Cutter
- The wielder's Attack cannot be lowered.
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Arena Trap
Prevents grounded Pokemon from switching. Increases encounter rate. -
Sheer Force
- Increases power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but removes the effects.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
45
|
- |
231 |
294 |
- |
| Atk |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
| Def |
45
|
113 |
126 |
189 |
207 |
| SpA |
45
|
113 |
126 |
189 |
207 |
| SpD |
45
|
113 |
126 |
189 |
207 |
| Spe |
10
|
50 |
56 |
119 |
130 |
Overview
Most competitive Pokemon players would simply look at Trapinch and dismiss it as just another NFE Pokemon. However, upon further inspection, Trapinch has two qualities that make it worth considering. Firstly, Trapinch has the ability Arena Trap, enabling it to trap all grounded Pokemon, specifically troublesome Pokemon such as Probopass, Bastiodon, and Flareon. Secondly, Trapinch sports a high base 100 Attack stat, which gives Trapinch an actual chance at KOing trapped opponents, unlike Diglett. Sadly, Trapinch isn't without its faults; with an abysmal Speed stat of 10, Trapinch can only be used in Trick Room. Additionally, Trapinch has pathetic 45 / 45 / 45 defenses, which means it must kill or be killed. While it is difficult to successfully pull off, Trapinch's niche of trapping can be incredibly useful to any team.
This set aims to trap and eliminate troublesome foes. However, Trapinch's terrible Speed means that one of the only ways it can accomplish this is when Trick Room is active. As Trapinch is the second slowest Pokemon in the tier, only Shuckle outspeeds it in Trick Room. The moveset is pretty simple; Earthquake is a powerful, reliable STAB move, while Rock Slide completes the Rock / Ground combination, granting superb coverage. Rock Slide is also useful for hitting Flying-types such as Swellow, which aren't affected by Arena Trap. Crunch gives Trapinch the ability to hit Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon much harder; notable examples include Haunter, who also isn't affected by Arena Trap. Quick Attack is mainly filler, as Trapinch doesn't have many other options at its disposal; because Quick Attack does not receive STAB and has low Base Power, it does pitiful damage even with a Choice Band boost, so it should only be used in desperate situations.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Choice Band can increase Trapinch's damage output, giving Trapinch the ability to OHKO 252 / 252+ Garbodor. However, your opponent can easily capitalize on the frail Trapinch locked into Earthquake, so Life Orb is generally the better option. The given EV spread makes Trapinch as powerful as possible while minimizing its Speed. Without the need for Speed investment, Trapinch should invest in bulk. However, do note that it generally makes little difference due to Trapinch's frailty. The 0 Speed IV and Brave nature puts Trapinch at a snail's pace of 22 Speed, allowing it to outspeed most of NU in Trick Room.
Obviously, Trapinch requires Trick Room support. Psychic-types such as Duosion and Beheeyem make good partners to set up Trick Room due to their low Speed. Normal- and Flying-types such as Swellow, Braviary, and Persian make excellent partners to Trapinch as they despise Steel-types, which Trapinch can eliminate. Swellow, Braviary, and Persian can also set up a trap with U-turn. Trapinch hates priority as it bypasses Trick Room, so Gurdurr partners well with Trapinch as it easily takes on Sucker Punch users such as Shiftry and Cacturne, who trouble Trapinch and Trick Room setters such as Duosion and Beheeyem. Gurdurr can also take advantage of Trick Room, which is a nice bonus. Perhaps the only way to make Trapinch usable outside of Trick Room is to use Ninjask to pass it Substitutes, Swords Dance boosts, and Speed boosts, preparing it for trapping Steel-types that Ninjask lures in.
Trapinch greatly appreciates hazard support, which helps it net extra KOs. With Stealth Rock down, instead of having to use Choice Band, Trapinch can use Life Orb to obtain a clean OHKO on Garbodor. Regirock is a good candidate to set up Stealth Rock as it can switch into priority attacks directed at Trapinch, such as Linoone's ExtremeSpeed. Finally, Gravity support can enable Trapinch to trap Flying-type Pokemon or Pokemon with Levitate, but it is very difficult to provide Trapinch with both Gravity and Trick Room support.
Other Options
Trapinch's poor movepool means it doesn't have many tricks up its sleeve. Bug Bite can be used over Crunch to hit Exeggutor harder, but Crunch is still better for hitting other Psychic-types. Quick Attack can be replaced with Return or Double-Edge if you are not worried about Trapinch's usability outside of Trick Room. Eviolite and Focus Sash are valid item choices, but the drop in power is quite noticeable and Eviolite won't help Trapinch's poor defenses anyway.
Checks and Counters
Priority is the best way to check Trapinch, as it bypasses Trick Room. Good priority users include Linoone, who has STAB ExtremeSpeed, as well as Shiftry and Cacturne, who pack STAB Sucker Punches. Quagsire, Alomomola, and Tangela don't care about being trapped as they can take whatever attacks Trapinch can dish out and KO it with Scald or Giga Drain, respectively. Weezing isn't affected by Arena Trap, and can take any of Trapinch's attacks thanks to its impressive bulk. Trapinch will also fall to any attacks Weezing uses due to its frailty. Torterra resists both Earthquake and Rock Slide, and threatens Trapinch with its STAB Grass attacks as well.
