Good day, dear Smogonites, and welcome to my RMT. This is my first post on Smogon, so please excuse and point out any mistakes that I may make.However, that's not to say that I am an ultra noob with no knowledge of the game at all (although you can also decide that for yourselves after seeing my team lol) as I have been lurking here for some time now, and recently decided to actually become a part of and contribute to the community that has helped me out so much in competitive battling. While lurking, i would often read others RMT's to gain ideas for my own team, and was disappointed to see the vast number of weather, hyper offense, and other over-used team types on the forum. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who completely hates on weather, but its just not my play style. I prefer something more anti-meta, against the mold, and finally settled on making a Trick Room team. Its become my favorite play style, and I have great fun playing with this team. Regardless, I'm not too great at battling,but I believe that this team has potential, so that's where you guys come in. I don't want to ramble on too much, but before we start going over the team, I just want to thank everyone in advance for reading and commenting on this RMT.
Team at a Glance:
*Any changes made to team members or movesets will be bolded.
Now, a closer look
*Note: All Pokemon, unless otherwise noted, have a 0 speed IV
Bronzong (M) @Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe)
-Trick Room
-Gyro Ball
-Earthquake
-Stealth Rock
You can't have a Trick Room team without setting up Trick Room right? Bronzong fills in as the first of my three Pokemon who play this role, and for good reason. Bronzong's typing and ability allow it many useful resistances, and its steel typing also allows it to be only neutral to Dark, Bug, and Ghost attacks, something not many Trick Room setters can boast. Bronzong's defenses are no laughing matter either, as even without any investment, Bronzong can survive many super effective hits such as 2 Fire Punches from a +1 Dragonite and even a Firey Dance from the likes of Volcarona, with about 25% HP remaining. Bronzong's sturdiness and many resistances allow him to switch in and reset Trick Room throughout the match if need be.The surprise value is also great; I love it when people switch in their balloon-less Heatran to counter Bronzong, while I Trick Room on the switch and KO with earthquake the next turn. People just don't seem to expect an offensive Bronzong. His low speed is perfect in Trick Room, and with the Brave nature lowering his speed even more, Bronzong's Gyro Ball is surprisingly powerful. Stealth Rock is there to provide support for the rest of my team, and because of his defenses, Bronzong usually finds time to set them up.
Jellicent(M) @Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spe)
-Trick Room
-Scald
-Taunt
-Recover
The second of my Trick Room setters, Jellicent, makes a good choice for the job because of his bulk and resistances, including Bronzong's sole weakness to fire. Jellicent is now with a more defensive EV spread because of the need for him to break stall and reset Trick room throughout the match. Trick Room is on here for obvious reasons, and Scald is there for the STAB and burn chance. The burn chance really saves me from threats such as Scizor and other powerful physical attackers. As suggested by Eternal, Taunt is an excellent option to stop stall, which TR teams hate.It is extremely unexpected on a usually stallish pokemon like Jellicent, who is often taunt bait himself. I have caused many people to ragequit by neutering their set up sweeper with taunt and then burning them with scald. Recover is there for some added survivability, and goes a long way to making sure Jellicent can reset Trick Room if necessary. I was using Shadow Ball before though, and I liked how it let me hit opposing Reuniclus, who are a big threat to this team, for SE damage. If anyone can give me some help as to which move I should use, it would be greatly appreciated.
Jellicent also has the surprise factor to him, as most people expect him to be just the stallish version they are used to seeing, and usually end up paying for their hasty assumptions.
Reuniclus(M) @Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 196 HP/64 Def/252 SpA
Quiet Nature (+SpA, -Spe)
-Trick Room
-Psychic
-Shadow Ball
-Focus Blast
Don't let the picture fool you, Reuniclus is an absolute monster in Trick Room, and serves as my third and final Trick Room setter. With impressive bulk and a great base 125 special attack stat, its no wonder he has become pretty much a staple in Trick Room teams. Trick Room remedies Reuniclus's one bad point, its speed, and turns him into a menace not to be taken lightly. The set I chose is the standard Offensive Trick Roomer, because it works great and very efficiently in dispatching my opponents team. The only real problem that I see in this is Focus Blast's accuracy, but that's nothing that can be really fixed. The EV's even out Reuniclus's defenses, while still retaining a high 409 HP stat. Magic Guard is such an amazing ability, as it allows Reuniclus to act as a status absorber, and also lets it abuse life orb to the max. It also negates weather damage, making leftovers unnecessary and making it even easier to use life orb. STAB LO Psychic does a ton to anything that doesn't resist it, and makes things weak to it cry. Shadow Ball is mostly for opposing Reuniclus, but can also be used against walls like Jellicent. Focus Blast swiftly deals with Dark types hoping to scare Reuniclus away.
Conkeldurr(M) @Leftovers
Ability: Guts
EVs: 120 HP/252 Atk/136 SpD
Brave nature ( +Atk, -Spd)
-Bulk Up
-Mach Punch
-Drain Punch
-Payback
Conkeldurr is the first of my Trick Room sweepers, and by God is he good at it. After just one bulk up, he is able to go almost unimpeded through the opponents team. Usually I bring him in on something he scares off, like Tyranitar, and bulk up on the switch. After that, not even Skarmory can beat me, as Conkeldurr usually wins against Skarmory after a bulk up, even outside of Trick Room. Gliscor is the only thing that really walls this poke, but the other team mates can handle him. Bulk up is there because even though it technically wastes a Trick Room turn, it helps to prolong my sweep even beyond Trick Room. Drain punch is the STAB move of choice, as it helps Conkeldurr stay alive a lot longer. Mach punch is basic STAB priority, of which i have none other on this team, making it all the more important, and also helps me check Excadrill. Payback is the move I am not really sure about, and am thinking about replacing it with Stone Edge to hit fliers. I have it on there for now for when TR does run out, and Conkeldurr can utilize its full power. I really am not sure though, so if someone could help me out, that would be great.
Zapdos@Leftovers
Ability:Pressure
EV's:4 Def/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe,-Atk)
-Thunderbolt
-Heat Wave
-Roost
-Hidden Power [Ice]
Zapdos is my outside of TR Sweeper, and brings key resistances as well as bulk to the team. Zapdos's power allows him to easily take down many pokemon with his type coverage, and his bulk allows him to take a hit or two before going down. Thunderbolt is Zapdos's obligatory STAB move, combining both power and accuracy. Heat Wave is to roast those pesky steels, and is my main way of dealing with threats such as scizor and Jirachi. Hidden Power Ice completes Pseudo BoltBeam combo, and also is for dealing with Dragons and Gliscor coming in on a predicted Thunderbolt. Roost keeps my health high for when I really need Zapdos late game, and helps him not worry too much about taking some hits.
While Zapdos is a great Pokemon to have, it shares the same problem as Eelektross, which is that I feel like I depend too much on it for many things. For example, Zapdos carries the only Electric, Fire, and Ice moves on my team, and if he's down, it makes it hard to deal with the pokemon that are hit super effectively by those moves. If anyone has any suggestions on how to remedy this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
Haxorus(M)@Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs:252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpD
Adamant Nature (+Atk,-SpA)
IV's: 31/31/31/31/31/31
-Outrage
-Dual Chop
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
Trick Room teams absolutely HATE stall, and this one is no exception. To remedy this problem, I added one of the greatest wallbreakers ever(IMO), Haxorus. Haxorus's sheer power is extraordinary, being able to net OHKO's and 2HKO's on pretty much the entire metagame. Non steel walls are absolutely destroyed by Outrage, while many steel walls are 2, rarely 3HKO'ed. The other moves besides Outrage are all just filler, as I barely find myself using anything else. Just in case though, Earthquake is for grounded steels such as Jirachi and Metagross that can give even Outrage problems if they have not taken any prior damage, and rock slide completes pseudo EdgeQuake, while also providing some insurance against Volcarona. Dual Chop is there incase something uses Substitute on the switch to Haxorus, such as Dragonite or Thundurus.
On this team, Haxorus also serves as a pseudo status absorber(except burn, Conkeldurr takes that), because he is not meant to last long, just punch holes in the opposing team for the rest of my team to take advantage of, which he does exceedingly well. Because of this reason, I opted to keep the 31 speed IV on Haxorus, because I tend not to use him in TR, just to kill the pokes that are preventing it from being set up. The lack of speed EVs is to keep him from becoming too fast, for those situations when I do use him in TR.
Some things I would like opinions on:
Besides the aforementioned questions in each Pokemon's specific overview, I also would like some help in these matters:
- Adding in more entry hazard, especially toxic spikes- since TR teams are meant to sweep, more entry hazards would mean easier KO's and the wearing down of walls
- Adding in a ghost resist-I dont have one, and both Jellicent and Reuniclus are weak to Ghost type moves.
Former Members:
Eelektross(M)@Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SpA
Quiet Nature (+ SpA, -Spe)
-Thunderbolt
-Flamethrower
-Grass Knot
-U-turn/Volt Switch
Eelektross is my non Trick Room special sweeper, and it was easy to give him a spot, since he has nothing but resistances to bring to the table. Eelektross has a low base 50 speed and high base 105 SpA, making him great in Trick Room. Thunderbolt is STAB, and also really helps against things like Politoed and other bulky waters, which my team is otherwise hard pressed to handle. Flamethrower is there mostly for Scizor, Forretress, and Ferrothorn, but also helps against Ice types and Grass types who resist Eelektross's STAB. Swampert, Gastrodon, and Quagsire love to switch in on Thunderbolt, so that is why Grass Knot is there. The last move I'm having trouble deciding. Both moves are primarily used for switching out on the last turn of Trick Room to one of the setters, to get TR back up as soon as possible. U-turn, while physical, allows me to get a little more type coverage on Psychics and Darks, while Volt Switch is STAB and special, giving it a lot more power, while also being able to switch out. Which move should I choose?
I really love Eelektross on my team, but I feel like I rely on him too much for too many things.For example, Eelektross carries the only electric, fire, and grass moves on my team, and when he's down, which happens quicker than I would like due to life orb, it makes it hard to defeat pokemon like Rotom-W, Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Swampert, to name a few. If anyone has any ideas to remedy this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
So that's it for this RMT, please rate, comment and help out. If you want, take this team and test it out yourself, maybe you'll do better with it than I will. Also, please don't worry about being too harsh, I will heartily accept any constructive criticism.Finally, I'd just like to thank everyone for reading this RMT, and for all the help in advance.
A Final Look