Where the Magic Happens (Trick Room hyper offense)

A bit of history first:
After taking the step from playing pokémon on game boys and DS's since the late nineties into online competitive emulator play, I've been totally enamoured with Trick Room offense. Enamoured to the point of playing the playstyle almost exclusively. After Pokémon Showdown was introduced I've stuck to the RU tier, and I love it. It's a fantastic, fast-paced tier, with a lot of very cool 'mons, and it suits Trick Room very well.

The metagame has gone through a lot of changes since I first started playing RU Trick Room, and I've gone through a lot of different teams, and a lot of different 'mons filling the two archetypes of Trick Room teams: Trick Room Setters, and Trick Room Abusers.

This team tries to have Trick Room setters that can pack a decent punch themselves, and abusers that are bulky enough to take some hits while dishing out incredibly hard hits themselves. I've forgone any entry hazards and/or spinners because it slows down the team a lot, and in the current metagame, I find that you can get by without hazards/spinners if you're bulky enough and hit hard enough.

I've had reasonable success with this team (with some team-changes here and there). At the moment of writing this I'm sitting inside the top 20 (~1800 rating), having peaked somewhere above 1900, somewhere around the 10th spot on the Pokémon Showdown ladder.

The Setters


Banette @ Focus Sash
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 Att
IVs: 0 HP 0 Def 0 SpD 0 Spe
Nature: Brave
- Trick Room
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Claw
- Taunt

Banette is a suicide lead. It's main job is setting up Trick Room, hopefully Destiny Bond something to death, and let a sweeper come in for free after dying. Shadow Claw packs a decent punch, and can take out opposing psychic types (or at the very least deal some damage to them) if the opponent wants to set up and stall out Trick Room turns, Taunt makes sure opposing setup-'mons don't get to set up too much. Banette isn't supposed to survive for long, and being Sashed, it gets up Trick Room reliably.


Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP 252 SpA 8 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet
- Trick Room
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast

Slowking is The King of RU. Period. It's the one 'mon I find it hard to look past when making Trick Room teams. Great bulk, Regenerator, and very good coverage coming off of a very respectable Special Attack stat makes Slowking the perfect Trick Room Setter/Abuser. His job is to set up Trick Room if it's not up, killing something that's in front of it if possible, or switch out to a better suited sweeper (regaining health in the process) if TR is up and the opposing mon has a favorable matchup.

What I wonder is: Would Surf be better than Scald? I don't really find myself Scalding hoping for burns very often. Generally I'd either want to do lots of damage, or switch out. Would the added power of Surf help me net many more 1HKO's or 2HKO's?


Exeggutor @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP 4 Def 252 SpA
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet
- Trick Room
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic

Exeggutor is a 'mon I've always liked, ever since playing the first Pokémon games on a huge, ancient gameboy in the back of the car on family vacations. After playing some NU Trick Room, I really fell in love with the survivability of Harvest Exeggutor combined with it's very decent special attacking prowess. It's Defense is surprisingly good, and that goes well with Slowking's more Specially Defensive bulk. When I added in Lampent I got a Fire/Water/Grass-core of Trick Room Setters, that synergize pretty well. The greatest selling point of Exeggutor is Sleep Powder, though. I try to time it so that I can cast Sleep Powder on the last turn of Trick Room, so that I'm facing a sleeping opponent to set up the next Trick Room for free next turn.

Changes/Issues: Leaf Storm vs. Giga Drain? I've generally used Giga Drain, but recently changed it to Leaf Storm for the extra power. Giga Drain has the advantages of added survivability, and I don't get the momentum-loss of having a crippled Exeggutor after killing something with Leaf Storm. I'm not sold on Leaf Storm yet, because I feel like the opponents I want to hit with a grass move generally doesn't scare me much, so a 2HKO with Giga Drain is just as good as a 1HKO with Leaf Storm, but then again - hitting something very hard on the switch with Leaf Storm before getting out of there is good.


Lampent @ Eviolite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP 252 SpA 8 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet
- Trick Room
- Pain Split
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball

Lampent is the latest addition to the team, and is another NU-'mon I played with before. This spot on the team is the one I'm least satisfied with, and I've tried several different 'mons without being really sold on any yet (more on this in "The Pretenders"-section later).

Lampent is a decently bulky Trick Room-setter with a nice typing and decentish Special Attack. The main reason I put it in the team was to attempt to make a Fire/Water/Grass-core of Trick Room Setters, and Lampent is the only option (except Litwick, of course). It works okay, and Trick Room+Pain Split helps with it's survivability, but it has some issues that I wonder whether there are good workarounds, or if it's better off being substituted for one of "The Pretenders" or even another 'mon entirely.

Cons: Not really bulky enough. Not really strong enough. No lefties-recovery. SR-weak. Should I switch out Lampent? If yes, then to which 'mon?

The Abusers


Druddigon @ Choice Band
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP 252 Att 4 Def
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Brave
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- ThunderPunch
- Earthquake


Escavalier @ Choice Band
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP 252 Att 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Brave
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Sleep Talk

Studdigon and Sexcavalier are beefy, super-powerful Choice Banders, with plenty of resistances and huge damage dealing potential under Trick Room. There are additional options besides the moves they have, of course, but I've chosen moves to have some extra utility and coverage. Generally, these two monsters will spam Outrage and Megahorn respectively, and the other moves are for specific threats. Sleep Talk on Escavalier is the most reliable way to deal with sleep inducers if Banette is dead (and Banette tends to be very dead). Thunder/Fire Punch on Drudd are boosted by Sheer Force, and allow me to do some predictions, and be able to switch him out again without being locked into Outrage early game with steels on the field.

Should I change up anything with these sets? Would Superpower be better than ThunderPunch on Druddigon? And would it be just as well to use Rough Skin over Sheer Force in that case? Should I fit in Return/Frustration on Escavalier for those 'mons that resist both Iron Head and Megahorn?

The Game Plan

As with most offensive Trick Room teams, the idea is to keep up Trick Room as much as possible. Banette gets it up initially, and which sweeper to go to depends on the matchup. Generally, going back and forth between Slowking, Exeggutor and Lampent to whittle down opposing walls and keeping Trick Room up until a good opportunity for Druddigon or Escavalier to kill something - rinse & repeat - is the way the team functions best. Keeping pressure on the opponent with everything being capable of putting on some hurt while completely ignoring speed tiers (and thereby being able to invest 252 EVs in health on everything) is vital. Thus, the pokémon that threaten a Trick Room team tend to be a bit different to what threaten other teams.

Issues:
- Lack of priority and/or multi-hit moves makes substitute-'mons (especially SubSeeders) a real annoyance.
- If all Trick Room setters are down Druddigon and Escavalier need to have very favorable matchups to be able to clean up.
- Very bulky walls with protect and/or good recovery can be very difficult to break down, while simultaneously wasting Trick Room turns.

There are other issues too, of course, but these are the ones that are consistently tricky (pun intended) and annoying to work around.

As said - However cool and rare it is, I'm unsure whether Lampent is the best choice for it's team slot. A consistently reliable late-game setter could maybe be a better choice - or maybe there's a better 'mon around to make a bulky setter/abuser-core with Slowking and Exeggutor. Earlier I've used Cofagrigus (doesn't hit hard enough for my tastes) and Dusknoir (same problem), but they don't really feel "right". I could of course forego a fourth Trick Room Setter, but I feel that that makes the team a bit too vulnerable and unreliable. If it's the right 'mon, though, I won't say it's completely out of the question. The two 'mons I've tested the most, and are considering to maybe replace Lampent are late game Trick Room Setters.

The Pretenders


Mesprit @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP 252 SpA 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Nature: Quiet
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish

Mesprit hits hard, has enough bulk to get up a Trick Room, and (most importantly) has Healing Wish to revitalize another sweeper for a last clean-up sweep. The problem is that it doesn't really add any coverage as a sweeper, and is too frail to be a part of an interchanging Setter core. Healing Wish is awesome, but I kind of feel that it is Mesprits only real selling point. It works decently well, but I'm not sure it's a better option than Lampent, or merely a different option.


Solosis @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
LvL: 1
EVs:
IVs:
Nature:
- Trick Room
- Endeavor
- Pain Split/Toxic/Taunt/Confuse Ray
- Pain Split/Toxic/Taunt/Confuse Ray

Solosis is the left-side choice - Lategame sash with F.E.A.R.-potential. I've used it on a gimmicky team on my alt, and it is an incredibly reliable way to get up that last, vital Trick Room, or even get it up midgame against a 'mon threatening both of the other remaining setters. Unprepared (or "unexperienced" is maybe a better term) opponents will often be crippled by endeavor as well. It functions very similarly to Molk's Smeargle Trick Room lead, without Dragon Rage and Spore, unfortunately, but capable of being untouched by entry hazards, thereby allowing mid-/lategame usage.

The issue with using Solosis instead of Lampent is that it adds another suicidal 'mon to a team, and in a way making it 4 against 4-6 (depending on how successful itself and Banette is), and it is a trade of complete reliability in getting up a Trick Room against having an additional 'mon to take hits or sweep. It might work better if I replace Banette with another bulky Trick Room Setter (TrickScarf Uxie? Gallade? Maybe even ChestoRest+Recycle Defensive KlinKlang?), but I'm not really sold on giving up the reliability of a suicide lead.

Feedback!

So, what are your thoughts on these issues, and this team as a whole? I really love the Trick Room playstyle, and if you don't have any experience with it, I'd recommend it heartily. Any suggestions/critique is very welcome, and if this thread can spark some discussion around the playstyle as a whole, both in RU and other tiers - even better.

A fellow TR user! Excellent.

I'd recommend replacing Lampent with Mesprit, honestly; Lampent isn't that great. Your Escavalier should have Return instead of Sleep Talk, because Sleep Talk is highly situational. Slowking should have Flamethrower instead of Fire Blast, because hax can cost you the match. Other than that, very solid team.

FEAR Solosis is awesome, BTW.

Edit: Energy Ball or Giga Drain on Exeggutor.

Thanks for the feedback! Lampent is off again, it seems, but I'm not sure whether Mesprit really is the 'mon I want, but it's probably the best choice at the moment.

When it comes to escavalier, I rarely find myself wanting to lock myself into Return. :S I'd rather just use Iron Head or Megahorn. But, as you say, Sleep Talk is highly situational, and I've only used it a couple of times. It's a shaky sleep-counter at best, but my team really doesn't have any others. I'll probably test using Return over it instead for a bit, and see if I ever choose to use it. :) I might test a sleep-resisting 'mon in the last slot of the team at some point, though.

Flamethrower over Fire Blast on Slowking would be brilliant accuracy-wise, but seeing that I don't have any entry hazards Flamethrower has a 0% chance of OHKOing 252HP/4SpD Tangrowth, while Fire Blast has a 100% chance to OHKO (or 85%, if you want to calculate for accuracy, which is still better than 0%). I've lost games because of untimely Fire Blast misses, but I'd have lost more, I think, if I couldn't reliably kill Tangrowth with my king.

Thanks for the comments, I'll be testing the changes you've suggested. :)

Maybe this Defensive Klinklang could work as a reliable Setter/Pivot? Resistance to Dark is lovely, and it has worked on other teams. Not sure if its lack of offensive pressure works in tandem with the rest of the team, but it's a cool set that I'd like to post here anyway. :P


Klinklang @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Plus/Minus
EVs: 252 HP 252 Def 4 SpD
Nature: Bold
- Trick Room
- Rest
- Recycle
- Volt Switch

Eats sleep inducing moves, has recovery, tons of defense, and a reasonably fast (ergo slow) Volt Switch to tank a hit for an incoming sweeper at times.

Could be an alternative to Lampent/Mesprit?

Id definitely replace Lampent with Mesprit, but give it Stealth Rock. It's the best move in the game for a reason. And opponents will try to stall you out of Trick Room turns by switching continuously. Stealth Rock will help you get some crucial residual damage on pokemon and it really helps Escavalier 2hko pokemon like Rotom and Entei. Without Stealth rocks, Entei with HP Investment and Rotom would be 3hko'd with megahorn but with SR, they easily get 2hko'd.

You could test out Stealth Rock over Trick Room since you already have 3 Trick Room users, and Slowking will probably be able to set it up multiple times due to its great bulk and regenerator.

I like the idea of maybe foregoing TR-setter nr. 4 for Stealth Rocks. But then there's probably better options than Mesprit (Dark and Bug weaknesses are pretty numerous on this team). Golurk is an option?

But dropping a fourth Trick Room-user really makes me have only 2 in practice (since Banette Suicides). Maybe using another Trick Room lead in addition to a sweeper with Stealth Rocks? Or just a Trick Room Setter with Stealth Rocks for the first spot? (Uxie > Mesprit?).

I kind of like the idea of using Whimsicott as a Trick Room Setter, as it has a good typing for it, and has priority Taunt against other leads. But I guess I'll be testing some.

It seems that this team comes down to a Setter/Sweeper core of Slowking/Exeggutor/Escavalier/Druddigon which I'm perfectly happy about - and who to fill the role of Trick Room lead depends a lot of what I fill the last slot with. I'll probably test a few different combinations. :)

I've never tried a team rate, so bear with me a bit, but RU TR is da best, so I'll give it a shot~

Slowking: Use Surf. TR needs to be fast paced, as you're on a limited time frame, and Surf will be dishing out the hurt a lot more than Scald.

Exeggutor: Sitrus Berry? It's a bit gimmicky on Eggy not abusing SubSeed. If you're concerned with health, Lefties + Giga Drain will usually suffice. Personally, I'd suggest Life Orb and Leaf Storm, however. Turns Eggy into a bit of a nuke, but that's what TR teams need: play fast, hard, and slam the opponent.

Lampent: Drop it; I suggest Cofagrigus instead. The old standard Nasty Room set, in particular. It packs more of a punch after Nasty Plot, has sufficiently more bulk and isn't dependent on Eviolite, gets perfect coverage with two moves, and is slower to boot. The set:

Cofagrigus @ Leftovers
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP 252 SpA 4 SpD
IVs: 2 Spe
Nature: Quiet
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Trust me, that mon does not disappoint. If you wanna pack even more of a punch, you can slap LO on it, but really, it's better to take advantage of it's bulk with Lefties so you can set up TR multiple times and NP when you're ready to sweep~

Escavalier and Druddigon: Lookin' good ^.^

Banette: Not a bad suicide lead. Classic TR FEARgle is more reliable overall, I find, but Banette gets the jump on other Smeargle, so it's a fine tradeoff. I would recommend at least testing out FEARgle, though (Level 1 Smeargle with TR, Spore, Endeavor, and Dragon Rage). Basically, you TR, then Spore your opponent and Endeavor the switch-in. Good for crippling 2 pokes quickly and getting TR up.

If you do use Smeargle, drop Eggy (Smeargle has Spore, and Eggy's main niche on TR is power + Sleep Powder, the latter of which becomes useless). That Mesprit set is a good replacement. TR + Healing Wish is exactly what you need to bring back that Cofag or Esca for a second round to clean up the opponent's team. Just save Mesprit for the end~

Hope that helps ^.^

Jellicent! Your article on RU Trick Room was an inspiration!
Eggy is a surprisingly durable 'mon, and Harvest+Sitrus Berry gives A LOT more HP recovery than lefties. On my team it has shares a pivot role with Slowking, and the extra survivability is brilliant. Having Sleep Powder and Trick Room on the same 'mon is one of the most reliable way of ensuring a free chance of setting up a new Trick Room when one expires. I have switched Leaf Storm for Giga Drain as well, as the SpA-drops are so annoying.

Surf is on for Scald. :)

I've used Cofagrigus and Smeargle before (Cofag in Eggy's "role" and Smeargle for Banette), and they are nice 'mons, but I just wanted to use some other types this time around. I might go back to both eventually - especially Cofag, but I'd rather be trying some 'mons I haven't used much yet at the moment. Cofag's back in if I'm going to be doing tournaments or something similar, though.

At the moment I've scrapped the suicide lead, as it doesn't work particularily well against very good opponents. Suicide midgame with Solosis is pretty good, though (and it's what I use in Lampent's slot right now), and a max Def Whimsicott with priority Taunt and a "Slow U-Turn" as the lead Setter instead of Banette.

I think I agree with you about Smeargle and Cofag probably being the best 'mons available for my team, but I'll wait a bit before "resorting" to them, I think. Thanks a lot for the rate!