Overview
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Unfortunately for Reuniclus, the metagame is very unkind to it. Pokemon such as Aegislash, Bisharp, Mandibuzz, Tyranitar, and Unaware Clefable are everywhere and stop it from being nearly as effective as it once was. However, Reuniclus still has its uses; with Trick Room, it can function as a unique and fearsome special attacker that can turn the high Speed of frail offensive teams against them. Its great Special Attack stat and decent coverage also make it quite difficult to switch into. However, being checked or countered by a slew of common Pokemon is never a good thing, especially for a Pokemon that is as monumentally slow as Reuniclus. Overall, while Reuniclus is not the greatest Pokemon, it can still be incredibly dangerous against certain teams.
Trick Room
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name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
Moves
========
Trick Room turns Reuniclus's non-existent Speed into an advantage, allowing it to move before almost every other Pokemon in the game. Psychic is Reuniclus's main STAB option; it is usually preferred over Psyshock because it harder, especially physically defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Gliscor. However, Psyshock still can be used as it helps Reuniclus beat special walls such as Chansey. Focus Blast gets good coverage with Reuniclus's STAB move and is its strongest secondary attacking move. Shadow Ball is primarily for hitting other Psychic-types and Aegislash, for super effective damage, which would otherwise resist all of Reuniclus's moves. However, Hidden Power Fire is an option that can be used over Shadow Ball to OHKO Scizor, which is especially useful as Reuniclus outspeeds it if Trick Room is up and takes heavy damage from its STAB U-turn or Knock Off otherwise. It also maintains coverage on Aegislash, though it is weaker than Shadow Ball.
Set Details
========
The given EVs maximize Reuniclus's bulk and Special Attack, as this set aims to hit as hard as possible. 0 Speed IVs make Reuniclus as fast as possible under Trick Room. Life Orb is the preferred item on this set as the 30% power boost it gives Reuniclus is much more useful than the passive healing of Leftovers. Reuniclus makes a good user of Life Orb as it takes no recoil thanks to Magic Guard.
Usage Tips
========
This set should generally be used mid-game to punch holes in the opponent's team. This set is good against offensive teams because it turns their Speed against them and forces them to take Reuniclus's powerful special attacks. Reuniclus is already hard to switch into, so it becomes even more difficult to deal with when it nearly always moves first.
Before using Trick Room, be sure Reuniclus will be able to survive for most of its duration if you do not have other slow Pokemon to take advantage of it. Do not use Trick Room at times when the rest of your team would be at a disadvantage in it, as giving your opponent the ability to outspeed most of your team can often result in a loss.
Reuniclus can be used as an emergency check to powerful physical attackers such as Conkeldurr or Excadrill, but this often leaves it heavily damaged and using it in this way can prevent it from being effective later in the game.
Team Options
========
While entire teams based around Trick Room are a bit gimmicky, other slow, powerful Pokemon can take advantage of any Trick Room turns that might remain after Reuniclus has been knocked out. Conkeldurr in particular is a great partner as easily deals with Tyranitar and Bisharp and has the coverage to beat some of Reuniclus's other checks under Trick Room, such as Aegislash. While this set is not all that reliant on having its counters removed to be effective, Pokemon that beat its counters are still appreciated. Bisharp and Heatran are good answers to Aegislash, and Heatran also deals with Scizor. Landorus-T is a good partner as it can check Aegislash and Tyranitar, two Pokemon that can greatly trouble Reuniclus.
Other Options
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Reuniclus has a few other options, but most of them are outclassed by other—usually faster—Pokemon. Reuniclus can still run a Calm Mind set, but it has huge trouble sweeping offensive teams thanks to the prevalence of Aegislash, Bisharp, and Unaware Clefable. Thunder can be used to get past Mandibuzz, but it has little use otherwise. A three attacks + Recover set can be used, but Reuniclus would sorely miss Trick Room. A set with Trick + Flame Orb can be used, as Magic Guard stops burn damage, to protect Reuniclus from sleep and potentially cripple switch-ins such as Scizor, Aegislash, and Tyranitar. In return, Reuniclus could receive an item such as a Choice Band that could be used to cripple another Pokemon. However, this is fairly prediction-reliant, and Reuniclus would rather use the moveslot and item slot on more useful and consistent options.
Checks & Counters
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**Aegislash**: Aegislash is one of the most common Pokemon in the metagame. It resists Psychic and Psyshock and is immune to Focus Blast. It hits Reuniclus very hard with its STAB Shadow Ball and it can set up Substitutes on it. It must watch out for Reuniclus's own Shadow Ball, although it has enough bulk in Shield Forme to shrug it off if need be.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types tend to make great checks to Reuniclus. Bisharp can't switch into a Focus Blast, but it can OHKO Reuniclus with either Sucker Punch or Knock Off. Tyranitar can trap Reuniclus with its powerful STAB Pursuit, but it is outsped and OHKOed by Focus Blast under Trick Room. Mandibuzz is only hit neutrally by Focus Blast and can stall out Reuniclus with Roost. Sableye is immune to Reuniclus's main attacking options and can hit it decently hard with Foul Play. It can also prevent Reuniclus from setting up Trick Room with its Prankster Taunt.
**Scizor**: Scizor greatly threatens Reuniclus with its powerful STAB U-turn. However, if Trick Room is up, it is outsped and OHKOed by Reuniclus if the latter has Hidden Power Fire.
**Special Walls**: Specially bulky Pokemon can work as situational checks to Reuniclus. Chansey in particular handles Reuniclus quite nicely, but if Reuniclus is running Psyshock, it can threaten Chansey. Similarly, Deoxys-D can wall Reuniclus with ease if it lacks Shadow Ball and set hazards up on it.
**Volcarona**: Volcarona can hit Reuniclus hard with its STAB Bug Buzz and threaten to set up on it. However, it does not take Psyshock very well.
**Trick**: Reuniclus is crippled if it gets Tricked a Choice item from the likes of Choice Scarf Rotom-W, especially since its main attacking moves have common immunities and it is far too slow to benefit from having a Choice Scarf.
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Unfortunately for Reuniclus, the metagame is very unkind to it. Pokemon such as Aegislash, Bisharp, Mandibuzz, Tyranitar, and Unaware Clefable are everywhere and stop it from being nearly as effective as it once was. However, Reuniclus still has its uses; with Trick Room, it can function as a unique and fearsome special attacker that can turn the high Speed of frail offensive teams against them. Its great Special Attack stat and decent coverage also make it quite difficult to switch into. However, being checked or countered by a slew of common Pokemon is never a good thing, especially for a Pokemon that is as monumentally slow as Reuniclus. Overall, while Reuniclus is not the greatest Pokemon, it can still be incredibly dangerous against certain teams.
Trick Room
########
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Quiet
Moves
========
Trick Room turns Reuniclus's non-existent Speed into an advantage, allowing it to move before almost every other Pokemon in the game. Psychic is Reuniclus's main STAB option; it is usually preferred over Psyshock because it harder, especially physically defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Gliscor. However, Psyshock still can be used as it helps Reuniclus beat special walls such as Chansey. Focus Blast gets good coverage with Reuniclus's STAB move and is its strongest secondary attacking move. Shadow Ball is primarily for hitting other Psychic-types and Aegislash, for super effective damage, which would otherwise resist all of Reuniclus's moves. However, Hidden Power Fire is an option that can be used over Shadow Ball to OHKO Scizor, which is especially useful as Reuniclus outspeeds it if Trick Room is up and takes heavy damage from its STAB U-turn or Knock Off otherwise. It also maintains coverage on Aegislash, though it is weaker than Shadow Ball.
Set Details
========
The given EVs maximize Reuniclus's bulk and Special Attack, as this set aims to hit as hard as possible. 0 Speed IVs make Reuniclus as fast as possible under Trick Room. Life Orb is the preferred item on this set as the 30% power boost it gives Reuniclus is much more useful than the passive healing of Leftovers. Reuniclus makes a good user of Life Orb as it takes no recoil thanks to Magic Guard.
Usage Tips
========
This set should generally be used mid-game to punch holes in the opponent's team. This set is good against offensive teams because it turns their Speed against them and forces them to take Reuniclus's powerful special attacks. Reuniclus is already hard to switch into, so it becomes even more difficult to deal with when it nearly always moves first.
Before using Trick Room, be sure Reuniclus will be able to survive for most of its duration if you do not have other slow Pokemon to take advantage of it. Do not use Trick Room at times when the rest of your team would be at a disadvantage in it, as giving your opponent the ability to outspeed most of your team can often result in a loss.
Reuniclus can be used as an emergency check to powerful physical attackers such as Conkeldurr or Excadrill, but this often leaves it heavily damaged and using it in this way can prevent it from being effective later in the game.
Team Options
========
While entire teams based around Trick Room are a bit gimmicky, other slow, powerful Pokemon can take advantage of any Trick Room turns that might remain after Reuniclus has been knocked out. Conkeldurr in particular is a great partner as easily deals with Tyranitar and Bisharp and has the coverage to beat some of Reuniclus's other checks under Trick Room, such as Aegislash. While this set is not all that reliant on having its counters removed to be effective, Pokemon that beat its counters are still appreciated. Bisharp and Heatran are good answers to Aegislash, and Heatran also deals with Scizor. Landorus-T is a good partner as it can check Aegislash and Tyranitar, two Pokemon that can greatly trouble Reuniclus.
Other Options
########
Reuniclus has a few other options, but most of them are outclassed by other—usually faster—Pokemon. Reuniclus can still run a Calm Mind set, but it has huge trouble sweeping offensive teams thanks to the prevalence of Aegislash, Bisharp, and Unaware Clefable. Thunder can be used to get past Mandibuzz, but it has little use otherwise. A three attacks + Recover set can be used, but Reuniclus would sorely miss Trick Room. A set with Trick + Flame Orb can be used, as Magic Guard stops burn damage, to protect Reuniclus from sleep and potentially cripple switch-ins such as Scizor, Aegislash, and Tyranitar. In return, Reuniclus could receive an item such as a Choice Band that could be used to cripple another Pokemon. However, this is fairly prediction-reliant, and Reuniclus would rather use the moveslot and item slot on more useful and consistent options.
Checks & Counters
########
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is one of the most common Pokemon in the metagame. It resists Psychic and Psyshock and is immune to Focus Blast. It hits Reuniclus very hard with its STAB Shadow Ball and it can set up Substitutes on it. It must watch out for Reuniclus's own Shadow Ball, although it has enough bulk in Shield Forme to shrug it off if need be.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types tend to make great checks to Reuniclus. Bisharp can't switch into a Focus Blast, but it can OHKO Reuniclus with either Sucker Punch or Knock Off. Tyranitar can trap Reuniclus with its powerful STAB Pursuit, but it is outsped and OHKOed by Focus Blast under Trick Room. Mandibuzz is only hit neutrally by Focus Blast and can stall out Reuniclus with Roost. Sableye is immune to Reuniclus's main attacking options and can hit it decently hard with Foul Play. It can also prevent Reuniclus from setting up Trick Room with its Prankster Taunt.
**Scizor**: Scizor greatly threatens Reuniclus with its powerful STAB U-turn. However, if Trick Room is up, it is outsped and OHKOed by Reuniclus if the latter has Hidden Power Fire.
**Special Walls**: Specially bulky Pokemon can work as situational checks to Reuniclus. Chansey in particular handles Reuniclus quite nicely, but if Reuniclus is running Psyshock, it can threaten Chansey. Similarly, Deoxys-D can wall Reuniclus with ease if it lacks Shadow Ball and set hazards up on it.
**Volcarona**: Volcarona can hit Reuniclus hard with its STAB Bug Buzz and threaten to set up on it. However, it does not take Psyshock very well.
**Trick**: Reuniclus is crippled if it gets Tricked a Choice item from the likes of Choice Scarf Rotom-W, especially since its main attacking moves have common immunities and it is far too slow to benefit from having a Choice Scarf.
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