Slow and Steady (UU Trick Room)

Hey guys, this is my first shot at making an RMT and I hope you all have something to say about my team. My favourite Pokemon have always ended up being in the lower tiers mostly because I always seem to fall in love with pokes that have absolutely abysmal speed stats. As such, I decided to run a TR team, and here it is...




Xatu.png


Xatu @ Light Clay
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Impish Nature
- Trick Room
- Featherdance
- Light Screen
- Reflect

Xatu found his way onto this team after I originally created it with a Bronzong in this slot. After using that for a while I found that I was having difficulty dealing with hazards and status moves (mostly Will O' Wisp for my physical sweepers) and so I subbed in a Xatu for his magic bounce ability. Most of the hazard/status users in UU are pretty obvious so it's usually pretty easy to bait one out and kick it back at them with a switch to this guy. Switch him in, bounce a move, screens, TR, switch. He isn't perfect, I'm always thinking about subbing out the featherdance for night shade or some other attack so he can actually deal damage if necessary, and he isn't as good of a physical wall as Bronzong was, but I've learned to deal with his weaknesses for the most part and I think the team is better since I added him.


Whackin' it.png


Marowak @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 52 HP/252 Atk/204 Def
IVs: 0 Spd
Brave Nature
- Bonemerang
- Double Edge
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch

This guy is probably my all time favourite, and he's a monster under TR. His horrible speed makes it so only a handful of pokes have the ability to outspeed him when TR is up; and with the Thick Club giving him a free Swords Dance, he can drop some of the Tier's best walls in 1-2 turns. I took Bonemerang over EQ mostly because what's the point in running Marowak if you don't use his signature move? It also has the added bonuses of killing through Substitute and Focus Sash/Sturdy and 2 chances to score a crit. Double edge is a reliable hard hitting neutral move for when you don't have anything better or aren't sure what they'll switch to. I opted for Rock Slide over Thunder Punch because Bonemerang hits the water types just as hard due to STAB (harder in cases like Swampert or Lanturn) and Thunder Punch isn't super effective against Zapdos, the flying type that worries me the most. Fire Punch is just there for more coverage.


Escavalier.png


Escavalier @ Choice Band
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SpDef
IVs: 0 Spd
Brave Nature
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Return

Escavalier is just about the slowest fully evolved Pokemon I know of, with a base Spd of 20. Coupled with his massive 135 base Atk stat, he is begging to be put on a TR team. On this team he has one job. Punch huge, gaping holes in the enemy team; and he is good at it. If you don't resist his Megahorn you will almost certainly be OHKOd, and the few exceptions to that usually get knocked to around 30-40% health remaining. And after Swarm is activated, you don't survive without resisting it (Or having a sash or Sturdy but you get the point).The other moves are really just there for coverage. Iron Head if you think they'll switch into a fighting or flying type, Pursuit is useful for chasing out Specs Chandelure after tanking a Shadow Ball, or Ambipom after taking his opening Fake Out. I don't really use Return very often. I suppose it could be used to hit fire type switches but I'm open to suggestions for changing it.


Octillery.png


Octillery @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sniper
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 SpAtk/ 4 SpDef
IVs: 0 Spd
Quiet Nature
- Surf
- Water Spout
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball

Rocking the same Spd as Marowak, a great movepool, and decent attacking stats, how could I not include him? Octillery functions as my main special sweeper, using his insanely powerful Water Spout to OHKO just about anyone who doesn't resist it (and even some who do). When he's at full HP, it drops even the likes of Snorlax and Umbreon to below 50% health. Surf seems a little redundant but it becomes more powerful than Spout after Octillery takes a hit or two. Ice Beam for those pesky grass and flying types, and Energy Ball for the other waters, especially Swampert. He could definitely be improved upon, I'm not convinced I'm taking full advantage of his movepool, and he could be pulled out altogether and replaced with someone a little tougher. He has saved the team on more than a few occasions, though, so I haven't dismissed him just yet.

Slowking.png


Slowking @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP/4 SpAtk/252 SpDef
IVs: 0 Spd
Relaxed Nature
- Trick Room
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Nasty Plot

Slowking serves 3 purposes on this team. He is my special wall, my other TR setter, and my secondary special sweeper. Being much bulkier than Xatu gives him opportunities to set up TR more safely, as well as giving him the chance to get a a Nasty Plot and sweep in his own TR, making him the only sweeper on the team who can enjoy the full 4 turns of TR unless he or Xatu dies of a status effect immediately after setting TR. With full EVs in HP and SpDef he is capable of surviving even a Specs Shadow Ball from Chandelure and then either killing it with a Scald or switching out to heal. Psyshock is there to take out the special walls or water types who come in to counter him after a Nasty Plot. I really like having him around and I really don't think I'm open to swapping him out for anyone else.

and last but not least...

XXX.png


Arcanine @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Crunch
- Extremespeed
- Morning Sun

Arcanine on a TR team? I thought it was important to have someone who could function without TR in the event that both my setters got knocked out. Arcanine's main function on this team is working in conjunction with Escavalier to bait out fire type moves and strike back with a boosted Flare Blitz. I used to run Wild Charge as well but replaced it with Crunch because having the two recoil moves seemed a but dangerous, plus he gets a lot of boosts from Chandelure and Crunch is usually an OHKO there where Wild Charge is not. ESpeed is a great tool to have on any team for revenge kills, but I have found it particularly useful in UU for stopping things like Honchkrow from running around Sucker Punching my entire team to death.​
 
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Hey, nice team you have here. Props to you for Marowak. Anyways, I have a few suggestions: First, I've been looking for a replacement on Escavalier's Return. However, its shallow movepool and lack of the ability to hit fire-types makes Return your best shot. On Octillery, you could run Fire Blast > Ice Beam since it covers steel-types and grass, and water has neutral damage on flying (STAB Water Spout would probably do more). Of course, Ice Beam does hit Flygon harder than ever, but Fire Blast lets you get Shaymin, Roserade, Bronzong, and others harder. So basically, it all depends on what you're having problems against. The choice is situational.

On Marowak, Stone Edge sacrifices some accuracy for a high critical hit ratio and ability to hit Pokemon harder. With Stone Edge, you can OHKO Paraflinch Togekiss after Stealth Rock damage (which you'd have to reflect back with Magic Bounce). It also guarantees a KO On Zapdos,
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 396-466 (122.98 - 144.72%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Although Rock Slide hits almost as much.
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 296-350 (91.92 - 108.69%) -- 56.25% chance to OHKO

In other words, it's up to you. You can opt for the attack with lower accuracy but higher power, or stick with the lower BP move with better accuracy. Either way, Marowak is a monster under Trick Room.
 
Hey, nice team you have here. Props to you for Marowak. Anyways, I have a few suggestions: First, I've been looking for a replacement on Escavalier's Return. However, its shallow movepool and lack of the ability to hit fire-types makes Return your best shot. On Octillery, you could run Fire Blast > Ice Beam since it covers steel-types and grass, and water has neutral damage on flying (STAB Water Spout would probably do more). Of course, Ice Beam does hit Flygon harder
than ever, but Fire Blast lets you get Shaymin, Roserade, Bronzong, and others harder. So basically, it all depends on what you're having problems against. The choice is situational.

On Marowak, Stone Edge sacrifices some accuracy for a high critical hit ratio and ability to hit Pokemon harder. With Stone Edge, you can OHKO Paraflinch Togekiss after Stealth Rock damage (which you'd have to reflect back with Magic Bounce). It also guarantees a KO On Zapdos,
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 396-466 (122.98 144.72%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Although Rock Slide hits almost as much.
252+ Atk Thick Club Marowak Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zapdos: 296-350 (91.92 - 108.69%) -- 56.25% chance to OHKO

In other words, it's up to you. You can opt for the attack with lower accuracy but higher power, or stick with the lower BP move with better accuracy. Either way, Marowak is a monster under Trick Room.
Thanks for the reply, it's nice to have a bit of feedback.
Thanks especially for the tips on Octillery. I've always thought about bringing in either Fire Blast or Flamethrower but the set seemed to be working well enough so I never messed with it. I'll be sure to put that and the Stone Edge tip through a bit of testing.
 
Hey, cool looking Trick Room team you have here. I'm glad that this playstyle is starting to come back into UU more prominently because it definitely allows you to be a lot more creative and it lets you think outside of the box. I'm a pretty experienced user of Trick Room myself, and I look forward to seeing if the advice I have for you will make this team better.

In my opinion, Trick Room teams perform their best when they are as focused as possible. Right now this team has 3 Pokemon that can pretty much only function when Trick Room is up, yet you only have 2 setters of the move. For a "Trick Room Team" that's just not enough. It's extremely crucial that Trick Room be up for this team to succeed, and I would say you need at least one TR setter for every TR abuser that can't set it up themselves. To put it simply, that means that a Trick Room team, at least in my opinion, must have a minimum of three TR setters and a maximum of three TR abusers (that can't learn the move.) With this rule of thumb in mind, I have one simple change for this team that will make it a heck of a lot better.

Trick Room Victini > Arcanine

Victini @ Life Orb
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 HP or Sp. Atk/252 Atk/4 Sp. Atk or HP
IVs: 0 Spd
Brave Nature
- Trick Room
- V-Create
- Bolt Strike/Fusion Bolt
- Grass Knot

This set is basically designed to allow Victini the ability to sweep with the extremely powerful V-Create, which lowers your speed after each use. Victini may have a pretty fast base 100 speed, but after one V-Create very few can outrun the little guy when the dimensions are twisted. This is a great set because it requires no set up after Trick Room has been activated, yet it can still hit incredibly hard, and it also has decent enough bulk and speed to work outside of TR too if the situation calls for it. The optional EVs are in favor of Grass Knot. Fully invested Grass Knot can OHKO Rhyperior, but uninvested Grass Knot can't. You'll always be able to get around Swampert though I believe.

I'd say Octillery has pretty good coverage right now. He does have some additional options such as Flamethrower that you could mess around with, however.

With your Slowking, I'd recommend doing at least two things. Either keep the EV spread you have and add Slack Off, or change the EV spread to 252 HP, 252 Sp, Atk and leave the moves alone. The former option allows Slowking to survive a lot longer so it can pivot in and set up Trick Room, and the latter allows you to get the most out of your Nasty Plot boosts. Right now your Slowking is kind of a mix of both defensive and offensive presence, and to be honest, it kind of makes it the worst of both worlds. With all sets, including Trick Room sets, it's best to either go one way or the other.


That's it from me! Good luck.
 
Hey, cool looking Trick Room team you have here. I'm glad that this playstyle is starting to come back into UU more prominently because it definitely allows you to be a lot more creative and it lets you think outside of the box. I'm a pretty experienced user of Trick Room myself, and I look forward to seeing if the advice I have for you will make this team better.

In my opinion, Trick Room teams perform their best when they are as focused as possible. Right now this team has 3 Pokemon that can pretty much only function when Trick Room is up, yet you only have 2 setters of the move. For a "Trick Room Team" that's just not enough. It's extremely crucial that Trick Room be up for this team to succeed, and I would say you need at least one TR setter for every TR abuser that can't set it up themselves. To put it simply, that means that a Trick Room team, at least in my opinion, must have a minimum of three TR setters and a maximum of three TR abusers (that can't learn the move.) With this rule of thumb in mind, I have one simple change for this team that will make it a heck of a lot better.

Trick Room Victini > Arcanine

Victini @ Life Orb
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 HP or Sp. Atk/252 Atk/4 Sp. Atk or HP
IVs: 0 Spd
Brave Nature
- Trick Room
- V-Create
- Bolt Strike/Fusion Bolt
- Grass Knot

This set is basically designed to allow Victini the ability to sweep with the extremely powerful V-Create, which lowers your speed after each use. Victini may have a pretty fast base 100 speed, but after one V-Create very few can outrun the little guy when the dimensions are twisted. This is a great set because it requires no set up after Trick Room has been activated, yet it can still hit incredibly hard, and it also has decent enough bulk and speed to work outside of TR too if the situation calls for it. The optional EVs are in favor of Grass Knot. Fully invested Grass Knot can OHKO Rhyperior, but uninvested Grass Knot can't. You'll always be able to get around Swampert though I believe.

I'd say Octillery has pretty good coverage right now. He does have some additional options such as Flamethrower that you could mess around with, however.

With your Slowking, I'd recommend doing at least two things. Either keep the EV spread you have and add Slack Off, or change the EV spread to 252 HP, 252 Sp, Atk and leave the moves alone. The former option allows Slowking to survive a lot longer so it can pivot in and set up Trick Room, and the latter allows you to get the most out of your Nasty Plot boosts. Right now your Slowking is kind of a mix of both defensive and offensive presence, and to be honest, it kind of makes it the worst of both worlds. With all sets, including Trick Room sets, it's best to either go one way or the other.


That's it from me! Good luck.
Thanks for the reply and tips. The Victini thing especially sounds like it'll help a lot. I crammed Arcanine in there because like I said above I thought it was necessary to have someone who could fight without TR just in case. But if I have a third setter, that becomes less true; so thanks for that.

With regard to Slowking, I agree that he is a mediocre mix of attack and defense right now but I'm not sure about Slack Off. I'll sub it in for testing at some point but first I'm planning to put Dragon Tail or Yawn in his fourth slot to see how he works as a phaser. I might get around to trialing the Full Sp Atk, but I think I enjoy his tankiness too much to let it go.

I already gave Octillery Fire Blast > Ice Beam on the first guy's advice and it's made me feel more confident in using Octillery. One more change I'm thinking about for him is to give him an Expert Belt > Choice Band and get rid of Water Spout for Psychic to try for maximum coverage. I do love me some Water Spout, though, so I probably won't go for that.
 

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