Tricky-Tricky: a UU Trick Room Team

Trick Room is by far my favorite strategy; as it has been my first competitive team back in 4th gen. Now, near the end of 5th gen, I've been trying to get it working in all tiers, just for the heck of it. While some tiers have been a bit difficult to work with (OU, specifically), this UU team seems to be one of the most successful Trick Room teams I have built

I was hoping to see if you guys can help me edit it, as this team literately went straight from Paper-to-Practice, with no edits other then a few IV and Move changes, and I'm sure there is something that I can improve. However, I've been playing with it for quite some time, and I'm struggling to find things that I can replace.

Without further ado, here is the team.
First Look at The Team


The Setters

Jingle (Bronzong) w/

Ability: Levitate
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Sp. Def
IVs: Speed 0
Relaxed (+Def, -Speed)
~Earthquake
~Toxic
~Stealth Rock
~Trick Room

The Good: Nearly every Trick Room team I've had in UU has Bronzong, and for good reason. The guy can keep coming in to set Stealth Rock, Trick Room, and Toxic things. He can easily check a lot of threatening things to the team, such as Heracross and Bisharp. The decision between Earthquake, Toxic, and Gyro Ball is a tough one, but since Frosslass left UU, Gyro Ball has been of little use to me. His virtual immunity to hazards is also a plus for this spin-less team.

The Bad: Bronzong really doesn't have many bad traits, but there are a few. The obvious lack of healing prevents him from lasting as long as I'd hope. He's also set up fodder to most things that set hazards, which is a big threat to this team.


G!:tChy (Porygon2) w/

Ability: Trace
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp. Def
IVs: Speed 0, Attack 0
Quiet (+Sp. Atk, -Speed)
~Tri-Attack
~Thunderbolt
~Recover
~Trick Room

The Good: Porygon2 here is my only offensive setter, and even then, I tend not to use him that way. More often than not, G!:tChy is used as my specially defensive setter, setting trick room in the face of Suicune, Zapdos, and Chandelure. He has enough bulk to take physical hits, but considering I have Slowbro and Bronzong, I need him fresh for the special hits.

The Bad: It's a ridiculously hazard weak Pokémon in a spin-less team. If multiple layers of hazards are up, the team is seriously threatened by special attackers. He also allows some free swaps in from threats like Scrafty, and many of the pokemon he's meant to take hits from have ways around him (Chandy has trick, Roserade has sleep, etc.)


Slugger (Slowbro) w/

Ability: Regenerator
EV Spread: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Sp. Atk
IVs: Speed 0, Attack 0
Relaxed (+Def, -Speed)
~Scald
~Psyshock
~Slack Off
~Trick Room

The Good: Slowbro is basically the one setting Trick Room all the time. With Regenerator, I don't have to worry about healing like Porygon2 does (while he can, unlike Bronzong), and I can go straight to my sweepers, both of which resist common weaknesses of his (dark, grass, and bug), while Porygon2 is usually a decent switch in on his other 2 weaknesses (ghost and electric). Scald spamming is always nice for those burns too.

The Bad: Slowbro, while is nice to check a lot of the metagame, is pretty much helpless against a whole lot of the metagame as well. A lot of calm mind boosters or nasty plot boosters get essentially a free boost if they ever come into slowbro without Trick Room.

The Sweepers

Flare (Chandelure) w/

Ability: Flash Fire
EV Spread: 248 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 8 Sp. Def
IVs: Attack 3, Defense 30, Special Attack 30, Special Defense 30, Speed 6
Quiet (+Sp. Attack, - Speed)
~Fire Blast
~Shadow Ball
~Hidden Power (Fighting)
~Trick

The Good: Chandelure is my simultaneous Plan A and Fail-safe. If all goes well, Chandelure can have 3 turns of spamming specs-boosted Fire Blasts that can OHKO or 2KO a whole lot of things. However, if there is something threatening the team is struggling to beat, I can always trick it a choice specs. This is why the speed is at 6 IVs, it allows me to outspeed Bulk-Up Scrafty OUTSIDE of Trick Room, a trick it a specs before it becomes too threatening. His large amounts of immunities and resistances let him come in to a lot of things the setters are weak to (fire from Bronzong, Fighting from Porygon2, Bug and Grass from Slowbro)

The Bad: Chandy is an extremely hazard weak pokemon, so much so that he rarely comes out more then 3 times a game, mostly only coming out twice. This, coupled with the lock in effect of specs, makes Chandy a very much "Make-or-break" point in the game. A mis-call can often leave me a significant disadvantage.


Norris (Machamp) w/

Ability: Guts
EV Spread: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Sp. Def
IVs: Speed 0
Brave (+Attack, -Speed)
~Close Combat
~Ice Punch
~Toxic
~Sleep Talk
The Good: Machamp is my reliable sweeper. With good neutral coverage, and not being stopped by an form of status (except freeze), he often pulls the early punches in the game. Sleep Talk is mainly because I don't have a sleep absorber, and let's be honest, I'm still not getting past slowbro with Thunderpunch. Machamp is my only Dark resistance on the team, making him actually a very important member, due to the large amounts of dark weaknesses. Guts is an awesome ability, as a common way to deal with Machamp on defensive teams is with Burn, while against offensive teams, the power boost is unnecessary.

The Bad: Machamp has few resistances to swap into, and is often times taking around 40% when switching in. Leftovers helps this a little, but its still a problem. Machamp is also easily walled by a lot of things. Qwuilfish and Weezing are particularly threatening, as they are immune to toxic (although, Will-o-wisp from Weezing either gets my boost or Chandy a free swap).

The Lone Wolf

Stardust (Flygon) w/

Ability: Levitate
EV Spread: 252 Atk / 252 Speed / 4 Sp. Def
Jolly (+Speed, - Sp. Atk)
~Outrage
~Earthquake
~Stone Edge
~U-turn

The Good: I used to scoff at the idea of a revenge killer on Trick Room teams. I mean, what's the point, right? The point is to not get DESTROYED by boosters. Flygon is my second fail-safe, either killing or scaring things out that would otherwise have swept my team (usually because my setters are too weak to set trick room). He is an effective lead if I think Bronzong would be a poor one, due to U-turn, and has a virtual immunity to hazards like Bronzong

The Bad: Flygon's not powerful unless I'm using outrage, and more often then not, there is a faster scarf user or a steel type on the opponent's team that makes outrage a terrible choice. Still, other then that, not much is bad for flygon.

Threats

The following pokemon are things that I always have to look out for on an opponent's team, as they range from capable of annihilating everything, to being a pest that prevents me from setting up trick room.

OH SH*T level threats

Sub-calm mind Raikou is the bane of my existence. It's able to freely set up in front of Porygon2 and Slowbro (assuming scald doesn't burn), and is basically immune to both of my fail-safes. I have to play incredibly smart in order to prevent it from sweeping my team. Other forms of Raikou are still threating, but they are at least all scared of Flygon


Bulk-Up Scrafty, particularly with Shed Skin, is capable of beating all of my setters in a 1-v-1 scenario. While I've taken the precaution of a quick-trick with Chandelure, I still have to have Machamp take a huge hit from some boosted Crunch, or attempt to stall it with Porygon2. Dragon Dance Scrafty can be a problem, but it generally goes down without getting a kill.


Crocune is a tough cookie to face for this team, primarily because my only water resistance is Slowbro. Again, the only real way of me beating this thing is either trick it the specs, or kill it before it gains enough boosts. Here's to hoping it gets water absorb soon, so Porygon2 is immune to it! Other forms of Suicune generally aren't a big problem, however.

Dangerous level threats

Abomasnow itself isn't too big of a problem, it's just that the team is already pretty residual damage weak as it, and hail straight up prevents Bronzong and Machamp from healing in anyway, which forces me to play heavy offense.


Honchkrow with Heat Wave can pretty much OHKO the majority of my team with some prior damage, and it's Sucker Punch prevents Flygon from going for a revenge kill. The most common answer to it is bluffing a scarf with Chandy, and tricking it a specs. Slowbro can set trick room as it sucker punches as well.


Nidoking is more then capable of doing massive damage to all of my setters, particularly if it has focus blast. If Nidoking is on the field, I have to essentially fight without Trick Room for a while, and swap around till I can safely get Flygon in on a Earth Power, Sludge Wave, or Fire Blast, as Flygon can always revenge kill. If I'm desperate, Slowbro and Porygon2 can usually take a hit to set trick room or hit it hard with one of it's moves.


I really lack an answer to Zapdos, with really only Porygon2 being able to swap into it. Flygon can always try and go for a revenge kill, but it sometimes lacks the power to. However, with Stealth Rock, Life Orb, and eventual turns of using Roost, I can usually work around it.


Kingdra is threatening because I have no clue what it does most the time. It's specs set is particularly threatening, because the 2 resistances I have to it's stabs are physically defensive. Chesto-Rest is also scary because of how often I simply toxic it to deal with it. Still, it's not that bulky, and while it may get a kill, I can usually get Trick Room up in time to deal with it.


Roserade can be incredibly scary, primarily due to spikes and sleep. The things that are capable of tanking it's moves easily (Bronzong and Porygon2), are set up fodder to it setting spikes. It would pretty much be the sole reason to use Gyro Ball on Bronzong, and I'm considering it! (Although, Bisharp then becomes a large threat) As a result, I usually am forced to play offensively when Roserade is around. Usually with Flygon or a Sleeping Machamp.

Annoying level threats


Trick Room Cofagrigus can be a threat if it sets up, because it's slower then a lot of my members. However, due to the over abundance of Toxic thrown in on the team (particularly Machamp, which they'll often swap into), Porygon2 can usually stall it out.


When I first tried UU Trick Room, I worried so much about Sableye. And then I realized how difficult it would be to swap into most of my pokemon. Slowbro can burn with Scald, Bronzong has Toxic, and both of my sweepers are more then capable of beating it in a 1-v-1 scenario. Still, it can prevent me from setting Trick Room if it gets in safely, and can easily stall out my setters with Taunt and Burn.


In a similar vein to Sableye, it's taunt and hyper fang combo can be deadly. To make matters worse, it is immune to everything Bronzong can do. Still, my other 2 setters have the means to scare it out most of the time.


It just doesn't die. People with Umbreon tend to play them safely, and more often then not, it ends up with Chandelure's specs if they don't have anything threatening.


Curselax can be threatening because it counter-abuses Trick Room better then my team can, and it really can screw with my offensive turns. However, Slowbro's scalds or Bronzong's toxic is usually enough to beat it, and if they happen to fall, I can always send in Machamp after trick room to destroy it if it hasn't gotten an insane amount of boosts.

Qwilifish is surprisingly tough for the team. It can set up spikes in the face of Machamp and Bronzong easily, and spikes has been a problem for the team. Its not like I face them all too often, but if Qwilifish is on the team, I essentially have to play without Machamp, or just do a lot of double swaps.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things that I struggle with, but I believe that these were to major ones.

Conclusion:Trick Room is a strategy that I absolutely love, and I hope to succeed with. This Trick Room team has been working for me for quite a while, and I would love to hear how it can improve. It's a nice balance between stall and offense, and I'm excited to see what you guys think.

Wow.... I think this went on for too long...

Did anyone actually read this all the way? =I

 
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