The Simple Machines
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We use machines everyday. but before there were the machines that we think of today, there were six simple machines. The Lever, the Screw, the Inclined Plane, the Pulley, the Wheel and Axle, and the Wedge were the machines of the past, and are still used everywhere today. These machines are used to simplify, quicken, or lessen the input needed to complete a job.___________________________________
As many of you may or may not know, I've been working to achieve greatness with a Trick Room team for weeks now under the Shoddy alias of True Syzygy. I decided I would use Trick Room as a machine to finish the job I had in each battle, that job being victory.
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Behind the Scenes: The Making of...
Behind the Scenes: The Making of...
I noticed, as I'm sure alot of you have aswell, that there has been many teams with few strategies flying around, and I didn't want to find myself as just another drop in the bucket of people using offensive teams, so I set off on my quest to make a team that was not only unique (some might say gimmicky), but also successful. I decided I was going to go with an option that I had been fond of for quite some time, that being Trick Room. Knowing the basics of Trick Room, I knew I was going to have it easy against offensive teams and rough against stall teams, while balanced teams could go either way in terms of difficulty. I decided that no matter what method I build my team around, I'm going to have troubles with some type of team anyway, so I decided to stay with the Trick Room plan.
I knew if I was going to have any justification to use this team over a standard team, I would need a secret weapon. Something with power that a standard team just couldn't copy or cope with. I thought "maybe Rhyperior was the answer," but I was wrong. I thought "hey, what about Rampardos," but was wrong again. I was looking in the wrong place. Instead of looking for something with raw base stats to show it's power, I should have been looking for pokemon with signature items. I remembered long ago when I was making Trick Room teams that absolutely failed, before I knew much about the metagame, I always wanted to use Marowak. His Thick Club made his Attack sky rocket to an impressive 568, and he had access to boosting moves if for whatever reason I found myself wanting more power. I quickly plugged him in as the anchor of my team and he hasn't moved since.
Since the most vital part of a themed team is to, well, include the theme, I decided I would need to add a Trick Room user. I ran a search on the move Trick Room, and started to get kind of disgusted. Nothing really popped out at me for a few minutes and I thought "Wow, what have I gotten myself into." I had already bragged to everyone how I was going to make a great Trick Room team, so I couldn't just give it up. I decided to look through the list one more time, and then I saw him; Porygon 2, sitting right there waiting for me to put him in my team. I knew his amazing ability would allow me to get him out there and set up Trick Room against some of the biggest threats of the metagame, and there he was, sitting clean as my second round draft pick.
I knew from my prior experiences with themed teams that I would need three set up men. I decided to add the second one now. I went back to the Trick Room list, and still nothing really popped out at me. I knew I didn't want something with terrible attacking type to be put in this early in my team, so that left all of the steels and pure Psychic pokemon out. I contemplated on adding Celebi, until I went to a speed chart and seen all of the things that would be slower than even a minimum speed Celebi. Then I scrolled up a little farther and seen Slowking. I thought "well, he would be better if he could take a bullet punch, he's got that amazing steel resist and not too great of Physical Defense." so I kept looking. Then I seen another Water/Psychic, Slowbro. He seemed like a Godsend to me. Decent Special attack, good physical bulk, good Nuetrality from STAB water attacks, a reliable recovery, virtually everything I wanted in my second user. I put him into the team, and he's performed well every since.
I decided to take a little bit of break from adding Trick Room users, and decided to look for a wall breaker. I knew that if I didn't have atleast one mixxed attacker that could bust through a few walls I was completely helpless against Stall teams, and there wasn't much I could do against a good player with a balanced team with good resists. I knew that if I wanted someone with decent bulk that could attack decently from both sides of the spectrum I was going to need a high base-statted pokemon, so I started there. When I was looking through the 600 base stats, I seen this beast. His ability would be both a blessing and a burden, adding to his bulk, but hurting some team members, namely Slowbro and Porygon2, my two Trick Roomers, but I decided to try him out anyway. He has performed great thus far, and is even bulky enough to have some use outside of Trick Room. As my fourth pick, I chose the amazing tyrant that is Tyranitar.
Now I knew it was time to add my final Trick Room user. I noticed that I didn't have a vast amount of resists. I had no stand out weaknesses yet, but nothing amazing on the resist chart either. I opted I'd go with a steel type to round off the defense chart. There were two steel types that learned Trick Room, being Jirachi and Bronzong. Jirachi, while he is amazing and I love him, didn't fit the team. He was just too fast for a Trick Room environment. I chose Bronzong and he fit in perfectly. I knew I still needed a lead, so I set him in the lead off spot, mainly because he was the only Trick Roomer I had chosen that had access to Stealth Rock. I knew his coverage was going to be terrible, no matter what two attacks I gave him, so I looked back at my team and decided that I had enough bulk to deal around his terrible coverage, and plugged him in.
That left me with the hardest decision I had to make with this team; do I go for the do-or-die with another Trick Room abuser, or do I throw a safety back there and use a quick sweeper that can wreak havoc outside of Trick Room? I decided to go with the latter. I knew with the quick paced nature of Trick Room teams, I might throw a dumb move in there and lose my Trick Room users, so I wanted something I could fall back on. I wanted speed and bulk, fully expecting that I was setting my standards much too high, but then I came across a legendary beast that fit perfectly. He was faster than most of the threats that concerned me, had good Special Attack, and was decently bulky. To top it all off, I threw him in the weakness chart and he didn't throw it into chaos. He seemed to be the perfect fit, so I threw added him last. My sixth round pick, Raikou.
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The Simple Tools
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Team Strategy
The Simple Tools
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Team Strategy
My goal for this team is to throw the opponent out of his comfort zone through the use of Trick Room. when the opponent's sweepers can't act like sweepers, most players fold and make a bad move, which I am then to capitalize on. For this to work I have to keep Trick Room up when necessary and make quick KOs when the opportunity presents itself.
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In Depth
In Depth
The Wheel and Axle
Bronzong @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Relaxed
EVs: 252 HP/84 Atk/80 Def/92 SpD
Bronzong is the Wheel and Axle because he gets everything moving, much like a wheel.
Bronzong was chosen for my lead for many reasons. Access to the ever important Stealth Rock tops the list. He was the only pokemon on my team with both access to Stealth Rock and Trick Room, making him one of the most valued members (although, they are all very valued). I chose Gyro Ball because it's Bronzong's most damaging move to all of the leads that he can do something against, and I chose Explosion because it's a near necessity in Trick Room teams (what if a lead sets up a Sub? I can explode through it and bring out the correct counter). I'm overall very impressed by Bronzong's performance, and he really hasn't let me down... ever.
The EVs are to maximize Bronzong's potential, with the minus speed nature to maximize Gyro Ball damage. The EVs allow me to OHKO ScarfGar and Weavile, while 2HKOing the average Tyranitar. The defenses give me enough to survive MixApe's Flamethrower and Timid Heatran's Fire Blast, as well as a Fire Blast from SpecsMence.
Code:
Bronzong vs. Common Leads:
[B]Metagross- I [/B]Stealth Rock as he does, Trick Room, and switch out.
[B]Azelf-[/B] I Gyro Ball twice for the KO, since they usually pack Trick or Taunt.
[B]Jirachi- [/B]I Trick Room first, and then Stealth Rock, making me faster than whatever they can U-Turn to.
[B]Swampert- [/B]I Stealth Rock, Trick Room, and switch out.
[B]Aerodactyl- [/B]I Gyro Ball twice.
[B]Infernape- [/B]I Trick Room then Stealth Rock. If they are the fake out Variant I just switch out all together.
[B]Hippowdon- [/B]I Stealth Rock then Trick Room and switch out.
[B]Bronzong- [/B]I Stealth Rock then Trick Room and switch out.
[B]Ninjask- [/B]I Stealth Rock as he protects, Gyro Ball as he subs, Trick Room as he protects, and Gyro Ball for the KO.
[B]Tyranitar- [/B]I Stealth Rock then Trick Room and Gyro Ball.
[B]Heatran-[/B] I Trick Room then Stealth Rock and usually die.
[B]Roserade- [/B]I Trick Room as Lum Berry activates, then Stealth Rock, then switch out asleep.
Porygon 2 @ Leftovers
Ability: Trace
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SpA
Porygon 2 is the Pulley because he lifts his team mates up to that next level through the use of Trick Room.
Porygon 2 is probably my most reliable Trick Room user. He moves in on the big threats, copies their ability, and then trick rooms in their face. The moment I see a Magnezone come out I know that it's a guaranteed Trick Room setup, thanks to tracing Magnet Pull. Salamence comes out, expecting to wreak havoc after he DDs? I don't think so, I'll switch this mamjama out and Trick Room in his face and then KO with Ice Beam. While most people don't ever talk about valuable resists when looking at a normal pokemon, I will. Porygon is the proud owner of my only ghost resist, in the form of an immunity. This has helped me many times against that tyrant Gengar ravaging through my team. His immunity allows me to get Trick Room up, and then proceed to dominate his face. Overall, Porygon 2 is definately a staple in this team, as he allows me to set up the ever vital Trick Room when things are looking for the worse. I opted to go with the BoltBeam combo over something less orthodox, such as Shadowball HP Fighting becuase I simply was afraid of dragons (Moreso Flygon than Salamence) and Gyarados.
For the EVs, I decided to go with a slightly less bulky, more offensive spread, since I already have a dedicated support player in Bronzong. He retains a majority of his bulk, but is able to damage the pokemon he's not specialized to deal with a little bit more than the defensive spread allows.
The Inclined Plane
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Def/4 HP
Slowbro is the Inclined Plane because he pushes his team mates to the next level through the use of Trick Room.
When Machamp comes out to ravage my Porygon 2, there's no better switch in than Slowbro. Not only does he resist his only scary attack, he blows off the confusion like nothing was there through his ability. His moveset has terrible coverage, but it's kind of necessary. Grass Knot is the only sure fire way I have to deal with the bastard that is Swampert. after I knew I had a Grass move taken care of, I decided to go with the nuetrality of Water for my STAB. It's resisted by ALOT, but Slowbro is never useless, since his main job is to keep the party going through the use of Trick Room. Slowbro's Psychic typing really helps him out against two big threats to the rest of my team, Infernape and Machamp. While Infernape sometimes packs Grass Knot, he can't OHKO Slowbro, which can be just enough time for me to get the Trick Room going again and proceed to finish im off.
The EVs are pretty straight forward; I wanted to max his attacking capabilities and then his Physical Defensive capabilities so I maxxed both Special Attack and Defense, and placed the remaining 4 into HP.
The Lever
Tyranitar @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Stream
Nature: Brave
EVs: 252 Atk/252 SpA/4 HP
Tyranitar is the Lever because, like any good lever (I E, a hammer) he can be used to bludgeon things.
Ah good ol' Pseudo legendaries. Tyranitar can seem as broken as Garchomp under Trick Room conditions, and can literally smash nearly everything that comes at it. I haven't met much outside of Bulky Gyarados that this guy can't 2HKO. He and Marowak work together to completely annihalate everything that comes near them, and inside Trick Room, it's virtually impossible to outrun them. Tyranitar's lovely 61 base Speed allows the rest of his amazing 600 total base to be placed in areas where it's actually used, such as his amazing attack stat and defensive stats. His vast movepool allows him to run a mixxed wall breaker set, like the one I'm running here, and his special attack stat does it's best to not hinder his abilities. Tyranitar, to a much higher extent that Marowak, is useable outside of Trick Room. He can come in, take a hit, and bring the pain thanks to his great HP, Defense, and the +1 special defense he gets from Sand Stream.
The EVs on him, aswell as Slowbro, Marowak, and Raikou, are pretty straight forward. I wanted to deal the most damage possible in the least time possible, so I maxxed both of his Attacking stats. The analysis told me to put a few EVs into speed, but, since I'm in Trick Room, I don't need them and placed them securely into Special Attack.
The Wedge
Marowak @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Brave
EVs: 252 Atk/252 HP/4 Def
Marowak is the Wedge because he splits apart the opponents team.
Ah yes, the pokemon that started it all. Marowak was the inspiration and the anchor for the team. His Thick Club allows him to boast a 568 Attack stat, which is by far unreachable to any other pokemon without a boost or a choice item. Marowak gets his enormous attack stat, the ability to switch through attacks, no set up time, and all the low, low cost of no leftovers! You might be wondering "hey, why is Substitute there?" and let me tell you, it BELONGS there! When a STAB Earthquake coming from 568 is threatening a Magnezone, they tend to switch out. That's where substitute comes in. Instead of guessing what pokemon I think my opponent might bring out, I substitute. This gives me a guaranteed free hit, and I often find myself with 2 KOs, Trick Room over, and my Substitute still flying high, giving me an attack outside of trick room. It's nice to note on Marowak that he can revenge kill Scizor, as he takes all of Scizors attacks and OHKOs back with Fire Punch, this assuming that Scizor hasn't danced, since +2 X-Scissors OHKOs me. Under Trick Room, Marowak has no fear, as a +2 Bullet Punch fails to kill him. Marowak's last move is for coverage. Stone Edge allows me to OHKO Salamence and Gyarados even after the intimidate, and lets me deal with the zapdos that enjoy switching in on my Earthquakes. This entire set is decently walled by Flygon and Flygon alone. I haven't come across very many walls that this guy can't 2HKO. Skarmory, Forretress, Gliscor, Swampert, Rotom, Rhyperior, Regirock; all of these are 2HKOd from my massive 568 attack.
EVs are to get the most out of the Thick Club boost, and then to attempt to counter Scizor as well as possible, so I maxxed Attack and HP, since Great Sage pointed out that I could be just as physically bulky by adding HP over Defense, and I get the bonus on the special side as well, and put the last four into Def for that one extra point of bulk.
The Screw
Raikou @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 HP
Raikou is the Screw because he holds the team together.
Ah yes, the final and most controversial member of my team. A 115 base speed pokemon on a Trick Room team? Yes. I need something to pick up the pieces after my Wedge cuts them apart and I bludgeon them with my Lever, and Raikou fit the part perfectly. Reflect allows my Trick Roomers to switch in and set up, and has saved me the match multiple times. Shadowball is there because, as I said earlier, I only have 1 Ghost resist, so Gengar's sometime get to be a problem, and Rotom form's aren't fun either. Hidden Power Ice is to get those damn Flygon's, and if they Scarf into EQ, Porygon2 can have a free switch in. Raikou really does hold the team together, as he ties together all the lose ends, allows a method to get Trick Room back up (Albeit he only helps with Physical attackers), and he does enough damage on his own. I went with Raikou over Jolteon for the bulk. Sure Jolteon has an Electric immunity, but Raikou takes Bullet Punches a hell of alot better, and to top it all of he's just all around cooler than Jolteon (IMHO).
The EVs are the classic sweeper spread, allowing him to speed tie with the Starmie that can sometimes give me problems. Raikou's base 115 speed is a godsend, as anything faster really never gives my team problems.
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Conclusion
Conclusion
So there's that, a few weeks of time into a "gimmick" to try to make it become successful. I hope you have been inspired to try something new, such as a Trick Room team of your own.
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