[OVERVIEW]
- One of the best Trick Room-setters in Triples thanks to its immunity to Fake Out and enormous bulk with Eviolite
- Offers additional team support in the form of Taunt, Snatch and manual weather
- Slow enough to Taunt Amoonguss before it can move in Trick Room
- Lacks the offensive power of Jellicent but can make up for it with bulk and support tools depending on team composition
- Could cover why it's popular in Triples and not Doubles if others think it's necessary; want to keep this short
[SET]
Name: Trick Room + Manual Weather
Move 1: Trick Room
Move 2: Taunt/Snatch
Move 3: Night Shade
Move 4: Rain Dance/Sunny Day
Item: Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
Nature: Sassy
Evs: 252 HP / 12 Def / 244 SpDef
IVs: 0 Speed
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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-Trick Room is the reason Dusclops shows up in competitive play. With partners to use Fake Out or otherwise prevent Taunt from hitting Dusclops, it will want to start supporting its team with speed control early on.
-Taunt and Snatch will depend on your team composition, though neither is a bad choice. Taunt appeared more often in Japanese tournaments popularizing Dusclops in Triples, though Snatch has since risen in popularity. The main benefit of Taunt is that Dusclops is slower than Amoonguss, which is often used to counter Trick Room teams. Landing a Taunt on Amoonguss in Trick Room can render it useless before it can put any of your Pokemon to sleep. Taunt can also be used to disable Wide Guard-users who might otherwise provide trouble for the spread damage Trick Room teams rely on.
If your team already has a way to reliably deal with Amoonguss, Snatch is usually the better option, as it allows Dusclops to immediately steal opposing teams' Wide Guards without forcing spread attackers to wait for it to use Taunt. Taunt is also dependent on placement, whereas Snatch can disrupt the opponent regardless of where Dusclops is on the field. Regardless, the choice comes down largely to what the rest of your team can cover.
If your team does not benefit from weather, it is possible to run both, though most Trick Room teams can benefit from one weather or the other.
-Night Shade offers Dusclops some offense on turns when it isn't supporting. Hitting at a set 50 damage, it can easily knock opponents into KO range for partners or finish off injured Pokemon.
-Rain Dance or Sunny Day will depend on your main attacker of choice. Dusclops was popularized on teams with Mega Blastoise, adding power to its Water Spout and Water Pulse while interrupting Charizard Y. However, Dusclops can also work well with Mega Camerupt and Heatran.
Set Details
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-The EV spread prioritizes special bulk, as Dusclops faces few physical treats thanks to its typing, and powerful Triples spread attackers tend to be special (Hyper Voice, Water Spout, Heat Wave). It's more likely for Dusclops to take damage this way than for the opponent to wind up individually targeting it down. Even with 0 defensive investment, it has a 93.7 percent chance of surviving Life Orb Adamant Bisharp's Knock Off, which is the single most damaging unboosted physical attack it could face.
The 12 Defense EVs offered in this set slightly increase Dusclops's survivability against +6 Jolly Life Orb Terrakion's Rock Slide, boosting it from around a 37.5 percent chance to KO to a 25 percent chance. As that's about the worst situation a team is likely to find itself in on turn one, and as Trick Room can turn the tides against a boosted Terrakion, it's worth the small boost, as it does not substantially alter Dusclops's special durability.
-Minimum speed is essential for moving first in Trick Room, as one of Dusclops's selling points is its ability to get the drop on problematic slow Pokemon there.
-Frisk is the preferred ability as it allows the user to ascertain three of the opponent's items on the first turn. Locating Focus Sash and unexpected Berries can be enormously helpful.
Usage Tips
========
-Dusclops should almost always lead, as its teams tend to rely on Trick Room and its immunity to Fake Out is among its largest selling points. Most games it will want to go for Trick Room immediately, unless facing a mirror match-up or slower Trick Room team (or if it looks as if the opponent may reverse Trick Room on turn one).
-There are first turns where it may be preferable for Dusclops to Taunt or Snatch, disabling supporters, stealing Safeguard, Light Screen, Reflect, etc. Be on the lookout for such openings if Dusclops's teammates can wait for it to use Trick Room.
-Once in Trick Room, Dusclops can support as needed or take pot shots with Night Shade. If weather can be used to disrupt the opponent again later or it looks like most of the opponent's team can't be wiped out in four turns, players may want to switch Dusclops out to preserve it.
Team Options
========
-Mega Blastoise and Mega Camerupt make frequent partners as they benefit from both Trick Room and Dusclops' weather support.
-Sylveon nearly always appears alongside it thanks to its enormous spread damage and slow speed. If opting for Taunt over Snatch, users will likely want to run a non-Choice Sylveon with Calm Mind and Detect, so that it can wait for Dusclops to Taunt Wide Guard users. If using a Snatch variant, Choice Specs Sylveon can still be used, though by no means is it necessary if one prefers Pixie Plate or Leftovers.
-Other team members will likely include those that benefit from Trick Room: Amoonguss, Aegislash, Heatran, Hitmontop and Hariyama can all offer good damage and support. Talonflame can offer high damage in or out of Trick Room and also support with moves like Quick Guard and Snatch.
-Smeargle, usually using Choice Scarf, often runs alongside Dusclops and other Trick Room-setters to support with a very fast Fake Out, threaten Dark Void if left unchecked, or draw Taunt and Fake Out away from other members on the first turn. If preserved, Smeargle can also re-enter as Trick Room ends to offer free turns for a second setup. Its other support can include Safeguard and Wide Guard, which can free up moves on the rest of the team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
==============
-Both Taunt and Snatch can be run simultaneously, though it's usually recommended that the benefits of one or the other be carried by an additional teammate (either in the form of Feint or another Snatch user, or Taunt or Safeguard elsewhere).
-Will-o-Wisp can be used if the team doesn't benefit from weather.
-Pain Split can be used to deal indirect damage and keep Dusclops on the field for another Trick Room.
-Skill Swap can also steal problematic abilities from targets, such as Parental Bond, Pixilate and Huge Power. All of these should be considered secondary options to its main set, however.
-Helping Hand is a genuinely useful move in events that allow Pokemon to be brought up from previous generations. However, as Dusclops can only obtain this move in Pokemon XD, it is not allowed during normal ORAS Battle Spot play.
Checks and Counters
==============
**Bisharp**: Bisharp can offer immediate pressure against teams using Dusclops, with a low percentage to KO Dusclops outright with Knock Off (and easily pick up a KO if Dusclops is double-targeted). Bisharp also offers Sucker Punch in Trick Room, particularly problematic against Water Spout users, and Iron Head to deter Sylveon in non-Trick Room settings. Dusclops users will want to try to disable Bisharp as soon as possible.
**Normal Types and Mega Kangaskhan**: Hard-hitting Normal types like Mega Kangaskhan can pressure Dusclops users if placed adjacent to it, as its traditional set cannot damage them and they can focus on whittling down teammates. Kangaskhan also features Sucker Punch and is capable of withstanding at least one damaging spread attack and returning KOs with Double Edge or Return.
**Quick Guard and Taunt**: Teams able to offer leads that successfully counter the Fake Outs and Dark Void Dusclops can depend on to setup Trick Room can disrupt team strategy early on. Meowstic offers a great deterrent, with Prankster adding extra priority to Quick Guard to ensure it blocks even Choice Scarfed Fake Out. If something else can deter Smeargle's Dark Void and while a third Taunts Dusclops, the slower team will be under enormous pressure, though this formation can be difficult to pull off and is fairly reactionary. (Alt: Since Dusclops offers little offensive pressure and is practically guaranteed to not be carrying Mental Herb, Taunt can be an effective way of shutting it down and preventing Trick Room. Those aiming to get off a first-turn Taunt may have to find a way to get around the Fake Outs or Dark Voids that can shield it though.)
**Reverse Trick Room**: Teams using Dusclops tend not to run fast modes outside Smeargle and Talonflame, so successfully predicting and reversing Trick Room can prove devastating. Watch out so that you don't accidentally give them Trick Room though!
**Wide Guard**: Dusclops's partners tend to rely on spread damage, so Wide Guard-users can be enormously helpful, especially if Dusclops' Snatch is disabled or not present. Against Taunt variants, Wide Guarding can buy extra turns for stalling out Trick Room. Aegislash makes a particularly useful user against teams without strong Fire attacks, as it can deal large amounts of damage to Dusclops, Sylveon and Blastoise, and resists Sylveon's STAB-boosted attacks.
**Aegislash, Blastoise, and Hydreigon**: If the goal is simply to clear Dusclops itself from the field, Shadow Ball or Dark Pulse from any of these bruisers will see it off in a few turns even with its substantial special bulk, as it rarely runs Protect or a way to heal itself.
**Constant offense and priority attacks**: Unlike Jellicent or some other Trick Room-setters, Dusclops does not offer any enormous offensive pressure on its own. If paired with another slow supporter like Amoonguss, Dusclops-users can often find themselves relying on only three or four Pokemon for offense. Laying into their attackers, especially with strong priority attacks in Trick Room, can quickly turn momentum around.
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Ready for QC. I've only listed one set as there's really only one major role it serves, albeit with a few variations. It's already veering toward paragraph form, but if anything seems superfluous, let me know. I'm more than willing to cut. You can already see me toying around with a realistic/fully complicated version of trying to Taunt it in the "Checks and Counters" section and a simpler overview for new players.
Pinging Theorymon, NOVED, Level 51, DragonWhale for Ghost Buddy comments.
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