Alright, let's talk about Trick Room for a bit -
The fact that Clangorous Soul is listed in the first post yet Trick Room doesn't even get the slightest bit of mention speaks volumes on the current state of Trick Room teams. From a somewhat quick glance at the whole thread, I can kind of see there is really not much interest in Trick Room, perhaps for the best, but despite that I still felt like trying my luck in the ladder with a pure TR team.
Trick Room has never been the most competitive playstyle ever. Ever since it came out in Gen 4 I always saw it as "gimmicky", anti-meta at best, but very often simply too unreliable to be good. To my surprise, things changed drastically in Sun and Moon. New Pokemon like Magearna and Stakataka could set up TR and go to town immediately, and others like A-Marowak, Tapu Bulu, Crawdaunt, Hoopa and Vikavolt were so strong they did not need to waste any turn setting up, immediately starting their kill streak from a single click. Z-Moves really helped its playstyle too, and suicide leads like Uxie, Bronzong and Cresselia could be used to instantly bring your sweeper into the fray. TR still failed to become too popular, but without a doubt it was a very scary playstyle anybody had to be ready for. The best part of Gen 7 TR for me was probably not being locked to the usual 3 Psychic or Ghost types all with the same weaknesses, or relying on bulky mons like Porygon 2 that simply end up wasting precious TR turns. Overall it was a very fun and somewhat viable way to climb the ladder.
To make up for all those gifts Gen 7 brought to it, Gen 8 decided to mercilessly murder every single being that made TR teams so good.
Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but pretty close to it. Bronzong lost Explosion, Vikavolt can't use Hidden Power anymore (no big loss in my opinion), and Crawdaunt was basically the only member of the crew left completely untouched. As sad as that sounds, Trick Room sweepers don't actually have it that bad. I've played on the ladder for a while, and these have been the most successful sweepers I've found:
Crawdaunt -
Simply put, this thing is amazing. I don't think it needs any introduction, click thing, opponent dies. This new gen brought Close Combat to his moveset, which is cute but not game changing. I don't feel like it benefits from Dynamax much, as I've felt the loss of Choice Band to be fairly noticeable, but it's without a doubt a good way to fake out your opponent and switch moves, and rain helps mitigate the CB loss for the few turns. Also, Aqua Jet.
Vikavolt -
I really tried to make the shiny new toy Toxitricity work, and while it definitely had some moments where it shined, Vikavolt vastly outperformed it most of the times. This thing's raw power is ridiculous, I didn't expect it to go very far with so many Excadrill, Aegislash and Dragapult running around, but to my surprise it could constantly score a 2HKO despite the opponent resisting its attacks. Unlike with Crawdaunt, I've also had way more opportunities to sweep my opponent with Dynamax here, and switching between TBolt, Bug Buzz and Energy Ball felt pretty handy. Volt Switch is what really makes me want to suggest this mon so much, and contrary to Toxitricity's Volt Switch, this one packs a real punch. There isn't many good Electric types in the tier as of now, so its powerful attacks and momentum were really well appreciated by my team.
Conkeldurr -
As strong as this mons looks like, I feel like I have more complaints than praises about it, but thinking about it all can be summarized with "No Knock Off". This hurts so damn much, I've lost momentum and given my opponent so many free switch ins just because I didn't have Knock Off. As much as I tried to fix this with Earthquake, Fire Punch, Stone Edge and Poison Jab, none of these coverage options really felt right to me. I feel like this Pokemon will shine way more with HOME being released, but until then he will still be usable. Unlike with Choice Band, Guts allows Conkeldurr to not lose any attack when Dynamaxing, and every turn he attacks he keeps on getting stronger and stronger. Seeing his ability and enormous amount of HP, I instantly knew he was going to be my "Gyarados", and he definitely did not disappoint when it came to end games. But again, I cannot stress enough how much the lack of Knock Off hurts. Handle with care.
Sirfetch'd -
At a first glance this quacky boy may seem way worse than Conkeldurr, but Scrappy is actually a really nice ability to have, especially with the Intimidate blocking. Who needs coverage or predictions when you can just spam Close Combat after all? Sirfetch'd even gets Knock Off, but unlike Conkeldurr it's good but not as important, because CC really melts team. The lack of power from Guts Conkeldurr is noticeable, and no Mach Punch REALLY hurts, but I feel like this mons really deserves a small mention. I will say the choice between the two can be match-up based or up to preference. I will say though that Conkeldurr's Mach Punch saved me a lot from angry ice gorillas, which are currently everywhere on the ladder.
Perrserker -
This Pokemon just barely misses the mark. It almost has it all, Tough Claws, Iron Head, Close Combat, Play Rough, Seed Bomb, U-Turn, Fake Out, this thing's moveset and ability is really interesting. Its typing is not the best defensively, but to be fair the same can be said about many other TR sweepers. Despite all the interesting moves, Perrserker simply doesn't feel like it hits hard enough. The main problem with TR is the very limited amount of turns you have to abuse it, which is why the team requires very strong nukes that make every turn count. Overall I really liked Perserrker and it helped a lot with a big Fairy weakness I had while testing, but when its spot has to compete with the likes of Crawdaunt and Conkeldurr, it's quite hard to justify a spot for it.
Aegislash -
Time for the real Steel types to play around. I don't actually like using Aegislash in pure Trick Room teams because, once again, there is way too many Pokemon weak to Ghost and Dark already. However Aegislash remains an incredible Pokemon that can help the team in many situations, and its bulk is also great to waste Dynamax turns against many opponents. Steel Beam and Close Combat are amazing new tools that help, the latter in particular helps Aegislash 2HKO standard Ferrothorn without any need for Attack EVs nor Life Orb, though the latter is still required to break though Bold Physical variants, in which case Leech Seed can prove to be annoying. Although not too reliable, I've had some fun with both Weakness Policy and Eject Pack. Firing off a powerful Steel Beam and keeping momentum at the same time is pretty fun, but I usually prefer the raw power of Life Orb more. It's not always good to force yourself out after all.
So far, despite some downsides, not too shabby. None of these Pokemon can match how perfect A-Marowak was for TR teams, but they can be for sure powerful choices regardless. Other special mentions go to
Rillaboom, which will instantly go into my team as soon as it's released,
Copperajah, with its unique Steel SR and its great moveset that can in absolutely no way benefit from Sheer Force, and
Flapple, which I'm exclusively mentioning to make sure nobody uses it. Really, just use a min speed Darmanitan if you feel like Hustle Outrage sounds so good, this thing's coverage is just not worth it and the accuracy hurts a lot.
Things really start falling apart however when looking at the list of Trick Room users, by a lot. This part is basically the main reason while I felt like writing a little history lesson on Gen 7 TR. But enough of that, lets get the obvious ones out of the way:
Hatterene -
I feel like this thread has talked about this Pokemon enough already, but I can't not mention it. Magic Bounce is amazing, Dynamax sweeping potential is incredible, GMax has a 25% chance to make your opponent forfeit, no Moonblast really sucks but it is what it is. I really enjoy Mystical Fire on this thing as well, which is what really makes its Dynamax so hard to tank for many teams. Not much else to say that wasn't already mentioned.
Reuniclus -
I've never liked Reuniclus much in pure TR teams, as like mentioned TR already has way too many Psychic types usually, but its power cannot be ignored. Reuniclus always had a sort of anti-meta role when it comes to its TR sets, and Gen 8 repeats that trend. This little jelly has more than enough bulk to survive a strongish attack, set up TR and fight back with a powerful LO Psychic. Doesn't care about hazards and statuses, and it's really amazing as a Dynamax sweeper. Dynamax is sadly the only way it has to get past some strong tanks such as Corviknight, Aegislash and Ferrothorn, the latter capable of dodging up to 9 Focus Blasts per second.
Reuniclus or Hatterene?
When it really comes to choose between Reuniclus and Hatterene, I usually feel like Hatterene is just barely better. Magic Bounce helps the whole team in general and makes Corsola completely hopeless, and Mystical Fire is really nice to keep around. I've had some fun with double Psychic core though, with one's Dynamax Psychic Terrain carrying over for the other to sweep. I would not suggest it in an actual serious team however despite how fun it is to pull off. The Fairy type has also helped me more a fair bit, but despite that I can definitely see the advantages Reuniclus can still have over Hatterene and encourage testing both. I feel it's also fair to mention that Reuniclus can use Focus Sash to great effect, and though it's vulnerable to Taunt, this is a life safer against HO teams. The jelly also gets Endeavor, but I've heard the move actually fails against Dynamax mons. I haven't tested in game yet, so consider this just a rumor for now. I also want to mention that the more I climbed the more I saw people use Strentgh Sap against Hatterene thinking it's the same as Recover and healing me back to full, which is always hilarious to see.
Mimikyu -
Like Reuniclus, Mimikyu deserves at the very least a mention for being always able to survive a hit in dangerous situations and heavily cripple the opponent with TR. Outside of that, and the fact it doesn't instantly melts to Ghost and Dark moves, Mimikyu doesn't hit too hard, and has to rely on a Destiny Bond read to kill something. Not the strongest pick, but a must have if you struggle against HO.
Bronzong -
I can't help but feel like this mon is currently a must, if not just out of lack of better options. Like mentioned above, no Explosion really hurts. Earthquake helps a bit, but doesn't threaten Pokemon like Aegislash enough. One of the few TR with Stealth Rocks however, and as such it should be a good asset to a team. I suggest always using it with Vikavolt if you don't want the big bad crow to just ruin your day and waste all of your turns.
Runerigrus -
Bronzong but with a somewhat worse typing and access to Toxic Spikes. Despite testing this guy extensively, I was really not a fan. Will-o-Wisp, Curse and Memento can all be used to cripple your opponent, with Curse being my favourite to try and score some key KOs in the few turns you have, but overall disappointing. Between it and Bronzong, the latter has my vote.
Aaaand that's it. That's the end of the good TR setters for me. That's how bad it is.
There is quite a few bulky TR setters left on the list, like Jellicent, Gourgeist, Claydol, Dusclops, Oranguru and so on, but none of them come close to keeping the same momentum or utility for the team as other choices such as Uxie, Cresselia, and after setting up they just become sitting ducks for something like Aegislash and Grimmsnarl to come in and destroy your team, or something like Corviknight to just sit there and waste all of your turns. I want however give a special mention to
Chandelure, which thanks to Heavy Duty Boots (how does it even wear those?) can finally switch in without losing 50% health instantly, while at the same time threatening your opponent heavily with strong Overheats. The heavy HO focus Dynamax offers is the only thing that sadly makes me feel disappointed about this guy, forcing me to use Sash Reuniclus or Mimikyu in its stead. Other mention goes to
Indedee, which can set up both Psychic Terrain and TR at the same time but can only learn one between Trick Room and Healing Wish, ruining my hopes and dreams forever.
If I really had to use a Trick Room team, I suppose right now these guys are the best group I could find so far. My suggestion is however, don't. The ladder is currently filled with mons like Aegislash, Poultergeist, Dragapult, Grimmsnarl and more that can really just eat you alive with one wrong move. Still had fun with the team however, and I'm positive that it can climb the ladder with some dedications. Especially once Conkeldurr gets Knock Off. It has Payback, but you can't really use that in TR, so you are even weaker to Ghosts. Little inconveniences like that is why I prefer not sharing a team and perhaps let others test between it and Sirfetch'd, Hatterena and Reuniclus, and some other mentioned picks they might enjoy.
I do not think at all however that Trick Room as a whole is a lost cause. Rather,
I've had extreme success with it in Balance teams, way more than in pure Trick Room teams, which is what I recommend way more. A simple Trick Room core like Hatterene + Crawdaunt, Reuniclus + Conkeldurr, and stuff like that is a really good anti-meta fit in the current meta, capable of tearing holes through entire teams without being entirely dependant to Trick Room. Hatterene's Magic Bounce constantly helps the team deal with stall, Assault Vest Conkeldurr/Sirfetch'd is a great mon to keep around, Aegislash really doesn't need any help or introductions to explain why it would be good, Crawdaunt is a complete monster and can threaten with Aqua Jet even outside TR, and other usually slow mons used in Balance such as Tyranitar or Rotom also partially benefit from Trick Room crippling the terrifying likes of Gyarados and Hawlucha, which also makes Ditto completely useless.
I suggest everybody giving Trick Room a try in either way they prefer before the meta settles down, just go and have some fun on the ladder. And I hope this post has helped or encouraged some people to try it out.
