Metagame The Loser's Game

[Lectrys]

With the Sandshrew-Alola ban, I may as well present two of my teams that really appreciated it as a team member - 6 Steel Beam Spam and Trick Room!

Managed to get 2nd place on The Loser's Game ladder at one point, mostly on the backs of these two teams:

6 Steel Beam Spam
Importable: https://pokepast.es/c4f5a361cb4e2e87

I've been refining this team since the Loser's Game got a Gen 8 incarnation, with the latest team member swap being Klink replacing Zamazenta after Calyrex-Shadow was revealed to outspeed Zamazenta and have Taunt and Heal Pulse. This team prioritizes OHKOing as few Steel Beam sac fodder mons as possible by trying to ensure that each mon who can OHKO another mon with Steel Beam (read: every mon but Sandshrew-Alola) only ever has to Steel Beam once per game. Fast speed and Magic Coat aim to pull that off. The team has two Trick fodders in Sandshrew-Alola and Klink, although Klink is a bit powerful for that role.

Team Members:
Note that all members have their HP set to be divisible by 8 for the easy Substitute-into-Steel Beam self-2HKO and are Jolly to maximize Speed and minimize Steel Beam damage.


Zacian @ Black Sludge
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 2 HP / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Imprison
- Protect

Zacian is one of the fastest mons with Steel Beam, and Imprison makes it a great tool against other Steel Beam users to boot. Protect is the 4th move to stall out Taunt, item manipulation such as Trick and Knock Off, Heal Pulse, Tailwind, and more. Shame Zacian has nothing better to use - it would have loved something to patch up its Calyrex-Shadow weakness.

Zacian's 3 required perfect IVs are in Speed (awesome), Defense (Zacian takes Struggle too well, anyway), and Attack (may it never have to Struggle).


Silvally @ Black Sludge
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 4 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Roar
- Substitute
- Magic Coat

Silvally is completely invaluable to this team as the team's only phazer, kicking out opposing Imprison Steel Beam users this way. It's the only mon with phazing, Steel Beam, and Magic Coat, thus trying its hardest to only ever Steel Beam once. Conserve this guy against Imprison Steel Beam users until all such opposing users are KOed, and Roar on predicted Imprisons on Steel Beam.


Klefki @ Black Sludge
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Imprison
- Defog

With Prankster, Klefki has the fastest Substitute among all mons that learn Steel Beam, maximizing the chances that it only ever has to Steel Beam once per game. It also has the fastest Imprison that locks out Steel Beam in the game, making it invaluable against other Steel Beam users.

With no room elsewhere on the team, Klefki is stuck being the Defogger instead of being able to use Magic Coat to fend off faster Pranksters. This can result in a weakness to Court Change teams with at least one Dark-type, although conserving Klefki until all their hazard setters are gone is a wise strategy, and Steel Beaming the Dark-type is a shockingly good strat.


Jirachi @ Black Sludge
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 2 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Encore

Jirachi is the fastest non-Prankster mon with both Steel Beam and Magic Coat, thus helping it get off only one Steel Beam per game. Encore is the 4th move to lock Imprison Steel Beam users into Imprison, thus easing Silvally's entry so it can Roar them out. Encore can also lock Belly Drummers, especially Oblivious ones, into a move they'd rather not use twice (although Kommo-O can dodge this by using Clangorous Soul again and self-2HKOing itself after it is switched in).

I tend to lead with Jirachi, as it has some of the best options regardless of what the opponent leads with. Taunt? Magic Coat it. Imprison? Encore it. Sticky Web? Magic Coat it, too! Your opponent can also (misplay and) opt to throw their weak Steel Beam fodder at Jirachi instead of their stronger fodder that Jirachi still OHKOs with one Steel Beam. Just make sure to switch out to a mon with a much weaker Steel Beam against predicted item manipulation.


Klink @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 2 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Magic Coat
- Thunder Wave

Among mons with Steel Beam and Magic Coat, Klink has the lowest base Special Attack at 45, thus ensuring its niche. Thunder Wave disrupts Imprison Steel Beam users in the hopes that they get full para'd. Again, Klink having such a low base Special Attack makes it decent Trick fodder, although its ability to OHKO weak mons is worrying.

Clear Body prevents Sticky Web from affecting it...like that helps much, especially since Klink has only 30 base Speed.


Sandshrew-Alola @ Black Sludge
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 6 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Knock Off
- Attract / Substitute
- Protect

With the weakest Steel Beam in the meta - so weak it cannot OHKO anything - Sandshrew-Alola is a great switch-in to Taunt, item manipulation, and more. If your opponent does successfully land a Taunt on one of your mons too early, Sandshrew-Alola is a good dedicated switch-in for that scenario.

Knock Off punishes Imprison Steel Beam users like Klefki and Zacian by forcing them to either Substitute or Steel Beam more times than they may like. Protect stalls out Taunt, item manipulation, etc. Truth is, rather like with Gen 7 Smeargle, I haven't really found Substitute on Sandshrew-Alola to be essential - it's at its best when Sandshrew-Alola actually outspeeds something, and it's yet another move that cannot be selected against Imprison Steel Beam users. I often prefer Attract instead to ease the Imprison Steel Beam matchup by letting you stay in, deal no damage, dare the opponent to Steel Beam this guy, and have a higher chance of disrupting the opponent than many other moves do in this slot. (I did use Safeguard earlier in my ladder run, though.) Against Heal Pulse/Floral Healing users, especially Imprison ones, you're often still fine using a combination of Steel Beam and Protect.

Sandshrew-Alola has Slush Rush because it might outspeed something in Hail one day, and Snow Cloak's evasion-granting can backfire when you want this guy to be Steel Beam sac fodder.

I advise replacing this guy with Pawniard - that mon eases the match-up against Prankster users by being a Dark-type that is immune to their shenanigans, including Trick and Switcheroo. A stronger Steel Beam will hurt, though, and Pawniard can be matchup-dependent - Magnemite or Stakataka aren't bad options instead, as they at least have Magic Coat and not-quite-as-strong Special Attack.

Replays:

Replays

• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1301916317: A close win in high ladder against a great opponent.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1301533193: Won a Loser's Game roomtour with only this team with this game as the finals.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1297800882: 6 Steel Beams are better than 4.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1295400181: No really, 6 Steel Beams are better than 4.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1297446755: Just because their team looks prepared for Steel Beam Spam doesn't mean they can always pull off a win in time.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1301664640: Guess this team isn't that weak to Sticky Web. Managed to win this with Sticky Web on my side of the field.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1303087227: Managed to win this despite Silvally getting Tricked Leftovers (which is often otherwise game over in their favour).
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1300883332: Managed to win this despite a few mons getting Tricked Leftovers, including Zacian.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1303468504: Perhaps the team's weakness to Court Change teams with a Dark-type isn't so bad after all.

Trick Room
Importable: https://pokepast.es/0a98f78a80af4ee6

Trick Room takes advantage of everyone on the ladder using Sticky Web and Tailwind by making both of those advantageous for me while Trick Room is active. This is actually more of a SemiRoom build, with some team members not needing Trick Room to be good. Truth is, I find this team less reliable on the ladder than my 6 Steel Beam Spam team, mainly because this team's Xatu is fairly horrifically weak to item manipulation (e.g. Trick, Switcheroo, Knock Off) and exposes itself often.

Team Members:


Klefki @ Black Sludge
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Imprison
- Magic Coat

Klefki is more here to hose opposing Steel Beamers than to be a centerpiece of the team, although its ability to self-2HKO is very tempting, as always. With a different mon - thank goodness, without Prankster - Defogging, Klefki is free to run Magic Coat on this team to fend off Pranksters of all stripes. Klefki is meant to be good outside of Trick Room, so it keeps max Speed Jolly to always speed tie with other Klefkis instead of sometimes losing the speed tie guaranteed.


Sandshrew-Alola @ Black Sludge
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 24 HP
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Knock Off
- Protect

With Sandshrew-Alola getting Trick Room support, it can finally use Substitute to its advantage so it can deal even less damage to opposing mons. Sandshrew-Alola doesn't need Trick Room to be good - it can always Steel Beam twice - but it abuses Trick Room quite well.

Sandshrew-Alola has Snow Cloak to avoid increasing its Speed and going second in Trick Room. It is Impish because it decreases its Special Attack (thus easing the matchup against Heal Pulsers further) and increases a stat it finds hard to take advantage of - its Defense. The 24 HP EVs both make Sandshrew-Alola have HP divisible by 8 and prevent the teambuilder from complaining.

This team is notably quite balls-to-the-wall, with more opportunities for quick self-KOs and worse disruption. Purrloin was in earlier builds of this team as a Dark-type Prankster user and decent Steel Beam fodder with Taunt and Encore, so I like replacing Sandshrew-Alola with Purrloin in this new meta. Feel free to use Bronzor instead as Trick Room's version of Zacian if you like, though.


Pawniard @ Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 1 Atk
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Sandstorm

Pawniard is a fairly slow Steel Beam user - thus a good abuser of Trick Room - that is immune to Prankster shenanigans due to being a Dark-type. This helps it switch into more threats, thus giving it more utility than other Trick Room-abusing Steel Beam users can.

Taunt is a great 3rd move to prevent nasty stuff like Imprison, Taunt, Encore, Trick, Switcheroo, and Heal Pulse from affecting it while in Trick Room (and at least disrupt Imprison Steel Beam users and switch-ins outside of Trick Room). Sandstorm acts as team support by providing valuable chip to unfortunately Tricked/Switcherooed/Knock Offed mons.

Pawniard has Pressure to hopefully make opponents burn up Heal Pulse PP faster. It is Adamant to minimize Special Attack and increase a stat it hopefully never has to use. It has Adamant instead of Brave because Adamant min speed Pawniard actually manages to be slower than max speed, positive Speed nature Trapinch - which has 10 base Speed. The 1 Attack EV raises no stats and is so the teambuilder will not complain.


Xatu @ Black Sludge
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Defog
- Teleport
- Substitute
- Trick Room

Xatu is one of the most reliable setters of anything in the meta, including Trick Room and Defog. Due to Magic Bounce, not much is stopping Xatu from doing its job. Due to how reliable Xatu is and how much like SemiRoom this team actually is, this team can afford to have Xatu be the only Trick Room setter.

Teleport gets Trick Room abusers in without them getting hit by disruption. Substitute is especially important on Xatu to help it KO itself faster.

Due to this Xatu's pivot-heavy playstyle, Black Sludge is used instead of Toxic Orb. Xatu is max speed Naive to take more damage from Steel Beam, be more likely to outspeed Imprison users outside of Trick Room, and have a very slow Teleport in Trick Room. Hasty can be viable to increase the chance it gets KOed by Knock Off, though.


Gothita @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 4 HP
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Magic Coat
- Heal Pulse

Gothita is supreme at abusing Trick Room, with a suddenly lightning-fast Taunt and Heal Pulse along with the ability to trap opponents and be KOed by them quickly. Magic Coat helps it be good outside of Trick Room.

Gothita can stay in play for several turns straight, so it prefers Toxic Orb. It is Mild to lower Defense and raise its unused Special Attack so it can take Struggle and Knock Off even worse without raising its Speed. The 4 HP EVs both prevent the teambuilder from complaining and make its HP not divisible by 4 so it can use Substitute more often.


Abra @ Black Sludge
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 1 HP
Mild Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Taunt
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Encore

Abra helps this team abuse Trick Room by being great Struggle/Knock Off fodder and decent Steel Beam fodder. Just Taunt something with too-strong offences with Gothita and then switch Abra in!

Taunt and Encore both disrupt opponents if it cannot be foddered off immediately, while Magic Coat makes it decent outside of Trick Room. Encore is notably one of this team's only ways to disrupt Oblivious Belly Drummers.

Abra always loses out on either the guaranteed OHKO after Black Sludge from base 70 Attack Timid Struggle (e.g. Accelgor) or Zacian's Steel Beam. I've picked a Mild nature to not lose out on the base 70 Attack Timid Struggle OHKO along with not raising Speed and raising useless Special Attack instead, though Rash is viable if you predict more Zacians. The 1 HP EV raises no stats and prevents the teambuilder from complaining.

Replays:

Replays

• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1292684796: An example win.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1295512042: Another example win.
• https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1302908253: Somehow managed to win this one despite Xatu getting Tricked Leftovers. Granted, my opponent's play might have been a bit sub-optimal.

 

[flying moose]

Since it sounds like there is some consideration for a Steel Beam ban, I just want to put it out there that Steel Beam is probably the best counter for item removal strategies. Perish Song also works to an extent, but Absol and company are all vulnerable to fast Taunt users like Linoone-Galar, so Perish Pass can often fail to save the game against item removal teams. For this reason, I think Steel Beam provides a big public service to counter Trick, CGas, and KOff and keep these moves in check, and for this reason I am more in support of a Steel Beam clause over an outright ban.

Here is a replay showing how useful Steel Beamers can be as switch-ins and scouts for item removal methods.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1298804227

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

Since it sounds like there is some consideration for a Steel Beam ban, I just want to put it out there that Steel Beam is probably the best counter for item removal strategies. Perish Song also works to an extent, but Absol and company are all vulnerable to fast Taunt users like Linoone-Galar, so Perish Pass can often fail to save the game against item removal teams. For this reason, I think Steel Beam provides a big public service to counter Trick, CGas, and KOff and keep these moves in check, and for this reason I am more in support of a Steel Beam clause over an outright ban.

Here is a replay showing how useful Steel Beamers can be as switch-ins and scouts for item removal methods.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8thelosersgame-1298804227

Good point! Steel Beam users are some of the best sacks to item removal attempts as they can KO themselves so quickly, with little restrictions, and from huge chunks of remaining HP. Item removal is also a very volatile aspect of the metagame, and any change could potentially make item removal miuch better / broken. You're totally right that Steel Beam is a much needed counterbalance for item removal that ought not be removed for that reason.

To that degree, most players don't want Steel Beam outright banned as much as they potentially want it nerfed. Steel Beam offered a lot of depth to the meta beyond just as a check to item removal, but it's also so efficient at removing Pokemon that spamming it with a team of 3-5 users (sometimes a full 6) leads to easy wins. Some matchups and playstyles can't check Steel Beam spam, which leads to the question "Is Steel Beam too restrictive in its current form?"

Personally, I would answer no. My games with high-ladder Steel Beam spam were very, very close games. They were relatively short on turns and I only had a few windows of opportunities to "outpace" the spam so my team would be KOed first. That, or I'd choke ;_; These are always intense and go down to the last 1v1, but I don't think that's inherently uncompetitive. Quick, intense games like these aren't a bad part of the meta imo. They're just different than the regular pace of standard vs standard. I also think there are a ton of ways standard builds can include roles meant to get the edge vs Steel Beam spam, so it's not like teambuilding is restrictive either.

However, if you were to disagree with my current take, then what would be the alternative route so that Steel Beam spam is nerfed? I don't know the full scope of possibilities besides just an outright Steel Beam ban, but I would be heavily opposed to completely removing such an integral part of the metagame so soon. Steel Beam itself did just get nerfed with the last ban, and potentially banning a couple more top Steel Beam users could nerf the strat further. A big candidate is Klefki, as Prankster opens so many possibilities for it and easily makes it one of the best abusers. The other route we could maybe go is a Steel Beam clause to limit the amount of users, and maybe 2-3 Steel Beam users max per team could be a decent nerf. That would still allow standard teams to include Steel Beam Pokemon for efficiency and anti-item removal roles while nerfing the spam strategy.

So again, Steel Beam did a ton to make this gen's meta diverse and fleshed out, but there's reasonable concern that in its current form Steel Beam could be broken. I won't be the end-all be-all say in this matter, and if Steel Beam is for certain broken and we need a solution for it, then we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Hope that helps clear up the situation!

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

Quick VR update in the last moments of our ladder! The role comp is also updated.

Update

A+ > S: Top of the line for Steel Beam thanks to Prankster + disruptive movepool. It’s near mandatory on Steel Beam spam and is also great for standard thanks to its efficiency and anti-item removal qualities. It even makes a great Trick user itself, so it’s hard not to think of Klefki as one of the most versatile and dominate threats in the meta. While its Steel Beam is very strong, it easily circumvents this flaw with all its disruptive capabilities.

A+> S-: Nothing else compares to all the role compression Impidimp is capable of. A Steel Beam sack, Prankster user, Prankster immunity, and Trick are all top tier qualities. Its small movepool gives it some competition with Sableye and Cottonee, but that shouldn’t stop it from being one of the best mons in the meta.

A > A+: Item removal is tough for most other Belly Drummers, and even Court Change is proving to be more consistent.

A- > A: Switcheroo was a new standard for Galarion Linoone that makes it very disruptive, and Toxic Orb is a good pick for at least one mon on standard so you have a better defense vs some item removal.

> A-: New weakest Steel Beam users. All have their pros and cons and are interchangeable. Ferroseed in particular is actually on par and not worse than Bronzor due to Knock Off, thus it rose to be in the same rank.

B+ >A-: Its utility on Steel Beam spam is just as good as Kartana’s.

B+ > A-: Prankster immunity + Steel Beam is highly exploitable.

UR > A-: Illusion + Trick on a Dark-type is DEADLY!!! Disguise as a Steel Beam user and bait in sacks for the Trick. It also helps that sacks like Impidimp and Cottonne are unable to Taunt / Encore Zoro.

A- > B+: Better Steel Beam niches but still workable.

A- > B+: PerishPassing is inconsistent and relatively slow.

UR > B+: Lacks a Steel weakness but makes up for it with Imprison + Heal Pulse.

UR > B: Flying utility moves at a good Speed and Steel Beam sackable. Nothing higher due to multiple vulnerabilities to Prankster, item removal, and Calyrex-Shadow.

UR > B: Different niche than Jynx due to Oblivious, great sack to both Struggle and Steel Beam.

UR > B-: Gourgeist-Small is a decently fast Imprison user and one of the only other viable Curse users. Magic Coat and Frisk are also pretty useful as a lead, which allows it to eliminate itself / get into Curse range very quickly.

UR > B-: Weak Steel Beam, Flying support, immune to Grassy Terrain.

UR > C+: Like Aero but trades Steel weakness for a super Stealth Rock weakness, and it also offers Gale Wings + Tailwind.

UR > C+: Dark-type with Speed Boost. Only has Taunt and its frailty to be disruptive.

UR > C+: The fastest Belly Drum user thanks to Quick Feet + Toxic Orb, which allows it to be disruptive with Trick and less vulnerable to item removal.

UR > C: Another Oblivious Belly Drum user, but it lacks disruption or defensive moves like Slowpoke and Spheal, and instead relies on Sandstorm chip (Slowpoke can do this with Hail). Nevertheless, Oblivious + Belly Drum is a killer combo.

Just wanted to get a few more URs on here + reflect recent meta trends, especially with Alolan Sandshrew gone.

And what more can I say, other than thank you to everyone who played and made TLG happen this month :) It was awesome to see one of my favorite OMs be playable on a large scale and to see new faces join the discussion and ladder. Thanks again everyone, I had a great time

Feel free to PM on main whenever you see me logged in (I still go by Ho3nConfirmed on PS) and we can play a friendly TLG game in the AG format. Just remember, the loser is the real winner ;) See ya!

 

[LuxioBro]

Patiently waiting until TLG is OMOTM again and we get a ladder back. Until then, I'll share my favorite team from my favorite OM. It comes with a sountrack, too. Get crazy with the Cheez Whiz!

Importable: https://pokepast.es/05725349e1bec3ac


Accelgor @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 2 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Encore
- Baton Pass
- Knock Off
- Substitute

In my experience, this format tends to be played in a pretty linear fashion. Most KOs are racked up mid-game when momentum is gathered, and the most volatile parts of the game are the beginning and the end. Accelgor brings remarkable stability as a lead. It can't lose its item, is faster than everything relevant except Calyrex-S, and has access to a well-timed Knock Off that can ruin many Pokemon. Encore is great for easing prediction and locking things in to Substitutes, Steel Beams, or Belly Drums. Being able to pass Substitutes is also incredibly useful.


Xatu @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Substitute
- Teleport
- Trick Room
- Defog

Xatu has fantastic synergy with Accelgor. It appreciates Substitutes so that it doesn't lose its valuable item, which it can't faint without. It can also Magic Bounce any faster or Prankster Taunts that would mess with Accelgor. I used Toxic Orb so that it can faint to poison even if it ends up losing its item, but also because I like keeping Xatu around for more of the game in case I need to utilize Magic Bounce or Defog. Defog is mandatory so that Court Change teams don't ruin your day. Trick Room and Teleport on Xatu reliably set up this team's mid-game so that the next two mons can come in and faint quickly.


Spiritomb @ Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 14 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Curse
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Protect

Spiritomb thrives under Trick Room. It can reliably 2HKO itself using Substitute and Curse, is immune to Prankster and trapping, and can Taunt anything it outslows. Protect allows for extra turns when necessary. It has plenty of other moveset options like Snore, Trick, Hypnosis or Disable. Seriously, this thing has a niche and should be on the viability rankings. Infiltrator is banned, so Pressure is mandatory.


Pawniard @ Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 1 HP
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD / 0 Spe
- Steel Beam
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Protect

This slot used to belong to Bronzor, but I found that Taunt and a Prankster immunity are more useful than Levitate and Imprison on a Trick Room Steal Beamer. Its moves are self-explanatory. Pressure stacking with Spiritomb could theoretically be useful in some bizarre matchup I guess (Heal Pulse PP stall?), but it's more useful on Pawniard than Defiant or Inner Focus so it's here.

Klefki @ Black Sludge
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Substitute
- Imprison
- Steel Beam
- Defog

Klefki is a fantastic mon and almost mandatory on any team. Prankster Imprison is a strong weapon against Steel Beam spam. Having multiple Defoggers is essential against Court Change, although it's important to remember that Klefki's Defog fails against Dark types. Klefki is reliable and does its job game in and game out.


Smoochum (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 8 HP / 0 Atk / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Perish Song
- Trick Room
- Magic Coat
- Substitute

Finally, I wanted a mon that could KO itself reliably at the end of a game. Smoochum fulfilled that requirement while also serving as a much-needed Steel Beam sac. It can be brought in to faint against a predicted Steel Beam, saved for an end-of-game Perish Song, or used as a mid-game TR setter if Xatu is somehow unavailable. Trick Room makes sure that in a 1v1, you can dictate which Pokemon faints first and therefore which player wins the game (Perish Song KO order is determined by speed, and can therefore be reversed by Trick Room). Magic Coat reflects Roar, Whirlwind, Encore, and Mold Breaker Taunt. Substitute is Substitute.

This team is not the easiest to handle, but I feel like it does its job well. Mid-games can absolutely fly by if Trick Room is set up. It's important to save certain mons if they throw a wrench in opponents' strategies. For example, if they have a dangerous item remover, keeping Accelgor alive is useful; if they like to spam Steel Beam, keep Klefki around. Calyrex is a mon to watch out for, since it outspeeds everything and Encore, Taunt, and Heal Pulse can all be a pain. Keep Xatu alive and use Trick Room wisely if you end up facing one.

I love how this format makes you rethink everything about every game and unlocks completely new strategies. I'm excited to see what the next iteration of the metagame looks like. Happy losing! Sprechen sie Deutsch, baby!