Hi and welcome to my Gen 7 Trademarked RMT! I'm Mengy, and I'm a subpar player and ladderer. But I love to build teams, and in this RMT I hope to show you a team that will make you say "Wow, Mengy, even though you are a subpar player and ladderer, this team is crazy." The team uses a lot of strategies unique to the Trademarked metagame, so I really hope you'll enjoy reading about it! And, as promised, there is an infinite loop combo that takes advantage of mons locked into Volt Switch or U-turn:
and it goes on until they die
I'll explain that all in a sec. First some required bragging.
I completed reqs with a 28-2 record and won a Tours room tour with it. Wow! Okay not a ladder peak but I'm not a laddery guy D:
Now, for people not versed in Other Metas, here's a quick metagame breakdown:
Trademarked is this month's (May 2019's) featured OM. In Trademarked, each Pokémon has the ability to replace its ability with a status move in its learnset, which will be used when switching in. For example, Pokémon with the access to the move Growl can set their ability to Growl, which will function the same way as Intimidate. You can also set your ability to other things, like Stealth Rock and Dragon Dance, but you're limited to one of each ability per team.
The people in charge of the tier limited the most degenerate strategies by banning stuff like Parting Shot and Spore and Assist, so here's a shortlist of the best strategies in Trademarked:
- Setup: Cloyster comes in already Shell Smashed.
- Autosetters: Trick Room in particular got a huge buff. Banded TR Stakataka can come in turn 1 and outspeed everything.
- Wishpassing: Wish Chansey is now a defensive pivot which can switch in and out and heal a recoveryless mon up to full.
- Hazards: Hazard wars are now momentum wars with all 4 entry hazards as well as Defog now abilities.
- Substitute: I mention Substitute last for how busted it is. As user Darthikyu put it: "Basically every mon is mimikyu on steroids. Even mimikyu is mimikyu on steroids. It's insane." I think a Substitute user is a must on every team to fulfill revenge killing and anti-sweep roles.
- Misc: Other stuff Will-O-Wisp, Heart Swap, Magnet Rise, Role Play, Transform and Heal Bell see use as well. Such tier diversity!
The people in charge of the tier limited the most degenerate strategies by banning stuff like Parting Shot and Spore and Assist, so here's a shortlist of the best strategies in Trademarked:
- Setup: Cloyster comes in already Shell Smashed.
- Autosetters: Trick Room in particular got a huge buff. Banded TR Stakataka can come in turn 1 and outspeed everything.
- Wishpassing: Wish Chansey is now a defensive pivot which can switch in and out and heal a recoveryless mon up to full.
- Hazards: Hazard wars are now momentum wars with all 4 entry hazards as well as Defog now abilities.
- Substitute: I mention Substitute last for how busted it is. As user Darthikyu put it: "Basically every mon is mimikyu on steroids. Even mimikyu is mimikyu on steroids. It's insane." I think a Substitute user is a must on every team to fulfill revenge killing and anti-sweep roles.
- Misc: Other stuff Will-O-Wisp, Heart Swap, Magnet Rise, Role Play, Transform and Heal Bell see use as well. Such tier diversity!
Even to people who have played the tier a lot, Trademarked can be confusing both to build and to play. Before we look at the specifics of the team, it can be helpful to think about the ways in which Trademarked differs from standard metagames like OU, and how we can take advantage of these differences to build more effectively.
One thing about Trademarked is that momentum moves are much better here than in standard metagames. U-turn is now 2 moves in 1: first it deals damage, and then it uses the ability of whatever Pokémon is sent in. Hard switching is also much stronger – abilities are activated on switchin, so they are basically priority moves.
When building this team I tried to make the most effective use of the free moves that U-turn and Volt Switch give and prevent our opponent from using those strategies against us.
Okay so here's the team:
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Substitute
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Every Inheritence team should have a Sub mon and my chosen Sub user is offensive Lefties Heatran. Substitute is set when Heatran switches in, so if it comes in on a status move or a switch or a sac, it gets a sub up for free. Versus offense, Heatran behind a sub has few switchins and nets a bunch of kills.
Heatran's also great versus stall. Trapping moves are amazing in Trademarked because many teams rely on passing Wishes to stay healthy. Magma Storm isolates mons on bulkier teams and breaks down defensive cores with Chansey, Skarmory, Magearna, and Toxapex.
Heatran should be kept healthy at all costs. Play very cautiously around Pursuit users and potential Z-users. In other cases, feel free to be greedy with Protect to get that sweet sweet Lefties recovery. Protect also helps stall out Trick Room and rain/sun and stalls for Magma Storm damage. As I'll explain a bit later on, it plays a role in dissuading enemies from using U-turn or Volt Switch to escape the Magma Storm trap.
Vaporeon @ Eject Button
Ability: Wish
EVs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Scald
- Haze
Since Heatran will be setting Substitutes frequently and losing 25% of its health each time, Wish Vaporeon helps ensure that Tran stays close to full. The interaction between Wish and Substitute is really sweet: as long as the Sub user has more than 25% HP, they set a sub on switchin, and even if the sub is broken they receive the Wish pass.
Eject Button allows Vaporeon to function as a safe blanket switchin to special attacks and bounce out to safety while initiating a Wish pass. Vaporeon has nice type synergy with Heatran, being able to switch into the offensive Fire and Water type mons that force Tran out if its sub is broken. Its high HP stat allows for big Wishes. Protect ensures that Vaporeon can heal itself with its own Wish, which is important as it lacks recovery otherwise. This is especially important if Vaporeon has taken a hit Ejecting earlier.
Haze is this team's only way of dealing with slow bulky setup mons like Snorlax, Slowbro, CM Keldeo, and Latias. I've never clicked it though, these mons see very little usage in Trademarked because of Haze Toxapex and Heart Swap Magearna.
Mew @ Eject Button
Ability: Me First
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Happiness: 0
Naive Nature
- Protect
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
Here is where the team starts to really diverge from OU-like territory and really become a Trademarked team. Me First as an ability needs some explaining, and I'll get to that, but Mew works in tandem with Tapu Koko on this team, so I'll post it here and then explain both sets.
Tapu Koko @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mirror Move
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Protect
- Dazzling Gleam
- U-turn
- Volt Switch
Okay so as you may know, Me First and Mirror Move are both copy-the-opponent's-move type moves.
- Both moves can only copy attacking moves: Me First works if you use it before the opponent attacks; Mirror Move works when used after the opponent's moved. Since these are used as Mew and Koko's abilites, Mew and Koko can do damage just by switching in.
- What this means is that having an Eject Button Mew alive in the back of your team means that you have a strong priority attack that to be used versus an opposing attacker. For example, if an opposing Garchomp uses Earthquake, if we hard switch out into Mew, we use EQ via Me First before the Garchomp has an opportunity to. Then, after the Garchomp hits Mew with EQ, Mew is Ejected out and we bring in Koko, which activates Mirror Move to use Earthquake again.
- What this means is that having an Eject Button Mew alive in the back of your team means that you have a strong priority attack that to be used versus an opposing attacker. For example, if an opposing Garchomp uses Earthquake, if we hard switch out into Mew, we use EQ via Me First before the Garchomp has an opportunity to. Then, after the Garchomp hits Mew with EQ, Mew is Ejected out and we bring in Koko, which activates Mirror Move to use Earthquake again.
The combination of Me First and Mirror Move allows for an infinite combo versus opposing mons that have repeatedly used U-turn or Volt Switch but were unable to switch out (either because they U-turned into your Protect, or because their switch out was canceled by an Eject Button). This is best explained by a replay:
This is a crazy powerful mechanic and what makes the team really tick.
Even when working individually, Me First and Mirror Move provide powerful ways of dealing priority damage to mons which use moves that they themselves are weak to, including Dragons, Ghosts, EQ Staka, Shadow Ball Zam, and others. Even when the opponent knows Me First or After You is coming, it's still very hard to play around. Mons trapped by Magma Storm in particular often have no choice but to attack, which can be punished by a switch into Mew or Koko.
Individual notes on Mew and Koko:
One thing conspicuously missing from Mew's set is recovery. I think 1-turn recovery is not so effective in a tier filled with roided up threats, and that the better way to heal is through Wish passing.
Landorus-Therian @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Rock Polish
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Fly
- Defog
Landorus is the team's late-game policy for when Tran has been weakened and all our Eject Buttons have been used up. It immunities are nice for our team too. Rock Polish means it's fast enough to outspeed Mega Zam and +1 Volcarona, which is important so we don't get swept by them. I like Jolly better than Adamant to ensure that I at least speed tie other Landori, which would otherwise be pretty scary. Z-Fly is a nuke to hit Lando and problematic Fighting types like Keldeo, Kommo, Konk, and Kreloom. Also Skystrike hits everything else for just about a million. Defog and the rest of the set are just standard and solid.
Forretress @ Eject Button
Ability: Toxic Spikes
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split
- Toxic
Last but maybe not least, Forretress is here as the team's glue and Toxic Spikes setter. Tspikes are somehow better than rocks on this team, and Forry can reliably set them throughout the game. With Toxic Spikes up and Tran in play, stall teams are put into a checkmate situation deciding whether to absorb tspikes with Pex and die to Earth Power or fodder another mon, since Chansey dies to Taunt + residual damage. Versus other teams, we have like 4 Protect users so the residual damage from poison adds up.
Eject Button and Volt Switch provide us with a way to pivot around strong physical attackers. Pain Split allows us to endlessly pivot around Chansey and be a nuisance to stall. Toxic is for Lando and also just because the team didn't have Toxic anywhere else.
You may notice that Forry doesn't have a real attacking move. I think weak attacking moves that are likely to not break substitutes are not so bueno in Trademarked, and Forretress should probably try to be pivoting out to a stronger or faster mon rather than staying in and attacking. I haven't had any games where not having an attacking move cost me.
Here are a few notes on how the team matches up versus what I consider the main archetypes in Trademarked:
- The matchup is strongly in our favor, provided they are not running Eject Button or Me First.
- Three Eject Buttons let us pivot around their threats, while their volt-turn pivoting options are pressured by the Mirror/Me infinite loop.
- Trick Room is especially favorable for us, as having Protect on everything as well as Sub Tran runs down TR turns, and most of their sweepers are Mirror/Me revengeable.
- Three Eject Buttons let us pivot around their threats, while their volt-turn pivoting options are pressured by the Mirror/Me infinite loop.
- Trick Room is especially favorable for us, as having Protect on everything as well as Sub Tran runs down TR turns, and most of their sweepers are Mirror/Me revengeable.
- This matchup is decided by how weak they are to Sub Tran and how weak our defoggers are to their team.
- We have three hazard removers but all of them are situational, and the more Spikes are up, the worse Heatran is.
- On the other hand, Spikes setters are typically either fragile or passive and allow Tran and Landorus free turns.
- On the other other hand, offensive spikestack teams can really push us around and make Vaporeon and Mew feel like deadweight while putting pressure on Heatran's HP.
- We have three hazard removers but all of them are situational, and the more Spikes are up, the worse Heatran is.
- On the other hand, Spikes setters are typically either fragile or passive and allow Tran and Landorus free turns.
- On the other other hand, offensive spikestack teams can really push us around and make Vaporeon and Mew feel like deadweight while putting pressure on Heatran's HP.
- The matchup is strongly in our favor.
- Sub Tran is really the deciding factor. Stall has almost no way of dealing damage to it, it can't be statused, and it can trap and kill almost everything.
- Wish passes from Vaporeon keep everything healthy.
- Sub Tran is really the deciding factor. Stall has almost no way of dealing damage to it, it can't be statused, and it can trap and kill almost everything.
- Wish passes from Vaporeon keep everything healthy.
- Hoopa-U is an incredibly important mon which is currently being suspected! It hits Heatran behind Sub with Hyperspace Fury, which can't be Mirror Moved or Me Firsted.
- Our team is incredibly weak to it; however, I have made a separate version of the team (with cute names) that is tuned to the Hoopa meta.
- https://pokepast.es/5e03a6563db9598d
- Our team is incredibly weak to it; however, I have made a separate version of the team (with cute names) that is tuned to the Hoopa meta.
- https://pokepast.es/5e03a6563db9598d
Okay well that's it! Please be brutally honest with your feedback but also I will be enforcing a strict compliments-only policy in the comments. Click here for an importable.
Thanks to:
vivalospride holy señor ty for showing me how to make spoiler tags,
pokeisfun for being a friend, a Friend, and someone who makes sure to tell me when they laugh at my jokes,
Yifeng size twin,
sketchy ecchi , DrReuniclus, DubFreaknakeeb, and Ktütverde for testing and bouncing around ideas,
Whitephoenixace for managing such an unruly tier,
KellyKafka and Jov for providing such interesting gossip,
All of the Friends,
The OM players who keep churning out cool ideas for sets and metagames,
Every UU player who votes to ban Mega Sableye,
All of the people in all the rooms I frequent,
Last but not least, literally everyone who has ever lived or is currently living (now nobody can complain they were left out)
I specifically exclude i like cute things
vivalospride holy señor ty for showing me how to make spoiler tags,
pokeisfun for being a friend, a Friend, and someone who makes sure to tell me when they laugh at my jokes,
Yifeng size twin,
sketchy ecchi , DrReuniclus, DubFreaknakeeb, and Ktütverde for testing and bouncing around ideas,
Whitephoenixace for managing such an unruly tier,
KellyKafka and Jov for providing such interesting gossip,
All of the Friends,
The OM players who keep churning out cool ideas for sets and metagames,
Every UU player who votes to ban Mega Sableye,
All of the people in all the rooms I frequent,
Last but not least, literally everyone who has ever lived or is currently living (now nobody can complain they were left out)
I specifically exclude i like cute things
Me winning a Tournaments room tour:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-906917332
The very first instance of the infinite loop combo in battle, performed with a very early version of the team:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-904292242
Another early version of the team (with the now-banned Smeargle :( ) beating TR:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-904666827
The infinite loop combo, done with level 1 pokemon in a rated battle (warning: replay may freeze browzer! Do not try to skip past turn 6)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-905245687
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-906917332
The very first instance of the infinite loop combo in battle, performed with a very early version of the team:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-904292242
Another early version of the team (with the now-banned Smeargle :( ) beating TR:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-904666827
The infinite loop combo, done with level 1 pokemon in a rated battle (warning: replay may freeze browzer! Do not try to skip past turn 6)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-905245687
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7trademarked-905123151Turns out with Sturdy Shedinja and the Volt-Turn loop, the game lasts forever.
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