


Trapping
Trapping has been an irritating strategy since ADV, where Dugtrio and Magneton teams were (and still are) popular. Although it was comparatively rare throughout DPP, trapping returned to full strength in BW1, particularly due to the introduction of shiny new dragons to abuse with DragMag, and the introduction of Drizzle Politoed and Drought Ninetales handing Dugtrio a niche in combating opposing weather inducers.
BW2 brought a few changes which has made trapping more powerful than ever. The release of Shadow Tag Gothitelle has given teambuilders the most customizable trapper to date, being able to trap or cripple almost any Pokemon in OU with the appropriate moveset. BW2 also brought with it Tornadus-T and Genesect, who are largely responsible for the increase in Dugtrio usage. With Garchomp recently unbanned, we are sure to see at least a small rise in Magnezone usage too.
The Trappers


Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Trait: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
IVs: 21 HP
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Memento / Stone Edge
Dugtrio is an excellent addition to most Rain and Sun offense teams. On Sun, Dugtrio acts as a reliable way of trapping and dispatching of Heatran and Tyranitar, as well as Terrakion or Politoed in a pinch. On Rain, it acts as an excellent way of removing opposing Tyranitar and Ninetales to keep eternal Drizzle, but can also be used alongside U-Turn Tornadus-T to bait in and KO Jirachi who is one of the few Tornadus-T counters. Earthquake is the standard STAB move that Dugtrio will be using 80% of the time. Reversal OHKOs all non-Chople Tyranitar once Dugtrio has been knocked down to sash, and along with 21 HP IVs (which mean Dugtrio will be knocked to 1 HP after 2 Seismic Tosses), causes some problems for Blissey. Stealth Rock is here generally because a lot of weather offense teams struggle to find room to put it anywhere else, although Dugtrio is generally unreliable at setting it up early in the game. Memento and Stone Edge both have their uses; Memento is to prevent Dugtrio from being set-up on after it has KOd something, whereas Stone Edge is often a better option for Sun teams who tend to be weaker to opposing Volcarona.


Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 SDef
Modest Nature / Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Although the offensive BW2 metagame means defensive steels like Skarmory aren't as prevalent as in mid-BW1, Magnezone still has a niche thanks to the popularity of Genesect and Scizor. Although both these Pokemon pack U-Turn and commonly have a coverage option that will OHKO Magnezone, its presence alone is enough to discourage your opponent from attempting a revenge-kill with their steel insect of choice. With Choice Specs, Magnezone won't always be dead weight against teams without trappable steels. Specs Magnezone is incredibly hard for offensive teams to switch into, Rain in particular. Thunderbolt is the primary STAB option, although Hidden Power [Fire] will likely be the attack of choice against most trapped steels (Genesect, Scizor, Ferrothorn). Volt Switch provides a means of conserving momentum, and means you don't have to resort to using Thunderbolt against Skarmory and being potential set-up fodder on the next turn. Flash Cannon nails Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus, Garchomp and Hippowdon who may try to switch-in on Thunderbolt, as well as providing good neutral coverage.
Magnezone can also run a set of Substitute / Charge Beam / Hidden Power [Fire] / Flash Cannon @ Leftovers to set-up on Ferrothorn and Choice-locked Scizor.


Magneton @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire]
Magneton's base 70 Speed lends itself to a Choice Scarf set more naturally than Magnezone, who sits at base 60. Although the drop in power and bulk is significant, the jump in Speed allows Scarf Magneton to outspeed a plethora of threats that a Scarfed Magnezone could only dream of, most notably +1 Adamant Dragonite and Gyarados, Starmie and Tornadus-T. The only difference in moveset between Scarf Magneton and Specs Magnezone is the option of Hidden Power [Ice] here, which allows Magneton to hit Dragonite and other Dragons. Although losing Hidden Power [Fire] means Magneton can't do much to Ferrothorn, its generally ineffective at trapping and eliminating Ferrothorn in rain even with it.



Gothitelle @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Psyshock / Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire]
- Trick
Gothitelle is a very diverse trapper, so this is by no means a definitive list of the options it can run. However, these are generally the most common sets. With a Choice Scarf and a Timid Nature, Gothitelle outspeeds Tornadus-T by 1 point (speed tie if using Hidden Power [Fire]!), allowing it to trap it and KO with Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock and a turn of Life Orb recoil. Choice Scarf also makes Gothitelle a good check to other top-tier threats such as Terrakion and Keldeo. Choice Specs is generally better against more defensive teams, as Scarf Gothitelle lacks the power to get KOs on anything remotely bulky unless its hitting on a 4x weakness. Shadow Tag also provides Choiced Gothitelle with an unblockable Trick, allowing it to cripple stall members, Chansey in particular. Signal Beam is a notable option for both the Scarf and Specs sets for teams that have issues with Celebi, and is an excellent option to support sweepers like Breloom, who have problems with Celebi.
Gothitelle can also run a variety of Calm Mind sets, but these are less effective than the Choice sets as it can't set up on much on such an offensively inclined metagame. Gothitelle is generally best used to remove specific Pokemon to facilitate a sweep for a teammate.
Other trappers: Wobbuffet, Pursuit users (e.g. Tyranitar, Scizor)
Trapping Cores




"GeneSun" is based on the idea that Genesect shares the same counters as most sun sweepers. Heatran is the main target of this core, but it can also lure in and eliminate Tyranitar, Terrakion and some Politoed who are other major threats to most Sun teams. This core is often used alongside Xatu to prevent hazard set-up, and Venusaur as the primary win condition. This team is largely responsible for the sudden increase in Shed Shell Heatran usage.




Dugtrio fits on Rain teams just as well as Sun teams, as its an excellent way of taking out Tyranitar and Ninetales. Just like the previous core, this core is based around U-Turn users and Focus Sash Dugtrio to eliminate the main checks to Tornadus-T and Rain teams in general. With Tyranitar, Ninetales and Specially Defensive Jirachi removed, Tornadus-T generally has very few problems tearing through teams.



DragMag was a popular strategy in early-/mid-BW1 but seems to have taken a bit of a hit in BW2. The general idea is to trap the opponent's defensive Steel-types (i.e. Skarmory, Forretress, Ferrothorn) so that the opponent team can be run through by powerful Dragon-type attacks. However, with many teams' reliance on Scarf Genesect to revenge kill threats such as Dragonite, Latios and Garchomp, DragMag really has a chance to shine. With Magnezone waiting in the wings, Scarf Genesect users are put off using Ice Beam against Garchomp or Dragonite knowing that they will be helpless against the other Dragons if Genesect is trapped and KOd. Although Genesect's access to U-Turn turns every turn into a 50:50, DragMag should generally come out on top.
What are your thoughts on the trapping Pokemon? Do you like what they bring to the game?