Hello! This is my first post and the first team I've like enough to post online. I used to play rain and sand teams but they got boring or they were (mostly) stolen from other people.
I decided to play a Trick Room team because I always find myself under/overestimating speeds during battles which leads to a lot of bad plays. With this team they will always go first or last depending on whether Trick Room is active. (disregarding priority attacks)
So without further ado, here is my team.
FIRST LEAD
Bronzong @ Mental Herb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 92 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Reflect
Bronzong is my lead and first Trick Room setter. His sky-high defences means he almost always survives at least one hit to set up trick room. Mental Herb item to prevent taunting. Without Leftovers recovery he usually only survives 2 or 3 switch-ins. If I know hes about to be KOed I set up a TR followed by either an SR or Reflect depending on the opponents team.
SECOND LEAD
Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Surf
- Psyshock
I use Slowking as my lead if I think the opponent is using a powerhouse Fighting or Fire type that could put a dent in Bronzong. The two of them have good synergy since they can resists most types of attacks. With his bulk and Regenerator, Slowking is usually the one I use to setup TR multiple times and switch out. As such he is usually my last poke standing. I chose Nasty Plot over Slack Off as Regenerator is usually sufficient for healing and so that I have an emergency sweeper when the rest of the team is KOed. Psyshock for dealing with special walls that tank Surf.
SPECIAL SWEEPER
Reuniclus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Reuniclus. Probably the best TR abuser and sweeper. Not much to say here. Standard Smogon set. Third and last TR setter in the team.Not as bulky as the other 2 so I usually use either Bronzong or Slowbro to setup TR before switching into him and starting the sweep. Psychic over Psyshock since I have Slowking and physical sweepers.
STEEL KILLER
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Magnezone is for trapping and killing Steel types that would give the rest of my team a headache. TR also lets me use him as a secondary special sweeper, albeit with poor coverage. Thunderbolt is the obligatory STAB attack for Skarmory and Jellicent. Hidden Power takes care of Ferrothorn, Scizor and enemy Bronzong. Volt Switch for scouting and some damage. Flash Cannon is mostly filler. I can't really decide whether to use Choice Specs or an Air Balloon. I like the power boost but getting locked into one attack isn't very fun and an Air Balloon is really useful since the opponent has to use a turn attacking Magnezone which thanks to its typing and defense, the damage is usually minimal. Some help would be appreciated.
PHYSICAL SWEEPER #1
Emboar (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Flare Blitz
- Hammer Arm
- Wild Charge
- Head Smash
The forgotten Fire/Fighting starter Pokemon of the 5th generation, Emboar was built for Trick Room. The thing I like most the Emboar is its insane movepool. Flare Blitz and Hammer Arm are regular STAB moves but Wild Charge and Head Smash give it wide coverage. Wild Charge is great for catching water types off guard who think they can take an attack. Thanks to TR, Emboar will go first and hopefully net an OHKO before the opposing pokemon has a chance to hit him with a STAB water attack. Head Smash is the same thing, but with Flying types. Unfortunately, Emboar dies very quickly since 3/4 of his moves have recoil. It is this that made me give him Leftovers over a Life Orb to prolong his sweep. I chose Blaze over Wreckless because I prefer to stay away from the Dream World tier.
PHYSICAL SWEEPER #2
Honchkrow (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchkrow is my second physical sweeper and Ghost killer. This is the standard set from Smogon with Heat Wave replaced in favour of Pursuit. I took out Heat Wave since it was the only special move on the set. Pursuit works well for trapping Ghosts that threaten Reuniclus and Blisseys that wall it and like running away when faced with a physical attacker. It also gives a more reliable Dark attack for if I lose Sucker Punch mind gamer. Superpower is good for catching Rock, Steel and Normal types off guard. Works great as a Breloom counter since it resists both of Breloom's STABs and Insomnia gives it Spore immunity.
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No time for a full threat list but I have noticed I struggle against Sun teams that carry Volcarona. Bronzong and Magneton don't like taking boosted Fire Blasts while Slowking and Reuniclus die to Bug Buzz. With all my Trick Room setters dying to Volcarona, a properly timed Volcarona switch when TR expires can kill my team if Emboar and Honchkrow have been weakened enough to get KOed before being able to hit it with Head Smash or Brave Bird.
Thoughts?
I decided to play a Trick Room team because I always find myself under/overestimating speeds during battles which leads to a lot of bad plays. With this team they will always go first or last depending on whether Trick Room is active. (disregarding priority attacks)
So without further ado, here is my team.
At a glance:
FIRST LEAD
Bronzong @ Mental Herb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 92 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Reflect
Bronzong is my lead and first Trick Room setter. His sky-high defences means he almost always survives at least one hit to set up trick room. Mental Herb item to prevent taunting. Without Leftovers recovery he usually only survives 2 or 3 switch-ins. If I know hes about to be KOed I set up a TR followed by either an SR or Reflect depending on the opponents team.
SECOND LEAD
Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SDef
Sassy Nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Nasty Plot
- Surf
- Psyshock
I use Slowking as my lead if I think the opponent is using a powerhouse Fighting or Fire type that could put a dent in Bronzong. The two of them have good synergy since they can resists most types of attacks. With his bulk and Regenerator, Slowking is usually the one I use to setup TR multiple times and switch out. As such he is usually my last poke standing. I chose Nasty Plot over Slack Off as Regenerator is usually sufficient for healing and so that I have an emergency sweeper when the rest of the team is KOed. Psyshock for dealing with special walls that tank Surf.
SPECIAL SWEEPER
Reuniclus (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
Reuniclus. Probably the best TR abuser and sweeper. Not much to say here. Standard Smogon set. Third and last TR setter in the team.Not as bulky as the other 2 so I usually use either Bronzong or Slowbro to setup TR before switching into him and starting the sweep. Psychic over Psyshock since I have Slowking and physical sweepers.
STEEL KILLER
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Trait: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
Magnezone is for trapping and killing Steel types that would give the rest of my team a headache. TR also lets me use him as a secondary special sweeper, albeit with poor coverage. Thunderbolt is the obligatory STAB attack for Skarmory and Jellicent. Hidden Power takes care of Ferrothorn, Scizor and enemy Bronzong. Volt Switch for scouting and some damage. Flash Cannon is mostly filler. I can't really decide whether to use Choice Specs or an Air Balloon. I like the power boost but getting locked into one attack isn't very fun and an Air Balloon is really useful since the opponent has to use a turn attacking Magnezone which thanks to its typing and defense, the damage is usually minimal. Some help would be appreciated.
PHYSICAL SWEEPER #1
Emboar (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Flare Blitz
- Hammer Arm
- Wild Charge
- Head Smash
The forgotten Fire/Fighting starter Pokemon of the 5th generation, Emboar was built for Trick Room. The thing I like most the Emboar is its insane movepool. Flare Blitz and Hammer Arm are regular STAB moves but Wild Charge and Head Smash give it wide coverage. Wild Charge is great for catching water types off guard who think they can take an attack. Thanks to TR, Emboar will go first and hopefully net an OHKO before the opposing pokemon has a chance to hit him with a STAB water attack. Head Smash is the same thing, but with Flying types. Unfortunately, Emboar dies very quickly since 3/4 of his moves have recoil. It is this that made me give him Leftovers over a Life Orb to prolong his sweep. I chose Blaze over Wreckless because I prefer to stay away from the Dream World tier.
PHYSICAL SWEEPER #2
Honchkrow (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Honchkrow is my second physical sweeper and Ghost killer. This is the standard set from Smogon with Heat Wave replaced in favour of Pursuit. I took out Heat Wave since it was the only special move on the set. Pursuit works well for trapping Ghosts that threaten Reuniclus and Blisseys that wall it and like running away when faced with a physical attacker. It also gives a more reliable Dark attack for if I lose Sucker Punch mind gamer. Superpower is good for catching Rock, Steel and Normal types off guard. Works great as a Breloom counter since it resists both of Breloom's STABs and Insomnia gives it Spore immunity.
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No time for a full threat list but I have noticed I struggle against Sun teams that carry Volcarona. Bronzong and Magneton don't like taking boosted Fire Blasts while Slowking and Reuniclus die to Bug Buzz. With all my Trick Room setters dying to Volcarona, a properly timed Volcarona switch when TR expires can kill my team if Emboar and Honchkrow have been weakened enough to get KOed before being able to hit it with Head Smash or Brave Bird.
Thoughts?
