Introduction

Trick Room is an interesting "Weather" Effect. I call it "weather" in speech marks because in the game's mechanics, it follows the same coding and formula placement as Sandstorm, Hail or any other actual weather effect, but of course, it's not real weather. It's a Psychic-type move, with 5 PP and a Priority Modifier of -7, moving even after Roar and Whirlwind.

What Trick Room does, however, is that for the 5 Turns it is active, Speed Attacking Priority is reversed for all Pokémon in play. For example, in a Double Battle, we have on one side, Crobat and Marowak, whilst on the other team, Deoxys-Speed Forme and Shuckle. Speed-wise, Crobat and Marowak have 394 and 207 respectively, whilst the other team have 504 and 119 respectively. Normally, if they were all to use normal priority moves, Deoxys would go first, followed by Crobat, then Marowak, then Shuckle. However, let's say Deoxys uses Trick Room. First, because the move itself has a Priority of -6, Deoxys will be moving after Shuckle, meaning Crobat first. However, once the move is in effect, for the next 4 turns (because one turn is already wasted using Trick Room itself), Shuckle will move first, followed by Marowak, then Crobat, and then Deoxys-Speed last, even if it didn't use Trick Room.

As well as this, a Pokémon holding a Choice Scarf or has a Stat Boost that would normally outspeed others (example, Choice Scarf Heracross hits 403 Speed Maximum, outspeeding Ludicolo at 262) would move after it, as Trick Roomstakes the final stat numbers into account, not just raw stats. Also, the effects of Full Incense, Lagging Tail, Quick Claw or with the Ability Stall ignore Trick Room completely. Also, using Trick Room whilst it is already active removes the effect.

Using Trick Room

Trick Room Pokémon

Trick Room Setup

There are a variety of Pokémon that can learn the move Trick Room. However, some do it better than others. The following are the best users of it.

Bronzong is by far one of the best users of Trick Room. With a Base 33 Speed, Bronzong cna fall to 63 Speed. This means that it's main STAB move, Gyro Ball hits max power, and almost always moves first under Trick Room. As well as this, Bronzong can set up Stealth Rock, lend support with Reflect/Light Screen, and even use Explosion, Bronzong makes a great addition to any team.

Porygon2 is well known for being able to single-handedly counter Salamence, Heatran and and Gyarados, all at the same time. However, a Base 60 Speed has often left our little cyber-duck out of the spotlight. With Trick Room in play, however, Porygon2 becomes a threatening Special Sweeper. Able to use Thunderbolt/Ice Beam, Toxic, Tri-Attack and heal itself with Recover, it's very diverse.

Slowbro has great bulk, making it an effective wall anywhere. It can set up Trick Room easily and support the team with Yawn and Thunder Wave.

Exeggutor can set up Trick Room itself, but usually uses one already in play to set up it's own sweep. With a 125 Base Special Attack as well as STAB on two very reliable special attacks with great coverage in the form of Psychic and Energy Ball, as well as a variety of support options, including Sleep Powder.

Claydol has amazing bulk, and can benefit from Sandstorm as well as Trick Room. It can set up Stealth Rock and even use Rapid Spin to remove your opponents. It can also help another sweeper come in by using Explosion, as well as setting up Reflect/Light Screen.

Trick Room Sweepers

Some Pokémon under normalo circumstances have great sweeping potential with amazing power, but lack the speed to be able to hit fast enough to make a difference. Trick Room changes all of this, and turns what would otherwise be a naked emperor into the scariest thing alive.

Exeggutor can play two roles, either setting up Trick Room, or abusing it itself with either Calm Mind, or Sunny Day and Solar Beam, or even Choice Specs

Trapinch may seem strange, as it's not fully evolved, so not as useful as it's older brother, Flygon but having a Base 100 Attack makes it an amazing revenge killer in Trick Room, as thanks to Arena Trap, it can catch most Steel types and take them down with a superpowered Earthquake.

Armaldo has an incredible 125 Attack Stat, and it's lacklustre Speed means it'll be abusing that in Trick Room. With access to Swords Dance to boost already large Attack, it's main STAB moves, Stone Edge and X-Scissor become some of the most dangerous things around.

Rampardos sports the highest Non-Uber attack stat in the game. In fact, at 165, it outclasses several ubers as well. Usually, due to it's extreme fragility and low HP, using Rampardos would be difficult. However, moving first a lot of the time is incredibly beneficial as it can then use Choice Band or Swords Dance to One/Two Hit KO everything imaginable with whatever attack it can lay it's tiny hands on.

Rhyperior also has an abnormally high Attack stat, clocking in at 140. It too can use Swords Dance and wreak intense havoc with it's dual STABs, Stone Edge and Earthquake combined with amazing type coverage.

Omastar is usually seen on a Rain Dance team, abusing Swift Swim to double its speed and naturally outspeed any other threat. However, Base 55 Speed is enough to make it a candidate for Trick Room, and with it's large Special Attack, it can hit hard with great type coverage with STAB Hydro Pump and Ancientpower and backed by Earth Power.

Playing Trick Room

Trick Room doesn't have as much strict rules and archetypes and strategies as most other effects. Generally, you should aim to have at least 3 or more Pokémon that can set up Trick Room on your team, and at least 4 or more Pokémon that can abuse Trick Room. Usually, this is done by taking a mix of high powered sweepers, get them in after the Trick Room, and begin sweeping with their large, but un-used power. Trick Room can also be combined with most Weather Effects, such as Sandstorm and Sunshine to obtain devastating effects.

Usually, once you use Trick Room, you can catch your opponent by suprise, as most teams in the Metagame nowadays are based around speed, and so when you reverse the speed on the field, they'll be unprepared for your eventual sweep. You can often use this to your advantage by setting up Trick Room, disorientating them, and usually thwacking them around with your sweeper whilst they try to regain control. However, you only have 3 turns to sweep with your sweeper, so refreshing the Trick Room will be necessary, and this is a lot harder than it seems, as by then your opponent will have clocked on will have found a way to combat your strategy, usually through priority moves or by stalling you out.

Like any Weather Effect, the whole point of a Trick Room team is to keep momentum going. However, unlike most Weather Effects, you can afford to sacrifice one or two of your Pokémon, as you should have several Trick Roomers able to refresh your warped world. However, don't keep your sweepers in once Trick Room is gone, otherwise they're dead meat - especially the frail ones like Rampardos.

Conclusion

Trick Room is one of the most un-used but deadliest Weather Effects out there, as it can sweep most teams today completely. It's difficult to counter without being specially prepared for it, and even then, the only way to stop the momentum of a Trick Room team is to pack Trick Room yourself in order to cancel them out.

Hopefully, you've experimented with a few Pokémon and Trick Room, and probably scored a few wins, thanks to the suprise factor. Trick Room has been one of my most successful teams, personally, and if you can pull it off well, it's an incredibly different and fun take from the fast and frail chaos of the Metagame nowadays.

Page written by Zy.

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