Hey, I’m Vann. I've been playing Pokemon since RBY back in the day, but I stumbled upon Smogon back in Gen 5. Even so, this is my first ever Rate My Team. I’ve worked hard at getting this team as good as it can be, but if you have any suggestions to improve it, let me know.
Hope you like it!
Proof of Peak: https://i.imgur.com/tryHwi2.png
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While often being seen as a gimmick in Singles, Trick Room has been my favorite playstyle for several generations. I've always found the unique blend of bulk, speed control and hard hitting hit and run tactics to be fun to play with, while also being wonderfully anti-meta, being a natural counter to popular Hyper Offensive strategies, such as Weather, Sticky Web and Tailwind. While Trick Room lost many of its old tools in the transition from last gen (Magenera, Hoopa U, Mega Mawile, Marowak, etc.), it also got a tremendous boon with Hatterene in Gen 8, being not only an excellent Taunt-proof offensive TR setter, as well as being able to provide a supportive role by deterring status and hazards.
Still, it's not hard to see why TR is so uncommon on the ladder. There are many issues to consider when building a TR team.
First, Ghost and Dark spam is very common in this meta, which means that many of the TR setters are going to have a hard time setting up consistently, since they're mostly Psychic and Ghost types. Furthermore, TR is a playstyle that lives and dies on momentum, and Balance cores and Stall teams dominate the high ladder, which are capable of withstanding TR's boom and burst offensive tempo and slowly chip away at the team giving it a hard time.
Continuing on: strats like Wish + Protect stall out precious TR turns. Dual Screens slow offensive momentum. Substitue users like Togekiss and Gyarados give offensive mons fits. Knock Off no longer has Megas/Z Moves as a counter, meaning mons dependent on their item to dole out damage struggle to break. Opposing set up sweepers also require caution, as if one gets in on the last turn of Trick Room and is able to tank a hit to set up, they're typically able to plow through the pitifully slow TR mons the next turn.
But despite all these weaknesses TR faces, they're also all issues any good team should be able to deal with. Somehow, I still felt like I could leverage the Trick Room playstyle's strengths while mitigating its weaknesses. That exactly what I've set out to do with this team; a balanced approach to Trick Room. I've had decent success with it on the OU ladder. Besides being a formidable team against many matchups, the team is tons of fun to use, and really, isn’t that what this game is all about?
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Let's go through the team members and the building process!
Hatterene (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Mystical Fire
- Trick Room
I touched on Hatterene earlier, but I'll go through her set for the uninitated. Hatterene is an offensive juggernaught, able to leverage her invested bulk to tank modest non-SE hits, set up TR and use her absmally low speed to great effect, becoming blazingly fast under TR. Compounded by her awesome special attack stat and glorious STAB combo of Psychic and Fairy (+ Fire coverage for Steels), Hatterne blazes through teams once their special wall goes down. Psychic tears through typical Fairy resists, 2HKOs Torkoal (one of the few things Hat can outspeed outside TR), and 1 shots Rotom-H and Cinderace, and of course any Poison type like Toxapex or Weezing.
Mystical Fire is generally a splashable move against Special attackers, dropping their power and letting your other mons come in easier against them. MF also roasts Def Ferrothorn in one hit (unless Hat loses its LO, or Rain is on), 1 shots Excadrill after its sash is broken, and 2 shots Jirachi and Aegislash (with the added benefit of weakening Shadow Ball/Flash Cannon if it's a special attacking variant).
But that's not all! Hatterene's glorious ability Magic Bounce rebounds any non-attacking move thrown at her, including Toxic, Will O' Wisp, Thunder Wave, Glare, Leech Seed, Strength Sap (lol it actually heals Hat), Taunt, and Encore, and sends them right back at her attacker. Best of all, this also applies to all manner of hazards (minus MB Excadrill and NG Weezing) making her an excellent switch in to most defensive mons. This is huge for the TR playstyle, as most Trick Room teams cannot afford the turn cost of running hazard control, as doing so forfeits any offensive momentum the team has generated.
Hatterene works best when it switches in on something passive, namely a wall like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Hippodown, Kommo-O, etc, or something locked into a Dragon or Fighting move. From here, Hat can set up TR, flipping speed priority, and proceed to start hammering the opposing team, or otherwise, switch to one of its fellow slow mons if they happen to switch in a special wall like Clefable, Sylveon, Gastrodon or Mirror Armor Corviknight (which rebounds Mystic Fire's sp. attack drop). Be sure to check if Corv is a Mirror Armor variant, as Pressure is telegraphed, so that way you always know if Hat should stay in against Corvi.
While Hatterene has some decent bulk, it gets worn down quickly, between taking a modest hit or two and Life Orb use. Besides, it certainly can't tank extremely hard hits such as Dracovish's Fisherous Rend, Dragapult's Shadow Ball, Terrakoin's Stone Edge or any sort of hit from a set up sweeper like Gyarados or Venusaur. As we previously discussed, Haterenne is super slow outside TR, meaning even slow breakers like Conkledurr and Crawdaunt and outspeed and OHKO it. Taking all this into account - Hatterene is unlikely to set up TR more than once per game.
And this brings us to our second Trick Room setter...
Mimikyu (M) @ Red Card
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Trick Room
Previously I mentioned how TR can be vulnerable to Dark and Ghost spam. I didn't really want to double up on those weaknesses in my setters, and yet most TR setters are Ghost or Psychic types.
Allow me to introduce you to Mimikyu.
By virtue of its ability, Disguise, granting it a free hit, Mimikyu is almost ALWAYS guaranteed to get at least one Trick Room up per game, unless you have severely misplayed somehow. Frequently, it will even get two or three TR uses going as it has bulk investment hiding behind Disguise which allows it to easily tank hits like Scarf Hydregoin’s Dark Pulse or Conkledurr’s Knock Off (having lost its item previously).
Because of Disguise, Mimikyu’s shared weaknesses to Ghost and Steel with Hatterene are less of an issue, as it can easily set up TR on Dragapult, Gengar or Aegislash as well as other scary stuff like Dracovish, Conkledurr, Obstagoon, Terrakoin and Bisharp, and hammer them with its own STABs. Mimikyu will struggle to do much to defensive cores (outside Mandibuzz and Kommo-O) but even unboosted, Mimikyu’s unresisted Fairy and Ghost STABs lets it do a ton of work against offense teams. Rounding out the set, Shadow Sneak let’s it pick off weakened threats, while also defending its Disguise.
This note is especially crucial: Disguise should always be maintained until absolutely necessary. This means absolutely no hard switches into Mimikyu, unless you are 100% confident the opponent is going to use either a Dragon or Fighting move (which are actually easy enough to bait given its teammates weaknesses) or non-attacking move. Using Disguise wisely is important to your success, not just because it allows Mimikyu one freebie TR set but also because Red Card is a one time emergency fail safe for the team.
Remember that I mentioned that if a set up sweeper comes in on the last turn of Trick Room or an annoying Sub user gets going (Togekiss and Aegislash :/) that I might have a hard time?
Red Card.
Let’s say you’re looking down Dragon Dance Gyarados, or a set up Kommo-O (Sub BD, Clangorous Soul, DD, it doesn't matter which), or Hawlucha with Unburden activated, or Nasty Plot Togekiss behind a Sub, Calm Mind Mew. etc, etc, etc. Whatever you don’t want to deal with - Mimikyu has gotchu. They hit you, Disguise breaks, Red Card phazes them out to a random mon and you set up Trick Room - all in one swoop, you’ve totally invalidated your opponents’ strategy by forcing them out while also setting up Trick Room. It feels amazing. Every time. This works consistently on most sweepers and sub users, except for a hand full of key threats. Let's talk about those:
Red Card will NOT phaze your opponent if it can either OHKO Mimikyu through Disguise somehow or invalidate Red Card by using Knock Off.
These threats include:
Shell Smash Cloyster, as after a SS Skill Link moves break Disguise and kill Mimikyu in one swoop.
Mold Breaker Excadrill and Haxorus. Ignores Disguise.
Photon Geyser Necrozma. This move also ignores Disguise, although it won't OHKO Mimikyu without a boost or two. This is rare though since most CM Necros run Stored Power, although I have seen a few Dragon Dance and WP + Automize variants.
Knock Off users like SD Bisharp or Bulk Up Zerora. Mimikyu loses Red Card on Knock Off, meaning while you don’t die in one hit, and you still get your TR on, they’re still in giving you a headache if they're boosted.
Keeping these threats in mind is important, but still, Mimikyu is the most consistent member of this team. And fear not, we’ve got more squad mates to help deter these threats....
Conkeldurr (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Mach Punch
- Earthquake / Knock Off
I’ll let the calcs talk.
Close Combat vs Corviknight, 252 HP, 252 Def, Impish = 59.2-70%
Facade vs Clefable 252 HP, 252 Def, Bold = 58.8 - 69.5%
Earthquake vs Toxapex 252 HP, 252 Def, Bold = 67.1-78.9%
Does the set need more explanation? Not really. But here we go anyway!
We’re running TR, so full investment in bulk and attack, and de-investment in speed for maximum speed advantage in TR. No brainer there.
Conkledurr brings an absurd amount of breaking power, along with sturdy physical bulk, capable of taking hits while also easing our earlier established hard matchups for our TR setters against Bisharp, Excadrill, Zerora and Shell Smash Cloyster. Conk threatens all these both in TR and outside of it, because of the ever handy priority Mach Punch provides, which, like Mimi’s Shadow Sneak, also picks off weakened stuff when TR is down, while always being threating to Ice, Rock, Steel and Dark types.
I choose to run Close Combat over Drain Punch, sacrificing longevity for absurd immediate power, being able to break even the bulkiest Corviknight in two hits. TR turns are short in supply - when TR is up and Conk is in, we are in full breaker mode. Who’s got time for Drain Punch?!
Facade is Facade, standard on Guts Conk. This is your main Fairy and Psychic thumper move.
Earthquake is my preferred final move over Knock Off, again, for momentum’s sake. EQ means not having to worry about King’s Shield Aegislash dropping Conk’s attack stat, while also ensuring Toxapex has yet more pressure put on it.
Also, having Fighting and Ground coverage may seem redundant on paper, but in practice, having two SE hit options on Steel and Rock types really eases prediction. Say you’re in a situation where it’s Conk vs Bisharp and the opponent has a Clefable and an Aegislash in the back. They’re going to think you’ll use a Fighting move and make a play to try and dance around your attack. But EQ will kill Bisharp regardless if they stay in, while also severely maiming either of the two mons hiding in the back. Furthermore, sometimes you just don’t want the drops CC gives. Best of both worlds!
Last thing I’ll note: once Flame Orb activates, Conk is a Knock Off switch in, which is always nice for a team to have in this meta.
Conk’s merits speak for themselves, but looking at the team at this point, it occurs to me that while Hat and Mimi can set up TR on fairies like Clefable and Sylveon, they can’t do much to pressure them, and Conkledurr definitely shouldn’t hard switch into them either. Same thing for strong Ghost attacks and to a lesser extent Fat Psychics (as it isn’t always advantageous to send in Mimikyu and lose Disguise). Furthermore, opposing Hatterene outspeed Conk inside TR, forcing it out. It seems we need a Fairy, Ghost and Psychic counter!
And thinking about it, going back to TR’s inherent weaknesses, since Hat and Conk are always taking passive damage from their held items, having a sustainable mon on TR would be a good idea, to help check balance and stall who can damage stall us.
This leads us to the team’s MVP...
Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Body Slam
- Darkest Lariat
- Curse
- Rest
Really? Snorlax is the MVP? Not Conkledurr?
Yes, really. Snorlax is the glue of this team, and the member that takes it from gimmick to actually decent.
This set is pretty standard, and yet, Curse Snorlax is a super slept on threat in this meta. It is a mid-game special sponge, Fairy switch in, Ghost immunity, status absorber (as if Hat and Conk weren’t enough), paralysis spreader and end-game bulky wincon, all in one. It’s also a rare true check to the infuriating Hex+Will o Dragapult AND Shadow Ball (or Flash Cannon) / King’s Shield / Sub / Toxic Aegislash as Snorlax can boost against the Ghosts all day long and Rest away status.
Wait, did I just call Snorlax a mere special sponge? That’s like saying the ocean has water in it. Snorlax’s special bulk is stupidly, IMPOSSIBLY, thicc. Specs Kyruem and Primarina can’t 3HKO it. Want more proof? Hop down below and take a look at My Snorlax vs CM Mew replay. It took a Stored Power nuke to the face like a champ! How in the hell?!
Snorlax aIso provides a desperately needed counter play to the popular Wish + Protect strat which would otherwise waste precious TR turns, as Curse boosting allows it to remain a threat after TR goes down. Snorlax is also capable of outlasting dual screens, easing the teams match up against Ninetales-A and Grimmsnarl teams.
Snorlax is maximally invested in HP and Special Def, and with its naturally low speed, it is able to effortlessly achieve Curse boosts under TR, before anything notable can hit it. Curse boosts both physical Defense and Attack, while lowering speed, which is nifty as it actually raises Snorlax' speed when TR is up. With even 1 Curse on, stuff with non-STAB fighting coverage like Close Combat Aegislash and Zerora will struggle to stop Snorlax, especially if TR is up.
Curse is particularly great for the team (as opposed to Belly Drum Snorlax) because when combined with Rest, it allows Snorlax to continue to be a threat once TR goes down.
Thick Fat is a great ability, as it grants a Fire and Ice resist, allowing Snorlax to almost single handedly counter Sun Teams all on its own, while also helping ease the match up against ice mons like Cloyster, Mamoswine and Sub Kyruem, taking pressure off Conkledurr.
Body Slam is STAB and has a 30% chance to paralyze, which you might think would conflict with TR, but it actually is very useful for generating free turns against opposing walls like Corviknight and Clefable, Curse boost against them, and eventually beat them. Paralysis is also useful against faster offensive switch ins like Terrakoin, which are still too fast to underspeed Hatterene and Conkledurr in TR even when paralyzed.
Darkest Lariat provides Snorlax with the ability to hit Ghosts and Psychic types harder, while also ignoring Defensive boosts. DL provides yet another huge selling point of Snorlax: its ability to beat other bulky win cons, including Bulk Up Corviknight, and Iron Defense Necrozma and Renuclius as well as Mew variants that raise defense.
Whenever an opposing bulky wincon is in against Snorlax, like BU Corvi or CM Clefable, you want to fish for a paralysis with Body Slam to get you free turns, then start Curse boosting. Against Calm Mind users you can sweep them after one Curse boost or two, but against BU Corvi, feel free to let it get to +4/+4 as you also boost with Curse. DL will cut through its defense boosts and two shot it once Snorlax is boosted to max. And if, somehow, you DON’T get lucky with paralysis and the opposing bulky mon does manage to get the upper hand on Snorlax, keep Snorlax alive, switch to Mimikyu, phaze it out with Red Card and let Snorlax Rest under TR so it can try again later. Curselax + TR is just the gift that keeps giving. <3
Now let’s talk about Curselax’s counters:
A tricked choice item is annoying, but TR greatly helps Snorlax play around these guys, moving first against them, if you’ve got a Curse boost or two already you can prevent them from hard switching in. But if they come in after a sack and you detect a scarf incoming from Rotom or Jirachi, and it seems like you’ll need Snorlax later as a wincon, switch to your least useful member to take the scarf (probably Jellicent). But if you’ve already accumulated enough boosts, a Choice item won’t stop Snorlax from tearing through some mons with smart play.
I’ll mention Scarf Ditto, which is always slower than Snorlax in TR, but technically CAN counterthreaten Snorlax if TR is down AND Snorlax has 2 or 3 Curse boosts to the point where Ditto’s DL can take Snorlax down.
But in practice, Ditto isn’t really a good option against Snorlax, or any TR team in general, for several reasons. Ditto can’t heal with Rest without becoming dead weight later, and without a few Curse boosts, Snorlax can still Rest against Ditto to beat it. For this reason, 1V1, Snorlax will usually beat Ditto.
But beyond that, even in the weird event you decide to sack Snorlax to Ditto, even with a Scarf, Curse Dittolax will be slooow and locked into one move. DL won’t kill Conkledurr, or if Conk is dead, and Mimikyu can always Red Card Ditto. Alternatively, being locked into Body Slam will just be hilarious against any of your immune ghosts.
The point is, Dittolax will not be counter sweeping your unless you are really, really careless with it. Just keep Ditto in mind, because it is a thing that may prevent you from playing with Snorlax as effectively as you would otherwise.
I guess Phazers like Whirlwind Hippowdon work midgame to stop Snorlax, but ultimately this is a moot point if Snorlax is the last man standing.
Now for the real answers to Curselax: the only things Snorlax really struggles to beat outright are Haze users, Unaware mons and fighting types like Conkledurr or Terrakoin or dark types like Tyranitar and Bisharp who can resist its coverage moves. Snorlax also hates Knock Off and Leech Seed as losing Lefties detracts from its bulk, and with Leech Seed + Iron Barbs it’ll have a hard time getting momentum over Ferrothorn.
Once these guys are out of your way, get a TR up and after a single Curse use, it’s basically GG.
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Alright, we’ve got four potent Trick Room abusers, with good offensive and defensive synergy, but facts are facts, Trick Room isn’t always going to be up.
Also, Mimikyu can only force out an annoying Substitue user once, and Dual Screens might still be an issue if Snorlax can’t get some boosts going. My dudes need some help to take off the pressure.
On to the next mon!
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
“Dragapult? On TR? That’s counterproductive!”
Nope. Not at all.
Infiltrator is key to our success and having a fast mon outside TR with good coverage helps break down both balance and offense, and keep the pressure on when TR goes down.
As I said, Dragapult takes pressure off Mimikyu so it doesn’t need to handle Sub users alone. It’s always such a lovely moral victory Thunderbolting Togekiss through a Substitute. The little things in life matter.
Dragapult’s Infiltrator also ignores Dual Screens, which is huge for the team as it lets Dragapult go to town against Screens Hyper Offense.
I go with Life Orb as my item of choice as I appreciate being able to switch moves as opposed to Specs, and guessing wrong and being locked into a bad move would be catastrophic for my offensive momentum. Draco Meteor and Shadow Ball provide hard hitting STABs, while Fire Blast lets Drag nuke Excadrill, Corviknight and Ferrothorn, and is my go to option against Screens Ninetales and Grimm. Thunderbolt hits Pelliper, Gyarados, Cloyster, Togekiss, Toxapex, Mandibuzz and a good 2nd option to hit a weakened Corviknight if I’m worried about FB’s shaky accuracy.
Not much else to say about Drag!
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Now at this point, the team had only 1 slot left, and finding the right man for the job has been the biggest challenge of team building. I wanted something that could help the other members of the team break down walls on Stall and Balance, because Haze users and Unaware mons can still consistently stop Snorlax from sweeping. I figured Taunt support would work well for these tasks.
Also, I still needed help beating Terrakoin and Bisharp, as Snorlax struggles to get past them both, and Dragapult also loses to Scarf Terra out of TR and Bisharp. Also, something else that could take a Knock Off would be appreciated, as Conkledurr doesn't like switching in to lose its Flame Orb before its activated.
On this slot I've tried Crawdaunt, who counters both Bisharp and Terrakoin, but SD is too frail to set up consistently, and Band struggles to break given all the water immunities running rampant. Band also left the team hard walled by Haze Vaporeon and being locked into a Water STAB would basically give SS Cloyster a free set up. No bueno. :(
I’ve tried Zerora variants whose coverage and speed was nice, but ultimately lacked longevity. Taunt Chopple Berry Cobalion, who gets a nifty Justified boost when being hit with Knock Off, was a good pick for a time, but again, lacked longevity. Regrettably, all these guys could also get caught by Sash Dugtrio out of TR (not SD Craw, but you get it). It seems I needed recovery so my 6th mon could go the distance, and one immune to Arena Trap.
And on that note, it was this fine fellow who helped bring the team to its peak...
Jellicent (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Recover
Jellicent does a lot for this team. It's a great lead against Excadrill, Terrakoin and Hippowdon, hitting them all with Scald, and not being Taunt bait to Terra. Our own Taunt allows Jellicent to wear down walls - preventing them from healing with moves like Recover, Wish, Roost and Soft-Boilled.
With the speed investment it can outspeed Corviknight outside TR by 1 point and stop it from Roosting off damage or using Bulk Up. The rest of our EVs are invested in Physical bulk, giving Jellicent nice defensive synergy with Snorlax. This middling speed also makes Jellicent a good option against walls when TR is down, but when TR is up, it's still slow enough to move faster against offensive threats like Cinderace, Bisharp and Terrakoin. Colbur Berry also lets Jellicent eat a Dark attack against Bisharp and let it fish for a Scald burn. Bisharp is also the reason I use Recover over Strength Sap, as I do not wish to worsen my Bisharp match up (SS gives Bisharp a Defiant boost). However, despite lacking Strength Sap, Jellicent can spam Recover against Guts Conkledurr until it dies of its burn, since it’s immune to Drain Punch (and Facade).
The Haze using bulky waters Snorlax struggles against like Vaporeon, Milotic, Gastrodon, Quagsire and Toxapex are all dead weight against Jelli 1V1 once Taunted, and all but Pex and be hit with Toxic, ensuring they cant stay in against Snorlax for long. Toxic also hits Mandibuzz and Sylveon, which is nice.
Clefable can't do much to Jellicent either when Taunted, unless it carries Tbolt, although variants without Life Orb won't be able to force Jellicent out (and LO variants are much easier for Conkledurr to break as they lack the bulk investment). Same goes for Ferrothorn, although look out for Power Whip. If you burn Ferro, it loses to Jellicent 1V1.
I haven't even brought up Water Absorb yet. While I wasn't necessarily looking for a rain counter when picking my 6th mon, Jellicent's Water immunity eases up my Rain/Dracovish match up considerably, especially since it can also shut down Ferrothorn for the most part. And again, WA is lovely when facing an opposing bulky water, as once Taunted, all they can usually do against Jellicent is use Scald which only heals it or some other random weak move.
Hope you like it!
Proof of Peak: https://i.imgur.com/tryHwi2.png
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While often being seen as a gimmick in Singles, Trick Room has been my favorite playstyle for several generations. I've always found the unique blend of bulk, speed control and hard hitting hit and run tactics to be fun to play with, while also being wonderfully anti-meta, being a natural counter to popular Hyper Offensive strategies, such as Weather, Sticky Web and Tailwind. While Trick Room lost many of its old tools in the transition from last gen (Magenera, Hoopa U, Mega Mawile, Marowak, etc.), it also got a tremendous boon with Hatterene in Gen 8, being not only an excellent Taunt-proof offensive TR setter, as well as being able to provide a supportive role by deterring status and hazards.
Still, it's not hard to see why TR is so uncommon on the ladder. There are many issues to consider when building a TR team.
First, Ghost and Dark spam is very common in this meta, which means that many of the TR setters are going to have a hard time setting up consistently, since they're mostly Psychic and Ghost types. Furthermore, TR is a playstyle that lives and dies on momentum, and Balance cores and Stall teams dominate the high ladder, which are capable of withstanding TR's boom and burst offensive tempo and slowly chip away at the team giving it a hard time.
Continuing on: strats like Wish + Protect stall out precious TR turns. Dual Screens slow offensive momentum. Substitue users like Togekiss and Gyarados give offensive mons fits. Knock Off no longer has Megas/Z Moves as a counter, meaning mons dependent on their item to dole out damage struggle to break. Opposing set up sweepers also require caution, as if one gets in on the last turn of Trick Room and is able to tank a hit to set up, they're typically able to plow through the pitifully slow TR mons the next turn.
But despite all these weaknesses TR faces, they're also all issues any good team should be able to deal with. Somehow, I still felt like I could leverage the Trick Room playstyle's strengths while mitigating its weaknesses. That exactly what I've set out to do with this team; a balanced approach to Trick Room. I've had decent success with it on the OU ladder. Besides being a formidable team against many matchups, the team is tons of fun to use, and really, isn’t that what this game is all about?
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Let's go through the team members and the building process!
Hatterene (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Mystical Fire
- Trick Room
I touched on Hatterene earlier, but I'll go through her set for the uninitated. Hatterene is an offensive juggernaught, able to leverage her invested bulk to tank modest non-SE hits, set up TR and use her absmally low speed to great effect, becoming blazingly fast under TR. Compounded by her awesome special attack stat and glorious STAB combo of Psychic and Fairy (+ Fire coverage for Steels), Hatterne blazes through teams once their special wall goes down. Psychic tears through typical Fairy resists, 2HKOs Torkoal (one of the few things Hat can outspeed outside TR), and 1 shots Rotom-H and Cinderace, and of course any Poison type like Toxapex or Weezing.
Mystical Fire is generally a splashable move against Special attackers, dropping their power and letting your other mons come in easier against them. MF also roasts Def Ferrothorn in one hit (unless Hat loses its LO, or Rain is on), 1 shots Excadrill after its sash is broken, and 2 shots Jirachi and Aegislash (with the added benefit of weakening Shadow Ball/Flash Cannon if it's a special attacking variant).
But that's not all! Hatterene's glorious ability Magic Bounce rebounds any non-attacking move thrown at her, including Toxic, Will O' Wisp, Thunder Wave, Glare, Leech Seed, Strength Sap (lol it actually heals Hat), Taunt, and Encore, and sends them right back at her attacker. Best of all, this also applies to all manner of hazards (minus MB Excadrill and NG Weezing) making her an excellent switch in to most defensive mons. This is huge for the TR playstyle, as most Trick Room teams cannot afford the turn cost of running hazard control, as doing so forfeits any offensive momentum the team has generated.
Hatterene works best when it switches in on something passive, namely a wall like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Hippodown, Kommo-O, etc, or something locked into a Dragon or Fighting move. From here, Hat can set up TR, flipping speed priority, and proceed to start hammering the opposing team, or otherwise, switch to one of its fellow slow mons if they happen to switch in a special wall like Clefable, Sylveon, Gastrodon or Mirror Armor Corviknight (which rebounds Mystic Fire's sp. attack drop). Be sure to check if Corv is a Mirror Armor variant, as Pressure is telegraphed, so that way you always know if Hat should stay in against Corvi.
While Hatterene has some decent bulk, it gets worn down quickly, between taking a modest hit or two and Life Orb use. Besides, it certainly can't tank extremely hard hits such as Dracovish's Fisherous Rend, Dragapult's Shadow Ball, Terrakoin's Stone Edge or any sort of hit from a set up sweeper like Gyarados or Venusaur. As we previously discussed, Haterenne is super slow outside TR, meaning even slow breakers like Conkledurr and Crawdaunt and outspeed and OHKO it. Taking all this into account - Hatterene is unlikely to set up TR more than once per game.
And this brings us to our second Trick Room setter...
Mimikyu (M) @ Red Card
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Claw
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
- Trick Room
Previously I mentioned how TR can be vulnerable to Dark and Ghost spam. I didn't really want to double up on those weaknesses in my setters, and yet most TR setters are Ghost or Psychic types.
Allow me to introduce you to Mimikyu.
By virtue of its ability, Disguise, granting it a free hit, Mimikyu is almost ALWAYS guaranteed to get at least one Trick Room up per game, unless you have severely misplayed somehow. Frequently, it will even get two or three TR uses going as it has bulk investment hiding behind Disguise which allows it to easily tank hits like Scarf Hydregoin’s Dark Pulse or Conkledurr’s Knock Off (having lost its item previously).
Because of Disguise, Mimikyu’s shared weaknesses to Ghost and Steel with Hatterene are less of an issue, as it can easily set up TR on Dragapult, Gengar or Aegislash as well as other scary stuff like Dracovish, Conkledurr, Obstagoon, Terrakoin and Bisharp, and hammer them with its own STABs. Mimikyu will struggle to do much to defensive cores (outside Mandibuzz and Kommo-O) but even unboosted, Mimikyu’s unresisted Fairy and Ghost STABs lets it do a ton of work against offense teams. Rounding out the set, Shadow Sneak let’s it pick off weakened threats, while also defending its Disguise.
This note is especially crucial: Disguise should always be maintained until absolutely necessary. This means absolutely no hard switches into Mimikyu, unless you are 100% confident the opponent is going to use either a Dragon or Fighting move (which are actually easy enough to bait given its teammates weaknesses) or non-attacking move. Using Disguise wisely is important to your success, not just because it allows Mimikyu one freebie TR set but also because Red Card is a one time emergency fail safe for the team.
Remember that I mentioned that if a set up sweeper comes in on the last turn of Trick Room or an annoying Sub user gets going (Togekiss and Aegislash :/) that I might have a hard time?
Red Card.
Let’s say you’re looking down Dragon Dance Gyarados, or a set up Kommo-O (Sub BD, Clangorous Soul, DD, it doesn't matter which), or Hawlucha with Unburden activated, or Nasty Plot Togekiss behind a Sub, Calm Mind Mew. etc, etc, etc. Whatever you don’t want to deal with - Mimikyu has gotchu. They hit you, Disguise breaks, Red Card phazes them out to a random mon and you set up Trick Room - all in one swoop, you’ve totally invalidated your opponents’ strategy by forcing them out while also setting up Trick Room. It feels amazing. Every time. This works consistently on most sweepers and sub users, except for a hand full of key threats. Let's talk about those:
Red Card will NOT phaze your opponent if it can either OHKO Mimikyu through Disguise somehow or invalidate Red Card by using Knock Off.
These threats include:
Shell Smash Cloyster, as after a SS Skill Link moves break Disguise and kill Mimikyu in one swoop.
Mold Breaker Excadrill and Haxorus. Ignores Disguise.
Photon Geyser Necrozma. This move also ignores Disguise, although it won't OHKO Mimikyu without a boost or two. This is rare though since most CM Necros run Stored Power, although I have seen a few Dragon Dance and WP + Automize variants.
Knock Off users like SD Bisharp or Bulk Up Zerora. Mimikyu loses Red Card on Knock Off, meaning while you don’t die in one hit, and you still get your TR on, they’re still in giving you a headache if they're boosted.
Keeping these threats in mind is important, but still, Mimikyu is the most consistent member of this team. And fear not, we’ve got more squad mates to help deter these threats....
Conkeldurr (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Mach Punch
- Earthquake / Knock Off
I’ll let the calcs talk.
Close Combat vs Corviknight, 252 HP, 252 Def, Impish = 59.2-70%
Facade vs Clefable 252 HP, 252 Def, Bold = 58.8 - 69.5%
Earthquake vs Toxapex 252 HP, 252 Def, Bold = 67.1-78.9%
Does the set need more explanation? Not really. But here we go anyway!
We’re running TR, so full investment in bulk and attack, and de-investment in speed for maximum speed advantage in TR. No brainer there.
Conkledurr brings an absurd amount of breaking power, along with sturdy physical bulk, capable of taking hits while also easing our earlier established hard matchups for our TR setters against Bisharp, Excadrill, Zerora and Shell Smash Cloyster. Conk threatens all these both in TR and outside of it, because of the ever handy priority Mach Punch provides, which, like Mimi’s Shadow Sneak, also picks off weakened stuff when TR is down, while always being threating to Ice, Rock, Steel and Dark types.
I choose to run Close Combat over Drain Punch, sacrificing longevity for absurd immediate power, being able to break even the bulkiest Corviknight in two hits. TR turns are short in supply - when TR is up and Conk is in, we are in full breaker mode. Who’s got time for Drain Punch?!
Facade is Facade, standard on Guts Conk. This is your main Fairy and Psychic thumper move.
Earthquake is my preferred final move over Knock Off, again, for momentum’s sake. EQ means not having to worry about King’s Shield Aegislash dropping Conk’s attack stat, while also ensuring Toxapex has yet more pressure put on it.
Also, having Fighting and Ground coverage may seem redundant on paper, but in practice, having two SE hit options on Steel and Rock types really eases prediction. Say you’re in a situation where it’s Conk vs Bisharp and the opponent has a Clefable and an Aegislash in the back. They’re going to think you’ll use a Fighting move and make a play to try and dance around your attack. But EQ will kill Bisharp regardless if they stay in, while also severely maiming either of the two mons hiding in the back. Furthermore, sometimes you just don’t want the drops CC gives. Best of both worlds!
Last thing I’ll note: once Flame Orb activates, Conk is a Knock Off switch in, which is always nice for a team to have in this meta.
Conk’s merits speak for themselves, but looking at the team at this point, it occurs to me that while Hat and Mimi can set up TR on fairies like Clefable and Sylveon, they can’t do much to pressure them, and Conkledurr definitely shouldn’t hard switch into them either. Same thing for strong Ghost attacks and to a lesser extent Fat Psychics (as it isn’t always advantageous to send in Mimikyu and lose Disguise). Furthermore, opposing Hatterene outspeed Conk inside TR, forcing it out. It seems we need a Fairy, Ghost and Psychic counter!
And thinking about it, going back to TR’s inherent weaknesses, since Hat and Conk are always taking passive damage from their held items, having a sustainable mon on TR would be a good idea, to help check balance and stall who can damage stall us.
This leads us to the team’s MVP...
Snorlax (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Body Slam
- Darkest Lariat
- Curse
- Rest
Really? Snorlax is the MVP? Not Conkledurr?
Yes, really. Snorlax is the glue of this team, and the member that takes it from gimmick to actually decent.
This set is pretty standard, and yet, Curse Snorlax is a super slept on threat in this meta. It is a mid-game special sponge, Fairy switch in, Ghost immunity, status absorber (as if Hat and Conk weren’t enough), paralysis spreader and end-game bulky wincon, all in one. It’s also a rare true check to the infuriating Hex+Will o Dragapult AND Shadow Ball (or Flash Cannon) / King’s Shield / Sub / Toxic Aegislash as Snorlax can boost against the Ghosts all day long and Rest away status.
Wait, did I just call Snorlax a mere special sponge? That’s like saying the ocean has water in it. Snorlax’s special bulk is stupidly, IMPOSSIBLY, thicc. Specs Kyruem and Primarina can’t 3HKO it. Want more proof? Hop down below and take a look at My Snorlax vs CM Mew replay. It took a Stored Power nuke to the face like a champ! How in the hell?!
Snorlax aIso provides a desperately needed counter play to the popular Wish + Protect strat which would otherwise waste precious TR turns, as Curse boosting allows it to remain a threat after TR goes down. Snorlax is also capable of outlasting dual screens, easing the teams match up against Ninetales-A and Grimmsnarl teams.
Snorlax is maximally invested in HP and Special Def, and with its naturally low speed, it is able to effortlessly achieve Curse boosts under TR, before anything notable can hit it. Curse boosts both physical Defense and Attack, while lowering speed, which is nifty as it actually raises Snorlax' speed when TR is up. With even 1 Curse on, stuff with non-STAB fighting coverage like Close Combat Aegislash and Zerora will struggle to stop Snorlax, especially if TR is up.
Curse is particularly great for the team (as opposed to Belly Drum Snorlax) because when combined with Rest, it allows Snorlax to continue to be a threat once TR goes down.
Thick Fat is a great ability, as it grants a Fire and Ice resist, allowing Snorlax to almost single handedly counter Sun Teams all on its own, while also helping ease the match up against ice mons like Cloyster, Mamoswine and Sub Kyruem, taking pressure off Conkledurr.
Body Slam is STAB and has a 30% chance to paralyze, which you might think would conflict with TR, but it actually is very useful for generating free turns against opposing walls like Corviknight and Clefable, Curse boost against them, and eventually beat them. Paralysis is also useful against faster offensive switch ins like Terrakoin, which are still too fast to underspeed Hatterene and Conkledurr in TR even when paralyzed.
Darkest Lariat provides Snorlax with the ability to hit Ghosts and Psychic types harder, while also ignoring Defensive boosts. DL provides yet another huge selling point of Snorlax: its ability to beat other bulky win cons, including Bulk Up Corviknight, and Iron Defense Necrozma and Renuclius as well as Mew variants that raise defense.
Whenever an opposing bulky wincon is in against Snorlax, like BU Corvi or CM Clefable, you want to fish for a paralysis with Body Slam to get you free turns, then start Curse boosting. Against Calm Mind users you can sweep them after one Curse boost or two, but against BU Corvi, feel free to let it get to +4/+4 as you also boost with Curse. DL will cut through its defense boosts and two shot it once Snorlax is boosted to max. And if, somehow, you DON’T get lucky with paralysis and the opposing bulky mon does manage to get the upper hand on Snorlax, keep Snorlax alive, switch to Mimikyu, phaze it out with Red Card and let Snorlax Rest under TR so it can try again later. Curselax + TR is just the gift that keeps giving. <3
Now let’s talk about Curselax’s counters:
A tricked choice item is annoying, but TR greatly helps Snorlax play around these guys, moving first against them, if you’ve got a Curse boost or two already you can prevent them from hard switching in. But if they come in after a sack and you detect a scarf incoming from Rotom or Jirachi, and it seems like you’ll need Snorlax later as a wincon, switch to your least useful member to take the scarf (probably Jellicent). But if you’ve already accumulated enough boosts, a Choice item won’t stop Snorlax from tearing through some mons with smart play.
I’ll mention Scarf Ditto, which is always slower than Snorlax in TR, but technically CAN counterthreaten Snorlax if TR is down AND Snorlax has 2 or 3 Curse boosts to the point where Ditto’s DL can take Snorlax down.
But in practice, Ditto isn’t really a good option against Snorlax, or any TR team in general, for several reasons. Ditto can’t heal with Rest without becoming dead weight later, and without a few Curse boosts, Snorlax can still Rest against Ditto to beat it. For this reason, 1V1, Snorlax will usually beat Ditto.
But beyond that, even in the weird event you decide to sack Snorlax to Ditto, even with a Scarf, Curse Dittolax will be slooow and locked into one move. DL won’t kill Conkledurr, or if Conk is dead, and Mimikyu can always Red Card Ditto. Alternatively, being locked into Body Slam will just be hilarious against any of your immune ghosts.
The point is, Dittolax will not be counter sweeping your unless you are really, really careless with it. Just keep Ditto in mind, because it is a thing that may prevent you from playing with Snorlax as effectively as you would otherwise.
I guess Phazers like Whirlwind Hippowdon work midgame to stop Snorlax, but ultimately this is a moot point if Snorlax is the last man standing.
Now for the real answers to Curselax: the only things Snorlax really struggles to beat outright are Haze users, Unaware mons and fighting types like Conkledurr or Terrakoin or dark types like Tyranitar and Bisharp who can resist its coverage moves. Snorlax also hates Knock Off and Leech Seed as losing Lefties detracts from its bulk, and with Leech Seed + Iron Barbs it’ll have a hard time getting momentum over Ferrothorn.
Once these guys are out of your way, get a TR up and after a single Curse use, it’s basically GG.
——————-
Alright, we’ve got four potent Trick Room abusers, with good offensive and defensive synergy, but facts are facts, Trick Room isn’t always going to be up.
Also, Mimikyu can only force out an annoying Substitue user once, and Dual Screens might still be an issue if Snorlax can’t get some boosts going. My dudes need some help to take off the pressure.
On to the next mon!
Dragapult (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
“Dragapult? On TR? That’s counterproductive!”
Nope. Not at all.
Infiltrator is key to our success and having a fast mon outside TR with good coverage helps break down both balance and offense, and keep the pressure on when TR goes down.
As I said, Dragapult takes pressure off Mimikyu so it doesn’t need to handle Sub users alone. It’s always such a lovely moral victory Thunderbolting Togekiss through a Substitute. The little things in life matter.
Dragapult’s Infiltrator also ignores Dual Screens, which is huge for the team as it lets Dragapult go to town against Screens Hyper Offense.
I go with Life Orb as my item of choice as I appreciate being able to switch moves as opposed to Specs, and guessing wrong and being locked into a bad move would be catastrophic for my offensive momentum. Draco Meteor and Shadow Ball provide hard hitting STABs, while Fire Blast lets Drag nuke Excadrill, Corviknight and Ferrothorn, and is my go to option against Screens Ninetales and Grimm. Thunderbolt hits Pelliper, Gyarados, Cloyster, Togekiss, Toxapex, Mandibuzz and a good 2nd option to hit a weakened Corviknight if I’m worried about FB’s shaky accuracy.
Not much else to say about Drag!
————————
Now at this point, the team had only 1 slot left, and finding the right man for the job has been the biggest challenge of team building. I wanted something that could help the other members of the team break down walls on Stall and Balance, because Haze users and Unaware mons can still consistently stop Snorlax from sweeping. I figured Taunt support would work well for these tasks.
Also, I still needed help beating Terrakoin and Bisharp, as Snorlax struggles to get past them both, and Dragapult also loses to Scarf Terra out of TR and Bisharp. Also, something else that could take a Knock Off would be appreciated, as Conkledurr doesn't like switching in to lose its Flame Orb before its activated.
On this slot I've tried Crawdaunt, who counters both Bisharp and Terrakoin, but SD is too frail to set up consistently, and Band struggles to break given all the water immunities running rampant. Band also left the team hard walled by Haze Vaporeon and being locked into a Water STAB would basically give SS Cloyster a free set up. No bueno. :(
I’ve tried Zerora variants whose coverage and speed was nice, but ultimately lacked longevity. Taunt Chopple Berry Cobalion, who gets a nifty Justified boost when being hit with Knock Off, was a good pick for a time, but again, lacked longevity. Regrettably, all these guys could also get caught by Sash Dugtrio out of TR (not SD Craw, but you get it). It seems I needed recovery so my 6th mon could go the distance, and one immune to Arena Trap.
And on that note, it was this fine fellow who helped bring the team to its peak...
Jellicent (M) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Recover
Jellicent does a lot for this team. It's a great lead against Excadrill, Terrakoin and Hippowdon, hitting them all with Scald, and not being Taunt bait to Terra. Our own Taunt allows Jellicent to wear down walls - preventing them from healing with moves like Recover, Wish, Roost and Soft-Boilled.
With the speed investment it can outspeed Corviknight outside TR by 1 point and stop it from Roosting off damage or using Bulk Up. The rest of our EVs are invested in Physical bulk, giving Jellicent nice defensive synergy with Snorlax. This middling speed also makes Jellicent a good option against walls when TR is down, but when TR is up, it's still slow enough to move faster against offensive threats like Cinderace, Bisharp and Terrakoin. Colbur Berry also lets Jellicent eat a Dark attack against Bisharp and let it fish for a Scald burn. Bisharp is also the reason I use Recover over Strength Sap, as I do not wish to worsen my Bisharp match up (SS gives Bisharp a Defiant boost). However, despite lacking Strength Sap, Jellicent can spam Recover against Guts Conkledurr until it dies of its burn, since it’s immune to Drain Punch (and Facade).
The Haze using bulky waters Snorlax struggles against like Vaporeon, Milotic, Gastrodon, Quagsire and Toxapex are all dead weight against Jelli 1V1 once Taunted, and all but Pex and be hit with Toxic, ensuring they cant stay in against Snorlax for long. Toxic also hits Mandibuzz and Sylveon, which is nice.
Clefable can't do much to Jellicent either when Taunted, unless it carries Tbolt, although variants without Life Orb won't be able to force Jellicent out (and LO variants are much easier for Conkledurr to break as they lack the bulk investment). Same goes for Ferrothorn, although look out for Power Whip. If you burn Ferro, it loses to Jellicent 1V1.
I haven't even brought up Water Absorb yet. While I wasn't necessarily looking for a rain counter when picking my 6th mon, Jellicent's Water immunity eases up my Rain/Dracovish match up considerably, especially since it can also shut down Ferrothorn for the most part. And again, WA is lovely when facing an opposing bulky water, as once Taunted, all they can usually do against Jellicent is use Scald which only heals it or some other random weak move.
Public enemy #1 is full stall. Keeping the offensive pressure on is important in this matchup. Conk is adept at wall breaking, but a skilled opponent will keep switching mons, dancing around your attacks and stalling for Burn damage, so look out for that. Damage stalling also applies to Life Orb Hatterene and Dragapult, both of whom struggle to break healthy fat stuff. If push comes to shove, mind games with Conk might win the day if you nail them on the switch.
Hatterene and Jelli’s Taunt both help keep hazards off your back. And between Hat, Conk, Rest Snorlax and Jelli’s Taunt, the squad is also pretty resilient to status.
Tactful use of Jellicent's Taunt will also help you wear down most walls down, and while Jelli can’t stop Pex from using Regenerator, Taunt does shut it down 1V1.
Unfortunately Mimikyu is pretty much dead weight as an attacker in this MU, but it least it can get a TR up to help Conk and Snorlax get the speed advantage in some situations.
Ultimately Snorlax is your best bet at overcoming such bulky teams, as typically their win con is a bulky set up sweeper, and Snorlax can usually beat them all, including BU Corviknight, CM Clefable, Mew and Necrozma. I also find such teams usually lack a fighting type, so keep that in mind, and keep Snorlax healthy. And worst case scenario, you can always go the PP stall route, as you can Rest, which saves you PP on the sleeping turns.
Substitute Togekiss. Mimikyu can only force it out from behind a Sub once, and while Dragapult's Thunderbolt will hit it through the Sub, will not kill it unless it's roughly at 60-70% health, depending on its bulk investment. Snorlax can typically keep it at bay a while if its behind a sub, but if Togekiss gets a Nasty Plot boost off, those flinches are going to start adding up against Snorlax. Play smart against this guy. (Similar note: Jirachi is annoying too for your TR setters, but at least Jellicent can take Iron Heads relatively well. Your priority moves are good options for Jirachi, as well as Drag if it isn’t scarfed.)
King’s Rock Shell Smash Cloyster is a flinchy jerk too. While easy to handle if TR is already up, it can flinch Hatterene to death, even without a boost. Cloyster can set up fairly easily against Mimikyu, so if the opponent sacks something and gets Cloyster in on the last turn of TR, you’re going to have a hard time. Conk’s Mach Punch checks it, but only if already burned, if Conk is weakened into Ice Shard range, your best options are Jellicent and Snorlax, who both resist Icicle Spear, but also struggle to damage back and can also be flinched to death. Skill Link also makes it so Mimikyu can’t phaze it with Red Card once it sets up with SS. Dragapult cannot revenge either, because of Ice Shard. Basically, watch out for this cancer. You have lots of options for it, but those flinches hurt.
I don't have a Ground immunity, and Mold Breaker Excadrill is scary in theory as it can OHKO both Hatterene and Mimiyku. However, most MB Excadrills are suicide leads, so honestly, I find I don't have much issues with killing it early match. Jellicent's and Conk's physical bulk + Mach Punch help against Drill, and Dragapult's Fire Blast roasts it in one hit. Even when it's a sash variant, Mimikyu no longer has to fear Excadrill if it's at 1 HP, as it can snipe it with Shadow Sneak. Still beware, if Excadrill gets a Swords Dance off and Dragapult / Conk are down, you're going to lose. Haxorus would also fall into the Mold Breaker sweeper category Mimikyu can’t phaze, but it’s pretty rare.
Zerora is a pain, as it thumps Jellicent with Plasma Fists, hits Snorlax with Close Combat or Knock off and outspeeds and kills Dragapult outside TR. Typically if I expect a Zerora lead, I lead with Conkledurr. Zerora can't OHKO Conk, and even if I get hit with Knock Off, Zerora is dying to Earthquake. Especially look out for Bulk Up Zerora, who Mimikyu can't phaze out if it breaks Disguise with Knock Off, and has added power and bulk even if you set up TR. Get Conkledurr in fast after setting up TR, or even Dragapult, who is technically faster than Zerora under TR and can kill it with Draco Meteor.
Last thing I’ll note here, although I don’t find it actually a threat but rather something to just consider: Hazards. As you probably noticed, I don’t have hazard control outside Hatterene and Taunt Jelli, meaning if my opponent slips some hazard past me, they’re staying up for the game. Also, I don’t have hazards myself. However, I don’t find hazards to be much of an issue in either case.
The fact the Hatterene even exists on this team makes most players think twice about throwing out hazards, fearing the Hat switch in play, making her a natural deterrent to most hazard setters.
And while MB Excadrill can get rocks up against Hat, I don’t have any mons weak to rocks, and regardless, I’m usually more concerned about taking Excadrill out fast than anything because I don’t have a ground resist and it can beat Mimikyu through Disguise. Honestly, if Lead Drill is throwing out rocks, that’s a free hit for me to break its sash. (Similarly poison mons like NG Weezing and the rare Roserade can get Toxic Spikes up, but Conk doesn’t care about status and poison won’t stop Snorlax from sweeping because it has Rest.)
To put it another way, this my theory: Heavy Duty Boots exist so mons like Mandibuzz, Rotom H and Mantine aren’t typically taking rock damage anymore anyway, and I don’t struggle to break them, let alone frail mons like Cinderance, which is 100% dead weight against this team. The meta has adapted to hazards because of HDB, so ultimately, forgoing hazards is a calculated risk, but it has worked out alright in my favor.
Hatterene and Jelli’s Taunt both help keep hazards off your back. And between Hat, Conk, Rest Snorlax and Jelli’s Taunt, the squad is also pretty resilient to status.
Tactful use of Jellicent's Taunt will also help you wear down most walls down, and while Jelli can’t stop Pex from using Regenerator, Taunt does shut it down 1V1.
Unfortunately Mimikyu is pretty much dead weight as an attacker in this MU, but it least it can get a TR up to help Conk and Snorlax get the speed advantage in some situations.
Ultimately Snorlax is your best bet at overcoming such bulky teams, as typically their win con is a bulky set up sweeper, and Snorlax can usually beat them all, including BU Corviknight, CM Clefable, Mew and Necrozma. I also find such teams usually lack a fighting type, so keep that in mind, and keep Snorlax healthy. And worst case scenario, you can always go the PP stall route, as you can Rest, which saves you PP on the sleeping turns.
Substitute Togekiss. Mimikyu can only force it out from behind a Sub once, and while Dragapult's Thunderbolt will hit it through the Sub, will not kill it unless it's roughly at 60-70% health, depending on its bulk investment. Snorlax can typically keep it at bay a while if its behind a sub, but if Togekiss gets a Nasty Plot boost off, those flinches are going to start adding up against Snorlax. Play smart against this guy. (Similar note: Jirachi is annoying too for your TR setters, but at least Jellicent can take Iron Heads relatively well. Your priority moves are good options for Jirachi, as well as Drag if it isn’t scarfed.)
King’s Rock Shell Smash Cloyster is a flinchy jerk too. While easy to handle if TR is already up, it can flinch Hatterene to death, even without a boost. Cloyster can set up fairly easily against Mimikyu, so if the opponent sacks something and gets Cloyster in on the last turn of TR, you’re going to have a hard time. Conk’s Mach Punch checks it, but only if already burned, if Conk is weakened into Ice Shard range, your best options are Jellicent and Snorlax, who both resist Icicle Spear, but also struggle to damage back and can also be flinched to death. Skill Link also makes it so Mimikyu can’t phaze it with Red Card once it sets up with SS. Dragapult cannot revenge either, because of Ice Shard. Basically, watch out for this cancer. You have lots of options for it, but those flinches hurt.
I don't have a Ground immunity, and Mold Breaker Excadrill is scary in theory as it can OHKO both Hatterene and Mimiyku. However, most MB Excadrills are suicide leads, so honestly, I find I don't have much issues with killing it early match. Jellicent's and Conk's physical bulk + Mach Punch help against Drill, and Dragapult's Fire Blast roasts it in one hit. Even when it's a sash variant, Mimikyu no longer has to fear Excadrill if it's at 1 HP, as it can snipe it with Shadow Sneak. Still beware, if Excadrill gets a Swords Dance off and Dragapult / Conk are down, you're going to lose. Haxorus would also fall into the Mold Breaker sweeper category Mimikyu can’t phaze, but it’s pretty rare.
Zerora is a pain, as it thumps Jellicent with Plasma Fists, hits Snorlax with Close Combat or Knock off and outspeeds and kills Dragapult outside TR. Typically if I expect a Zerora lead, I lead with Conkledurr. Zerora can't OHKO Conk, and even if I get hit with Knock Off, Zerora is dying to Earthquake. Especially look out for Bulk Up Zerora, who Mimikyu can't phaze out if it breaks Disguise with Knock Off, and has added power and bulk even if you set up TR. Get Conkledurr in fast after setting up TR, or even Dragapult, who is technically faster than Zerora under TR and can kill it with Draco Meteor.
Last thing I’ll note here, although I don’t find it actually a threat but rather something to just consider: Hazards. As you probably noticed, I don’t have hazard control outside Hatterene and Taunt Jelli, meaning if my opponent slips some hazard past me, they’re staying up for the game. Also, I don’t have hazards myself. However, I don’t find hazards to be much of an issue in either case.
The fact the Hatterene even exists on this team makes most players think twice about throwing out hazards, fearing the Hat switch in play, making her a natural deterrent to most hazard setters.
And while MB Excadrill can get rocks up against Hat, I don’t have any mons weak to rocks, and regardless, I’m usually more concerned about taking Excadrill out fast than anything because I don’t have a ground resist and it can beat Mimikyu through Disguise. Honestly, if Lead Drill is throwing out rocks, that’s a free hit for me to break its sash. (Similarly poison mons like NG Weezing and the rare Roserade can get Toxic Spikes up, but Conk doesn’t care about status and poison won’t stop Snorlax from sweeping because it has Rest.)
To put it another way, this my theory: Heavy Duty Boots exist so mons like Mandibuzz, Rotom H and Mantine aren’t typically taking rock damage anymore anyway, and I don’t struggle to break them, let alone frail mons like Cinderance, which is 100% dead weight against this team. The meta has adapted to hazards because of HDB, so ultimately, forgoing hazards is a calculated risk, but it has worked out alright in my favor.
(Note: Some replays are old versions of the team with Zerora over Jellicent, but still showcase the other 5 members well.)
Good showcase of team syngery, Snorlax eats a super effective Focus Blast from a +5 CM Renuclius.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067210523
Dragapult breaks through screens. Mimikyu phazes DD Gyarados while setting up TR. Jellicent does work against offense and keeps Gyarados from setting up again. Hat cleans up. I misclick at the end, but still win despite a crit from Gyara. Good thing Conk is fat! :P
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069092066
Snorlax Owns Sun. Watch Snorlax tank a sun boosted Flare Blitz from Darmanitan after 1 Curse.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067216197
Vs Rain w/ Zerora. My Jellicent vs Rain video sadly didn’t save (suffice to say, Jellicent pretty much shuts Rain down all on its own), but even with only one water resist in this version of the team you can see how the rest of team fairs vs rain.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067196049
Snorlax Tanks a MASSIVE hit from +3 Sp Atk 220 base Stored Power CM Mew from on Turn 18. “Such heft.” (Also, note that I don’t go for Body Slam paralysis against Mew, because of Synchronize. Snorlax being paralyzed can easily backfire.)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069098453
Vs Balance, Mimikyu cleans up an offense core (note: the crits against Sylveon didn’t matter so much, as it came in on Jellicent and Taunt would’ve prevented it from healing with Wish)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069393067
Vs Screens Hyper Offense, Drag and Conk go to work, and the joy of having EQ on Conk nails a Toxitricity excepting a fighting move incoming on Bisharp. Don’t let that Cloyster set up!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069422994
Jellicent lures what I assume was a Sash Weavile Knock Off lead, which otherwise would’ve deprived Conk its Burn/Breaking power. VS Sub Togekiss.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069428592
My favorite game ever with this team. Conk, Jellicent and Snorlax vs Toxic Spikes Pex + Pressure Stall. Conk breaks Corvi mid game, and late game, after a tactful Ditto removal, and calculated Mimi sack to Toxic Spikes, I make an epic Snorlax Rest revival under TR from 3% + Toxic status, FTW!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069306340
Good showcase of team syngery, Snorlax eats a super effective Focus Blast from a +5 CM Renuclius.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067210523
Dragapult breaks through screens. Mimikyu phazes DD Gyarados while setting up TR. Jellicent does work against offense and keeps Gyarados from setting up again. Hat cleans up. I misclick at the end, but still win despite a crit from Gyara. Good thing Conk is fat! :P
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069092066
Snorlax Owns Sun. Watch Snorlax tank a sun boosted Flare Blitz from Darmanitan after 1 Curse.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067216197
Vs Rain w/ Zerora. My Jellicent vs Rain video sadly didn’t save (suffice to say, Jellicent pretty much shuts Rain down all on its own), but even with only one water resist in this version of the team you can see how the rest of team fairs vs rain.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1067196049
Snorlax Tanks a MASSIVE hit from +3 Sp Atk 220 base Stored Power CM Mew from on Turn 18. “Such heft.” (Also, note that I don’t go for Body Slam paralysis against Mew, because of Synchronize. Snorlax being paralyzed can easily backfire.)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069098453
Vs Balance, Mimikyu cleans up an offense core (note: the crits against Sylveon didn’t matter so much, as it came in on Jellicent and Taunt would’ve prevented it from healing with Wish)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069393067
Vs Screens Hyper Offense, Drag and Conk go to work, and the joy of having EQ on Conk nails a Toxitricity excepting a fighting move incoming on Bisharp. Don’t let that Cloyster set up!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069422994
Jellicent lures what I assume was a Sash Weavile Knock Off lead, which otherwise would’ve deprived Conk its Burn/Breaking power. VS Sub Togekiss.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069428592
My favorite game ever with this team. Conk, Jellicent and Snorlax vs Toxic Spikes Pex + Pressure Stall. Conk breaks Corvi mid game, and late game, after a tactful Ditto removal, and calculated Mimi sack to Toxic Spikes, I make an epic Snorlax Rest revival under TR from 3% + Toxic status, FTW!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1069306340
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