SM RU Trick Room 2: Electric Panda Boogaloo

[Setendo]

Introduction​

Greetings ladies and gentlemen! Here's a team that I initially just put together for a joke, but as time went on, it became on of my favorite and most effective teams (which isn't saying much, but still). Trick Room is probably one of my favorite gimmicks to use, and this team is no different. It's a pretty simple premise: set up Trick Room, bring in the attacker, and murder everything for three turns. This one has more of a hyper offense flair to it, as I usually only get 9 turns of Trick Room to work with. Without further ado, into the team itself!

Teambuilding Process​

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I needed to set up Trick Room off the bat, and no Pokemon is better suited for the job than Carbink since its the only Pokemon with Sturdy that gets Trick Room.

I needed something else with Trick Room, and Duosion fits the bill perfectly with its access to Magic Guard.

I could've used Solosis to achieve the same effect as Duosion, but I chose Chimecho instead. I initially did so because it learns Defog, but I kept it because of it's access to Healing Wish.

I usually like to run one physical attacker and one special attacker. I chose Pangoro because of it's high attack stat backed by Iron Fist and solid coverage. I originally used a Machamp with Guts, but Pangoro hits hard right off the bat. Plus, Guts doesn't synergize well with Healing Wish.

For the special attacker, Mega Ampharos was practically a given. I chose it over Mega Camerupt or Abomasnow because of its better defensive typing.

With my other Trick Room team, a major problem I ran into was my attacker being useless without Trick Room. As such, I decided to choose a sweeper that could function with or without Trick Room, and I chose Linoone since it sweeps using priority.

The Team​

Kiroshima (Carbink) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
​

The suicide lead of the team. Explosion gives my attackers a free switch in so that they don't have to take a hit. Stealth is nice to get up, but my team hit hard enough that it usually isn't too big of an issue if I have to go right for the Trick Room. Toxic is used to cripple walls, though it rarely gets used. Mental Herb prevents Carbink from being taunted, and being specially defensive allows it to set up Stealth Rocks on Milotic and Galvantula.

Shigaraki (Duosion) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Explosion
- Endeavor
- Magic Coat
​

If the opponent sets up Stealth Rocks, then this is my Trick Room setter to use. Explosion lets it off itself to provide a safe switch in. Magic Coat bounces back Taunt. Endeavor is just a throw away move, but it useful for getting some cheese if I can predict correctly. I usually just use Explosion, though.

Uraraka (Chimecho) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Healing Wish
- Defog
- Magic Coat
​

Chimecho is often the last Trick Room setter I use, primarily because of Healing Wish. Not only does it let it bring in an attacker safely, it's also useful for healing statuses like burns or just bringing them back to full health to sponge another hit. Defog can get rid of hazards, although Stealth Rocks isn't too big of a concern for my team. Magic Coat reflects Taunt and other moves like Toxic.

ALL FOR ONE (Pangoro) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hammer Arm
- Knock Off
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch
​

Pangoro absolutely destroys everything with the combination of its high attack and good coverage. Hammer Arm and Knock Off are fairly self explanatory. Gunk Shot hits Fairy-types, most notably Florges, which Mega Ampharos struggles against. Ice Punch is mostly for Gligar and Mandibuzz (Though it can still struggle against the latter.), but it's also useful for hitting Virizion, Goodra, and Donphan. Iron Fist boosts its attack power, and Life Orb increases that power even further while still letting it switch moves.

Kaminari (Ampharos-Mega) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch
​

While not as absurdly destructive as Pangoro, Mega Ampharos certainly isn't a slouch when it comes to attacking. Anything that Pangoro struggles with, like Mandibuzz, Milotic, and Mega Blastoise, Mega Ampharos can deal with handily. The set itself is fairly standard: STAB attacks, with Focus Blast for coverage. I chose to forgo more coverage for Volt Switch, which can be used to bring in a Trick Room setter for free or just get Mega Ampharos out of trouble.

Grantorino (Linoone) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Throat Chop
- Seed Bomb
​

Linoone's main job is to clean up weakened teams, especially since it functions the same whether it's in Trick Room or under normal conditions. It's a fairly standard set. 108 Speed EVs lets it outpace Hoopa outside of Trick Room, and the rest are allocated to HP to let it set up on bulkier Pokemon more easily. I chose Seed Bomb over Stomping Tantrum to hit Rhyperior and Milotic harder.

Threat List
​

The threat list is somewhat unorthodox. There aren't many Pokemon that straight up hard counter my team or require excessive planning to deal with. However, there are some that can pose a problem, and they are common enough that I felt the need to mention them.

Linoone​

Opposing Linoones pretty much win the game if they manage to set up, as I have nothing to counter them. Killing them before they set up isn't much of an issue (barring an unlucky Hammer Arm or Focus Blast miss), but failing that, its pretty much GG.

Mega Steelix & Donphan​

I chose to group these two together because they pose the same problems: they eat up Trick Room turns and can deal a solid chunk of damage. Both Pangoro and Mega Ampharos miss out on the OHKO, and in return Mega Steelix or Donphan can deal a hefty amount of damage in return, especially to Mega Ampharos. Though both can be beaten fairly easily in a one-on-one scenario, in the grand scheme of things they can prove bothersome. There are other Pokemon that fit into this category as well, like Araquanid, but Mega Steelix and Donphan are the ones I see most often.

Mega Abomasnow & Mega Camerupt​

Like the last pair, these two pose the same issue, although this one is different. Their normally crippling speed allows them to outpace my attackers under Trick Room even without minimum speed, which is especially problematic given how absurdly powerful they are. Mega Camerupt is especially difficult to deal with, as neither Pangoro nor Mega Ampharos can OHKO is, and it has no qualms OHKOing either of them in return. Their rarity in RU makes them less of a hinderance, but whenever they appear, its a tough match ahead.

Conclusion​

All in all, this team is very fun to use. It is very demanding, however. With only nine turns to deal as much damage as possible before my Pokemon goes from destructive wall-breakers to nigh-useless snails, it takes some serious prediction and strategy to pull it off. However, there are very few feeling that can compare to the satisfaction of tearing through the opposing team with such high powered attacks. Hopeful you find this team to be as fun as I do. Any and all input is encouraged and appreciated!

Importable

Kiroshima (Carbink) @ Mental Herb
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic

Shigaraki (Duosion) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Explosion
- Endeavor
- Magic Coat

Uraraka (Chimecho) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Healing Wish
- Defog
- Magic Coat

ALL FOR ONE (Pangoro) @ Life Orb
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hammer Arm
- Knock Off
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Punch

Kaminari (Ampharos-Mega) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Grantorino (Linoone) @ Figy Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Extreme Speed
- Throat Chop
- Seed Bomb