Topic: Unsuspected, "unviable" Niche Pokémon of the Day

[the bread dragon]

#banter is the best set ive ever seen
on anything

[Delicious_Scout]

We need a wise/sensible GL set.

No. If you like, write it by yourself. Let's move!

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As some of you have noticed, today I am not going to review a Pokémon; most people asked me for Pokémon that were too similar under certain circumstances, like Rain or Sun. Due to popular demand, I will review…

Rain

As you might have guessed, I will explain the weather itself and some Pokémon that can abuse that condition, independently of their viability ranking in Smogon. If there is demand for a specific article of a Pokémon that might appear in the next five issues, it will be done.

Rain is probably the best weather condition a team can use: Rain, basically, multiplies the damage output of a Water Attack by 1.5 and the one of a Fire Attack by 0.5, causing pure Water Types to be hit by, at least, Neutral Damage, but they can also hit with a double STAB, thus being a potence of X2.25 against a Neutral-to-Water Pokémon.

Naturally, most things come to an end, and Rain is no exception; it will end in Five Turns, unless the one that summoned Rain hold a Damp Rock, case in which there will be Eight Turns of Rain.

However, as I stated before, Rain is probably the best weather one can have on their side, since it can be exploited to very good effects:

The Summoner


Politoed

Politoed is currently the only Pokémon that is allowed to use the ability Drizzle (summons Rain at the moment of entering the battlefield) in OU. Per se, it is not a great Pokémon, but it is sufficient, meaning that the buff Rain provides to Politoed is enough to not make on cringe on the floor. With 90/75/75/90/100/70, it can hit hard enough with Choice Specs, be quick enough with a Choice Scarf, or even supportative with Damp Rock or Leftovers, along moves such as Perish Song or Encore. This is just the beginning, because, after Politoed, come the ones who can really abuse Rain.

The Swift Swimmers


Kabutops and Ludicolo

Due to the lack of space, I will only introduce two Pokémon that can make excellent use of Swim Swift, an ability that Doubles the Speed of the user under Rain. Kabutops, with 60/115/105/65/70/80 stats, and Ludicolo, with 80/70/70/90/100/70, can outspeed most of the Scarfed Metagame and strike fear on the opponents' hearts, especially with a Sword Dance Boost (Kabutops), and Life Orb (both). Kabutops is especially proficient at taking Talonflame down, resisting its STAB combination, while Kabutops' is always Super Effective.

The "Bulkier" Sweepers


Jynx and Toxicroak

Although they might not be the most fabulous around, they do make good use of their ability, Dry Skin, to recover 12.5% of their health back after each turn, provided Rain is active. This is specially crucial for these two Pokémon, who usually rely on SUbstitute and/or Boosting Moves to be effective, and recovering after doing "nothing" to the opponent is a huge difference in the Long Run. In the one hand, Jynx, with 65/50/35/115/95/95 stats, is not the easiest Pokémon to use, but it can be quite sturdy on the Special Side under the Rain. The SubPlot set is nothing to laugh at. On the other hand, Toxicroak, with 83/106/65/86/65/85 stats, might not seem bulky, but with its interesting set of resistances, Substitute, Black Sludge, and the possibility of using Sucker Punch, Toxicroak can stay around for long, especially with a Bulk Up set, although the latter is very hard to use due to the nerf of Rain.

The Hydration Abuser


Manaphy

Goodra exists… but its other two abilities are generally more useful. Manaphy, on the other hand, with 100/100/100/100/100/100 stats, access to Tail Glow, and a bit of luck with the timing, Manaphy can cure its Status and Full Health by just using one turn of Rest. This is the reason why it was banned to Über last Generation, now making it happen again is up to you.

The Rain Dishers


Tentacruel and Ludicolo

Tentacruel is one of the best Defensive Pokémon under the Rain; its STAB Scald is powered, it can easily Rapid Spin with a stat distribution of 80/70/65/80/120/100, and, most importantly, with Rain Dish and Black Sludge, Tentacruel can passively recover 1/8 of its HP, while Ludicolo can also use Leech Seed, being this one a very annoying Pokémon to face.

Thunder and Hurricane Abusers


Tornadus-Therian and Thundurus

What can abuse these two legendary moves the best other than Legendaries? Tornadus-Therian was actually banned to Über during Generation V due to its stat combination of 79/100/80/110/90/121, and access to STAB Hurricane and Regenerator. Although these stats might seem weak, Tornadus-Therian has access to a very fast Taunt and U-Turn, and STAB Hurricane does deal a lot of damage; its coverage moves just make it better. Thundurus, with  79/115/70/125/80/111 stats and access to STAB Thunder, and even Prankster Nasty Plot, Taunt, and Thunder Wave, can easily eliminate most teams with Thunder alone, but its coverage is also relevant enough to pose a threat. Of course, it was also banned from OU to Über.

The Steel Types


Scizor and Ferrothorn

Due to Rain's natural ability to weaken Fire Moves, Steel Types are a natural choice for Rain Team. Scizor, with  70/130/100/55/80/65 stats (and a Mega with 70/150/140/65/100/75) is an excellent choice for Offensive teams, while Ferrothorn, with 74/94/131/54/116/20, can be used in most teams, shining in Bulky Offence, Balanced, and Stall. It has the added bonus of being Neutral to Water under the Rain, which is crucial against other Rain Teams.

Water Types that improve a lot under Rain, but do not necessarely need it


Azumarill and Keldeo

Their power is already high and they have no Abilities related to Rain... but their power become ludicrously destructive under Rain. Azumarill, with access to Huge Power, and 100/50/80/60/80/50 stats, can easily OHKO most Pokémon with Waterfall, and revenge kill most around 50% of their HP with Aqua Jet. Keldeo is the Special hard-hitter; with Choice Specs or Life Orb, and 91/72/90/129/90/108 stats, has an easy team even against Chansey, who is heavily dented by Secret Sword.

Conclusions

Having so many options to choose from (Attack or Defend?), Rain is a very versatile weather. Having as well the only rain-boosted Priority Move in Aqua Jet, and the possibility of ruining Mega Venusaur's Synthesis (recovering 33% of its HP) Rain Teams are not a little niche; they are still viable as a whole. Not preparing yourself for such strategy is not recommended, since most Pokémon listed here are very viable according to Smogon… and the writer of this article. No, Castform will not be mentioned in any article regarding weather. But Weather Ball and HP Water can be used under the right circumstances.

Some mentions go for those Pokémon that can use Rain Dance manually, thus, perhaps, freeing you from using Politoed. Good candidate for this task are Bronzong, and even Ludicolo, which can use it in order not to lose momentum.

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So, what do you think about Rain Teams? Are they cheap? Do you prefer another weather? Should I analyse one of those Pokémon? Let me know, and do not miss the next issue on Sun!

[Delicious_Scout]

So, what do you think about Rain Teams? Are they cheap? Do you prefer another weather? Should I analyse one of those Pokémon? Let me know, and do not miss the next issue on Sun!

I will take that as a gentle "nope". Anyway, let me go on with this week.

__________

Today, due to the fact I have been playing "Wario Ware: D.I.Y.", I am tired. The end. Nevertheless, this is not a reason enough to make me stop, so we will discuss…

Sun

Sun is not a fortunate case. Technically speaking, it does the opposite of what Rain does; it multiplies Fire Moves potence by 1.5, while Water ones by 0.5, and still can be used Five Turns, or even Eight if a Heat Rock is equipped by the summoner.

At first glance, it does seem that Sun is even more useful than Rain, especially in order to maim those pesky Steel Types. However, most Sun Abusers are Grass Types, which are in most cases weak to Fire, thus being this weather, sometimes, a backfire. An example of this are Specially Offensive Chloerophyll Sweepers, which use Hidden Power Fire (or Ice in case of Victreebell if it runs Weather Ball because it turns into a Fire attack) and Solar Beam, which only requires one turn to use under the Sun; most of them are slow to begin with, and, due to the nerf of Hidden Power, even some bulky Steel Types are able to take a HP Fire and strike back. Dragon Types do tend to wall these Pokémon as well, but in most cases, their worst enemy is, ironically, a Fire Type Pokémon called Heatran, which is very common. Moreover, an otherwise wonderful ability, Leaf Guard, is hindered by the fact Grass Types are weak to Fire (once again), although if your opponents lacks Fire and has Water Types, you can try.

In any event, let's check the most usual roles in a Sun Team.

The Summoners


Ninetales and Mega Charizard Y

These are the only Automatic Sun Summoners that can be used in OU. Their roles are not the same, though; while Ninetales, with 73/76/75/81/100/100 stats, and the ability to carry an item (Heat Rock, usually) tends to be more supportative (or even set up with Nasty Plot if you want to try to outclass Mega Charizard Y, usually with little success), Mega Charizard Y, with 78/104/78/159/115/100, is meant to DESTROY, usually by itself (the Sun only lasts Five Turns). Other candidates are sturdy Pokémon like Regirock, Bronzong (risky), and other Pokémon that need the Speed Boost to sweep.

Chlorophyll Abusers

This category can also be devided by many other sections, but covering all six Pokémon at once will be easier.


Venusaur, Victreebel, Exeggutor, Shiftry, Lilligant, and Sawsbuck

These are the most viable Chlorophyll users around, and each of them has traits that make it unique regarding the other. For example, the ones that rely the least on Sun are Venusaur and Lilligant, mostly because Venusaur's 80/82/83/100/100/80, along a possible boost from Growth or Sword Dance, make it a very proficient Physical, Mixed, or Special Sweeper or Wallbreaker (it can use Sleep Powder as well!), while Chloe My Waifu Lilligant's 70/60/75/110/75/90 are enough to outspeed some crucial Pokémon, but the icing of the key is its access to Quiver Dance and Sleep Powder, enough to attempt a Sweep or even put an opponent that walls it (most likely a Fire or Dragon Type).

Sawsbuck (80/100/70/60/70/95) and Shiftry (90/100/60/90/60/80) do need weather, but not as much as Exeggutor (95/95/85/125/65/55) and Victreebel (80/105/65/100/70/70), whose Speed is usually not enough to work with outside the Sun. In particular, Exeggutor does not have any means to improve its Speed, but its brute force, and even Sword Dance in some cases, make it a very, very threatening Pokémon under Sun; its access to Leaf Storm, Psychic, Low Kick, a decent Hidden Power, Sleep Powder, among others, are usually enough to make the opponent think twice what to send against Exeggutor, but the loss of Nature Power → Earthquake does harm a bit its coverage. Victreebel, at least, has access to Sucker Punch, but it does not usually need it, so other options in Growth, Sword Dance, Weather Ball (Fire), Hidden Power, Sleep Powder, STAB Grass Move of Choice, Sludge Bomb, etc., are usually great choices for this Pokémon.

Sawsbuck plays differently. Instead of just blowing Pokémon up, it prefers to revenge, as its Attack is average and its Speed under Sun practically outspeeds the entire metagame, although a Sword Dance late-game is a very good alternative; with moves like Double-Edge/Return, Leech Horn, Jump Kick, Megahorn, and so on, it has very good coverage. Shiftry got a very interesting buff in Defog, but, under the Sun, it prefers to be even trickier than Victreebel; it has access to Sword Dance, Nasty Plot… and Growth, making it absolutely unpredictable and very hard to deal with outside priority. Low Kick, Leaf Storm, Giga Drain, STAB Sucker Punch, Focus Blast are all very good options for Shiftry, as it usually does not need a HP, which is a huge bonus (it lost Nature Power → Earthquake, though).

Pokémon whose Fire Moves are the bane of everything in existence under Sun



Infernape, Victini, and Darmanitan

Infernape, whose mixed offensive capabilities are a fact with 76/104/71/104/71/108 stats, can use either a Chocie Band or a Life Orb to spam very powerful and quick Flare Blitzes or Fire Blasts, while its other coverage moves allow it to be an efficient Wall Breaker and Scout. Victini, with access to STAB V-Create and 100/100/100/100/100/100 stats, can harm even more than Infernape does with just that move. But if one is looking for one of the strongest, if not the strongest, attack of the metagame, one has to look at a Life-Orb-Sheer-Force-boosted Flare Blitz by Darmanitan, with 105/140/55/30/55/95. Just as examples:

252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Abomasnow in Sun: 2922-3447 (760.9 - 897.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcanion in Sun: 122-144 (43.4 - 51.2%) -- 9.8% chance to 2HKO (Notice this is a Quad-Resistant Pokémon with 70/120 Physical Defence)
252+ Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Pressure Lugia in Sun: 347-409 (83.6 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Yes, Darmanitan's power is that preposterous.

Conclusions

Although not as popular (and sometimes not viable) as Rain, Sun proves to be a very competent weather under the right hands; a defensive strategy is often not what one is looking for with these kind of teams, but heavy offence. Underestimate Sun under your own risk, or you will be turned into ashes.

__________

I would normally ask what you think about Sun, but you already did it. Time for Sandstorm!

[SirBlaziken]

I honestly prefer Sun to Rain because I mainly like fire over water as a type. Plus 1 turn solarbeams to the face of a quagsire or swampert are always satisfying.

[Kerou 犠牲]

I'm glad weather isn't particularly consistent in the metagame, really only run into Sandstorms. I think that was part of the reason I didn't give Gen V competitive battling a try.

[SirBlaziken]

^That's mainly because of Mega Tyranitar. That thing is beastly.

With SR down, that gives a small chance to OHKO volcanion and a very good chance to OHKO Lugia.

[Delicious_Scout]

Fegelmove!

__________

Today, we are going to talk about a weather that causes passive damage to some Pokémon, and it is often unintentional. I present…

Sandstorm

As I said before, Sandstorm usually happens. The reason of such mystery is that both of its autmoatic summoners (Tyranitar and Hippowdon) are very proficient in the current metagame as a Pokémon without taking into account their abilities. However, that does not mean one can create a team based on that weather; these teams, in fact, tend to work very well both with and without Sandstorm.

Basically, Sandstorm causes damage as of the 1/16 of the total HP of a Pokémon that is not immune to it, being the immune ones those that have the ability Overcoat, Sand Rush, Sand Veil, and Steel, Rock, and Ground Types. It also boosts the Special Defence of Rock Types by 50%, teomprary making them a decent defensive typing.

Let's analyse the components of that kind of teams.

The Summoners



Tyranitar and Hippowdon

Tyranitar has always been monstruous. With 100/134/110/95/100/61 stats and a Mega Evolution with 100/164/150/95/120/71, Tyranitar is not easy to defeat nor to switch into. Ranging from Support to Dragon Dance Sweeper, Tyranitar has all the tools it needs to be successful in most teams. Hippowdon, on the other hand, with 108/112/118/68/72/47 stats and no Rock Type to abuse the 50% Special Defence boost, might not seem threatening; think twice, because it is one of the best mixes of wall/tank one is able to find, checking and even countering many threats, and its Speed is, fortunately, two points above Conkeldurr's.

The Sand Rushers



Stoutland and Excadrill

Although Stoutland might seem a weird choice for a Sand team, with a pure Normal Typing and 85/110/90/45/90/80 stats, but it's that Normal Typing (most Normal Types have access to a long range of coverage moves), along that natural bulk, and sufficient Attack and Speed, what makes Stoutland a very proficient Revenge Killer; access to Pursuit, Superpower, STAB Return, the elemental Fangs, and so on, are the elements that allow Stoutland to be very decent under Sandstorm. Excadrill, the one which was banned to Über due to the abuse of Sandstorm and Sand Rush, is now available in OU due to the nerf of weather. This means that now it can harass all the Pokémon it was not able to before, with its 110/135/60/50/65/88 stats. It is as versatile as Tyranitar, and they should often form a core; while Tyranitar sets Stealth Rock (or another partner), Excadrill can Rapid Spin the enemy's at the speed of light, while also being quad-resistant to Stalth Rock; but it can use other sets without any difficulty.

Overcoaters: The Type Variety



Reuniclus and Mandibuzz

Both are very competent as a whole, but the residual damage from Sand is something that most rivals will hate when facing these Pokémon. Reuniclus, with 110/65/75/125/85/30 stats and access to Recover and Pain Split, as well as Magic Guard, which is an Overcoat that prevents all indirect damage at the cost of being hit by powder-like moves (Sleep Poweder, for instance), rarelly fears Stalling or Sweeping, while Mandibuzz, with 110/65/105/55/95/80, can cripple their opponents faster with Knock Off, Taunt, Toxic, and Roost. It can not be stressed enough how hard to take down these Pokémon are.

Other Options

Because Sand Teams often do not need a core as solid as Rain or Sun's, Pokémon with Sand-Related abilities can be easily discarded. For example, most Sand Force Pokémon are outclassed by others with better abilities, while Sand Veil is, overall, little reliable. This does not mean, though, that these abilities are useless; an Earthquake coming from Landorus or Mega Garchomp under the Sand is not something every Pokémon is ready to stomach.

Most Rock types are either too slow, too frail, or have many weaknesses to make good use of the Special Defence boost. An exception is Regirock, which after some Curses and proper timing can eliminate most of the components of the opposition with ease. Another one is Mega Aerodactyl, whose increase in defences can mean it can strike twice, especially with its base 150 Speed and Roost. And the last, but not the least important, is Archeops; being able to not get below 50% of its health after a hit is almost a miracle, and the boost might help it to properly open holes on the enemy team.

Conslusions

Sand Teams, although simple to understand, are not easy to defeat; one error and it might cost one of your Pokémon via Toxic, a lost Calm Mind War, a ridiculosuly powerful Earthquake, or a lightning-fast Superpower. The capacity to vary from team to team is the key reason why Sand teams are usually more successful than Sun teams; but the lack of easily-boosted attacks is why Rain teams are often considered as the best teams based on weather.

__________

So, what do you think about Sandstorm? Will Darude complain after this article? Do you prefer Tyranitar or Hippowdon? More during the next issue, on Hail!

[the bread dragon]

never used weather before, but still an interesting read, way2go

[Delicious_Scout]

Weather is a condition some people prefer to not have because they think it limits the strategy to a few Pokémon, while I think it does enhance most. Just find your way, and, talking about variety, this is specially true in today's case.

__________

Today, I am going to present the least overall liked and perhaps least proficient weather. Say hello to… SAXTON HALE!

Hail

Hail is very easy to explain: everything that does not have Magic Guard or Overcoat or is not an Ice Type gets -1/16 of their total HP at the end of the turn, while also activating Snow Cloak, Ice Body, and granting a perfectly accurante Blizzard.

Often, this weather is associated with Mono Ice Teams. This, in fact, is an error that should be avoided by all means, therefore, one must assume they will take their own residual damage while using a Hail Team. However, it is true that most of the times Ice Pokémon are in advantage because of their powerful moves or even ability to Stall (like Abomasnow or Walrein).

In any case, here are the most common roles in a Hail Team:

The Summoner



Abomasnow

Abomasnow is currently the only Pokémon (bar its pre-evolution) that has access to Snow Warning. Until Hidden Ability Aurorus is released, one can play with Abomasnow, a Grass/Ice Pokémon with 90/92/75/92/85/60 stats; this might not seem much, especially for a hard-to-control defensive typing, but its key resistances to Electric, Water, and Grass might be useful for keeping it alive and hurting, either by Leech Seeds or attacking; although the later is better done by its Mega Evolution, with stats of 90/132/105/132/105/30. In fact, there are two reasons to choose regular Abomasnow over its Mega: it does not use the Mega Spot and it has better Speed, although it is not even average.

The Hazard Controllers



Mega Blastoise, Mew, and Forretress

Even more important than Spamming Blizzard mindlessly, if running a Hail team, one has to think on the entry hazards, in particular how to deal with them and if there is the option to set them up. Mega Blastoise, with 79/103/120/135/115/78 stats, along with Mega Launcher, is able to deal with most Spin Blockers, as well as firing powerful attacks, including Blizzard. The problem with this Pokémon is that it lacks recovery, so it is possible that it goes down quickly. Mew, on the other hand, has access to Soft Boiled, Defog, Stealth Rock, and 100/100/100/100/100/100 stats, is able to survive the residual damage from Hail with ease. If one looks for a more defensive approach at the cost of more weaknesses to Fire, Forretress, with 75/90/140/60/60   /40, every entry hazard (but Sticky Web), and Overcoat or Sturdy, is able to prepare the field for its fellows. Other options include Starmie and Excadrill.

Blizzard Spammers



Nidoking, Rotom-Frost, and Kyurem-Black

Nidoking might seem a strange choice for a Hail team, but it has a very good selling point in Sheer-Force-Life-Orb Boosted Blizzard, along its great coverage; 81/102/77/85/75/85 are usually sufficient to accomplish its task. Otherwise, one can choose to run Rotom-F, with 50/65/107/105/107/86, and STAB BoltBeam (Volt Turn/Thunderbolt and Blizzard in this case), along an extra Speed Point, and even the possibility to use Pain Split or Will-o-Wisp. But if one looks for the best mixed capabilities, Kyurem-B should be an automatic addition, with 125/170/100/120/90/95 stats. The power of Kyurem-B is just too strong for most Pokémon (except for most Clefables).

Alternatives

See? It has not been hard to get through all the common roles in a Hail Team, mostly because there are few. One has to cover the weaknesses of Ice-Types with caution, and such, Steel, Ghost, and Fire types are very recommended. Choice Scarf Heatran is a very good option in that regard, allowing to Revenge Kill enemies with  an easier time due to the residual damage Hail provides. A more offensive Stallrein with Thick Fat and Toxic Spikes support can also be useful with Super Fang and Brine.

Conclusions

Although Hail might look like a useless weather at first sight, it does provide a valuable niche for teams that do want to stack up more damage than with just entry hazards; the fact it also allows the user to spam Blizzard almost freely (with a chance to Freeze) is also a huge selling point for these teams, and the power of even a non-STAB one should never be overlooked.

__________

So, what do you think about Hail? Should it go to Jail? Will it ever get love? More for the next article!

[Richard and Blaziken]

Hail is the most interesting weather to play, but also consistently the worst. Aurorus is even worse than Abomasnow in most regards, and having both of them to keep Hail up is going to be even more of an achor on your team. To be entirely honest, if using Hail, I'd strongly recommend just using Abomasnow for self-support in the way that Specs Politoed is just there to take advantage of its own rain without building a team around it. While building a Hail team can be done, making a successful one that can actually climb the ladder is difficult at best.

All that said, this was a pretty good overview of all the weathers, good job.

[Delicious_Scout]

I agree on the point of Hail being the worst overall weather; I would rate them as Rain>Sand>Sun>Hail. But I disagree on the analyses being well done. Talking about that, remember that Hail and Sandstorm reduce the power of Solar Beam to 60 and, instead of 50% of their total HP, Synthesis only heals 25%.

__________

Today, we will analyse the most used semi-weather condition, able to turn NU Pokémon into very valuable members of one's team. Here I present…

Trick Room

Trick Room is very easy to explain: basically, it makes faster Pokémon go slower, and slower ones, faster; it basically "inverts" their Speeds. However, priorities still strike first, unless both Pokémon use them, in which case the basic rules apply. One might wonder, then, why it is not used in more teams.

To begin with, Trick Room has a priority of -7. That means that even the slower phazers will be able to force you out if you use Trick Room during the wrong turn. The second issue regarding this move is that most of the Pokémon able to learn it are weak to both Dark and Ghost, thus limiting its efficiency in balanced teams. And, perhaps most importantly, it does not have a way to last more than Five turns, meaning it must act, ironically, quickly to fulfill its task.

Due to the fact Trick Room is not used that much, most of its most proficient users have not been properly identified, so I will limit myself to write the roles of the team.

• First off, one must assume that no Set Up Moves for one own's Stat Boosting purposes should be ever used due to the limited time one has to hit hard. Reuniclus is a very good case to explain this scenario: with a Quiet Nature and 0 IV in Speed, reaching 58 Speed total, Reuniclus can forget to use Calm Mind in favour of Hidden Power Fire or another coverage move, while Life Orb does the rest of the job (pairs well with Magic Guard, negating the Recoil).
  
• Second, one can not rely on a single Trick Room setter; their common weaknesses makes it undesirable, especially for a semi-weather of such short duration. From two to four, and four is being very generous, are usually the members one should carry with Trick Room on their arsenal.
  
• Third, and this is very important, do not exclusively rely on low-speed Pokémon. Due to, again, Trick Room's short duration, it is not just adviced, but necessary, that, at least, one Pokémon has a very high Speed Stat and sufficient Revenge Killing abilities. If opting for both, use a Special and a Physical Pokémon to make sure you cover all threats possible without losing too many Trick Room Wallbreakers/Sweepers.
  
• Fourth, although being slower most of the times is usually beneficial, do not mindlessly use a 252 HP/252 (Offence)/4 (Any Defence) spread with a -Speed Nature; most Pokémon can do better than that. For example, both Mega Abomasnow and Camerupt can effectively invest 504 EV in BOTH offences, while most defensive Pokémon might as well want to keep a Neutral-Speed nature with even some Speed investment in order to support their team outside Trick Room; this is especially true for those bulky Pokémon that want to keep an Analytic boost through the entire match or want to use Taunt without much trouble.
  

To conclude this short report, one must think how to deal with Bulky Offence when using Trick Room teams; they usually carry Knock Off, a move that most Trick Room summoners hate to be impacted with. It is often little viable over other options for a reason, just usually being more used than Gravity. Therefore, one has to plan very carefully how to build one of those teams… and how to properly use Mind Games.

__________

So, what do you think about Trick Room? Is it a bad idea, or simply the worst? Saxton HAIL!? See you in next article, on Molly!

[Sappy]

Who's the member of the day? Is that today?

[the bread dragon]

"See you in next article, on Molly!"

its the last sentence u silly goose

[Raphetty]

While Trick Room and weather based teams might not be that common in single battles, they are used quite extensively in double and triple battles.

[SirBlaziken]

I nominate Sappy for the Competitive user challenge.