Speed Trap: A Trick Room RMT

[Patrick1088]

Speed Trap
So, after my last RMT, I decided to try my hand at Trick Room. I found it to be quite a bit of fun. Currently, it is at 1790 (peak around 1820-ish) with a (68-34) record (Mr.1088_13). I based this team around Trick Room with pokes that are able to get Trick Room up very consistently. It went through many variations, but this is the current team below. I'm looking for suggestions and any advice. Here's my RMT!
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Smeargle@ Focus Sash (Level 1)
Hardy Nature
Own Tempo
252 Speed EVs
-Spore
-Trick Room
-Endeavor
-Dragon Rage

I saw this Smeargle first on KittenMilk's Monotype RMT and thought it was the dumbest thing ever. Any skilled player will taunt this Smeargle once they see it's Level 1 and a lead. However, I was completely wrong about this set and it works very well. The idea is to lead off with Smeargle and Trick Room/Spore on Turn 1 and 2. Endeavor brings the opponent down to Smeargle's HP and makes it easy to pick off with Dragon Rage (guaranteed 40HP every time). Level 1 is to guarantee Smeargle to be the slowest poke and the fastest in TR. Taunt is a pain especially when you see Crobat, but if you Endeavor on the predicted Taunt, that Crobat is officially within an easy KO range, while keeping my Sash intact. Fake Out and Ghosts (especially with Substitute like SubNastyPlot Mismagius) stop this set cold. However, this set does have more use now that Froslass is gone.

Cofagrigus@ Leftovers
Quiet Nature
Mummy
248 HP/ 8 Def/ 252 SpA
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 2 Spe
-Trick Room
-Nasty Plot
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power Fighting

This is my 2nd Trick Room set upper and first sweeper. This set is directly from Smogon and is a standard for TR. Nasty Plot doubles Cof's Sp Attack. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting give perfect coverage. Cof usually needs a few boosts to really sweep, but it can easily set up on Non-Toxic Umbreon taking minimal damage from Foul Play and easily boosting. Mummy is a great ability. It helps prevent sweeps from MoxieHera and Honch (Sucker Punch hurts, but will get rid of Moxie and can be played around with NP and TR. EVs are to maximize bulk while making Cof as powerful as can be in TR.

Slowking@Leftovers
Quiet Nature
Regenerator
248 HP/ 252 SpA/ 8 SpD (0 IVs in Attack and Speed)
-Trick Room
-Nasty Plot
-Psyshock
-Surf

This is my 3rd Trick Room set upper and 2nd sweeper. This is definitely one of my favorite new pokes. Regenerator allows Slowking to set up TR multiple times. NP is a great boosting move that it's cousinbro doesn't get. Psyshock and Surf are STAB Moves of choice having great coverage. I find that Slowking and Cof are able to break down many walls thanks to their great coverage. Ghost/Fighting/Psychic/Water hit just about everything hard. EVs are standard just like Cof's. 0 IVs in Atk and Spe to be the fastest in TR and to minimize damage from Foul Play.

Snorlax@Choice Band
Brave Nature
Thick Fat
80 HP/252 Atk/ 176 Sp Def (0 speed IVs)
-Return
-Earthquake
-Crunch
-Pursuit

Lax is a great asset in TR. Low speed, great bulk, and a great attack boosted by Choice Band make him a great choice. Return is chosen over Body Slam for more power and the paralysis does not help this team. Earthquake is for Steel types. Crunch is to hit ghosts. Pursuit it to trap Chandy (although most are easily taken care of by Cof and Slowking in TR). I'm not sure about the EV Spread. I took a bulky Sp Def spread and set the Spe IVs to 0. I'm very open to change on this set.

Machamp@Lum Berry
Brave Nature
No-Guard
252 HP/252 Atk/ 4 SpD (0 Speed IVs)
-Dynamic Punch
-Stone Edge
-Ice Punch
-Bullet Punch

Machamp was chosen after much deliberating. I tried other physical sweepers, but found Machamp to be, well the Champ. Champ helps break down the Sp Walls that Cof and Slowking struggle against like P2, Snorlax, Umbreon and Empoleon. DP/SE are for great coverage. IP is to hit Gligar. Bullet Punch is to pick off weakened foes (especially after Smeargle's Endeavor). I maximized bulk and attack with 0 Spe IVs for Champ. I chose Lum Berry due to the presence of annoying Status from Sableye and whatnot. Lum Berry has definitely helped in many matches where I need Champ to stay alive.

Heracross@Choice Scarf
Jolly Nature
Guts
4 HP/ 252 Atk/ 252 Spe
-Close Combat
-Stone Edge
-Megahorn
-Sleep Talk

I'm going to set the record straight that everybody, and their mothers, prepare for Moxie Scarf Hera. Status absorbing Scarf Hera is a very realistic threat. Sableye will throw around burns, Roserade will throw around Sleep Powders and Hera is the receiver. Guts catches most people by surprise. There are times when I want to switch to Moxie, but a status makes me shake that thought from my head. CC and Megahorn are the STABs of choice with SE rounding about the coverage. Sleep Talk is here, as I said before, to absorb sleep that none of my other pokes would prefer, especially my TR setters. EVs are standard for scarfed pokes, max Atk and max Spe. Scarf Hera is very dangerous IMO. Jolly guarantees it to be faster than Scarf Chandy, which can screw up my team royally.

Conclusion
Overall, I find that this team has great synergy. Cof and Slowking break down the physical walls that Champ and Hera struggle against, while Machamp and Hera break down the special walls that Cof and Slowking struggle against. If one poke fails, I have a back up sweeper and cleaner. Hazards aren't much of a threat due to the amount of pressure this team forces from Turn 1. I can't waste time spinning hazards away. As I said before, Ghosts are a huge pain for this team, especially fast ones like Scarf Chandy, Sableye and Mismagius (albeit rare, it caused several losses). Togekiss seems a threat on paper due to ParaFlinch stopping any set up and just demolishing Machamp and Hera.

So, this is my team that I have been having fun with. The one thing I can easily take away is that Cof is definitely one of my favorite pokes. It's bulk and ability to set up is just astounding. I look forward to trying my TR teams. Please rate!​

 

[Moose V]

Quick nitpick, Cofagrigus should have 11 Attack IVs to keep HP fighting at 70 base power

 

[Patrick1088]

Thank you moose. I think i saw that but forgot to put it.

 

[Moose V]

Alright I have a couple actual suggestions now:

1) I suggest replacing dragon rage w/ Magic Coat on smeargle. This is because, especially at level 1, smeargle is very susceptible to taunt. Since smeargle probably won't really have a chance to set up a trick room, endeavor AND get off a dragon rage, I figured dragon rage was the least useful of your current moves.

2) I'd suggest possibly replacing machamp altogether. I've used a trick room team that was actually very similar to this one, and I too had machamp, but the problem is, he's too easily shut down by things like slowbro and sending him in just to be walled wastes 2 valuable trick room turns. I ended up replacing him with Escavalier for a couple reasons: 1- with base 20 speed, Escavalier is guaranteed to outspeed EVERYTHING in the tier after a trick room. 2- absolutely massive attack (better than machamp's) with a very powerful stab move in megahorn. 3-Almost every phsyical wall in UU can handle machamp with almost no effort. The same cannot be said for Escavalier which (with a choice band) OHKOs slowbro, easily 2HKO's suicune, and can deal like 78% to blastoise. Esc is all about quick KOs which is exactly what you need on a trick room team. Lum berry dynamic punch machamp is good, don't get me wrong, but with worse attack, a weaker STAB move and a non-boosting item, Machamp simply burns more turns trying to KO things that Escavalier can take down in one or two. Plus, using Esc gives you another invaluable pursuit trapper.

3) I really like that guts heracross and I, too prefer guts on any heracross, especially scarfed. You might actually want to consider making it Adamant tho for a couple reasons: 1) Adamant scarfed hera still outspeeds everything in the non-scarfed tier, even crobat. 2) It is a trick room team, after all, so, since heracross is already the slowest of the common scarfers, you might as well guarantee it to underspeed other scarfers so you can revenge kill them w/ a trick room up in a worst case scenario. 3) Extra power 4) Your team handles other jolly scarfed heracrosses pretty well due to its overall bulkiness so losing the 50% chance to outspeed w/o a trick room up doesn't really hurt you.

Hope this helps!