In Pokemon Sword and Shield Trick Room teams are a common strategy to see, and for a good reason. Speed control this generation is more important than ever, and Trick Room gives players amazing speed control. What Trick Rom does, is make it so the slowest Pokemon move first. This is far better than boosting your team’s speed.
If you use Tailwind, then your opponent could also use Tailwind to match your speed. They couldalso use Max Airstream to boost their speed to keep getting faster. There are weather teams that have Pokemon with abilities like Swift Swim, Chlorophyll, and Sand Rush that double their speed in certain types of weather, allowing them to benefit from speed boosts immediately.
With Trick Room, you do not have to worry about how many speed boosts your opponent has, because those positives quickly turn into negatives when the slowest Pokemon get to move first. As long as you can figure out how to pull off Trick Room successfully, you don’t need to worry about other factors.
Here are the top 5 Trick Room setters in Pokemon Sword and Shield to help you do just that!
1. Porygon2
Porygon2 was reintroduced in The Isle of Armor and has quickly become a player favorite. The reason it is the best Trick Room setter is because Porygon2 has good stats with a base 90 defense and 95 special defense. I know that does not sound high, but once you give Porygon2 an Eviolite, these stats double! Porygon2 gets extremely bulky and difficult to get rid of, which brings us to the second reason Porygon2 is so great. It is a normal type, which gives it immunity to ghost type moves and only one weakness to fighting type moves.
Now let’s talk about the moves you can run on Porygon2. You definitely want Trick Room on it, and Porygon2 has access to other support moves as well. You can run Ally Switch if you want to play mindgames with your opponent. Or you can just go for the annoying tank and run Recover.
The most common moveset on Porygon2 currently is Trick Room, Recover, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam. Porygon2 also has access to Tri-Attack and Shadow Ball if those work better for you.
As for ability, you want to have Download since it will boost your attack or special attack based off what your opponent is weaker to, giving you important information about the stats of your opponent. Porygon2 also has a high base special attack at 105, so it can do some damage. This takes us to natures and EV spreads.
Depending on your needs Porygon2 can cover a variety of roles. You can choose to be a bulky special attacker and trick room setter with a Modest nature, and give it 252 HP, 100 Sp Attk, and 156 Sp Def. If you want Porygon2 to be more physically bulky, then run a Relaxed nature, and if you want to be bulky to special attacks do a Sassy nature.
You usually want to go max HP, but can also put 244 in HP if you want to spread more EVs into defense. A good all-out defense spread would be 252HP, 196 Def, and 60 Sp Def. These EV spreads have room for adjustments depending on what you want. If you feel like you need more special defense than defense, go for it.
2. Dusclops
Dusclops is another bulky Trick Room setter, and has access to a lot of supporting moves. The reason it is number two is because of its weakness to ghost and dark type moves. Currently there are a lot of Pokemon running those types of moves, and with Dragapult being popular too, Dusclops can face a lot of threats. However, it does have the bulk to last at least one turn to get up that Trick Room.
Dusclops is even bulkier than Porygon2, with a base 130 defense and 130 special defense. These stats are doubled when you give Dusclops the Eviolite. Dusclops also has access to moves like Ally Switch, Haze, Helping Hand, Pain Split, and Will-o-Wisp. There are all great support moves that can change the tide of a battle.
Unlike Porygon2, Dusclops has no room to deal any damage. Its attack and special attack stats are quite low, making any attack do very little damage. This is why most players opt for Night Shade on Dusclops, since that attack does a set amount of damage. For the ability, you will want Frisk since it gives you a lot of information on your opponent. Many times you can tell what your opponent’s goal is just from seeing what item they have.
Dusclops can only fill the support role. The best nature to run is Relaxed to make Dusclops more physically bulky, since most of the threats for Dusclops out there are physical attackers. If you are worried about special attackers, then run a Sassy nature.
As for the EV spreads, you want 252 HP for sure, and then split up the defense and special defense EVs. If you want full on defense, you can do 252 in defense and 4 in special defense. For a more even alternative spread you can do 164 in defense and 92 in special defense, or the other way around if you prefer. These decisions have a lot to do with your team comp, and if you think defense is better then go defense. If higher special defense benefits your team more, then go special defense.
3. Bronzong
Bronzong has great typing as a psychic steel type, giving it immunity to poison and reduced damage from grass, normal, ice, flying, psychic, rock, dragon, psychic, steel and fairy moves. With all these resistances Bronzong can be difficult for your opponent to get rid of, especially since it has a base defense and special defense of 116. Additionally, it has access to two abilities that can remove one of Bronzong’s weaknesses, which are Heatproof and Levitate, allowing you to potentially waste one of your opponent’s turns. I suggest going for Heatproof due to how common fire types are currently.
As with the previous Trick Room setters, you will want a Relaxed or Sassy nature with max HP EVs and the rest split into its defense and special defense. This allows you to take advantage of Bronzong’s bulk, and potentially do lots of damage. Many players choose to boost Bronzong’s physical defense all the way and give it 252 Hp, 252 defense and 4 special defense with a Relaxed nature. The main reason for this is because it allows players to deal lots of damage with Bronzong. If you are not concerned with doing damage, and would rather have bulk, then you can do 252 Hp, 172 defense and 84 special defense.
You may be wondering why a high defense makes Bronzong deal more damage? Well, Bronzong can learn the move Body Press which does damage based off the defense stat instead of the attack stat. So a max defense gives Bronzong the most potential to deal damage and be bulky. Another move Bronzong can take advantage of is Gyro Ball, which does more damage the slower the user is. This makes Bronzong a threatening foe that should not be ignored.
4. Whimsicott
Unlike the others on this list, Whimsicott has a higher speed stat and little defense. What makes it a good option is its ability Prankster, which gives Whimsicott’s non-damaging moves priority. So you could get Trick Room up first thing, and not have to worry about getting Taunted or being Imprisoned. Another great thing about Prankster is that Whimsicott can continue to use moves first, even though it is not slow, as long as those moves do not deal damage. This is why Whimsicott is one of the best supporting Pokemon.
Other moves to run with Trick Room can include things like Encore, Helping Hand, Fake Tears, or Charm. I recommend you run at least one damaging move – such as Moonblast – just in case you do get Taunted. Whimsicott can allow its fellow Pokemon to breeze through enemy teams if it gets ignored with these supporting moves. Just make sure to put a Focus Sash on Whimsicott so it does not get knocked out turn one.
Whimsicott is not bulky, so it is not really worth it to put EVs into HP, defense, and special defense. Instead, you can go for a speedy or special attacker route: that way if you do decide to deal damage, Whimsicott can pack a punch. You can go Jolly with 252 special attack, 252 speed, and 4 in any stat of your choosing. This would allow your Whimsicott to outspeeed an enemy Whimsicott and get Trick Room off first.
Alternatively, you can go Modest and use the same EV spread if you want the ability to deal damage. If you are confused about why to invest in speed, it’s because speed on Whimsicott does not matter in Trick Room due to Prankster. But you do want Whimsicott to be speedy to help you before Trick Room is set up.
5. Hatterne
Hatterne is another strong Tick Room setter because of its ability Magic Bounce. This ability will bounce back all non-damaging moves such as Taunt, Encore, and so on. This means that Hatterne can get off Trick Room without worrying about getting Taunted. Just make sure to keep an eye out for Imprison users, as that can still prevent Trick Room from being setup.
The reason I put Hatterne at the bottom of the list is because it is not a bulky Trick Room setter. It is a special attacker that can also setup Trick Room. Since it specializes in special attack, you will need another Pokemon that can redirect hits away from Hatterne. You do not want Hatterne taking unnecessary damage if you can.
Indeedee is the go-to partner for Hatterne since it sets up Psychic Terrain, allowing Hatterne to use Expanding Force. Indeedee Female is also quite bulky and has access to Follow Me to redirect attacks. You do not want to use Indeedee Male since it is not as bulky as the female version.
You want Hatterne to have a Quiet nature to maximize its special attack and lower its speed. For EVs you want 252 HP, 252 special attack, and 4 in defense or special defense. This turns Hatterne into a powerful Pokemon that can sweep teams. For moves you can use Dazzling Gleam, Expanding Fire, Trick Room, Protect, or Psychic. Just look out for opponents that can Fake Out or Imprison, since these will prevent you from setting up Trick Room turn one.
These are the top 5 Trick Room setters in Pokemon Sword and Shield that you can use for your Trick Room teams. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and will allow you to build a diverse team with many strengths. Good luck in your battlers and stay tuned for more Pokemon guides coming soon!
