Hey everyone. This is my first RMT on this forum, but not my first RMT ever. If you're not familiar with CAP, CAPTT4 (CAP Team Tournament 4) just ended, and it's finally time for me to showcase my latest Trick Room team. I wanted to do this for my 1500 post mark, but I decided to delay it until afterwards. Be sure to check the end of the post for shoutouts - for both my teammates on the Pernicious Pajantoms and other awesome people.
Trick Room has always been a great playstyle in CAP since the beginning of the generation. Originally using a core of Fidgit + Mega Mawile + Tapu Bulu + Marowak-A, the team got to be quite standard and predictable, and I got bored with Trick Room. However, then I started experimenting with Mega Camerupt, and with the release of Jumbao, who has access to Drought, Mega Camerupt became a much more interesting prospect. Here, I'll go over how I built the team and what each Pokemon does to support Mega Camerupt.
Teambuilding Process
Obviously, I had to start with Mega Camerupt. Mega Camerupt's stupidly powerful special attacks are an interesting twist compared to the original Trick Room style, which depends on powerful physical wallbreakers to bust through teams. However, Mega Camerupt's attacks can be even more powerful with the right teammates...
But before we get into that, we have to look at the Trick Room setters. Fidgit's custom ability Persistent extends Trick Room by two turns, which might not sound like much, but it allows Mega Camerupt and other Trick Room abusers to continue wreaking havoc without pause, sometimes nabbing another KO or two. Fidgit also acts as a natural check to Mega Crucibelle, a strong Head Smash abuser, and acts as a good switch-in to most Electric-types. Slowking complements Fidgit pretty well, tanking hits from Choice Specs Volkraken, a Fire- and Water-type wallbreaker, Heatran, and Tapu Lele, and even has Regenerator to keep its health up. Overall, these two Trick Room setters are the best the metagame has to offer and usually provides enough turns for the team.
Jumbao, the newest CAP in the metagame, is a Grass / Fairy Drought setter. Now, it might seem weird alongside Tapu Bulu, another Grass / Fairy type. However, running both solves a problem that the original build of Trick Room has, which is Tapu Bulu getting worn down too fast. With both Jumbao and Tapu Bulu on the team, Jumbao can switch in to tank hits, while Tapu Bulu can focus more on setting up with Swords Dance. However, bulk and resistances aren't the only reasons why I run both of these Pokemon. Their field effects, Drought and Grassy Terrain, are integral to Mega Camerupt's boosted power, as Drought boosts Fire Blast and Grassy Terrain boosts Nature Power. I'll elaborate on these boost later.
Escavalier wrapped up the team, providing immediate power off of its 135 Base Attack. Escavalier's main role on the team is as a Pursuit trapper, which traps annoying Dragon-types like Mega Latios and Pajantom, which could otherwise stomach Mega Camerupt's Fire Blast. Escavalier's good bulk and coverage allows it to pull its weight when those Pokemon aren't present as well, especially as a Psychic-type resist. Overall, Escavalier is a really important member of the team and would have a hard time working otherwise.
The Team
Fidgit @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Persistent
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 20 SpA / 208 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Earth Power
Fidgit turns Trick Room from a rather difficult playstyle to pull off to one that's flexible and can run through unprepared teams. Although Focus Sash could guarantee a Trick Room, Fidgit actually has some solid bulk and is EV'ed to survive Choice Band Zygarde's Thousand Arrows and Mega Latios's Psychic, forcing Trick Room to go up Turn 1 while activating Iapapa Berry. This allows Fidgit to come back in and exert hazard control or check Mega Crucibelle later on. Earth Power is the move of choice here because Fidgit is paired with Tapu Bulu, but despite Fidgit's lower Attack stat, Earthquake is a better option if Tapu Bulu isn't a teammate. Of course, Mega Sableye gives Fidgit a hard time since Fidgit has almost no way to circumvent it, but I've had a few ideas about how to circumvent it...
Slowking @ Psychium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 204 SpA / 52 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Ice Beam
- Future Sight
- Focus Blast
Slowking is really great glue for this team, acting as the secondary Trick Room setter. Ice Beam is excellent for dispatching Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Zygarde and is a safe move to use in general. Future Sight places immense pressure on the opposing team, and with a team as offensive as Trick Room, Future Sight's delayed action can deal the extra damage for an OHKO, force in a Dark- or Steel-type, or pin down Tomohawk can OHKO it. What I mean by "pin down" is this: Tapu Bulu and Escavalier naturally draw in Tomohawk, which walls both, but it's not inclined to switch out to its teammates if they are vulnerable to Tapu Bulu or Escavalier. This puts the opponent in a tough spot, forcing them to switch and sack a teammate, or leave Tomohawk in for the Future Sight. Psychium Z, on the other hand, allows Slowking to fire off a powerful Shattered Psyche, which can chip down opponents like Volkraken and Pelipper. Focus Blast rounds out the set, making Slowking not helpless against Tyranitar, as well as hitting Heatran. While I could use Surf or Scald, Focus Blast does more damage to Tyranitar, which can Pursuit trap Slowking. The EVs allow Future Sight to KO defensive Tomohawk, the HP EVs increase bulk dramatically, and the remaining EVs help Slowking move rolls against Choice Specs Volkraken into its favor.
Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Atk / 72 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Tapu Bulu's been a staple to my Trick Room teams since the beginning of the generation, and I've rarely strayed from this set, aside from EVs, once I landed on it. My original iterations of Trick Room were hilariously weak to Ground-type attacks, but Grassy Surge and Tapu Bulu's resistance to Ground-type attacks helps out a lot. Swords Dance allows Tapu Bulu to act as a secondary sweeper for the team, pulling momentum back into the team's favor. Horn Leech keeps it healthy, Stone Edge removes Pyroak and Zapdos, and Superpower smacks Heatran and Celesteela. The HP and Special Defense EVs allow Tapu Bulu to stomach a Heatran Magma Storm, retaliate with Superpower, and not die to Life Orb damage in the process. They also allow Tapu Bulu to check Ash-Greninja pretty well. Grassy Surge is one of Tapu Bulu's biggest perks for this team though, as it provides small amounts of recovery and a resistance to Earthquake, which is useful for Fidgit and Mega Camerupt.
Jumbao @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam
- Healing Wish
This Pokemon is the other glue Pokemon like Slowking. It can switch into attacks, fire off Moonblast, and set Drought down for Mega Camerupt. With Focus Blast and Solar Beam, Jumbao is a force, even without a boosting item. I tried many items on Jumbao before just settling on Heat Rock because juggling all of Trick Room, Grassy Terrain, and Drought got rather annoying, so Heat Rock helps out with this a little bit. Healing Wish is where Jumbao gets interesting, as it can set Sun and fully heal Mega Camerupt with a free switch, which can win games if the opponent thought a Mega Camerupt with 3% HP was a dead Mega Camerupt. The EVs allow Jumbao to tackle Mega Medicham a little better, but the only offensive benchmark I really wanted to hit was hitting Mega Latios and Tomohawk with Moonblast for an OHKO after Stealth Rock damage.
Escavalier @ Choice Band
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Atk / 8 Def / 24 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Drill Run
- Pursuit
Escavalier hits the field whenever the opponent sends out Pajantom or Mega Latios, striking fear into their hearts with a Choice Band-boosted Pursuit, allowing Mega Camerupt to sweep without having to worry about these Dragon-types. However, Escavalier has some tricks up its sleeve, sporting a stupidly powerful Megahorn when Swarm is active, OHKOing Ferrothorn, Iron Head to prevent Clefable from walling it, and Drill Run to poke Heatran and Mollux. I've considered Knock Off > Iron Head because Clefable isn't inclined to stay in on Escavalier, and the Knock Off support would be very useful for incoming Celesteela instead. The EVs allow Escavalier to survive Mega Latios's Hidden Power Fire as well as turn Z-Move Pajantom's Spirit Shackle into a 3HKO.
SUPER CAMERUPT (Camerupt) @ Cameruptite
Ability: Magma Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 20 Def / 192 SpA / 48 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Nature Power
- Substitute
Now finally, we get to the star of the show. We have minimum speed investment, which takes advantage of Fidgit and Slowking's Trick Room. We have Sheer Force-boosted Fire Blast, which gains the boost from Jumbao's Drought. And we have Sheer Force-boosted Nature Power, which turns into a pseudo-STAB Energy Ball under Grassy Terrain and allows Mega Camerupt to lure bulky Water-types like Suicune, Gastrodon, and Arghonaut. Earth Power is a reliable STAB move, which doesn't miss or require any of the field effect and nukes Toxapex. Substitute, however, is what makes this set fun, as it allows Mega Camerupt to capitalize on a forced switch so it can adjust its tactics on the fly. Additionally, if Mega Camerupt can keep its Substitute up after Trick Room wears off, it can fire off one more attack before having to switch out. The EV spread allows Mega Camerupt to survive a +2 Never-Ending Nightmare from Necturna and prevents Choice Specs Tapu Koko from breaking its Substitute. Overall, Mega Camerupt's extreme power is worth building an entire team around, and with enough prediction and juggling of field effects, Mega Camerupt is almost unstoppable.
Replays
Here are a few replays of the team in action, along with a few comments about how the components of the team worked together.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-786978839
In this replay, Escavalier tanks Mega Latios's Ice Beam with ease and then traps it with Pursuit. This made it much easier for Mega Camerupt to sweep late-game.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-786981652
In this replay, Escavalier was able to take care of Alakazam, which could have been Mega. Between Shadow Ball and Psychic, Alakazam could have pressured Slowking and Fidgit, but Escavalier removed this potential problem. Later in the match, it was able to tank Tapu Bulu's Superpower when its teammates were worn down and then pressure both it and Greninja with Megahorn.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-786987723
Although Pajantom eventually won the 1v1, it was so heavily weakened in the process that it could no longer switch into Mega Camerupt effectively. Future Sight nabbed the kill on Turn 12, but Earth Power would have KOed it the next turn.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-787003766
Although losing Slowking to Hidden Power Grass Volkraken was tough, it wasn't a free kill, as took half of its HP after Escavalier Pursuit trapped it. This made setting up Stealth Rock extremely threatening to the opponent and made it much tougher for Volkraken to switch in, bringing it to an end-game scenario where it would have lost, even if it had hit the Fire Blast, as Mega Camerupt was healthy enough to tank the Fire Blast, even with Sun and Choice Specs boosts.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-777389156
Kitsunoh posed a large threat, as Meteor Mash hits Jumbao and Tapu Bulu for good damage. Removing it with Pursuit early game with little-to-no cost was very beneficial. Late-game, it forces Tomohawk to stay in and faint to Future Sight.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-782720591
This match is from CAPTT4, piloted by SHSP. Although Volkraken critting Slowking was a heavy blow, this replay highlights how well Tapu Bulu can regain momentum with Swords Dance + Horn Leech.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-801792958
This replay highlights how Swarm can pull through for Escavalier, how Fidgit can safely set up Trick Room in Zygarde's face, and how important Stone Edge is to Tapu Bulu's success.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-801793734
Here we see how Mega Camerupt just hits too hard and how Escavalier enables Mega Camerupt by Pursuit trapping Pajantom.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7cap-801800070
Unfortunately Escavalier got frozen by Mega Latios's Ice Beam, but that's when Tapu Bulu picks up the slack with Swords Dance to pull momentum back into my favor.
Threats
Substitute / Protect users: Substitute and Protect users like Celesteela, Zygarde, Ferrothorn, and Suicune are particularly annoying, as they not only stall out Trick Room turns, but also PP (especially Suicune) and really punish me for making the wrong predictions.
Celesteela + Chansey: Chansey's the real problem here, since my best strategy is to Pursuit trap it and try to smack it with Tapu Bulu, but Celesteela exacerbates the problem by coverage Tapu Bulu and Escavalier really well. Although Tapu Bulu can break the core, it's easy to wear down, which makes this core really difficult for the team to dismantle.
Mega Medicham, Hoopa-U, Tapu Lele, and Mega Alakazam: While Fidgit can tank a Mega Latios Psychic, these Pokemon are stronger and have ways to bypass Slowking. Jumbao can tank hits, and Escavalier can Pursuit trap them, but they still exert a lot of pressure on the team.
Volkraken: Though Slowking is a pretty reliable answer to Volkraken, it's unfortunate that Drought boosts its own Fire Blast and Grassy Terrain boosts Hidden Power Grass. I generally have to play really carefully around Volkraken. It's manageable, but it's still tough to play around.
Shoutouts
SHSP: My man SHSP is a hero. When real life commitments, including moving to college, and other CAP commitments pulling some of my attention away from CAPTT, SHSP, the Pernicious Pajantom's assistant manager, stood up to the plate. From scouting and recruiting, to the draft, to building team, playing some tough sets, and wiping the CAPLC floor with viper, you really did it all man. All I can really say is thank you, as the Pernicious Pajantoms couldn't have made it to the top without you.
LucarioOfLegends: This guy made a prediction before Week 1, and I think it really helped with the team morale a lot. Seriously, check this funny stuff. You nabbed some wins, you build great teams, and you were a super positive presence in the Discord. I've been enjoying QC work with you, so keep it up man!
taranteeeno: Our resident CAPLCer, founder of the church of Pluffle (praise be), really helped our volatile USM slots by pulling victories every week you played. It was so great getting to know you, and I'm looking forward to seeing CAPLC grow as a metagame.
EternalSnowman: ESM here snagged some easy wins in ORAS CAP. I'm super happy with your performance and glad you were such a positive and active team player.
Sundar: The Pernicious Pajantoms "Punching Bag," Sundar was always available to test and help us perfect our teams. The time and effort your invested in the back really pushed our team to its limit. Keep it up man, you can make a name for yourself!
Granny Pie: I know the hax has gotten to you lately, but your CAPTT game was just clean. It's really awesome to see you improve so quickly; you'll shake the Ice Punch freezes really soon.
G-Luke: I was really looking forward to see you play in your CAPTT match, but I'll have to catch some of your other battles. I wish you all the best, both irl and in the metagame.
Dj Breloominati♬: All that tech that mxmts brought, and you stuck it out and gave us the 4-1 in finals. You're improving incredibly quickly, keep it up!
ScarfWynaut: Thanks for pulling in the win Week 1 and being available for the rest of the tour. I wish I got to know you a little better, but I'm sure we'll cross paths again.
Da Letter El: Man I'm sorry we never got to play you, but I really enjoyed your tips and comments in the Discord. Stick around, I'd like to play you sometime!
Xythiant: I'm really happy that you shared some of your teams with us! Keep building, keep playing, and make a name for yourself; the Discord is always a resource for you.
KrazyCake: Come back :(
BoltSapphire: I know you're new, but I'm hope you stick around! You're always welcome to chat in the Discord for teambuilding and advice!
LucarioOfLegends: This guy made a prediction before Week 1, and I think it really helped with the team morale a lot. Seriously, check this funny stuff. You nabbed some wins, you build great teams, and you were a super positive presence in the Discord. I've been enjoying QC work with you, so keep it up man!
taranteeeno: Our resident CAPLCer, founder of the church of Pluffle (praise be), really helped our volatile USM slots by pulling victories every week you played. It was so great getting to know you, and I'm looking forward to seeing CAPLC grow as a metagame.
EternalSnowman: ESM here snagged some easy wins in ORAS CAP. I'm super happy with your performance and glad you were such a positive and active team player.
Sundar: The Pernicious Pajantoms "Punching Bag," Sundar was always available to test and help us perfect our teams. The time and effort your invested in the back really pushed our team to its limit. Keep it up man, you can make a name for yourself!
Granny Pie: I know the hax has gotten to you lately, but your CAPTT game was just clean. It's really awesome to see you improve so quickly; you'll shake the Ice Punch freezes really soon.
G-Luke: I was really looking forward to see you play in your CAPTT match, but I'll have to catch some of your other battles. I wish you all the best, both irl and in the metagame.
Dj Breloominati♬: All that tech that mxmts brought, and you stuck it out and gave us the 4-1 in finals. You're improving incredibly quickly, keep it up!
ScarfWynaut: Thanks for pulling in the win Week 1 and being available for the rest of the tour. I wish I got to know you a little better, but I'm sure we'll cross paths again.
Da Letter El: Man I'm sorry we never got to play you, but I really enjoyed your tips and comments in the Discord. Stick around, I'd like to play you sometime!
Xythiant: I'm really happy that you shared some of your teams with us! Keep building, keep playing, and make a name for yourself; the Discord is always a resource for you.
KrazyCake: Come back :(
BoltSapphire: I know you're new, but I'm hope you stick around! You're always welcome to chat in the Discord for teambuilding and advice!
cbrevan: My friend cbro, I'm so glad that you helped me into Pokemon and CAP way back when. I couldn't be where I am without your help and advice, so thank you.
Birkal: Every time I get a little discouraged, Birkal flexes and gives a hearty "caw!," and I'm back on my feet again. I'm really happy with how CAP has grown in recent times, and a lot of it is thanks to your leadership. Looking forward to working with you more!
Drapionswing: It's always a fun time making sets and cores with you man. Just show us all 8 of your new Necturna sets, I'm sure everyone would love it...!
EpicUmbreon29: You're always a positive voice when I'm on showdown and Discord, and someone to turn to when I have to talk something out. Thanks for being a shoulder to lean on, and you can count on me if you need it.
Jordy: Having your expertise in the metagame and resources has been incredibly helpful, and I'm really glad that you've taken an interest in CAP. I'm looking forward to working with you more!
Jho: I really enjoy talking to you about the new hot sets in the metagame, and I'm excited that you're more involved with metagame resources now. Keep it up man!
and, of course,
hail sparktrain
Birkal: Every time I get a little discouraged, Birkal flexes and gives a hearty "caw!," and I'm back on my feet again. I'm really happy with how CAP has grown in recent times, and a lot of it is thanks to your leadership. Looking forward to working with you more!
Drapionswing: It's always a fun time making sets and cores with you man. Just show us all 8 of your new Necturna sets, I'm sure everyone would love it...!
EpicUmbreon29: You're always a positive voice when I'm on showdown and Discord, and someone to turn to when I have to talk something out. Thanks for being a shoulder to lean on, and you can count on me if you need it.
Jordy: Having your expertise in the metagame and resources has been incredibly helpful, and I'm really glad that you've taken an interest in CAP. I'm looking forward to working with you more!
Jho: I really enjoy talking to you about the new hot sets in the metagame, and I'm excited that you're more involved with metagame resources now. Keep it up man!
and, of course,
hail sparktrain