Trick Room is one of the most disruptive team strategies in Pokemon Champions. By reversing Speed order, it turns slow, powerful attackers that would lose in any other matchup into the fastest threats on the field. A well-built TR team can sweep three or four opponent Pokemon before Trick Room expires — but it requires precise setup, backup setters, and understanding exactly when to use it. This guide covers everything: best setters, best attackers, SP spreads, lead scripts, and how to beat TR teams.
1. What Is Trick Room and Why It Works
Trick Room is a Psychic-type status move that reverses Speed order for 5 turns. Under Trick Room, in each priority bracket, the Pokemon with the lower Speed stat acts first. This completely inverts the normal game state: Torkoal (20 base Speed) moves before Dragapult (142 base Speed), Rhyperior (40 Speed) acts before Sneasler (120 Speed).
- Lasts 5 turns (4 turns after the setter moves on the turn it's used)
- Can be used again to reset or cancel (using TR while TR is active cancels it)
- Priority moves (Fake Out, Extreme Speed, Quick Guard) still go first regardless of TR
- Speed ties under TR are still random — both Pokemon have equal chance to move first
- Does not affect move priority brackets — only within the same priority level
The core strength of TR is that it bypasses the competitive Speed tier entirely. Teams that invest heavily in fast Pokemon and Choice Scarfs suddenly have no advantage. In Regulation M-A, the strongest TR archetypes combine a reliable setter (Hatterene, Cofagrigus) with a slow sun sweeper (Torkoal + Mega Camerupt) or a physical powerhouse core (Rhyperior + Conkeldurr).
2. Best Trick Room Setters
A TR setter must be able to use Trick Room before the opponent can disrupt it. The three main disruption tools are Taunt (blocks TR), KO (setter faints before using TR), and opposing speed. The best setters have either protection from Taunt, strong bulk, or both.
3. Best Trick Room Attackers
The best TR attackers have two things: very low base Speed (moves first under TR) and massive offensive output (ends games quickly before TR expires). With only 4–5 turns of TR, every TR attacker needs to deal significant damage every turn it's on the field.
4. SP Spreads for TR Pokemon
The single most important rule for TR SP spreads: invest 0 SP in Speed on TR attackers. Every SP put into Speed pushes the attacker toward the mid-speed range, making it slower under normal play and not slower enough to be optimal under TR. All SP should go to offense and bulk.
Hatterene — Primary TR Setter
Focus on special bulk to survive a Dragapult Draco Meteor or Sneasler hit before setting TR. 12 Sp. Atk keeps Mystical Fire threatening enough to damage on the turn TR is set, forcing opponents to respect the coverage. Never put SP in Speed — Hatterene's 29 base is already ideal for moving first under its own TR.
Torkoal — Sun Sweeper
Max Sp. Atk is mandatory — Torkoal's entire value is Eruption damage. Without max investment, some bulkier Pokemon survive a hit and the sweep fails. Special bulk investment ensures it can survive a non-STAB hit on the turn TR is being set. Speed: never, under any circumstances, invest Speed SP on Torkoal.
Conkeldurr — Guts Attacker
Max Attack for Guts-boosted Drain Punch damage. The Sp. Def investment keeps it alive against special coverage (Sinistcha, Volcarona) that might target it during TR turns. Flame Orb activates Guts immediately on turn 1, giving the full 1.5× boost from turn 2 onward.
5. TR Team Structures & Lead Pairs
A competitive TR team in Pokemon Champions typically runs: 2 setters + 2–3 slow attackers + 1 flexible pivot. The flexible pivot handles scenarios where TR is not needed (fast matchups where you outspeed even without TR, or opponents who run opposing TR).
Core Lead Pairs
| Lead | Partner | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Hatterene | Torkoal | Hatterene sets TR turn 1 (Magic Bounce blocks Taunt). Torkoal uses Protect turn 1, then sweeps with Eruption under TR turn 2+. If Hatterene is threatened, partner can use Wide Guard or redirection. |
| Hatterene | Incineroar | Incineroar uses Fake Out on the faster threat, giving Hatterene a safe turn to set TR. Then Incineroar uses Parting Shot to switch in a TR attacker. Classic setup turn script for TR teams. |
| Cofagrigus | Rhyperior | Cofagrigus sets TR while Rhyperior Protects. Any contact attacker that hits Cofagrigus gets Mummy, losing its ability. Rhyperior then rock-slides the field under TR. |
| Mega Camerupt | Cofagrigus | Mega Camerupt activates Drought on turn 1 while Cofagrigus sets TR. Turn 2: Eruption in Sun under TR from Mega Camerupt — one of the highest damage outputs available in the format. |
| Aromatisse | Conkeldurr | Aromatisse sets TR while Conkeldurr Protects or attacks. Helping Hand from Aromatisse boosts Drain Punch damage for a huge HP recovery swing on turn 2. |
6. How to Play Trick Room: Turn-by-Turn
The ideal TR game follows a tight turn structure:
- Turn 1 — Setup: Lead setter + a protector or Fake Out user. Setter uses Trick Room. Partner uses Fake Out on the biggest threat to the setter, or Protect to avoid damage. Goal: TR goes up without the setter being KO'd.
- Turn 2 — First sweep turn: TR is active. Switch in your primary sweeper (Torkoal, Rhyperior) if not already out. Attacker uses its main damage move (Eruption, Rock Wrecker, Drain Punch). Target the opponent's biggest threat.
- Turns 3–4 — Maintain momentum: If a sweeper is KO'd, switch in the backup sweeper. Keep attacking. If TR has 1–2 turns left, consider whether to reset with the backup setter or to finish with the remaining attacker.
- Turn 5 — TR ends: TR expires. Either re-set it with your backup setter or switch to your flexible pivot to handle the speed game.
7. How to Counter Trick Room
If your team struggles against TR, here are the most reliable anti-TR tools for Regulation M-A:
- Prankster Taunt (Whimsicott, Grimmsnarl): Prankster gives Taunt +1 priority, meaning it goes before any non-priority move — including Trick Room. Whimsicott's Taunt prevents TR setup entirely. The single best TR counter in the format.
- Focus fire the setter: Hatterene and Cofagrigus are not especially fast on offense. Two concentrated attacks from high-damage leads (Sneasler + Garchomp) often KO the setter before it can use TR. If Magic Bounce reflects Taunt, just attack instead.
- Imprison: If your Pokemon knows Trick Room, it can use Imprison to block TR from being used at all. Bulky Pokemon like Slowbro can run Imprison + TR to both threaten TR and block the opponent's.
- Re-set TR yourself: If the opponent sets TR and you also have a TR setter on your team, using TR again cancels the opponent's TR and gives you control of the 5-turn window.
- Fake Out the attacker, not the setter: If the setter already has TR up, Fake Out does nothing to the setter. Instead, Fake Out the slow sweeper (Torkoal, Conkeldurr) to waste a turn of TR and prevent it from attacking freely.
- Use very bulky fast Pokemon: Pokemon with both high Speed and high bulk (Mega Greninja, Dragapult, Weavile) can sometimes afford to take a TR hit and then sweep the slow attackers once TR expires.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fake Out stop Trick Room?
Fake Out is a +3 priority move, which means it goes before any normal-priority move including Trick Room. If your Fake Out user targets the TR setter on turn 1, the setter flinches and cannot use TR that turn. However, this only buys you one turn — the setter can try again next turn. You need to either KO the setter or use a permanent disruption tool (Taunt) to fully stop TR.
Can you run Trick Room on a non-TR team?
Some teams run TR as a surprise tech on a Pokemon that isn't a dedicated TR setter (for example, Slowbro or Farigiraf on a Tailwind team). This is called "TR flex" — the team can set TR situationally when speed is not in your favour, then switch back to Tailwind mode once TR expires. It requires careful teambuilding so your "fast" Pokemon are not too fast to benefit under TR.
What is the best item for Hatterene in Pokemon Champions?
The two best items for Hatterene are Mental Herb (consumed on the first Taunt or Encore to ignore it, then acts normally) and Sitrus Berry (passive healing when HP drops below 50%). Mental Herb is stronger in tournaments where players will attempt to bypass Magic Bounce. Sitrus Berry is better if opponents typically don't run a Taunt on Hatterene and you just need it to survive the attack from the partner before setting TR.
Build Your Trick Room Team in PikaChampions
Use the free team builder to set SP spreads for Hatterene, Torkoal, and your full TR roster — SP sliders update final stats instantly so you can verify your attacker moves first under TR.
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All Guides →Related Guides
- Pokemon Champions Speed Tiers — Full speed reference including TR zone (under-50 Pokemon) and all TR setter speeds
- Pokemon Champions SP Training Guide — How to allocate SP on TR Pokemon; bulk vs offense tradeoffs
- Pokemon Champions Team Building Guide — Trick Room, Tailwind, and Weather archetypes compared
- Pokemon Champions Damage Calculator Guide — Verify Torkoal Eruption OHKOs and survival thresholds for TR setters
- Pokemon Champions Damage Prevention Guide — How to use Protect, Wide Guard, and redirection to protect your TR setter on turn 1