What is a Good Speed for Trick Room?
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The short answer is: for Trick Room, you want your Pokémon to be as slow as possible, generally aiming for a base speed stat of 80 or lower. However, the nuances of team building and specific metagames mean that this number isn’t always a hard rule. A base 85 speed Pokémon can sometimes still be viable. The key factor in determining what constitutes a “good” speed under Trick Room is its ability to outpace other threats you expect to see, specifically faster threats outside of Trick Room that become slow threats inside of Trick Room. Let’s delve deeper into the strategy of speed and Trick Room.
Understanding Trick Room Mechanics
How Trick Room Works
Trick Room is a move that reverses the turn order for five turns. Normally, Pokémon with higher Speed stats act before those with lower Speed. Under the influence of Trick Room, this is flipped: the Pokémon with the lowest Speed stat acts first, and those with the highest Speed stat act last. This effect lasts for five turns (including the turn it is activated), so maximizing your offense within this window is crucial. Understanding this core mechanic is fundamental to choosing appropriate speeds for your team.
Importance of Low Speed
The aim with Trick Room teams is to create an environment where your Pokémon can unleash their attacks before the opponent gets a chance to retaliate. Therefore, the slower the better when selecting Pokémon to take advantage of Trick Room. A low Speed stat ensures that your Pokémon will move first within Trick Room. But just how slow is slow enough? It is generally suggested that you aim for base 85 Speed or slower. A base 85 Speed stat with 0 IVs and a negative Speed nature will often make you slower than Tyranitar, which is likely one of the slowest Pokémon you will encounter regularly in the competitive scene. This principle is what drives the strategic decisions for constructing Trick Room teams.
Optimal Speed Ranges for Trick Room
Base 80 and Below: The Ideal Sweet Spot
Generally speaking, a base Speed of 80 or lower is considered optimal for a Trick Room team. This range makes your Pokémon consistently move before most other threats under Trick Room. Pokémon like Togekiss, Heatran, Chandelure, Dragonite, and Medicham can be effective choices within this range, often requiring a Power Item to maximize their speed advantages under Trick Room. These Pokémon, normally slower, can become fearsome sweepers under Trick Room.
The 70 Speed Consideration
Pokémon with a base Speed of 70 may still work in Trick Room, particularly if they lack a way to reduce their speed and are slower than many popular threats. However, when looking at a standard Trick Room setup, this speed range might not be optimal. There’s also the issue of outside Trick Room speed if the Pokemon has access to speed boosting moves like Agility or Rock Polish. If it does, investing in its speed stat may be more worthwhile in this case.
Base 85 Speed: A Viable Choice?
While not ideal, a base speed of 85 can still be viable on a Trick Room team. This is because when a negative nature is applied, the speed will still get to a level where you can consistently go first. The most important thing here is making sure you are investing in lowering the speed to your max capabilities. You will also want to run some speed benchmarks to see where this would place you in the speed tier. This means that you want to be able to be slow enough to move before the usual threats under trick room, even faster ones.
Why Not Go Faster?
One of the core rules for Trick Room is to ensure your Pokemon are slow enough to outspeed the opponent under trick room. By using an 80 or lower speed benchmark, you can ensure that this is the case most of the time. The general rule for speed in Pokemon is that anything 110+ is good, and 135+ is excellent, outside of Trick Room. However, once under Trick Room, going faster than this becomes a detriment as the Pokemon will then be moving last.
Speed and Trick Room: FAQs
Here are 15 Frequently Asked Questions to provide further clarity on the intricacies of Speed and Trick Room:
1. What happens when my Pokémon becomes faster than the opponent under Trick Room?
Under Trick Room, the Pokémon with the lowest Speed stat moves first, regardless of its base speed. Therefore, if your Pokémon is still faster than your opponent after Trick Room is active, it will always move last. This means your opponent will always attack you before you have a chance to attack.
2. Does Trick Room affect Gyro Ball?
Trick Room does not affect Gyro Ball’s damage calculation, which is based on the difference in speed between the user and the target. However, if a Pokémon’s Speed stat rounds down to zero, Gyro Ball’s power is reduced to 1.
3. Is Trick Room a priority move?
Trick Room has a negative priority of -7, so it is always used after all moves with normal priority. It will be one of the last moves to go, so make sure you are prepared for that.
4. Can a Pokémon have 0 Speed?
Yes, you can achieve a 0 Speed IV, which is optimal for Trick Room teams. This ensures you move first under Trick Room against many threats.
5. How do I get a 0 Speed IV Pokémon?
To get a 0 Speed IV Pokémon, you will have to do some breeding or catching. You can obtain a 0 speed IV ditto by using the Masuda method of breeding and using the destiny knot to pass down the IVs.
6. Does Trick Room affect priority moves?
No, Trick Room does not affect priority moves. Priority moves still go before all other moves, regardless of the effects of Trick Room.
7. How can I stall out Trick Room?
You can stall Trick Room with moves like Protect or by switching your slower pokemon. By using Protect every other turn, you can waste two turns of Trick Room and prevent any damage.
8. What happens if two Pokémon have the same Speed stat under Trick Room?
If two Pokémon have the exact same Speed stat under Trick Room, the Pokemon will move randomly.
9. Can I use a Pokémon with higher speed under Trick Room?
Yes, but these need to be used strategically. For example, some faster Pokemon have access to a boosting item that allows them to effectively act as a “slow” pokemon when under Trick Room.
10. Are Gen 7 Pokémon slow?
It is generally accepted that Gen 7 Pokémon are slower than many Pokémon of prior generations, suggesting a deliberate shift in design towards more deliberate, less speed-focused Pokémon.
11. What happens if a Pokémon uses Trick Room under Trick Room?
If a Pokémon uses Trick Room while Trick Room is already active, it will reverse the turn order. If you try to use trick room under trick room, it will cancel the effects of the first trick room, so be careful when trying to do this.
12. Does speed matter outside of Trick Room?
Yes, speed is a vital stat outside of Trick Room. It is a crucial factor for determining which Pokémon goes first in standard battles. A very slow Pokemon may not be as effective outside of Trick Room.
13. Is 100 speed good in Pokémon?
A base Speed of 100 can be good depending on the Pokémon and its role, especially outside of Trick Room. However, it does not have a place in Trick Room. Usually a speed stat like 100 is considered “mid-tier”. You want to go at least 110+ if you are investing in speed, outside of Trick Room.
14. How can I change the speed of a Pokemon?
You can change your Pokemon’s speed through several methods. You can EV train your Pokemon, which will passively increase their speed. You can also use boosting items or moves, such as agility.
15. What is the slowest Pokemon?
The slowest Pokémon are Shuckle, Munchlax and Pyukumuku, all with a base Speed stat of 5. These are good choices for Trick Room teams.
Conclusion
When building a Trick Room team, speed is the most important factor to consider. A base Speed of 80 or lower is usually ideal, allowing you to outpace most threats. While Pokémon with a base 85 Speed can be viable with the appropriate strategy, generally the lower the speed the better in most situations. Understanding the mechanics of Trick Room and these speed thresholds is fundamental to building an effective and dominating Trick Room team. Remember to pay attention to nature, IVs and other stat boosting moves or items to gain the edge in battle.