Trick Room
Reverse the speed order for five turns and let the slowest Pokemon move first.
Trick Room flips the turn order for five turns, so the slowest Pokemon on the field acts first. Teams built around it trade Speed for raw bulk and power: a dedicated setter puts the room up, and slow, hard-hitting attackers clean up while it lasts.
How it works
- 1Setter
A bulky Pokemon survives the first turn and uses Trick Room, usually holding Mental Herb or a Focus Sash so Taunt and chip damage cannot stop it.
- 2Abuser
Slow attackers with high Attack or Special Attack move first for the next four turns and threaten to knock out anything they touch.
- 3Win condition
Convert those four turns into more knockouts than the opponent can trade back, then re-set the room or close out the game before Speed order returns.
Core combos
Pairs that appear together far more often than chance on Doubles OU ladder teams at 1825+ rating. Lift = how many times more likely the pair is than random pairing.
Key roles
Setters run the move itself; abusers are the slow attackers it enables; support keeps both alive. Percentages come from the same ladder sample.
Setters
Share of all teams running this setter
Abusers
Presence on teams that run the strategy
Support
Faster partners that protect the setter
Top ladder teams at 1825+
Six-Pokemon builds reconstructed from how often these Pokemon actually share a team on the ladder — not from tournament reports.
FarigirafSetter
TorkoalAbuserLilligant-HisuiSupportTyphlosion-HisuiSupport
DiancieSetter
UrsalunaAbuserCounter-play
Trick Room teams lose most of their value the moment the room never goes up, or when the turn counter is wasted. The ladder answers below are ordered by how often they actually show up in the metagame.
| Pokemon | Usage | Base Spe | Tool | Why it hurts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Incineroarfiredark | 37.87% | 60 | Taunt 19.5% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Ninetales-Alolaicefairy | 7.59% | 109 | Encore 81.6% of sets | Encore traps the setter into a non-damaging turn |
 Ogerpon-Hearthflamegrassfire | 18.18% | 110 | Taunt 28.1% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Rillaboomgrass | 24.53% | 85 | Taunt 20.1% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Tornadusflying | 14.68% | 111 | Taunt 24.3% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Roaring Moondragondark | 15.56% | 119 | Taunt 19.9% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
| Grimmsnarldarkfairy | 10.97% | 60 | Taunt 23.1% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Whimsicottgrassfairy | 3.87% | 116 | Taunt 63.6% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Mausholdnormal | 1.61% | 111 | Taunt 90.9% of sets | Taunt stops the setter before Trick Room goes up |
 Sableyedarkghost | 1.93% | 50 | Encore 63.8% of sets | Encore traps the setter into a non-damaging turn |
Items and moves the strategy runs
Weighted across the top setters and abusers listed above.
Items
Moves
Data: Smogon ladder usage stats, Doubles OU 1825+ rating, July 2026 (211,990 battles).