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[OVERVIEW]
Escavalier possesses good offensive typing and very low Speed, making it a great all-out attacker under Trick Room. In addition to its powerful dual STAB moves, it also has great coverage in the form of Knock Off and Drill Run. Its ability Overcoat allows it to easily switch into Spore and Sleep Powder users, as well as ignore redirection from Rage Powder. To top it off, its base 20 Speed makes it the slowest viable Trick Room attacker except for Mega Camerupt, which it Speed ties with. However, Escavalier's Speed severely hinders it outside of Trick Room, and its typing makes it extremely vulnerable to common Fire-types such as Charizard and Talonflame. Plus, like any physical attacker, it's susceptible to Intimidate and burns.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Attacker
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Drill Run / Knock Off
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Overcoat
nature: Brave
evs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Megahorn and Iron Head are both strong STAB attacks that score a lot of OHKOs against threats such as Latios and Sylveon. Drill Run provides excellent coverage against opposing Steel-types such as Metagross and Heatran. Knock Off could be used over Drill Run, as it hits Ghost-types such as Aegislash and Hoopa-U, which Escavalier otherwise wouldn't be able to heavy damage to, as well as serving as a utility move to remove important items. Both are good options, and the choice depends on what your team would most benefit from. Protect rounds out the set to keep Escavalier safe while its partner sets up Trick Room or takes out a threat.
Set Details
========
Escavalier runs maximum Attack investment and a Brave nature for as much damage output as possible, since it is an all-out-attacker. The HP EVs maximize its bulk, while minimizing Life Orb recoil. The remaining EVs can be put in either defensive stat. Life Orb gives Escavalier even more power. Lum Berry could also be used, as Escavalier is so vulnerable to burns. However, it causes it to lose a lot of power. Like any Trick Room Pokemon, Escavalier should be running a 0 Speed IV to ensure it moves first under Trick Room.
Usage Tips
========
Using Trick Room is a near-requirement for Escavalier. With Trick Room up, it can outspeed every notable threat in the metagame. After Trick Room expires, Escavalier becomes much less threatening, so it should ideally only be on the field when the field condition is up. It should be noted that Escavalier's coverage moves are only useful under Trick Room or on the switch, as threats such as Heatran will outspeed and OHKO it otherwise. Knock Off and Drill Run can be used to check Aegislash; however, if either of those moves makes contact with King's Shield, Escavalier's Attack will drop severely, so be careful. Thanks to Overcoat, Escavalier can freely switch into Spore and Sleep Powder users such as Amoonguss, Breloom,and Venusaur. Lastly, due to Escavalier's 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, all users of these attacks should be properly dealt with before Escavalier is brought onto the field.
Team Options
========
Escavalier thrives in Trick Room, so setters such as Cresselia and Jellicent make for good partners. Cresselia can also handle opposing Fighting-types for Escavalier and use Safeguard to protect the team from burns. Escavalier in return can do heavy damage against any Dark-type that threatens Cresselia. Fire-type checks are required to counter Escavalier's weakness; good options include Azumarill and Suicune. Aditionally, because of this Fire-type weakness, Escavalier can function well on a rain team with Politoed, serving as a good offensive pivot and Trick Room counter. This is ideally the only time Escavalier shouldn't be on a semi- or full Trick Room team. Escavalier is very vulnerable to Intimidate, so checks to common Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Scrafty are much appreciated. Some good examples include Thundurus and Sylveon. Escavalier also struggles against bulky Water-types, so Electric-types such as Thundurus, Rotom-W, and Zapdos work well. Lastly, Pokemon with Rock typing or coverage like Mega Diancie and Landorus-T work well with Escavalier as a means to check Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y. Terrakion can also be used to check Heatran.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Assault Vest is the most widely used item besides the ones in the sample moveset. Even though it makes Escavalier more bulky, it prevents it from running Protect, which leaves it wide open for burns and doesn't make it enough of an offensive threat. A set with Swords Dance can make Escavalier a powerful setup sweeper under Trick Room. However, in order to run Swords Dance, it would have to give up either a coverage move or Protect, both of which are very crucial to Escavalier's viability.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Speed Control**: Without Trick Room, Escavalier is vulnerable to every other threat in the metagame, as its low Speed means it always has to take an attack before it can move.
**Typing Advantage**: Escavalier is 4x weak to Fire, making Fire-types such as Heatran, Charizard, and Talonflame good counters to it. Heatran, however, can be OHKOed by Drill Run.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp users such as Landorus-T and Gengar severely cut Escavalier's power.
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