QC Checks: Panamaxis, Calloflochie, radianthero156
GP Checks: Calm Pokemaster, Minus
Overview
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Trevenant makes a name for itself in the UU metagame by being much like an actual tree: extremely difficult to take down. With a great typing that gives it many free switch-ins and a wide support movepool containing moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed, this scary Grass-type holds its own as one of the best spinblockers in the tier. Trevenant also has a respectable base 110 Attack, preventing it from being setup bait unlike other stall-orientated Pokemon, along with two great abilities in Natural Cure and Harvest, both of which give it two very reliable ways to recover health. However, not all is good for Trevenant. For a defensive Pokemon, Trevenant's overall bulk is subpar, and along with its small Speed stat, it is prone to getting KOed before it gets a chance to heal, spread status or use Leech Seed. Trevenant is also prone to being KOed by Blastoise, the most common spinner in the tier, making spinblocking with Trevenant much harder. Furthermore, the amount of Dark-types in the tier and the existence of Pursuit also stops Trevenant from reaching its full potential. However, despite Trevenant's flaws, it is still one of the best spinblockers in the tier and a force to be reckoned with.
SubSeed
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name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Phantom Force / Horn Leech
ability: Harvest
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
nature: Careful
Moves
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This set utilizes Trevenant's ability to force out Pokemon that are either afraid of Will-O-Wisp or can't deal enough damage to break its Substitute. Trevenant can then proceed to set up a Substitute, which allows it to block status moves and stall with Leech Seed's recovery. Leech Seed is Trevenant's main way of dealing damage and also gives it a great deal of passive recovery. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers, allowing it to set up a free Substitute. Surprisingly, Phantom Force is not used to deal damage; in fact, it is used to recover a Sitrus Berry back if you don't get lucky with Harvest and to stall out Leech Seed and burn damage. If having an attacking move is more favorable, your best option is to use Horn Leech. Horn Leech recovers some of Trevenant's heath while dealing damage, allowing it to stall easier and also deal with Water-types. Shadow Claw can also be used as a Ghost-type STAB, but is useless in comparison to Phantom Force with respect to stalling. Curse can be used over Leech Seed to deal damage much quicker and is very annoying to stall teams, but it comes at the cost of less passive recovery and 50% health. Along the same lines, Protect can also be used.
Set Details
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Maximum investment in HP activates Trevenants Sitrus Berry at exactly 50%, rather than just slightly lower. A specially defensive set is used to allow Trevenant to take special attacks easier, and this works in combination with Will-O-Wisp to take hits on both sides. Harvest, in combination with Sitrus Berry, gives passive recovery equal to a third of its HP 50% of the time after the first use. 80 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed Vaporeon and get a Substitute up before it can Ice Beam Trevenant.
Usage Tips
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When using Trevenant, try to get a Substitute as fast as possible, as it allows Trevenant to stallPokemon who cannot do over 75% damage to it while also giving it protection from status. Burn physical attackers first, then use Leech Seed if possible. However, with special attackers, use Leech Seed first and then burn them if possible. Once either Will-O-Wisp or Leech Seed is used, Trevenant can continue to use Substitute thanks to the passive recovery that it gets through both Harvest and Leech Seed. However, try not to waste turns and PP on Pokemon that have recovery moves such as Roost or Recover. If you get unlucky with Harvest, use Phantom force to both deal a bit more damage and stall out another turn for Harvest to activate. However, if Trevenant doesn't have Phantom Force, it should switch out or use Horn Leech, but only if the opposing Pokemon can't 2HKO it or is slower than it.
Team Options
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Even though Trevenant is more of a supporting Pokemon, it still needs its own team support to function well. Since Trevenant has problems with stall, dedicated stallbreakers are appreciated. Crobat is the best option; it not only removes stall, but also helps by removing Grass-types with a super effective Brave Bird, and Toxic Spikes with Defog, both of which can be trouble for Trevenant. Mega Houndoom and Toxicroak can also get rid of Grass-types; both have good synergy with Trevenant and appreciate it softening up the opposing team. Toxic Spikes is a great support option for Trevenant, as it allows it to stall easier and quicker. Qwilfish and Tentacruel are your best options to set it up and can deal with Fire-types well.
Status Absorber
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name: Status Absorber
move 1: Rest
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Leech Seed
move 4: Shadow Claw / Horn Leech
ability: Harvest / Natural Cure
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Atk
nature: Careful
Moves
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This set utilizes Harvest in combination with Rest and a Lum Berry to give Trevenant an extreme amount of recovery. Rest combined with Lum Berry gives Trevenant full recovery at no cost if its Lum Berry is intact or was Harvested. Natural Cure is usable over Harvest to free up the item slot for Leftovers, but Trevenant will have to switch out for it to be effective. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers while also giving Trevenant a chance to use Rest. Leech Seed gives it passive recovery, making it less reliant on Rest and also also giving the ability to stall. Shadow Claw prevents Trevenant from being setup bait and gives better coverage than Horn Leech. Horn Leech, on the other hand, has greater power and also recovers some of Trevenant's HP, again, making it less reliant on Rest. Horn Leech also allows Trevenant to deal with Water-types better. Wood Hammer can also be used due to its greater power, but the recoil can be detrimental.
Set Details
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Giving Trevenant the maximum amount of Special Defense with a boosting nature allows it to take special attacks better and works in tandem with Will-O-Wisp to let it take hits from both sides of the spectrum. Using a Lum Berry in combination with Harvest gives it a pseudo status immunity. Natural Cure, on the other hand, also gives it a pseudo status immunity, but Trevenant has to switch out for it to take effect. However, if you chose Natural Cure, Trevenant gets the added bonus of passive recovery from Leftovers.
Usage Tips
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Since this particular set doesn't mind status, it should find opportunities to switch in against status moves like Will-O-Wisp or moves like Scald. After it has switched in, Trevenant should try to spread burns and Leech Seed on the opponent's Pokemon as much as possible so that a late-game sweeper can clean up afterwards. Using a Lum Berry in combination with Harvest has more staying power than sets with Natural Cure; however, these sets have more longevity due to Leftovers.
Team Options
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This set is more self sufficient than the last; Trevenant will be supporting its teammates, rather than having its teammates helping it. Special walls like Florges appreciate physical attackers being burned, and they also appreciate avoiding status, namely Toxic. Trevenant can also absorb status, particularly burns, for physical attackers such as Toxicroak and Sharpedo. Furthermore, physical attackers enjoyTrevenant's ability to soften up teams. Pokemon that lure status or moves like Scald, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile, can give Trevenant a free switch-in opportunity, the former attracting Thunder Wave and both attracting Scald.
Other Options
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Much like other Grass-types, Trevenant's movepool isn't that impressive. However, it does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Earthquake can be used to hit Fire-types on the switch, inparticularly Mega Houndoom, since they can be annoying for Trevenant. While it may seem a bit unusual for a defensive Pokemon, Destiny Bond can be used as a last resort option to get rid of a certain threat. It can also be used to scare the opponent into not attacking, giving Trevenant another turn to stall. An offensive set with either Choice Band, Assault Vest, or Trick Room can be used with its great base 110 Attack. However, since Trevenant's defensive and Speed stats are a bit lacking, pulling off a bulky or even speedy attacking set is difficult.
Checks & Counters
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**Status or Residual Damage Immunity**: Pokemon with an immunity to Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, or both can give Trevenant trouble. Reuniclus and Mega Absol are prime examples as the former is not affected by either moves and the latter can bounce back both moves. However, Reuniclus must watch out for Trevenant which carry Shadow Claw. Bulky Grass-types such as Celebi, Shaymin, and Roserade are immune to Leech Seed, and Celebi and Roserade also have Natural Cure, meaning Will-O-Wisp doesn't faze them. However, like Reuniclus, Celebi must watch out Shadow Claw.
**Special Attackers**: Because of Trevenant's poor Special Defense, special attackers with super effective moves can give it trouble. Houndoom and Hydriegon are great examples, the former being immune to Will-O-Wisp and both being able to OHKO it with there STAB moves.
**Taunt**: Taunt can completely shut Trevenant down and prevent it from spreading status, meaning its only option is to use its weak attacking move.
**Pursuit**: While Will-O-Wisp makes Pursuit less of a problem, it still can be troublesome, especially if the Pursuit user is one that is immune to Will-O-Wisp, such as Mega Absol.
**Item Removal**: Item removal through Trick or Knock Off will cripple Trevenant heavily, as Harvest will not generate another berry, leaving Trevenant with only Leech Seed recovery. However, Natural Cure sets aren't affected as heavily by item removal.
**Infiltrator / Sound-Based Moves**: While not much of a problem for the status absorber set, Pokemon that can bypass Substitutes can be problematic for the SubSeed set. Pokemon such as Noivern, Crobat, and Exploud are good examples; the former two have the Infiltrator ability, while the latter has Boomburst to hit through Substitutes and the ability Scrappy, which allows it to hit Ghost-types.
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