Reuniclus in SoulGold: Showtime sets Trick Room the moment it enters

Reuniclus sets up Trick Room without spending a turn. At Lv 85 its Showtime innate puts up a 5-turn room the moment it enters, and with base 30 Speed, Reuniclus then moves first. It’s the only Pokémon in SoulGold with Showtime, and it’s the reason my Trick Room team works.

Why Reuniclus is broken

Showtime sets Trick Room for 5 turns on entry, the same timer the move uses. It only fires when no Trick Room is up, so it never toggles your own room off the way the move would. You don’t need a turn, and Taunt can’t stop it because it isn’t a move.

It also fires every time Reuniclus comes in. When the room runs out, switch Reuniclus out and back in, and Showtime sets a new one. With Regenerator you heal a third of your HP on the way out, so the pivot pays for itself.

Here’s the ladder:

• Ability: Overcoat or Magic Guard, or Regenerator as the hidden ability.
• Lv 75, Uncanny: on entry, lowers each opposing Pokémon’s Sp. Atk by one stage. It skips foes behind a Substitute.
• Lv 85, Showtime: sets Trick Room for 5 turns on entry, if none is up.
• Lv 95, Bulletproof: blocks ball and bomb moves, like Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Sludge Bomb and Energy Ball.

So from 85, every entry drops the foes’ Sp. Atk and flips the speed order. Special attackers hate it.

The Reuniclus set

Move	Why
Psychic	STAB. Learned at Lv 40, or TM29 from the Goldenrod Game Corner.
Focus Blast	TM52, item ball in Vajra Desert East. Hits Dark and Steel types.
Shadow Ball	TM30, the Ecruteak Gym gift. Hits Psychic and Ghost types.
Recover	Learned at Lv 1. Take it from the move relearner on the summary screen.

Calm Mind (TM04, an item ball in the Goldenrod Underground Storage) is the swap for Shadow Ball if you want to set up. Psyshock (Lv 20, or TM03 from an item ball on the Battle Factory Grounds) is worth it against special walls. Energy Ball (TM53, Tohjo Pass item ball), Drain Punch (TM85, Route 39 item ball) and Expanding Force (tutor) are there too.

Leave the Trick Room TM off. TM92 is sold at the Ecruteak City Mart, and Reuniclus can learn it, but if a room is already up the move removes it. I clicked it once by habit on turn two and handed the speed back to the other side. Showtime plus a switch does the job.

Ability: Regenerator, through an Ability Patch. It turns the switch-out-and-back pivot into free healing. If you’d rather keep Reuniclus in, run Magic Guard with a Life Orb, since Magic Guard ignores the recoil.

Item: Leftovers with Regenerator. It’s an item ball in the Goldenrod Underground Storage.

Nature and EVs: Quiet, 252 HP, 252 Sp. Atk, 4 Sp. Def. Quiet lowers Speed, which is what you want under Trick Room. Mints are at the Olivine beach café.

In a fight I lead with Reuniclus. Showtime and Uncanny both go off as it lands, so the first turn is already yours. I attack for two or three turns, then switch to a slow hitter while the room still has turns left. When the room ends, bring Reuniclus back in and it starts over. Count the turns out loud if you have to. Five goes faster than you’d think.

Where to get Solosis, Duosion and Reuniclus

You catch Solosis and evolve it. Duosion and Reuniclus aren’t wild.

Where	Level	Rate
Route 43 (grass)	25 to 27	30%

Here’s the build:

1. Catch Solosis on Route 43. At 30% you won’t be there long.
2. Level it to 32 for Duosion, then 41 for Reuniclus.
3. Buy TM29 Psychic at the Goldenrod Game Corner, or wait for Lv 40.
4. Pick up TM30 Shadow Ball from the Ecruteak Gym and TM52 Focus Blast in Vajra Desert East.
5. Pull Recover from the relearner on the summary screen.
6. Use an Ability Patch for Regenerator and give it Leftovers.

When Reuniclus comes online

Showtime turns on at Lv 85. The story’s level cap is 70 until you’re Champion, so in the main game Reuniclus is a regular slow Psychic type. Uncanny shows up at 75, and Showtime at 85.

Title Defense challengers and the Elite Four rematches are Lv 85. An 85 Reuniclus walks in with Uncanny and Showtime both on, which is exactly where you want it.

In the Battle Tower, Factory, Pyramid and Battle Café challenges, every innate is on at any level. A Lv 50 Reuniclus in Classic mode sets Trick Room on entry.

For who to put next to it, read the Trick Room team guide. Lead with Reuniclus, and the rest of the team is whatever slow hitter you trust most.

What beats Reuniclus

• The Trick Room move. If the other side uses Trick Room while yours is up, the room goes away. Showtime won’t fire again until Reuniclus switches back in.
• Dark, Ghost and Bug moves. Pure Psychic is weak to all three. Knock Off also takes your Leftovers.
• Taunt. It can’t stop Showtime, but it stops Recover. A Taunted Reuniclus that can’t heal goes down to chip damage.
• Physical attackers. Uncanny only touches Sp. Atk. Reuniclus has 75 base Defense, so a strong physical hit still hurts. Put your HP EVs in and keep Recover handy.

Go catch your Solosis on Route 43, then build the slow side of the team around it.