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Due to its good overall bulk and power, Reuniclus is one of the premier Psychic-types in the tier. Most walls can't touch it after it gets a Calm Mind under its belt, as its access to recovery and good bulk let it set up on a large portion of the tier, and it is unaffected by residual damage thanks to Magic Guard, which also benefits Trick Room sets greatly, as Reuniclus won't have to worry about taking recoil from Life Orb. Reuniclus also has a huge base 125 Special Attack, which complements its bulk nicely and makes it dangerous for offensive teams to face if it sets up Trick Room. However, there are a good number of flaws that hold Reuniclus back, as its Speed is horrendous outside of Trick Room, which makes it vulnerable to common offensive Pokemon such as Hydreigon and Heracross when coupled with its mediocre defensive typing.
Calm Mind
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name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast / Shadow Ball
move 4: Recover
ability: Magic Guard
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
nature: Bold
Moves
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Calm Mind is used to boost Reuniclus's Special Attack and Special Defense and complements its overall good natural bulk and offenses. Psyshock is used as Reuniclus's primary STAB move, as it lets Reuniclus win Calm Mind wars against Pokemon such as Suicune and Cresselia and do more damage to Florges and Blissey than Psychic. Psychic can be used instead, however, as it does more damage to physical walls such as Hippowdon and lets Reuniclus beat Curse users such as Snorlax if running Shadow Ball. Focus Blast hits Steel-types such as Aggron and Empoleon for super effective damage and threatens Dark-types such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, Absol, and Sharpedo. Shadow Ball hits opposing Psychic-types such as Slowking, Cresselia, and Alakazam for super effective damage, as well as Chandelure and Doublade, the latter of which beats Reuniclus easily otherwise.
Set Details
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Maximum EV investment in HP and Defense along with a Bold nature are used so that Reuniclus can take as many physical attacks as possible, as its Special Defense stat will be boosted by Calm Mind. Magic Guard should always be used, as it prevents Reuniclus from taking passive damage, which is extremely useful, as then it doesn't have to worry about taking entry hazard damage or being worn down by Toxic; this also lets it run Life Orb without taking recoil, making it significantly more powerful, even when unboosted. Leftovers is the primary item, however, as passive recovery makes Reuniclus less reliant on using Recover and lets it focus more on boosting.
Usage Tips
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Reuniclus should usually try to set up Calm Mind after Dark-, Bug-, and Ghost-types have been removed, as they can usually 2HKO Reuniclus even after a boost. However, it should be trying to set up against weak Pokemon that cannot 2HKO it, such as Alomomola and Florges, as it can shrug off their attacks with little trouble thanks to Recover, and Reuniclus usually forces the foe to provide enough offensive pressure to either force it out, 2HKO it, or phaze it. Reuniclus should usually be kept healthy before attempting to set up, as letting it get worn down too quickly without recovering makes it difficult for it to set up.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can switch into Bug- and Dark-type Pokemon, such as Florges and Aromatisse, are good partners for Reuniclus, as they can tank any hits from them with little trouble, threaten them with a STAB Moonblast, or pass Wishes to Reuniclus if need be. As Reuniclus forces out a lot of defensive Pokemon, entry hazard support is appreciated. Spikes in particular helps Reuniclus set up a sweep, as most of its checks and counters are grounded and get worn down by entry hazard damage. Chesnaught pairs well with Reuniclus, as it can reliably set up Spikes and can sponge Dark-type attacks aimed at Reuniclus. Due to the fact that Reuniclus can set up on many walls found on balanced or stall teams, late-game cleaners that do well against offense, such as Choice Scarf Mienshao, Salamence, Swords Dance Lucario, and Dragon Dance Feraligatr, are all good partners for Reuniclus. Mienshao and Lucario also aid Reuniclus in sweeping by checking Dark-types.
Trick Room
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name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
nature: Quiet
Moves
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Trick Room is a valuable tool against offensive teams, as it turns Reuniclus into a powerful late-game cleaner, making it the fastest Pokemon on the field in some cases. Psyshock is the primary STAB attack and is used to hit special walls such as Florges and Blissey for more damage than Psychic. Psychic has more overall power than Psyshock and hits physical walls such as Hippowdon for more damage. Focus Blast is used to hit Dark- and Steel-types such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Mega Aggron, OHKOing the former two and 2HKOing the latter. Shadow Ball is used to hit other Psychic-types such as opposing Reuniclus, Slowking, and Cresselia for super effective damage, along with Chandelure.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is used so that Reuniclus can maximize its bulk and power, while having a Quiet nature and 0 Speed IVs allows it to outspeed nearly everything in Trick Room. Life Orb is used to boost Reuniclus's power without taking recoil thanks to Magic Guard.
Usage Tips
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It's usually best for Reuniclus to set up Trick Room late-game when most of its checks have been removed or weakened, as despite its good bulk, it will usually only get one chance to set up Trick Room and use it effectively against offensive teams. Because of this, it should also set up Trick Room as soon as it comes into the field. Unlike other Trick Room setters, such as Cresselia or Bronzong, it is best used to take advantage of Trick Room by itself due to its offensive nature.
Team Options
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Entry hazard support is appreciated to weaken foes for Reuniclus when it sets up Trick Room, so partners such as Forretress, Swampert, Chesnaught, and Dragalge work well with it. While it isn't mandatory in most cases, having other Pokemon that can take advantage of Trick Room, such as Mega Abomasnow, Mega Camerupt, and Escavalier, is appreciated, as they can punch holes into defensive teams if brought in safely and can also potentially clean in Trick Room. If Reuniclus is run on a balanced team, having Pokemon that can repeatedly switch into and threaten Dark- and Bug-types such as Heracross, Krookodile, and Mega Absol help it a lot. Florges and Aromatisse are very good partners, as they can switch into all of the aforementioned Pokemon and pass Wishes to Reuniclus if necessary. Aromatisse can also set up Trick Room if Reuniclus is able to clean late-game but cannot find the opportunity to set up Trick Room itself.
Other Options
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A Choice Specs set can be run to turn Reuniclus into a deadly nuke, but it's too slow to pull it off effectively, and it hates being locked into one move. Knock Off can be used to cripple Pokemon that are reliant on their item. Acid Armor can be used in conjunction with Calm Mind to turn Reuniclus into an extremely bulky win condition, but its lack of coverage forces it to have all Dark-types removed in order for it to sweep. Magic Coat can be used to bounce back Taunt and phazing moves directed at Reuniclus, but other than that, it has very little use considering Reuniclus is immune to passive damage. Kee Berry can be used to boost its Defense, somewhat like Acid Armor, and lets it run a coverage move, but Reuniclus usually wants the passive recovery from Leftovers. Regenerator can be used on offensive sets so that Reuniclus regains a little health each time it switches in, but it would much rather have Magic Guard so that it doesn't have to take passive damage from entry hazards, status, and Life Orb recoil. Other moves with smaller uses such as Thunder Wave and Grass Knot can be used, but Reuniclus rarely has the space to run them.
Checks & Counters
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**Dark-types**: Hydreigon, Krookodile, and Mega Houndoom are immune to Reuniclus's STAB attacks, take little damage from Shadow Ball, and can all OHKO an unboosted Reuniclus with their STAB attacks, but all must be wary of Focus Blast.
**Bug-types**: Escavalier can switch into all of Reuniclus's attacks with little trouble thanks to its typing and can threaten it out with a STAB Megahorn. Heracross, Mega Beedrill, Yanmega, Galvantula, and Durant can also force Reuniclus out; however, they usually have to be brought in safely because they all either have poor Special Defense or are weak to Reuniclus's STAB attacks.
**Chandelure**: Choice Specs Chandelure can OHKO Reuniclus with little trouble, and Substitute + Calm Mind or Choice Scarf variants can easily threaten it. However, Chandelure usually has to be brought in safely due to its weakness to Shadow Ball.
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