Analysis
Escavalier stands out in this meta as a phenomenal breaker, boasting a 135 attack stat and a great STAB combo for the June 2025 meta, allowing it to break through any defensive core. Escavalier has a decent amount of set variety and good enough coverage in order to cover its checks. Despite its really low speed tier, being the slowest Pokémon in the meta has its advantages regarding Trick Room.
Escavalier fits on a few team compositions, these include Trick Room Offense, Bulky Offense, and Balance. All of these teams appreciate Escavalier’s general bulk and wallbreaking power, being able to tank hits and Swords Dance or threaten anything with Choice Banded Megahorn, which nothing in the meta appreciates, not even resists like Quaquaval, Mienshao, Masquerain, Dugtrio, Archeops, and opposing Escavalier.
Even if faced by a defensive Quaquaval or Escavalier, Escavalier can make progress by removing their items with Knock Off, this also applies to the Slowkings, which also do not switch in or out easily due to the sheer damage of Megahorn, possible Swords Dance, and Pursuit trapping.
Escavalier could even run Close Combat or or Aerial Ace as coverage if it really wants to ensure kills on Dugtrio and Quaquaval with Swords Dance sets. Because Megahorn is very free to click, Escavalier is able to break through these Regenerator cores and metagame staples like Tangrowth and Tyranitar. Especially in Trick Room. Furthermore, Escavalier can make use of Assault Vest in order to take the special fire coverage that many Pokémon are running, such as the Slowkings and Tyranitar.
Escavalier has two good abilities and one decent ability. The latter being Shell Armor, which you can run if you feel like every showdown god is against you. The other two are both greatly viable and have their unique benefits. Overcoat allows Escavalier to ignore Sleep Powder from Tangrowth and Spore from Toedscruel. Swarm lets Escavalier threaten the whole meta even more with Megahorn, its general bulk also provides it with this ability to often live attacks you think it wouldn’t, allowing it to get into Swarm range. Trick room also allows Escavalier to be threatening even at the lowest of HPs.
The drawbacks of Escavalier are a few, but a crucial few to consider. Its base 20 speed leaves a lot to be desired but that can be made use of in Trick Room. Of course there’s the issue of limited Trick Room turns but Banded sets or Swords Dance sets limit the need to predict and ensure Escavalier serves its role as the team’s strongest wallbreaker. Another drawback is Escavalier’s ability to switch in. This can be mitigated with Kantonian Slowking’s ability to Teleport and slow pivot in Trick Room. Still that is only one Pokemon, other Trick Room setters like Slowking-Galar and Uxie may end up pivoting first, which threatens Escavalier’s item being knocked off, being burnt by Scald from opposing Slowkings, or by being OHKO’d by a fire move. As mentioned before, many Pokémon in the meta have adjusted to deal with Escavalier, these range from running fire coverage on the Slowkings or Tyranitar (Fire Blast, Flamethrower) to running defensive Quaquaval sets with Aqua Step, Knock Off, and Roost to 1v1 Choice Band sets.
Items Escavalier likes to run include Choice Band, Life Orb, Heavy-duty Boots, Silver Powder, Occa berry, Leftovers, and Rocky Helmet. On Swords Dance sets, Leftovers and Heavy-duty Boots are good as well as on defensive sets which can also utilize Rocky Helmet. The final item that Escavalier runs is Assault Vest for additional special bulk.
Escavalier appreciates teammates that can set up Trick Room like the Slowkings, Uxie, and especially Mimikyu as well as teammates that can slow pivot into Escavalier allowing it to switch in safely and threaten big damage and/or KOs. The Slowkings and Uxie can do that to a certain extent. It also appreciated offensive partners such as Mimikyu, another prominent offensive Pokémon in the meta, being naturally faster than Quaquaval, and able to set up and sweep with the help of Disguise. It pairs well with Escavalier because Pokémon like defensive Quaquaval that could 1v1 Escavalier, crumble to Mimikyu’s Play Rough. In addition, Mimikyu’s respectable special bulk means it can often take a Flamethrower or Fire Blast from Slowkings that Escavalier does not, and it can threaten with Shadow Claw. Both do a good job at breaking for each other, covering each other’s weaknesses by being able to hit what each other’s STABs cannot, and they take the load off of each other in games, making it easier for Escavalier to break, and Mimikyu to clean up and sweep. Escavalier also appreciates hazards and hazard removal so that it has more longevity. Glimmora serves as a good partner.
Below are all the sets I could think of that have shown their worth in this meta, or those that I believe are good after some testing. However, the final set is a defensive Escavalier set that I think has some potential, being able to trap a lot of the meta and chip them down with infestation. Being able to Taunt the Slowkings so that they cannot pivot with Chilly Reception and/or Teleport made this set appealing to me, but infestation’s five turn limit seems to make this set a bit underwhelming. Still I figured I’d put it here to see if anyone could come up with something inspired by it and improve it. In tandem with Toxic spam teams or Glimmora teams, Infestation trapping + poison is a major threat. The minimum speed sets are made to go first in Trick room, 88 speed sets outspeed the Slowkings, and 188 speed sets outspeed Tangrowth with a -speed nature as most run mixed sets
Written by 7md