Perish Trap

Perish Trap^[1] is a strategy usable in the mainline Pokémon games starting from Generation II. It centers on the combination of Perish Song alongside a trapping move or Ability.

Strategy

When a Pokémon uses Perish Song, all Pokémon who hear it will faint in 3 turns. The easiest way for the opposing Pokémon to nullify this effect is to switch out; however, by preventing the opponent's escape by using a move such as Mean Look or an Ability such as Shadow Tag, the opponent will be unable to switch out to reset the perish counter. To ensure that the Pokémon trapping the opponent doesn't faint, the Pokémon will often use protection moves, moves that inflict sleep or Substitute in order to stall out Perish Song turns for as long as possible until the perish count reaches 1. Once the perish count reaches 1, the Perish Song user is free to switch out should they wish to preserve their Pokémon, guaranteeing a KO on the opposing Pokémon, or both opposing Pokémon in a Double Battle.

In competitive play

Several Pokémon were capable of learning the combination of Perish Song and a trapping move when the move was introduced in Generation II. One of these Pokémon was Misdreavus, who proved especially effective in countering Snorlax, one of the best Pokémon in the Nintendo Cup 2000 format. Additionally, Misdreavus could be maintained at low levels in order to stay between Nintendo Cup 2000's level sum rule as it retained its ability to beat higher levelled Snorlax even at level 50.^[2] Notably, Kenta Sunaga reached top 8 of the first official Nintendo Cup 2000 tournament with a Misdreavus that utilized this strategy.^[3]^[4]

Despite this strong start, Perish Trap strategies were almost nonexistent at officially sanctioned competitive events in Generation III and Generation IV. Most official tournaments from Generation III onwards are played in a Double Battle format, and at the time, the only way to consistently trap more than one Pokémon in a Double Battle was through the use of either Arena Trap or Shadow Tag; however, the most notable users of Arena Trap, Dugtrio and Trapinch, were far too frail and lacked any meaningful support options. Wobbuffet, the sole fully evolved user of Shadow Tag, fared better defensively, but was often far too passive to support pulling off the strategy. Additionally, Double Battles are inherently more fast-paced and aggressive due to having two Pokémon on the field, so the trapping Pokémon can be targeted by both opposing Pokémon and quickly become overwhelmed. The biggest success of the Perish Trap strategy during this period was a player named Mizuki from Shimane Prefecture, who qualified for the 2009 World Championships with a team of Mismagius, Metagross, Politoed and Wobbuffet.^[5]

However, Generation V would give the Gothitelle line Shadow Tag as their Hidden Ability, first usable in official tournaments in 2013. Gothitelle proved to be a much better user of the ability in regards to supporting Perish Trap strategies as it has a wide support movepool that can give its ally an opportunity to use Perish Song. Though the strategy was still a rare sight, it resulted in far more notable placements than the previous two generations, such as Jordi Picazo reaching top 24 in the 2013 World Championships utilizing a Perish Trap core of Politoed and Gothorita.^[6] Generation VI would expand the pool of viable Shadow Tag users even further, as Gengar would gain access to the ability after Mega Evolving.

The strategy has remained a relatively rare sight in competitive play in favor of more consistent strategies, due to its difficulty to pilot and high-risk, high-reward nature. However, it remains a viable strategy to this day, with it being used by Wolfe Glick to win the 2023 Orlando Regional Championships, 2025 Toronto Regional Championships and the 2025 Europe International Championships in Generation IX.

Counterplay

Various methods of counterplay exist for Perish Trap strategies. The ability Soundproof makes the user immune to Perish Song altogether, while the item Shed Shell ignores trapping moves and abilities; however, these are specific and often not practical to carry on every team given the rarity of the strategy. More practical counterplay to Perish Trap include moves that switch the user out such as U-turn, as well as using Taunt to prevent the use of Perish Song altogether. As of Generation VI, Ghost-type Pokémon are also immune to being trapped, drastically improving their matchup towards the strategy. This also includes Ghost-type Terastallization in Generation IX, allowing Pokémon that would otherwise be trapped to Terastallize and swap out, resetting the perish count.