Prankster: priority for moves that don't attack
Prankster adds 1 to the priority of status moves, the ones that deal no damage. That's why Whimsicott sets Tailwind, Taunt or Encore before almost any attack, even if its opponent is faster.
It is the backbone of many Reg M-C teams: the Puebla champion ran Whimsicott, and its job is exactly that, moving the pieces before the opponent can react.
The exception: Dark-type Pokémon
Since generation seven, status moves that get Prankster's priority fail against Dark-type opponents: the simulator marks them as immune. In Reg M-C that includes Kingambit, Incineroar and Mega Absol Z, all common in the format.
The rule has limits worth being clear about. It only applies to opponents: a Dark-type ally does receive the move. It doesn't affect moves aimed at your own side or the field, like Tailwind. And it only applies to the Prankster-boosted move: the same Encore used by a Pokémon without that ability does work against a Dark type.
| Whimsicott's move | Against a Dark-type opponent | Against another opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Tailwind (your side) | Works | Works |
| Encore | Fails | Works |
| Taunt | Fails | Works |
Encore in Champions
Encore forces the target to repeat its last move for three turns. In Champions it has a detail of its own: if the target hasn't moved yet that turn and had chosen something else, its action is changed right then to the move it has to repeat. If it had already moved, the effect lasts one extra turn so it covers three full ones.
There are two cases where it fails. First, on turn one of a Pokémon that has just come in: if it hasn't used a move yet, there is nothing to repeat. Second, along the way: Armor Tail, Farigiraf's ability, blocks opposing priority moves against its side, and Psychic Terrain blocks those aimed at a grounded Pokémon. A Prankster Encore has priority, so it doesn't get through.
Three plays with Encore
On Fake Out. Fake Out only works on the Pokémon's first turn on the field. If the opponent used it on turn one, an Encore on turn two forces it to repeat it for three turns in which it always fails. It doesn't work against Incineroar, because it is a Dark type; against Sneasler or Indeedee, which also learn it, it does.
On Trick Room. Using Trick Room while Trick Room is active undoes it. If the opponent set it the turn before, Encore forces it to use it again and the room disappears. It only works if the setter doesn't have Armor Tail and isn't grounded under Psychic Terrain.
On Protect. If the opponent protected, Encore forces it to keep protecting, and each consecutive Protect has a lower chance of working: one in three the second time and one in nine the third. That's a turn its partner plays alone.
| Opponent's last move | What happens with Encore |
|---|---|
| Fake Out | Three turns doing nothing: it no longer works |
| Trick Room | It uses it again and the room ends |
| Protect | It has to repeat it, with lower and lower odds |
| An attack | It repeats that attack, which may no longer be useful |
How to defend yourself
The most direct answer is to switch: once it leaves the field, the Pokémon is no longer under Encore. Mental Herb, if held, also cures it. And Dark types, Armor Tail and Psychic Terrain shut the door on the Prankster version.
The other defense is not making it easy: a Pokémon that has just used Protect or Fake Out in front of Whimsicott is the perfect target. Our own reading: at team preview, if the opponent brings Whimsicott with Encore, plan your first turns around which of your moves you wouldn't mind repeating three times.
