4v4 Doubles Metagame Discussion Thread

[CatataFish_6]

this should be enough proof to why you should not run these tactics

I was just saying man, now people are going to keep quoting me on this forever lol
Someone asked in the thread if I knew some strategies for smeargle, and I told him these two, because they were the only ones I knew at the moment. I didnt say I used them, nor did I say theyre good. Jeez

 

[flarz]

This section is going to be on building doubles teams.

There are many components you need to know about to build a doubles team. This thread will hopefully clarify enough things up for you to build a doubles team. The first thing I'd like to go over are Pokemon that are good in 6v6 singles, not so much in doubles.

• Landorus-I: He's outclassed by other special attackers, such as Greninja, Nidoking, and Charizard-Y
• Charizard-X: Although a powerful physical attacker, 100 speed and mediocre damage on spread moves make it inferior to it's brother from Y-Version
• Chansey/Blissey: Before anyone gets to bitching about minimize, that's more of a Clefable thing, and the fact that Knock Off users like Bisharp exist make eviolite Chansey deadweight
• Espeon: Magic Bounce isn't as big in doubles, given the lack of hazards in the meta. It also has poor defenses that make it an easy KO for stronger Ghost/Dark-types
• Gliscor: Ice Beam and Hydro Pump are popular moves in doubles, meaning it's harder for Gliscor to be in the field and not be KO'd
• Madibuzz: Lack of hazards in doubles make defog a useless slot, and really there are just better Flying or Dark-types than this thing
• Pinsir: Rock Slide is a common spread move, and Pinsir really doesn't stand a chance against it
• Quagsire: The lack of set up moves in doubles make Quagsire's Unaware ability virtually uselss, and without that, Quagsire is a worse version of Swampert
• Scoilepede: Having a Pokemon just to pass speed to another Pokemon is fairly useless when you have two other Pokemon who can easily take it out
• Skarmory: Although it has amazing physical bulk, a 1-2 punch of something like Thunderbolt and Rock Slide will make quick work of Skarmory
• Vaporeon: Clerics/Wish Passers aren't really needed and there are better bulky waters, such as Rotom-W and Politoed

Next off, I'd like to go over moves that are good in doubles, not so much in 6v6 singles.

• Fake Out: Allows for a turn of free set-up as one Pokemon on the other field can't attack
• Protect: Allows for a turn of pivot as your partner eliminates a certain threat
• Helping Hand: Boosts your partners attack for even greater damage

I'd like to take this time to go over abilities that are good/better in doubles than they are in singles.

• Intimidate: Now that you have the possibility of lowering the attack of two Pokemon, it's much more crucial, even more so when you factor in you can't switch as often
• Levitate: The amount of Earthquake in this meta is ridiculous, and since it hits everything on the field, you need a Pokemon with levitate/Flying-type
• Weather Abilities: Since doubles games are a lot more fast-paced than singles matches, 5 turns of rain or sand is a lot more crucial than in 6v6

Now, I'll go over the 5 most common playstyles in doubles

• GoodStuffs: This is the most common playstyle, usually revolving around 6 easy-to-use-Pokemon that cover each other's weaknesses and apply pressure to the opponent
• Trick Room: Revolves around bulky, strong Pokemon becoming fast in the Trick Room environment
• Rain: Whether it's a full rain team or a mix of rain and some other play-style, it worships Politoed, and features Pokemon such as Manectric or Ludicolo
• Sun: This is usually mixed with a goodstuffs team, but full sun teams can be successful too; Main core is Charizard-Y and Venusaur
• Gimmick: Gimmick teams are crazy strategies built to counter common teams, one of the most popular gimmicks is Perish Trap

And with the introduction completed, here's a short paragraph on team building a Doubles team.

Ever been on the ladder and think, "Man, this would be a great doubles team!"? If so, you should probably think about a few things before you build. A doubles team starts out as a core that synergizes well, but where do you go from there? To build around a doubles core, just start out with this process, "Ok, my core is a Physically offensive mix of Kangaskhan and Talonflame, so I should probably find two special attackers that work well with those, and a support Pokemon, and once I get those done, finding my last slot should be a piece of cake!". If you want a more in depth analisys, Aegislash resists Talonflame's Rock weakness, and Kangaskhan's Fighting weakness. Rotom-w resists Talonflame's water weakness and can burn threatening physical attackers. Cresselia with Helping Hand works as a great support, being able to boost moves like Talonflame's Brave Bird or Aegislash's Shadow Ball, which commonly come close to OHKO threats, but not quite enough. Now I see my team is missing a spread move user. Landorus-T seems like a great choice, seeing as it has intimidate, 2 spread moves, and we already have an ice and water resistance. (I'll get an inportable of this team up soon) Thanks for reading this article on how to build a doubles team! :]

 

[flarz]

I'd like to also open op the door to some possible gimmicky cores, Here's what I have compiled so far;enjoy :]

• Skill Swap Cress + Follow Me Eviolite Clefairy
• Skill Swap Cress + Mega Gengar + Scarf Landorus-T
• Beat Up Houndoom + Justified Terrakion + Ninetales + Exeguttor
• Skill Swap Simple Swoobat + CM Sylveon
• Bulky Landorus-T + Cresselia + Weavile

Those are the gimmicks that I've compiled so far, I will update as I find more

PS: 100th Post Hype! :D

 

[EnGarde]

-snip-

whimiscott does beat up better because it deals less damage

 

[flarz]

TerraCott is popular tho, these are some of my custom gimmicks

 

[Hulavuta]

On the subject of gimmicks, I was dicking around with Tyranitar + Endeavor Aron last night but I can't say I recommend it as it is really easily shut down. When it works though, it's really hilarious. I actually find that Aron is helpful by taking fire away from your ally since it has to be hit twice due to Sturdy.

 

[EnGarde]

On the subject of gimmicks, I was dicking around with Tyranitar + Endeavor Aron last night but I can't say I recommend it as it is really easily shut down. When it works though, it's really hilarious. I actually find that Aron is helpful by taking fire away from your ally since it has to be hit twice due to Sturdy.

Plus shell bell restores all of your HP if you can land your endeavor. Though, yeah, very gimmicky. Heard it works really well for maison grinding, though.

 

[Feliburn]

I'd like to also open op the door to some possible gimmicky cores, Here's what I have compiled so far;enjoy :]

• Skill Swap Cress + Follow Me Eviolite Clefairy
• Skill Swap Cress + Mega Gengar + Scarf Landorus-T
• Beat Up Houndoom + Justified Terrakion + Ninetales + Exeguttor
• Skill Swap Simple Swoobat + CM Sylveon
• Bulky Landorus-T + Cresselia + Weavile

Those are the gimmicks that I've compiled so far, I will update as I find more

PS: 100th Post Hype! :D

You are missing the amazing PerishTrap teams, most common PerishTrap teams have pokemon like Mega Gengar, Liepard, Politoed, Gothitelle and, in some cases, Rage Powder Amoonguss. I really like Encore Liepard + Perish Song Mega Gengar, I've used it a couple of times on the ladder and it works pretty fine :]

 

[Pyritie]

Chansey/Blissey: Before anyone gets to bitching about minimize, that's more of a Clefable thing, and the fact that Knock Off users like Bisharp exist make eviolite Chansey deadweight

I'd also mention that the reason singles "walls" don't really exist in doubles is because:

• You often take attacks from both physical and special attackers, and most walls are only good at one or the other. In doubles you have to be able to deal with both
• Doubles games don't last nearly as long as singles games, and because of double-targeting being a thing, toxic stall is pretty useless
• If you aren't at least doing good damage or providing team support while walling stuff, you're dead weight

 

[lucariomaster2]

So I've been really getting into Battle Spot Doubles lately. I've been using a Tailwind-based team, and it works fairly well. I peaked at 1634 with it, but... I think I can do better. Could someone help me to improve my team?

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Nature: Lonely
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Def
Ability: Gale Wings
-Tailwind
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-Taunt

Talonflame is my Tailwind setter, chosen due to the fact that its ability gives it priority, meaning that for the most part, only Fake Out and faster priority can stop it from setting up. Taunt is there because, for obvious reasons, Tailwind is wrecked by Trick Room, so I need to make sure at all costs that TR does not go up. Since Talonflame has Gale Wings, I'm running a bulky spread to give it some longevity (although it's still OHKO'd by Rock Slide). Leftovers are chosen to soften the recoil damage a bit, which can sometimes help it get in an extra hit if it survives turn 1.

Breloom @ Focus Sash
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Technician
-Force Palm
-Bullet Seed
-Spore
-Protect

Breloom is awesome in Tailwind. I'm running Force Palm over Mach Punch for extra power since the majority of the time I will be going first due to Tailwind. Most of the time, I will lead with Talonflame + Breloom, and have Talonflame Tailwind while Breloom protects. Then Breloom can Spore whichever of the opponent's mons is a bigger threat. Note that although there is no rule against it, one thing I never do in Battle Spot is break Sleep Clause. Yes, it might mean I win, but idk... I just feel like spamming Spore is so cheap. Of course, if the opponent pulls a fast one with something like Double Team or Sheer Cold, all bets are off.

Garchomp @ Yache Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Rough Skin
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Rock Slide
-Protect

One of the main powerhouses of my team, Garchomp is a monster. It hits things incredibly hard and outruns the majority of Pokemon both in and out of Tailwind. The moves should need no explanation, though if the opponent has a Talonflame, I will lead with Talonflame and Garchomp, and have Garchomp use Rock Slide to remove it with extreme prejudice. :P

Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Sheer Force
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
-Ice Beam
-Protect

You may notice that my team so far consists of 3 physical attackers, which leaves me very susceptible to Intimidate. Enter Nidoqueen, who is incredibly underrated but incredibly powerful. The combination of Sheer Force and Life Orb means her attacks get a 1.69x boost, not including STAB. I chose Sludge Wave over Sludge Bomb because it hits both opponents, and the majority of my mons carry Protect and/or have bulk.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Scrappy -> Parental Bond
-Fake Out
-Return
-Crunch
-Power-up Punch

Mega Kangaskhan OP.

Lucario @ Lucarionite
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 Def
Ability: Steadfast -> Adaptability
-Aura Sphere
-Vacuum Wave
-Shadow Ball
-Nasty Plot

Yes, I have 2 megas in my team. Really, I want to replace Lucario (ik it's my favourite mon but it just doesn't pull its weight), but I have no idea what to replace it with. But I'll talk about what it does well, which is the surprise factor. The vast majority of Lucarios are Physical, so it is not uncommon for someone to attempt a Will-o-wisp, only to get smacked by Aura Sphere. Shadow Ball is used over Dark Pulse because it has better coverage, and the flinch from Dark Pulse hardly ever happens anyway.

Other options (aka stuff I have in the box that I could replace Lucario with)
-Download/Expert Belt Porygon-Z
-Greninja
-Defiant/Quick Guard Bisharp
-BellyJet Azumarill
-Mega Aerodactyl
-Mienshao
-HP Ice Zapdos
-Jolteon
-Physical Lucario

What is you guys's advice on what should take Lucario's place, or just how to improve this team in general? I am willing to breed 1 or 2 new mons, but I don't want to replace my entire team.

 

[EnGarde]

So I've been really getting into Battle Spot Doubles lately. I've been using a Tailwind-based team, and it works fairly well. I peaked at 1634 with it, but... I think I can do better. Could someone help me to improve my team?

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Nature: Lonely
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Atk, 4 Def
Ability: Gale Wings
-Tailwind
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-Taunt

Talonflame is my Tailwind setter, chosen due to the fact that its ability gives it priority, meaning that for the most part, only Fake Out and faster priority can stop it from setting up. Taunt is there because, for obvious reasons, Tailwind is wrecked by Trick Room, so I need to make sure at all costs that TR does not go up. Since Talonflame has Gale Wings, I'm running a bulky spread to give it some longevity (although it's still OHKO'd by Rock Slide). Leftovers are chosen to soften the recoil damage a bit, which can sometimes help it get in an extra hit if it survives turn 1.

Breloom @ Focus Sash
Nature: Hasty
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Technician
-Force Palm
-Bullet Seed
-Spore
-Protect

Breloom is awesome in Tailwind. I'm running Force Palm over Mach Punch for extra power since the majority of the time I will be going first due to Tailwind. Most of the time, I will lead with Talonflame + Breloom, and have Talonflame Tailwind while Breloom protects. Then Breloom can Spore whichever of the opponent's mons is a bigger threat. Note that although there is no rule against it, one thing I never do in Battle Spot is break Sleep Clause. Yes, it might mean I win, but idk... I just feel like spamming Spore is so cheap. Of course, if the opponent pulls a fast one with something like Double Team or Sheer Cold, all bets are off.

Garchomp @ Yache Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Rough Skin
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Rock Slide
-Protect

One of the main powerhouses of my team, Garchomp is a monster. It hits things incredibly hard and outruns the majority of Pokemon both in and out of Tailwind. The moves should need no explanation, though if the opponent has a Talonflame, I will lead with Talonflame and Garchomp, and have Garchomp use Rock Slide to remove it with extreme prejudice. :P

Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Sheer Force
-Sludge Wave
-Earth Power
-Ice Beam
-Protect

You may notice that my team so far consists of 3 physical attackers, which leaves me very susceptible to Intimidate. Enter Nidoqueen, who is incredibly underrated but incredibly powerful. The combination of Sheer Force and Life Orb means her attacks get a 1.69x boost, not including STAB. I chose Sludge Wave over Sludge Bomb because it hits both opponents, and the majority of my mons carry Protect and/or have bulk.

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 HP
Ability: Scrappy -> Parental Bond
-Fake Out
-Return
-Crunch
-Power-up Punch

Mega Kangaskhan OP.

Lucario @ Lucarionite
Nature: Modest
EVs: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 Def
Ability: Steadfast -> Adaptability
-Aura Sphere
-Vacuum Wave
-Shadow Ball
-Nasty Plot

Yes, I have 2 megas in my team. Really, I want to replace Lucario (ik it's my favourite mon but it just doesn't pull its weight), but I have no idea what to replace it with. But I'll talk about what it does well, which is the surprise factor. The vast majority of Lucarios are Physical, so it is not uncommon for someone to attempt a Will-o-wisp, only to get smacked by Aura Sphere. Shadow Ball is used over Dark Pulse because it has better coverage, and the flinch from Dark Pulse hardly ever happens anyway.

Other options (aka stuff I have in the box that I could replace Lucario with)
-Download/Expert Belt Porygon-Z
-Greninja
-Defiant/Quick Guard Bisharp
-BellyJet Azumarill
-Mega Aerodactyl
-Mienshao
-HP Ice Zapdos
-Jolteon
-Physical Lucario

What is you guys's advice on what should take Lucario's place, or just how to improve this team in general? I am willing to breed 1 or 2 new mons, but I don't want to replace my entire team.

Hello! I want to help all battle spot players have the best team possible. For this reason, I am doing a pokemon distribution, where I give away cloned copies of battle ready pokemon for people to use on battle spot. You can see the pokemon I have available by following the link in my sig. If you want to request a pokemon, please request it in the thread there, not here. :)

As for recommendations: talonflame is so frail that having lefties isn't generally going to help it live much longer. Leftovers takes 4 whole turns to heal the same amount as sitrus berry, so sitrus berry is a much better option (I'm surprised none of your other 'mons are using it). From my personal experience, I've found that most matches only last 7 to 14 turns, so having to rely on something that takes so long to heal on something so frail doesn't seem to be the best solution. Also, sky plate is another good option instead to help boost damage output.

As for breloom: interesting choice, wouldn't have thought to use it in doubles. It's a bit frail for my taste (would prefer amoonguss for redirection support and an emergency TR counter), but if you can make it work for you, then good luck with it. :)

However, the self-imposed sleep clause won't help you in the long run. First, this is doubles, meaning single target sleep, while powerful, isn't nearly as broken as it is in singles formats like OU, especially from such a frail pokemon. Not to mention, many common physical attackers (like garchomp) often carry lum berry specifically to counter status shenanigans. Lastly, if your opponent isn't skilled enough to recognize what a threat your breloom is for being able to fast spore everything on the field, then you deserve to win. Are you willing to give up your win to a less skilled player for a rule from another format intended to nerf a strategy that isn't broken in this format?

As for Kangaskhan: Sucker Punch > crunch/fake out. That priority is devastating.

As for lucario: have you thought about using aegislash? I think the sub/king's shield set with leftovers as the held item would work wonders for your team. I actually have this pokemon available in the distribution if you'd like to try it out. :) Remember to request pokemon on the distribution thread, not here.

 

[flarz]

Bringing up this strat --------------------V

Turn 1: Lead Garchomp and TTar, Switch TTar to a tailwind user and have chomp attack
Turn 2: Protect + Tailwind
Turn 3: Have a sand force mega garchomp aided by a partner and tailwind
Turn 4: Rinse and Repeat

 

[ethan06]

^Bulky Whimsicott would work there, as could Latios if you have one. They both get Helping Hand as well for more ridiculous power, and Whimsicott can toss around Encore to disrupt which is quite handy. Latios has actual offensive presence, but more importantly it also has an Earthquake immunity, which would definitely be more helpful when paired with Mega Garchomp.

 

[flarz]

^Bulky Whimsicott would work there, as could Latios if you have one. They both get Helping Hand as well for more ridiculous power, and Whimsicott can toss around Encore to disrupt which is quite handy. Latios has actual offensive presence, but more importantly it also has an Earthquake immunity, which would definitely be more helpful when paired with Mega Garchomp.

However, then you stack up on fairy and ice weaknesses

 

[EnGarde]

Bringing up this strat --------------------V

Turn 1: Lead Garchomp and TTar, Switch TTar to a tailwind user and have chomp attack
Turn 2: Protect + Tailwind
Turn 3: Have a sand force mega garchomp aided by a partner and tailwind
Turn 4: Rinse and Repeat

I've been playing around with both garchomp and ttar, and I'll be honest with you, this sounds like a lot of setup, and has strict teammate requirements to pull off, which might make you predictable. If you wanted to seriously try it, I'd recommend:

1. Lead with garchomp + tailwind setter
2. Garchomp protects + partner sets tailwind
3. Garchomp mega evolves and attacks + switch tailwinder out for ttar

Preserve the surprise of mega garchomp for as long as possible, and hope your opponent doesn't catch that your ttar is likely to switch in turn 2.

 

[Dillon~]

A common thing people like to run is Mega Kanga, and there aren't many counters, but a counter can be Dusclops with Eviolite, but, I've seen people not mega, and have scrappy and just deal huge damage to it. Thoughts on how this can effect the metagame?

 

[EnGarde]

A common thing people like to run is Mega Kanga, and there aren't many counters, but a counter can be Dusclops with Eviolite, but, I've seen people not mega, and have scrappy and just deal huge damage to it. Thoughts on how this can effect the metagame?

Because mega kangaskhan is such a common and well-known threat, I'd say the metagame has already adapted and settled for the most part around mega kangaskhan. Most (good) teams have 2 mega kanga counters, or abilities and moves to disable it. For example, most ghost types are strong counters, as well as many fighting types (mienshao comes to mind, as does mega lucario). Will-o-wisp slows mega mom down considerably, as does intimidate. She's a challenge, but she isn't insurmountable.

 

[Hulavuta]

I honestly would not really want to use Dusclops to counter Mega Kanga, even if you don't have to always bring it (due to being 4v4). If you Taunt it, it really can't do anything at all. Sableye is a better disruptive ghost in general, and even outside of ghosts there are better counters, like some of the ones EnGarde listed. These Pokemon have use even if the opponent didn't bring Kangaskhan.

 

[Qazoo306]

So what's the major differences in battle spot doubles coming from smogon doubles? What are some different threats I need to look out for and what is the same? I want to get into this and VGC, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hulavuta]

Hi Qazoo306, there are a few important differences, but for the most part the threats and skills required are the same. The first is that it's played at level 50 rather than level 100, meaning stats will be slightly different. For the most part you can just play as if it's level 100 since everything will just be 1/2, but some specific Pokemon will need different EV spreads than at 100 play (for example, Azumarill can have max HP EVs and reach 404 HP at level 100, but at level 50 it's going to be 203. If it uses Belly Drum, it won't activate Sitrus Berry, so you have to use fewer EVs.).

It's also 4v4 rather than 6v6, so you'll have to pick out 4 Pokemon from your team to use and predict what your opponent will bring. The banlist is also different, and it doesn't really change.

If you wanna check out threats and such, I recommend going to the Global Link website as they have useful statistics and a list of the most most commonly used Pokemon. Good luck!

 

[Shyfire]

since this thread is a wee bit dead lets get a discussion of the sort going. Thundurus in my opinion deserves much more credit then it gets. With a fantastic ability in prankster and a movepool that makes the lives of things like togekiss, amounguss, and annoying sh*t like that. Taunt, ahhh where would we be without prankster/taunt??? Taunt forces a pokemon to use attacking moves so follow me and rage powder users are not going to like this, nor will spore pokemon. As an electric pokemon its going to get thunder wave. in gen 6 thunder wave took a nerf as now electric pokemon are now immune to it, but that doesn't really stop this thing as the only thing i can't think of off the top of my head that will be immune to it, is Landorus, Garchomp, And other Thundurus. Now you may be thinking with Landorus, and Garchomp running around everywhere will this thing still be as effective. well actually yes.
252+ Atk Garchomp Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 240-284 (80.2 - 94.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 260-306 (86.9 - 102.3%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
Landorus is the only thing that (off the top of my head) really counters thundurus. Now if Neither Garchomp or thundurus is scarfed, then a Timid Thundurus will outspeed and KO it with an HP Ice. Thundurus has a decent Special attack stat at base 125, and a speed stat of Base 111, combined with a powerful STAB thunderbolt, this is really a good option for almost any team.

 

[Feliburn]

I personally use thundurus on triples instead of doubles, but a set that has been working amazingly is:
Tyranitar (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
- Ice Punch
Now talking about that nasty thundy:
252+ Atk Mega Tyranitar Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 320-378 (107 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO (On doubles field ofc)
It can also tank hits well and hit harder, I just love this thing.

 

[Shyfire]

I personally use thundurus on triples instead of doubles, but a set that has been working amazingly is:
Tyranitar (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Protect
- Ice Punch
Now talking about that nasty thundy:
252+ Atk Mega Tyranitar Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 320-378 (107 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO (On doubles field ofc)
It can also tank hits well and hit harder, I just love this thing.

T-Tar is an amazing pokemon for all metas tbh

 

[mido_128]

I love Battle Spot Doubles so here's a fun team (read: prankster swagger) that's also proven to be quite effective -

Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Unnerve (doesn't matter)
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Sky Drop
- Ice Fang
- Protect

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pranskter
EVs: 252 Spa/ 252 Spe/ 4 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Taunt
- Encore
- Protect

Gliscor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk/ 180Spe/ 76 HP
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Agility

Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 Sdef
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Swagger
- Recover

Mienshao @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Rock Slide
- Poison Jab
- Fake Out

Aegislash @ Razor Claw (or Spooky Plate)
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP/ 252 Atk (or 252 Satk)/ 4 Sdef (or 4 Atk)
Brave (or Quiet) Nature
- Shadow Claw (or Shadow Ball)
- Shadow Sneak
- Sacred Sword (or Flash Cannon)
- Kings Shield

And yes I know Rotom W can be a problem for this team but he hasn't been too much trouble with prankster swagger and taunt hehe (not to mention Aegislash).

So generally you lead with Whimsicott and Aero who are quite good together and team with whoever else you think is best. Whimsicott and Sableye ruin opposition setup and fake out attempts while enabling your own and these two scoundrels have often led to (out)rage quits and time stalling from the opposition but hey whatever. Gliscor has enough ev's to outrun neutral nature Kingdra in rain and can be priority Swagger'd by Sableye to get the attack boost (lum berry heals confusion and Hyper Cutter ignores Intimidate) without wasting a turn using swords dance himself, although its still their anyway.

Mienshao and Aegislash can be changed over for whatever really but their here cause their cool and they pair decently well anyway. Besides, Inner Focus on your Fake Out mon is actually very useful, preventing faster Fake Out's from Infernape, Raichu and Weavile from completely screwing you and almost guaranteeing you still flinch one of their mons on the first turn if needed. And Aegislash is Aegislash. Brave set along with taunt or encore support counters those damn Minimize Chansey's our friends from Japan just love to spam and Razor Claw gives Shadow Claw a 50% crit rate which is cool I guess and seems to get the most out of a purely physical set. Any way, this is a fun team. Go for it.

 

[ethan06]

I was playing around in BS Doubles a little while ago with this fun little core:

Heracross @ Heracronite
Adamant
Moxie -> Skill Link
252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spd
-Close Combat
-Pin Missile
-Rock Blast
-Protect

Talonflame @ Lum Berry
Jolly
Gale Wings
252 Atk/164 HP/92 Spd
-Brave Bird
-Quick Guard
-Taunt
-Tailwind

Mega Heracross is a Pokémon that should've been at the top of the VGC meta when it was around, except that it was slow and very weak to Talonflame. The Talonflame that I'm using here aims to support Heracross as much as possible by evading Fake Outs and Brave Birds with Quick Guard and allowing it to sweep under Tailwind. 92+ Speed allows Talonflame to outspeed 252+ Mienshao, which is iirc the fastest Fake Out commonly seen on the Doubles ladder. The ORAS leaks have told us that Crobat is going to get Quick Guard, so I'll probably end up replacing it because it gets all the same moves, is slightly faster, gets more useful abilities for this set and isn't fucking Talonflame. I've been struggling to build a team around this so I'm just putting the core out there in case someone else would like to give building around it a shot :)

e: Heracross also appreciates redirection which makes standard Amoonguss a fantastic teammate. Togekiss works too but make sure that you cover for the shared weaknesses with Talon.