[Groombridge]

Super Subway Doubles - 43 wins

Not an awesome record, but it looks like the leaderboard needs filling up...

Mienshao - Crustle
Hydreigon - Latios

Mienshao @ Focus Sash
Jolly, Regenerator
6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Fake Out
Wide Guard
Hi Jump Kick
U-turn

Crustle @ Lum Berry
Jolly, Sturdy
6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Shell Smash
X-scissor
Rock Slide
Earthquake

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Timid, Levitate
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Dragon Pulse
Dark Pulse
Flamethrower
Hyper Voice

Latios @ Life Orb
Timid, Levitate
6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Dragon Pulse
Psyshock
Grass Knot
Surf

- -

You know the score: Fake Out/Shell Smash, go for the sweep. Dragons as backup.

Crustle was the Smasher for me due to Sturdy, meaning Mienshao could hold a Sash and Crustle itself could hold Lum. This meant that only Taunt could prevent a Smash, given that Shao is covering it with Fake Out. I considered the other Sturdy smasher, Carracosta, but I could see it getting walled by Breloom or Virizion. Nothing resists Bug/Rock/Ground, and +2 STAB Rock Slide is fantastic. Having the STAB X-scissor on the front line was great too, for clobbering Psychics who might try and use Trick Room.

Mienshao covers Crustle with Fake Out, and brings extra firepower with HJK. U-turn confuses the AI as always, and is great for switching to Hydra to absorb a Psychic attack. Wide Guard I'm less sure about: it protects Shao from Crustle's EQ and Latios' Surf, but it's blocked enemy attacks maybe three times. Seems to be one of those moves that works best against a human opponent. I may replace Shao with Infernape (FO/Protect or U-turn/CC/Overheat).

Hydreigon is the switch for Psychic attacks coming at Mienshao. Very simple: STABs, Flamethrower for Steels, Hyper Voice as a tech move to pick off a weakened foe while still damaging the other one.

Latios is the Water counter, hence Grass Knot. STABs too, LO for power, Surf for more spread power. So reliable, there was little thought about what to use here.

- -

I lost to an Ice team: a Cryogonal survived a Rock Slide with Sash and used Hail, breaking Sash and Sturdy. Abomasnow and Blizzards followed, and since it was the Ice Shard Aboma, I lost to priority. Two dragons means a big Ice weakness, and this was exploited. Hey ho - lots of fun, and I'm sure I'll get back into it at some point.

My Entrainment TruAnt team is at 35 wins, and the opponent has not switched out of Truant yet. Problems include first-turn Protect users, like Facade Ursaring. I have to think carefully about switching here, as I don't want to get Latios, my backup, killed. Fake Out users are annoying for the same reason, and faster users of Dig. One fight started against Magic Guard Toxic Orb Reuniclus: after Entraining it, it started dying of poison, so I had to set up in a risky way by not Protecting on 'attack' turns and using Swords Dance. The AI kept trying to Trick me the Orb through a Sub, so it worked out in the end.

Chomp may not be the best setup poke. It occurred to me that Drapion could do it, with Protect/Sub/Acupressure/Crunch. It would run out of Protects eventually, but with enough defenses and evasion, that shouldn't matter. The biggest drawback would be that games would last forever...

EDIT: now running Infernape - Crustle - Latios - Metagross, back to the old school. Ape is Fake Out/U-turn/CC/Overheat, Latios is DP/Psyshock/Grass Knot/TBolt, Meta is Iron Head/Bullet Punch/Ice Punch/EQ, same Crustle. I'd forgotten how nice Ape and Meta are in doubles.

Ape doesn't run Protect; instead it switches to Latios over Crustle's EQ (too slow to U-turn after a Shell Smash). Meta runs Air Balloon, so it can switch in on an EQ as well.

It was a funny coincidence seeing Peterko getting stopped by an Ice team as well: hopefully with STAB Rock, Steel, Fighting and Fire I should have a chance, but there's really no way of knowing!