modularform
formerly Salamance
[OVERVIEW]
**Steel**:
Doublade is a fantastic pick on many Steel-type teams because it can check Fighting-types such as Mega Medicham and Terrakion that would normally run through any Steel-type team due to its secondary Ghost typing. Because of its fantastic base 150 Defense, Doublade can switch into any physical attack to which it is not weak, and Eviolite's enhancement of this stat is just the icing on the cake. It can even take some physical attacks it is weak to, including Excadrill's Earthquake and Victini's V-create. Furthermore, access to Swords Dance characterizes Doublade as a late-game sweeper.
However, Doublade's Special Defense is quite terrible at base 49, meaning it is easily KOed through its Eviolite by special wallbreakers such as Landorus and Mega Charizard Y. Furthermore, an utterly abysmal Speed stat of base 35 makes Doublade outsped by nearly the entire metagame and forces it to rely on the weak Shadow Sneak to hit before the foe. Doublade also has no reliable recovery, a massive flaw. Finally, No Guard, a wasted ability, actually harms Doublade, since it makes attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast hit all of the time.
[SET]
name: Swords Dancer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Shadow Sneak
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Shadow Claw / Iron Head
item: Eviolite
ability: No Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 220 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance allows Doublade to double its Attack, letting it attack powerfully. Shadow Sneak is Doublade's primary STAB move and somewhat makes up for its atrocious Speed, since it has boosted priority. Sacred Sword has perfect neutral coverage with Shadow Sneak and hits Normal-types immune to Ghost-type attacks, such as Chansey and Porygon2. It can also hit Dark-types that resist Shadow Sneak and threats that don't take much from Ghost-type moves, such as Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Ferrothorn. Shadow Claw is used because it is a strong STAB attack that has perfect neutral coverage with Sacred Sword. It also OHKOes Slowbro after two Swords Dances and helps against opposing Doublade. Iron Head can be used instead of Shadow Claw to hit Fairy-types such as Clefable and Togekiss harder, but they already take a lot of damage from Shadow Claw, and without Shadow Claw, Doublade loses to Slowbro and itself.
Set Details
========
Doublade's Attack is maximized and boosted with an Adamant nature in order to hit as hard as possible, OHKOing Victini with a +2 Shadow Sneak after Stealth Rock, for example. 36 Speed EVs let Doublade outpace Gastrodon and place it directly below Rhyperior, a target one wants to underspeed due to its use of a Weakness Policy. An alternative speed benchmark is 44 EVs, which lets Doublade outpace Rhyperior and potentially hit it with two +2 Shadow Claws, allowing Mega Scizor to clean up. The remaining EVs are placed into HP to boost Doublade's all-around bulk. Eviolite is Doublade's choice of item, as it makes Doublade's already great Defense stellar while patching up its horrible Special Defense. No Guard is Doublade's ability simply because it is the only option; it provides no added utility whatsoever, since all of Doublade's moves are perfectly accurate.
Usage Tips
========
Because Doublade can wall and set up on many physical attackers and Fighting-types such as Mega Medicham and Hawlucha, switch it into them. Also, switch Doublade into predicted Fighting-type moves and into Choice item users whose moves it resists or is immune to, including Choice Specs Keldeo's Secret Sword, Choice Band Terrakion's Close Combat, and Choice Specs Hoopa-U's Focus Blast. However, due to its lack of recovery, preserve Doublade's health early-game, since it cannot sweep late-game if it is worn down earlier in the match. Doublade can also switch into certain Rapid Spin users, including Avalugg. Because the opponent will then most likely switch due to Doublade walling his or her Pokemon, either use an attack that hits the switch-in the hardest or set up a Swords Dance for free. If Doublade is a massive threat to the opponent's team and can exert offensive pressure from the beginning, such as against Psychic-type teams, it can do heavy damage early and allow a teammate to clean.
Two fantastic niches Doublade has are checking all Terrakion and non-Choice Band Victini, both of which are massive threats to Steel-type teams. It can force out the former by threatening super effective hits and tank the latter's V-create from full health to use Swords Dance and OHKO it with Shadow Sneak. It is best to keep entry hazards up on the opposing side, because they allow Doublade to more easily get crucial KOs, such as a guaranteed 2HKO against Victini and a guaranteed 2HKO against Latias and Latios after Stealth Rock. Conversely, keep hazards off one's own side of the field, since Doublade dislikes getting worn down due to a complete lack of recovery. Furthermore, keep Doublade away from Knock Off at all costs, since Doublade's Eviolite getting Knocked Off is disastrous for it. Additionally, zealously avoid Doublade getting burned, since a burn will negate any Swords Dances Doublade has set up and make it hit very weakly. It also dislikes the chip damage due to having no reliable recovery. Doublade can also be used as a pseudo-revenge killer, since it can KO a threat low on health with an unboosted Shadow Sneak.
Team Options
========
Because Doublade is easily KOed by many special attacks, specially defensive Heatran is a fantastic teammate, since it can tank them and receives free switches off of Doublade's weakness to Fire-type attacks while also providing chip damage with Toxic and Stealth Rock. Doublade's role in this partnership is to tank physical attacks that hit on Heatran's weaker defense while also being immune to Fighting-type attacks, to which Heatran is weak. Doublade partners well with entry hazard setters like Skarmory and Ferrothorn due to its immunity to Rapid Spin. Both can switch into Ground-type attacks that Doublade is weak to and net easier KOs for Doublade with the chip damage from entry hazards, a Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs, and Leech Seed, respectively. Skarmory can also share the burden of checking Fighting-types with Doublade, while Ferrothorn allows it to outspeed Choice Scarf Hoopa-U and Choice Scarf Togekiss with Thunder Wave. Excadrill offensively synergizes excellently with Doublade, since it can outspeed and KO Choice Band Victini, Mega Charizard Y, and Bisharp, all of which are massive threats to Doublade. On the other hand, Magnezone can break bulky Water-types that Doublade struggles with, such as Suicune and Politoed. It can also gain momentum for Doublade's team with Volt Switch and trap Steel-types that beat Doublade, such as Knock Off Mega Scizor and Skarmory. Sweepers such as Bisharp and Mega Scizor work well with Doublade, since they share checks and can whittle them down until a sweep is possible. The former can deter Defog with Defiant, which Doublade dislikes due to hazards helping it sweep, while the latter can switch into Knock Off due to its irremovable item. Additionally, Mega Scizor can KO Choice Band Terrakion and TrickScarf Togekiss with Bullet Punch, two Pokemon Doublade dislikes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Because its movepool is quite shallow, Doublade has very few other options. The only plausible alternate set is a physically defensive RestTalk set that can be a decent physical wall and check Fighting-types throughout the match on bulkier Steel-type builds. However, it is very passive and easily walled due to Defense investment cutting into its power. Doublade could run Gyro Ball over Iron Head, but Iron Head is more reliable against slower threats like Clefable and Rhyperior and Gyro Ball's low PP is a deterrent to using it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Burns**: Burns from the likes of Sableye, Rotom-W, and Volcanion completely cripple Doublade, halving its Attack stat. If Doublade is ever burned, it is usually best to sack it, gaining momentum and giving a free switch to a revenge killer or counter. Many bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Slowbro can also counter Doublade by burning it with Scald.
**Special Attackers**: Extremely powerful special attackers can blast through Doublade's Eviolite, outspeeding and OHKOing it. Examples include Mega Charizard Y, Landorus, and Choice Specs Keldeo. However, they cannot hard switch in due to their frailty. Doublade is also significantly damaged even by special attacks to which it is not weak, such as Thundurus's Thunderbolt and Manaphy's +3 Scald.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Volcanion can hit Doublade super effectively with their STAB moves. No Guard also prevents their STAB attacks from missing. Fire-type coverage moves also heavily damage Doublade, with Choice Scarf Latios's Hidden Power Fire 2HKOing.
**Physical Walls**: Many physical walls, such as Torkoal, Skarmory, Swampert, and Hippowdon, can stall out Doublade and chip away at it with their weak STAB moves, but Doublade can set up on those with neither burning moves nor phazing, such as Porygon2. The previously mentioned ones can all phaze it, set hazards against it, or burn it with Lava Plume or Scald, however.
**Item Removal**: Since Doublade is crippled without its Eviolite, Knock Off users such as Weavile, Bisharp, Mew, and Azumarill check it. However, many of them cannot switch in, due to their Dark typing which makes them weak to Sacred Sword. Mew is especially notable, since it can burn Doublade with Will-O-Wisp, although it is also weak to Ghost-type moves. Additionally, a Choice Scarf Tricked from Latios, Rotom-W, or Togekiss cripples Doublade by removing its Eviolite and preventing it from using Swords Dance. Furthermore, the Speed boost of the Choice Scarf Tricked to Doublade is wasted due to its low Speed.
**Stat Boost Removers**: Pokemon that can remove Doublade's stat boosts with Whirlwind or Roar, including Staraptor and Suicune, can counter it. Furthermore, these can tank any attack from Doublade and proceed to do whatever they want.
Last edited by a moderator:
