Pseudo-boosting - a double battles tactic

[Chirnobyl]

I don't think you get an attack boost for every hit of a multi-hit move when you Rage. Smogon's info seems to imply it's one boost if you're hit at all, none if you're not.

well, I tested it with a friend a few months back and it worked, so uh I guess you can try it yourself if anything maybe we did something wrong

 

[makiri]

Does Motor Drive activate immediately, or at the end of the turn?

What I mean is, suppose the setup is Scarfed Rotom (447 Spe) and Vire (317) vs Salamence (328) and Suicune (295).

If Rotom uses Discharge, who goes next - Electivire or Salamence?

Salamence will still go before Electivire, move order does not change in the middle of the turn.

 

[kiryu3000]

What about a Gengar and Electivire combo? Since Gengar is fast, it may likely move faster than Rotom and thunderbolts Electivire who will then be the second Pokemon who move who Earthquakes but misses Gengar due to levitate. It would beat the Rotom + Electivire combo.

Well, the thing is, you basically waste a turn TBolting Electivire whereas Rotom can use Discharge and hit everyone on the field, including Electivire. That means that no turn is wasted. Also remember that Rotom is bulkier than a Gengar.

 

[SevveN]

It is common, I've seen people surfing with Croagunk next to them :/

 

[Reaver12]

Has anyone tried a False Swipe Reversal combo? Would be very hard to pull off unless both Pokemon are slow and bulky (meaning your opponent gets their hits in before you use false swipe, and you aren't KOd) but it might be worth a try sometime.

And the pseudo-boosting strategy is one reason that Zapdos is so popular in doubles, with access to both Heat Wave (Heatran) and Discharge (Electivire) he can be quite the partner.

 

[Chirnobyl]

Heatwave doesn't hit your teammate, you're thinking of Lava Plume lol
and Endure works just as well :X it's like a pseudo Protect barring Status protection amongst other things

 

[Zandock]

Unburden's boost can not be BP'd

 

[Roen]

Indeed, I have seen the dreaded Ambipom with Fling partnered with the Acupressure Drapion in PBR. They also have Protect if I remember correctly and were a bitch to take down.
On paper it seems easy to beat, but I was having some real trouble when they got some Evasion, Speed and Attack. And since one of them always used Protect, you had to be really lucky.
I think it was Kruger who used that combo, yeah it was him.

Another combo I've seen were Pokémon with Explosion and Endure + Berry. They all had Explosion and Endure, so you never knew who would go boom and who would Endure. If only I had a Ghost back then..

 

[cantab]

Salamence will still go before Electivire, move order does not change in the middle of the turn.

That's unfortunate, since it rather weakens the power of the idea. In my example, it means the difference between taking down Suicune or not.

 

[kiryu3000]

Don't forget Accupressure, since unlike the other strategies, it works past Protect / Detect. Accupressuring Bibarel as it Protects can prove useful due to Simple.

Or you can use Swagger on a Lum Berry Simple Bibarel for some Quick Attack fun. If only it can learn Aqua Jet...

 

[Huy]

Has anyone tried a False Swipe Reversal combo? Would be very hard to pull off unless both Pokemon are slow and bulky (meaning your opponent gets their hits in before you use false swipe, and you aren't KOd) but it might be worth a try sometime.

And the pseudo-boosting strategy is one reason that Zapdos is so popular in doubles, with access to both Heat Wave (Heatran) and Discharge (Electivire) he can be quite the partner.

Doubles is filled with way too much priority for reversal to very effective.

 

[ΩDonut]

mysteryman (I think) suggested Flinging the 100% accuracy berry at a OHKO user when we were hanging out during Nationals.

Of course, it doesn't work out so hot if the target uses Protect that turn.

 

[blasphemy1]

This is sort of a similar thing:

Driftblim @ Choice Scarf/Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Trick/Calm Mind
-Shadow Ball
-Skill Swap
-Thunderbolt/Baton Pass

with

Regigigas @ Chople Berry
Ability: Slow Start
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EV: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Return
-Earthquake
-Ice Punch
-ThunderPunch

This can also work with Slaking, but basically you Skill Swap Unburden onto Gigas/King, then as Regigigas gets hit by his only weakness(fighting) Unburden takes effect, doubling his speed. He is now sitting at 460 Attack and 598 Speed, with amazing type coverage. This can also work with Slaking, although he has pretty low special defense, but otherwise Slaking is better.

 

[Chirnobyl]

What if you try Flinging a boosting item (Ganlon, Salac, etc. Berry) to Driftblim while Driftblim is holding a Colbur berry (reduces damage taken from a super-effective Dark attack, also activating Unburden) and that will allow Drfitblim to Baton Pass out quickly turn 1.

If you use a fast Flinger, say Weavile, it could really work to outspeed foes. Remember, Drifblim is also Immune to Fake-Out so it is guaranteed to Baton Pass. Alternatively you could use Sneasel since it reaches 361 Speed and has Inner Focus, making it Immune to Flinch, or Alakazam with Fling since it also has Inner Focus.

Or using Swagger/Flatter on Lum Berry Driftblim as it Baton Passes.

Alternatively using Swagger / Flatter with Lum Berry, or Safeguard on any teammate can be helpful , or if the teammate has Own Tempo. (Hey, it beats Helping Hand + Life Orb...) +2 = x2 which is greater than +1 = x 1.5 + .3 = x1.8. x2 > x1.8

Don't forget Accupressure, since unlike the other strategies, it works past Protect / Detect. Accupressuring Bibarel as it Protects can prove useful due to Simple.

And even more so if Bibarel uses Endure as it holds a Starf Berry during the Accupressure. Gaining +8 to 2 random stats (+4 each) but that last bit is highly situational.

you're forgetting that even if Speed is changed in a turn, the order remains the same, so Driftblim wouldn't suddenly go next and Baton Pass
Also Helping Hand and Life Orb would be x1.95 maybe a bit higher since Life Orb is a little further back in the calculation

 

[Tys]

This is sort of a similar thing:

Driftblim @ Choice Scarf/Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Trick/Calm Mind
-Shadow Ball
-Skill Swap
-Thunderbolt/Baton Pass

with

Regigigas @ Chople Berry
Ability: Slow Start
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EV: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Return
-Earthquake
-Ice Punch
-ThunderPunch

This can also work with Slaking, but basically you Skill Swap Unburden onto Gigas/King, then as Regigigas gets hit by his only weakness(fighting) Unburden takes effect, doubling his speed. He is now sitting at 460 Attack and 598 Speed, with amazing type coverage. This can also work with Slaking, although he has pretty low special defense, but otherwise Slaking is better.

Hm, maybe a idea to give Drifblim swagger and Regigas a persim berry? Then it have's +2 speed and attack.

 

[blizzcano320]

Whether some of the previous strategies work or not, it is nice to see my favorite non-legendary flying type (ah screw it, the only one) get some recognition. DRIFBLIM FTW.

Also, yes discharge and friends are better because you attack and pseudo-boost at the same time.

I don't feel like doing it myself, but can someone find a way to implement muddy water in a strategy. Make a way for the accuracy drop to help or something I don't know.

 

[Karpi]

I don't think you get an attack boost for every hit of a multi-hit move when you Rage. Smogon's info seems to imply it's one boost if you're hit at all, none if you're not.

one stage boost for each hit.
tested with tauros & cloyster

 

[cantab]

According to Bulbapedia, Muddy Water hits both opponents but NOT your ally. That's an advantage if you CAN'T have your other Pokemon take a Surf hit. It might be particularly good in Gravity, when it should hit 100% of the time.

 

[Mosquito]

One strategy I saw on YouTube by a person who went to Nashville for VGC 2009 was Uxie and Heatran. Uxie Skill Swapped Levitate onto Heatran (turning Heatran's 4x weakness to Ground into immunity), and Heattran Lava Plumed, boosting the power of Uxie's Flamethrower. Pretty useful, but Uxie goes after Heatran...

 

[Epic Cherubi]

One strategy I saw on YouTube by a person who went to Nashville for VGC 2009 was Uxie and Heatran. Uxie Skill Swapped Levitate onto Heatran (turning Heatran's 4x weakness to Ground into immunity), and Heattran Lava Plumed, boosting the power of Uxie's Flamethrower. Pretty useful, but Uxie goes after Heatran...

Uxie doesn't get Flamethrower, you mean Azelf?

 

[Mosquito]

Yeah, probably Azelf. Azelf also is fast, but doesn't get the good defenses. Also, he ran a Gengar with HP Fire 70 and Skill Swap.

 

[Despotar]

I think it's fairly common, still,
fun to use.

 

[Tropius]

danilyu mentioned this earlier, but there is always the strategy with Swagger and Flatter. The two moves both boost an attack stat 2 stages but also causing confusion.

One Pokemon could be used to just use swagger/flatter on a choiced Pokemon, raising the power of the choiced pokemon (something it can't do by itself because of its item). Unfortunately, the main way to counter the confusion effect is with Pokemon with the ability Own Tempo. That leaves 8 pokemon (including Smeargle and Spinda, who wouldn't be really viable for any attacking strategy). Lickilicky and Slowbro might work well for this. I like to use SDLickilicky, but with a choice band/scarf (not sure how good a scarf would be, though, since it's still pretty slow with it) it won't need to have swords dance in its moveset. Gaining a swords dance boost from swagger, it can be pretty strong.

What do you all think?

 

[Chirnobyl]

Flatter only raises by one stage, the issue with that mainly is, in the time span that you use, to have one Pokemon boost the other, you could have two separate attacks launched instead, also, those can pretty much be pulled via Follow Me so you end up with a somewhat wasted turn (if opponent is Follow Me Smeargle with Own Tempo, then yes you totally wasted one turn not to mention just gave it a random boost) and two separate attacks gives you two different targets

 

[cantab]

Or you use a berry to heal the confusion.

If your swaggerer is a wall and your swageree a powerful attacker, then you could do more damage than if both attack. Especially if your swagger user can handle an earthquake/surf/etc from your attacker.