Approved by Audiosurfer
Ok I decided to make a small guide on things you can do in dubs. Without further ado, I'll start:
1) Try to have spread moves. If you have too little spread moves, pokemon with Follow Me and Rage Powder along with partners that can set-up boosts or subs can really annoy you. In addition, hitting both pokemon is always nice even with a 25% nerf. Some good spread moves are Heatran's Heat Wave, Landorus-T's Earthquake, Sylveon's Hyper Voice and more.
2) Try to prepare for common threats in the meta. At the moment, pokemon like Lando T and Mega Kanga must be prepared for as they can do a lot of damage. You should always try to have an appropriate check or counter for pokemon that your team may struggle with otherwise. Pokemon like Amoonguss are more obscure threats as it is bulky, can put your pokemon to sleep, and redirect moves while having Regenerator.
3) Have ways to deal with other playstyles. This is vital the teams you face may be quite strong against your team archetype. For example, rain can be very threatening if you do not have good ways to deal with it. Also TR teams can really screw over offensive teams so try and have a way to deal with this.
4) Try to have some speed control. Having either Tailwind or Trick Room can help massively. With Tailwind, you can set this up against offensive teams which are usually pretty fast and force them to try and waste it (e.g. if they may double protect that can give you a chance to set up). Using Trick Room can also mess up offensive teams but it can screw other TR teams over as it can catch them unexpectedly. Other speed control can be found in moves such as Thunder Wave and Icy Wind.
5) Try to make the team a bit varied. While having many physical attackers may seem good, it allows your team to be walled more easily, or hindered by things such as Intimidate. If the team is too defensive based, you can be set up fodder especially against pokemon with Sub.
6) http://www.eggyemporium.com/tools/teambuilder/ is a helpful teambuilder.
2) Try to prepare for common threats in the meta. At the moment, pokemon like Lando T and Mega Kanga must be prepared for as they can do a lot of damage. You should always try to have an appropriate check or counter for pokemon that your team may struggle with otherwise. Pokemon like Amoonguss are more obscure threats as it is bulky, can put your pokemon to sleep, and redirect moves while having Regenerator.
3) Have ways to deal with other playstyles. This is vital the teams you face may be quite strong against your team archetype. For example, rain can be very threatening if you do not have good ways to deal with it. Also TR teams can really screw over offensive teams so try and have a way to deal with this.
4) Try to have some speed control. Having either Tailwind or Trick Room can help massively. With Tailwind, you can set this up against offensive teams which are usually pretty fast and force them to try and waste it (e.g. if they may double protect that can give you a chance to set up). Using Trick Room can also mess up offensive teams but it can screw other TR teams over as it can catch them unexpectedly. Other speed control can be found in moves such as Thunder Wave and Icy Wind.
5) Try to make the team a bit varied. While having many physical attackers may seem good, it allows your team to be walled more easily, or hindered by things such as Intimidate. If the team is too defensive based, you can be set up fodder especially against pokemon with Sub.
6) http://www.eggyemporium.com/tools/teambuilder/ is a helpful teambuilder.
1) Use Protect on most if not all of your pokemon that are not choiced. Protect is a vital move which allows you to gain potential free turns, scout choice-items and so much more. It can burn turns of Tailwind and Trick Room or just see what the opponent was going to do.
2) Making plays. Making plays in Doubles is a lot more difficult as there are more pokemon to think about. When making a play, consider some things: Is it worth the risk?, Are they likely to do what I think they might?, Are they experienced or not?(if they are more experienced, you can predict them to do more advanced things)
3) Momentum. It is very important to have the right mons in at the right time as otherwise it can cost you fatally. An example: you have 2 checks to Keldeo-Shaymin in your team, but none of them are in the field right now, the enemy has offensive momentum. But you use your Lando-T to U-turn out on Shaymin into Thundurus-I, you just gained momentum, since Thundurus-I beats Shaymin-Keldeo and you can make plays according to what they switch. This allows you to catch up and potentially turn the game around.
4) Do not get distracted. While this may seem dumb and/or obvious, turning off the music will usually help you focus and concentrate more on the game.
2) Making plays. Making plays in Doubles is a lot more difficult as there are more pokemon to think about. When making a play, consider some things: Is it worth the risk?, Are they likely to do what I think they might?, Are they experienced or not?(if they are more experienced, you can predict them to do more advanced things)
3) Momentum. It is very important to have the right mons in at the right time as otherwise it can cost you fatally. An example: you have 2 checks to Keldeo-Shaymin in your team, but none of them are in the field right now, the enemy has offensive momentum. But you use your Lando-T to U-turn out on Shaymin into Thundurus-I, you just gained momentum, since Thundurus-I beats Shaymin-Keldeo and you can make plays according to what they switch. This allows you to catch up and potentially turn the game around.
4) Do not get distracted. While this may seem dumb and/or obvious, turning off the music will usually help you focus and concentrate more on the game.
1) Redirection, meaning rage powder and follow me, are both moves that redirect your opponents moves to the pokemon using the move. Grass types and pokemon using the item safety goggles are immune to rage powder and ignore the effects of that move. In addition, Sucker Punch will fail if you use either one of these. Note that spread moves (moves that hit multiple targets) will ignore these moves.
2) Priority. The basic concept of priority is that there are multiple priority brackets. If the move you are using is in a higher priority bracket than theirs, you will always go first. If you are both in the same priority bracket, the pokemon that is faster will go first.
3) Wide Guard and Quick Guard are two doubles tailored moves, quick guard protecting the user and its partner from priority attacks/status (protects against fake out if the user is faster the fake outer [as both the moves have +3 priority], and will protect against gale wings and prankster). Wide guard protects the user and its partner from spread moves (earthquake, heat wave, water spout, etc.). Both can be used indiscriminately and will not fail unlike in gen 5. If you use protect after using one of these moves, it will have a chance to fail, but wide/quick guard themselves will never fail.
4) Trick Room. Trick Room is a move where the slowest pokemon in the priority bracket (explained above) goes first. If a pokemon is using a move in a higher priority bracket, they will still go first. Trick Room is a move that lasts for five turns but it can be prevented by Taunt or reversed by Trick Room being used again
5) Tailwind. Tailwind is a move that doubles the speed (not a visible change like stat boosts; it's passive) of the whole team that used it. It lasts for 4 turns and yet again, higher priority brackets will still go first.
6) Screens, Light Screen and Reflect are altered in doubles. In singles it will reduce damage by 1/2 but in doubles it only reduces it by 1/3 to make it more balanced
7) Protect. You only have a 33.3% chance for Protect to be successful if you use either Quick Guard, Wide Guard, Detect or Protect the previous turn
NOTE: As turn order is predetermined (decided before the turn), both Trick Room and Tailwind are effectively one turn shorter than they last for.This order applies for Pokemon with Swift Swim and Chlorophyll as the respective weather conditions must be up at the beginning of the turn, otherwise you will not get the speed boost until the following turn. Paralysis will also only affect your speed the next turn, and not the current one
2) Priority. The basic concept of priority is that there are multiple priority brackets. If the move you are using is in a higher priority bracket than theirs, you will always go first. If you are both in the same priority bracket, the pokemon that is faster will go first.
3) Wide Guard and Quick Guard are two doubles tailored moves, quick guard protecting the user and its partner from priority attacks/status (protects against fake out if the user is faster the fake outer [as both the moves have +3 priority], and will protect against gale wings and prankster). Wide guard protects the user and its partner from spread moves (earthquake, heat wave, water spout, etc.). Both can be used indiscriminately and will not fail unlike in gen 5. If you use protect after using one of these moves, it will have a chance to fail, but wide/quick guard themselves will never fail.
4) Trick Room. Trick Room is a move where the slowest pokemon in the priority bracket (explained above) goes first. If a pokemon is using a move in a higher priority bracket, they will still go first. Trick Room is a move that lasts for five turns but it can be prevented by Taunt or reversed by Trick Room being used again
5) Tailwind. Tailwind is a move that doubles the speed (not a visible change like stat boosts; it's passive) of the whole team that used it. It lasts for 4 turns and yet again, higher priority brackets will still go first.
6) Screens, Light Screen and Reflect are altered in doubles. In singles it will reduce damage by 1/2 but in doubles it only reduces it by 1/3 to make it more balanced
7) Protect. You only have a 33.3% chance for Protect to be successful if you use either Quick Guard, Wide Guard, Detect or Protect the previous turn
NOTE: As turn order is predetermined (decided before the turn), both Trick Room and Tailwind are effectively one turn shorter than they last for.This order applies for Pokemon with Swift Swim and Chlorophyll as the respective weather conditions must be up at the beginning of the turn, otherwise you will not get the speed boost until the following turn. Paralysis will also only affect your speed the next turn, and not the current one
1) Pokemon inside it. This is a very important point that must be stressed. Because Singles and Doubles are very different metagames, they have different banlists as such. Pokemon that may have been banned to Ubers in Singles like Greninja are lackluster in Doubles. Doubles in general has a less restricted banlist so many pokemon in Ubers can be used in it. A very important thing to note as well: The tiers the pokemon are in singles and their viability there have almost nothing to do with how good they are in doubles. For example, Amoonguss and Cresselia are only RU however they are both amazing at supporting teammates.
2) Sleep Clause. Because there is no sleep clause in doubles, you can put any amount of pokemon to sleep. This means grass types and Safety Goggles pokemon (an item that makes you immune to powder moves and not take Hail/Sandstorm damage) are good.
3) Items differ a fair amount in doubles, Sitrus Berry is used over Leftovers almost all the time unless using a Substitute set as doubles is a fast-paced game and the more health immediately is better .Safety goggles is a very common item as well, and focus sash has to be handled differently in play due to the fact that a double target will break your sash (or Kangaskhan).
4) Toxic and poison are not very good in doubles because they don't have additional effects (para and burn) and they don't buy you extra turns (sleep) doubles games don't last enough turns to kill anything with toxic either because they are fast-paced (like said before).
5) Entry hazards are uncommon in doubles, so you don't have to prepare for them. Stealth rocks can be used in niche teams to counter Charizard and sash users, but the others are generally not very good. (in part because half the meta is immune to ground)
6) Have multiple switchins to threats to your team. I often like to have two pokemon that can't be spored, and two pokemon that can't be thunder waved. this also applies to offensive types, so its huge to have two mons that can be out against Kangaskhan, for example. The reason for this is if you only have one switchin: it is very likely that their partner will be able to deal with you so having a backup is almost vital
2) Sleep Clause. Because there is no sleep clause in doubles, you can put any amount of pokemon to sleep. This means grass types and Safety Goggles pokemon (an item that makes you immune to powder moves and not take Hail/Sandstorm damage) are good.
3) Items differ a fair amount in doubles, Sitrus Berry is used over Leftovers almost all the time unless using a Substitute set as doubles is a fast-paced game and the more health immediately is better .Safety goggles is a very common item as well, and focus sash has to be handled differently in play due to the fact that a double target will break your sash (or Kangaskhan).
4) Toxic and poison are not very good in doubles because they don't have additional effects (para and burn) and they don't buy you extra turns (sleep) doubles games don't last enough turns to kill anything with toxic either because they are fast-paced (like said before).
5) Entry hazards are uncommon in doubles, so you don't have to prepare for them. Stealth rocks can be used in niche teams to counter Charizard and sash users, but the others are generally not very good. (in part because half the meta is immune to ground)
6) Have multiple switchins to threats to your team. I often like to have two pokemon that can't be spored, and two pokemon that can't be thunder waved. this also applies to offensive types, so its huge to have two mons that can be out against Kangaskhan, for example. The reason for this is if you only have one switchin: it is very likely that their partner will be able to deal with you so having a backup is almost vital
You get more experience by playing games, discussing things on the forums and IRC. Just practise and enjoy the fun game which is Doubles. If you are new, try to watch good youtubers like KyleCole and use RMTs, both of which will help you improve massively.
ps; bring kanga checks or lose
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