Hi all.
Now that this sub-forum has been created, I decided to start a thread collecting thoughts, strategies, ideas, and any sort of circumstance or aspect relevant to the "Double Battle" format of battling in Free or Rating mode in the "Random Matchup" Wifi category. This can include funny stories, videos of noteworthy 2v2 battles, innovative tactics you've seen employed, strategies you would like to try, advice for new players, questions from new players, observations of opponents; in short, anything relevant to the discussion of Doubles in the Global Battle Union.
I have no idea how to play a Double Battle.
That's perfectly fine; most people don't. It's understandable, too, since Singles is the only format most of us grew up with, and the format in which most of the main playthrough of any version takes place.
If you want to learn tactics and ideas, this is the place. Just go ahead and ask, we will never snap at you for asking a "silly question." If you want mechanics-related info, check this link:
Double Battle Primer D/P
It's a little outdated, having been written for 4th Gen mechanics, but still very scholarly and entirely worth reading. Some (not all) of the noteworthy changes from Gen IV to Gen V that have really affected Double Battles:
-The moves "Fake Out" and "Follow Me" now have the same speed priority.
-The moves "Self-destruct" and "Explosion" no longer halve the opponents' defense when factoring in their damage.
^This list will be updated with changes as I am informed of them.
What do I NOT post?
This thread is not a discussion for the double battle situation in the Battle Subway or VGC 2011 unless the comments in question are ultimately about double battles in the GBU. For instance, these comments would be acceptable:
"I used my Battle Subway team in the GBU today and it didn't work so well."
"With the VGC coming up, I decided to try a team in Free Mode, and what do you know... (etc.)"
These would not be acceptable:
"I'm having trouble in the Battle Subway Super Doubles line, can anyone fix my team?"
"My VGC team is doing great on PO, the basic strategy is... (etc.)"
There are better threads for those questions.
Rating Mode sounds fun! Where do I sign?
First, you need to make a Pokemon Trainer Club account:
Pokemon Trainer Club
Follow the steps to activate the account, the information of which will then be used to sign in to this website:
Pokemon Global Link
Then you will be able to play on Rating mode and check your ranking on the website. The Dream World is also accessible from this site.
My card changed color. What's up with that?
The stripe at the top of your online (NOT ingame) trainer card, the one that bulges around your chosen avatar, changes color depending on how many wins you have accrued. Here are the specifics:
Purple Card: 0-49 wins
Green Card: 50-99 wins
Bronze Card: 100-199 wins
Silver Card: 200-499 wins
Gold Card: 500-999 wins
Black Card: 1000+ wins
Cards do not transfer over to different battle formats or to the other mode. For instance, a person with 56 wins in Free Mode who starts Rating Mode one day will begin with 0 wins (and a purple card), not 56 wins.
My opponent disconnected on me! Do I get the win?
You get nothing. If your opponent disconnects (Or "D/Cs") on you, the game simply resumes at the "Find opponent?" screen, without giving either player a win or a loss. Don't worry; you aren't the only person aggravated about this. Many players have written to Nintendo asking various questions about this, such as "Do D/Cers get penalized somehow?" and "Will this system be fixed in these versions or in a future installment of the Pokemon series?" Currently, it seems Nintendo does have a system in place to penalize D/Cers, but the way it works apparently harms those who accidentally D/C, not the people who intentionally D/C. For more info check this thread:
Disconnecting in Global Link matches
Feel free to complain about D/Cers, tell a funny story about one of them, ask questions about the mechanics/consequences of disconnecting, etc. You may certainly mention in this thread how you got D/C'd against, as long as, as mentioned above, the comment is ultimately about GBU Double Battles and doesn't segue into a discussion about D/Cing. That's what this link is for.
I still have no idea how to play Doubles.
Some of the GBU Double Battle players have given their thoughts on the feel of the metagame. These are certainly not hard-and-fast rules/trends/tendencies of the GBU, just observations that may help you in strategizing and teambuilding:
JRank's thoughts
Ashenlock's thoughts
If you want to add some stuff you've noticed too, just make a post full of them and, whenever you have more stuff to add, just edit that post. Also, if you think your post should be included on this list but isn't, just tell me.
I don't want to hear your thoughts, I need hard facts, stat!
You've probably noticed the myriad of Pokemon-named threads that cover the Global Battle Union board's pages. Each of those is like one of the analyses found on the main site's page (NOT on the forums), except it focuses on the GBU, and is allowed to include information on ALL five battle formats, including Single Battle Mode, Double Battle Mode, Triple Battle Mode, Rotation Battle Mode, and Wonder Launcher Battle Mode. They are contributed by users who frequent Smogon and at the moment largely cover the Double Battle metagame, since it's about the next most popular of the five after Singles, and Singles is already very comprehensively documented in the before-mentioned site analyses.
Where I'm going with this is: The Pokemon pages on this GBU board are not hard facts. They are, however, submitted by players who have seen much action in the Random Matchup modes in whatever metagame those individuals choose to write about. If you're absolutely lost and have NO idea where to start, and the thoughts of players documented in this thread aren't helpful, read a few pages, and get a "feel" for the metagame.
You don't need to run out into the streets naked and scream "Eureka! I will build a team with this core, that strategy, these EVs..." as soon as you look at one. You don't need to go into the GBU the first time with the best damn team ever wrought by human hands. You just need some idea to start with so that you can do well enough against your foes to see the intelligence behind the moves they make. If you're swept 4-0 by an opponent who only used Hydro Pump the whole battle, you didn't really see his thought processes, because he didn't have to exert himself at all to win.
Reading the opponent and seeing those things is not only constructive, it is the absolute greatest fun you can have in Pokemon. Not winning, but winning because your best overcame their best, because they put forth a great effort and your own, greater effort is thus validated by a just victory.
-------------------------------------------
This post will be updated with common information, helpful links, and other data over time. Feel free to contribute anything you believe is relevant. Don't be shy!
If you noticed a mistake, PLEASE tell me right away. I will never be mad, even if something I wrote that you think is wrong is actually right.
Now that this sub-forum has been created, I decided to start a thread collecting thoughts, strategies, ideas, and any sort of circumstance or aspect relevant to the "Double Battle" format of battling in Free or Rating mode in the "Random Matchup" Wifi category. This can include funny stories, videos of noteworthy 2v2 battles, innovative tactics you've seen employed, strategies you would like to try, advice for new players, questions from new players, observations of opponents; in short, anything relevant to the discussion of Doubles in the Global Battle Union.
I have no idea how to play a Double Battle.
That's perfectly fine; most people don't. It's understandable, too, since Singles is the only format most of us grew up with, and the format in which most of the main playthrough of any version takes place.
If you want to learn tactics and ideas, this is the place. Just go ahead and ask, we will never snap at you for asking a "silly question." If you want mechanics-related info, check this link:
Double Battle Primer D/P
It's a little outdated, having been written for 4th Gen mechanics, but still very scholarly and entirely worth reading. Some (not all) of the noteworthy changes from Gen IV to Gen V that have really affected Double Battles:
-The moves "Fake Out" and "Follow Me" now have the same speed priority.
-The moves "Self-destruct" and "Explosion" no longer halve the opponents' defense when factoring in their damage.
^This list will be updated with changes as I am informed of them.
What do I NOT post?
This thread is not a discussion for the double battle situation in the Battle Subway or VGC 2011 unless the comments in question are ultimately about double battles in the GBU. For instance, these comments would be acceptable:
"I used my Battle Subway team in the GBU today and it didn't work so well."
"With the VGC coming up, I decided to try a team in Free Mode, and what do you know... (etc.)"
These would not be acceptable:
"I'm having trouble in the Battle Subway Super Doubles line, can anyone fix my team?"
"My VGC team is doing great on PO, the basic strategy is... (etc.)"
There are better threads for those questions.
Rating Mode sounds fun! Where do I sign?
First, you need to make a Pokemon Trainer Club account:
Pokemon Trainer Club
Follow the steps to activate the account, the information of which will then be used to sign in to this website:
Pokemon Global Link
Then you will be able to play on Rating mode and check your ranking on the website. The Dream World is also accessible from this site.
My card changed color. What's up with that?
The stripe at the top of your online (NOT ingame) trainer card, the one that bulges around your chosen avatar, changes color depending on how many wins you have accrued. Here are the specifics:
Purple Card: 0-49 wins
Green Card: 50-99 wins
Bronze Card: 100-199 wins
Silver Card: 200-499 wins
Gold Card: 500-999 wins
Black Card: 1000+ wins
Cards do not transfer over to different battle formats or to the other mode. For instance, a person with 56 wins in Free Mode who starts Rating Mode one day will begin with 0 wins (and a purple card), not 56 wins.
My opponent disconnected on me! Do I get the win?
You get nothing. If your opponent disconnects (Or "D/Cs") on you, the game simply resumes at the "Find opponent?" screen, without giving either player a win or a loss. Don't worry; you aren't the only person aggravated about this. Many players have written to Nintendo asking various questions about this, such as "Do D/Cers get penalized somehow?" and "Will this system be fixed in these versions or in a future installment of the Pokemon series?" Currently, it seems Nintendo does have a system in place to penalize D/Cers, but the way it works apparently harms those who accidentally D/C, not the people who intentionally D/C. For more info check this thread:
Disconnecting in Global Link matches
Feel free to complain about D/Cers, tell a funny story about one of them, ask questions about the mechanics/consequences of disconnecting, etc. You may certainly mention in this thread how you got D/C'd against, as long as, as mentioned above, the comment is ultimately about GBU Double Battles and doesn't segue into a discussion about D/Cing. That's what this link is for.
I still have no idea how to play Doubles.
Some of the GBU Double Battle players have given their thoughts on the feel of the metagame. These are certainly not hard-and-fast rules/trends/tendencies of the GBU, just observations that may help you in strategizing and teambuilding:
JRank's thoughts
Ashenlock's thoughts
If you want to add some stuff you've noticed too, just make a post full of them and, whenever you have more stuff to add, just edit that post. Also, if you think your post should be included on this list but isn't, just tell me.
I don't want to hear your thoughts, I need hard facts, stat!
You've probably noticed the myriad of Pokemon-named threads that cover the Global Battle Union board's pages. Each of those is like one of the analyses found on the main site's page (NOT on the forums), except it focuses on the GBU, and is allowed to include information on ALL five battle formats, including Single Battle Mode, Double Battle Mode, Triple Battle Mode, Rotation Battle Mode, and Wonder Launcher Battle Mode. They are contributed by users who frequent Smogon and at the moment largely cover the Double Battle metagame, since it's about the next most popular of the five after Singles, and Singles is already very comprehensively documented in the before-mentioned site analyses.
Where I'm going with this is: The Pokemon pages on this GBU board are not hard facts. They are, however, submitted by players who have seen much action in the Random Matchup modes in whatever metagame those individuals choose to write about. If you're absolutely lost and have NO idea where to start, and the thoughts of players documented in this thread aren't helpful, read a few pages, and get a "feel" for the metagame.
You don't need to run out into the streets naked and scream "Eureka! I will build a team with this core, that strategy, these EVs..." as soon as you look at one. You don't need to go into the GBU the first time with the best damn team ever wrought by human hands. You just need some idea to start with so that you can do well enough against your foes to see the intelligence behind the moves they make. If you're swept 4-0 by an opponent who only used Hydro Pump the whole battle, you didn't really see his thought processes, because he didn't have to exert himself at all to win.
Reading the opponent and seeing those things is not only constructive, it is the absolute greatest fun you can have in Pokemon. Not winning, but winning because your best overcame their best, because they put forth a great effort and your own, greater effort is thus validated by a just victory.
-------------------------------------------
This post will be updated with common information, helpful links, and other data over time. Feel free to contribute anything you believe is relevant. Don't be shy!
If you noticed a mistake, PLEASE tell me right away. I will never be mad, even if something I wrote that you think is wrong is actually right.