Sometimes I find it fun to do 2 v 2 battles, they offer another plane of strategy and I thought I'd share some fun tricks I've used and ran into:
Skill Swap:
Skill Swap in a doubles battle allows you to swap skills with your ally too, meaning you can make use of these skills with some degree of surprise
Pure Power (Medicham): The only pokemon who really benefits from this is Gallade (and some Ubers) who will get near 800 base attack power when he swaps. Medicham will need some support skills if he wants to remain useful, however. His attack power will drop to 200. This strategy is only hampered by the fact that Medicham's defenses aren't so great, so he doesn't make a great utility pokemon. Mew, Mewtwo, Stantler, and a few others with decent base attack will also benefit from this strategy. It is of note that Deoxys-A could get over 1000 attack power this way (without any set up besides the initial skill swap).
Wonder Guard: This speaks for itself. While it makes Shedinja OHKO'able by anything, it can make you immune to some troublesome opponents.
Tinted Lens / Compound Eyes: +30% Accuracy or having not very effective moves boosted by 1.5x is also quite an advantageous swap, though I'm sure by now it's apparent that many abilities are very potent with skill swap around - all it takes is a little bit of maneuvering and forethought.
Helping Hand + Area of Effect Abilities: Heatwave, Discharge, Lava Plume, Surf, Muddy Water, etc. are powered up by 1.5 and can become particuarly devastating. Helping Hand + Explosion from a 200 attack power Electrode, for example, can OHKO just about anything that doesn't resist it (and slower pokemon with more attack power explode will probably OHKO even that).
I'd also like to point out that Helping Hand, in combination with Plusle and Minun's abilities, combined with a Choice Specs means it's possible to, without any setup, take Plusle's/Minun's decent 300 SpAttack stat and perform a x1.5x1.5.x1.5 thunderbolt/thunder/grassknot/swift/hidden power attack. It's pretty funny to see it in action, since your opponent will always disregard such weak pokemon.
Volt Absorb / Water Absorb / Flash Fire: Using Lava Plume, you can increase the attack power of fire moves by 1.5 of your ally, while hitting your opponents too (high chance of burn as well... I've found this strategy is great on a defensive torkoal). Jolteon could do Substitute / Life Orb as much as it wants, with a Zapdos or another electric pokemon doing Discharge. Toxicroak is a beast with surf healing it every turn. Electvire's ability is quite godly too if you can get enough discharges off.
Safeguard: Bronzong can Safeguard the team then swagger an ally, allowing it to attack that turn and still get a stat boost.
Not sure if I made this thread in the right place, but I hope so. What're everyone's thoughts? I think double battles hold a lot of potential, I hope in the next generation they expand upon the possibilities. It's just so much fun to do stuff like this.
Anyone have any tricks to share?
Skill Swap:
Skill Swap in a doubles battle allows you to swap skills with your ally too, meaning you can make use of these skills with some degree of surprise
Pure Power (Medicham): The only pokemon who really benefits from this is Gallade (and some Ubers) who will get near 800 base attack power when he swaps. Medicham will need some support skills if he wants to remain useful, however. His attack power will drop to 200. This strategy is only hampered by the fact that Medicham's defenses aren't so great, so he doesn't make a great utility pokemon. Mew, Mewtwo, Stantler, and a few others with decent base attack will also benefit from this strategy. It is of note that Deoxys-A could get over 1000 attack power this way (without any set up besides the initial skill swap).
Wonder Guard: This speaks for itself. While it makes Shedinja OHKO'able by anything, it can make you immune to some troublesome opponents.
Tinted Lens / Compound Eyes: +30% Accuracy or having not very effective moves boosted by 1.5x is also quite an advantageous swap, though I'm sure by now it's apparent that many abilities are very potent with skill swap around - all it takes is a little bit of maneuvering and forethought.
Helping Hand + Area of Effect Abilities: Heatwave, Discharge, Lava Plume, Surf, Muddy Water, etc. are powered up by 1.5 and can become particuarly devastating. Helping Hand + Explosion from a 200 attack power Electrode, for example, can OHKO just about anything that doesn't resist it (and slower pokemon with more attack power explode will probably OHKO even that).
I'd also like to point out that Helping Hand, in combination with Plusle and Minun's abilities, combined with a Choice Specs means it's possible to, without any setup, take Plusle's/Minun's decent 300 SpAttack stat and perform a x1.5x1.5.x1.5 thunderbolt/thunder/grassknot/swift/hidden power attack. It's pretty funny to see it in action, since your opponent will always disregard such weak pokemon.
Volt Absorb / Water Absorb / Flash Fire: Using Lava Plume, you can increase the attack power of fire moves by 1.5 of your ally, while hitting your opponents too (high chance of burn as well... I've found this strategy is great on a defensive torkoal). Jolteon could do Substitute / Life Orb as much as it wants, with a Zapdos or another electric pokemon doing Discharge. Toxicroak is a beast with surf healing it every turn. Electvire's ability is quite godly too if you can get enough discharges off.
Safeguard: Bronzong can Safeguard the team then swagger an ally, allowing it to attack that turn and still get a stat boost.
Not sure if I made this thread in the right place, but I hope so. What're everyone's thoughts? I think double battles hold a lot of potential, I hope in the next generation they expand upon the possibilities. It's just so much fun to do stuff like this.
Anyone have any tricks to share?
