Welcome to the Generation 9 Doubles Forum!
Art by GenOne
This forum is focused mainly on Doubles OU, Smogon's official Doubles Format
Come chat with the community in real time at the Smogon Doubles Discord Server or PS! Room
Art by GenOne
This forum is focused mainly on Doubles OU, Smogon's official Doubles Format
Come chat with the community in real time at the Smogon Doubles Discord Server or PS! Room
Introduction
Hello and welcome to the Doubles Forum! If you're new to the tier or just looking for more information, you've come to the right place. This post should cover most of the information needed to get up to speed, and link all the resources covering anything else you need. If you've read through and still have a question, feel free to ask it in this thread, or in either the Discord or PS room linked above.
Format Rules
Banlist:
Doubles OU is a format in which both players have two Pokémon on the field at the same time. Pokémon are tiered separately from singles, meaning everything not on the banlist below can be used in Doubles OU regardless of the Pokémon's tier in singles play. Unlike in VGC, all Pokémon default to level 100 instead of level 50, and all 6 members of the team are brought each game. There is also no item clause, and event Pokemon and moves are legal.
Play Restrictions:
- Endless Battle Clause: Players cannot use any moveset on any Pokémon capable of intentionally causing an endless battle. Thus:
- A Pokémon may not carry Recycle and hold a Leppa Berry in conjunction with Heal Pulse and Milk Drink, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Recover, Roost, Slack Off, Soft-Boiled, or Wish.
- A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry while carrying Recycle and Pain Split.
- A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry while carrying Recycle and Fling
- Evasion Clause: Players cannot use the moves Double Team or Minimize.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use the moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, or Sheer Cold.
- Species Clause: Players cannot have two Pokémon with the same Pokédex number on the same team.
- Gravity Sleep Clause: Sleep moves with below one hundred percent accuracy may not be used in conjunction with Gravity.
Pokémon Restrictions:
Players can only use Pokemon that are currently either obtainable in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet or transferable to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Players cannot use the following Pokémon:
- Annihilape
- Arceus
- Basculegion-Male
- Calyrex-Ice
- Calyrex-Shadow
- Darkrai
- Dialga
- Dialga-Origin
- Eternatus
- Giratina
- Giratina-Origin
- Groudon
- Koraidon
- Kyogre
- Magearna
- Mewtwo
- Miraidon
- Palkia
- Palkia-Origin
- Rayquaza
- Tatsugiri
- Urshifu-Single-Strike
- Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
- Zacian
- Zacian-Crowned
- Zamazenta
- Zamazenta-Crowned
- Shadow Tag
Forum Information
Forum Rules
1. All main forum rules still apply here. Be sure to read those, as well as the rules in this thread, before posting in the subforum.
2. The forum moderation team (listed below) reserves the right to lock and/or delete, without notice, senseless threads.
3. Be nice to other posters and maintain good discussion. Don't post one-liners, and try not to double post unless the situation calls for it.
Doubles OU Tier Leaders:
Actuarily
Yoda2798
Doubles OU Forum Mods:
Actuarily
Arcticblast
Yoda2798
zoe
Doubles OU Council:
Actuarily
Yoda2798
GenOne
JRL
Nido-Rus
qsns
SMB
Forum Resources
Generation 9 Data
Datamine Thread
Leaks Thread
Mechanics Research Thread
Discuss
Metagame Discussion Thread
Doubles Viability Rankings
Doubles Newsroom
Battling 101
Build
Doubles Sample Teams
Doubles Team Bazaar
Doubles Speed Tiers (by GenOne)
Doubles Role Compendium
Doubles Teambuilding Competition
PS Damage Calculator
DOU Damage Calculator
Compete
Doubles Circuit Information
Doubles Hall of Fame
Old Generation Info
SS DOU
SM DOU
XY DOU
BW DOU
DPP DOU
ADV DOU
Other Doubles Tier Info
Doubles UU
Doubles Ubers
Doubles LC
Doubles Basics
The true appeal of Doubles does not lie in the minor ruleset differences from singles - it's the various strategies that are born and made viable by virtue of having an additional partner and an extra opponent on the battle field simultaneously. This results in a fast and furious playstyle unimaginable in Singles play. Progress is more easily and quickly made, so games are shorter as a result, and stall is almost non-existent. Since so much happens in a span of a single turn, with an incredibly wide range of options available, on-the-spot decision making and intuition are tested heavily in Doubles. A thrilling new challenge awaits you, distinct from any Singles format!
Move Order - Move order can be a confusing topic, since a Pokemon's Speed can change in the middle of a turn, making a Pokemon which was slower at the start of the turn now faster. Since SS, move order is no longer pre-determined at the beginning of the turn and is dynamically determined, so any changes in the Pokemon's Speed will affect move order on the turn they occur. Note that this does not apply to generations before SS, with the exception of mega evolving in SM. Here are some example scenarios:
- Your Prankster Whimsicott sets up Tailwind. Your Tapu Fini will move before the opponent's Dragapult that turn.
- Your Kyurem-B uses Icy Wind against an opposing Rillaboom. Your Incineroar will then move before your opponent's Rillaboom.
- You switch in your Politoed and summon rain. Kingdra's Swift Swim kicks in immediately.
Protect - +4 Priority. Undoubtedly the most important move in Doubles; it shields against whatever moves are targeted at the user, and without the need to blindly switch out and let another one of your Pokemon to take a hit, too! A well-executed Protect means wasted turns for the opponent, whose attacks utterly fail to do anything while your other Pokemon can ideally take the attacker out. Protect also shields your Pokemon against Fake Out, a devastating move in Double. Stalling out Tailwind or Trick Room turns serve as another purpose for using Protect.
Fake Out - +3 Priority. This is another prevalent move in Doubles, and it's a game-shaping one, too. A super-priority flinch move renders one of the opponent's Pokemon immobile and vulnerable to assault. Just like in Singles, Fake Out can be seen from a mile away, but the Fake Out user can actually take advantage of this, forcing the opponent to use Protect. Either way, this can be taken advantage of by the Fake Out user's partner, giving it room to act without fear of the neutralised threat. One important consideration is the relative Speed of active users, e.g. Rillaboom can stop Incineroar's Fake Out with its own first, ensuring its partner can move uninhibited.
Tailwind / Trick Room - Similarly to Singles, having the first move is almost always more advantageous than attacking second. Tailwind and Trick Room are prevalent moves to control Speed and attack first. Even though 4-5 turns go awfully quick in Singles to do anything productive, in Doubles it is a significant portion of the match! Most teams will have at least one of these powerful moves, as otherwise an opponent using them will usually have the Speed advantage. In the case of Trick Room teams, they can even have upto three setters to ensure it stays up the entire game. Icy Wind and Electroweb function as weaker, supplementary forms of speed control, but are rarer. Thunder Wave from Thundurus is prevalent in the older generations of BW and XY, but is also rare in newer generations.
Follow Me / Rage Powder - +2 Priority. Moves tailored for Doubles, all single-target moves are redirected to the user of Follow Me or Rage Powder, thereby keeping its partner untouched. Spread moves like Heat Wave and Earthquake are unaffected, though. This move comes in handy when you are trying to set up with your other Pokemon with moves like Calm Mind or Dragon Dance. XY nerfed Follow Me / Rage Powder by lowering its priority bracket to one below Fake Out - faster users can no longer re-direct Fake Out with these moves. As a powder move, Rage Powder is ignored by any Grass-types or any Pokemon either holding Safety Goggles or using the Overcoat ability, with the exception of in BW, where the moves also happen to be +3 priority, same as Fake Out.
Spread Moves - These moves target multiple Pokemon - some only affect both enemies while other spread moves also catches your ally, too, though friendly fire . Such distinctions make otherwise obscure moves in Singles, such as Heat Wave and Rock Slide, to have a specific niche in Doubles! All spread moves's power are reduced to 75% of its original base power (so Earthquake is a 75 bp Ground-type move), but this reduction is more than compensated by hitting more than one target. If it's hitting both foes, it is effectively hitting with 150% of the move's original power (75%*2). When there is only one target on the field, the spread move hits the opponent with 100% of its original power, note that if a target is immune or uses Protect then the spread reduction is still applied.
Spread moves which only target foes:
- Heat Wave (71) & Eruption (112)
- Muddy Water (67) & Water Spout (112)
- Thousand Arrows (67) - exclusive to Zygarde
- Diamond Storm (75) & Rock Slide (56) - former is exclusive to Diancie
- Dazzling Gleam (60)
- Blizzard (82 bp)
- Pixilate Hyper Voice (87, Fairy-type)
- Earthquake (75) - used alongside Flying-type and Levitate Pokemon
- Explosion (187) / Selfdestruct (150) - used alongside Protect or Ghost-type
- Snarl (41) / Struggle Bug (37) - lowers Special Attack of both foes
- Icy Wind / Electroweb (41) - lowers Speed of both foes
Helping Hand - +5 Priority. A move designed specifically for Doubles, this move boosts the power of the user's ally by 50% for one turn, which can change a 2HKO into a OHKO. Such a difference is significant in Doubles, as knocking out the opponent effectively means cutting down on the opponent's offense by half for that turn. This lets otherwise passive support Pokemon contribute offensively, and contribute regardless of any Fake Out / Taunt / knockout headed its way.
Heal Pulse / Pollen Puff - These moves can heal the user's partner by 50%, providing the recovery that moves like Softboiled and Roost otherwise would, but without the target needing it in its moveset, or even capable of learning one at all. Setup Pokemon or bulky Pokemon such as Assault Vest users are the best beneficiaries for the HP boost. Meanwhile, passive foes or just Pokemon unable to touch the Heal Pulse partner make great opportunities for the move.
Coaching - Introduced in SS, Coaching effectively functions as a setup move for the user's partner, potent in the right spots. This can be used to further boost Dragon Dance users like Kyurem-B, or provide boosts to Pokemon without a boosting move of its own, such as Choice Band Zygarde. A notable interaction is that Coaching can be used succesfully even if the target uses Protect, a benefit other moves typically don't share. This move does not currently exist in Scarlet and Violet.
Wide Guard / Quick Guard - +3 Priority. Unlike Protect, these Guard moves protect both the user AND the ally from spread moves and priority moves, respectively. This means that one Pokemon can guard for Earthquake or Fake Outs, thereby wasting the opponent's turn, while its partner can go on the offensive. Both of these moves can be used consecutively without fail, except in BW. Quick Guard also blocks moves benefitting from the ability Prankster.
Moves which break/ignore Protect - With Protect being so integral to Doubles, options to bypass it offer unique benefits. Feint is a +2 priority move, doing negligible damage, but breaking the effect of Protect or other moves like Wide Guard and Quick Guard (for both opponents in the case of the latter two), opening the door for an ally to take advantage. Hyperspace Fury and Hole are Hoopa-U's signature moves, offering the same effect attached to respectable STAB attacks. Phantom Force also has the same effect, though its two-turn nature can be a plus or a minus for it depending on the situation. In SM, Z-moves do not break Protect, but do hit through it for 25% of the normal damage, which can be enough to still KO in some cases.
Certain abilities are also more notable in Doubles. Here is a quick overview of some notable examples:
Intimidate - Reducing the Attack of BOTH foes on entry is massive, and can greatly limit the opponent's damage output. Intimidate is so good that it's a big thing to want to add when building a team. In older generations, particularly SM, it's common to even see multiple Intimidate users on the same team, even moreso than seeing teams without any. Switching an Intimidate in and out to reduce a target's Attack repeatedly is a common idea, one even stronger with multiple users to cycle between. Landorus-T and Incineroar have been some of the most common Pokemon over the years, in large part due to access to this defining ability.
Prankster - With how important Speed is in Doubles, Prankster is a powerful tool to have at one's disposal. Speed control moves like Tailwind and Thunder Wave are common combinations with Prankster, even in generations before dynamic move order was introduced. In BW and XY, Thunder Wave from Prankster Thundurus is by far the most common form of speed control, for example, while also having priority Taunt to shut down the opponent's speed control too. Reflect and Light Screen, such as from Grimmsnarl, are other, rarer moves used to benefit from Prankster. Since the change to dynamic move order, Prankster is even stronger, with teammates able to immediately benefit from Whimsicott's Tailwind.
Electric / Grassy / Misty / Psychic Surge - With terrain offering various effects to all grounded Pokemon, and lasting for most of the battle if unchallenged, these abilities are incredibly important. Aside from their offensive boosts, terrain can be used to block status, weaken Dragon-type attacks, or block priority moves (such as the all-important Fake Out!). Even if not directly benefitting from your own terrain, denying your opponent the advantages of theirs is a benefit all onto itself! As a result, the large majority of teams will opt for one or more terrain setter, with it helping that the Pokemon are strong in their own right. In SS, moves like Grassy Glide and Expanding Force gain additional benefits in their respective terrains, making it even more important to control. SV added the move Ice Spinner, which removes the active terrain, and Steel Roller is another, less reliable, form of terrain control which was added in SS.
Anti-Priority Abilities (Armor Tail / Dazzling / Queenly Majesty) - In addition to Psychic Terrain, Sun and Moon introduced a new form of counterplay to priority in the form of these abilities. While you probably won't see Bruxish around, you should always be wary of Tsareena, Tapu Lele, Indeedee, and Farigiraf, as their abilities can stop your moves like Fake Out, Extreme Speed, or Prankster-boosted Taunt in their tracks.
Treasures of Ruin - The Ruinous Pokemon are well known in singles for having very powerful abilities, and they're even more potent in doubles! Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien now nerf the offenses of both opponents at once, making them even more formidable obstacles, while Chien-Pao and Chi-Yu team up with their allies to rain massive damage on opponents. Keep in mind though that their abilities will also affect their allies, and a smart opponent might take advantage of your Ruinous Pokemon to push their own advantage. More than one different Ruin ability can be in play at a time, but two of the same do not stack.
So there you have it! Hopefully you feel more informed about Doubles now, and excited to jump in. Remember to feel free to ask any questions, in this thread or on Discord or PS.
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