Introduction
Doubles is quite possibly the most versatile tier, where countless Pokemon are feasible and previously overlooked Pokemon like Blastoise can stand up against the likes of Darkrai. That is, in fact, the purpose of this project — to encourage the use of less-used Pokemon. Who knows? These underused Pokemon may be "discovered" and might become metagame-shaping forces!
Some rules
- Be open-minded. Don't just say something is terrible and walk away; at least look into them and see what options they may be able to utilize.
- Feel free to theorymon, but make it clear that you are theorymonning. At the end of the group, however, I want discussion to move towards how useful the Pokemon actually are in Doubles, and what sets are effective on them.
- Just because an analysis has been done for a Pokemon doesn't mean there isn't more to explore; it's quite possible that something might have gone unnoticed or is missing.
- Do not post in this thread complaining about the Pokemon we choose and/or suggesting ones we should do for future weeks. We'd like discussion to stay on topic about the 4 Pokemon we are "researching". If you want to suggest something, send a forum Private Message to me. Also, Pokemon from past research weeks might be used again simply because the metagame may have changed since this project was last brought about.
Which Pokemon are we Researching?
Mew
Mew has been around since Gen I, and is indubitably one of the most versatile Pokemon around (losing out only to Smeargle, perhaps). Yet in spite of its plethora of movepool options, Mew finds itself being used sparingly, as it is often outclassed in single roles it takes on.
Celebi
Another 600 BST legendary not allowed in VGC, Celebi finds itself struggling to keep up amongst a multitude of better Grass-types no matter which role it tries to pick. With its arguably superior typing, however, could it find a spot among the echelons of the favored Grass-types?
Keldeo
While Keldeo is a devastating force in OU, it often has difficulties keeping up in Doubles, where Swift Swimmers emerge from their ban and work in tandem with Politoed to monopolize the Water-type market. Despite its inferior ability, however, could it use its great secondary Fighting STAB to stay ahead of the rest?
Questions to consider when posting here
How useful are these Pokemon in Doubles? What sets can they run effectively? What gives them trouble? What advantages do they have over other Pokemon? How well do they work in the metagame? If you have anything to say about any of these Pokemon, please post about them! It doesn't matter if you've used them or have just faced them in battle, anything is fine (but please, do try them). Just be sure to back up your posts with good competitive reasoning. Remember, discussion is not limited to this topic, you are encouraged to talk about these Pokemon in #doubles as well!
The Research Week Challenge
Mew has been around since Gen I, and is indubitably one of the most versatile Pokemon around (losing out only to Smeargle, perhaps). Yet in spite of its plethora of movepool options, Mew finds itself being used sparingly, as it is often outclassed in single roles it takes on.
Another 600 BST legendary not allowed in VGC, Celebi finds itself struggling to keep up amongst a multitude of better Grass-types no matter which role it tries to pick. With its arguably superior typing, however, could it find a spot among the echelons of the favored Grass-types?
While Keldeo is a devastating force in OU, it often has difficulties keeping up in Doubles, where Swift Swimmers emerge from their ban and work in tandem with Politoed to monopolize the Water-type market. Despite its inferior ability, however, could it use its great secondary Fighting STAB to stay ahead of the rest?
Questions to consider when posting here
How useful are these Pokemon in Doubles? What sets can they run effectively? What gives them trouble? What advantages do they have over other Pokemon? How well do they work in the metagame? If you have anything to say about any of these Pokemon, please post about them! It doesn't matter if you've used them or have just faced them in battle, anything is fine (but please, do try them). Just be sure to back up your posts with good competitive reasoning. Remember, discussion is not limited to this topic, you are encouraged to talk about these Pokemon in #doubles as well!
The Research Week Challenge
- Users will use any number of the research group candidates on their team
- Users will attempt to reach as high as possible on the ladder with the Pokemon. Breaking past the 2050 Glicko2 mark on the ladder with your registered alt will earn you 5 points. Crossing the 1950 Glicko2 mark will secure you 3 points while a rating of 1850 glicko2 will earn you 1 point. Post a screen-shot of your peak in order to achieve this, and a pastebin of your team. You must also have a deviation of 85 or less for points to be awarded.
- Users will be expected to post their experiences with the Pokemon they use, the teams they used, the problems they encountered while trying to make the said Pokemon work. Exceptional posting will earn you an extra 2 points.
- In order to participate in the challenge, simply post here with a brand new alt. Post battle logs, experiences with your team on the ladder, and generally how a Pokemon has worked out for you: past or present.
- The Hall of Fame will be on the Doubles hub soon; look forward to seeing your name imprinted there!
Additional Challenges
Looking for an extra challenge, or maybe just interested in more points? We've put together some extra challenges to provide more of a challenge! Conquer any of these challenges by reaching at least 1950 Glicko2 on the ladder with these sets and writing a short analysis of your choices to gain another 3 points!
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Create and test an offensive set and explain what advantages this set has over other more conventional offensive Pokemon.
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Create and test a set that utilises a stat-boosting move. Explain why this move is a good choice for a moveslot on Celebi.
Looking for an extra challenge, or maybe just interested in more points? We've put together some extra challenges to provide more of a challenge! Conquer any of these challenges by reaching at least 1950 Glicko2 on the ladder with these sets and writing a short analysis of your choices to gain another 3 points!
---
Create and test an offensive set and explain what advantages this set has over other more conventional offensive Pokemon.
---
Create and test a set that utilises a stat-boosting move. Explain why this move is a good choice for a moveslot on Celebi.
Hall Of Fame
Once you've reached certain point thresholds, you may be eligible for the Hall Of Fame! Below are the different categories of the Hall Of Fame you can enter, together with records of those who have managed to enter its ranks.
Diamond Rank - 13 points
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Pokemon used:
,
10 points (2050 glicko2 x 2)
1 points (additional challenge)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
10 points (2050 glicko2 x 2)
1 points (additional challenge)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
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Pokemon used:
,
10 points (2050 glicko2 x 2)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
10 points (2050 glicko2 x 2)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
Silver Rank - 5 points
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Bronze Rank - 3 points
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Pokemon used:
3 points (1950 glicko2)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
3 points (1950 glicko2)
2 points (Exceptional posting)
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So how do I sign up?
Simply post below in the following format:
Good luck, and have fun!
Wait, this is your 1k post isn't it?
Yes, yes it is.
Yes, yes it is.
@Its_A_Random: for creating the thread that allowed me to integrate into Smogon ^_^
@Jimera0, @shinyskarmory, @King Serperior: Somehow I don't remember any names from the SC thread other than yours??
@Jellicent: /me huggle Jellicent ~(^.^)~ Also thanks for approving my mod nom in under a minute.
@sandshrewz: /me pet sandz ^_^ :p :eek:!! sad to see you go ;-; thanks for putting up with all my whining about hax / whining about school / whining about everything u_u! n_n
@Pocket: Thanks for creating Doubles so I actually have something to do on Smogon!!
@The Immortal: yay The Immortal!
@Jimera0, @shinyskarmory, @King Serperior: Somehow I don't remember any names from the SC thread other than yours??
@Jellicent: /me huggle Jellicent ~(^.^)~ Also thanks for approving my mod nom in under a minute.
@sandshrewz: /me pet sandz ^_^ :p :eek:!! sad to see you go ;-; thanks for putting up with all my whining about hax / whining about school / whining about everything u_u! n_n
@Pocket: Thanks for creating Doubles so I actually have something to do on Smogon!!
@The Immortal: yay The Immortal!
If I forgot to mention you, feel free to hit me / shout at me in a VM. Thanks.
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