SM Doubles OU Sweeper Garchomp + Support Latias

[Kyonixx]

This is my first RMT and I hope it turns out well as I'm not to familiar with the competitive scene. My team is pretty basic and all the Pokemon revolve around the sweepers so I would like some help improving the team.

Team:

Garchomp @ Life Orb
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Dragon Claw

Garchomp in general is just a powerful Pokemon and once setup is a major threat to any team without a speedy Pokemon carrying an ice move. The set is standard sweeper with Swords Dance allowing Garchomp to 3HKO defensive Celesteela and 2HKO Slowbro and Cresselia, Earthquake and Dragon Claw act as Garchomps main stab moves and provide great overage, rock slide allows Garchomp to hit opposing ice types super effectively and provides a chance to flinch targets. Without speedy counters like Greninja, Weavile, Landorus-Therian, Azumarill, mega Diance, mega Manetric or double focus, Garchomp could potentially sweep whole teams.

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Rock Slide
vs. 252 HP / 160+ Def Togekiss: 343-406 (91.7 - 108.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery
vs. 248 HP / 204+ Def Rotom-Wash: 242-286 (79.8 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Tyranitar: 632-743 (156.4 - 183.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Jellicent: 415-489 (102.9 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

View attachment 148595
Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Huge Power/HyperCutter
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Play Rough
- Iron Head

Mawile is used if there are clear Pokemon that are clear threats to Garchomp or to face a trick room team or. Mawile has a basic moveset Swords Dance to setup and sweep which is easy with huge power boosting Mawiles attack to terrifying heights, Play Rough and Iron Head for stab and to take out threatening fairy types while knock off to take out tanky Pokemon running eviolite. I had chose Hyper Cutter over intimidate because with so many intimidate Pokemon on teams like Incineroar and Landorus-Therian having Mawiles attack unable to be lowered during the first turn allows it to sweep easier. Because of mawils low speed EVs are invested so IT can take hits and take out opposing Pokemon.

View attachment 148597
Zapdos @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 136 Def / 80 SpD / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Tailwind
- Roost

Zapdos is used along side Garchomp and is used to counter water and ice type Pokemon. Zapdos also has a standard moveset with Tailwind and Roost along with two attacking moves. EVs are invested in speed allow it to out speed less invested Pokemon in the 100 speed tier, the invest in its hp, sp defesnse and defenses allow Zapdos to last longer and to setup he tailwind if needed. Zapdos two attacking moves are Thunderbolt and Heat Wave, Thunderbolt was chosen over Discharge since not every member of the team is immune to electric attacks and thunderbolt still provides stab and a higher base power. Heat Wave is used to counter ice and type Pokemon and deal with Pokemon like Scizor, Celesteela and mega Sceptile. Roost provides Zapdos sustain and removes its weakness to rock and ice. Tailwind is to counter other teams using Tailwind or to allow Garchomp and potentially Mawile to out speed opponents

0 SpA Zapdos
vs. 248 HP / 156 SpD Celesteela: 204-240 (51.3 - 60.4%) -- 88.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
vs. 252 HP / 164+ SpD Ferrothorn: 232-276 (65.9 - 78.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 244 HP / 80 SpD Zapdos: 252-296 (65.9 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Landorus-Therian Hidden Power Ice vs. 244 HP / 80 SpD Zapdos: 90-108 (23.5 - 28.2%) -- 91.8% chance to 4HKO

Incineroar @ Red Card
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Taunt

Incineroar also has a basic set using fake out to flinch opponents and allowing Garchomp or Mawile to set up, U-turn allows Incineroar to scout as well as continue to reduce an opponents attack with intimidate while flinching them as well. Taunt is used to counter trick room teams and other gimmicks and Flare Blitz is Incineroars stab move. The red card is used to disrupt the enemy team and possibly remove stat boosts. Hp and attack are invested in because Incineroars speed is lackluster and just needs to hit hard when it can.

Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD/ 4 Def
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Scald

Vaporeon is the cleric of the team heal bell curing the team of status as willow wisp cripples Mawile and Garchomp. Vapoereon was chosen over Sylveon as a cleric because of Vaporeons access to scald that can cripple physical attackers or boost Vaporeons bulkiness allowing it to last longer and continue to counter status users unless Vaporeon its self is parlayed frozen or put to sleep. Wish and protect work in conjunction to boost Vaporeons staying power along with leftovers recovering a large amount of hp in the span of two turns. The combination of moves used by Vaporeon allows it to stay on the field for long periods of time but is hardly usable by itself ans is completely walled by anything that resist water or can 2HKO.

Latias @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Pulse
- Recover
- Light Screen
- Reflect

Latias is purely support Pokemon although that means Latias is useless when facing a taunt Pokemon it will at least be allowed to set up light screen and reflect with its incredible speed that is boosted with its nature and EVs. Latias can easily setup screens that last for 8 turns and heal its allies with a speedy heal pulse allowing allies to stay longer especially when opponents go for priority moves in attempts to knock out a sweeper, running recover allowed Latias to last longer and provide continued support.

Threats:

Swampert
with no grass types moves on this team and most of the attacking moves being not very effective. Being able to run pert being earthquake and Ice Punch taking out the two main sweepers Swampert is a major threat especially in mega form outspeeding and delivering 1HKO

Gastrodon
Gastrodon is basically poses the same threat as Swampert possessing super effective moves and resisting most attacks although more staller variants are easier to deal with.

Weavile
Weavile was mentioned before as being able to Fake Out and outspeed to land super effective hits against the majority of the team makes Weavile threatening but if Zapdos survives it is able to 1HKO Weavile

Charizard Mega X
Once charizard has setup a few dragon dances it can easily take out the team with a Tough Claws boosted flare blitz for Mawile and Dragon Claw for Garchomp and Latias

 

[HeatEdgeSword]

Hello there, Kyonixx! The team definitely needs some improvement. Seeing as Garchomp and Mega Mawile doesn't come with Protect, most Pokemon should have Protect as it is a very crucial move in Doubles unless they are holding Choice items/ Assault Vest or they have a reliable recovery with bulk, just as a friendly reminder. Without further ado, here are my suggestions.

Replace Garchomp with Zygarde
Zygarde is a better pick over Garchomp for two reasons. First, Thousand Arrows is Zygarde's biggest appeal as it can hit flying targets and doesn't hit the ally. And secondly, it is the premier Dragon Dance user in Doubles OU. Here's what a Zygarde set should look like.

Zygarde @ Mago Berry/ Groundium Z
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 76 HP / 252 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute/ Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Protect

Replace Mega Mawile with Mega Metagross
While not as powerful as Mega Mawile, Mega Metagross is fast with great coverage.

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Ice Punch
- Stomping Tantrum
- Protect

Replace Vaporeon with Tapu Fini
Tapu Fini is one of the best supporters in Doubles as it has Misty Surge blocking status for grounded Pokemon. Additionally, Tapu Fini could assist Incineroar by overriding Psychic Terrain, allowing it to freely use Fake Out.

Tapu Fini @ Wiki Berry
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 124 SpA / 68 SpD
Bold Nature
- Muddy Water
- Moonblast
- Heal Pulse
- Protect

Change Incineroar's set with that:
Incineroar @ Assault Vest/ Figy Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 16 Def / 116 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Typically, Incineroar should always have Knock Off since removing a held item with decent power is very useful, and Incineroar prefers Assault Vest or 50% pinch berries as these items provide some defensive capability for it.

Change Zapdos' set with that:
Zapdos @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Static
EVs: 236 HP / 88 Def / 64 SpA / 56 SpD / 64 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Tailwind
- Roost/ Whirlwind

Since I have removed Red Card and Taunt for Incineroar, you could alternatively opt for Whirlwind over Roost instead for phasing out Trick Room setter. Not much else to say other than that, really.

Replace Latias with Tapu Bulu
On the one hand, Latias has become a decent option in Doubles now, but the Latias that you're using right now isn't ideal, especially with the lack of any attacks. Still, I'm suggesting replacing it with Tapu Bulu as 1. It threatens any opposing Water-types 2. The team already has a Heal Pulse and Tailwind user.

Tapu Bulu @ Grassnium Z
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 56 Atk / 116 SpD / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower/ Horn Leech
- Swords Dance
- Protect

That being said, I'm not too certain about this one. Other might help you for the last one.

 

[Kyonixx]

Thanks for the advice and improvements I can see the flaws you have pointed out and I'll use the sets recommended and improve my team further. I would like to ask for an EV spread for a bold Zapdos as that is the nature of my static Zapdos in game. Thanks again!

 

[Yuichi]

Try this:
Zapdos @ Misty Seed
Ability: Static
EVs: 244 HP / 136 Def / 80 SpD / 48 Spe
Bold Nature
- Tailwind
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave

the various benchmarks that this spread hits can be found here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/zapdos/doubles/

 

[Level 51]

Hi Kyonixx,

I agree with the majority of HeatEdgeSword's changes but I'll try to explain the reason for his changes since he didn't really explain them super thoroughly. Hopefully this advice can aid you in future teambuilding!

I assume you're from a more singles-oriented background, judging from some stuff you mentioned in your post, so I'll start from there: one main difference between OU and DOU (for example) is that DOU, and Doubles formats in general, tend to be faster-paced, since the greater number of Pokemon on the field at any point in time implies a greater propensity for damage output.

This leads to a few outcomes:

• Dedicating entire team slots to support is generally not useful. Pokemon like Vaporeon are almost always outclassed by Pokemon like Tapu Fini simply because the latter has access to strong and/or usefully-typed attacks (Moonblast) which can be used to damage key threats.
• Status is much less common in DOU, since why paralyze or burn a Pokemon when you can just KO it? Thus, moves like Heal Bell and Aromatherapy see decreased usage.
• Slow-paced support moves like Wish are far less valuable, since it's much less likely that you'll be able to heal the intended target on the turn Wish activates. (In the specific case of your team, Tapu Fini has Heal Pulse, which is a far better option for its same-turn healing.)
• Slower Pokemon that are dedicated to offense (e.g. Mega Mawile, Conkeldurr, Xurkitree) aren't as great, especially when they have easily-exploitable weaknesses that can prevent them from moving before they get an attack off. (This is where team support comes in handy here, though perhaps that's better left for another time?)

The Zygarde / Zapdos / Incineroar / Tapu Fini core HeatEdgeSword suggested is a pretty good starting point showcasing a great way to support a set-up sweeper, with Metagross to provide additional offensive power. As for the last slot, Tapu Bulu is an option as a solid check to opposing Zygarde, but if you don't like overriding your own terrain, Kyurem-B is a good option too.

As a parting note, you can check out this post to see what kinds of teams have been successful in the DOU format.