Welcome, to my double battling guide, this guide will help you get the hang of double battles, and try to help you build an effective team. This will let you know how professional double battles are played and how to become a professional double battler. I hope you can enjoy this guide and I hope this can help you become a very good double battling player.
Note: here is assuming you are playing under ja rules but no ubers allowed, so you can basically only see your opponent’s team but you can not use ubers, which makes it semi-ja but whatever.
Team Strategies:
Usually in any type of metagame, there is a dominating strategy, something that is broken but not enough to be banned, a 2 + Pokémon combination that is almost always used on pro’s teams. Well in doubles, that exists, and here I will list some of the most popular and dominate strategies by chronological order:
Explosion + protect / resistant / immune Pokémon:
Explanation On How Explosion Teams Function: Here you basically have a Pokémon that can use explosion and another which is either resistant or immune to explosion, or heck even a Pokémon that knows the move protect. This is probably the most popular strategy in double battles, the scariest of all strategies and you should really consider using it if you want a successful team. Really this strategy is absolutely dominating the metagame as we know it, and if your team isn’t prepared for it then you will probably have a low chance of winning. Usually metagross and gengar should be used, since both can learn explosion, one is resistant to explosion and has a very high defense to boot, while another is totally immune to explosion, not only that but they can also hit hard and work well together, since one is a physical sweeper whilst the other is a special sweeper. There are surely many others that can set up this strategy and effectively apply it but metagross and gengar are the most used with this strategy and the best that can deploy it.
Countering Explosion Teams Counters: Really it’s all about prediction, you basically have to outpredict your opponent so you can counter explosion teams counters, basically they’ll try to protect or switch in their ghost/rock/steel type, while you respond by using whatever move if they decide to protect so you can explode on the second turn, or predict their switch to their rock/steel type and use a fighting move or if they’re rock/steel type is already sent out then just use that fighting move on it.
Rain Teams:
Explanation On How Rain Teams Function: Probably the second most dangerous strategy, I find this more terrifying than trick room, since toxicroak + kingdra + rain is absolutely terrorizing, not to mention that the rarity of walls in doubles means that they pretty much won’t have to worry about blissey walling them, well that is if you decide to go special with toxicroak. Usually kingdra sets up rain dance, then on the second turn kingdra fires double stab surfs coming off from a very decent special attack stat coupled with life orb to further boost the damage that will be dealt, not only does that hurt as hell but it also restores 25% to toxicroak, and with rain it will restore 12% (if toxicroak has the ability dry skin), so in the end toxicroak will restore 37% of it’s health every time it’s hit by kingdra’s surfs and if rain is up, so really with lo you will still gain 27% health each turn, which is quite scary, and a np vacuum wave or sd cross chop will do a lot of damage to about any Pokémon. Really I find rain teams absolutely dangerous and you should try your best to kill kingdra before it can set up rain, since if it does, then you’re in a world of pain, unless of course your using something like blissey and scarf alakazam as leads….if so then you wouldn’t care less about if kingdra sets up rain or not, but really if you use those leads then they won’t be effective outside of beating the famous rain kingdra + toxicroak combo.
Countering Rain Teams Counters: Usually once rain teams are fully set up, almost nothing can stand up to the kingdra + toxicroak combo, so you basically have to predict if your opponent is trying to kill kingdra or is simply making you think that he wants to kill kingdra while he really wants to stat up while you switch out kingdra loosing a turn and letting your opponent set up. So basically, you just have to outpredict your opponent….
Trick Room Teams:
Explanation On How Trick Room Teams Function: Usually starts with a dusknoir and bronzong. Once you see those two, or heck a bronzong and some slow sweeper, then you will definitely know that it’s a tr team. If you’re playing under ja rules then once you see either bronzong and dusknoir or bronzong alone and the rest of the Pokémons are slow, then you can conclude that it’s a tr team by simply looking at the Pokémons that are being displayed on the screen. So now you can pick 4 of your slowest team members. Or even start up with a Pokémon that has taunt but isn’t expected to have it, like say weavile, this taunt weavile will surprise your opponent, so now instead of him setting up a possible trick room, he or she will be taunted from a Pokémon that doesn’t usually carry taunt (in this case weavile), so the whole trick room strategy will be ruined just by one move, one single move just shut down the opponents strategy and basically won you the battle. This is just to show you how good you can fair well against some strategies if you simply just prepare for said strategy and you should also be basically one step ahead of your opponent.
Countering Trick Room’s Teams Counters: Sadly taunt screws over trick room teams and after trick room can’t be used you’d be left with slow pokes that can get easily swept if they don’t have trick room aiding their awful speed, but that’s why ja rules are the preferred ones to play under, since you can see all their pokes and thus you can know which one of the opponents would usually carry taunt so you can respond by bringing 4 pokes that are slow and 2 fast sweepers that can stop the usual taunters. For example, you can lead with a scarf ape and a bronzong, infernape kills the taunter while bronzong sets up trick room and on the second turn infernape dies from bronzong’s explosion and hopefully both of the opponents do. In that case you just cleared the field up and you’re left with 2 fast Pokémons (since trick room is active) while your opponent is probably left with slow Pokémons (they’re fast but since it’s under trick room then they’re slow). Now you basically won this match by coming prepared, and this is what you should always do, you should always be prepared for anything your opponent has, basically you should be one step ahead of your opponent, since if you usually are and are prepared for almost every trick your opponent can throw at you, then you should become good at double battles in no time. This is how you can effectively counter trick room teams counters. Also there is the rare imprison and trick room dusknoir but that’s why I said you should put 2 fast sweepers on your team, in this case a specs gengar can help, but you’re not going to see many imprison dusknoir’s so don’t be too worried.
Hail Teams:
Explanation On How Hail Teams Function: Scarf abomosnow + specs florslass will eat this world alive. Such powerful moves from such high special attack stats will put a hurting on even things that resist them, I’m talking that if they both use blizzard then bronzong will have 50% health left (factoring leftovers recovery). Yes a bronzong which is resistant to those ice moves. Seriously these 2 leads are really scary and you should try to kill them as quick as possible. Your team should be usually prepared for these kinds of teams or else you will most likely loose every battle you play against said teams. Fire Pokémons might be able to help to beat these sorts of teams, a scarf arcanine and a scarf heatran absolutely rip apart through these teams, if your team has huge weaknesses against hail teams, then simply slap a scarf heatran or scarf arcanine and you’re huge weakness will suddenly be gone.
Countering Hail Teams Counters: You can always run focus blast for on abomosnow for those non scarf heatrans, but even in doubles most are scarfed so that’s probably out of the question, you can also run a scarf jynx with focus blast and hp ground for those scarf arcanine’s and heatrans who try to aid their team by countering hail teams, or heck, run a non scarf abomosnow with protect and a specs vaporeon.
These are the hugest threats you should worry about, other strategy based teams like sunny day, imprison or other less popular strategies aren’t mentioned for not being really a threat.
Pokémon Strategies:
Like in any other metagame, doubles has pokes that work well together and make a certain strategy, sometimes so many pokes work well together to a degree where there is a whole team created for one single strategy. But, in singles, having a "good" combo is extremely hard, whilst in doubles, finding a "good" combo is really easy considering how many pokes can learn moves like helping hand, trick room and more, and also due to the fact that 2 pokes can be sent out at once. Now I shall mention some strategies that involve 2 or more pokes and I will even mention some whole team strategies like for example trick room, furthermore, I will mention how the strategies are employed and how can they be countered and how they can counter the strategies counters.
Smeargle with no guard:
How To Effectively Employ This Strategy: The battle basically starts with smeargle and machamp as leads, smeargle should be as fast as possible whilst holding a focus sash, while machamp should basically carry a choice band and have the highest attack stat reachable, the battle starts as smeargle uses dark void ( if someone fast decides to attack then that’s why focus sash is being used as an item) sleeping both opponents, then machamp uses a strong dynamic punch which confuses the opponent, so now two of the opponents are asleep and one is confused, on the next turn smeargle uses role play (a move which copies the ability of the Pokémon it has been used on) while machamp confuses the other opponent, have fun firing never miss sheer colds while both opponents are asleep and confused.
How Can It Be Countered: It is really hard to effectively counter this strategy, and thank god not many people know about it, basically you should have 2 pokes which are faster than smeargle, one hits it and breaks it’s sash leaving it at 1%, and the other finishes it off, ruining the whole strategy, or you can simply use an insomnia poke or a poke with lum berry, or heck a sleep talker.
Countering Its Counters: To effectively counter this strategies counters, you should basically play under ja rules so you can see if the opponent has 2 pokes faster than smeargle, and once you know what they are lead with counters for things that are faster than smeargle (lookup the speed tier list guide for more assistance), as for pokes that have the insomnia ability, then in that case, you can’t really do anything except yet again, figure out pokes that have insomnia if you’re playing under ja rules (which are the most helpful) and bring counters to the insomnia users, same applies to pokes who are holding a lum berry.
Trick Room:
How To Effectively Employ This Strategy: Basically bronzong trick rooms on the first turn, while dusknoir does whatever, then after that is complete bronzong explodes while dusknoir does whatever, again, and on the 3rd to 5th turn have fun sweeping with deep see tooth clamperl and thick club SD marowack….(make sure to have protect on marowack so it can avoid a surf from clamperl, that is if you’re sure that clamperl can kill the 2 opponents or at least one since your wasting a turn for marowack and a turn for trick room)
How Can It Be Countered: Usually taunters completely shut down trick room teams and leave you with slow pokes that can easily get swept, also there is the imprison + trick room dusknoir which is an absolute horror to trick room teams, furthermore, really and poke that can ohko bronzong and it or it’s opponent can ohko dusknoir are basically "counters".
Countering Its Counters: Again, ja rules are the best rules to play at since you can know what poke on your opponents team can learn taunt and use one of your fast pokes to kill it and then continue normally with your strategy, but as for imprison dusknoir, you can always use imprison on your own dusknoir and put 6 speed evs so it can outspeed imprison dusknoir’s, but putting speed evs is a little iffy since you’re using dusknoir on a trick room team.
Perish Doom:
How To Effectively Employ This Strategy
erish trapping is probably almost never used in singles, but, in doubles is where gy:it shines. Basically lead with a focus sash mismagius and a focus sash dugtrio (if you’re not playing under item clause, if you are then just put lum berry on the mismagius), basically dugtrio protects on the first turn while mismagius uses perish song, then on the second turn dugtrio uses whatever move while he survives with his sash or heck he might not need it if the opponent doesn’t use any move on dugtrio, then protect and on the last turn try to protect, basically keep stalling with dugtrio and be sure to not let dugtrio faint, while once missy has done her job, let her simply die, and send in another staller with protect and some other stalling moves to buy you time until both pokes faint, which basically puts you at the advantage, since you have 3 pokes left (considering missy died) while they have 2 (thanks to perish song killing 2 pokes while they can’t switch thanks to dugtrio’s arena trap ability).
How Can It Be Countered: Either by ganging up on dugtrio or missy.
Countering Its Counters: If someone is going to gang up on you, you can’t do anything besides switch (Although, you shouldn’t switch much in doubles.) so basically, again, for the hundredth time, to effectively counter a strategies counter, you have to play under ja rules, since they are the most helpful rules in the double battling metagame.
Super Slaking:
How To Effectively Employ This Strategy: Probably one of the most used double battle strategies, basically the battle starts with a slowbro and a slaking, the slowbro obviously knows skill swap while the slaking is holding a choice band or a lum berry, slaking does whatever move on the first turn (the most suitable), once slaking has slowbro’s ability (it should be own tempo) slowbro uses swagger on the second turn, slaking now has double his attack stat and will not get confused thanks to it’s new ability, now that’s really something, there is also gastro acid shuckle but that is kind of less effective.
How Can It Be Countered: Slaking is decently fast and will ko at least one opponent with one of it’s high powered moves coming from it’s beastly attack stat, but if slowbro is dead, then it would be trouble since slaking will still have truant, running the whole strategy.
Countering Its Counters: Seeing if the opponent has anything that is very threatening to slowbro might work, and you can only see your opponent’s pokes on, you guess it, ja rules! So again, ja rules are the way to go.
Now this is it for some of the most popular strategies, there is probably many, many more strategies that I didn’t bother to mention because so many good strategies can be developed in doubles that I will need a lot of time to list them. Hence why I only listed some, some examples of over used strategies that haven’t been mentioned are, minun + plusle, and as mentioned above, many more strategies that I didn’t need to mention because of the large quantity of strategies that can be developed.
The Damage Power:
Multi target moves have a different damage formula. The damage formula actually aids you in figuring out speeds for opponents. Here’s what I mean, suppose the opponent sends out a salamence and a pinsir, while you send out an ampibom and a rotom, salamence’s intimidate will hit ampibom first then magnezone second, this tells our opponent that our magnezone is slower than ampibom, so this means it’s not scarfed and shall not pose a big threat to the opponent, now salamence can freely earth quake killing magnezone while pinsir close combat’s ampibom, so we want to avoid that, don’t we? So to see if our predictions are correct, we decide to fake out the pinsir to buy some time and do some damage while we switch out our magnezone for something like a celebi, first pinsir gets flinched by ampibom’s fake out, then gyara uses earth quake, it first hits pinsir, then ampibom, and then our newly sent out celebi, this just told us that pinsir is scarfed since he got hit first by earth quake and he can’t be faster than an ampibom without the aid of a scarf or a speed raising item. With this useful information, we now know that we can’t kill the pinsir on the second turn with fire punch, rather we have to switch. This is just to tell you that you need to keep your eye open a lot if something like this situation occurs, so make your moves carefully and not rashly.
Evs:
In single battles, you can easily go with the standard 252/252/6 ev spread and be just fine, but in doubles, ev spreads are a little different. Let’s say, for example, you have a skarmory, in singles, your fine with just putting 252 hp evs, 252 defense evs and the remaining 6 in attack, but in doubles, let’s say your up against a special sweeper and a physical sweeper, your skarmory can effectively wall the physical sweeper, but it’s partner, the special sweeper, might kill your skarmory before it can act, and your stuck with switching your skarmory or leaving it to die, and since switching should be avoided in doubles, then you basically are guaranteed to loose this battle because you put an ev distribution as if it was for singles.
This was just an example situations like these aren’t rare, so basically, if you put like 100 special defense evs on skarmory, you basically can survive almost any unboosted special attacking move that isn’t something skarmory is weak to (fire, electric).
So really putting some evs in defense or hp stats actually helps a lot in doubles, something like hitmonchan or primeape can actually survive a powerful earth quake if given some hp evs, but things as frail as dugtrio, sharpedo or others, are suggested to be given items such as focus sash, instead of putting useless hp evs (note that such frail pokes are only exceptions).
Analysis On The Double Battling Metagame: Really I find doubles all about explosion, protect and Pokémons that can stop these 2 moves. Your partner has to be either be resistant or immune to explosion or have protect, while you have to take care of an opponent if it’s a rock, steel or ghost type or predict when it will use explosion so you can protect if you have that, or send in your rock/steel/ghost type, or predict when your opponents Pokémons want to protect so on the other turn you can explode. And they have to do the same so you have to respond by out predicting them, and you can also stop protect by using the uncommon imprison + protect combo, but not many people use that, although dusknoir can prove to be effective with that. And other types of teams like rain or sunny are even easier to outpredict and counter, since you only have to be worried about protect, unless your opponent runs sunny day + explosion exeggutor or rain + explosion smeargle, but in those cases you will just have to usually do and predict, so one professional match between 2 good people will be decided by luck or prediction, and this is why you should have good prediction to be able to compete effectively in doubles. So basically, doubles is all about prediction and a good 2 + poke combo.
Now I leave you, my student, I hope you can enjoy many fun filled adventures with your newly learned knowledge about the amazing double battling metagame, hopefully you can become one of the best double battlers on online Pokémon game cartridges, and I hope that you can have loads of fun on pbr’s random wifi place, good luck in all your future double battles, have fun battling!
