To think this is the first Doubles RMT I've made despite modding the forum...
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This is the third team I've made since the introduction of X and Y, the first being a mediocre Malamar-centered team for Pokebank Doubles and the second being a really shitty Balanced Hackmons team, and the first team I've made for the non-Pokebank metagame. It's come surprisingly far for one of my "good" teams (for those who know my BW2 Hail team, that had literally zero Pokemon changes from the point I made it). Since some of my Pokemon choices are a bit odd (Talonflame on Rain?) let's talk about that process a bit.
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I threw together this team at Pwnemon's urging. It was originally going to be a straight Hailroom team, but then I remembered how much I fucking love Ampharos, so it kind of shifted away from Hailroom. Trevenant went on because I'd wanted to try it for a while, Talonflame made it on for priority Brave Bird, Aboma/Amphy for above reasons, Hitmontop because I assumed it would still be good, Slowbro for backup TR and... rain check? I basically just picked Pokemon I thought would work well. As I'm sure you guessed, it didn't, because I don't build good teams in ten minutes. That's just not happening. I noticed that Abomasnow did fuck all, so I replaced it with a Tyranitar.
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This certainly did better than it did before, but it still wasn't great, so I put the team aside and focused on Y a bit more (31/x/31/31/31/31 Timid male Own Tempo Espurr with three egg moves, hell yeah). Eventually I got bored and returned to the team - my love of Ampharos had not abated. I decided I'd try out Aromatisse over Slowbro for some reason or other - possibly because of the Dragon immunity and Dark/Bug resistances. Once I got there I realized that Aromatisse's movepool isn't exactly great, but I noticed it had Thunder. This coupled with my repeatedly mentioned love for Ampharos brought me to an odd decision - Politoed! Politoed was kind of an asshole in BW2 to the point that I used a manual rain team instead (RIP Follow Me Riolu q.q), but with the weather nerf and the presence of a powerful Electric-type on the team prompted me to switch to Politoed. Also, Assault Vest Tyranitar was ass since it couldn't run Protect. Then the team looked like this:
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At this point I noticed a sudden change. The team just started wrecking things. Now the only thing I wasn't satisfied with was... Hitmontop. Yes, one of the titans of the BW2 Doubles metagame wasn't doing anything notable on the team. Without Fighting Gem it didn't hit hard enough, and without Sucker Punch its priority was basically limited to Bullet Punch, which also didn't hit hard enough. I decided I'd try out something else new. Smogon Doubles has a history of allowing some stuff that might seem kind of ridiculous in OU, like Drizzle + Swift Swim / Blaziken / Excadrill / Genesect / etc. in BW2. Here, the seemingly ridiculous thing was... Zygarde. Yes, that's right, the second trio legendary to be allowed in the tier. Once I got to this point, Zygarde filled in the gap Hitmontop created with aplomb - while the loss of Fake Out was disconcerting at first, it really didn't end up being a huge deal in the end.
So with that out of the way, let's move on and get to the rest of this post.
Trevenant @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Wood Hammer
- Shadow Claw
- Protect
BASED. FUCKING. TREE. I cannot stress how well Trevenant performs in the current metagame. Whether it's a TR set similar to the one I have listed or the insane Sub-WoW set, Trevenant just performs insanely well. Its defensive stats are kind of low, but behind the 85/76/82 exterior lies an amazing defensive typing and the ability to have every Sitrus Berry ever. That said, this set is pretty straightforward. Trick Room... well, sets Trick Room, which reverses Speed for the next few turns and is basically the entire premise of the team. Wood Hammer knifes Rotom-W, opposing Politoed, and the Ground-types the rest of the team isn't too crazy about, while Shadow Claw provides a decent secondary STAB. Protect is a vital move in Doubles that I admittedly haven't quite mastered, but it doesn't take much experience in the tier to see how important it can be. The EV spread is mostly arbitrary, sadly - I think it's slightly more efficient than 252 HP / 252 Atk Sassy? Whatever. There's a better spread of 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 SDef that always survives a Shadow Ball from MegaGengar, but I'm fine with this one because I have Wood Hammer > Horn Leech and I get a tad more livability with 244.
EDIT: updated to 44 Attack, which is a guaranteed OHKO on max HP Rotom-W and a guaranteed 2HKO on max/max+ Sitrus Politoed.
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Taunt
While it seems odd on a Rain team, Talonflame is a holdover from the original team that's without a doubt earned a permanent place on the team and on future teams of mine. It's another one of those Pokemon that's just really damn good. Priority Brave Bird is just... wow. Unfortunately, Talonflame is a bit of a one-shot Pokemon. It's hard to switch in due to its frailty and it doesn't last long on the field even if it does its job successfully. Regardless, even on a Rain Trick Room team it still has that niche of being delightfully powerful as a revenge killer, and Brave Bird lets it pick apart frailer teams - incidentally taking out the Grass-types that the rest of the team can sometimes struggle with. Taunt is vital for hitting opposing Trick Room setters before they can move, Flare Blitz smacks Klefki and Ferrothorn for solid damage, and Protect is... Protect. The EVs in this case outspeed max+ base 100s like Volcarona, MegaKangaskhan and Salamence - they might not really mean much, but a dead Ferrothorn on the opponent's side and a Talonflame dead from recoil is better than a dead Talonflame that got outsped. The HP EVs give it an odd amount of HP to take a little less from Stealth Rock - niche, I know, but with Talonflame on the rise and Volcarona deadly as ever that move might become more popular.
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
- Protect
I'm still not the biggest fan of Politoed, but it's been redeemed in my eyes almost entirely for supporting Ampharos. It's still very simple - max HP and Defense let it live hits, and Sitrus Berry gives it another chance to do that. Hydro Pump and Ice Beam hit stuff. Protect blocks hits. Perish Song was originally a "better than nothing" move, but it's turned out to be very useful, limiting the number of turns threats like MegaKangaskhan can stay in and setting a timer on those dumb Luminous Moss Slurpuff (STOP USING THAT IT SUCKS).
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Mega Ampharos. It's fantastic. It's a sheep gone psycho dragon. It's so fabulous that I have to set aside my better judgement and tag Treecko here because he is also fabulous (Oglemi is more fabulous but I don't know Oglemi as well...). There isn't any question about what Ampharos is on the team to do. It's here to destroy lives. Focus Blast is practically filler for hitting Kangaskhan and a few select Steel-types, since the only move this set really needs is Thunder. Miley Cyrus has nothing on this wrecking ball.
999/10 would build a team around again.
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Land's Wrath
- Rock Slide
Zygarde is supposed to be the legendary Pokemon keeping Xerneas and Yveltal in balance, but both of them destroy it so it's found a new job. Zygarde is a bit of a niche Pokemon on my team, only coming out when needed. When Zygarde does come out though, things are getting serious, and in the end it's this Pokemon that wins those games. Sub+Protect is an idea I took from the SubProtect Heatran that basically destroyed every single team I made last gen, and it works surprisingly well even in lieu of Heatran's sweet defensive typing, letting it stall out weak attackers that can't quite push past it. Zygarde also provides a semi-fast mode for when it's too risky to set up Trick Room, and since Talonflame apparently has some self esteem issues Zygarde's the only Pokemon here that can. Land's Wrath is an amazing move because it hits only one target - on my fairly Earthquake-prone team, Land's Wrath is a huge boon over EQ that I'm glad Zygarde has. Rock Slide is here for a bit of spread damage and the ability to do a ton of damage to Volcarona, who is still a bitch. These EVs are made to outspeed max+ base 80 Pokemon such as Gardevoir (pre-evolution), Mamoswine, and a few other Pokemon like neutral Rotom-W (I think).
Aromatisse @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Healer
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunder
- Protect
At last we get to the star of my ingame run, Aromatisse. When I first saw it in September or whenever I knew I had to have one, and I eventually did. That thing powers straight through at least 75% of everything related to Team Flare... Competitively it's not quite as good, but it's still a force to be reckoned with. It's primarily a Trick Room setter on this team. Dazzling Gleam provides a powerful Fairy spread move that smacks Dragons and Fighting-types around a bit, and Thunder fries Talonflame and Gyarados as well as some other stuff that Dazzling Gleam doesn't hit as hard. Protect rounds off the set, with a Sitrus Berry to keep a bit of health in a pinch. Aromatisse's Special Attack may be maxed, but even so it ends up playing more of an offensive support role, taking out Pokemon that my partner may not be able to or perhaps fishing for paralysis with Thunder. Aroma Veil would be preferred, but Healer is nice for now until Aroma Veil is actually implemented, letting Aromatisse get out of Taunt scot free. I may actually keep Healer in the end because of its utility - Zygarde and Trevenant in particular HATE status.
This team doesn't always require every single Pokemon to actually take place in the battle - Talonflame's utility and Ampharos's sheer power often see to that. The idea is to get Trick Room up as quickly as possible and do a ton of damage while it's up, then pick up the pieces afterward - being slow isn't as much of an issue when you can 2HKO your opponent and he can't even hope to do the same to you. Some battles don't work out quite as planned though, and then Trick Room is often eschewed in favor of taking hits with the team's bulk and hitting back until an opportunity to progress emerges. Politoed doesn't come in until it can either use its typing to its advantage, neuter a Talonflame, or boost Thunder's accuracy. Speaking of Thunder, it's not like it requires Rain - 70% accuracy works most of the time, so if there's a lead Gyarados just go ahead and fry it.
This team's been really fun to play with and I'm glad I got to build it and play against the Doubles crowd with it. I plan to make #1 with this team and I don't intend to stop. Thanks for reading!
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This is the third team I've made since the introduction of X and Y, the first being a mediocre Malamar-centered team for Pokebank Doubles and the second being a really shitty Balanced Hackmons team, and the first team I've made for the non-Pokebank metagame. It's come surprisingly far for one of my "good" teams (for those who know my BW2 Hail team, that had literally zero Pokemon changes from the point I made it). Since some of my Pokemon choices are a bit odd (Talonflame on Rain?) let's talk about that process a bit.
I threw together this team at Pwnemon's urging. It was originally going to be a straight Hailroom team, but then I remembered how much I fucking love Ampharos, so it kind of shifted away from Hailroom. Trevenant went on because I'd wanted to try it for a while, Talonflame made it on for priority Brave Bird, Aboma/Amphy for above reasons, Hitmontop because I assumed it would still be good, Slowbro for backup TR and... rain check? I basically just picked Pokemon I thought would work well. As I'm sure you guessed, it didn't, because I don't build good teams in ten minutes. That's just not happening. I noticed that Abomasnow did fuck all, so I replaced it with a Tyranitar.
This certainly did better than it did before, but it still wasn't great, so I put the team aside and focused on Y a bit more (31/x/31/31/31/31 Timid male Own Tempo Espurr with three egg moves, hell yeah). Eventually I got bored and returned to the team - my love of Ampharos had not abated. I decided I'd try out Aromatisse over Slowbro for some reason or other - possibly because of the Dragon immunity and Dark/Bug resistances. Once I got there I realized that Aromatisse's movepool isn't exactly great, but I noticed it had Thunder. This coupled with my repeatedly mentioned love for Ampharos brought me to an odd decision - Politoed! Politoed was kind of an asshole in BW2 to the point that I used a manual rain team instead (RIP Follow Me Riolu q.q), but with the weather nerf and the presence of a powerful Electric-type on the team prompted me to switch to Politoed. Also, Assault Vest Tyranitar was ass since it couldn't run Protect. Then the team looked like this:
At this point I noticed a sudden change. The team just started wrecking things. Now the only thing I wasn't satisfied with was... Hitmontop. Yes, one of the titans of the BW2 Doubles metagame wasn't doing anything notable on the team. Without Fighting Gem it didn't hit hard enough, and without Sucker Punch its priority was basically limited to Bullet Punch, which also didn't hit hard enough. I decided I'd try out something else new. Smogon Doubles has a history of allowing some stuff that might seem kind of ridiculous in OU, like Drizzle + Swift Swim / Blaziken / Excadrill / Genesect / etc. in BW2. Here, the seemingly ridiculous thing was... Zygarde. Yes, that's right, the second trio legendary to be allowed in the tier. Once I got to this point, Zygarde filled in the gap Hitmontop created with aplomb - while the loss of Fake Out was disconcerting at first, it really didn't end up being a huge deal in the end.
Trevenant @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Wood Hammer
- Shadow Claw
- Protect
BASED. FUCKING. TREE. I cannot stress how well Trevenant performs in the current metagame. Whether it's a TR set similar to the one I have listed or the insane Sub-WoW set, Trevenant just performs insanely well. Its defensive stats are kind of low, but behind the 85/76/82 exterior lies an amazing defensive typing and the ability to have every Sitrus Berry ever. That said, this set is pretty straightforward. Trick Room... well, sets Trick Room, which reverses Speed for the next few turns and is basically the entire premise of the team. Wood Hammer knifes Rotom-W, opposing Politoed, and the Ground-types the rest of the team isn't too crazy about, while Shadow Claw provides a decent secondary STAB. Protect is a vital move in Doubles that I admittedly haven't quite mastered, but it doesn't take much experience in the tier to see how important it can be. The EV spread is mostly arbitrary, sadly - I think it's slightly more efficient than 252 HP / 252 Atk Sassy? Whatever. There's a better spread of 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 SDef that always survives a Shadow Ball from MegaGengar, but I'm fine with this one because I have Wood Hammer > Horn Leech and I get a tad more livability with 244.
EDIT: updated to 44 Attack, which is a guaranteed OHKO on max HP Rotom-W and a guaranteed 2HKO on max/max+ Sitrus Politoed.
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Taunt
While it seems odd on a Rain team, Talonflame is a holdover from the original team that's without a doubt earned a permanent place on the team and on future teams of mine. It's another one of those Pokemon that's just really damn good. Priority Brave Bird is just... wow. Unfortunately, Talonflame is a bit of a one-shot Pokemon. It's hard to switch in due to its frailty and it doesn't last long on the field even if it does its job successfully. Regardless, even on a Rain Trick Room team it still has that niche of being delightfully powerful as a revenge killer, and Brave Bird lets it pick apart frailer teams - incidentally taking out the Grass-types that the rest of the team can sometimes struggle with. Taunt is vital for hitting opposing Trick Room setters before they can move, Flare Blitz smacks Klefki and Ferrothorn for solid damage, and Protect is... Protect. The EVs in this case outspeed max+ base 100s like Volcarona, MegaKangaskhan and Salamence - they might not really mean much, but a dead Ferrothorn on the opponent's side and a Talonflame dead from recoil is better than a dead Talonflame that got outsped. The HP EVs give it an odd amount of HP to take a little less from Stealth Rock - niche, I know, but with Talonflame on the rise and Volcarona deadly as ever that move might become more popular.
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
- Protect
I'm still not the biggest fan of Politoed, but it's been redeemed in my eyes almost entirely for supporting Ampharos. It's still very simple - max HP and Defense let it live hits, and Sitrus Berry gives it another chance to do that. Hydro Pump and Ice Beam hit stuff. Protect blocks hits. Perish Song was originally a "better than nothing" move, but it's turned out to be very useful, limiting the number of turns threats like MegaKangaskhan can stay in and setting a timer on those dumb Luminous Moss Slurpuff (STOP USING THAT IT SUCKS).
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Mega Ampharos. It's fantastic. It's a sheep gone psycho dragon. It's so fabulous that I have to set aside my better judgement and tag Treecko here because he is also fabulous (Oglemi is more fabulous but I don't know Oglemi as well...). There isn't any question about what Ampharos is on the team to do. It's here to destroy lives. Focus Blast is practically filler for hitting Kangaskhan and a few select Steel-types, since the only move this set really needs is Thunder. Miley Cyrus has nothing on this wrecking ball.
999/10 would build a team around again.
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Land's Wrath
- Rock Slide
Zygarde is supposed to be the legendary Pokemon keeping Xerneas and Yveltal in balance, but both of them destroy it so it's found a new job. Zygarde is a bit of a niche Pokemon on my team, only coming out when needed. When Zygarde does come out though, things are getting serious, and in the end it's this Pokemon that wins those games. Sub+Protect is an idea I took from the SubProtect Heatran that basically destroyed every single team I made last gen, and it works surprisingly well even in lieu of Heatran's sweet defensive typing, letting it stall out weak attackers that can't quite push past it. Zygarde also provides a semi-fast mode for when it's too risky to set up Trick Room, and since Talonflame apparently has some self esteem issues Zygarde's the only Pokemon here that can. Land's Wrath is an amazing move because it hits only one target - on my fairly Earthquake-prone team, Land's Wrath is a huge boon over EQ that I'm glad Zygarde has. Rock Slide is here for a bit of spread damage and the ability to do a ton of damage to Volcarona, who is still a bitch. These EVs are made to outspeed max+ base 80 Pokemon such as Gardevoir (pre-evolution), Mamoswine, and a few other Pokemon like neutral Rotom-W (I think).
Aromatisse @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Healer
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunder
- Protect
At last we get to the star of my ingame run, Aromatisse. When I first saw it in September or whenever I knew I had to have one, and I eventually did. That thing powers straight through at least 75% of everything related to Team Flare... Competitively it's not quite as good, but it's still a force to be reckoned with. It's primarily a Trick Room setter on this team. Dazzling Gleam provides a powerful Fairy spread move that smacks Dragons and Fighting-types around a bit, and Thunder fries Talonflame and Gyarados as well as some other stuff that Dazzling Gleam doesn't hit as hard. Protect rounds off the set, with a Sitrus Berry to keep a bit of health in a pinch. Aromatisse's Special Attack may be maxed, but even so it ends up playing more of an offensive support role, taking out Pokemon that my partner may not be able to or perhaps fishing for paralysis with Thunder. Aroma Veil would be preferred, but Healer is nice for now until Aroma Veil is actually implemented, letting Aromatisse get out of Taunt scot free. I may actually keep Healer in the end because of its utility - Zygarde and Trevenant in particular HATE status.
This team doesn't always require every single Pokemon to actually take place in the battle - Talonflame's utility and Ampharos's sheer power often see to that. The idea is to get Trick Room up as quickly as possible and do a ton of damage while it's up, then pick up the pieces afterward - being slow isn't as much of an issue when you can 2HKO your opponent and he can't even hope to do the same to you. Some battles don't work out quite as planned though, and then Trick Room is often eschewed in favor of taking hits with the team's bulk and hitting back until an opportunity to progress emerges. Politoed doesn't come in until it can either use its typing to its advantage, neuter a Talonflame, or boost Thunder's accuracy. Speaking of Thunder, it's not like it requires Rain - 70% accuracy works most of the time, so if there's a lead Gyarados just go ahead and fry it.
This team's been really fun to play with and I'm glad I got to build it and play against the Doubles crowd with it. I plan to make #1 with this team and I don't intend to stop. Thanks for reading!
Trevenant @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 244 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Wood Hammer
- Shadow Claw
- Protect
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Taunt
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Land's Wrath
- Rock Slide
Aromatisse @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Healer
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Dazzling Gleam
- Trick Room
- Thunder
- Protect
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 12 Atk / 244 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Trick Room
- Wood Hammer
- Shadow Claw
- Protect
Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Protect
- Taunt
Politoed @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Perish Song
- Ice Beam
- Protect
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Thunder
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 136 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Protect
- Land's Wrath
- Rock Slide
Aromatisse @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Healer
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Dazzling Gleam
- Trick Room
- Thunder
- Protect
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