ORAS Doubles OU My personal team (topped 1517)

[EndPhaze]

This is my personal team that i like to use in Doubles OU, although it was originally my Smogon Triples Team. At the moment the team has put me at the ranking of 1517

Proof^
Also, I haven't yet peaked with this team, meaning it has a lot more potential and is open to change.
Originally, as I said, this was my Smogon Triples team, although it translated almost perfectly to Doubles OU, with some minor tweaks here and there.

I started off in my Teambuilder with the thought that, if I could have a 'Mon that deals vast amounts of damage to everything on the opponents side, with strong STAB moves and a wide coverage to help it. With that thought in mind, instead of using 'Mons like Mega Zard Y ( not too fond of sun teams, or rain teams too for that matter) I wanted a Mon that could go fairly well against pretty much everything in the tier. I also wanted a Strong Mega to base my team around. Eventually, i cam to Mega Gardevoir

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Protect

I wanted to use Gardevoir because of my fond memories of GenIII, with Gardevoir being one of my mains, and i was so happy to see it get a Mega. Standard set really, Hyper Voice is for your main STAB, bypassing Substitutes, as well as hitting fairly hard every thing that doesn't resist it. Psyshock is to hit SpDef walls hard, as well as serving as an answer to Mega Zard Y

Calc: 252 SpA Mega Gardevoir Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 64 Def Mega Charizard Y: 178-210 (49.5 - 58.4%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Pixilate Mega Gardevoir Hyper Voice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 276-325 (86.2 - 101.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO252+ Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Gardevoir: 277-327 (99.6 - 117.6%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-T Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Gardevoir: 139-164 (50 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Not only that, but Mega Voir's nice speed allows it to pivot, and even without much health investment lives CS Lando-Therian rock slide, which i find more people go for rather than EQ.
The Telepathy Bonus as well, can be used if you don't want to Mega Evolve at that point in time, saving it for later, although the sooner you Mega Evolve, the better.

Which Brings us to Mon 2.
I wanted to use something that would create momentum well, and would really hit hard on most Mon's that dont resist it. I wanted a bit of Utility as well, so that not all of my Mons would die to a Rock Slide or and EQ. With that in mind, my next choice was obvious. Aegislash.

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

I used to fiddle around with Aegislash's defence stats so while in Shield Forme it would take absolutely no damage, although this left it with less offensive presence and power than it usually commanded. Max HP means that even with 0 Investment in Def it still lives quite nicely all manner of attacks, although it fears Landorus-Therian. Quite simple set really, Wide Guard for defence against EQ and Rock Slide, Heat Wave, or any matter of coverage moves. Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon for dual STAB, and King's Shield for Atk Drops and Forme Changes. Aegislash works well with most Mons on the team, providing support with Wide Guard, instead of going for a double Protect.

Mon number 3 provides a check to faster Mons, outspeeding most of the unboosted tier, and also able to offensively pivot. Landorus-Therian

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

I wanted to use the CS set for Lando-Therian mostly because its' role as a bulky or offensive SR setter mostly wouldn't be as useful in Doubles or Triples as it would be in Singles. The potential to outspeed most of the unboosted tier was also a factor that appealed greatly to me. Once again, a rather standard set. EQ is the main STAB, although in my experience is rarely used unless it is guaranteed that the benefits outweigh the potential negatives. In my experience, Rock Slide is almost always used, with U-turn for pivoting instead of flat switching, and Superpower for those mons who aren't affected by Rock Slide or EQ as well as going through mons who use Wide Guard. The Intimidate bonus is always helpful, no matter what you switch into.

For my 4th and 5th mon I wanted to shake things up a little. Instead of using rather bland, predictable sets, I wanted to give my team a bit of "wow" factor. So, i chose the two newest mons to grace Doubles OU, Hoopa-U and Volcanion.

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 Atk / 140 SpA / 176 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Gunk Shot
- Protect

Volcanion @ Power Herb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Solar Beam

Hoopa-Us' signature movies both allow it to break Protection, which is an incredible thing, as well as bypassing Substitutes. Gunk Shot is for Fairy types as well as some grass types. Although the defence drop from Hyperspace Fury can get annoying and destroy Hoopa-U's longevity on the field

For Volcanion, its' signature STAB in Steam Eruption hits everything that doesn't resist it hard, and still does around 30-40% on Heatran while in the sun. Heat Wave is for spread damage, with both moves having a burn chance, which can be useful from time to time. Protect is always obvious, but Solar Beam is for other bulky water types, which otherwise Volcanion struggles against, like Suicune or non Sap-Sipper Azumarill


My last mon is helpful for a bit more utility, and still hits hard with its two STABs'
Talonflame

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- Tailwind

With a Priority Tailwind to help the entire teem speed along and outspeed a large section of the team. Flare Blitz is for bulky steel types that otherwise put a hamper on the team such as Ferrothorn, or pesky Ice types. A priority Brave Bird is a must, so that in a tight situation you can attack first and deal a large amount of damage to your enemy. Beware of Rocky Helmet or Rough Skin/ Iron Barbs mons however, as after 1 attack you often have less that half health left

Importable

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Telepathy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Protect

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Volcanion @ Power Herb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Protect
- Solar Beam

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 192 Atk / 140 SpA / 176 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Gunk Shot
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- Tailwind

 

[Test Bot #]

Well, this team can definitely improve (as you had stated):

1. Mega Gardevoir is a strong choice, especially when you have the right Mon to complement it. However, there are issues of speed. Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard-Y (w/ max speed) have the same speed, so if Mega Charizard-Y moves first, then you will be at a disadvantage. Furthermore, occasional Overheat will OHKO your Mega Gardevoir, so keep that in mind. (It's good thing that you have a Choice Landorus-T.) Yet, one change that I would make is implementing HP Fire/Ground to its moveset. It will take care of Ferrothorn/Heatran and put a decent damage to other threats.

2. Personally, I don't see how that extra 4 EVs on Aegislash's SpD is going to help you. I suggest that you use it on speed as you will out-speed other Aegislashes. But in all honesty, it really doesn't matter, and it is just another way to get you out a situational speed battle. Landorus-T is alright.

3. Volcanion shouldn't have Power Herb or Solar Beam. If you want to kill water types, I suggest that you have another Mon as Volcanion is better off having Sludge Bomb, Earth Power, or Substitute. Thus, I suggest that you remove Talonflame and put Thundurus. Although you'll lose priority Brave Bird, at least you'll have something decent to stand against Water types. In addition, Taunt will be handy in the case of potential TR, Wide Guard, etc.

5. I'm ehh... on Hoopa-U. It's mostly because he is very vulnerable to U-turns. I would rather use him in a TR team, but if you want to go Hyper Offensive, then I suggest that you put a Focus Sash or a Choice Scarf on him. If that doesn't improve your situation, then you're better off with Amoonguss. It'll help you in the case of TR and other tough spots.

 

[talkingtree]

Hi EndPhaze, this is a pretty cool team, the power of Mega Gardevoir + Volcanion can break through a bunch of unprepared teams and in general, you seem pretty prepared for most team archetypes. There's just a few suggestions that I have that I think could really help this team become even better.

First, let's start with the major changes. Your team is rather weak to rain, as you only have one Pokemon that can really take Water-type attacks and it's Volcanion, which is rather susceptible to Earthquake from Mega Swampert or Draco Meteor from Kingdra, so it's not helping you much there. To help, I'd suggest replacing Hoopa-U with Hydreigon. Hoopa-U is incredibly reliant on speed control, so having only Talonflame to provide that makes it a risky pick that doesn't add much to the team that couldn't otherwise be covered by Hydreigon.

There's also a fair number of small set changes that I think could really help you out. First up is Mega Garde, which isn't the greatest user of Focus Blast due to its shaky accuracy and the fact that it doesn't even get a guaranteed OHKO on Mega Kangaskhan. Instead, I'd recommend changing Focus Blast to Encore, which improves your matchup against Substitute users that would benefit from the change away from Hoopa-U and also allows the rest of the team a bit more free space to get damage off with something locked into a harmless move such as Fake Out or Protect. I'd also recommend moving 4 SpA EVs to HP, which guarantees that Mega Gardevoir will always live a Landorus-I Sludge Bomb. Trace over Telepathy is also probably worthwhile to potentially get useful abilities like Swift Swim, Magic Bounce, or Intimidate; as Hydreigon provides Landorus-T with a second teammate it can safely use Earthquake beside. Next, you have Aegislash. This set is fairly straightforward so there's not much worth considering, but given that your team has Tailwind support, you should consider using 84 Speed EVs and a Modest Nature so that Aegislash will move before base 111s (Thundurus and below, which includes things like Latios and Mega Diancie) when Tailwind is up. Your Landorus-T set, as you noted, is also fairly standard, but the EVs you've chosen are not. The Speed investment seems, to me, to be random so I'd recommend either using maximum speed or a slower, bulky Scarf set. Whichever you go with is up to you, and basically comes down to preferring the slower U-Turn as opposed to the chance to win the Landorus-T mirror lategame. Next up is Volcanion, which really doesn't have the space to use Solar Beam in its moveset. This also frees up an itemslot, which I think should be occupied by Safety Goggles, while Solar Beam should be replaced by Sludge Bomb to improve your Azumarill matchup and chances against opposing Fairy-types, as you will no longer have Gunk Shot Hoopa to hit them. Volcanion is also better off running some speed to take advantage of the Tailwind turns that you may gain, so using either 140 Speed EVs or 172 Speed EVs allows Volcanion to outpace Adamant Scarf Landorus-T under Tailwind or Diancie on the turn that it Mega Evolves, respectively. There are no major bulk benchmarks between those two, so the choice is really up to you.

Here's an updated Importable with all the changes that I've suggested, hopefully some of them will work for you! Good luck with the team!

Importable

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Encore
- Protect

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe OR 56 HP / 212 Atk / 56 Def / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Bulky Set Details

This EV spread allows Landorus-T to live a bulky Thundurus' HP Ice, a +1 LO Bisharp's Sucker Punch, or two -1 LO Talonflame Brave Birds. The Speed allows Landorus-T to always outrun Mega Gengar, and the remaining EVs are placed in Attack.

Volcanion @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 116 HP / 252 SpA / 140 Spe OR 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Protect

OR Bulky Hydreigon

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 216 HP / 152 SpA / 16 SpD / 124 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- Tailwind

 

[EndPhaze]

Well, this team can definitely improve (as you had stated):

1. Mega Gardevoir is a strong choice, especially when you have the right Mon to complement it. However, there are issues of speed. Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard-Y (w/ max speed) have the same speed, so if Mega Charizard-Y moves first, then you will be at a disadvantage. Furthermore, occasional Overheat will OHKO your Mega Gardevoir, so keep that in mind. (It's good thing that you have a Choice Landorus-T.) Yet, one change that I would make is implementing HP Fire/Ground to its moveset. It will take care of Ferrothorn/Heatran and put a decent damage to other threats.

2. Personally, I don't see how that extra 4 EVs on Aegislash's SpD is going to help you. I suggest that you use it on speed as you will out-speed other Aegislashes. But in all honesty, it really doesn't matter, and it is just another way to get you out a situational speed battle. Landorus-T is alright.

3. Volcanion shouldn't have Power Herb or Solar Beam. If you want to kill water types, I suggest that you have another Mon as Volcanion is better off having Sludge Bomb, Earth Power, or Substitute. Thus, I suggest that you remove Talonflame and put Thundurus. Although you'll lose priority Brave Bird, at least you'll have something decent to stand against Water types. In addition, Taunt will be handy in the case of potential TR, Wide Guard, etc.

5. I'm ehh... on Hoopa-U. It's mostly because he is very vulnerable to U-turns. I would rather use him in a TR team, but if you want to go Hyper Offensive, then I suggest that you put a Focus Sash or a Choice Scarf on him. If that doesn't improve your situation, then you're better off with Amoonguss. It'll help you in the case of TR and other tough spots.

Interesting. Veeery interesting. First off I will probably change Focus Blast to either HP Fire or Ground, depending on what I tend to see more of. Most likely it will be changed to HP Fire, due to Ferrothorn being much more annoying to deal with that Heatran.
Regarding the changes to Volcanion, I will test out these changes and see how well they fit into the team as it stands

Hi EndPhaze, this is a pretty cool team, the power of Mega Gardevoir + Volcanion can break through a bunch of unprepared teams and in general, you seem pretty prepared for most team archetypes. There's just a few suggestions that I have that I think could really help this team become even better.

First, let's start with the major changes. Your team is rather weak to rain, as you only have one Pokemon that can really take Water-type attacks and it's Volcanion, which is rather susceptible to Earthquake from Mega Swampert or Draco Meteor from Kingdra, so it's not helping you much there. To help, I'd suggest replacing Hoopa-U with Hydreigon. Hoopa-U is incredibly reliant on speed control, so having only Talonflame to provide that makes it a risky pick that doesn't add much to the team that couldn't otherwise be covered by Hydreigon.

There's also a fair number of small set changes that I think could really help you out. First up is Mega Garde, which isn't the greatest user of Focus Blast due to its shaky accuracy and the fact that it doesn't even get a guaranteed OHKO on Mega Kangaskhan. Instead, I'd recommend changing Focus Blast to Encore, which improves your matchup against Substitute users that would benefit from the change away from Hoopa-U and also allows the rest of the team a bit more free space to get damage off with something locked into a harmless move such as Fake Out or Protect. I'd also recommend moving 4 SpA EVs to HP, which guarantees that Mega Gardevoir will always live a Landorus-I Sludge Bomb. Trace over Telepathy is also probably worthwhile to potentially get useful abilities like Swift Swim, Magic Bounce, or Intimidate; as Hydreigon provides Landorus-T with a second teammate it can safely use Earthquake beside. Next, you have Aegislash. This set is fairly straightforward so there's not much worth considering, but given that your team has Tailwind support, you should consider using 84 Speed EVs and a Modest Nature so that Aegislash will move before base 111s (Thundurus and below, which includes things like Latios and Mega Diancie) when Tailwind is up. Your Landorus-T set, as you noted, is also fairly standard, but the EVs you've chosen are not. The Speed investment seems, to me, to be random so I'd recommend either using maximum speed or a slower, bulky Scarf set. Whichever you go with is up to you, and basically comes down to preferring the slower U-Turn as opposed to the chance to win the Landorus-T mirror lategame. Next up is Volcanion, which really doesn't have the space to use Solar Beam in its moveset. This also frees up an itemslot, which I think should be occupied by Safety Goggles, while Solar Beam should be replaced by Sludge Bomb to improve your Azumarill matchup and chances against opposing Fairy-types, as you will no longer have Gunk Shot Hoopa to hit them. Volcanion is also better off running some speed to take advantage of the Tailwind turns that you may gain, so using either 140 Speed EVs or 172 Speed EVs allows Volcanion to outpace Adamant Scarf Landorus-T under Tailwind or Diancie on the turn that it Mega Evolves, respectively. There are no major bulk benchmarks between those two, so the choice is really up to you.

Here's an updated Importable with all the changes that I've suggested, hopefully some of them will work for you! Good luck with the team!

Importable

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Encore
- Protect

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe OR 56 HP / 212 Atk / 56 Def / 184 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Bulky Set Details

This EV spread allows Landorus-T to live a bulky Thundurus' HP Ice, a +1 LO Bisharp's Sucker Punch, or two -1 LO Talonflame Brave Birds. The Speed allows Landorus-T to always outrun Mega Gengar, and the remaining EVs are placed in Attack.

Volcanion @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 116 HP / 252 SpA / 140 Spe OR 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Protect

OR Bulky Hydreigon

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 216 HP / 152 SpA / 16 SpD / 124 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- Tailwind

Once again as with above^, verrry interesting. The Changes to Landorus-Therian make him bulkier and harder to kill, while still coupled with enough speed when paired with a CS. I like the changes, as the prospects they bring. I'll try out said changes and see how well they work out within the team. A bulky, hard-hitting Lando-T can be a fearsome thing to come against.
Solarbeam is somewhat of a niche move on Volcanion, and is only rarely useful, I've found that although it is highly unexpected, and can certainly take people by surprise when they switch into a bulky water type such as Suicune or Azumarill. I will most likely change it to Earth Power or Sludge Bomb, and test how efficiently it works on the team.
However, I think that replacing Hoopa-U with Hydreigon would be somewhat of a mistake. The Ability to break protection, almost at whim is an incredibly useful thing. Hyperspace Hole OHKO's 252 HP, 68 Def Aegislash Shield Forme, which although is relatively easy, is much more useful if they go for Kings' Shield, as well as being just generally being useful being able to go through protection, as well as Substitutes. Other moves that go through protection, mainly Feint, have a low base power, as well as being used by Mons with slightly lower than base 160 Attack.
The changes to Aegislashs' EV spread will be taken into due consideration

 

[qsns]

the above post is utterly wrong, Talonflame is a top tier DOU Pokemon and it finds its home on this team perfectly due to its ability to check sun which your team otherwise struggles with and a reliable way to snipe foes weakened by Gardevoir's Hyper Voice in the early game. Zapdos saps momentum from an otherwise very offensive team and is not worth consideration.

i like tree's rate a lot though one thing i would most definitely consider on this team is Timid EP Hydreigon. Usually not my favorite set, as I almost always prefer a bulkier spread w/ Roost, but this team cannot afford to lose a mon to an opposing Timid Hydreigon and would like to give it as little breathing room as possible. other Hydreigon kind of get a kill every time it comes in on your team when Gardevoir is not out, so Timid at least gives you the chance to tie. Also helps vs non Scarf Jolly Lando like EBelt, LO, or AV, as you can hit em before they Superpower you, which is p nice for a team that has limited switchins to an offensive variant.

edit: oh u dont like the hydreigon change

Hydreigon provides defensive utility to your team and fills some holes that reaaally need fixing. You are very prone to getting swept by Scarf Lando-T's EQ late game when Talon is down and similarly, you lack EQ resists of your own to effectively threaten the opponent with your own quakes. It also gives you a secondary Water resist which is huge against Rain considering Volcanion doesn't do much to Ludicolo. Breaking Aegislash's King's Shield is cool and all but it's a little less nifty when you have two Fire-types that pressure it a fuck ton, and its not like Hydreigon doesn't threaten Aegis.

edit 2: also Hydreigon deals w/ Volcanion a lot better which is important because your team is kinda forced to lose a mon to weaken it otherwise