VGC Doubles Team Building

Official Pokemon Tournaments are typically played in the Doubles Format, making learning how to build the best doubles team vital for Competitive Ranked Battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV). Read on to learn the basics of doubles team building in Gen 9, recommended Pokemon, best double team, and important moves to build the best Doubles Team for competitive play!

Team Building Guides
Singles Guide	Doubles Guide

How to Build a Doubles Team

Pokemon selection, their roles, and what they contribute are important factors to consider when building a team. Putting a Pokemon into your team with purpose and understanding how they synergize with the rest of the team will largely affect how the team performs, and how you look at and analyze other teams.

Cores

A core refers to a group of Pokemon that naturally have synergy together, where each Pokemon is covered by its teammates offensively and defensively. A basic rule of thumb when building Doubles teams is following either a 3-3 rule, consisting of two cores, or 2-2-2 which consists of 3 pairs of Pokemon who synergize with each other.

Having a good mix of Physical and Special Attackers, Pokemon with different Speeds, as well as Support Pokemon make for effective Doubles teams

3-3 Core

First 3
Pokemon	Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style	Tornadus (Incarnate Forme)	Flutter Mane
Ability	Unseen Fist	Prankster	Protosynthesis
Held Item	Mystic Water	Covert Cloak	Booster Energy
Role	Physical Attacker	Support / Utility	Special Attacker
Second 3
Pokemon	Landorus (Therian Forme)	Rillaboom	Heatran
Ability	Intimidate	Grassy Surge	Flash Fire
Held Item	Clear Amulet	Assault Vest	Life Orb
Role	Physical Attacker	Support / Physical Attacker	Physical Attacker

A 3-3 Core consists of two Cores of three, with at least 3 Pokemon having synergy with each other at a time. The 3-3 Core can have different modes, like in the example below, with Tornadus being able to provide support to each of its teammates

Members of this team can also synergize with the rest, with Pokemon being able to switch in for each other at any given time.

2-2-2 Core

Trick Room
Pokemon	Cresselia	Ursaluna
Ability	Levitate	Guts
Held Item	Mental Herb	Flame Orb
Role	Support / Trick Room Setter	Physical Attacker
Physically Offensive
Pokemon	Chien-Pao	Dragonite
Ability	Sword of Ruin	Inner Focus
Held Item	Focus Sash	Choice Band
Role	Physical Attacker	Trick Room Setter / Support
Sun
Pokemon	Torkoal	Hisuian Lilligant
Ability	Drought	Chlorophyll
Held Item	Charcoal	Wide Lens
Role	Trick Room Sweeper	Support / Utility

2-2-2 has three Cores of two, with each pair of Pokemon having natural synergy with each other. 2-2-2 has more modes available, and is usually easier to build and pilot. 2-2-2 teams are usually very offensive and fast.

Best Cores for Regulation E VGC

The Teal Mask DLC introduces us to new Pokemon and reintroduces old favorites. Most of what was good in Regulation D are still good, with a few new cores and strategies being added to the mix.

The Teal Mask DLC

Regulation E Trick Room

Trick Room
Pokemon	Dusclops	Conkeldurr
Ability	Frisk	Guts
Held Item	Eviolite	Flame Orb
Role	Support	Physical Attacker

Trick Room remains powerful in Regulation E with the reintroduction of Dusclops as the premiere Trick Room Setter, possibly overtaking Cresselia. While Dusclops would do well with Ursaluna, it could also work well with another Guts Attacker in Conkeldurr.

Regulation E Rain

Rain
Pokemon	Politoed	Ludicolo
Ability	Drizzle	Swift Swim
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Life Orb
Role	Support	Special Attacker

Ludicolo makes a return with its usual partner, Politoed, as a strong offensive duo with Rain. With Terastallization, Ludicolo and Politoed become even harder to face down, proving even more unpredictable compared to previous Pokemon games.

Galarian Weezing

Galarian Weezing Team
Pokemon	Galarian Weezing	Slaking
Ability	Neutralizing Gas	Truant
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Silk Scarf
Role	Support / Special Attacker	Physical Attacker

Galarian Weezing's return in Regulation E enables strategies involving Slaking, a Pokemon with an otherwise disadvantageous Ability in Truant. Galarian Weezing's Ability shuts off every other Abilty, giving way for powerful attackers like Slaking.

We could also see Galarian Weezing be paired with Paradox Pokemon, who do not always require their Abilities to be activated for them to be useful. Iron Hands for instance has found success in previous Regulation Formats without the need for Booster Energy or Electric Terrain.

Regulation E Perish Trap

Perish Trap
Pokemon	Politoed	Gothitelle
Ability	Drizzle	Shadow Tag
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Iapapa Berry
Role	Perish Song User	Trapper

Politoed works as a slow Perish Song user, which almost always allows it to faint last in Perish Song. Its sizeable bulk allows it to withstand multiple hits. With a defensive Tera Type and Terastallization, Politoed becomes even harder to KO.

It partners nicely with Gothitelle, who already has good bulk by itself, and has the powerful Shadow Tag Ability, which prevents opponents from switching out, except for Ghost-types.

Best Cores for Regulation D VGC

Pokemon HOME reintroduces familiar competitive Pokemon, while introducing new ones from Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Powerful Legendaries and Hisuian Pokemon will be in the format and are sure to shake up the metagame!

It is important to identify the roles that each Pokemon will play when choosing Pokemon for your team!

All Pokemon HOME Transferable Pokemon

Regulation D Trick Room

Trick Room
Pokemon	Ursaluna	Cresselia	Iron Hands
Ability	Guts	Levitate	Quark Drive
Held Item	Flame Orb	Mental Herb	Assault Vest
Role	Physical Attacker	Support	Support / Physical Attacker

Trick Room is even more powerful in Regulation D with the introduction of Cresselia as the premiere Trick Room Setter, and a new Trick Room Attacker in Ursaluna. Iron Hands can help enable Trick Room with Fake Out support and is a valuable member in any Trick Room team.

Tornadus and Urshifu

Tornadus and Urshifu
Pokemon	Tornadus (Incarnate Forme)	Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style
Ability	Prankster	Unseen Fist
Held Item	Covert Cloak	Mystic Water
Role	Support / Special Attacker	Physical Attacker

Rapid-Strike Urshifu is a perfect partner for Tornadus, as its middling speed makes for a great recipient for Tailwind boosts. Tornadus can also set up Rain Dance and boost the effectiveness of Surging Strikes.

Basculegion with Rain

Basculegion with Rain
Pokemon	Basculegion (Male)	Pelipper
Ability	Swift Swim	Drizzle
Held Item	Life Orb	Focus Sash
Role	Physical Attacker	Support / Special Attacker

Though this duo has many shared weaknesses, its main strength is hyper-offense, which aims to take out as many of the opponent's Pokemon as possible, before they can take out yours.

Pelipper boosts the offensive power of Basculegion (Male)'s Water-type Attacks as well doubling its Speed with Swift Swim.

Sneasler and Rillaboom

Sneasler and Rillaboom
Pokemon	Sneasler	Rillaboom
Ability	Unburden	Grassy Surge
Held Item	Grassy Seed	Assault Vest
Role	Physical Attacker	Support / Physical Attacker

Rillaboom is a solid partner for Sneasler as it can use Fake Out to flinch faster threats, as well as naturally trigger Sneasler's Grassy Seed with its Grassy Surge.

Because of its mediocre defenses, Sneasler benefits from greatly from Grassy Seed's Defense boost. It also powers up Sneasler's Acrobatics, and doubles its Speed through Unburden.

Regulation D Fire-Water-Grass

Fire-Water-Grass
Pokemon	Heatran	Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style	Rillaboom
Ability	Flash Fire	Unseen Fist	Grassy Surge
Held Item	Life Orb	Mystic Water	Assault Vest
Role	Support / Special Attacker	Physical Attacker	Support / Physical Attacker

Heatran, Rapid Strike Urshifu, and Rillaboom form a solid Fire-Water-Grass Balance Core that can cover each other's weaknesses. These three offer perfect type synergy, and give your team defensive switch options. They are also able to hit a variety of types for super-effective thanks to each Pokemon's coverage options. These three Pokemon are usually accompanied by Pokemon with Speed Control options such as Tornadus-I, Thundurus-I, or Regieleki.

Grimmsnarl and Hisuian Goodra

Grimmsnarl and Hisuian Goodra
Pokemon	Grimmsnarl	Hisuian Goodra
Ability	Prankster	Shell Armor
Held Item	Light Clay	Leftovers
Role	Support	Tank / Physical Attacker

Grimmsnarl is a great partner for Hisuian Goodra as it can help it stay in the game longer thanks to its Screens support. Behind Screens, Hisuian Goodra can comfortably set up Acid Armor, and dish out boosted Body Presses.

Chien-Pao and Dragonite

Chien-Pao and Dragonite
Pokemon	Chien-Pao	Dragonite
Ability	Sword of Ruin	Inner Focus
Held Item	Focus Sash	Choice Band
Role	Physical Attacker	Physical Attacker

Chien-Pao and Dragonite are still a powerful duo in Regulation D. They can be splashed into any team, and improve the team's physical offense simply by being there.

Chien-Pao and its Sword of Ruin Ability makes Priority Move users like Dragonite with Choice Band even more powerful.

Chien-Pao is also able to clear out Psychic and Grassy Terrain with Ice Spinner, enabling Dragonite's Extreme Speed to deal sizeable chunks of damage to opposing Pokemon.

Best Cores for Regulation C VGC

The Treasures of Ruin are usable for the first time in Regulation C, enabling both offense and defense for team compositions.

Ranked Battle Series 3 (Regulation C): Rules and Banned Pokemon

Palance Core

Palance Core
Pokemon	Amoonguss	Arcanine	Palafin
Ability	Regenerator	Intimidate	Zero to Hero
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Safety Goggles	Mystic Water
Role	Support / Redirection	Support / Physical Attacker	Physical Attacker

Palafin Balance, or otherwise known as 'Palance' consists of Palafin, Amoonguss, and Arcanine. This may feature other high synergy Pokemon, like Flutter Mane or Chi-Yu.

Team compositions with these three Pokemon lets the player lead with Palafin and a partner, with Palafin being able to switch out to either Amoonguss or Arcanine. These three also comprise a consistent Grass / Fire / Water core, which has great natural synergy.

During the late-game, Amoonguss and Palafin make up a very difficult to beat pairing thanks to Amoonguss' redirection and Spore, and Palafin's Hero Form damage output.

Chien-Pao and Dragonite / Palafin

Chien-Pao and Dragonite / Palafin
Pokemon	Chien-Pao	Dragonite	Palafin
Ability	Sword of Ruin	Inner Focus	Zero to Hero
Held Item	Focus Sash	Choice Band	Mystic Water
Role	Physical Attacker	Physical Attacker	Physical Attacker

Chien-Pao and its Sword of Ruin Ability makes Priority Move users like Dragonite with Choice Band even more powerful, as well as Palafin with Mystic Waterl.

Chien-Pao is also able to clear out Psychic Terrain with Ice Spinner, enabling Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Palafin's Jet Punch.

Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane

Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane
Pokemon	Chi-Yu	Flutter Mane
Ability	Beads of Ruin	Protosynthesis
Held Item	Choice Scarf	Focus Sash
Role	Special Attacker	Special Attacker

Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane make for a powerful duo who can click spread moves with little counterplay. Chi-Yu's Beads of Ruin Ability can assist Flutter Mane score decisive knock outs. Chi-Yu can also work as a deterrent to Steel-types who want to match up against Flutter Mane.

Garganacl with Wo-Chien and Ting-Lu

Garganacl with Wo-Chien and Ting-Lu
Pokemon	Garganacl	Wo-Chien	Ting-Lu
Ability	Purifying Salt	Vessel of Ruin	Tablets of Ruin
Held Item	Leftovers	Assault Vest	Sitrus Berry
Role	Tank	Tank	Tank

Both of Wo-Chien and Ting-Lu's Abilities can help Garganacl (and themselves) be unbreakable walls. Team compositions such as this will typically aim to outlast opponents using the Pokemon's bulk, Ting-Lu's Vessel of Ruin and Wo-Chien's Tablets of Ruin Ability, HP recovering items, and stall moves like Leech Seed and Salt Cure to score their wins.

Both Ting-Lu and Wo-Chien have access to Ruination, which can make stalling even easier.

Maus Ape

Maus Ape
Pokemon	Annihilape	Maushold
Ability	Defiant	Friend Guard
Held Item	Leftovers	Safety Goggles
Role	Offensive Tank	Support

Annihilape and Tera Ghost Maushold make for an unstoppable duo. Maushold can protect itself from Fake Out with Tera Ghost, while raising the power of Annihilape's Rage Fist with Beat Up.

Maushold can then protect Annihilape with Follow Me and give it some added bulk with its Friend Guard Ability.

Maushold with Follow Me and Safety Goggles can also improve a team's matchup against Lillikoal (Lilligant Torkoal) because Maushold can redirect After You away from Torkoal, and Sleep Powder away from Annihilape.

This strategy may struggle against redirection, however, with Rage Fist being nullified by a Normal-type Follow Me user such as Indeedee-F or opposing Maushold.

Glimmora with Dondozo and Tatsugiri

Glimmora with Dondozo and Tatsugiri
Pokemon	Glimmora	Dondozo	Tatsugiri
Ability	Toxic Debris	Unaware	Commander
Held Item	Assault Vest	Leftovers	Choice Scarf
Role	Special Attacker	Tank	Special Attacker

Dondozo and Tatsugiri continue to be a threat in Regulation C, especially with Murkrow seeing less play and Haze being less common.

Dondozo, after Tatsugiri's omni-boost, can Terastallize into a number of different types. Grass to protect itself from Spore and Rage Powder, Fire to grant itself immunity to Will-O-Wisp, Steel and Dragon to give itself more immunities.

Stretchy Tatsugiri appears to be the best option for this team setup, increasing Dondozo's Speed whenever it uses Order Up.

Glimmora makes an appearance in this team composition because of its ability to spread Poison with its Toxic Debris Ability and Mortal Spin. Affliciting opponents with Poison can help break Focus Sash, help Dondozo and Tatsugiri outlast its opponents, and also whittle down opposing tanky Pokemon.

Series 2 Cores

Paradox Pokemon make their debut in Series 2, changing the way teams are built with their inclusion. Expect to see these Pokemon in team compositions.

Despite the inclusion of new powerful Pokemon, prominent Series 1 staples will still be relevant, such as Dondozo and Tatsugiri and Indeedee-F and Armarouge.

Good Stuff

Good Stuff
Pokemon	Flutter Mane	Iron Bundle	Iron Hands
Ability	Protosynthesis	Quark Drive	Quark Drive
Held Item	Choice Specs	Focus Sash	Assault Vest
Role	Special Attacker	Special Attacker	Physical Attacker

The easiest and most effective teams to build are Good Stuff teams. These teams vary depending on the available Pokemon in the format as they usually involve the best Pokemon available. They make use of only the most necessary and effective tools. Good Stuff teams don't aim to be creative; they aim to be effective.

Oftentimes, these teams also make use of the best support Pokemon available, in this case, they are Amoonguss and Arcanine.

Weather Cores

Pokemon with good defensive synergy often work well together in Weather Cores. These frequently come with a Weather Setter, a Weather Abuser, and a Defensive Switch-in, which is usually a Pokemon that is teched into the team because of its defensive typing and ability to switch in for its teammates

Sun Core
Pokemon	Flutter Mane	Torkoal	Brute Bonnet
Ability	Protosynthesis	Drought	Protosynthesis
Held Item	Focus Sash	Safety Goggles	Life Orb
Role	Special Attacker / Weather Abuser	Special Attacker / Weather Setter	Physical Attacker / Weather Abuser / Switch-in

Torkoal gives Flutter Mane a consistent way to trigger its Protosynthesis Ability, boosting its Speed even further. With Iron Bundles leaning towards running Focus Sash and minimal ways to trigger its Quark Drive, Flutter Mane with a Speed Boost will usually be the fastest Pokemon on the field, while still affording to have Focus Sash.

Torkoal can afford to deviate from its role as a Trick Room sweeper by running supportive Moves such as Helping Hand and Yawn.

Brute Bonnet can switch into Ghost-type Moves intended for Flutter Mane, and Ground-type Moves directed at Torkoal thanks to its typings that resist Ghost and Ground.

Rain Core
Pokemon	Palafin	Pelipper	Iron Hands
Ability	Zero to Hero	Drizzle	Quark Drive
Held Item	Mystic Water	Sitrus Berry	Assault Vest
Role	Physical Attacker / Weather Abuser	Special Attacker / Weather Setter	Physical Attacker / Switch-in

Palafin becomes absurdly powerful in Rain, which boosts all of its Water-type Moves. With Water Tera and Mystic Water, Palafin is a force to behold. Pelipper is the most reliable Rain Setter available, thus making them natural partners.
Pelipper is able to set up Tailwind when needed, as well as protect its team with Wide Guard.

Both have glaring weaknesses to Electric-type Attacks, which Iron Hands comfortably soaks up on switch in. Iron Hands can also help its team with Fake Out.

Palafin and Pelipper can also support Iron Hands with their positive matchups against Ground-type Pokemon.

This core was used to great success in the recently concluded 2023 Oceanic International Championships by the champion, Gavin Michaels.

VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Oceania International

Psy Spam

Psy Spam
Pokemon	Indeedee (Female)	Armarouge
Ability	Psychic Surge	Flash Fire
Held Item	Psychic Seed	Life Orb
Role	Trick Room Setter / Redirection / Support	Trick Room Setter / Special Attacker

Indeedee-F and Armarouge are a dangerous duo to go up against on Ranked Battles, mainly because of their unpredictability. Both can have the move, Trick Room, leaving the opponents to guess which one will use it. Successfully setting up Trick Room usually guarantees a win for this duo, as Armarouge can sweep through teams with Helping Hand-boosted Expanding Force. Knocking one of these two out out will allow Torkoal to come in and click Eruption, which will also sweep through teams.

Iron Hands and Farigiraf
Pokemon	Iron Hands	Farigiraf
Ability	Quark Drive	Armor Tail
Held Item	Assault Vest	Throat Spray
Role	Trick Room Attacker / Support	Trick Room Setter / Special Attacker

Iron Hands (or the less popular Hariyama) is great for enabling Trick Room thanks to its Fake Out support. Farigiraf, with its natural bulk, becomes an even more consistent Trick Room Setter. These team compositions will usually also have Torkoal in the back, ready to click Eruption.

Perish Trap

Perish Trap
Pokemon	Scream Tail	Gothitelle	Arcanine
Ability	Protosynthesis	Shadow Tag	Intimidate
Held Item	Leftovers	Sitrus Berry	Safety Goggles
Role	Perish Song User	Trapper	Support

Perish Trap, which gets its name from Perish Song and Shadow Tag's trapping, make for a team that is difficult to deal with. Ghost-types are important in matchups against Perish Trap teams, because they are able to switch out under the effects of Shadow Tag.

Scream Tail is moderately bulky and can consistently set up Perish Song while Gothitelle simply has to stay on the field for three turns.

Arcanine is great for neutering your opponent's offense thanks to a combination of Intimidate, Will-O-Wisp and Snarl, allowing your Pokemon to not get KOd and stall out enough turns for Perish Song to KO the opposing side. It is also a good matchup against common Ghost-types, able to threaten Gholdengo with its Fire-type STAB Moves, and inflict burn on Annihilape.

Great Tusk and Talonflame

Great Tusk and Talonflame
Pokemon	Great Tusk	Talonflame
Ability	Protosynthesis	Gale Wings
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Covert Cloak
Role	Physical Attacker	Support

Talonflame can set up Tailwind for Great Tusk and allow it to outspeed unboosted Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle. It can also use Will-O-Wisp to protect Great Tusk from other Physical Attackers.

Talonflame can also protect its team from Amoonguss' disruption with Taunt, as well as stop Trick Room from successfully going up, or stopping Arcanine from using Will-O-Wisp on Great Tusk.

Great Tusk can use Earthquake alongside Talonflame who can safely ignore it thanks to its Flying typing, and it can also make use of Headlong Rush to take clean KOs.

Acid Spray Flutter Mane

Acid Spray Flutter Mane
Pokemon	Iron Moth	Flutter Mane
Ability	Quark Drive	Protosynthesis
Held Item	Booster Energy	Focus Sash
Role	Support / Special Attacker	Special Attacker

Iron Moth with a Speed boost from Booster Energy can help Flutter Mane get decisive KOs with Acid Spray lowering the opponent's Special Defense by two stages. Iron Moth can work as a back up attacker as well, thanks to its good Special Attack and Speed stats.

Series 1 Cores

These are examples of team building cores that you can use as reference for your own team building.

Fire/Water/Grass Core

Fire/Water/Grass
Pokemon	Arcanine	Palafin	Amoonguss
Ability	Intimidate	Zero to Hero	Regenerator
Held Item	Sitrus Berry	Mystic Water	Occa Berry
Role	Support / Utility	Physical Attacker	Disruption / Redirection

While the core sounds basic, Fire/Water/Grass have great natural synergy. Teams with Fire/Water/Grass Cores usually have great switch ins to each other, increasing the overall defense of the team simply by having three synergistic Pokemon together.

Fairy/Dragon/Steel Core

Fairy/Dragon/Steel
Pokemon	Sylveon	Hydreigon	Gholdengo
Ability	Pixilate	Levitate	Good as Gold
Held Item	Throat Spray	Scope Lens	Life Orb
Role	Special Attacker	Special Attacker	Special Attacker

Fairy, Dragon, and Steel-types usually have high base stats, and putting them all together in a team is rarely a bad idea. This core is difficult to completely wall because of its Offensive typings, but it is also not easy to break because of its Defensive synergy.

Murkrow and Gholdengo

Murkrow and Gholdengo
Pokemon	Murkrow	Gholdengo
Ability	Prankster	Good as Gold
Held Item	Eviolite	Life Orb
Role	Support	Special Attacker

Gholdengo finds a powerful ally in Murkrow, who is able to set up Tailwind for it and remove Special Attack reductions with Haze. Murkrow is also able to severely damage Physical Attackers with Foul Play, setting up KOs on Pokemon like Garchomp and Dragonite.

Gholdengo's Make it Rain offers immense offensive pressure from the get go, with Murkrow's support making it even more powerful.
Doubles Tier List for Competitive and VGC (March 2023)

Doubles Speed Control

The fast-paced nature of Doubles means speed control is essential and can shift the tide of the battle.

Move	Effect in Doubles
Tailwind	Doubles the user and its ally Pokemon's speed for 4 turns.
Trick Room	Reverses move order for 5 turns. Pokemon with a lower speed stat will move first when under this effect. Using the move will end the effect of existing Trick Room.
Icy Wind	Hits all opposing Pokemon and lowers the target's speed by 1 stage.

Speed Explained: How Does Speed Work?

Doubles Redirection

This is an exclusive mechanic to Doubles gameplay and is vital to controling the battle in your favor. Redirection can be active or passive, and allow you to redirect moves and status away from frailer Pokemon.

Active Redirection

Move	Effect in Doubles
Follow Me	Redirects all single-target attacks to the user. This move's redirection goes before passive redirection such as Storm Drain and Lightning Rod.
Rage Powder	Redirects all single-target attacks to the user. This move's redirection goes before passive redirection such as Storm Drain and Lightning Rod. Pokemon with the abilities Overcoat, Stalwart, Propeller Tail, Grass-type Pokemon, and Pokemon holding Safety Goggles are immune to this move.

List of Redirection Moves

Passive Redirection

Ability	Effect in Doubles
Lightning Rod	Draws all Electric-type moves to the user, grants Electric-type immunity, and raises their Sp. Atk by 1 stage.
Storm Drain	Draws all Water-type moves to the user, grants Water-type immunity, and raises their Sp. Atk by 1 stage.

Countering a Doubles Team

While there are no set strategies to counter all kinds of doubles teams, there are ways you can better predict or even check what the opposing Pokemon's movepool is.

Analyze During Team Preview

Each battle begins by previewing to both players all 6 Pokemon that both players have. Players will then choose 4 Pokemon for Double Battles. This is called Team Preview and is one of the most important parts of competitive battling.

We can use Team Preview to deduce our opponent's gameplan and see what strategies they may try to use. Using the information we can gather from Team Preview, we can then decide what team of 4 to bring to the match.

Team Preview: Which Pokemon to Choose

Scout Moves with Protect

Using Protect is a safe way to scout moves and check what your opponent's objectives are.

Keep in mind that there are moves that can bypass Protect! The move Feint breaks a Pokemon's Protect, allowing other Pokemon to attack it for that turn.

Work Towards Win Conditions

Running your opponents out of their win conditions and positioning yourself for yours is a sure-fire way to achieve victory.

Doubles Gameplay

Introduction

Doubles is a gameplay format that has you and your opponent sending out two Pokemon on the field at the same time.

First introduced in the Third Generation of Pokemon games, Doubles has since become the staple battle format for many competitive play, such as the official Pokemon Video Game Championships (VGC).

EV Spreads

EV spreads are sometimes more complex in Doubles due to the fast-paced nature of the battle format.

If you have consistency in mind, 252/252/4 spreads are still great and reliable.

Pokemon	Azumarill
Role	Physical Attacker
Nature	Adamant
EV Spread	HP 212 / Atk 252 / Sp.Def. 44
Final Stat Values	HP 202 / Atk. 112 (224 because of Huge Power) / Def. 100 / Sp.Def. 106 / Spd. 70

These values are from base stats and ideal EVs, excluding external factors at Level 50.

This EV spread ensures Azumarill's Sitrus Berry will always trigger when it hits 50% HP because it lands on an even number, and enough Special Defense investment to take most Thunderbolts.

Held Items in Doubles

Sitrus Berry vs Leftovers

Due to the fast-paced nature of the battle format, the slower and gradual recovery Leftovers provides requires more turns to provide ample healing, making it so players will often opt to play Sitrus Berry over Leftovers.

Stirus Berry is usually the better choice because it provides a higher immediate recovery without wasting valuable turns.

Leftovers, on the other hand, works better with Pokemon who are on the field for multiple turns, such as Garganacl or Dondozo.

Choice Items

Choice Items, such as Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, and Choice Band are featured less prevalently in Double Battles, but that does not mean that Choice Items are not used at all. The Pokemon using it has to have a dedicated role to the team. Choice Band Dragonite and Choice Scarf Volcarona are powerful Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet who can make good use of Choice Items.

Moves in Doubles

Doubles-Specific Moves

The doubles format opens up new possibilities for certain moves that are gimmicky or otherwise useless in Singles play.

Examples include:

Move	Effect in Doubles
Protect	Scouts moves and protect against multi-target attacks.
Fake Out	Always flinches the target. Only works if used on the Pokemon's first turn on the playing field.
Helping Hand	Boosts the power of the ally Pokemon's next move by 50%
Wide Guard	Protects all Pokemon on the user's side of the field from attacks that would hit both Pokemon for this turn.

Multi-Target Moves

Moves that hit more than one Pokemon on the battlefield are more common than single-target ones in Doubles due to the fast-paced nature of the format.

Some moves hit all adjacent Pokemon while others can hit all Pokemon, including your ally.

Multi-target moves also have their damage reduced by 25% in doubles.

Examples include:

Move	Effect in Doubles
Rock Slide	Hits all opposing Pokemon and has a 30% to flinch the targets.
Earthquake	Hits all opposing Pokemon and ally. Deals double damage if the target used Dig. Damage is halved if Grassy Terrain is in effect.
Make it Rain	Lowers the user's Special Attack stat by one stage. The user also gains money after battles in the main game.
Dazzling Gleam	Damages both Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field.
Snarl	Lowers the opponent's Special Attack by one stage.

Fake Out

Fake Out can be used Offensively and Defensively, using it to chip out a Pokemon holding a Focus Sash, or use it to disrupt an opponent for a turn. It is especially powerful in Doubles. Preventing a Pokemon from using a move for a turn can almost always turn the tides of battle in your favor. It is also very important to remember which Pokemon usually carry the move, and prepare for them accordingly.

Pokemon That Usually Use Fake Out
Hariyama	Iron Hands	Tinkaton
Pawmot	Weavile	Sableye

Fake Out Effect and Pokemon That Learn It

Abilities in Doubles

Standard Doubles Abilities

Pokemon and their Abilities are usually chosen for a team based on how they synergize with the rest of the team. Expect to see Pokemon with these Abilities often, as they are very easy to slot into teams.

Ability	Effect in Doubles
Intimidate	The user lower's the opponent's Attack by one stage whenever it enters the battlefield.
Prankster	Increases the Speed priority of status moves by 1. Moves affected by this ability are ineffective against Dark-type opponents.

Weather Abilities

Weather Setting Abilities

Ability	Effect in Doubles
Sand Stream	The user creates a sandstorm that lasts for 5 turns when it enters the battlefield.
Drizzle	The user changes the weather to Heavy Rain for five turns.
Drought	The user changes the weather to Intense Sunshine for five turns.
Snow Warning	The user changes the weather to Snow for five turns.

Weather Teams are powerful due to intuitive Pokemon choices and consistency.

Pokemon like Tyranitar and Torkoal are excellent Pokemon to build around.

Weather Abusing Abilities

Ability	Effect in Doubles
Sand Rush	Doubles the Speed of the user in a Sandstorm.
Swift Swim	Doubles the Speed of the user in Rain.
Chlorophyll	Doubles the Speed of the user in Sunshine.
Slush Rush	Doubles the Speed of the user in Snow.

Pokemon that can thrive in Weather are often good to slot into teams. These Pokemon are often also synergistic with the Pokemon that can set beneficial Weather for them, because they offer 'fast and slow modes' for their teams.

Houndstone, Lilligant, and Golduck and Cetitan are all significantly faster than their partners. Varying Speed gives teams versatility especially when faced with different forms of Speed Control.

Terastallizing in Doubles

Terastallizing is a phenomenon introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that allows a Pokemon to change its type according to its Tera Type. This allows a Pokemon to change their weaknesses, as well as add another type to their offense.

Terastallizing can be used both defensively and offensively, but using it for offense can often mean a quick victory. A Pokemon that Terastallizes to a type that it already has will receive a 2.0x boost to moves with STAB instead of the usual 1.5x.

This means that a Pokemon's damage output can be further boosted by Terastallizing to a type it already has, allowing it to secure consistent knock outs with super-effective or neutral hits.

Stellar Tera Type is Legal

The newly introduced Stellar Tera Type from the Indigo Disk DLC is legal for play in Regulation E. This allows for your Pokemon to get a damage boost for first instance that a move of a specific type is used in battle, among other effects.

Stellar Tera Type Match-Ups Explained

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Related Guides

Learn Competitive Battling

Team Building Guides
Competitive Team Building for Singles Ranked Battle	Competitive Team Building for Doubles Ranked Battle
How to Build a Trick Room Team	How to Build a Weather Team
How to Build a Hyper Offense Team	Paradox Pokemon Builds for Competitive Battles and Tera Raids
Treasures of Ruin Builds for Competitive Battles and Tera Raids	HOME Transfer Pokemon Builds for Ranked Battle and Raids
Competitive Strategy Guides
Best Abilities for Competitive Battle	Best Held Items for Competitive Battle
When to Switch Pokemon	Team Preview: Which Pokemon to Choose?
How to Use Substitute in Competitive Battle	List of Competitive Terms
Battle Timer: Who Wins When Time Runs Out?	New DLC Competitive Cores and Matchups
VGC Tournament Results
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Oceania International Championships	VGC Tournament Results: 2023 European International Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Portland Regional Championships	VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Hartford Regional Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Milwaukee Regional Championships	VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Fresno Regional Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Japan National Championships	Pokemon World Championships 2023