Pokémon VGC Doubles Guide: Optimizing Your Team
Summary
In the Pokémon Champions | VGC Battles & Tournaments server, members are discussing how to transition from Singles to competitive VGC doubles. This thread provides expert advice on optimizing team compositions, the importance of moves like Protect and Tailwind, and how to effectively build around specific Pokémon like Salamence. It is a great resource for players looking to improve their competitive play and learn the fundamentals of double battles.
So im not the most competitive player, i dabble in it sometimes cuz y not so i mostly play Singles and use pokemon i simply just like more than how good they are in competitive.
I just want some advice on this team like what moves to change or whatnot since i want to try out doubles but idk if this team is good for it or if its just decent for singles only.
Its fine if you ask me to swap out certain mons (except Salamence, thats my child and a mainstay no matter what)
Thanks
Discord sent us an expired image link.
Hi! First of all, physical attack on Salamence is quite interesting, but many times is not the best. For example, you have earthquake, and you have another 3 partners weak, so usually you won't use that move. If you really want to go physical attack on him, you can swap earthquake, for example, for Zen headbutt. I recomend you to go special attacker btw, with dragon pulse, hyper voice, protect, and another move.
Here some recommendations: protect is a very good move on doubles, I recommend you to put it on many of your Pokémon. The speed is one of the most fundamental stats. You usually want to go first, it's just so op. So maybe you want to use moves to control this speed. For example, your Salamence can learn Tailwind to double your speed for 4 turns.
I see cool sinergies!
Thanks for the advice, i tried Special Mence in Singles but didnt really like it. I just assume Physical is better since thats its higher attacking stat. I assume Draco Meteor isnt that good in Doubles?
Also is there mons i should probably replace? (except mence ofc)
Special mence works better on doubles, but if you really want him, for example, with double Edge (which is not bad), you can use mix attack. Draco meteor is also a good move, you can use it. You have to choose between Draco meteor or dragon pulse 🙂
Made some changes. Made Mence Special, gave everyone Protect and swapped out Excadrill to avoid having too much of an ground weakness on the team though its still pretty prevalent.
Discord sent us an expired image link.
That's a good start! I like it
Maybe your best leads are Mudsdale Salamence, and Armarouge Salamence
Is this for doubles
Yeah i mostly play Singles and thought i can try doubles since i think its more popular no?
I see everyone doing it so why not
Alright.
1% battery left until I have to charge and a dream.
That's...
A lot of things to say.
Im ready
Salamence
Seems fine, maybe you can run mixed with double edge but eh, the meta is running full special so I guess.
Armarouge
Meteor Beam is certainly a choice in a meta without the Power Herb, run a better move in its place like Wide Guard or coverage or maybe Trick Room since your team seems slow. Also run Flash Fire instead of Weak Armor so you can get an Armor Cannon boost if you position it correctly and a fire immunity is always cool.
Toxtricity
Sludge Wave with no steel types or Telepathy users in sight? Hell nah. Run Sludge Bomb. You can keep Boomburst, though, that's if you run Wide Guard on Araquanid and /or Armarouge.
- # I guess I could say the same with Sludge Wave but uhh I suck anyways.
Araquanid
Araquanid @ Coba Berry (can run another item)
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 32 HP / 32 Atk / 2 Def
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Wide Guard
- Leech Life
- Protect
Mudsdale
Mudsdale @ Leftovers
Ability: Stamina
EVs: 32 HP / 7 Atk / 27 SpD
Careful Nature
- Body Press
- High Horsepower
- Heavy Slam
- Protect
Weavile
Run Fake Out in place of Ice Shard.
ok this sucks some mons may need to change but oh well
if you wanna keep the mons then this is what a not so experienced guy can give you
preferably swap weavile out for something more suitable for tr
tr?
trick room
Ah
basically mence and weavile seem out place for a quite slow team like this
not slow to the htr level but still slow
So i should look for more faster mons?
Awaken.
I suck at this game.
Im awake
good morning
What am i working with
Jesus
whats the problem frfr
I feel like a kid who got a bad haircut and all the barbers in the shop start arguing about it
LMAO
optimize for doubles
LMFAO
ok bye im out
What is your goal?
And who are you building around
Imo you have too many off meta picks
Usually uou can get away with 1-2
I guess around Salamence?
What off meta do you wabt to 100% keep
And ehat can i drop
around mega mence 🤔 🤔
theres a ton of ways you can build mega mence
how new are you
oh yea good point, is there anything you wanna keep and continue playing w
I mean im not super super new, mostly played singles on Pokemon showdown and champions. Its only now i decided to try doubles
Kinda wanna keep Toxtricity honestly
keeping tox
aau
🤔
if youre new to doubles im assuming you dont know much about double tactics
Im not used to them, no
Alr i gotchu
mods give this guy megamence psyspam
Was thinking about that
OH LMAO QALUMN IS A MOD
Whats gonna happen to me? 
setting you up for the easiest haircut of your life
Subjected to psyspam
its such a good strategy for new players honestly
Yea 💀
make it like psyspam + a non psyspam mode
🙏 peak cinema
I gave wah a wristy one time and he made me mod
Trust
Hm
Maybe
Rilla better no?
🤔 🤔
Rilla milo
ouu
for what though a mirror
rilla milo incin isnt bad
double intim double fakeout bulky fwg
pivoting heaven hypnosis hell
Was lwk leaning more into ape
why ape?
Like i can understand what you guys are saying but at the same time, i dont lol
Encore speed tier primarily
Mence and Incine double intim is good no?
Trying to be involved
😭
APE IS RUNNING ENCORE?????
Yea??
at 90 base speed though
108...
Its speed is 10i
are we talking abt the same ape
annihilape is 90 base speed
Fire goku monke
INFERNAPE???
https://klipy.com/gifs/infernape-fire-1
im gonna brush my teeth rq
ape could wor
k
Yeah im familar with milo. Competitive is a bitch
No one runs Meowstic in singles tho
Ape lwk has a filthy movepool
Wtf
Encore upperhand helping hand coaching feint fakeout
Knock
Throat chop
Willo
Rock tomb
Holy shit
i find its trace to be too variable though
yes
Fire goku monke?
I like fire goku monke
yes
Fuck yea
that works and is very funny
Every pokemon has protect
......
😭😭
Oh
Yeah changed it
Here
Im find if you re model it or just change a few mons honestly
Just wanna keep mence
Im aware
See alot in singles haha
Metagross?
Mega mence mega meta
With tox rilla goku milo
I got my trained ai (i got around to making and training my own specifically for VGC) building a team sheet
You made an AI for building teams?
Yessir
Holy shit
Nice
https://discord.com/channels/1457350549216432295/1557632953696395324
I havent added any new teams so thats all claude
But thats what i have done so far
Rain check i did myself
Since that was a regionals team
Is it more optimal to run multiple megas on a team? Idk if thats a stupid question. I prefer to just use megamence
It gives you more flexibility
Especially since meta and mence can both be used without a mega
Fair enough
It depends on the style of team
With mega mence you almost always do
Was this just made?
Yeo
wow
:)
Gonna reading this like the bible
I gotchu
Idk what team i want to play yet
In the tournament
I apparently dont have Metagross, nor do i have the VP for it. gonna have to get it from ZA
