DB Team Help Needed

[bloodnmetal]

I'd like some insight on the DB team I'm trying to assemble. So far I've got the following pokes that I use for regular 1 on 1 battles:

CORE:

1. T-tar @ Leftovers / Life Orb - Adamant
»»» Sand Stream
252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
• Dragon Dance
• Crunch
• Earthquake
• Low Kick

»»» Team's sand streamer and physical sweeper poke. Ment to dance and crush whoever it can. Apart from being a permastorm inducer, I really like this poke as it (looks mean and) packs a decent punch. The EVs here are ment to give it some x-tra life expectancy so I can dance and wreck some heads. Lefties for survival and Life Orb for power.

2. Infernape @ Life Orb - Naive
»»» Blaze
252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
• Overheat
• Close Combat
• Grass Knot / U-Turn
• Stone Edge

»»» Another sweeper, but it ads some SpA to the repertoire to help against physical walls. I found it to be really efficient and versatile, also having a good speed. It also looks quite cool! The EVs here are ment to (try) keep(ing) him on par with fast pokes and enhance his physical moves. Right now I'm rolling GK, but I'm seriously considering to give U-Turn a chance to see how it helps me with some offensive momentum.

3. Gliscor @ Toxic Orb - Jolly
»»» Poison Heal
252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
• Substitute
• Toxic
• Earthquake
• Protect / Ice Fang

»»» Staller (and Annoyer, for that extent). Great defensive poke that fares well with Earthquakes from team members. This guy is one of my all times favorite. At least in singles it is very efficient enduring some punishment. EVs here are ment to give it some survivability (although I'm never sure about the HP EVs when it comes to substitute). I wonder if it would be better to switch Protect for IF, but I personally prefer Protect as it helps toxic and poison heal.

4. Togekiss @ Leftovers - Calm
»»» Serene Grace
252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
• Body Slam
• Air Slash
• Aura Sphere
• Roost / Nasty Plot

»»» Paraflinch Annoyer. Preatty decent bulk and SpA to inflict some respectable pain and disrupt the opposing team. I've chosen this guy 'coz it is beautifully annoying, resilient and efficient. EVs here are ment for some survivability. My doubt here lies between Roost (to increase it's lifespan) and Nasty Plot (to increase it's damage). Body Slam over Thunderwave on the set because I face more groundies than ghosties.

5. Garchomp @ Leftovers / Life Orb / Lum Berry - Jolly
»»» Sand Veil
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Swords Dance
• Earthquake
• Outrage
• Stone Edge / Substitute

»»» Sandstorm abuser and another physical sweeper. Y'all know this guy's potential, very good speed and power, and the EVs push those a little further. I've been considering Subs to protect it against status. The items also get me divided... Lefties for survival, Life Orb for power and Lum for confortable Outrages and other status protection (which could ben avoided with subs).

6. Heatran @ Life Orb / Air Balloon - Modest
»»» Flash Fire
252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Fire Blast
• Earth Power
• Will-O-Wisp
• HP Grass

»»» Sandstorm friendly and SpA sweeper. (He also looks mean). Not much to comment here as the poke itself and the set is really straightforward. Life Orb for power or Air Balloon for survivability.

SIDEBOARD:

7. Gengar @ Leftovers - Timid
»»» Levitate
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
• Substitute
• Disable
• Shadow Ball
• HP Ice (suggestions? just leave Focus Blast out, I find it too unreliable...)

»»» Disabler with good SpA that is also EQ friendly thanks to levitate. A really nice poke with great speed and many cards to play with. FB has left me in enought bad situations to consider it out of the set.

8. Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb / Leftovers / Life Orb - Adamant
»»» Guts
120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 SpD
• Drain Punch
• Bulk Up
• Mach Punch
• Payback

»»» Status absorber and phycal sweeper / endurer (i.e.: staller wannabe). Another very efficient sweeper that is frequently on my teams. Preatty straightforward too.

9. Metagross @ Life Orb / Leftovers - Adamant
»»» Clear Body
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
• Meteor Mash
• Earthquake
• Bullet Punch / Agillity
• Hammer Arm / Ice punch / Zen Headbutt

»»» Guess what? That's right! Physical Sweeper and sandstorm friend. Another very reliable poke tho I struggle to get the last move, HA hits hard and the speed loss could be compensated with BP, IP for coverage and ZH for STAB. Lefties to make it live a lil' longer and Life Orb to power up.

I already have them set for 1 on 1 and the items are also preaty much straightforward (I avoid choice items for I don't like being restricted to a single move), but if you find that ANY of them need a specific EV or (unusual) item for the DB, please let me know!

Thanks in advance!

 

[jesusfreak94]

This is an improvement, but you still need detailed descriptions for each Pokemon. I'll leave this up overnight (and maybe through part of tomorrow) for you to get some descriptions edited in (again, see Rule #3 for more info on what is expected). If you can get those, you'll be good. If not, I'll have to close this one too.

 

[TurboMechaElgyem]

First off, why does your infernape have iron fist when no moves are boosted by it?

Second, one thing you have to know about doubles is that setting up and stalling are not viable in most situations. If you manage to get up a swords dance or dragon dance, you will likely be dead before you can hit something with it. One mistake many people (me included) make is playing doubles like it is singles. The two are very different, and stalling your foe out does not often work.

Third, almost none of your pokemon have protect, which is absolutely crucial for your survival in doubles. Unless you want to get swept away as soon as a choice-boosted pokemon hits the field, protect is an absolute necessity.

Finally, most of your sets concentrate on a single target. Again, big mistake. In doubles, you will often be dealing with two pokemon at once. Unless you can effectively neutralize them (fake out or priority status work best), you will need ways to fight off two foes at the same time. Moves like blizzard or rock slide will get you far, as they can hurt multiple foes at once. Likewise with moves like wide guard and tailwind.

 

[Divine Retribution]

If you really insist on not using Focus Miss on Gengar, your next best bets are probably Hidden Power (Fire) to hit Scizor switchins, Thunderbolt for things like Politoed and Vaporeon, or Giga Drain for healing. However, Focus Blast offers the best coverage.

Like Turbo said, this seems to be more build for singles than doubles. In fact, arguably the single most important thing about Doubles is that you have two Pokemon out at once, and they should be able to support each other. You aren't abusing this at all.

 

[bloodnmetal]

@Jesus: Corrected above mate, sorry for the trouble again! >_<

@Divine: Yeah, this was a SB team that I'm trying to fix/fit into DB!

@Turbo: The Iron Fist was my mistake... That said, your reply was VERY clarifying! But I fail to see how good it is to have protect on most (?) pokes will prevent me from getting swept from choice pokes... Ok, 1st Protect I'm sound, but the 2nd failed Protect would get me killed, wouldn't it? If it is meant just to scout so I can switch it isn't really necessary, for my home league avoid switching unless it happens due batom pass, u-turn, volt switch or faint.

As I've just found Smogon's article about DBs, here comes a question: Spread moves are popular, but since they loose 25% of their power, why wouldn't it be "okay" to have a single target (powerful) move?

I welcome all suggestions on this topic!

 

[Gamefreak]

Your descriptions are still not long enough. 2-3 sentences more for each should suffice.

 

[Shreyas]

Let me help you out a little about what may help you for your descriptions:

The rules thread states: "For each Pokemon on your team, you need to explain why you selected it, its role, and what it helps you achieve."

Why you selected it
- What makes this pokemon more viable than another with similar typing/ moveset? (for example, you can easily use Landorus instead of Gliscor for similar results, but why Gliscor?)
- Does this Pokemon compliment one or more other Pokemon in your team? If so, how? What combos/strategies can you work with using this specific Pokemon?

Its role
- What exactly does this Pokemon do in your team?
- What threats can you check or counter with this Pokemon? Is it there to switch into to take a crucial attack aimed at a Pokemon?

What does it help you achieve
- Does this let you make some important KOs?
- Is it there to live a powerful attack and fightback in some way? (many VGCs team have specially designed Pokemon just to live Dragon Gem Draco Meteors from LAtios, and take it out)
- Is it there to support your other Pokemon, or to receive support to take out your opponent?

So, those are the questions I generally try to answer when I make my RMTs. I may be missing some here and there, but generally those are my guiding questions. Those questions will allow the rater to maybe find a better fit for a certain Pokemon (maybe what you are trying to do with one Pokemon can be achieved with another Pokemon with better results).

Also, be sure to also explain items, EV spreads, and moves.

 

[bloodnmetal]

Fixed the descriptions above!

 

[Atrocious]

It's an okay single battle team but in Doubles it just isn't effective at all. There's no speed control at all and no protect at all which is a staple for any DB member, which could be passed in certain cases but not here. No point trying to setup with TTar, let alone with any pokemon really with the fast-paced nature of DB's, as Fighting runs pretty rampant and Hitmontop easily KOs TTar. Not really sure what to say here; good singles team doesn't translate to good doubles teams as they are basically two completely different styles. Doubles is more fast paced with a greater use of Gems and Berries, etc and makes previously somewhat unviable pokemon into shining glory, i.e Hitmontop.

 

[bloodnmetal]

I know that singles are not at all like doubles, and that's why I've come for help!

1. Concearning the pokes (core and sideboard), they're not good for doubles?
2. Which would you suggest me to change and for what?
3. Can you gimme some insight within the MSs, items and EVs?

 

[Shreyas]

And another thing. When you say "double battle" do you mean VGC style, or something else?

 

[bloodnmetal]

I meant"everything goes competitive double battles among friends" (i.e.: no tier restriction, no clauses).

 

[bloodnmetal]

Anyone, please? ç_ç

 

[Atrocious]

When you said no restrictions, etc. no real help can be given IMO. Your opponent could just spam Sheer Cold or other OhKO stuff and all our advice would be useless. Idk.

 

[bloodnmetal]

any and every advice is useful, since i'm a complete ignorant when it comes to DBs...

And afaik, no one's using OHKO moves around here, for that matter.

 

[bloodnmetal]

anyone? ç_ç

anything helps people!
even telling me that those pokes can or can't work well together!

 

[Atrocious]

Some are viable with correct movesets and items but then again I don't know what I'm really expecting to go against. For all I know, it could go against threats you normally don't face in VGC anymore like what, Kyogre which was banned from VGC'12. Since you have Garchomp here, I'd go with Support Cresselia with Garchomp. Cresselia can use Icy Wind and is immune to Garchomp's EQ which makes them great partners.

 

[loco1234]

Atrocious hit it pretty much right on the head. With no restrictions we have no idea what to rate based off. A lot of competitive sets and spreads are designed with certain threats in mind and without knowing what the possibilities are we don't know what threats to compare against.

 

[bloodnmetal]

the only thing we've agreed is not to use legendaries such as kyogre, darkray and the like.

I'm trying to find a good synergy among my team, just like the cress/garch mentioned above, what could you people suggest for the pokes on my core and sideboard?