Hello everyone, welcome to another Smogon Doubles Player of the Week! (Actually did this one in a week! :D) This project is for newer people to be more acquainted with some of the most knowledgeable players of Doubles.
Featured Player: Arcticblast
Favorite playstyle: bulky offense
Most Known For: beating Laurel in SPL with a joke team and losing to gimmicks (Flamethrower / Dazzling Gleam Togekiss ._.)
Signature Pokemon: Rocky Helmet Amoonguss
Tell me a little about yourself:
Ready for an essay?
I joined Smogon in late 2008 after some misadventures in spriting and outrage at the lack of Extrasensory in Articuno's analysis. I got decent at DPP UU before leaving around the beginning of BW, stopping by occasionally to post about Battle Spot. One day I saw something about this new simulator called Pokemon Showdown, and I logged on there and was hooked pretty much instantly. When PS went back into private beta, I was one of the first users to receive a beta key!
I'm from about a half hour outside Pittsburgh, PA, and am currently a sophomore at - you guessed it - the University of Pittsburgh. I went in planning to pursue an Ecology & Evolution major, but after fucking up the classes I needed for that I'm considering switching to a Journalism major. I played the violin for ten years, but after not really being able to pursue that in college I've been refocusing my creative efforts to writing. I write for a student-run satire newspaper called The Pittiful News. I've attached a sample of my writing below if anyone's curious (probably not lol). I'm still pretty passionate about music of all types, though; I suppose my friend booking shows helped a lot with that!
Beyond that stuff, I really don't do a whole lot. Especially over the summer. God, I'm so fucking bored. I've never wanted to go back to school before, but I actually do now...
Why did you join the doubles community, and what was the first team you made?
Oh boy, let's resume the history lesson! During my period of inactivity on Smogon, I found out about the Autumn Friendly using VGC '11 rules. I quickly lurked a bit, scrambled to throw together a team, and pretty much yoloed it. I remember the team being Mienshao, Musharna, Samurott, Landorus, Haxorus, and Virizion. I had a pretty mediocre w/l...
Fast forward to Doubles getting posted. I'd been really active in Other Metagames at the time and jumped at the opportunity to play a cool new metagame - especially since I was already deeply involved in Pokemon Showdown and knew double battles were finally happening. I tried to adapt the old Autumn Friendly team to a sim metagame - Mienshao and Telepathy Musharna took center stage again, along with double Scarf Thund-T and Abomasnow, a Normal Gem Landorus, and a varying last slot that usually ended up being Breloom. The team worked well in a chaotic metagame, basically spamming Helping Hand boosted Earthquakes and Discharges, but once things began to settle its flaws (like no Protect lol) began to show.
What major contributions to the progression of the doubles tier have you made?
If modding it counts, I guess I've done that? I've been around since the very beginning, playing the metagame and posting about stuff I've been using and generally doing the same thing I do now. I represented the tier before it went official in a big tournament before losing 2-1 in the semifinals to gr8astard (I was somehow worse then than I am now!). I also played Doubles in SPL on the winning team (Conflict is the realest fucking player I've ever met tbh) despite its controversial status in the tournament.
What are some of your favorite elements of the Doubles metagame?
I think my favorite thing about the Doubles metagame is the more minimal impact team matchup has on the outcome of the battle. Sure, there are some archetype matchups that can't be won without some really ballsy plays or stupid luck (if you ever want to counterteam me, use Fairy spam, Tailwind, or both - they'll probably do the trick), but for the most part team matchup isn't an overbearing part of the game like it is in most singles tiers. More Pokemon-specific, I actually like how there's a dichotomy between the top twenty or so Pokemon and then the lesser stuff - it makes it a bit easier to teambuild when you generally know what you'll need to beat, but still provides a challenge when you get your ass kicked by something you weren't expecting early on it sends you back to the teambuilder. Losing to random things and going back to fix the problem is one of my favorite and least favorite parts of teambuilding, actually - it's annoying to get pounded by a random Lapras, sure, but whatever change you make will probably still benefit your team in the long run.
What is one thing about the current rules (banlist, metagame structure) that you would want to change?
Ban Mega Gengar. Shit's broke as fuck.
What are some Doubles players you think are good examples for newer users to look up to?
I know Doubles has been its own entity for long enough for this to matter a bit less, but I think we could all learn a thing or two from the long-time VGC players. If it weren't for makiri and TheFourthChaser I wouldn't be anywhere near as good as I am now, and we can all learn a thing or two from some of the old guys like Firestorm and Zach too. As for native players, the zero-to-hero guys like Pwnemon and Pinoy Pwnage are great examples. We can't ignore the players like Mizuhime and McMeghan who are experienced in lots of other metagames too! Shit, I'm basically giving shoutouts to everyone right now. I'm supposed to be saving the shoutouts for my 5k...
Also passion ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
What do you think is the most successful Pokemon, core, and strategy in the current meta?
I took a look at some of the previous PotWs and it seems like it's mostly individual Pokemon being mentioned, so I'm going to stick to a couple Pokemon that happen to pair really well together. You can't really get much better than the good old LandoTom. They're two Pokemon that can really turn the tide of the battle, whether they share the field or not. Landorus offers Intimidate, a high Attack stat coupled with one of the best moves available in Earthquake, and a nifty typing that gives it some key resistances. Rotom-W, meanwhile, is the more support-oriented best friend it always wanted, with nice bulk, another good typing, and moves such as Will-o-Wisp and Electroweb at its disposal. They also both have U-turn or Volt Switch, allowing them to further grant the player momentum. They're useful Pokemon to have around, especially when together, and if you're ever stuck for a last Pokemon, adding one of them probably won't hurt honestly...
Can you give some advice to new doubles players?
If you're coming in with a VGC or Battle Spot Doubles background: just kind of play around a bit. It's hard to really state the differences between Smogon Doubles and VGC (well besides this season, although if you played '13 and '14 you should pick it up easily).
If you're coming from a single battle background: forget pretty much everything you know about teambuilding. If you're still building with an OU mindset you won't get far (unless you're ShakeItUp but he just throws shit together in all tiers). Teambuilding is radically different when you play with two Pokemon on each side of the field, yet to this day I still see teams built for "OU plus one" - people incorporating double battle strategies into teambuilds meant to face one opponent at a time. Games are much more fast-paced, and the best teams (note: this doesn't mean the most offensive teams) reflect that.
What strategies do you dislike playing against?
I hate facing stupid gimmicks because I end up thinking something normal is going to happen and then I lose.
Can you provide a sample team with explanation on how to use for new players?
The only thing I didn't like about being chosen as player of the week is that I have to provide a sample team, and this is probably the only team I have that I can really use for it. I wanted to make a full RMT but I have to go public with it already, damnit. Whatever, everyone knows it already...
This is probably one of my more straightforward teams, actually. I built it for my SPL match against Audiosurfer in Week 6. The lineup originally contained a Cresselia, but after makiri swept me with a Belly Drum Azumarill in a test match I freaked out and switched it to Amoonguss. Then Audiosurfer brought an Azumarill. Always test your teams! Anyway, this team is heavily based around being able to take hits. Kyurem and Amoonguss bring some stellar type resistances to the table, and the rest of the Pokemon on the team have their own fair share. Nothing besides Keldeo is particularly frail. Amoonguss is there to soak up some of the damage and Will-o-Wisps that Tyranitar and Keldeo don't want to take, dealing chip damage in the process with Rocky Helmet. Scarf Tyranitar deals with specific threats like Mega Charizard Y, non-Scarf Landorus-T, and Bisharp in a pinch. Charizard is definitely the main damage-dealer of the team, literally packing heat with Drought-boosted Heat Waves coming off of a stellar 159 Special Attack. Hitmontop helps neuter most physical threats and is a backup answer to opposing Zard should Tyranitar fall (or be needed for other things), and Keldeo uses its excellent dual STAB to hit things with Life Orb-boosted attacks. Taunt stops pesky support Pokemon and Trick Room users from screwing everything up. I hate to call Kyurem-B a "win condition," but it tends to stick around a lot - it's so threatening that the combination of Substitute and Protect can mess with a lot of heads and keep it on the field for an incredibly long time, and Ice/Ground is sweet coverage.
Editor's Note: So, that was our 8th Featured player, Arcticblast! Feel free to PM me who you think should be the next featured player, and thanks for tuning into another Smogon Doubles Player of the Week!
Featured Player: Arcticblast
Favorite playstyle: bulky offense
Most Known For: beating Laurel in SPL with a joke team and losing to gimmicks (Flamethrower / Dazzling Gleam Togekiss ._.)
Signature Pokemon: Rocky Helmet Amoonguss
Tell me a little about yourself:
Ready for an essay?
I joined Smogon in late 2008 after some misadventures in spriting and outrage at the lack of Extrasensory in Articuno's analysis. I got decent at DPP UU before leaving around the beginning of BW, stopping by occasionally to post about Battle Spot. One day I saw something about this new simulator called Pokemon Showdown, and I logged on there and was hooked pretty much instantly. When PS went back into private beta, I was one of the first users to receive a beta key!
Fast forward to sometime mid-2012. I'd been posting a lot in Other Metagames back when it had just got its own subforum in Dragonspiral Tower or whatever the fuck. Fast forward again to the time Doubles was posted... eh, I'll end the history lesson here.
I'm from about a half hour outside Pittsburgh, PA, and am currently a sophomore at - you guessed it - the University of Pittsburgh. I went in planning to pursue an Ecology & Evolution major, but after fucking up the classes I needed for that I'm considering switching to a Journalism major. I played the violin for ten years, but after not really being able to pursue that in college I've been refocusing my creative efforts to writing. I write for a student-run satire newspaper called The Pittiful News. I've attached a sample of my writing below if anyone's curious (probably not lol). I'm still pretty passionate about music of all types, though; I suppose my friend booking shows helped a lot with that!
Citing the recent conflict in Ukraine, President Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin decided there was only one way to settle their differences – war.
Tensions escalated between the two leaders when Putin loudly exclaimed that he “could beat Obama at anything he wished; the odds are utterly stacked against him.” The President took up Putin’s challenge, and was pulled into an incredibly long contest of random chance.
Both presidents rolled up their sleeves. The sweat on Obama’s forehead could be seen glistening from across the room as the two took turns shuffling a bewildering three decks – the ultimate game. The cards were dealt and the game began, with Putin drawing a nine to Obama’s disappointing four.
About a half hour into the game, Putin and Obama both drew a two. As per the rules of the game, they each laid down three face down cards and one new face up card. Normally here the winner of this conflict would win all of the cards, but in a shocking turn of events they both drew a jack. This led to not one or two but three more draws, culminating in Obama finally drawing a seven to beat Putin’s six. This stunning move wrenched the advantage from Putin’s hands into Obama’s, suddenly leaving the once confident Putin in shambles – but still going.
After another two hours with no significant progress made by either side, Obama asked for a draw. He told Putin that “this game is like real war – long, costly, and ultimately pointless.” After some deep thought, Putin agreed to the draw, and they decided to go out for some sandwiches. “Maybe next time we’ll play blackjack,” Obama told reporters.
Tensions escalated between the two leaders when Putin loudly exclaimed that he “could beat Obama at anything he wished; the odds are utterly stacked against him.” The President took up Putin’s challenge, and was pulled into an incredibly long contest of random chance.
Both presidents rolled up their sleeves. The sweat on Obama’s forehead could be seen glistening from across the room as the two took turns shuffling a bewildering three decks – the ultimate game. The cards were dealt and the game began, with Putin drawing a nine to Obama’s disappointing four.
About a half hour into the game, Putin and Obama both drew a two. As per the rules of the game, they each laid down three face down cards and one new face up card. Normally here the winner of this conflict would win all of the cards, but in a shocking turn of events they both drew a jack. This led to not one or two but three more draws, culminating in Obama finally drawing a seven to beat Putin’s six. This stunning move wrenched the advantage from Putin’s hands into Obama’s, suddenly leaving the once confident Putin in shambles – but still going.
After another two hours with no significant progress made by either side, Obama asked for a draw. He told Putin that “this game is like real war – long, costly, and ultimately pointless.” After some deep thought, Putin agreed to the draw, and they decided to go out for some sandwiches. “Maybe next time we’ll play blackjack,” Obama told reporters.
Beyond that stuff, I really don't do a whole lot. Especially over the summer. God, I'm so fucking bored. I've never wanted to go back to school before, but I actually do now...
Why did you join the doubles community, and what was the first team you made?
Oh boy, let's resume the history lesson! During my period of inactivity on Smogon, I found out about the Autumn Friendly using VGC '11 rules. I quickly lurked a bit, scrambled to throw together a team, and pretty much yoloed it. I remember the team being Mienshao, Musharna, Samurott, Landorus, Haxorus, and Virizion. I had a pretty mediocre w/l...
Fast forward to Doubles getting posted. I'd been really active in Other Metagames at the time and jumped at the opportunity to play a cool new metagame - especially since I was already deeply involved in Pokemon Showdown and knew double battles were finally happening. I tried to adapt the old Autumn Friendly team to a sim metagame - Mienshao and Telepathy Musharna took center stage again, along with double Scarf Thund-T and Abomasnow, a Normal Gem Landorus, and a varying last slot that usually ended up being Breloom. The team worked well in a chaotic metagame, basically spamming Helping Hand boosted Earthquakes and Discharges, but once things began to settle its flaws (like no Protect lol) began to show.
What major contributions to the progression of the doubles tier have you made?
If modding it counts, I guess I've done that? I've been around since the very beginning, playing the metagame and posting about stuff I've been using and generally doing the same thing I do now. I represented the tier before it went official in a big tournament before losing 2-1 in the semifinals to gr8astard (I was somehow worse then than I am now!). I also played Doubles in SPL on the winning team (Conflict is the realest fucking player I've ever met tbh) despite its controversial status in the tournament.
What are some of your favorite elements of the Doubles metagame?
I think my favorite thing about the Doubles metagame is the more minimal impact team matchup has on the outcome of the battle. Sure, there are some archetype matchups that can't be won without some really ballsy plays or stupid luck (if you ever want to counterteam me, use Fairy spam, Tailwind, or both - they'll probably do the trick), but for the most part team matchup isn't an overbearing part of the game like it is in most singles tiers. More Pokemon-specific, I actually like how there's a dichotomy between the top twenty or so Pokemon and then the lesser stuff - it makes it a bit easier to teambuild when you generally know what you'll need to beat, but still provides a challenge when you get your ass kicked by something you weren't expecting early on it sends you back to the teambuilder. Losing to random things and going back to fix the problem is one of my favorite and least favorite parts of teambuilding, actually - it's annoying to get pounded by a random Lapras, sure, but whatever change you make will probably still benefit your team in the long run.
What is one thing about the current rules (banlist, metagame structure) that you would want to change?
Ban Mega Gengar. Shit's broke as fuck.
What are some Doubles players you think are good examples for newer users to look up to?
I know Doubles has been its own entity for long enough for this to matter a bit less, but I think we could all learn a thing or two from the long-time VGC players. If it weren't for makiri and TheFourthChaser I wouldn't be anywhere near as good as I am now, and we can all learn a thing or two from some of the old guys like Firestorm and Zach too. As for native players, the zero-to-hero guys like Pwnemon and Pinoy Pwnage are great examples. We can't ignore the players like Mizuhime and McMeghan who are experienced in lots of other metagames too! Shit, I'm basically giving shoutouts to everyone right now. I'm supposed to be saving the shoutouts for my 5k...
Also passion ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
What do you think is the most successful Pokemon, core, and strategy in the current meta?
I took a look at some of the previous PotWs and it seems like it's mostly individual Pokemon being mentioned, so I'm going to stick to a couple Pokemon that happen to pair really well together. You can't really get much better than the good old LandoTom. They're two Pokemon that can really turn the tide of the battle, whether they share the field or not. Landorus offers Intimidate, a high Attack stat coupled with one of the best moves available in Earthquake, and a nifty typing that gives it some key resistances. Rotom-W, meanwhile, is the more support-oriented best friend it always wanted, with nice bulk, another good typing, and moves such as Will-o-Wisp and Electroweb at its disposal. They also both have U-turn or Volt Switch, allowing them to further grant the player momentum. They're useful Pokemon to have around, especially when together, and if you're ever stuck for a last Pokemon, adding one of them probably won't hurt honestly...
Can you give some advice to new doubles players?
If you're coming in with a VGC or Battle Spot Doubles background: just kind of play around a bit. It's hard to really state the differences between Smogon Doubles and VGC (well besides this season, although if you played '13 and '14 you should pick it up easily).
If you're coming from a single battle background: forget pretty much everything you know about teambuilding. If you're still building with an OU mindset you won't get far (unless you're ShakeItUp but he just throws shit together in all tiers). Teambuilding is radically different when you play with two Pokemon on each side of the field, yet to this day I still see teams built for "OU plus one" - people incorporating double battle strategies into teambuilds meant to face one opponent at a time. Games are much more fast-paced, and the best teams (note: this doesn't mean the most offensive teams) reflect that.
What strategies do you dislike playing against?
I hate facing stupid gimmicks because I end up thinking something normal is going to happen and then I lose.
Can you provide a sample team with explanation on how to use for new players?
arctic likes dick (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Overheat
- Protect
arctic likes dick (Tyranitar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 SAtk / 232 Spd
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast
arctic likes dick (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 76 Def / 128 SDef / 8 Spd
Careful Nature
- Wide Guard
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
arctic likes dick (Amoonguss) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 224 HP / 192 Def / 92 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spd
- Spore
- Protect
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
arctic likes dick (Keldeo) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Taunt
- Protect
arctic likes dick (Kyurem-Black) @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 96 HP / 212 SAtk / 200 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Substitute
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Overheat
- Protect
arctic likes dick (Tyranitar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 SAtk / 232 Spd
Naive Nature
- Rock Slide
- Crunch
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast
arctic likes dick (Hitmontop) (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 76 Def / 128 SDef / 8 Spd
Careful Nature
- Wide Guard
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
arctic likes dick (Amoonguss) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 224 HP / 192 Def / 92 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spd
- Spore
- Protect
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
arctic likes dick (Keldeo) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Taunt
- Protect
arctic likes dick (Kyurem-Black) @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 96 HP / 212 SAtk / 200 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Protect
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Substitute
The only thing I didn't like about being chosen as player of the week is that I have to provide a sample team, and this is probably the only team I have that I can really use for it. I wanted to make a full RMT but I have to go public with it already, damnit. Whatever, everyone knows it already...
This is probably one of my more straightforward teams, actually. I built it for my SPL match against Audiosurfer in Week 6. The lineup originally contained a Cresselia, but after makiri swept me with a Belly Drum Azumarill in a test match I freaked out and switched it to Amoonguss. Then Audiosurfer brought an Azumarill. Always test your teams! Anyway, this team is heavily based around being able to take hits. Kyurem and Amoonguss bring some stellar type resistances to the table, and the rest of the Pokemon on the team have their own fair share. Nothing besides Keldeo is particularly frail. Amoonguss is there to soak up some of the damage and Will-o-Wisps that Tyranitar and Keldeo don't want to take, dealing chip damage in the process with Rocky Helmet. Scarf Tyranitar deals with specific threats like Mega Charizard Y, non-Scarf Landorus-T, and Bisharp in a pinch. Charizard is definitely the main damage-dealer of the team, literally packing heat with Drought-boosted Heat Waves coming off of a stellar 159 Special Attack. Hitmontop helps neuter most physical threats and is a backup answer to opposing Zard should Tyranitar fall (or be needed for other things), and Keldeo uses its excellent dual STAB to hit things with Life Orb-boosted attacks. Taunt stops pesky support Pokemon and Trick Room users from screwing everything up. I hate to call Kyurem-B a "win condition," but it tends to stick around a lot - it's so threatening that the combination of Substitute and Protect can mess with a lot of heads and keep it on the field for an incredibly long time, and Ice/Ground is sweet coverage.
Editor's Note: So, that was our 8th Featured player, Arcticblast! Feel free to PM me who you think should be the next featured player, and thanks for tuning into another Smogon Doubles Player of the Week!
Last edited by a moderator:
