SS Doubles OU Partnering Up (OU Doubles team)

[ZynxDaLynx]

It's called that because I paired a sweeper with a supporter. I am aware that my past teams were sorta bad, but this one... may be a bit different? I don't know. I certainly won more than lost at least.


Zeraora @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 HP/ 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Plasma Fists
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
Zeraora is one of the fastest Pokemon, with good Attack and defenses that aren't too hopeless. Fake Out ensures a flinch on certain leads, if only for one turn. Shuckle can set up during that turn. Plasma Fists is a STAB move with high power. Knock Off can remove items, and Acrobatics is a coverage move for when the Berry is eaten.


Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Pain Split
- Aurora Veil
- Protect
A hail setter for Arctozolt, provides support to the team with Aurora Veil. Pain Split has always been a useful healing move, Protect prevents too harmful moves from affecting it, Blizzard has perfect accuracy in hail.


Shuckle @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Guard Split
- Helping Hand
- Toxic
- Power Split
Supporter to Zeraora. Shuckle is quite an interesting Pokemon, with very high Def and SpD stats, and access to splitting moves. Guard Split improves Zeraora's defense, making Shuckle actually frailer due to low HP. Power Split is for enemy sweepers, to lower their attack by a lot. Toxic is just a useful move, and Helping Hand makes Zeraora's attacks stronger. The EV spread is because I wanted even Def and SpD.


Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Lash Out
- Low Kick
- Poison Jab
- Triple Axel
Quick Physical Dark-type with Lash Out. With Hawlucha providing it with stat drops, Weavile's STAB Lash Out has very high power. Low Kick is for heavy mons, Poison Jab for coverage, and Triple Axel is the next best thing to Lash Out. It is Adamant and not Jolly nature because Hawlucha needs to outspeed it.


Arctozolt @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Blizzard
- Low Kick
- Stomping Tantrum
Slush Rush sweeper. Arctozolt, in my opinion, has always been the best hail attacker. It has an amazing Bolt Beak move that doubles power if it moves first, and that is highly likely in hail. The rest are just random coverage moves.


Hawlucha @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Confide
- Iron Head
- Protect
- Helping Hand
I needed a Mold Breaker for those Shedinja teams, so added in the speedy supporter Hawlucha. (Maybe Shedinja aren't common, but still.) Confide lowers SpA, a stat Weavile does not need, and increases power of Lash Out. Helping Hand is for other moves, Iron Head is some random attack.

Threats:
Trick Room. 5 of my Pokemon are speedy, so a reverse in turn order would be a bit of a problem.
Physical walls. Breaking past them with Confide-boosted Lash Out or Helping Hand Plasma Fists isn't that hard, but the main issue here is that my sweepers are all physical. I would like a special one, but don't know who to put out.
Taunt. Supporters are very vulnerable to Taunt, becoming practically useless after it.
Dependance on partner. Sure, some of them can switch over, like Shuckle and Hawlucha, but sweepers alone are too frail and supporters alone really can't attack.

So what do you think? Is this team decent? At the very least viable? Or have my teambuilding skills not increased? I would like any advice on editing, because my winrate is much higher than in other tiers. I do want to keep the original concept of the team. (And no, if this team is unviable, I refuse to use sample teams.)

 

[ZynxDaLynx]

Replays I feel particularly frustrated about:
Spore, Contrary Malamar
Wonder Guard Pikachu

 

[Fangame10]

I don't think most people here would give you a serious response, but I will give my take

ngl you should probably take a look at the DOU Sample teams: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/doubles-ou-sample-teams.3658826/
bc this team is just not good at all in design

Most of the pokemon on this team are unviable:
Weavile loses out to most top meta threats and you're better off using Incineroar over it
Why do you need to even have Hawlucha for countering Shedinja? Not only are Shedinja teams terrible in general and only appear on the low dou ladder (and hawlucha itself is kind of bad) But you already have Ninetales-A which has hail for beating shedinja.
Shuckle is an unviable pokemon, it sits there and does nothing.
Zeraora doesn't need to run acrobatics. You should consider a different move like Protect.
Ninetales-Alola is too frail to be able to run Pain Split, run encore instead.
Only one of your pokemon is running protect, this will leave your pokemon very vulnerable to speed control.

if you want to run a hail team in DOU you can look at my team that I often use in tournaments and on the ladder: https://pokepast.es/98a199dd92153f88

But other than that I recommend you use dou sample teams before you go on to build your own team

 

[ZynxDaLynx]

Shuckle DOES NOT sit there and do nothing. It does plenty. Fine, Hawlucha may not be the best, but Shuckle is EXTREMELY USEFUL. It supports Zeraora with helping hand and Guard Split, hindering the opponent with Toxic and Power Split. And to answer why I refuse sample teams, I came to smogon/showdown to learn about teambuilding. I did not come to battle. I have Nintendo Switch for that. I'll take the Encore and Protect, but no, Shuckle is useful.

 

[Fangame10]

You posted your team here in Rate My Team to be rated and I am rating your team as terrible.
You don't have to listen to my opinion, but I have played DOU for many years.
If you want to learn how to team build you will take the advice of the top dou players and use our resources
Shuckle's toxic is barely useful against anything other than set up sweepers like Mew or Cresselia
and gaurd split has no synergy with any pokemon on your team because most of them lack HP stats in general (Not to mention in DOU they'll prob get double targeted most of the time anyways)
And Power split is useless cus shuckle is way to slow to be able to use it before anything actually attacks
So yeah Shuckle IS a useless and bad pokemon, on this team at least

 

[ZynxDaLynx]

Don't care. Won't take any expert's advice if they're telling me to use sample teams.
Oh, and I WILL keep posting here. For the next few months my teams will be terrible, but I don't care.
I am learning in my own, Defiant way.
And thank you for the rate.

 

[Fancy1]

Than why rate it if you won’t take advice kek

 

[Omastar68]

No STAB on Hawlucha seems bad, I'd drop Iron head for flying press or w/e and use the other 4 EVs.

A rock move, iron tail, T-Wave, or icy wind seems better on Arctozolt than Stomping Tantrum.

Rather than using Zolt's item for boots, consider replacing an ice type to be less weak to rocks(which must be somewhat of a thing even here, or why boots at all.)

 

[ZynxDaLynx]

Than why rate it if you won’t take advice kek

I am. Just the ones i think make sense. Shuckle, for one, I think is fine.

 

[Fancy1]

but how do you know that shuckle is good? on low ladder for example shuckle probably does seem like a good choice, but in tournaments and high ladder people are just gonna double target or taunt it and it is rendered useless, if you want to get good feedback in wether a mon is doing it’s job or not I would join tournaments (way faster than getting high on ladder) with that team to see how good players play around it

(or don’t listen to me idc)

 

[ZynxDaLynx]

I know if Shuckle is good if it contributes to the team. It may not be. I am still in low ladder, so it is fine. If I ever reach mid-ladder I will swap it out. (I will probably never.) But I am enjoying using my self-created team, and I don't dare enter tournaments yet.
Fine, if none of you help, I'll edit the team myself. There is not a hidden meaning of 'you should help me'. I will simply edit it myself.