Hi! Since I was bored recently, I decided to try out some Random Doubles, after playing a fair share of VGC and a little bit of DOU. Overall I was super happy with all of the sets, and was really enjoying myself. However, sometimes I felt that I had sets that basically set me up to lose or felt like it was lacking somewhere. After discovering this thread(in plight of more Randbats tournaments) I decided to start compiling a bunch of sets I think are weird/unoptimal/could be cool to change and put them together for you all to consider! (Since I'm impatient I'll just add more in a different post as I go)
[Whimsicott] Forced Tailwind. In VGC and DOU, Whimsicott is iconic for its ability to let off Prankster Tailwinds, immediately giving the user's side double speed. I think this is vital to Whimsicott's success as its poor offensive and defense stats means that its only use is being a strong support/tech Pokemon. I personally think that Whimsicott should have forced Tailwind as its main usage and biggest strength is speed control, and not getting a Whimsicott with Speed control is often a huge slap to the face and sometimes feels like a wasted slot.
[Indeedee-F] Forced Follow Me. Same logic as above, except with a different move and Pokemon. Indeedee's main strength in Doubles formats is its ability to redirect hits onto itself, and its Psychic Terrain to prevent prankster moves and priority. However, the fact that there are 5 possible moves on Indeedee means that there's a chance to get an Indeedee without Follow Me, which is definitely a huge slap to the face. The amount of times I have seen a player lose to an Indeedee-F not having Follow me is quite high, and I feel like forcing Follow Me is a must. Its kinda like getting a Rayquaza without Dragon Ascent.
[Yveltal] Possible chance for Snarl, especially on AV sets. This suggestion is a bit more of a speculation compared to the previous 2, and isn't a concrete idea that I think 100% needs to be changed. In VGC 2022, one of the most common AV Yveltal sets consists of Yveltal using Snarl, Sucker Punch, Oblivion Wing, and Foul Play. This is allows it to not only be very bulky, but allows it to cover for WP/Swords Dance users, have a priority move, and a move that makes special attacks lower, all while having a recovery move and both STABs. When playing with/against Yveltal, Snarl is always a good asset for the user to have to nerf incoming special attacks and act a strong spread damage (In combination with Dark Aura). Overall I think that Snarl is a strong Doubles move on Yveltal, and should be considered
[Kartana] Possible chance for Aerial Ace to be on AV sets. Ok, I know, this seems like a somewhat random pick. Kartana honestly doesn't need the coverage from this low BP move, but what it needs is some Speed Control. Speed Control is so much more important in Doubles as being able to outspeed your opponent can potentially lead to a huge snowball. Despite Kartana already having a very high speed stat, with the combination of Webs, Strike, Tailwind, etc. its very possible that naturally slower Pokemon can outspeed and KO/heavily chip Kartana. I think that giving Kartana max Airstream can greatly improve its sweeping potential, as giving it a Max Move that acts as speed control is very convinient, as you don't need any other Pokemon to provide that for you. With Kartana being able to outspeed everything, its already strong attack stat + Beast Boost will help its sweeping potential greatly.
[Kingdra] Forced Hurricane, Dual STAB on Lorb sets. I know completely forced sets are generally frowned upon, but I feel like Kingdra might deserve an exception here. When Kingdra gets Life Orb, its turns are already limited as it takes 10% chip after each move, not to mention that its bulk isn't that noteworthy. I think that when it gets Life Orb, it should fully be focused on deal damage and setting up for a sweep. Despite Kingdra already getting Swift Swim, the extra coverage + ally +1 Speed is really nice to have on Kingdra, and will allow its sweeping potential to increase.
[Alolan-Ninetales] This one isn't as necessary, but I feel like every set should have A-Veil because its such a strong defensive tool., allowing ally Pokeon to live more double-ups.
[Galvantula] Mandatory Sticky Webs. Sticky Webs are a key component of Random Battles speed control, as well as being long-lasting and an annoying threat. Somehow I rolled Galvantula without Webs which would normally be incredibly disappointing and unfair (had I not had Ribombee in the back), in addiiton to making the Pokemon feel quite useless.
[Venusaur] Mandatory Sleep Powder, remove Leech Seed. Leech Seed on non-stall Pokemon is a very bad choice, as it is way too slow paced in a doubles format, where every turn is much faster paced. In addition, a guaranteed Sleep Powder is huge for a Pokemon like Venusaur because it would allow it to completely halt Pokemon with at least a turn of sleep, which is VASTLY more useful than Leech Seed, which doesn't help as a support move, nor does it deal a sizable amount of damage.
(General conclusion, I think some Pokemon should have forced moves, especially if they are mainly a support)
Edit: I think Sitrus Berry is definitely an overused item in this format, and I think that it should used a little bit less in exchange for other items, it makes the metagame more unique and its a little bit boring just going into a battle and assuming every mon basically has 125% HP. I can't name any specific Pokemon off of the top of my head but I would be happy to work with others to make more unique sets for some Pokemon instead of just slapping Sitrus on everything