Metagame Partners in Crime

yuki

Huh? Me? Not this time...
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(Credit to Snaquaza for the original concept, jasprose for letting me take over the thread and continuing to lead this project, and in the hills for the artwork)

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We're back! Welcome to Partners in Crime. This is a doubles-based metagame with the twist that you share your ability and moves with your active partner. This means that you are able to use any of the moves available to both of your active Pokemon, i.e. up to 8 moves will appear on the move select screen. Additionally, this means both of your active Pokemon will have each others' ability in addition to their own. For example, if you had both Cresselia and Heatran on the field, both of them would share Flash Fire and Levitate. If you were to then switch Cresselia out for Landorus, Heatran would lose Levitate and gain Sheer Force allowing for some very potent combinations.

I'd also like to take the time to specially mention Instruct for all the work he has put into this. For the longest time we believed this format could never return, and that it would basically be broken forever. He has miraculously found a way around the prior issues, and even fixed things that were previously broken when it last worked.

Banlist:
Pokemon: Calyrex-Ice, Calyrex-Shadow, Dialga, Eternatus, Giratina, Giratina-Origin, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Jirachi, Kyogre, Kyurem-White, Lugia, Lunala, Magearna, Marshadow, Melmetal, Mewtwo, Necrozma-Dawn-Wings, Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, Palkia, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Solgaleo, Urshifu-Base, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zacian, Zacian-Crowned, Zamazenta, Zamazenta-Crowned, Zekrom
Abilities: Contrary, Emergency Exit, Huge Power, Moody, Power Construct, Serene Grace, Shadow Tag, Wimp Out, Wonder Guard
Moves: Ally Switch, Bolt Beak, Fishious Rend, Shell Smash, Swagger
Clauses: Standard Doubles, Dynamax Clause

Strategy:
One of the most obvious ways to have Pokemon synergise together is the use of immunity abilities (e.g. Levitate, Flash Fire, Lightning Rod) being able to remove certain weaknesses that would otherwise cripple a Pokemon. A core you can expect to see in Partners in Crime looks like this:

:xy/Cresselia: +
+ :xy/Heatran:

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
- Ice Beam

Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 104 Atk / 152 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

Heatran @ Charcoal
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Eruption
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Protect
The idea behind these 3 is that they perfectly cover off each others major weaknesses, while also offering them new tools in order to break through threats they couldn't otherwise. Cresselia's Levitate helps to remove Heatran's crippling Ground weakness, while also providing it Moonlight to heal and restore power to Eruption and Ice Beam to break through threats such as Zygarde. Heatran's Flash Fire equally helps to remove Genesect's Fire weakness. Additionally, timing this correctly could lead to both Heatran and Genesect receiving a Flash Fire boost, making them both extremely potent attackers as they share Heatran's Fire moves.

What happens if Gastro Acid, Skill Swap, Entrainment or any similar move is used?
Since you don't actually have your partner's ability, your normal abilities will be taken into account. This means Skill Swap and Entrainment will swap the normal abilities of the user and the target and also change the shared ability for the partner, but Gastro Acid will suppress all abilities as per the nature of the move.

What if the two Pokemon have the same ability?
The ability won't stack, and thus nothing special will happen.

What happens if both Pokemon know the same move?
It will only appear once. PP reduction works as normal, only being deducted from the user's slot.

How does Mimic work?
Mimic will fail if not used by the Pokemon that originally learns it.

What happens when abilities overlap? (eg. Refrigerate and Pixilate)
Effects are applied in a random order.

What happens when your partner switches out?
You are able to use the move of a partner that is switching out as the movesets are updated at the start of the next turn. As speed and turn order are determined dynamically, whatever abilities are active on the field at the time the move would be used will be in effect. If you start the turn with a Prankster Pokemon such as Whimsicott on the field, and switch it out while the partner uses a status move, it does not gain priority. If Whimsicott were to switch in while the partner is using a status move, it does gain priority.

What happens with abilities that work upon switching in?
For entry effects, if the Pokemon that originally has the ability is on the field, the new Pokemon will gain that ability and it will activate. If the Pokemon that originally has the ability is entering the field, it activates first for the partner and then again for the original Pokemon if applicable.

What happens when your partner faints?
After your partner faints, it's abilities will be nullified, but you can still use its move if you chose to use a move of your partner that particular turn. Afterwards you can't use its moves anymore.

What happens when you only have one Pokemon left?
Then you'll only have one ability in effect and only be able to use your own moves.

How do choice items and Assault Vest work?
Unlike how this used to work, Instruct has been able to fix this interaction. Now the partner will not be locked into the same move as the choice-locked user, and will still have access to status moves even if the partner has an Assault Vest. Choice-locked Pokemon that use a partner's move can effectively break the choice-lock by having the partner switch to a replacement that does not have the move you are locked in to.

Trace, Imposter and Transform used to be banned, why aren't they anymore?
Thanks to Instruct, these are now fixed. Effectively only the Pokemon that originally has this ability will use it. Logically speaking, Trace will copy the opposing Pokemon's original ability, and then that will be shared with the partner. In the same vein, Imposter and Transform cause the user to transform into the opposing Pokemon, and will only take and share the original ability. As transforming also replaces your moveset with the target's, only this new moveset will be shared meaning you will not have 12 moves.

Why is there no Sleep Clause?
We feel there is more than adequate counterplay to a lot of the sleep ideas present in the game with a lot of the top Pokemon and some of the best teams all having more than enough to handle it. More information on this decision can be found here.

Playability: Partners in Crime is currently playable on the main server via challenges.
Join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/vVwwpk7hTa

Co-Leaders: yuki, jasprose
Council: dnagerbdager, Grandmas Cookin, Instruct
 
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yuki

Huh? Me? Not this time...
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderatoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
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yuki

Huh? Me? Not this time...
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderatoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
Viability Rankings:
(Voting Sheet can be found here)
S Rank:
Genesect
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Incineroar
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Kyurem-B
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Porygon2

A Rank:
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Amoonguss
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Clefable
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Dragapult
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Heatran
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Indeedee-F
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Kartana
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Landorus
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Naganadel
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Necrozma
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Tapu Fini
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Togekiss
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Torkoal
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Urshifu-R
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Volcanion
1662518277917.png
Zapdos-G

B Rank:
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Barraskewda
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Blastoise
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Cresselia
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Excadrill
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Ferrothorn
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Indeedee
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Kingdra
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Lurantis
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Metagross
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Mew
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Pelipper
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Politoed
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Regieleki
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Spectrier
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Stakataka
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Sylveon
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Tapu Koko
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Tsareena
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Tyranitar
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Venusaur
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Victini
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Whimsicott
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Zygarde

C Rank:
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Araquanid
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Blaziken
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Celesteela
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Chandelure
:Chansey: Chansey
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Cinderace
:Clefairy: Clefairy
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Diancie
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Klinklang
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Kommo-o
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Landorus-T
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Latias
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Latios
1662518714097.png
Lycanroc
1662518722488.png
Perrserker
1662518731790.png
Porygon-Z
:Raichu-Alola: Raichu-A
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Regidrago
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Rhyperior
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Ribombee
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Rillaboom
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Scrafty
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Tapu Lele
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Terrakion
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Thundurus
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Tornadus
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Toxapex
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Volcarona
1662518858416.png
Weezing
1662518865224.png
Weezing-G
1662518874028.png
Zeraora

D Rank:
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Blacephalon
1662518894023.png
Bronzong
1662518901831.png
Crobat
1662518911202.png
Drifblim
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Dugtrio
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Grimmsnarl
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Hatterene
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Meowstic
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Mienshao
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Milotic
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Nihilego
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Ninetales
:Ninetales-Alola: Ninetales-A
:Persian-Alola: Persian-A
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Pheromosa
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Shuckle
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Swoobat
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Toxtricity
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Zapdos
 
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HiZo

我が為に苦しめ。我が為に狂い泣け。我が為に死ね。
is a Programmeris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
We're back. This code gave me severe allergies so I am more than ecstatic to see it through.

If you wanna play with the example, its actually one of my favorite teams when testing this format.
:heatran::venusaur::torkoal::genesect::incineroar::cresselia:
Intimidate and download are absolutely nuts here, giving free buffs and debuffs (-2 if the the intimidate-r switches in). Its super fun to use and super great to click buttons with, I hope you enjoy it!
 
Seems like a fun concept. Just a matter of time before things start getting banned (unless that's impossible). I shalt give it a try, and hopefully enjoy it
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
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Super excited for this metagame to come back! Learning doubles is a completely new concept to me so it's been really fun to mess around and feel completely out of my element. I do have a team to share that has been really solid so far too.

Black Kyurem FerroCress Bulky Offense
I was looking through the DOU VR to look for ideas and one Pokemon that shocked me was Ferrothorn being ranked. I looked into it and was interested in the IronPress set that it runs, and when looking at the rest of the VR I thought it would be really fun to pair with Cresselia to create the ultimate setup mon. Ferrothorn is also just great because it helps against a ton of common mons like Kyurem-Black, Tapu Fini, Amoonguss, and Dragon-types. After I started with this core I wanted something for Incineroar and Fire-types in general (sun is kinda scary) so I went with Tapu Fini+Heatran. Both of these are really great attackers and pass great abilities, Flash Fire is insanely great to have in games and Misty Surge is great at keeping Pokemon awake while Cresselia is off the field. To close out the team, I went with Kyurem-Black for some offensive pressure and Incineroar for Intimidate spam. I honestly didn't expect to make a bulkier team that was good so early on since HO has been really potent so far but tbh this team has been really strong, give it a try!

Some other ideas I've thought up and wanted to try
:ss/celesteela:
Celesteela @ Power Herb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Meteor Beam
- Air Slash
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
Wide Guard Celesteela seems really nice here, since Wide Guard is a great way to stop Eruption/Dragon Energy/Expanding Force/Water Spout spam, and when other Pokemon on your team have Protect you aren't missing out on anything. Celesteela in itself is also a really strong breaker that is able to break a lot of mons in the meta so I think it's worth trying this out.

:ss/volcarona:
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz
- Rage Powder
Redirect moves seem really nice for this meta, and Volcarona passes a decent ability and Quiver Dance as well to either help partners or setup itself and use their coverage to hit former walls like Heatran. Heatran's prevalence does hurt it though as Flash Fire is a huge hassle to deal with for it.

:ss/clefable:
Clefable @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Follow Me
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock / Toxic
Clefable probably isn't the best, but Unaware seems nice to annoy Download teams and Follow Me is always nice to have. Dunno if it's really worth using, especially if you're running Intimidate, but I could see it being a niche pick.

Really loving the meta so far, can't wait to see it more widely playable and see what people come up with!
 

yuki

Huh? Me? Not this time...
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderatoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
Hey everyone!

2 important things to update you on. Firstly, our Discord server is now live - you can either click the link in this post or find it in the OP. Secondly, we have published our first set of samples. Given that the meta is so young, these are mostly just what me, some of the OM staff and the rest of the council have been playing around with and discussing. Feel free to share your teams in this post and talk about things you think are interesting or any ideas you would have for teambuilding.

I'm also going to talk about some of the projects that I have not been able to refine to a level that I would like, and do need to explore further:
Psyspam
:ss/Indeedee: :ss/Necrozma:
I think Psychic Terrain is one of the weaker Terrains we have available, but still being able to constantly reset your Terrain via switches and firing off strong Expanding Forces can't be a problem. I think that pairing Indeedee-M and Necrozma works the best as we can have one of the strongest attackers on this type of team, plus something that can either set or deny Trick Room. Things that like to continually enter the field such as Genesect and Incineroar will be good here too. We have a bunch of ideas in the council that involve other Psychic Surge users, we're currently just trying to find the right 6.

Defiant
:ss/Blaziken: :ss/Thundurus: :ss/Kyurem-Black:
Defiant looks really strong with the amount of people that will be running Incineroar. Blaziken's Speed Boost and Brave Bird being donated to Thundurus gives both of these Pokemon the potential to just be absolute monsters throwing off very high Base Power moves while not allowing Intimidate Pokemon in. Kyurem-B is quickly becoming a staple to a lot of teams to ignore the immunity abilities. Being able to power through Lightning Rod and Flash Fire is particularly important for this team.

Plus Minus
:ss/Toxtricity-Low-Key: :ss/Klinklang:
Bit more of a silly one here, but I just love how these interact. When both Toxtricity and Klinklang are active, they effectively both have 2 pairs of Choice Specs active at once. With Overdrive being spread, this can be an absolutely silly amount of damage. Klinklang can be used to make the team semi-room, as well as provide moves such as Gear Up to increase the offense of the whole team. Ally Switch gets a special shoutout in this format for somehow being even more annoying as now you can share it with the partner too, making 50/50s even worse. I think that a Levitate user will be absolutely mandatory

Blastoise
:ss/Blastoise:
I need to address Blastoise. This thing provides Fake Out, Follow Me, Flip Turn and Shell Smash. This is a little bit mental. You are capable of creating a ton of pins and extra pressure with the supportive moves here, while also donating Shell Smash to basically anything in the whole tier. UT will tell you that facing a Shell Smashing Kartana isn't exactly fun. Excited to see what everyone does with this thing.
 

HiZo

我が為に苦しめ。我が為に狂い泣け。我が為に死ね。
is a Programmeris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Well, it didn't take me that long, but new levels of torture has been achieved!

The Durant Dilemma

:ss/Dugtrio: :ss/Diglett: :ss/Durant: :ss/meowstic:

Using Arena Trap and the newly acquired Skill Swap from a Pokemon such as Meowstic, you can essentially collect free turns for setup as both mons are stuck in a state of Truant. It is currently legal, but luckily there are ways get around it, Flying-types and Levitate being especially useful since it cancels out Arena Trap. You can also attack your own mons, if the trapper doesn't carry heal pulse that is. However, once you are in it is going to be a struggle to get out. Good luck!
 
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Some priority options I think could be good:

:ss/Scizor: :ss/Perrserker:
Scizor provides bullet punch and technician, while Perrserker provides fake out and steely spirit. With steely spirit double applying, that's a 3.375x boost to bullet punch. Not too shabby, especially when you consider Perrkerker also provides useful options like Close Combat, and both can provide swords dance or U-turn. Flash fire support seems like it would be very useful here. Hitmontop also seems like a viable choice for the same bullet punch/technician combo, but with wide guard for the spread moves which will undoubtedly be very common.

:ss/Crawdaunt: :ss/Cinderace:
Cinderace has some great support options such as ally switch, helping hand, and feint, but the real benefit here is Libero and Adaptability boosted sucker punch, aqua jet, and quick attacks from both mons. Cinderace provides fire coverage while Crawdaunt provides reliable fighting coverage, and both get adaptability boosted STAB on everything.

:ss/Dragonite: :ss/Lucario: :ss/Togekiss: :ss/Regieleki:
All good mons who also provide access to a great priority move in extreme speed. Togekiss can even use hustle to boost the power of its ally's extreme speed, Dragonite provides the excellent multiscale or inner focus, and great coverage, including other potentially useful priority in aqua jet. Lucario provides access to swords dance and close combat, and Regieleki has transistor.

:ss/Rillaboom:
Grassy Glide.
 
Contrary is awesome.

:ss/Lurantis:
Lurantis @ Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Low Sweep
- Superpower / Protect
- Leaf Storm / Protect
- Defog/ Knock Off / Protect

Lurantis is full on support, providing Contrary and very useful options in leaf storm and superpower. Defog can also be used for fun misses, and low sweep provides a very useful boost for allies. For example...

:ss/Volcarona:
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Quiver Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Heat Wave

Quiver dance is useful for when Lurantis isn't around, but contrary overheat + leaf storm provides incredibly powerful coverage, all while boosting your SpA greatly. Low sweep provides a much needed speed boost, and superpower could even be used to shore up physical defence while helping break Heatran.

:ss/Victini:
Victini @ Sitrus berry
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- Overheat
- Protect / Brick Break / Stored Power

Victini offers incredible power while boosting its speed and defences, AND offering the same option to Lurantis. Superpower pairs amazingly with V-create for both coverage and the ability to boost attack, and victory star ensures both sides will almost never miss. Lurantis can potentially forgo some moveslots for substitute and/or synthesis, making these pokémon even more unbreakable. Stored power is a cool option for if you manage to set up quite a lot.

:ss/Regieleki:
Regieleki just likes having coverage, and contrary leaf storm is coverage on steroids.

:ss/Heracross:
Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- High Horsepower / Earthquake
- Rock Slide / Stone Edge
One low sweep boost from Lurantis and Heracross is off. You can choose between Close Combat and Superpower to either boost attack or special defence, depending which one you need more, and the rest is pretty standard. Putting Synthesis on Lurantis might also be nice here, just for overcoming all the damage you'll be taking.

:ss/Dragapult:
Dragapult @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- U-turn / Thunderbolt / Hydro Pump
Dragapult can now boost its SpA with Draco Meteor. No low sweep shenanigans, but Dragapult is already plenty fast. Leaf storm can also be used for pokémon weak to it, but the real draw is contrary draco to power up your other moves while dishing out a lot of damage yourself.

I could do this all day, but this is just a few sets which I think could not only function decently in their own right, but also partner super well with Lurantis to make them extremely threatening. Shuckle could also provide Contrary for more defensive teams, while providing similar utility with mud shot, and even potentially nicher options like mud-slap and skitter smack, but I think the immediate power of Lurantis leaf storm and superpower is more useful overall.
 
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UT

Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Team Rateris a Battle Simulator Administratoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Appeals + C&C Lead
I don’t consider myself smart enough for doubles, let alone Partners in Crime, but I have played it a decent bit because Instruct is a bully and there is one Mon I think deserves an early look for a ban:
:ss/blastoise:
My friends who play doubles tell me Blastoise is good in standards thanks to it having excellent redirect and disruption options in Fake Out and Follow Me, plus good bulk and typing to redirect a few times. Bulky Follow Me is a fantastic way to help your partner set up. You know what really helps your partner set up? Donating Shell Smash to them.

The ability to give any mon in the meta Shell Smash and let it safely set up with Follow Me is a lot to handle. I have seen Shell Smash Kartana and Kyurem-B, and I don’t want to see them again please and thank you. Blastoise is the only fully evolved user with both Follow Me and Shell Smash, so I think it deserves special consideration for a quick ban or early look.

I am also not a big fan of Grassy Glide Kartana or Dragon’s Maw Dragon Energy Naganadel existing, but that is probably a skill issue.

yuki please build me a good Talonflame HO to spam.
 

HiZo

我が為に苦しめ。我が為に狂い泣け。我が為に死ね。
is a Programmeris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
While there are a lot of cool posts on cores, I want to talk about pokemon you can round out the team with. These mons are quite good in a variety of situations in the current state of the metagame. Note: I am not a (good) doubles players, so apologies if any descriptions are wrong.

:incineroar: Incineroar does what Incineroar does best, but now Intimidate is much more damning, giving -2 to both foes as soon as incin hits the field. If your team has a lot of physical attackers, then you will need good counterplay vs Intimidate in order to bust through teams.

:genesect: Computer bug now gets a more "supportive" role, with good moves ranging from Shift Gear to Extreme Speed to BoltBeam coverage to pass on, all the while giving the partner +1 to an offensive stat on switch-in. You can count on this Pokemon to provide momentum with U-turn while also giving its teammate all the reason to hit harder.

:kyurem-black: This pokemon is legal, and its a VERY good mon to round out any sort of typespam team. Being able to ignore abilities allows itself and its partner to sweep effectively. With BoltBeam coverage, Icy Wind, and Dragon Dance, this Pokemon can prevent opponents from stopping any potential sweeps just by being on the field.

:amoonguss: With sleep being fully legal, this Pokemon is really good to have. Being able to give its partners spore and regenerator can easily disrupt your opponent, and combined with Rage Power for redirection and you have one very annoying Pokemon to have on the field.

:naganadel: :kartana: Beast Boost is a very good ability on any offensive team, and these two Pokemon make for a very good offensive lead with hard hitting moves and tailwind. Depending on its partner, it can set up or help start KOing things for the rest of the team to snowball.

:tsareena: Fake Out can disrupt a team very well, but Tsareena's priority blocking can help you out in that regard. Its solid movepool can help its partner hit coverage it normally can't with Triple Axel and High Jump Kick

:indeedee-f: Also a solid priority blocker but has Follow Me and helping hand to help its partner sweep. Having access to Expanding Force is very convenient as it can allow its partner to spam it under Psychic Terrain.

:landorus: Sheer Force is a super good ability, and with moves such as Earth Power, Focus Blast, Sludge Bomb, and Psychic. It can give super crucial coverage to a Pokemon that doesn't normally have it all while boosting its usual attacks as well. Just be warned that this Pokemon is more situational as once it's on the field you are no longer allowed to use Fake Out if you want to win.
 

yuki

Huh? Me? Not this time...
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderatoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnus
Hey all!

We needed to do a bit of housekeeping before we can continue forward. Something just felt wrong in all of our testing, and it had to change. So after much discussion, the council has decided to quickban Shell Smash from Partners in Crime.

Let's talk about that:
The key issue with Shell Smash is that you can just pass it to an exceptionally strong partner such as Kartana, Naganadel or Landorus. These Pokemon can then either go on a rampage and take a couple of KOs, giving the user a big advantage in the game, or they can find a way to pivot in a strong spread move user such as Heatran to fully seal their win.

Blastoise was the most prominent Pokemon with Shell Smash, with its great utility in Fake Out and Follow Me giving a team ample opportunities to setup multiple Shell Smashes in a game. It could also pass Water Spout, allowing for the Shell Smash recipient to have an exceptionally strong spread move.

So why ban Shell Smash and not Blastoise? 2 main reasons. Firstly, losing Blastoise for the sins of Shell Smash would be a mighty shame for this format. When it comes to redirection, nothing offers as much utility as Blastoise can. Blastoise can offer all of the aforementioned moves, as well as Flip Turn, Yawn, Toxic and Haze to name a few. Secondly, even with Blastoise gone, there were still plenty of viable ways to use Shell Smash in an extremely overwhelming way. We changed the Torkoal on Instruct's Sun to Shell Smash. Wartortle took the place of Blastoise on Psyspam. Then the Shuckle saga happened where Instruct would use V-create Victini to boost its defenses and Speed via Contrary, then use Shell Smash while Shuckle switched out, resulting in +3 Speed, +2 to offenses, and net neutral defenses. We found that a few ideas could combat this: Trick Room is particularly effective against these styles, but the presence of Torkoal and Encore Shuckle made it less reliable; Clefable was a great check, until Kyurem-B hits the field, or any of the common checks such as Naganadel, Heatran, or Genesect were around; Balance teams are consistently good into these ideas, but inevitably need to get going quickly or they're overwhelmed before they can achieve their goals. We felt that Shell Smash pigeonholed the meta into an uncomfortable position, while still being able to overwhelm many of its checks.

Luckily we have come to this decision before the format goes live on main, so the transition should be smooth overall!
 
What's up?

Lucario
Lickilicky
Wailord
Pangoro

Inner Focus, Own Tempo, Oblivious and Scrappy provide immunity to Intimidate, this makes physical attackers more safe to use against Intimidate. But also Mirror Armor can be used as well


Regice
Regieleki
Incineroar
Clefable

Icy Wind, Electroweb, Snarl and Unaware can be used to counter Simple, Also Haze and Clear Smog works as well. String Shot also is a good counter to Simple.


Salazzle

If you want to badly poison any type with Toxic, Corrosion will work on those who want to cripple opponents. Poison Gas can be used if you want to poison both opponents, but it has 90% accuracy same as Toxic, but Toxic will bypass accuracy checks when used by an Poison type pokemon.


Zapdos
Hitmontop
Zeraora

Quick Guard can be used to stop priority moves such as Triage, Prankster and much more.


Barraskewda
Duraludon

Propeller Tail and Stalwart are used to bypass Follow Me, Rage Powder and other move-drawning abilities, Snipe Shot also does this too.
 
i have a thing i apparently have not shared..???

i challenge you to guess what this team is.

beat. beat up. it's beat up

there's three dark types so if you see any fairies or bugs it's perfectly acceptable to click forfeit.

:persian-alola::necrozma:
this is the main synergy of the team: while necrozma uses persian's fake out against an opponent, persian beats it up, resulting in +6 speed and +2 atk/spa. 10 stat changes give necrozma's stored power a whopping 220 base power, further boosted by STAB. feint is a check to protect, and prism armor hopefully results in less than half your health being taken away from this setup. i don't actually think you really need to run speed on necrozma.

:pangoro::malamar:
this is the second synergy of the team: pangoro's mold breaker lets it click buttons without much thinking, and malamar has no attacking moves since it's always supposed to be out with pangoro, necrozma or perrserker. you can psych up pangoro's +6 speed, necrozma's +2/+2/+6 or perrserker's... uh....

but anyway, power trip malamar!!!! woohoo!!

:clefable:
clefable is the follow me bot. it just presses follow me. unaware helps against similar teams (though stored power can reach a point where it doesn't matter if they don't have SpA boosts) and life dew lets its (hopefully super boosted) allies stay on the field for longer.

:perrserker:
this is the weak link of the team, i fear. steely spirit is the reason necrozma runs flash cannon, so it gets a boost here. iron head is mainly for pangoro, and throat chop can stop hyper voice/boomburst spam. now that i said that.... noivern DOES have telepathy..... hmmmm.....

i dont have anything to show for this team. i think i lost every time i used it. however as my #kween #inspo weedletwineedle says it's all about having FUN and not about WINNING.

also!! if persian beats up malamar it doesn't get speed boosts, it gets drops. should probably have mentioned this before.
here's proof. so keep that in mind, i guess.
 
i have a thing i apparently have not shared..???

i challenge you to guess what this team is.

beat. beat up. it's beat up

there's three dark types so if you see any fairies or bugs it's perfectly acceptable to click forfeit.

:persian-alola::necrozma:
this is the main synergy of the team: while necrozma uses persian's fake out against an opponent, persian beats it up, resulting in +6 speed and +2 atk/spa. 10 stat changes give necrozma's stored power a whopping 220 base power, further boosted by STAB. feint is a check to protect, and prism armor hopefully results in less than half your health being taken away from this setup. i don't actually think you really need to run speed on necrozma.

:pangoro::malamar:
this is the second synergy of the team: pangoro's mold breaker lets it click buttons without much thinking, and malamar has no attacking moves since it's always supposed to be out with pangoro, necrozma or perrserker. you can psych up pangoro's +6 speed, necrozma's +2/+2/+6 or perrserker's... uh....

but anyway, power trip malamar!!!! woohoo!!

:clefable:
clefable is the follow me bot. it just presses follow me. unaware helps against similar teams (though stored power can reach a point where it doesn't matter if they don't have SpA boosts) and life dew lets its (hopefully super boosted) allies stay on the field for longer.

:perrserker:
this is the weak link of the team, i fear. steely spirit is the reason necrozma runs flash cannon, so it gets a boost here. iron head is mainly for pangoro, and throat chop can stop hyper voice/boomburst spam. now that i said that.... noivern DOES have telepathy..... hmmmm.....
i dont have anything to show for this team. i think i lost every time i used it. however as my #kween #inspo weedletwineedle says it's all about having FUN and not about WINNING.

also!! if persian beats up malamar it doesn't get speed boosts, it gets drops. should probably have mentioned this before.
here's proof. so keep that in mind, i guess.
Did you forget that Justified exists?

Terrakion @ Hard Stone
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Iron Head/Protect/filler

Terrakion has multiple spread moves that will destroy just about anything after Beat Up gets it instantly to +6 Atk/Speed. (It might even be worth running a balloon on Persian so you don't have to sacrifice it if you need to use Earthquake.)

+6 252+ Atk Hard Stone Terrakion Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mew: 462-544 (114.3 - 134.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
Did you forget that Justified exists?

Terrakion @ Hard Stone
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Iron Head/Protect/filler

Terrakion has multiple spread moves that will destroy just about anything after Beat Up gets it instantly to +6 Atk/Speed. (It might even be worth running a balloon on Persian so you don't have to sacrifice it if you need to use Earthquake.)

+6 252+ Atk Hard Stone Terrakion Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mew: 462-544 (114.3 - 134.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
But that set gets countered by Unaware, Follow Me / Rage Powder (before the Beat up set up) and Haze. Also Grimmsnarl with Power Swap can screw this set too. And yes, Burning Jealousy can burn Terrakion after it gets the boosts.

Also It's Weak commonly to Aqua Jet, Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave boosted by Technician, Helping Hand, etc. this becomes worse if it had used Close Combat before.

252+ Atk Technician Sharpedo Helping Hand Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 336-396 (104 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Helping Hand Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 372-440 (115.1 - 136.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Adaptability Blaziken Helping Hand Vacuum Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Terrakion: 364-432 (112.6 - 133.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

All will OHKO Terrakion without the Helping Hand boost after the Close Combat stat drop.

Prankster users will cripple Terrakion with Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp and Toxic. They can force it to go last with Quash (Sableye), It can be put to sleep by Yawn (Liepard / Meowstic Male) or even Imprison its Rock Slide and Close Combat (Klefki).

Most of all, Wide Guard users will stop both Rock Slide and Earthquake spam, forcing it to use Close Combat.
 
But that set gets countered by Unaware, Follow Me / Rage Powder (before the Beat up set up) and Haze. Also Grimmsnarl with Power Swap can screw this set too. And yes, Burning Jealousy can burn Terrakion after it gets the boosts.

Also It's Weak commonly to Aqua Jet, Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave boosted by Technician, Helping Hand, etc. this becomes worse if it had used Close Combat before.

252+ Atk Technician Sharpedo Helping Hand Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 336-396 (104 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Guts Conkeldurr Helping Hand Mach Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Terrakion: 372-440 (115.1 - 136.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Adaptability Blaziken Helping Hand Vacuum Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Terrakion: 364-432 (112.6 - 133.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

All will OHKO Terrakion without the Helping Hand boost after the Close Combat stat drop.

Prankster users will cripple Terrakion with Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp and Toxic. They can force it to go last with Quash (Sableye), It can be put to sleep by Yawn (Liepard / Meowstic Male) or even Imprison its Rock Slide and Close Combat (Klefki).

Most of all, Wide Guard users will stop both Rock Slide and Earthquake spam, forcing it to use Close Combat.
You're completely missing the point:
it's all about having FUN and not about WINNING.
I'm simply pointing out that Justified could be a fun addition to a team that's built around abusing Beat Up + Rattled.
 
:ss/kommo-o:
Before PiC was taken down for technical issues, I remember Kommo-o being great Pokemon. Kommo-o has a lot going for it. It has 2 really gets abilities for this meta in Soundproof and Overcoat, and especially Soundproof. Boomburst+Soundproof, while easily beat by opposing Soundproof or Wide Guard, is really effective against everything else, and Kommo-o provides more than just Boomburst spam. It also provides one of the best set up moves in the game to literally anything.
:ss/Swoobat:
Speaking of which, you can also give Kommo-o one of the best abilities in the game that compliments one of the best set up moves in the game. For just 1/3rd your health, you can be instantly +2 in each stat, or +2 with +4 SpA. THEN you can psych up those boosts and do it a second time to be at +4 in each stat.
 
This is an example how I countered a Simple team in Partners in Crime:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1368992771

That how stat lowering moves and abilities are useful against Simple, they get -2 Spe if hit by Icy Wind, Electroweb, Bulldoze or affected by Cotton Down, -2 SpA if hit by Snarl or Struggle Bug and -4 Spe if they're affected by String Shot and Cotton Spore (However, Cotton Spore does not affect Grass type pokemon, Overcoat or Safety Goggles but it has 100% accuracy). Parting Shot and Noble Roar are sound moves that are blocked by Soundproof, -2 Atk and SpA if it succeeds. Intimidate lowers -2 Atk of both opponents.

Eerie Impulse lowers SpA by -4
Octolock will lower Def and SpD by -2 at the end of every turn.
Fake Tears and Metal Sound (sound move) lower SpD by -4
Memento Lowers Atk and SpA by -4 very dreadful.
Charm and Feather Dance lowers Atk by -4
Scary Face lowers Spe by -4
Topsy-Turvy reverses the boosts gained, ouch (Malamar and Grapploct have this).
Leer and Tail Whip lower Def by -2
Tearful Look lower Atk and SpA by -2 bypasses Protect.
Gastro Acid disables Simple.
Gooey and Tangling Hair lower -2 Spe on contact
Mystical Fire and Spirit Break lower -2 SpA if it hits.
Lunge and Trop Kick lowers Atk by -2 if it hits.
Fire Lash, Grav Apple and Thunderous Kick lower Def by -2 if it hits.
Apple Acid lowers SpD by -2 if it hits.
Acid Spray will lower SpD by -4 if it hits
Rock Tomb, Mud Shot, Low Sweep and Drum Beating lower Spe by -2 if it hits
Venom Drench lowers Atk, SpA and Spe by -2 if they're poisoned, that's evil.

Power Swap Grimmsnarl can steal your Atk and SpA boosts. like an uno reverse card.

Strength Sap will lower Atk by -2 and Recover the user a lot of HP if they have Atk boosts.

These ways where Simple puts you in a disadvantage.
 
This is an example how I countered a Simple team in Partners in Crime:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1368992771

That how stat lowering moves and abilities are useful against Simple, they get -2 Spe if hit by Icy Wind, Electroweb, Bulldoze or affected by Cotton Down, -2 SpA if hit by Snarl or Struggle Bug and -4 Spe if they're affected by String Shot and Cotton Spore (However, Cotton Spore does not affect Grass type pokemon, Overcoat or Safety Goggles but it has 100% accuracy). Parting Shot and Noble Roar are sound moves that are blocked by Soundproof, -2 Atk and SpA if it succeeds. Intimidate lowers -2 Atk of both opponents.

Eerie Impulse lowers SpA by -4
Octolock will lower Def and SpD by -2 at the end of every turn.
Fake Tears and Metal Sound (sound move) lower SpD by -4
Memento Lowers Atk and SpA by -4 very dreadful.
Charm and Feather Dance lowers Atk by -4
Scary Face lowers Spe by -4
Topsy-Turvy reverses the boosts gained, ouch (Malamar and Grapploct have this).
Leer and Tail Whip lower Def by -2
Tearful Look lower Atk and SpA by -2 bypasses Protect.
Gastro Acid disables Simple.
Gooey and Tangling Hair lower -2 Spe on contact
Mystical Fire and Spirit Break lower -2 SpA if it hits.
Lunge and Trop Kick lowers Atk by -2 if it hits.
Fire Lash, Grav Apple and Thunderous Kick lower Def by -2 if it hits.
Apple Acid lowers SpD by -2 if it hits.
Acid Spray will lower SpD by -4 if it hits
Rock Tomb, Mud Shot, Low Sweep and Drum Beating lower Spe by -2 if it hits
Venom Drench lowers Atk, SpA and Spe by -2 if they're poisoned, that's evil.

Power Swap Grimmsnarl can steal your Atk and SpA boosts. like an uno reverse card.

Strength Sap will lower Atk by -2 and Recover the user a lot of HP if they have Atk boosts.

These ways where Simple puts you in a disadvantage.
Well yeah, strategies aren’t always perfect and especially so with human error. If I remember correctly I forgot to put Soundproof on Kommo-o and Throat Spray. Also having better Pokemon too.
 

HiZo

我が為に苦しめ。我が為に狂い泣け。我が為に死ね。
is a Programmeris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
We did it. I just wanna shoutout CringeMeta, Kris, HoeenHero, UT, yuki, and in the hills for helping me out with either code review or moral support, couldn't have done it without y'all.

To make it not a one liner, I wanna showcase a fun core.

:ss/regidrago: :ss/naganadel:
Regidrago @ Dragon Fang
Ability: Dragon's Maw
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Energy
- Dragon Pulse
- Protect

Naganadel @ Life Orb / Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Tailwind

If you know me, I love Dragon Energy, and these two make a monstrous core able to spam Dragon Energy like never before. Naganadel gives Regidrago actual coverage, while Regidrago gives Naganadel a hella spammable attack with the ability that powers it up. Tailwind can make them go zoom and protect is when needed. The best way to beat them is probably Misty Surge or priority, but that doesn't mean Tapu Fini wants to switch in to a predicted sludge bomb from either of them.
 
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KaenSoul

FuegoAlma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
Here is a fun mon to use with set up sweepers:

:rb/clefairy:
Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Follow Me
- Helping Hand
- Heal Pulse
- Psych Up

Friend guard reduce the damage your partner receives (so both here), thats the one reason to use it over Clefable. And just like Clefable, it comes with a huge support movepool for doubles in Follow me, Helping hand, heal pulse, encore and knock off, so it can boost damage, redirect and heal while being surprisingly bulky, also psych up is funny with qd, clangorous soul and some other set up options that will make Clefairy much harder to kill and if the partner dies, the next one can copy the boost from Clefairy. Also, as a gen 1 normal type it has an absurd amount of coverage options it can give to its partner, elemental punches, dual wingbeat, meteor mash, meteor beam, flamethrower, ice beam, thunderbolt, etc. etc.

Here's a replay
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1643767730-yyonze79lz5c4o4v4fd18aykmo516ixpw

Edit to not double post:
:gs/Dunsparce:
Serene grace is a """Fun""" gimmick to annoy people that only works every once in a while but when it does it destroy friendships
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1644131321
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1644097637
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8partnersincrime-1644010878
 
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