Tek's VGC 2015 Team

[Tek]

I've had moderate success with this team so far. Had serious trouble with scarfed Thundurus in a tournament last week, and Greninja gives me grief sometimes.


Anyway the general strategy is to hit fast and hard. Feel free to dissect and such, I would appreciate some feedback :]




Archeops @ Leftovers
Ability Defeatist
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Atk 252Spe 4HP
Roost - Iron Defense - Head Smash - Ally Switch


STAB Head Smash wrecks, and outspeeds a lot of opponents due to Archeops' base speed of 110. Iron Defense and Roost help counteract Defeatist ability and defend against Rock Slide. Ally Switch for shenanigans, can be used to sacrifice low HP Archeops and give teammate an extra turn. Other possible items are Enigma Berry or Yache Berry to help against Ice Beam.


Mismagius @ Assault Vest
Ability Levitate
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
252Sp.A 252Spe 4HP
Hex - Icy Wind - Energy Ball - Power Gem


Icy Wind for speed control, Power Gem and Energy Ball for coverage. Hex is a bit of a gamble, but can dish out much more damage than Shadow Ball with proper setup. I used to run Choice Band to sweep with Hex, but it never worked out like that.


Heliolisk @ Focus Sash
Ability Sand Veil
Rash Nature (+Sp.A, - Sp.D)
252Spe 252Sp.A 4HP
Signal Beam - Hyper Beam - Glare - Thunderbolt


Nature is Rash because I used to have Silk Scarf on Heliolisk to maximize Hyper Beam damage. Going to rebreed for Timid Nature. Signal Beam for coverage and potential confusion. Glare for speed control and to set up for Mismagius' Hex.


Crobat @ Life Orb
Ability Inner Focus
Nature Jolly (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Spe 252Atk 4HP
Taunt - Cross Poison - Brave Bird - Tailwind


Crobat's Taunt is probably the single most important move on this team. Outruns damn near everything and disrupts a lot of strategies.


Delphox @ Air Balloon
Ability Blaze
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
252Spe 252Sp.A 4HP
Skill Swap - Psychic - Psyshock - Flamethrower


Delphox is here to cover against Mega Metagross and Mega Venusaur. Skill Swap to mess with Mega Kang and others, though Magic Coat works helps out more when Prankster users show up. Doubled down on Psychic moves so I can nail any non-resistant opponent in the appropriate defensive stat.


Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability Cute Charm
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Spe 252Atk 4HP
Fake Out - Ice Punch - High Jump Kick - Thunder Wave


And finally, my star player Mega Lopunny. High Jump Kick NUKES EVERYTHING. Ice Punch for coverage. Thunder Wave for control and to setup for Mismagius.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Archeops sucks big-time in doubles formats because of its frailty and terrible ability. In doubles formats, setup moves like Iron Defense or Roost aren't worth using, due to the fast pace, unless you have a good defensive typing (like Scizor).

As an FYI, the vast majority of what you have is outclassed by most other Pokemon in doubles formats. Mismagius is outclassed by Gengar because it's stronger and faster, and can even use its Mega Evolution to trap opponents.

Delphox is outclassed by things like Talonflame and the Mega Charizards, for starters, as the former has priority Brave Bird to revenge kill threats, while Charizard has 2 powerful Mega Evolutions; if you predict Charizard X, you may be hit by Charizard Y instead.

Protect is a staple in doubles formats. It allows the user to do things like scout attacks, punish double-targeting or giving a partner time to take out a target.

I'll start with Lopunny here. It's fast enough already, so it doesn't need Thunder Wave:
-Fake Out
-Return
-High Jump Kick/Low Kick
-Protect/Encore
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Item: Lopunnite
Ability: Limber (this is the preferred pre-Mega Ability, as it protects regular Lopunny from being paralyzed if it switches in)

Intimidate is rather commonplace in doubles, so Bisharp and Milotic can utilize their Defiant and Competitive abilities, respectively, to discourage that ability. This is important, as Mega Lopunny, a physical attacker, is weakened by Intimidate:

Bisharp:
-Sucker Punch
-Iron Head
-Knock Off
-Protect
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Item: Focus Sash/Life Orb/Dread Plate/Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant

Milotic:
-Scald
-Ice Beam/Icy Wind
-Recover/Icy Wind
-Protect/Mirror Coat
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP/140 Def/132 SAtk
Item: Leftovers/Sitrus Berry/Assault Vest
Ability: Competitive

Talonflame is a worthy addition to the team, as it can revenge kill things with priority Brave Bird:
-Flare Blitz
-Brave Bird
-Tailwind/Quick Guard
-Protect/Quick Guard
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 84 HP/252 Atk/172 Spe
Item: Life Orb/Sharp Beak/Sky Plate
Ability: Gale Wings

Believe it or not, Raichu is worth considering, as it has Lightning Rod to redirect the Electric attacks from Thundurus to itself and boost Raichu's middling Special Attack:
-Fake Out
-Thunderbolt/Volt Switch
-Encore
-Protect/Hidden Power (Ice)
Nature: Timid
EVs: 28 HP/4 Def/220 SAtk/4 SDef/252 Spe
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod

 

[Tek]

Heh, Archeops puts in work. He's probably staying. I actually had an experienced VGC judge specifically compliment me about my Archeops.

Delphox fills a specific niche on my team, his slot is the most likely one to be swapped out. That said, max speed Delphox outruns all 'zards, has higher base power than Talonflame, and doesn't fear Intimidate. I also have the ability to disrupt enemy strategies with Skill Swap (move priority of +1) and Magic Coat (move priority of +4).

Gengar could be a good alt to Mismagius. However, Mismagius does provide an answer to Aegislash that Gengar might be hard pressed to match - she 2HKOs shield form Aegis and tanks the attack form Shadow Ball with Assault Vest. I've also found Power Gem to be incredibly useful. But she'll likely fail against Gengar since she is outsped without being scarfed.

I may well do some testing with Raichu given how popular the genies are. Great suggestion!

I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard, and possibly swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect. If I do put Protect on Lopunny, I may also switch Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Delphox fills a specific niche on my team, his slot is the most likely one to be swapped out. That said, max speed Delphox outruns all 'zards, has higher base power than Talonflame, and doesn't fear Intimidate. I also have the ability to disrupt enemy strategies with Skill Swap (move priority of +1) and Magic Coat (move priority of +4).

Gengar could be a good alt to Mismagius. However, Mismagius does provide an answer to Aegislash that Gengar might be hard pressed to match - she 2HKOs shield form Aegis and tanks the attack form Shadow Ball with Assault Vest. I've also found Power Gem to be incredibly useful. But she'll likely fail against Gengar since she is outsped without being scarfed.

I may well do some testing with Raichu given how popular the genies are. Great suggestion!

I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard, and possibly swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect. If I do put Protect on Lopunny, I may also switch Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball.

Brave Bird's higher base power compensates for Talonflame's lack of power. It also provides Speed control via Tailwind and can also protect the team from priority with Quick Guard. Charizard X is bulky and can set up Dragon Dance to outspeed things it normally wouldn't, Delphox included. Skill Swap has a priority of +0 last time I checked. You're better off just using Protect vs. status moves; there's virtually no room in doubles to use Magic Coat. If I were you, I'd use Talonflame over Delphox; the revenge killing utility of Gale Wings Brave Bird is just too good to pass up. Refer to the Talonflame set as well.

If you have an Aegislash problem, use Bisharp, as I've already stated. It handles Aegislash very well outside of ones that use Sacred Sword. Gengar is also faster and stronger. Outside of Talonflame and the Charizards, Power Gem is useless.

I'd prefer it if you got rid of Archeops too. Its bad defensive typing leaves it susceptible to things like Surf, Discharge and Rock Slide and its ability cripples it so badly. If you want another Quick Guard user, use Terrakion. Though it's weak to Surf and Earthquake, it has the bulk to take other spread moves as well:
-Rock Slide
-Close Combat
-Quick Guard/Taunt
-Protect
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
Item: Focus Sash/Life Orb/Lum Berry

And you should use Raichu over Heliolisk.

 

[Omicron]

Delphox fills a specific niche on my team, his slot is the most likely one to be swapped out. That said, max speed Delphox outruns all 'zards, has higher base power than Talonflame, and doesn't fear Intimidate. I also have the ability to disrupt enemy strategies with Skill Swap (move priority of +1) and Magic Coat (move priority of +4).

Gengar could be a good alt to Mismagius. However, Mismagius does provide an answer to Aegislash that Gengar might be hard pressed to match - she 2HKOs shield form Aegis and tanks the attack form Shadow Ball with Assault Vest. I've also found Power Gem to be incredibly useful. But she'll likely fail against Gengar since she is outsped without being scarfed.

I may well do some testing with Raichu given how popular the genies are. Great suggestion!

I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard, and possibly swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect. If I do put Protect on Lopunny, I may also switch Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball.

First of all, don't get discouraged from experimenting and using "odd" pokémon. If Delphox fill perfectly what you need and has good synergy with the rest of the team, by all means use it.

Now, to the team. I'd like to make a more profound analysis later, when I'm less tired, but I do have some initial suggestions.

You definitely want to replace hex with shadow ball. Hex is a very occasional move so it isn't worth it. Shadow ball will hit harder most of the times.

On Delphox, running double psychic is kind of redundant. If you'd rather double up on an attack, Mystic Fire would be a much better option as you're taking a lot of power from them. Psychic/Fire are pretty good stabs, so running Flamethrower and Psyshock should cover most of your needs.

Also, Archeops ability really, really, really makes him a bad choice. I'd suggest replacing it with Aerodactyl, same typing and even faster than Archeops. I'd suggest this set:

Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Sky Drop
- Roost
- Protect/Ice Fang

 

[Tek]

@PlatinumDude What do you mean by revenge killing?

 

[WolfMirage]

Reveng killing means in short, one poke weakness it and ur next sent out poke finishs it off and if I may make a suggestion, y not breed some new pokes and try out platinumdudes suggestion, the worst that could happen is that it that work out right

 

[rob_thijs]

I've had moderate success with this team so far. Had serious trouble with scarfed Thundurus in a tournament last week, and Greninja gives me grief sometimes.


Anyway the general strategy is to hit fast and hard. Feel free to dissect and such, I would appreciate some feedback :]




Archeops @ Leftovers
Ability Defeatist
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Atk 252Spe 4HP
Roost - Iron Defense - Head Smash - Ally Switch


STAB Head Smash wrecks, and outspeeds a lot of opponents due to Archeops' base speed of 110. Iron Defense and Roost help counteract Defeatist ability and defend against Rock Slide. Ally Switch for shenanigans, can be used to sacrifice low HP Archeops and give teammate an extra turn. Other possible items are Enigma Berry or Yache Berry to help against Ice Beam.


Mismagius @ Assault Vest
Ability Levitate
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
252Sp.A 252Spe 4HP
Hex - Icy Wind - Energy Ball - Power Gem


Icy Wind for speed control, Power Gem and Energy Ball for coverage. Hex is a bit of a gamble, but can dish out much more damage than Shadow Ball with proper setup. I used to run Choice Band to sweep with Hex, but it never worked out like that.


Heliolisk @ Focus Sash
Ability Sand Veil
Rash Nature (+Sp.A, - Sp.D)
252Spe 252Sp.A 4HP
Signal Beam - Hyper Beam - Glare - Thunderbolt


Nature is Rash because I used to have Silk Scarf on Heliolisk to maximize Hyper Beam damage. Going to rebreed for Timid Nature. Signal Beam for coverage and potential confusion. Glare for speed control and to set up for Mismagius' Hex.


Crobat @ Life Orb
Ability Inner Focus
Nature Jolly (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Spe 252Atk 4HP
Taunt - Cross Poison - Brave Bird - Tailwind


Crobat's Taunt is probably the single most important move on this team. Outruns damn near everything and disrupts a lot of strategies.


Delphox @ Air Balloon
Ability Blaze
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
252Spe 252Sp.A 4HP
Skill Swap - Psychic - Psyshock - Flamethrower


Delphox is here to cover against Mega Metagross and Mega Venusaur. Skill Swap to mess with Mega Kang and others, though Magic Coat works helps out more when Prankster users show up. Doubled down on Psychic moves so I can nail any non-resistant opponent in the appropriate defensive stat.


Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability Cute Charm
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Sp.A)
252Spe 252Atk 4HP
Fake Out - Ice Punch - High Jump Kick - Thunder Wave


And finally, my star player Mega Lopunny. High Jump Kick NUKES EVERYTHING. Ice Punch for coverage. Thunder Wave for control and to setup for Mismagius.

First off, I really urge you to replace Archeops, it's ability is really, really, really BAD. 50% Atk drop when it reaches 50% HP? Why do you want that, you can't keep it over 50% all the time. Like apocalypseArisen suggested I would go with Aerodactyl to.

Aerodactyl @ Aerodactylite
Nature - Jolly
Ability - Pressure
220 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 228 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Sky Drop
- Roost/Ice Fang
- Protect

Or if you don't want to use 2 mega's you can go for this:

Aerodactyl @ Lum Berry
Nature - Jolly
Ability - Pressure
EV's - 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
- Rock Slide
- Sky Drop
- Taunt/Tail Wind
- Wide Guard

Why the Assault Vest on Mismagius? What will it survive with it, Hex is usefull in some situtions, but not recommended in doubles. I use a Mismagius on my team to, but only because I could not use another poison type on my team (Gengar). Why do you choose Mismagius over Gengar? Gengar outclasses it by Speed and Special Attack.

But if you insist:

Mismagius @ Focus Sash
Nature - Timid
Ability - Levitate
EV's - 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Will-o-Wisp
- Icy Wind
- Protect

Why Heliolisk?
Hyper Beam is a big NO NO in doubles, it's just a sitting duck after he has used it.

Crobat is fine, just be carefull with Prankster Taunt. Talonflame is a good option to, as it can revenge kill with priority Brave Bird. However if you are not afraid off anything Crobat's speed will be enough.

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Nature - Adamant
Ability - Gale wings
EV's - 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
- Brave Bird
- Overheat / Flare Blitz
- Tailwind
- Quick Guard / Protect / Taunt

Delphox surprises me a lot. But double stab is not necessery, I would go with something like this.

Delphox @ Expert belt
Nature - Timid
Ability - Blaze
EV's 52 HP / 196 SpA / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
- Flamethrower
- Psychic
- Hidden Power Grass / Grass Knot
- Protect

Like PlatinumDude suggested Lopunny doesn't need speed control her self. It's doubles so her team mates can do that for her, she is fast as hell anyway.
High Jump Kick sure hits like a truck but do you really want to risk it with so many Protect users in the VGC Meta Game?
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability - Limber
Nature - Jolly
EV's - 252 Spe / 252 Atk / 4HP
- Fake Out
- Return / Ice Punch
- High Jump Kick / Low Kick
- Protect / Encore


Hope I was helpfull.

 

[Polar Spectrum]

Look mate, I like me some doubles. And I like me some unpredictableness, and don't get me wrong, I REALLY like my niche mons. But there are some really outstanding problems here; not that you NEED to change any of this, but you're really operating on some misconceptions here.

1. Archeops. Archeops can wreck, it really can. Stab head smash off 140 base attack, is death. And it gets a very quick rock slide with stab; to flinch. I can really appreciate your usage of Ally Switch too, given that it's priority, it gives a teammate a potentially crucial move and can sacrifice a possibly useless low HP archeops for something useful. However; what it does not have - is the time, bulk, typing, or non-threat level for an opponent to let it use Iron Defense. Roost; perchance - but Iron Defense will at most keep it from going defeatist mode on one turn, only to go in on another. And with its weakness to priority all over the place, it just - Iron Defense may not be your best move. It might appreciate the protect; for obvious fake outs. Which believe me, people will want to fake out an archeops.

2. Mismagius. Mismagius, can also wreck in doubles. This one I've got personal experience with. Assault vest could work on it too; it has great options in a really wide array of special attacks; but you wanna put the right ones on it. Hex, is best if you're not doing assault vest. Misgmagius can run hex effectively IF it's also carrying Will O Wisp. Will O Wisp will aid its lower physical defense, support teammates who don't like physical hits, give it something to avoid sucker punch and still help, AND set it up for hex on a following turn to deal massive damage. But an assault vested Mismagius, can't use hex+will o wisp. :L And; given an assault vest mismagius has nice special bulk but only subpar physical - you really wanna give it shadow ball to hit the highest damage as often as possible. Power gem is great coverage though, and annihilates Mega Char Y and Talonflame - and can usually deal with volcarona. But take note Mismagius also has Dazzling gleam -yes, non stab, but it's a spread move and nice coverage. Hitting both opponents is invaluable. heads up as well, if you're not doing AV - it has nasty plot as well. Oh, and here's another huge thing... Choice Band boosts physical attack and locks you into a move :I Literally useless on mismagius especially if you're using all special attacks.

Lots of other kinda minor things that seem to be just misunderstandings, but I will say if you wanna keep delphox, look at it's movepool, it's pretty sweet. Especially in Heat Wave, Hypnosis, and Trick. Heat wave lets it hit both opponents in VGC with stab, very nice - hypnosis with its speed can shut things down quickly giving teammates space to do stuff, and trick combined with its magician ability can be shenanigans-y.

If you wanted to replace delphox, and still wanted a cool fire type to fill that niche; check out Pyroar. It's a tiny bit quicker, hits a bit less hard, but has a few more VGC specific tricks. Stab Hyper Voice for spread damage, Stab Heat wave for spread damage, snarl for spread coverage and dual sp atk drops, and a few neat tricks like incinerate, overheat, etc.

 

[Tek]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I can't reply individually to you all right now, but I'll make some changes, do some testing, and report back.

As I said before, I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard (or maybe protect), swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect, and switching Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball. Not sure about Dazzling Gleam on Mismagius, I used to run it and it rarely did significant damage (also polar I meant choice scarf of course :P).

What do we think about the EV spreads? I haven't yet looked at the speed stats of major threats to the team, or damage calculations against those threats. In fact, I'm not sure where I can find that info. Smogon or something?

Finally, I want to point out something about Archeops that no one seems to be noticing. His base power is 140. When Defeatist activates, that halves to 70. With Head Smash's base power of 150, you're looking at similar damage to a Brave Bird or Flare Blitz from Talonflame. The major disadvantage is actually the 80% accuracy, which has bit me in the butt several times.

In addition, with Ally Switch and Quick Guard/Protect , Archeops can continue to function without attacking at all. Add in a Leftovers, and I may just get another full power Head Smash. It's happened before.

Edit: just found out Archeops gets Endeavor. Possible Roost replacement?

 

[PlatinumDude]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I can't reply individually to you all right now, but I'll make some changes, do some testing, and report back.

As I said before, I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard (or maybe protect), swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect, and switching Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball. Not sure about Dazzling Gleam on Mismagius, I used to run it and it rarely did significant damage (also polar I meant choice scarf of course :P).

What do we think about the EV spreads? I haven't yet looked at the speed stats of major threats to the team, or damage calculations against those threats. In fact, I'm not sure where I can find that info. Smogon or something?

Finally, I want to point out something about Archeops that no one seems to be noticing. His base power is 140. When Defeatist activates, that halves to 70. With Head Smash's base power of 150, you're looking at similar damage to a Brave Bird or Flare Blitz from Talonflame. The major disadvantage is actually the 80% accuracy, which has bit me in the butt several times.

In addition, with Ally Switch and Quick Guard/Protect , Archeops can continue to function without attacking at all. Add in a Leftovers, and I may just get another full power Head Smash. It's happened before.

You have a misconception on how Defeatist works. At level 50, neutral Archeops' Attack with 252 EVs and a 31 IV is 192. When Defeatist is active, this is halved to 96. Defeatist halves the user's Attack stat as seen in the summary screen, not its base Attack. Regardless. Archeops is still a terrible option in doubles for the reasons I and other people have already stated. Replace it with Terrakion, as I've said already. Not only does it provide Quick Guard support, it's also bulkier and Ally Switch only sees use in triples, IMO; it's way too situational. I also forgot to mention that using Head Smash on Archeops screams suicide. You're just lowering yourself into Defeatist range faster. Leftovers is a very rarely seen item in doubles formats, as the fast pace there makes it a difficult option to justify over using Sitrus Berry; the Pokemon can be taken out before Leftovers restores what Sitrus Berry would've restored (over several turns for the former).

Replace Heliolisk with Raichu. I don't think Heliolisk is that good in doubles outside of rain teams. I hope you also realize that Heliolisk gained Hyper Voice as a Normal STAB in OR/AS.

 

[Tek]

You have a misconception on how Defeatist works. At level 50, neutral Archeops' Attack with 252 EVs and a 31 IV is 192. When Defeatist is active, this is halved to 96. Defeatist halves the user's Attack stat as seen in the summary screen, not its base Attack. Regardless. Archeops is still a terrible option in doubles for the reasons I and other people have already stated. Replace it with Terrakion, as I've said already. Not only does it provide Quick Guard support, it's also bulkier and Ally Switch only sees use in triples, IMO; it's way too situational. I also forgot to mention that using Head Smash on Archeops screams suicide. You're just lowering yourself into Defeatist range faster. Leftovers is a very rarely seen item in doubles formats, as the fast pace there makes it a difficult option to justify over using Sitrus Berry; the Pokemon can be taken out before Leftovers restores what Sitrus Berry would've restored (over several turns for the former).

Replace Heliolisk with Raichu. I don't think Heliolisk is that good in doubles outside of rain teams. I hope you also realize that Heliolisk gained Hyper Voice as a Normal STAB in OR/AS.

I should mention that Archeops is named Kamikaze. Now that I know he learns Endeavor, his suicidal tendencies might be even more useful.

I've seen Leftovers used quite frequently, Black Sludge also. Ally Switch has won me several battles.

Just wondering, where do you get your info from? Specifically on Defeatist's mechanics.

I appreciate your opinion about Heliolisk. In the event I keep him anyways, what do we think about swapping Signal Beam for Surf (question for everybody)?

 

[PlatinumDude]

I should mention that Archeops is named Kamikaze. Now that I know he learns Endeavor, his suicidal tendencies might be even more useful.

I've seen Leftovers used quite frequently, Black Sludge also. Ally Switch has won me several battles.

Just wondering, where do you get your info from? Specifically on Defeatist's mechanics.

I appreciate your opinion about Heliolisk. In the event I keep him anyways, what do we think about swapping Signal Beam for Surf (question for everybody)?

Archeops is unsuitable for doubles formats. Its bad ability and frail defenses ensure it won't be doing much on the field. It's extremely prone to priority. Even with Quick Guard, it still falls to practically every decently powered attack. While Talonflame and Terrakion in the same boat, they don't have abilities that make them totally useless when their at half HP or less and can contribute much more to the battle in priority Brave Bird and powerful spread move in Rock Slide, respectively. Head Smash is also a bad move to use on Archeops, once again. It brings itself to Defeatist range faster, and at that point, an opponent can move in and take it out.

Bulbapedia and Smogon for starters.

I'd suggest reading this (in-progress) analysis for Lopunny in doubles formats; it gives the best teammates to use with it

 

[Polar Spectrum]

As I said before, I'm looking at swapping Heliolisk's Hyper Beam for Protect, swapping Archeops' Iron Defense for Quick Guard (or maybe protect), swapping Lopunny's Thunder Wave for Protect, and switching Mismagius' Hex for Shadow Ball. Not sure about Dazzling Gleam on Mismagius, I used to run it and it rarely did significant damage (also polar I meant choice scarf of course :P).

Thanks for keepin' it reasonable in your responses too :P Hope my above suggestions weren't too grating. Hyper beam for protect could be good, that turn of recharging basically hands your opponent a KO on either heliolisk, or the easily double teamed ally of it. Iron Defense for quick guard sounds like an AWESOME switch btw, Archeops is going to draw out their priority attackers - because everyone wants it to go into defeatist quickly. Not to mention you'll have an easy and obvious good move that your opponent won't be expecting when Scizor wants to bullet punch, Azumarill wants to aqua jet, anybody wants to fake out or sucker punch (Khangaskhan :I) and with archeops' base speed; his quick guard will actually outspeed likewise +3 Priority fake outs. So yeah, quick guard REALLY sounds like a smart move. Shadow ball too on mismagius, becuase yeh. You're right too, in that Dazzling gleam rarely does significant damage. It's base 80, non stab, and gets the 20% drop from spread in doubles. It really only is for minor coverage on occasion, as well as a spread move - which can be invaluable like I said before. Sometimes you don't know who's gonna protect, and just getting the one hit on someone makes a difference. Good to hear you didn't choice band a mismagius though lol. That would've been sad.

Finally, I want to point out something about Archeops that no one seems to be noticing. His base power is 140. When Defeatist activates, that halves to 70. With Head Smash's base power of 150, you're looking at similar damage to a Brave Bird or Flare Blitz from Talonflame. The major disadvantage is actually the 80% accuracy, which has bit me in the butt several times.

In addition, with Ally Switch and Quick Guard/Protect , Archeops can continue to function without attacking at all. Add in a Leftovers, and I may just get another full power Head Smash. It's happened before.

This. Pokemon you know are going to be crippled because they draw too much attention in doubles need backup plans. It's a good idea.

Edit: just found out Archeops gets Endeavor. Possible Roost replacement?

Quote above with bold is my response; good luck with the team mate and if you're on 3DS and ever wanna test it out - hit me up! I'd love to give your team a test run sometime.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Quote above with bold is my response; good luck with the team mate and if you're on 3DS and ever wanna test it out - hit me up! I'd love to give your team a test run sometime.

Dazzling Gleam inflicts damage with no side-effects whatsoever.

Rage Powder and Follow Me are more reliable than Ally Switch, as they completely redirect any foe's non-spread attack towards the user; this is better done by bulky Pokemon like Amoonguss and Togekiss. I'm afraid you have plenty to learn about the doubles format.

 

[Nah]

Ally Switch can work if you know what you're doing.

But Tek, if you really wanna keep Archeops, you really can't use Head Smash on it. The fact that it eats huge chunks of health from the user is already bad enough, but combining that with Defeatist makes things way worse. If you need an alternative Rock STAB for it, there's Stone Edge. Same accuracy, but is still fairly powerful and has a boosted crit chance. Majority of people opt for Rock Slide though since it's a spread move.

 

[WolfMirage]

I'm gonna add one more thing, I'm not trying to be mean, but some pokes arnt good, that's some thing u gotta understand and archeops ability is just bad, the pokemon isn't bad it self, but it ability is it's own worst enemy

 

[Tek]

Dazzling Gleam inflicts damage with no side-effects whatsoever.

Rage Powder and Follow Me are more reliable than Ally Switch, as they completely redirect any foe's non-spread attack towards the user; this is better done by bulky Pokemon like Amoonguss and Togekiss. I'm afraid you have plenty to learn about the doubles format.

I really feel like you're being impolite. You clearly have a lot of knowledge about the metagame; that's great. Let's keep this civil.

You didn't answer my question about Defeatist. What is the specific resource you're getting that info from? The in-game description says that the Pokémon's stats are halved, which does not match what you said.

@WolfMirage Respectfully, I don't think that contributes to the discussion.

@Zekrom Stone Edge might be a good alternative. It is significantly weaker than Head Smash tho. I'm really considering swapping Roost for Endeavor instead.

Archeops is wholly reckless, but that doesn't scare me. If he can take out an opponent and put another in revenge kill territority, I may well come out on top.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I really feel like you're being impolite. You clearly have a lot of knowledge about the metagame; that's great. Let's keep this civil.

You didn't answer my question about Defeatist. What is the specific resource you're getting that info from? The in-game description says that the Pokémon's stats are halved, which does not match what you said.

I already answered it: Defeatist doesn't take base stats in account (Archeops' 140 for instance doesn't go down to 70). It uses the stats as seen in the summary screen; refer to the example I mentioned. I already said I got them from Bulbapedia and Smogon and neither mention base Attack and Special Attack; they simply say Attack and Special Attack, which I assume is the Attack and Special Attack stats as seen in the summary screen.

If you want to keep Archeops, fine. Keep in mind that it's not ideal to use in doubles.

And what WolfMirage is trying to say here is that some Pokemon function in doubles better than others. Archeops is one of those Pokemon that falls flat in that department, mainly because of its frailty and terrible ability. This is why I'm advocating for removing Archeops entirely in favor of better options.

 

[Zeffy]

You didn't answer my question about Defeatist. What is the specific resource you're getting that info from? The in-game description says that the Pokémon's stats are halved, which does not match what you said.

For future reference, in-game descriptions aren't the best source of information. Sadly, they're not as accurate as most people make them out to be :(