# THE TEAM

[toc]

## Overview



I wanted to build a team that was **strong**, **reliable** and **didn’t depend on a specific gimmick** like Rain or Trick Room. In my opinion, *if you want to create a strong team, it is best to use strong Pokémon* (with some exceptions, like Se Jun Park’s famous Pachirisu).

Not all Pokémon are equal: some are simply better than others. For that reason, when I first started building the team, I went looking for the **strongest Pokémon**.

So, the question arises: *what makes a Pokémon strong*? Well, thankfully, Game Freak has given each Pokémon a numerical value that we can use to compare them: the **Base Stat Total (BST)**. While stats are not the only thing that determines viability, they are a great place to start.

Therefore, I looked at which Pokémon had the highest stats in the game. The two highest that are legal to use (the Battle Subway forbids “restricted” Pokémon like Kyogre and Mythicals like Arceus) are Regigigas and Slaking. However, these guys come with abilities as brutal as their stats, making them nearly unusable for this challenge.

That leads us to the “600 club”. This club is made up of the Pseudo-Legendaries plus Cresselia, Heatran, Landorus and the Lati twins. These are all extremely powerful monsters that can fit into almost any team and win games on their own. The 3 members I selected from this group are **Cresselia**, **Metagross** and **Hydreigon** (more detailed explanation on each member later).

You might notice I only mentioned 3 Pokémon and Battle Subway Doubles teams consist of 4. That is because the final member is the “old reliable” **Gyarados**, rocking an also impressive 540 BST.

This team, with Cresselia and Metagross in the lead, consists of 4 strong Pokémon (by BST standards) that aim to win games by taking advantage of their **versatility**, **consistency** and **bulk**. Out of the 12 moves on this team, only 2 have an accuracy lower than 100%, and both belong to Cresselia –a Pokémon so absurdly bulky that it can sit on the field clicking moves for so many turns it is not even funny.

With Icy Wind and Thunder Wave on Cresselia for Speed control, Metagross as the primary physical attacker, Hydreigon as the special nuker, and Gyarados in the back –ready to set up Dragon Dances on opponents that lack the coverage to touch it– this team relies on its huge natural bulk (further boosted by Gyarados’s Intimidate) and its high BST to overwhelm opponents.

Synergistically, both Hydreigon and Gyarados either resist or are immune to Metagross’s weaknesses, and they can switch in on almost any super-effective hit that threatens Cresselia. Furthermore, all my Pokémon are immune to Metagross’s Earthquake, allowing it to click the move comfortably regardless of who is standing next to it.

Overall, this team feels incredibly solid. This combination of Pokémon is definitely one of the best ones that I have tried.

---

## Cresselia

### Explanation

The best Pokémon in the game.

You can slap Cresselia onto almost any team, and not only would she improve it, but she would also force the entire team to play around her.

Base 120 HP/Defense and 130 Special Defense is simply out of this world, especially on a Pokémon with such a deep movepool. She has access to every tool you could ever need: Trick Room, Thunder Wave and Icy Wind for speed control; Psychic, Psyshock, Ice Beam, Grass Knot, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball and Hidden Power for damage and coverage; other elite support options like Dual Screens, Helping Hand, Skill Swap, Toxic, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Swagger; you could even use some more niche options such as Safeguard or Lunar Dance, all while having reliable recovery with Moonlight or Rest. She could even run an offensive item like Choice Specs or Expert Belt thanks to her amazing natural bulk. Definitely, one of the biggest representatives of the “4-moveslot syndrome”. If you want to build a serious Gen 5 Doubles team, you start with Cresselia.

The results speak for themselves: she was on 7 of the top 8 teams at Worlds 2012 (including the winner) and she remained the most used Pokémon in 2013 ([source](https://www.nimbasacitypost.com/2012/08/teams-and-results-from-2013-world.html)).

And so, I decided to build my team around her. Here are the moves I chose:
- **Psychic**. Even though Cresselia is more of a support Pokémon for my team, I believe every Pokémon should be able to threaten some damage, and this is her strongest STAB option.
- **Icy Wind**. One of the tools for Speed Control. Using Icy Wind while Metagross Protects allows me to outspeed most oponents on the following turn. It also synergizes with Metagross’s Ice Punch by popping an opponent’s Yache Berry thanks to Cresselia’s slightly higher Speed.
- **Thunder Wave**. While Cresselia lacks Thundurus’s Prankster ability, her immense bulk allows her to sit on the field crippling opponents while farming Leftovers recovery. Facing a fast threat like Infernape or Blaziken? No problem –Thunder Wave them while Protecting with Metagross, then pick up the KO on the next turn. The fact that this move has received 3 nerfs should tell you about how broken it is.
- **Toxic**. I tested various options before stumbling upon Toxic, and it turned out to be the perfect fit. It allows me to badly poison defensive walls that don’t pose an immediate threat and forget about them for the rest of the battle. Some Pokémon that literally get invalidated by this strategy are Walrein2, Walrein3, Wailord3, all Vaporeon, Umbreon1-3 (worth it despite Synchronize), all Slowbro and Slowking (Slowking4 has a Lum Berry, so you might want to Thunder Wave first), Suicune2-4, Blissey2-4, all Regigigas, to name a few.

As for the Item, **Leftovers** proved slightly better than Sitrus Berry (close second best) for two main reasons:
- Enemy Bug-type Pokémon running Bug Bite will often target Cresselia.
- While most battles only last 4-6 turns, the most problematic matchups –like against Legendary teams or Trick Room—often turn into wars of attrition where the gradual healing from Leftovers is invaluable.

Additionally, her **Levitate** ability makes her a great partner for Metagross, allowing it to spam Earthquake without ever worrying about friendly fire.

Overall, Cresselia is the defensive backbone of the team. She provides the support necessary for everyone else to shine and enables strategies that simply wouldn’t be possible with any other Pokémon.

---

### Stats and moves

Cresselia @ Leftovers  
Ability: Levitate  
Level: 50  
Shiny: Yes  
EVs: 228 HP / 28 Def / 4 SpA / 244 SpD / 4 Spe  
Bold Nature  
IVs: 0 Atk  
- Psychic  
- Icy Wind  
- Thunder Wave  
- Toxic 


First, I would like to say that this Cresselia is not optimal. A Calm Cresselia with 140 EVs in Defense and 116 EVs in Special Defense has the same stats, and 16 extra EVs to spend. However, I could not get a Calm Cresselia with good IVs.

That being said, it is important to note that the 228 EVs in HP were not chosen randomly. This takes Cresselia to exactly 224 HP, which is multiple of 16, meaning that it is the highest HP Cresselia can reach to maximize Leftovers recovery while not wasting any EVs. Also, the extra point in Speed lets it outspeed all other Cresselia, as well as Pinsir3.

---

### Some important damage calculations

- Porygon-Z1.
252+ SpA Wise Glasses Porygon-Z Shadow Ball vs. 228 HP / 244 SpD Cresselia on a critical hit: 152-180 (67.8 - 80.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Porygon-Z3.
252+ SpA Expert Belt Porygon-Z Signal Beam vs. 228 HP / 244 SpD Cresselia on a critical hit: 158-187 (70.5 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Gengar1 & Gengar3 & Gengar4.
252 SpA Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 228 HP / 244 SpD Cresselia on a critical hit: 186-222 (83 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Absol3.
252 Atk Absol Night Slash vs. 228 HP / 28+ Def Cresselia on a critical hit: 186-222 (83 - 99.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Pinsir1.
252+ Atk Pinsir Bug Bite vs. 228 HP / 28+ Def Cresselia on a critical hit: 170-204 (75.8 - 91%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Escavalier1 & Escavalier2 & Escavalier4.
252+ Atk Escavalier Megahorn vs. 228 HP / 28+ Def Cresselia: 176-210 (78.5 - 93.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Volcarona2.
+1 252 SpA Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 228 HP / 244 SpD Cresselia: 158-188 (70.5 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- Volcarona3 & Volcarona4.
+2 0 SpA Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 228 HP / 244 SpD Cresselia: 174-206 (77.6 - 91.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

---

## Metagross

### Explanation

One of the best Pokémon in the game. Metagross is a very strong attacker with excellent bulk (especially on the physical side) that feels even greater thanks to its incredible defensive typing. With only 2 weaknesses, 8 resistances and an immunity, this super-computer is extremely hard to take down.

While the extra power from Meteor Mash would be nice (guarantees an OHKO on all Mamoswine, for example), a 15% chance to miss is deal-breaker when aiming for a long run. Plus, when paralyzed by Cresselia’s Thunder Wave, opponents hit by **Iron Head** have a nearly 50% chance of being unable to move.

**Earthquake** is a very spammable move in Doubles, especially when paired with two Levitators and a Flyer. It allows Metagross to hit the Fire-types that threaten it while also damaging their partner.

**Ice Punch** provides coverage against the Grass and Flying types that resist or avoid Earthquake and takes down the powerful dragons that rule Gen 5. It also combos perfectly with Cresselia’s Icy Wind, which can pop Yache Berries before Metagross attacks.

For the last slot, I went with the best move in Doubles history: **Protect**. This seemingly simple move lets Metagross stay safe while Cresselia lowers both opponent’s speed with Icy Wind or cripples a major threat with Thunder Wave. Additionally, thanks to Metagross’s great bulk, you often survive powerful attacks with a sliver of HP; this allows you to bait your opponents into targeting Metagross while you Protect, giving your partner a free turn.

I feel that Metagross is somewhat underrated for Gen 5 doubles, probably because it didn’t see much success in Worlds 2013 (only 4 appearances in top 32 and 1 in top 16). However, it really shines when going against CPU-opponents.

Finally, **Clear Body** is invaluable against Intimidate opponents and other random stat drops, and the **Lum Berry** lets me play aggressively without the fear of status conditions.

---

### Stats and moves

Metagross @ Lum Berry  
Ability: Clear Body  
Level: 50  
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Def / 4 SpD / 84 Spe  
Adamant Nature  
IVs: 16 SpA / 23 Spe  
- Iron Head  
- Ice Punch  
- Earthquake  
- Protect


---

### Some important damage calculations

- Landorus3.
252 Atk Ground Gem Landorus Earthquake vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 138-164 (83.1 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Garchomp3.
252+ Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 104-126 (62.6 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Metagross Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 204-240 (111.4 - 131.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- Mamoswine1.
252+ Atk Metagross Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mamoswine: 186-222 (100.5 - 120%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- Mamoswine4.
252+ Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 135-164 (81.3 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Excadrill1.
252+ Atk Soft Sand Excadrill Drill Run vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 138-164 (83.1 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Excadrill4.
170+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 133-156 (80.1 - 93.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Chandelure2 & Chandelure4.
0 SpA Chandelure Heat Wave vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Metagross: 126-150 (75.9 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Volcarona1.
0+ SpA Volcarona Heat Wave vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Metagross: 132-156 (79.5 - 93.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Darmanitan1.
252 Atk Sheer Force Darmanitan Fire Punch vs. 84 HP / 84 Def Metagross: 134-158 (80.7 - 95.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Flareon1.
252+ Atk Metagross Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flareon: 144-170 (102.8 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- Flareon4.
252+ Atk Metagross Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flareon: 144-170 (102.8 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- Heatran1.
252+ SpA Heatran Lava Plume vs. 84 HP / 4 SpD Metagross: 122-146 (73.4 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Metagross Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 184-220 (92.9 - 111.1%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
> but
> 0 SpA Cresselia Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Heatran: 19-23 (9.5 - 11.6%) -- possible 9HKO
> Possible damage amounts: (19, 19, 19, 20, 20, 20, 21, 21, 21, 21, 21, 21, 22, 22, 22, 23)
> So Psychic + Earthquake always KOs Heatran1 and Heatran2.
> Also, 0 Spe Heatran Speed-ties with Metagross (23 IV, RIP), but I can outspeed after a Thunder Wave.
- Heatran4.
252+ Atk Metagross Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 184-220 (110.8 - 132.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

---

## Hydreigon

### Explanation

When you think of Gen 5 VGC, you think of overpowered Dragons destroying everything with their Dragon Gem-boosted Draco Meteors. That was the definition of META back then. And one Dragon stood above the rest, one levitating Dragon that ruled over all others: Latios.

So, if Latios was the most powerful, why did I choose **Hydreigon**?

Well, to start, although Latios was the strongest, Hydreigon was a close second. Its unique Dark/Dragon typing provided several crucial resistances, especially to the Dark and Ghost-type moves that threaten Cresselia (this was the deciding factor for me). Additionally, its 125 base Special Attack allows it to 2HKO most of the field, and OHKO almost anything weak to its moves, making it a remarkably consistent attacker.

**Dragon Pulse** and **Dark Pulse** hit most things for solid damage, while **Flamethrower** provides a reliable way to melt the Steel-type Pokémon that resist its STAB moves.

For the last move, I tested Draco Meteor, Heat Wave, Surf, Earth Power, Roost and Tailwind, but none of them proved to be as crucial as **Protect**. Hydreigon plays completely differently with Protect; it gains immense defensive utility while remaining an oppressive offensive threat.

The EV spread is simple: Timid nature, max Speed and Special attack. Its job in the team is to come in late-game and finish weakened opponents, or to switch in early game, taking advantage of its synergy with Cresselia and Metagross, high speed and special attack to quickly eliminate foes and swing the momentum in our favor.

Also, **Life Orb** gives me the highest overall damage boost, while also giving Hydreigon the flexibility to change moves.

---

### Stats and moves

Hydreigon @ Life Orb  
Ability: Levitate  
Level: 50  
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe  
Timid Nature  
IVs: 30 HP / 6 Atk / 24 Def  
- Dragon Pulse  
- Dark Pulse  
- Flamethrower  
- Protect


### Some important damage calculations

- One-shots all Salamence, Hydreigon and Garchomp.
- Can 2HKO all Levitate Bronzong with Flamethrower.
- Can OHKO all Slowbro.
- Chandelure1 & Chandelure2 & Chandelure3.
252 SpA Life Orb Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Chandelure: 190-226 (113.7 - 135.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

## Gyarados

### Explanation

This fourth and final slot was by far the toughest to fill. I tested a wide array of candidates. Latios felt redundant alongside Hydreigon; Garchomp: didn’t provide any new coverage; Heatran and Tyranitar were powerful, but either too slow or lacked synergy; and others like Suicune, Thundurus and Hitmontop simply didn’t feel impactful enough.

After extensive testing, I narrowed down my requirements. I needed a Pokémon that:
- Could Intimidate opponents to help with the team’s overall bulk.
- Could safely switch into Metagross’s Earthquake.
- Could reliably check Fire and Bug types.

Only three candidates fit the bill: Salamence, Landorus-Therian and Gyarados. Both Landorus and Salamence share Hyreigon’s weakness to ice, which made “Ice Workers” a nightmare to handle. Furthermore, since I play on an original cartridge and do not own a 3DS, Lando-T was out of the question.

Between Salamence and Gyarados, I eventually settled on the latter. Despite having slightly worse stats across the board, its Water typing and lack of Ice weakness made it a better fit for my team.

**Waterfall** is its strongest STAB move and enables filch chains slower Pokémon when combined with Thunder Wave, Iron Head or Dark Pulse. While **Earthquake** might seem redundant, it remains a powerful spread move, and **Dragon Dance** allows Gyarados to sweep once its few checks are eliminated. **Protect** occupies the final slot –the best move in Doubles for a reason.

As for the Item, I initially ran Focus Sash, but quickly realized it was counterproductive. Gyarados frequently switches in to tank a Fire or Bug-type move aimed at Cresselia or Metagross, and few non-electric-type moves can OHKO Gyarados anyway. For that reason, I switched to the **Wacan Berry**, which allows Gyarados to stay on the field even when facing an Electric-type attack.

> **NOTE**: After 1 Dragon Dance, Gyarados outspeeds base 116 Pokémon (186 vs 184).

---

### Stats and moves

Gyarados @ Wacan Berry  
Ability: Intimidate  
Level: 50  
EVs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 188 Spe  
Adamant Nature  
IVs: 24 HP / 2 SpA / 29 Spe  
- Waterfall  
- Earthquake  
- Dragon Dance  
- Protect


---

### Some important damage calculations

- Jolteon4.
252 SpA Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 60 HP / 4 SpD Wacan Berry Gyarados: 144-170 (80.8 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Electivire3.
252+ SpA Electivire Thunderbolt vs. 60 HP / 4 SpD Wacan Berry Gyarados: 144-170 (80.8 - 95.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Electivire4.
252 Atk Electivire Thunder Punch vs. 60 HP / 4 Def Wacan Berry Gyarados: 150-176 (84.2 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Raikou1 & Raikou3.
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 60 HP / 4 SpD Wacan Berry Gyarados: 150-176 (84.2 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Thundurus1.
0 SpA Thundurus Thunderbolt vs. 60 HP / 4 SpD Wacan Berry Gyarados: 132-156 (74.1 - 87.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Thundurus3.
-1 252 Atk Thundurus Wild Charge vs. 60 HP / 4 Def Wacan Berry Gyarados: 114-134 (64 - 75.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Thundurus4.
252 SpA Magnet Thundurus Volt Switch vs. 60 HP / 4 SpD Wacan Berry Gyarados: 140-168 (78.6 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO