Double Battles

Dive into the strategic depth of Double Battles in Pokémon Sun and Moon! Learn how to outsmart opponents, manage your team, and dominate the VGC format.

Alright, so you've been cruising through Pokémon battles, and things have been pretty straightforward, right? Well, get ready, because Double Battles are about to kick things up a notch. On the surface, it seems simple: just one extra Pokémon on your side and one on theirs. Easy peasy, you might think.

But here's the catch: you're probably wrong. Especially when you're facing off against other players, but even the computer can throw some curveballs. Double Battles are the heart of the official Pokémon VGC (Video Game Championship) for a reason – they're way more complex than they look!

Think about your options. You've got two Pokémon ready to go. Do you focus both their attacks on a single one of your opponent's Pokémon, trying to take it out fast? That could put them at a huge disadvantage if it works!

However, what if your opponent sees that coming a mile away? They might use Protect on that specific Pokémon, or maybe they'll switch it out for something that resists your moves. Suddenly, your big plan fizzles, and their other Pokémon is free to attack your team without any resistance, or worse, use a status move or stat boost to completely flip the script. That's a double whammy of bad news!

On the flip side, maybe you anticipated that Protect or switch-out. You could then focus your attacks on their *other* Pokémon. Now, your opponent has wasted a turn on a move that didn't do anything, and the Pokémon they *thought* was safe gets absolutely blasted. It's all about those mind games!

Honestly, there's a lot more strategic depth here compared to Single Battles, which can sometimes just turn into a wild Pokémon-switching spree. This is especially true when you don't have to worry about annoying entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes. Because of that, a much wider variety of Pokémon actually become really useful in Double Battles.