Why do people use defensive synergy in doubles?
I understand that combinations like Skarmory+Blissey are powerful in singles, but why do people use them in doubles, where the physical sweepers can attack the special walls, and vice versa?
Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.
Defense synergy doesn’t exist in doubles, I don’t know what you’re talking about :x
And no, I don’t recall having heard of people running SkarmBliss in doubles. I am sure it’s obvious, but here’s everything wrong with defensive synergy in doubles. I know every last one of these points is ridiculously long, so there’s a TL;DR at the end of each one :P
Team play in singles favors switching to gain momentum, and hence mono-defensive Pokemon (specializing in one defense and sucking at the other) tend to co-ordinate well by cycling around. In doubles though, switching too much means that your Pokemon loses a turn, and both the opponent’s Pokemon get the opportunity to hammer into one target (maybe even knocking out one of your Pokemon). Granted this can be remedied by prediction (and certain scenarios make ideal switch situations), but seeing the better options all around, I don’t see why someone would adopt this.TL;DR: Limited switching means limited effectiveness of defensive synergy.
Defensive synergy more than often involves external means of damage (Toxic, Leech Seed, weather, etc). One thing:the value of one turn in doubles is much more than that in singles. Four Pokemon move simultaneously on that one turn, meaning that the offense is obviously increased (two attackers). Question -why would someone want to whittle down the opponent’s HP when flat out attacking does the job much faster?You take out a measly 1/8th of your opponent’s health, while the opponent is out on a killing spree, poking gaping holes across your health; all in that one turn. It’s you who is at the losing end of this.Exception being Leech Seed because you gain health and damage at the same time. Pokemon that adhere to Leech Seed stalling - Ferrothorn and M-Venusaur.TL;DR: They are too static to work in a doubles environment.
As a continuation to my previous point. Offense obviously increases with two attackers on the field, but make no mistake:the individual defense of each Pokemon remains the same.Defensive or not, nothing will last on it’s own on the field, especially if both opposing Pokemon are attackers. And with their lol-worthy offenses, most defense-cores can get hammered while being unable to retaliate well enough.TL;DR: Due to offense being greater than defense at all times, defensive cores can’t do the one thing they were built for: take hits.
★Like I mentioned earlier, defensive cores usually involve two Pokemon that specialize in defense and special defense to cover up for each other’s faulty defense stat. Like you said in the question, two Pokemon means more modes of attack for your opponent. Hence self-sufficient Pokemon like Gyarados and Cresselia (with well-rounded stats) are preferred. This is also the reason why so many complex spreads exist in VGC; they primarily increase a Pokemon’s self sufficiency so that when all individual Pokemon come together, they can function at their highest.TL;DR: The monochromatic pattern of Pokemon forming a defensive core is frowned upon in doubles.
PS: Defensive Pokemon are often reserved as utility Pokemon, like setting Trick Room, Tailwind, Perish-Trap, speed control etc. There are exceptions however, like Mega Venusaur (but they only exist because their offensive potential is usable).
Defensive cores do exist, but their purpose is not just to take hits, but also dish them out on the opponent (courtesy of Astro for reminding me). This could be translated as bulky offense at the end of the day, but that’s how defensive synergy is like in doubles. Nowhere near the singles defense cores like SkarmBliss, which is what you meant in question.
