Sylveon
e: will get to this on saturday most likely
e: will get to this on saturday most likely
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Top 10 Titans of the 6th Gen Doubles OU metagame (Final Voting Stage)
- Thread starter ryo yamada2001
- Start date
Nominating Rotom-W
What effect did Rotom-W have on the metagame?
Rotom-W isn't something that breaks teams on its own; rather, it's a Pokemon that proved useful as a defensive answer to a plethora of threats in the metagame. With its nifty combination of traits, it can reliably function as a check or counter to many notable threats in the metagame, including Heatran, Volcanion, Talonflame, Landorus-T, Thundurus, Mega Diancie, Mega Kangkashan... yeah, it can keep in place a damn lot, limiting the damage any one or two of these threats can do in a given game. As one of, if not the, premier bulky Water-types in the metagame, it requires opposing teams to have some answers for their respective threat-annoyed-by-Washtom to play much more freely and effectively; often, a team has a Dragon-type, Amoonguss, really strong special attacker, or something other strategy to keep Rotom-W in check during games.
In what main roles was Rotom-W used?
Rotom-W is really handy as a glue, keeping in check multiple threats in one teamslot alone. With its bulk and defensive typing, it functions as a very effective pivot, coming in on threatening attackers to hopefully force them out later on. Its unique coverage and decent power also lets it function as a decent attacker while in play, and with access to Will-O-Wisp and speed control in Thunder Wave, it can also work as a supporter. A more niche Choice Scarf set has seen some use, the Speed useful for getting the jump on a good number of threats such as Mega Diancie and Adamant Choice Scarf Landorus-T, letting it function as a hybrid of a glue and a Speed safety net as it still retains the typing while gaining the ability to keep the pace up. However, the lack of bulk on this set prevents it from checking threats as effectively.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
Its stellar combination of typing and bulk lets it take on a slew of threats in the metagame very effectively. While its mere 50 base HP does hold it back, 107 defenses on both sides with a Sitrus Berry makes it have much more bulk than it appears to. Water / Electric typing with Levitate leaves it only one weakness in Grass, of which there are no notable attackers of, while also giving it plenty of notable resistances to Fire, Flying, Ice, and Water. The combination of both lets it check the ones I listed in the first section of this post, and the offensive capability and supportive options it has is simply icing on a damn good cake.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
Generally speaking, keeping the pressure up works wonders already. Its bulk is only really above average, meaning repeatedly getting beaten down by strong attacks will leave it out of commission pretty quickly. It can only really only take one pop from Mega Kangaskhan if not burned or supported with Intimidate, for example. Rotom-W can check a lot of threats for sure, but it can't check all of them at once alone; forcing it to take too much damage by just not giving up any kind of momentum will wear it down to the point where it's manageable. Dragon-types are also pretty good answers to Rotom-W as they all resist both of Rotom-W's STAB moves and can deal strong damage to it back. Kyurem-B in particular just sets up a Substitute on it and takes advantage of its passiveness against it while also being able to just pop it with a Teravolt Earth Power. All of them have to watch out for a Thunder Wave, however. Grass-types also work, with Amoonguss being able to fully deny Rotom-W from doing anything significant other than take hits since the mushroom can redirect anything with Rage Powder. Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur are also good answers, though the former has to watch out for a Will-O-Wisp burn. Taunt can stop it from using its support moves but it doesn't totally stop Rotom-W itself as it still has serviceable offenses.
Nominating Sylveon
What effect did Sylveon have on the metagame?
The shift to Gen 6 brought with it the addition of Fairy-types. With it, three Pokemon rose as the premier Fairy-type in the meta: Mega Diancie, Mega Gardevoir, and Sylveon. What differentiated Sylveon from the other two is that it doesn't take up a mega slot and its much more powerful spread move. In terms of power, the ability to hold an item gave Sylveon an edge over Mega Gardevoir. Sylveon played a huge role in team composition, with every team needing a solid Fairy resist.
The resurgence of Mega Gardevoir in ORAS ironically brought with it the return of Sylveon. Sylveon, however, runs a much different set than before; opting to drop immediate power for a bulkier set geared towards setting up with Calm Mind.
In what main roles was Sylveon used?
Earlier on, Sylveon was mainly used as an offensive attacker, due to its powerful Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice. Choice Specs was usually the go-to item for Sylveon; however, Pixie Plate, which can bluff Choice Specs, and Life Orb were other options. Nowadays, Sylveon tends to run a bulky Calm Mind set with either Hidden Power Ground or Substitute. Offensive sets are still used albeit mostly on Trick Room oriented teams.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
Sylveon had access to a powerful spread move that rivaled the power of Charizard Y's. While Sylveon faced heavy competition from Mega Diancie and Gardevoir, the fact that it did not require a mega slot made it a popular choice among teams looking for a strong Fairy-type attacker. Recently, Sylveon's stellar combination of bulk and power allows it to be a solid win-condition with Calm Mind.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
Steel-types usually stops Sylveon in its tracks. Aegislash, which has access to Wide Guard, Jirachi, and Heatran, which can set up a Substitute, are one of the best answers to Sylveon, although the latter has to scout for Hidden Power Ground. Additionally, Poison-types, such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, can switch into Sylveon relatively easy. Outside of Choice Specs sets, Sylveon's coverage moves all lack in power so these Pokemon can switch in with little to no problems. Specs Sylveon, however, does not appreciate locking itself into one of its coverage moves since it lacks power and forces Sylveon to switch afterwards, which gives up a lot of momentum. Offensively, Gengar and Bisharp are the best in forcing out Sylveon. Even with investment, Sylveon's Defense is still very low, so strong physical attacks, such as Return from Mega Kangaskhan, can threaten Sylveon.
that moment when nominations mean tier 1
Nominating Keldeo, -->XY-era <--
What effect did Keldeo have on the metagame?
Keldeo went on offensive teams and hyper-offense teams. Keldeo primarily rose to prominence in its ability to check mega-kangaskhan, and you would use some sort of resistant switch-in (aegislash) to help pivot your keldeo in to beat kangas. Keldeo also checked Landorus-T. Finally, it was good against things weak to its stabs since it was so fast: hydreigon, heatran, kyurem-b.
In what main roles was Keldeo used?
Being a 108 base speed pokemon with fighting stab made sure that keldeo could outrun and hit the 5 types weak to fighting. The competition it had for that role was terrakion, but terrakion did not beat landorus-t (instead it beat talonflame and charizard-y), and because of how much more common landorus-t was than the fire birds, keldeo was often chosen over terrakion.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
108 base speed, fighting stab, water resistances, high synergy with skymin, good synergy with aegislash, the ability to 2hko most neutral switchins.
A lot of teams had trouble dealing with the high speed and coverage of keldeo with skymin. Keldeo-Skymin was a premiere lead duo that you had to base your lead against. You would be forced to lead something like scarf landorus-t, scarf kyurem-b, kanga, cresselia with an ice move, or something fast in order to disrupt the duo. Usually the opponent would be forced to concede at least 1 pokemon almost for free from the speedsters just killing it off first. Note: if one of the pokemon could not hit something super-effectively, the other one could usually hit it super-effectively; examples: amoonguss, heatran, rotom-w. And skymin could give the enemy spdef drops with seed flare to allow keldeo to punch through it.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
You put a skymin on your team and you called it a day. You could also use amoonguss, lati@s, and cresselia. Besides these guys, it was kinda hard to switch in on a keldeo since keldeo 2hko'd most neutrals. A common strategy against offensive teams is to allow 1 of your pokemon to die, and then switch in a faster pokemon to beat their pokemon (situation: let your heatran die to the keldeo so you can switch in your thundurus and kill it). This often works against offensive teams because of their lack of defensive switch-ins.
You could also use trick room, but keldeo offense teams would usually give you a beating while you're trying to set up the trick room, so it was a gamble (unless you're that guy running amoonguss, cresselia, abomasnow trick room).
Note: mega venasaur wasn't a thing back then, you used other megas like kanga.
Do you use Hydro Pump or Scald?
80% of people use hydro pump because it got kills on weakened charizard-y's and 2hko'd neutral switchins, but if you're a professional like me, you use scald because i'm NOT about missing. You can also forgo running a coverage move in your third slot to run: Hydro Pump/ Scald/ Secret Sword/ Protect. This has the benefit of juking your opponent the fuck out when they see the second water move. It has the downside of no quick guard or icy wind.
feel free to critique or add on to my keldeo analysis since i am old as dust.
What effect did Keldeo have on the metagame?
Keldeo went on offensive teams and hyper-offense teams. Keldeo primarily rose to prominence in its ability to check mega-kangaskhan, and you would use some sort of resistant switch-in (aegislash) to help pivot your keldeo in to beat kangas. Keldeo also checked Landorus-T. Finally, it was good against things weak to its stabs since it was so fast: hydreigon, heatran, kyurem-b.
In what main roles was Keldeo used?
Being a 108 base speed pokemon with fighting stab made sure that keldeo could outrun and hit the 5 types weak to fighting. The competition it had for that role was terrakion, but terrakion did not beat landorus-t (instead it beat talonflame and charizard-y), and because of how much more common landorus-t was than the fire birds, keldeo was often chosen over terrakion.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
108 base speed, fighting stab, water resistances, high synergy with skymin, good synergy with aegislash, the ability to 2hko most neutral switchins.
A lot of teams had trouble dealing with the high speed and coverage of keldeo with skymin. Keldeo-Skymin was a premiere lead duo that you had to base your lead against. You would be forced to lead something like scarf landorus-t, scarf kyurem-b, kanga, cresselia with an ice move, or something fast in order to disrupt the duo. Usually the opponent would be forced to concede at least 1 pokemon almost for free from the speedsters just killing it off first. Note: if one of the pokemon could not hit something super-effectively, the other one could usually hit it super-effectively; examples: amoonguss, heatran, rotom-w. And skymin could give the enemy spdef drops with seed flare to allow keldeo to punch through it.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
You put a skymin on your team and you called it a day. You could also use amoonguss, lati@s, and cresselia. Besides these guys, it was kinda hard to switch in on a keldeo since keldeo 2hko'd most neutrals. A common strategy against offensive teams is to allow 1 of your pokemon to die, and then switch in a faster pokemon to beat their pokemon (situation: let your heatran die to the keldeo so you can switch in your thundurus and kill it). This often works against offensive teams because of their lack of defensive switch-ins.
You could also use trick room, but keldeo offense teams would usually give you a beating while you're trying to set up the trick room, so it was a gamble (unless you're that guy running amoonguss, cresselia, abomasnow trick room).
Note: mega venasaur wasn't a thing back then, you used other megas like kanga.
Do you use Hydro Pump or Scald?
80% of people use hydro pump because it got kills on weakened charizard-y's and 2hko'd neutral switchins, but if you're a professional like me, you use scald because i'm NOT about missing. You can also forgo running a coverage move in your third slot to run: Hydro Pump/ Scald/ Secret Sword/ Protect. This has the benefit of juking your opponent the fuck out when they see the second water move. It has the downside of no quick guard or icy wind.
feel free to critique or add on to my keldeo analysis since i am old as dust.
Shaymin-Sky
What effect did Shaymin-Sky have on the metagame?
One of the two Pokemon to be banned from DOU, Shaymin-Sky was one of the major forces of Doubles that paralleled the power of Mega Pokemon. Many players of that era claimed that Shaymin-Sky gave hyper-offensive DOU too much firepower, leaving slower, bulkier teams to be pummeled down by its powerful special offense or flinched to death. Some even claimed that Trick Room was impossible to set up with Shaymin-Sky around. A lot of emphasis was put on teambuilding to pack faster Pokemon or a priority move to limit Shaymin-Sky's blitzering assaults.
Shaymin-Sky was also one of the reasons Gravity + Sleep combination was banned, as it abused this strategy with its Grasswhistle putting anything to sleep before the opponent can make a move.
In what main roles was Shaymin-Sky used?
Players mainly took advantage of its excellent Speed, Special Attack, and Serene Grace to subdue the opponent's slower Pokemon. Being able to check powerhouses like Mega Diancie, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Azumarill, while breaking past bulky glue such as Rotom-W and Amoonguss made Skymin a great partner for many top Pokemon (Terrakion, Keldeo, Kangaskhan, Bisharp, Kyurem-B, Hydreigon, Heatran, etc). Shaymin-Sky was often paired with speedy Pokemon so that its partner can take out an opponent's Pokemon, while Shaymin-Sky either remove or immobilize the other Pokemon; fast offense was this playstyle's prominent defense. Air Slash + Seed Flare + Earth Power backed by 120 SpA armed Shaymin-S with powerful offensive presence that was difficult to withstand; some players took advantage of Shaymin-S's ability to clean with Life Orb. However, Focus Sash was considered the best set, sacrificing immediate power to prolong its formidable presence in the field.
What caused Shaymin-Sky to have a significant impact?
It's unique 127 base Speed combined with Serene Grace were probably the two main incriminating aspects of Shaymin-Sky. Its Air Slash possessed a 60% flinch rate; Shaymin's Air Slash was comparable to Kangaskhan's Fake Out in terms of the offensive pressure it created. Combine that with Shaymin-Sky's Seed Flare which had an 80% chance to halve the opposing Pokemon's Special Defense and you had a Pokemon that is a complete opposite of a pushover. However, Shaymin-Sky did not steal the spotlight, but shared it with its partner. Its Air Slash flinches created favorable 1-vs-1 match ups for its partner, and its Seed Flare's effect allowed Shaymin's partner's special offense to blow past the weakened special defense of a bulky special glue. Apparently, a Keldeo's Hydro Pump can knock out a Cresselia after a Seed Flare special drop! Shaymin-Sky combined with a powerful fast Sweeper was deemed virtually untouchable, and it was a major boon to hyper offensive teams.
How do/did you deal with this Shaymin-Sky in Doubles?
Most of its influence came from its untouchable Speed. Take away its priority to move before others, and its ability to clean and support its teammates are greatly diminished. Although a Trick Room team that relied on Amoonguss's Rage Powder to safely alter the dimensions would find Shaymin-S a major roadblock to its strategy, a Trick Room team that utilized Follow Me support can relatively safely set up Trick Room and take away Skymin's speed advantage. Powerful priority moves and Choice Scarf were also often utilized to get the first punch into Skymin or its partner. Talonflame, Bisharp, Kangaskhan, Scarf Lando-T, and Scarf Kyurem-B were all solid choices. Abomasnow can break Shaymin-S's Focus Sash and KO with Ice Shard & Hail damage. Deoxys-A, Mega Manectric, Mega Gengar were a few Pokemon that did not rely on priority or Scarf to move before Shaymin-S. Weather teams had Venusaur, Excadrill, Ludicolo, and Kingdra to outpace Shaymin-S. Special shoutout to Thundurus, for being the only Pokemon afaik that resists all three special moves of Shaymin-S and in turn retaliated with an un-flinchable Prankster Thunder Wave!
One of Skymin's shortcomings was its lack of powerful Spread moves. Although its immunity to Rage Powder allowed it to completely ignore Amoonguss without Sludge Bomb, Jirachi and Togekiss successfully shielded their partner from Skymin's debilitating onslaught. Forcing Shaymin-S to use its ancillary Earth Power by bringing out a Steel-type like Aegislash or Jirachi is another way to limit its influence in a game.
What effect did Shaymin-Sky have on the metagame?
One of the two Pokemon to be banned from DOU, Shaymin-Sky was one of the major forces of Doubles that paralleled the power of Mega Pokemon. Many players of that era claimed that Shaymin-Sky gave hyper-offensive DOU too much firepower, leaving slower, bulkier teams to be pummeled down by its powerful special offense or flinched to death. Some even claimed that Trick Room was impossible to set up with Shaymin-Sky around. A lot of emphasis was put on teambuilding to pack faster Pokemon or a priority move to limit Shaymin-Sky's blitzering assaults.
Shaymin-Sky was also one of the reasons Gravity + Sleep combination was banned, as it abused this strategy with its Grasswhistle putting anything to sleep before the opponent can make a move.
In what main roles was Shaymin-Sky used?
Players mainly took advantage of its excellent Speed, Special Attack, and Serene Grace to subdue the opponent's slower Pokemon. Being able to check powerhouses like Mega Diancie, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Azumarill, while breaking past bulky glue such as Rotom-W and Amoonguss made Skymin a great partner for many top Pokemon (Terrakion, Keldeo, Kangaskhan, Bisharp, Kyurem-B, Hydreigon, Heatran, etc). Shaymin-Sky was often paired with speedy Pokemon so that its partner can take out an opponent's Pokemon, while Shaymin-Sky either remove or immobilize the other Pokemon; fast offense was this playstyle's prominent defense. Air Slash + Seed Flare + Earth Power backed by 120 SpA armed Shaymin-S with powerful offensive presence that was difficult to withstand; some players took advantage of Shaymin-S's ability to clean with Life Orb. However, Focus Sash was considered the best set, sacrificing immediate power to prolong its formidable presence in the field.
What caused Shaymin-Sky to have a significant impact?
It's unique 127 base Speed combined with Serene Grace were probably the two main incriminating aspects of Shaymin-Sky. Its Air Slash possessed a 60% flinch rate; Shaymin's Air Slash was comparable to Kangaskhan's Fake Out in terms of the offensive pressure it created. Combine that with Shaymin-Sky's Seed Flare which had an 80% chance to halve the opposing Pokemon's Special Defense and you had a Pokemon that is a complete opposite of a pushover. However, Shaymin-Sky did not steal the spotlight, but shared it with its partner. Its Air Slash flinches created favorable 1-vs-1 match ups for its partner, and its Seed Flare's effect allowed Shaymin's partner's special offense to blow past the weakened special defense of a bulky special glue. Apparently, a Keldeo's Hydro Pump can knock out a Cresselia after a Seed Flare special drop! Shaymin-Sky combined with a powerful fast Sweeper was deemed virtually untouchable, and it was a major boon to hyper offensive teams.
How do/did you deal with this Shaymin-Sky in Doubles?
Most of its influence came from its untouchable Speed. Take away its priority to move before others, and its ability to clean and support its teammates are greatly diminished. Although a Trick Room team that relied on Amoonguss's Rage Powder to safely alter the dimensions would find Shaymin-S a major roadblock to its strategy, a Trick Room team that utilized Follow Me support can relatively safely set up Trick Room and take away Skymin's speed advantage. Powerful priority moves and Choice Scarf were also often utilized to get the first punch into Skymin or its partner. Talonflame, Bisharp, Kangaskhan, Scarf Lando-T, and Scarf Kyurem-B were all solid choices. Abomasnow can break Shaymin-S's Focus Sash and KO with Ice Shard & Hail damage. Deoxys-A, Mega Manectric, Mega Gengar were a few Pokemon that did not rely on priority or Scarf to move before Shaymin-S. Weather teams had Venusaur, Excadrill, Ludicolo, and Kingdra to outpace Shaymin-S. Special shoutout to Thundurus, for being the only Pokemon afaik that resists all three special moves of Shaymin-S and in turn retaliated with an un-flinchable Prankster Thunder Wave!
One of Skymin's shortcomings was its lack of powerful Spread moves. Although its immunity to Rage Powder allowed it to completely ignore Amoonguss without Sludge Bomb, Jirachi and Togekiss successfully shielded their partner from Skymin's debilitating onslaught. Forcing Shaymin-S to use its ancillary Earth Power by bringing out a Steel-type like Aegislash or Jirachi is another way to limit its influence in a game.
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woops i forgot about this
Massive props to kamikaze, without his support and bringing people like finally from death I doubt this project would've ever even got sufficient nominations. Anyway,
Lets start with the voting stage for #1 on the list (post the Pokemon you think is the most influential):
deadline: 11th of november 2016
by miltankmilk - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7030942
by GreenGogoatttt - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7030944
by Tymano - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7031024
by Test Bot # - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7031724
by n10sit - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7034627
by talkingtree - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7040950
by n1n1 - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7041007
by Nollan - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7042108
by KyleCole - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7047578
by shaian - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7049754
by shaian - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7049754
by talkingtree - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...gen-doubles-ou-metagame.3584617/#post-7050074
by Memoric - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...ubles-ou-metagame.3584617/page-2#post-7053386
by DaAwesomeDude1 - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...ubles-ou-metagame.3584617/page-2#post-7054401
by finally - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...ubles-ou-metagame.3584617/page-2#post-7056061
by Pocket - http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...ubles-ou-metagame.3584617/page-2#post-7056717
Massive props to kamikaze, without his support and bringing people like finally from death I doubt this project would've ever even got sufficient nominations. Anyway,
Lets start with the voting stage for #1 on the list (post the Pokemon you think is the most influential):
deadline: 11th of november 2016
landorus-t
LandoT .
FloristtheBudew
I'm just tired
Landorus-Therian
lando
Landorus-t
Can't believe no one did aegislash.
Can't believe no one did aegislash.
Landoge
It is pretty clear Landorus-T will win the round so I'm giving you all the time to write noms for Pokemon we missed until the voting stage is over
Nominating Volcanion
What effect did Volcanion have on the metagame?
Volcanion was released at a time where Azumarill + Jirachi teams were dominating so naturally being able to wall the combo couldn't have come at a better time. It gave Kangaskhan balance teams that commonly used Heatran another option that was not weak to rain. Common water switchins that were used in the past were becoming more obsolete while some grew in popularity because of Volcanion's Fire/Water typing. Rotom-W and Dragons picked up while things like Thundurus and Landorus-T gained even more usage.
In what main roles was Volcanion used?
Volcanion was primarily used as a Substitute attacker or used with Safety Goggles and Haze to handle Belly Drum Azumarill. It's good behind a Sub because like other common users of the move(Heatran, Kyurem-B, Aegislash) it can get free Subs on many common mons especially when paired with Kangaskhan Fake Out or redirection. Volcanion is one of the only viable users of the move Haze because the prevalence of Azumarill and it's ability Water Absorb lets it take +6 Aqua Jet and set the bunny back to +0 Attack with little to no fear.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
The main thing that made Volcanion good was doing things Heatran did(check Sun, sit behind a Sub etc.) while not being weak to rain and having a much better matchup against AzuRachi. It's ability to fit on so many different team styles; it could be found on Semi-Room, Kang Balalnce, teams with Diancie teams with Gardevoir was definitely a plus as well.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
Not giving Volcanion a free Substitute is probably the main thing you need to think about when found against one as it can be quite the nuisance sitting there behind a Sub burning all of your Pokemon. Due to it's great bulk not many Pokemon are able to straight up OHKO Big Steamy so having reliable switchins like Hydreigon, Latios, Kyurem-B, Rotom-W, Gastrodon are essential.
What effect did Volcanion have on the metagame?
Volcanion was released at a time where Azumarill + Jirachi teams were dominating so naturally being able to wall the combo couldn't have come at a better time. It gave Kangaskhan balance teams that commonly used Heatran another option that was not weak to rain. Common water switchins that were used in the past were becoming more obsolete while some grew in popularity because of Volcanion's Fire/Water typing. Rotom-W and Dragons picked up while things like Thundurus and Landorus-T gained even more usage.
In what main roles was Volcanion used?
Volcanion was primarily used as a Substitute attacker or used with Safety Goggles and Haze to handle Belly Drum Azumarill. It's good behind a Sub because like other common users of the move(Heatran, Kyurem-B, Aegislash) it can get free Subs on many common mons especially when paired with Kangaskhan Fake Out or redirection. Volcanion is one of the only viable users of the move Haze because the prevalence of Azumarill and it's ability Water Absorb lets it take +6 Aqua Jet and set the bunny back to +0 Attack with little to no fear.
What caused it to have a significant impact?
The main thing that made Volcanion good was doing things Heatran did(check Sun, sit behind a Sub etc.) while not being weak to rain and having a much better matchup against AzuRachi. It's ability to fit on so many different team styles; it could be found on Semi-Room, Kang Balalnce, teams with Diancie teams with Gardevoir was definitely a plus as well.
How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in Doubles?
Not giving Volcanion a free Substitute is probably the main thing you need to think about when found against one as it can be quite the nuisance sitting there behind a Sub burning all of your Pokemon. Due to it's great bulk not many Pokemon are able to straight up OHKO Big Steamy so having reliable switchins like Hydreigon, Latios, Kyurem-B, Rotom-W, Gastrodon are essential.
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