New Metagame: LC Doubles

[sandragon13]

I had an idea the other day for a new metagame, one that combines the formatting from two of the more popular playstyles:  Little Cup and standard Doubles.  Basically, it would have all the same restrictions as the Smogon Little Cup format, as listed here,, just with a 2v2 format rather than 1v1.  This is easily playable on Showdown, too.  I'd be curious to see how this would affect the existing LC metagame; perhaps bringing some currently peripheral Pokemon into prominence because of access to certain useful Doubles strategies (Friend Guard/Follow Me/Helping Hand Cleffa?  Beat Up Cottonee+Justified Growlithe?)  It also helps control some of the more dominant offensive Pokemon in the LC meta, like Archen and Abra, by making them potentially take 2 attacks each time they enter play.  Like most doubles metagames like VGC, I anticipate this playstyle to be highly offensive, but would also place significance on bulky Pokemon that can provide support (Heal Pulse Slowpoke?). Conversely, offensively inclined Pokemon get access to powerful methods to boost their destructive power, like Helping Hand auto-weather.

What do you guys think?
   -sandragon13

[GiMYz]

It would be great and i would play this format for sure.. it would be a funny and balanced metagame imo.

Drought Vulpix, Sand Stream Hippopotas and Snow Warning Snover <3

[terrorkid94]

With it being doubles maybe some pokemon could be unbanned

[sandragon13]

(Jul 9, 2015, 08:19 AM)terrorkid94 Wrote: With it being doubles maybe some pokemon could be unbanned

It would really have to be a case-by-case basis as to unbanning certain guys. LC is notorious for having some Pokemon that are simply uncounterable or overly centralizing due to base stat differences than their peers. This is evident by the fact that the vast majority of banned LC Pokemon are those that are only LC eligible by virtue of receiving evolutions in later generations (Scyther, Sneasel, Gligar, Tangela, and Yanma, just to name a few). Of that list, several can be absolutely abused under the three available auto-weathers; Sneasel under Hail hits monstrously hard and has hail damage to finish off Focus Sash and Sturdy Pokemon, Tangela doubles its Speed, gets instant Solarbeam, and doubles the power of its HP Fire under Sun, and Gligar gets to take advantage of Sand Veil and gets the same chip damage to take out Sashed and Sturdy guys (at least, the ones not immune to sand). All of the banned Pokemon also get to take advantage of doubles tactics that make them even stronger, like Wide Guard, Follow Me/Rage Powder, Tailwind or Helping Hand support, to name a few. Ultimately, the only currently banned LC Pokemon I'd consider unbanning in this theoretical meta would be Swirlix, because it's rather slow and frail before setting up, and can't stomach hits before or after setting up with Belly Drum, much less being double-targeted.
-sandragon13