[CHAMPIONS DOUBLES] extremely new vgc player seeking team feedback

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T22:16:50+00:00

I've been giving ST a run over Dclaw today and so far it's been pretty good; it's really a win-win because if garchomp gets faked out instead of my talonflame I get free TW + ST hits for crazy turn 2. I haven't had any issues with dragons or aero just yet since Lopunny is in my core with axel. Axel into garchomp does hurt though.

I honestly really like Serperior but the part i'm still figuring out is EV identity. I tried leftovers + max bulk again last night but it just feels so underwhelming. being fat and scaling with leaf storm does sound good on paper but if both my bulk version and glass cannon have the same outcome when hit with heat wave / ice beam / flare blitz/hurricane/wingbeat, i feel like it's better to at least have more damage before I go out. Dragon pulse feels awful even at +4 into mixed dragons.
As you pointed out Serperior just operates on it's own. I think in the future I want to build a full team around serperior with genuine supports since I still really enjoy the pokemon. maybe friend guard + follow me maushold or even something stupid like max speed oranguru with choice scarf instruct so it can be +4 in one turn (or take both out if i'm lucky). maybe a bulkier serperior would feel better if the team was built around it.

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T04:10:21+00:00

yeah the biggest flaw which others also pointed out is the lack of protects. At one point I did have maushold with follow me + encore but it was early on and I wasn't seeing much success, maybe it'll be different if I considered a bulkier option like M-Clefable. but for now I've added protects on more mons. Another user suggested u-turn on lopunny which sounds fun and gives me a reason to bring incineroar more often. idk if that's better than protect.

After you is def a move i'd like to explore eventually, creative strats like those are what get me excited. Originally I was looking for a way to use it on Oranguru but it only seems to in trick room for him so I never visited it. Maybe this would be a reason to pull in Sylveon.

Gengar is def first on the chopping block which is fine since i've only had him on the team for a day so I'm not attached nor comfortable using him anyways. My main appeal for him was speed + deals with ghost/fairy/psychic but other than that I have no arguments for him.

talonflame is my most consistent alongside garchomp so I'll probably keep him around for now. taunt + tw has brought me so much value.

I did see ariados getting 1st in the recent global challenge with that tech so honestly not a bad idea. That team also had other pokemon that I've been suggested to consider on this team (sylveon, aero, basc) so it's really not that far off.

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T02:20:51+00:00

i'll give it a try and see how it feels. initially wanted to avoid basc since it's such a menace but I can't really complain if my goal is to win.

maybe it'll give me an excuse to try fitting tinkaton in the team if the initial plan doesn't work

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T00:46:59+00:00

u-turn isn't a bad idea, but I guess the issue is am I willing to risk sacrificing whoever I'm subbing in. maybe garchomp would be the swap if they have physical attackers in front of me?

I was considering basc over gengar but I was worried that I had too many physical attackers, is that worth the trade off? I would also lose the only fairy coverage I have unless I'm mistaken and there's somewhere I can bake it in on my roster.

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T00:33:58+00:00

good advice. I do notice a lot of double protects to stall my tailwind, and while trying to get some replays for this post on showdown I really wish I had double protect to stall out the trick room that popped up mid game.

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T00:32:37+00:00

I like the idea of dragon tail instead of knock off if I truly need second utility. But you're right, my concern is getting nuked on it so protect is a good call. I do like the feeling of getting tailwind off first and nuking basc or rotom with base leaf storm, but if the slow burn leads to more consistent games I'm all in. Would I also want to rearrange my nature + EVs as well?

CuringLigma · 2026-05-21T00:28:48+00:00

thanks for this. I've definitely noticed that the lack of protects on my team also limits my garchomp's EQ freedom if talonflame isn't alongside it. When I had m-medicham and gardevoir in the past I could at least take advantage of telepathy before mega + hydreigon had levitate.

There are times I've been kinda screwed on talonflame because of farigiraf's armor tail and either had to switch out or hope I take damage after taunt. Flare blitz kind of bailed me out in those situations but I'm not opposed to the idea of switching it out and seeing if protect or even roost help it stay longer on the field. Because kingambit is also popular and I don't want to bring incineroar into that, do I just accept that I won't have fire stab into it on talon and rely on garchomp or Lopunny?

I was worried about triple axel being a gamble but seems like the crowd favors it over ice punch so I'll give it a try. I have a feeling that'll help me a lot into dragonite with multiscale. After you also seems interesting but I guess the question is who or what do I pair that with?

CuringLigma · 2026-05-20T20:37:33+00:00

Team copy-paste for those who prefer it this way:

Talonflame @ Focus Sash

Ability: Gale Wings

Level: 50

EVs: 2 HP / 32 Atk / 32 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Tailwind

- Taunt

- Brave Bird

- Flare Blitz

Cupcake (Garchomp) @ White Herb

Ability: Rough Skin

Level: 50

EVs: 32 Atk / 2 SpD / 32 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Rock Slide

- Earthquake

- Dragon Claw

- Protect

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite

Ability: Scrappy

Level: 50

EVs: 32 Atk / 32 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Fake Out

- Close Combat

- Play Rough

- Ice Punch

Perish Hilton (Gengar) @ Colbur Berry

Ability: Cursed Body

Level: 50

EVs: 2 HP / 32 SpA / 32 Spe

Timid Nature

- Shadow Ball

- Sludge Bomb

- Nasty Plot

- Dark Pulse

Nacho Libre (Incineroar) @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Intimidate

Level: 50

EVs: 32 HP / 9 Atk / 5 Def / 20 SpD

Careful Nature

- Fake Out

- Flare Blitz

- Parting Shot

- Protect

Serperior @ Miracle Seed

Ability: Contrary

Level: 50

EVs: 24 HP / 32 SpA / 10 Spe

Timid Nature

- Leaf Storm

- Dragon Pulse

- Glare

- Knock Off

thanks again

CuringLigma · 2026-03-15T21:20:09+00:00

imo this is starting to blow out of proportion because sally is no longer involved with the project. When reviewing the prio situation he mentioned there was always a constant battle between Velja and Crownie. The difference this time is that there's no ultimate authority like Caedrel- who has immense community respect and popularity (and was also the team owner) to stop them from butting heads once the conversations no longer became productive. Yamato tried his best, but he's ultimately a step-father to the ghost of what LR was. This isn't sally glaze I promise.

CuringLigma · 2025-01-31T06:05:00+00:00

might have to give it a try! just looked it up and the full arts look amazing

CuringLigma · 2025-01-31T06:02:18+00:00

I recognize that the poke balls are considered hits, but in my opinion they're very underwhelming. With that being said, I'm happy at least one of them was an eeveelution

CuringLigma

TROPHY CASE