Doubles Newsroom

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Audiosurfer

Audiosurfer

I'd rather be sleeping
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
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Art by Blue Frog

We at the Doubles subforum have some fantastic resources available for our players, from the Overview to Doubles to the Viability Rankings Thread. However, often the creation and planning of these things are unknown to the average user, instead occurring behind closed doors up until the thread is actually posted in the forums. After considering many possible solutions to this issue (such as hub, which was ultimately decided to be too cumbersome and lacked the necessary visibility) we ended up deciding on this thread. So what is this thread exactly, you ask? Simple. The Doubles Newsroom is, as its name implies, a place for you, the end user, to get news on things such as upcoming projects, updates on existing projects, discussions on large-scale tier issues, or requests for feedback on potential ideas. In short, it's like a Doubles news station, an easy place for you to stay abreast of the tier's happenings without having to scour the entire forum. Hopefully you find this thread every bit as useful and interesting as we hope you will :)

If you'd like to have a specific piece of content features in this thread, simply PM me and it will be considered for posting here. If you have an idea of what you'd like talked about but don't have a specific post written out for me to share here, just contact me with the idea anyways and I can see how to best highlight it. Just as this thread is meant to help people learn more about Doubles-related matters, so too would we like relevant topics to be celebrated and highlighted.
 
Doubles Council Changes: Bye lucariojr, Hello Braverius!

Unfortunately, due to his busy life, lucariojr has had to step down—at least for now—from the Doubles council. We all wish him well in whatever it is people do when they're not on Smogon.

Relatedly, we are glad to welcome Braverius to the Doubles council! He racked up almost 60 battles last suspect round but was unable to vote because the ladder reset happened right in the middle. However, he is incredibly knowledgeable in the metagame and, like lucariojr, a friend of the format dating back to its earliest days. He disappeared for a while, but he's back now, and we're happy to have him!

We did just drop a member and add a member, but this doesn't mean that the Doubles council has a set size. If lucariojr returns to his former activity levels we will be happy to reinstate him without dropping anybody. Though I don't want to see this happen, we could also drop somebody without adding anyone to replace them. What this means is that opportunities for advancement are ripe. Show yourself to be knowledgeable, active, and positive, and you could be on the Doubles council too!
 
Doubles Suspect Testing: Sleep Clause

It's that time again! After the last suspect test of Kangaskhanite (which stayed w/ a 92% vote) there was a break before the next test, but it is now time for another suspect test, this time of Sleep Clause. Will the lack of Sleep Clause be deemed beneficial, or will Sleep run rampant? Now's the time to get involved with suspect voting and help us decide. To vote, you need to attain a COIL (mystery rating A) rating of 2000 or higher and post in the Suspect Discussion thread. Having four votes will allow you to earn a Tiering Contributor badge. Also, the quality of your posts in the Suspect Discussion thread could lead to future consideration for a council spot, so try to make each post your best! Good luck and happy laddering :)
 
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Week in Review

Be on the lookout for this every other Saturday. Week in Review is a look back at what has happened in the Doubles-verse over the course of the week as well as a look at things to come. Here are some notable events that have occurred in the Doubles tier:
  • Thanks to the work of the lovely Joim, Doubles Random Battles is now an option on PS, so if you're a Random Battles or Doubles enthusiast (or if you just enjoy having fun) be sure to try it out! I've been working on having custom Doubles movepools for every Pokemon to give the format more of a Doubles-y feel, so that is also underway. If you have any questions regarding this or suggestions on ways to improve the format, feel free to shoot me a VM.
  • The CCAT project is now in the process of voting on an addition to the team, so head over there and vote if you'd like to see your favorite set win!
  • The Alt Identification Thread for suspect reqs has been posted, so if you've qualified to vote, be sure to remember to post a screenshot of your ranking in that thread.
  • The current Doubles minitour is now in Semifinals, with Mizuhime battling Arcticblast and Laurel taking on Audiosurfer. Stay tuned to see some fantastic matches and see the eventual winner.
  • In a similar vein, Doubles leadership has been planning a large scale tournament circuit specifically for this tier. More information to come in the future, so keep your eyes peeled :)
Remember, check back every week for more quick updates on the tier!
 
The Doubles Circuit—Tournament of Champions

Remember Audiosurfer's mention of "a large scale tournament specifically for this tier" last week? Here are the details! The Doubles Circuit is a huge conglomerate of tournaments spanning nine months, culminating in an invitational with a LIVE top four! And don't tell anyone, but I heard that the doubles mods are planning something never before seen on Smogon in the way of prizes (wait a minute Pwne why'd you edit this in, I'm a dubs mod too why am I referring to myself in third person) (because it sounds fun and secretive you noob). The format is as follows:

  • 8 minitours, basically the same as before here. They'll be hosted in the Doubles subforum and retain their tendency for wonky formats. Rounds will last only 3 days and are best of one—these are expected to be fun blitz tournaments.
  • 2 all-comer Seasonals that will be posted in the tournaments subforum. These will be best-of-3 Swiss paired with a top 8 cut. The winner of each seasonal gets an automatic invite to the invitational!
  • 1 Major to conclude the season. This is also posted in the tournaments subforum. It's all comers, but has bracket pools seeded based on Circuit points to that point. So if you want an easy bracket pool, you better participate in the circuit beforehand to push other good players into different brackets! These will be best-of-3 double elimination. The top two in each bracket pool will move on to the single elimination best-of-3 top 16. The top four in the major will get automatic invites!

If you're thinking "wait, that's only six invites," then never fear! Any placement in one of these tours will earn you some points, more the better you do. All who accrue 100 points over the season get invited to our season finale: the invitational!

Our first minitour has begun signups—you can begin your domination of the circuit here, or find out more about the schedule and see current standings (coming soon!) here!
 
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Week in Review

Be on the lookout for this every other Saturday. Week in Review is a look back at what has happened in the Doubles-verse over the course of the week as well as a look at things to come. Here are some notable events that have occurred in the Doubles tier:
  • The very first minitour for this tier's new tournament circuit is underway and off to a great start, shattering previous signup records. If you're looking to get in on the Doubles Circuit action, or simply want to get some fun competition with other players of the tier, be sure to sign up here. Hurry though, slots are going quickly!
  • Only 11 days left until the end of the suspect period, so if you'd like to help decide the fate of Sleep Clause, get laddering and don't forget to post about your thoughts on the suspect in the Suspect Discussion and the Metagame Discussion thread.
  • User Darkmalice recently earned a Community Contributor badge for his longtime excellence in Doubles posting. Congrats, and thanks for your awesome contributions to the tier :)
  • Users who frequent the Doubles PS Room rejoice! Some seriously sweet shakeups to the room lie ahead (more information TBA).
  • Doubles Battle of the Week is in the final voting stage, so if there's anyone you've been dying to see battle, be sure to head over there and vote for them before the deadline.
  • Doubles C&C wants you! (to write an analysis). If you're interested in contributing by writing up an analysis for a Pokemon, visit the Doubles C&C subforum and reserve a Pokemon today.
  • Some good progress has been made on finishing the Doubles Random Battles movepools (although they are still a ways off from completion). If you see any flaws or have any suggestions for the format, feel free shoot me or Joim a VM.
Be sure to check back every week for more quick updates on the tier!
 
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CCongratulations Darkmalice!

The Doubles mods are proud to announce that we have awarded a Community Contributor badge to Darkmalice! He has been an excellent poster in Doubles since before we even had a forum in Gen V, consistently providing well-written posts that displayed his knowledge of the metagame and contributing to many of our forum projects. Frankly put, this badge is overdue. Follow Darkmalice's lead and someday you can have a green badge too!

Level 51 edit: you realise asurfer already said that right
Pwne edit: yes but it was an achievement that was worthy of its own update, and i forgot to do this when it happened
 
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Welcome the new PS Team!

As the Doubles Room on Pokemon Showdown expands, it has become clear to the Doubles leadership team that the regular visitors of the room have a set of needs that differ from that of users of IRC and the forums. As such, we decided to create a PS leadership team for the purpose of better catering to the needs of these users, as well as making sure that the Doubles room is receiving the full support given to other aspects of the tier. Congratulations to users Arcticblast, SopS4nd, Level 51, KyleCole, Dashspin, Ultimathunder, finally, and BLOOD TOTEM for being appointed to this new team! They will be in charge of deciding what goes on in the room alongside myself. Expect updates regarding plans for the room in the future :)
 
Ladder Livestreaming

User KyleCole (a member of the recently created PS Team) has a Twitch TV stream set up where people can watch and interact with him as he plays on the Doubles ladder, so if you ever get bored of watching random ladder games and want to see someone with a better grip on the tier, this is a great place to be. Right now streaming is limited to live ladder runs, but expect things such as the hosting of live tournaments and other forms of Doubles-specific media as he builds up a more substantial viewerbase. If you are interested in having a fun time with other Doubles enthusiasts (or are hoping you get featured in a ladder match yourself) come on over :)
 
XY Doubles Tournament

Today marks the beginning of signups for the first Doubles tournament hosted in the Tournaments subforum for the new generation. Audiosurfer is hosting the XY Doubles Tournament, a tournament where people play standard Doubles in best of three matches to advance to future rounds. This tournament is part of a push by Doubles leadership to have Doubles tournaments more frequently to provide players of the tier with more opportunities to showcase their talent. While the tournament will not count towards points for the Doubles Circuit, it's still a good opportunity to practice and gain exposure to high-level play, and is also a lot of fun, so be sure to sign up quickly before the slots fill up!
 
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Sweet Dreams, Sleep Clause

With 79% of the vote, Sleep Clause will no longer be a part of the Doubles metagame. After a long period of discussion and battling, a majority of the playerbase concluded that a lack of Sleep Clause was not something that would be overpowering in the metagame, so the clause has been removed. What this means is that when playing a game of Doubles, both you and your opponent can now put more than one opposing Pokemon to sleep at a time. Thanks to all of those who helped contribute to this test by qualifying for voting :) (and to all those who didn't but wanted to, be sure to try again next time) Be sure to keep playing Doubles games, as your insight on the metagame post suspect test is always appreciated. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the metagame, you can make a post in this thread.
 
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Crash Course in Construction - Teambuilding Projects Take Over Doubles

If you've been interested in playing Doubles at a higher level but have struggled with teambuilding, then you'll be pretty excited for what I've got to share. Now's an excellent time to learn the tricks of effective teambuilding with a slew of teambuilding related projects on the forums. First, CCAT #2 recently ended, allowing you to explore the creation of a team from start to finish. Next, we have Counter That Doubles Team, in which people work to create two separate teams and pit them against each other. Finally, we have Doubles Teambuilding Workshop Sessions, where teambuilding sessions are hosted by experienced Doubles player in the PS Doubles room, allowing newer players to both learn from more skilled players and have an opportunity to integrate themselves in the Doubles community. In short, there's never been a better time to learn to teambuild right, so be sure to take advantage of these fantastic resources!
 
Week in Review

After a brief hiatus, the Week in Review segment is back :) Week in Review is a look back at what has happened in the Doubles-verse over the course of the week as well as a look at things to come. Here are some notable events that have occurred in the Doubles tier:
  • After being temporarily stalled, work on movepools for Doubles Random Battles is back underway, so we are hoping to have a finished set of movepools in the coming months.
  • Round 1 of the XY Doubles Tournament is drawing to a close, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Round 2 matchups as they are posted.
  • The stage in which we have a chance to nominate new potential suspects is approaching, so it's a good idea to start thinking about potential candidates now, before the deadline sneaks up on you.
  • The first SPL with Doubles as a tier has officially drawn to a close. Congrats to user Arcticblast and the rest of the Stark Sharks for walking away with the trophy, as well as all those who participated and/or helped make this a success!
  • The Doubles PS Team is constructing a schedule for light, fun tournaments to be conducted in the Doubles room on Pokemon Showdown. Expect a more finalized statement regarding this in the near future.
  • If you're aiming to do well in the Doubles Tournament Circuit and are hungry for more point opportunities, then you'll love this news. The Doubles Spring Seasonal is starting up on April 6th, giving people yet another chance to compete for points. For the uninformed, a seasonal is a Swiss-paired tournament with a single elimination top 8. Performing well in these events grants significantly more points than a minitour, so bring your A game.
  • Thanks to user Seaco for designing an awesome new logo for the Doubles Tournament Circuit, which can be seen here.
  • While things have been going smoothly in the Doubles subforum for some time now, we Doubles leaders still like to know how we're doing. Thus, if you have anything about the forum you particularly like, or any suggestions for improvement, don't hesitate to PM me* to share your thoughts. All input is appreciated, and negative input will be delivered anonymously, so don't feel as though it's a bad idea to contribute your thoughts. You don't have to be a regular to give ideas either. In fact, the perspective of newer users is even more appreciated since it's not one we have access to much. So yeah, don't hold back on your thoughts.
Remember, check back every week for more quick updates on the tier!
*actually PM Arcticblast because he loves gossip <3 <--- don't do this
 
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Doubles Spring Seasonal Signups!

My deepest apologies for not posting this story earlier, it sadly slipped my mind. If you're trying to gather Doubles Circuit points, or if you just want to test out your mad skillz in this metagame, then head on by the tournaments subforum and sign up for the Doubles Seasonal! Sign ups end tomorrow (Sunday) at midnight EST, so hurry on over for a guaranteed 7 or 8 rounds of Doubles fun.
 
BLOOD TOTEM [and] finally does something!

I apologize for the pun, but I also congratulate BLOOD TOTEM and finally for both being inducted into the Doubles Council! Two more users who show the right mix of tier dedication, battling skill, and suspect test interest, I'm glad to welcome them with open arms!

Upon being invited to join us, Totem reportedly said "brb watching cat planet cuties." You're already superior to this weeb so what's your excuse for not being on council? Come join us at #doubles on irc to get integrated into the community and learn how to battle and you could be next!
 
Pwnemon Promoted to Co-Leader of Doubles

In the recent shake up of the council team, Pwnemon replaced Joim as the new co Leader of this tier! This is the American Dream, folks - even the LOWLIEST of men can end up a leader if he rises to the occasion >:]

JK Pwnemon was voted by the council to be their leader, and there's no surprise why. He is one of the original pioneers of Doubles, and has shown his unwavering loyalty to Doubles since the very beginning. He has sacrificed himself in handful of instances for the sake of Doubles (ie. picking up the leaderboard and campaigning for the inclusion of Doubles in SPL), and he has become the face of Doubles to those who frequent #doubles often. I am more than happy to see him in this position! Congrats, and well-deserved.

Let's also celebrate Joim's contributions to Doubles. He is a major benefactor of this tier, facilitating its official promotion when we transitioned to XY. A lot of the tiering policy for this tier has been carved by him as well. He will forever be the Super Admin supervisor of Doubles, and we will continue to seek for his programming talents to run our suspect tests and ladder. Gracias, mi amigo.
 
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SopS4nd Retiring from PS Room Ownership

Although he was unknown on the forums and didn't visit IRC much, SopS4nd became one of the room owners of the Doubles Room on PS, and was one of the most visible users there. Always friendly and helpful, he took the room from a place where 8 people on at a time was a peak and where the silence was only broken by spammers to a place that has a growing visitorship and an ever evolving community and culture. Due to IRL business, he has decided to step down from his responsibilities as room owner for the time being. We at Doubles would like to thank him for his commitment to improving the tier and for his service, as well as wish him luck in whatever endeavors he takes on next.

Also, while SopS4nd is not going to be a frequent sight on PS anymore, his idea to have a regular tournament schedule for the PS Room will be carried out, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for news on that exciting development in the near future (and to tell your friends when it does happen).
 
Help Wanted For PS Doubles Room

Due to SopS4nd retiring from his position as a Doubles Room Owner, as well as due to plans for an increasing number of activities involving PS, the need for additional room owners has arisen. Instead of me choosing some people for the job, all who think that they would make for a good Room Owner are able to apply. Simply shoot me a PM expressing interest and stating relevant skills and experience to be considered for the position (not asking for an entire resume or anything, but mentioning whatever you think is relevant to showing you can do the job is a good idea). Looking for people who are:
  • Friendly
  • Able to attract new people to the tier
  • Able to be in the PS Room a good amount of the time
  • Able to brainstorm and help execute ways to engage those who visit the PS Room
Being able to play the tier isn't a necessary requirement, but is a plus. Don't think you have to have status in an existing area of the tier or anything either. So long as you can show that you'd make a good fit, you've got the same chance of being considered as anyone else. So don't wait, apply now!
 
It's finally that time, Electrolyte!

The decision has been reached! After a lot of interviewing and careful deliberation it was decided that users finally and Electrolyte would be made the new Room Owners for the PS Doubles Room. Congratulations! We had a large number of applicants (15 to be exact) but due to the strength of their applications, which conveyed a desire to better the tier along with the creativity and focus to help solve problems and brainstorm new activities, it was decided that they would be the best fit. In some additional promotions based on the applications, user Memoric is promoted from voice to driver, and user U-Turn Out is promoted to voice. Once again, congrats to these users and thanks to all those who applied for the position. Many great ideas came out of this process (which we fully intend to explore), and we were surprised at the ingenuity displayed by many of you. Together we'll be looking to take the PS Room to new highs over the course of the upcoming year. If you were not promoted this time around, don't worry, as there will be other promotion opportunities. Also, do not take it as meaning you weren't fit to be a Room Owner. Given the high number of people who sent in an application we ended up with multiple qualified candidates, but in the end we had to make a decision. Expect more amazing PS news in the future :)
 
It's actually happening guys

Yes, after much talking about the debut of a fixed schedule for Doubles PS Room tournaments, one has finally arrived thanks to the hard work of our PS Room staff :) Every day a tournament will be taking place in either standard Doubles, Doubles Ubers, Doubles UU, or the wildcard format of the month. You can read more about it here if you're interested. We hope to see all of you competing with us :)

Alongside this development came the creation of a thread specifically for the PS Room, where news, promotions, and projects specific to the room will be posted. In addition, the thread differs from the Newsroom in that it's open, meaning that you can post about any feedback you may have regarding the PS rooms. If you've got any thoughts on the rooms and anything you'd like to see more of (or less of), don't hesitate to share. Your feedback is how we're able to continue improving the room, so every bit of it is welcomed.
 
Pwnemon Earns Community Contributor; Lolk and Darkmalice inducted to the Council team

Pwnemon has recently been recognized for his forums and irc contributions, and has been awarded with the forest badge! Here are some of his notable contributions:
  • Took over Doubles Leaderboard that nobody else was motivated enough to update, allowing achievements to be incorporated into the first suspect test
  • Volunteered to take charge in supervising the discussions taking place in Viability Ranking thread and keep it updated
  • Started the trend of individual Pokemon discussion threads, such as Kangaskhan & Cresselia
  • Created a though-provoking thread, introducing players to Teambuilding Frameworks
  • Recently successfully hosted 2 circuit minitours to completion
  • Offers great insight of the Doubles metagame through his posts (like this) and actively participates in various Doubles projects
  • A strong SOP in #doubles, primarily responsible for promoting/demoting users based on their irc contributions
  • Was a bad boy for a day, allegedly skipping school to successfully convince TDs to include Doubles into SPL (alongside other players like Mizuhime, Audiosurfer, and myself)
Lolk and Darkmalice are both long-standing contributors and competitors of Doubles. They have been a tremendous asset to the Doubles community since the very beginning of XY Doubles (Darkmalice was around for BW Doubles, too), and shows no sign of stopping. Lolk has been spearheading Doubles C&C subforum with Mizuhime, currently nominated to replace me as a C&C moderator! Darkmalice has also recently been inducted to the QC team, and owes to the recent spark of activity in our analysis publications. Their intelligence and talent will not only benefit the C&C front, but also in leading this metagame's tiering process with the rest of the council.

Congrats, friends :)
 
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No better time to ladder

The ladder gets a lot of flack for not being a good place to find good battles, mainly due to the lack of quality players playing on the ladder very often. We've aimed to address this issue with a new tournament that's primarily ladder-based. Meet the new Doubles Ladder Tournament! Every week, the top two people on the ladder that signed up for the tournament are added to the list of people going to the playoffs. At the end of an 8 week period of ladder qualifications, those top 16 people will compete in a standard tournament style to crown the ultimate winner. The prizes for the tour are 10 points towards the Achievement Tournament as well as more lenient suspect vote requirements, and it can even lead to council consideration. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today!
 
Doubles Promotion Team Applications!

Doubles is an amazing tier. I know it, you know it, cool. However, plenty of people don't know this, since they haven't heard much about the tier and all the great things we do. That's why we're looking for applicants for the new Doubles Promotion Team. The roles of members of this team would involve some of the following:
  • Helping to create Doubles-related content for Smogon's social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube)
  • Writing Doubles-related content for Smogon's ezines (The Smog, The Competitor, The Player)
  • Create custom artwork for Doubles-related content on the forums, social media, and/or Smogon's various ezines
  • Helping to promote the tier on PS & IRC
  • Helping facilitate user outreach on PS to attract new people to the Doubles room
  • Helping to facilitate greater engagement with forum-based activities
  • Being good representatives of the tier across the site
  • Helping to foster a better sense of community throughout the tier's many branches
Members of this team should have strong writing & communications skills, a reasonable knowledge of the tier and a willingness to engage other people. Good performance on this team could lead to badges such as Ladybug, Media Contributor and Community Contributor, as well as promotions in other areas of the tier. Interested users should PM me explaining why they'd make a good fit in order to apply. Don't hesitate, apply now!
 
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Introducing the Doubles Promotion Team!

Thanks to everyone who applied to be on the Promotion Team! The very first members are Blizzard, Hashtag, KyleCole, Memoric, Shaian, shrop05, Spacebass96, Steeljackal<3, and U-Turn Out! They will work with me to help spread the word about the tier and the things we do throughout the site using many different content platforms. We look forward to being able to promote the tier throughout the coming weeks and months :)
 
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