The Best of Both Worlds: How Pokémon Behave Differently in OU and DOU
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Art by MamOwOswine.
Introduction
OU and DOU are vastly different metagames. This is true not only because of the different banlists but also due to some game mechanics and strategies that work differently in the two metagames. Metagame-defining moves in OU such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, Defog, U-turn, and Volt Switch are nowhere near as useful in DOU; the same applies for Tailwind, Fake Out, Ally Switch, Protect, and Rage Powder / Follow Me, all of which have little-to-no use in OU. Items such as 50% Berries, Terrain Seeds, and Sitrus Berries, which are DOU staples, are nowhere near as common in OU, whereas Leftovers, Choice Band, and Choice Specs are much more common in singles than in doubles.
All these differences create two very unique metagames, making numerous Pokémon behave very differently in both tiers. To find out how some Pokémon adapt differently to each metagame, keep reading!
Kyurem-B
| OU | DOU |
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Kyurem-B @ Life Orb / Icium Z
Kyurem-B @ Assault VestHow do they differ?
In OU, Kyurem-B acts as a devastatingly powerful wallbreaker with Life Orb and Z-Freeze Shock sets in its arsenal; this, along with its colorful coverage and high offensive stats, makes Kyurem-B a premier offensive threat in the OU tier. In DOU, however, with Stealth Rock being less prevalent, Kyurem-B is able to take on a more defensive set with an Assault Vest, which makes it considerably physically and specially sturdy while providing great speed control in Icy Wind and phenomenal coverage.
Why do they differ?
Walls such as Toxapex, Chansey, and Clefable are very prominent in OU; however, in DOU dedicated walls are rarely seen, as stall and other bulkier playstyles are simply ineffective in any doubles metagame. Double targeting these types of passive Pokémon is an easy way to prevent them from staying healthy, even if the target uses a healing move every turn. In singles, with only one Pokémon on each side of the field, double targeting is not an option, which leads to the necessity of dedicated wallbreakers. Without this to worry about, Kyurem-B has more freedom to run more defensive investment. Doubles can also offer some more reliable breakers that are banned in OU such as Mega Metagross, Deoxys-A, and Mega Gengar, which might outshine more offensive Kyurem-B sets, especially as the prevalence of Steel- and Fairy-types in Doubles can make it reckless for Kyurem-B to run sets without bulk. Still, Icium Z and Life Orb Kyurem-B variants do have some merit and viability as a way to tear through even resistant foes. Assault Vest Kyurem-B, on the other hand, is a stellar set in DOU, as it is simultaneously bulky and strong, something that is very desirable in a metagame that may require Pokémon to take multiple hits in a single turn; notably, Assault Vest Kyurem-B also provides a form of speed control in Icy Wind, which is key to any Doubles team. In OU, this type of set wouldn't accomplish much due to the prevalence of Stealth Rock; while the move is occasionally used in DOU, in OU almost every team should have a Stealth Rock setter, and this really hurts the chance of a bulkier Kyurem-B set in OU, as it will often get worn down by Stealth Rock alone due to the far higher number of switches in a singles metagame, leaving Assault Vest Kyurem-B far less effective.
Hoopa-U
| OU | DOU |
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Hoopa-U @ Fightinium Z / Darkinium Z
Hoopa-U @ Sitrus BerryHow do they differ?
Similarly to Kyurem-B, in OU, Hoopa-U is a terrifying wallbreaker; with a plethora of sets all tailored towards breaking fat balance and stall cores, such as Nasty Plot, Choice Band, Choice Specs, and all-out attacker, Hoopa-U's niche in OU is very clear. In DOU, however, Hoopa-U prefers a mixed offensive Trick Room set, carrying a Sitrus Berry, a Misty Seed, or a Psychic Seed, all of which help it take advantage of Magician, a great ability in doubles that is rather lackluster in singles.
Why do they differ?
In OU, wallbreakers are simply more needed than in DOU. Nasty Plot combined with Dark-, Psychic-, and Fighting-type coverage is just unbearable for any wall, even Chansey, which gets OHKOed by +2 All-Out Pummeling after Stealth Rock. In DOU, however, the lack of walls makes this set unnecessary. Here, Hoopa-U is much more useful setting up Trick Room and making use of its signature moves, Hyperspace Hole and Hyperspace Fury, to break Protect, one of the better ways to stall out Trick Room. With this set, Hoopa-U can support Pokémon such as Stakataka, Mega Camerupt, and Tapu Bulu, which are deadly under Trick Room; Hoopa-U would also have trouble trying to set up in DOU, as its middling Speed along with the opponent's ability to double target it makes Hoopa-U much easier to handle. Speaking of Trick Room, such a set isn't ideal in OU, as other Trick Room attackers such as Magearna and Stakataka outshine it due to their higher bulk, something that is crucial in singles due to the lack of support from Fake Out or redirection to set Trick Room. Hoopa-U's ability to break protection is what makes it a top threat Trick Room setter in DOU, whereas in OU, Protect and its clones are very rare. In DOU, Hoopa-U's ability to make use of Magician is also something that makes it a premier Trick Room setter, helping both it and its teammates to nab some KOs on Pokémon by removing Berries from Pokémon such as Tapu Fini and Amoonguss and healing itself up. This, once again, would be an extremely rare scenario in OU, especially since Hoopa-U would have to forfeit a Z-Crystal in the first place.
Mega Scizor
| OU | DOU |
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Scizor @ ScizoriteHow do they differ?
In OU, Mega Scizor often runs more defensive sets with Defog, Roost, and U-turn; still, offensive sets are also viable, which are similar to DOU's set but run different EVs, Knock Off over Bug Bite, and Roost over Protect. In DOU, Mega Scizor is more of a bulky attacker with Bug Bite and Swords Dance that checks PsySpam thanks to its Steel typing; with Terrain support from Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, or Tapu Bulu, it can threaten this playstyle even more by bypassing Psychic Terrain's granted priority immunity. Mega Scizor also threatens metagame titans in Doubles such as Kyurem-B and Tyranitar.
Why do they differ?
Defog is a big move in OU. Due to the huge prevalence of Stealth Rock, most teams really need some sort of hazard removal; Mega Scizor's great typing and bulk let it shine as a wall in OU, enabling it to tackle wallbreakers such as Tapu Bulu and Mega Pinsir, which aren't as common in DOU. In Doubles, such a defensive set is often not a smart idea, mostly because Stealth Rock is rare. On the other hand, DOU's bulky attacker set plays a big role in the tier. Having priority is always nice for a form of speed control; similarly, Bug Bite, which is nearly useless in singles, allows Mega Scizor to steal from the Berry-filled metagame that is DOU, making Roost often unneeded. Such a set in OU wouldn't be bad at all; however, Knock Off is preferred in singles to hit Heatran, Celesteela, and Zapdos, which would wall Scizor's dual STAB attacks otherwise, whereas in Doubles all of these can be handled by Mega Scizor's ally.
Zapdos
| OU | DOU |
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Zapdos @ Leftovers
Zapdos @ Misty SeedHow do they differ?
In OU, Zapdos often runs a more speedy defensive set to better take on Mega Pinsir, Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Hawlucha, all of which are much more prominent in OU than in DOU. 3 Attacks along with Roost is often the go-to set, but Defog is also a possibility in case Zapdos's team lacks a Defogger; again, this role is not commonly needed in Doubles. The max Speed investment may seem awkward for players not familiar with OU, but it ensures Zapdos can outspeed the likes of Zygarde, Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, and Excadrill. In DOU, however, Zapdos is often holding either a Misty or Psychic Seed and gets paired with either Tapu Fini or Tapu Lele to obtain a boost to Special Defense and become rather bulky all around. Zapdos also may opt for a more offensive set with a Modest nature, but its moveset rarely varies.
Why do they differ?
As previously mentioned, Speed investment on Zapdos is crucial in OU for it to take on Zygarde, Landorus-T, and other notable threats. But in Doubles, Zapdos is much better off investing its EVs into its bulk to become a much more reliable Tailwind setter. The two EV spreads differ so much because OU's Zapdos is more worried about being outsped by Jolly Continental Crush Landorus-T whereas DOU's ones prefer to, after triggering Misty Seed, tank a large hit such as a Psychic Terrain-boosted Psycho Boost from a Deoxys-A and then set up Tailwind from there. Speedy Zapdos would be overall ineffective as a Tailwind setter in DOU. Bulkier Zapdos do exist in OU, by the way, trading the reliability against Landorus-T and Zygarde for a better matchup against Mega Pinsir and Kartana; however, it's generally slightly less effective.
Mew
| OU | DOU |
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Mew @ Aguav BerryHow do they differ?
In both metagames, Mew is generally considered to be a good Pokémon thanks to its well-rounded bulk and access to numerous supportive moves. In OU, Defog or Stealth Rock are key to Mew's success, by either removing or setting up the sneaky pebbles that have been prevalent in OU for so long, while Will-O-Wisp is the icing on the cake that makes physical attackers have a much tougher time trying to beat it down. In DOU, however, Transform is what makes Mew stand out, allowing it to copy a setup partner or a support Pokémon from the opponent to help its teammate. Fake Out and Tailwind are also both outstanding support options in DOU.
Why do they differ?
Mew's sets differ more thanks to the utility of the moves it wields; most of the utility moves used in singles aren't as useful in Doubles and vice versa. For instance, in OU hazard control in the form of either Defog or Stealth Rock is almost a must to any team, as the continuous switches make Stealth Rock a very reliable tool to wear the opposition down whereas Defog is a very reliable tool to remove said Stealth Rock; as for DOU, Stealth Rock does see some play, but it isn't strong enough to justify either of these moves being carried into Mew's moveslots. Will-O-Wisp is also a very important move in singles that allows Mew to stop the likes of Tapu Bulu and Mega Medicham trying to break through it; but in Doubles, Mew prefers other tools, due in part to Tapu Fini being common, making the move inconsistent with the shorter average length of Doubles games causing its protection from status to last for a larger amount of the game. Soft-Boiled is a must in singles for Mew to remain healthy and maintain its role as a Defogger, whereas in doubles, an Aguav Berry does the same thing but only once in a match, which is about as much as Mew would need anyway. Transform is very solid in doubles due to Mew having an ally that it can target, whereas in singles, its only Transform option would be its foe, at which point you're better off just using Ditto instead. Fake Out is huge in doubles because it allows invaluable opportunities for an ally to set up, attack, or anything similar, but in singles, due to the lack of ally Pokémon on the field, Mew is simply wasting a turn by using the move. As for Tailwind, its 4-turn duration is way too short to be game-changing for OU; however, in DOU, matches are much less long, making Tailwind far more impactful.
Get out there!
The best way to analyze the differences between the two metagames is by playing both! OU and DOU are extremely joyful and rewarding metagames, so for sure you'll have a fun time on the ladder.
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