My name is FlorianVGC and I’ve been playing VGC doubles since USUM/ORAS. Of the 7 early reg H teams I’ve built, 6 have top-cut large limitless tours.

Here’s what they have in common…

1. Varied Typing

Fire/Water/Grass cores are among the most common - and successful - because of the defensive synergy they have. Is your Fire-type Pokemon on the field in front of a Water type? Send out a Grass-type to soak up what would have been a super-effective move and threaten super-effective damage back. Another common core based around type synergy is the Fantasy core - Dragon/Steel/Fairy. Having other resists to common types can be strong since FWG cores struggle to hit Dragon-type Pokemon, aiming for neutral damage at best depending on the secondary typing of the Dragon. Having lots of different types covered is great but make sure you’re not repeating weaknesses - e.g., teams that use both Archaludon and Gholdengo should have a non-weather-dependent answer for Ground types or a Flying type/Levitate Pokémon to switch into. Teams that use Rillaboom/Sneasler should have an answer for Flying types, Psyspam should be able to deal with Dark-types, etc. 

2. Multiple Redirection/Fake-Out Users

Fake Out is great for exerting immediate pressure - whether you actually click it or not - but this doesn’t solve the problem with Ghost types, Inner Focus, or Covert Cloak. This is where moves like Follow Me or Rage Powder can be useful. Follow Me is also great in front of Pokemon that require partner support, such as After You Lilligant or Beat Up Maushold. Pairing a setup Pokémon like Volcarona or Kingambit next to Fake Out/Follow Me support almost always guarantees safe setup but does not prevent spread damage from hitting both Pokémon (we’ll get there soon).

3. Priority and/or Speed Control

Whether it’s Tailwind, Trick Room, or Extreme Speed, moving first means potentially taking a KO before taking damage yourself. Hyper Offense teams typically need Tailwind to ensure their frail attackers move first - disrupt this by using priority moves. Some teams right now have no speed control at all, instead relying on priority to move first regardless of the opponent’s speed control options. A middle ground would be running moves like Icy Wind or Electroweb to drop your opponent’s speed and potentially move first, just be on the lookout for Defiant/Competitive Pokémon - you may end up giving them the boost they need to revenge OHKO!

4. Haze/Unaware

Don’t leave home without a Donzozo answer. Pokémon like Primarina or Hisuian-Decidueye can reset the Commander omniboost with Haze while Unaware Pokémon ignore Dozo’s stat boosts. High-crit moves also work but require setup to guarantee big damage. Haze is more reliable overall since you can safely remove any stat boosts/drops on the field but Clear Smog is also an option for teams that can’t slot either. Be careful when using Unaware against Dondonzo - you might be able to ignore its stat boosts but it can also ignore any of yours, too. Unaware also means it will ignore opposing stat drops, so Pokémon like Specs Hydreigon are free to spam Draco Meteor without any drawback! 

5. Terrain/Wide Guard

This is specifically for Psyspam teams. Rillaboom has been the number one Pokémon in most tours for this reason, but leaving up Psychic Terrain and clicking Wide Guard can also work. A good Psyspam player will cycle their Indeedee well to preserve terrain - there are also variants now with less spread moves to help counter Wide Guard. Rillaboom can be difficult to bring if the opponent has Torkoal and/or Armarouge so make sure you have an answer that isn’t reliant on a Tera that can be punished with good cover play. 

6. Good Spreads 

This might seem obvious but just because you’re using six of the best Pokémon in the meta doesn’t automatically mean you have a neutral matchup into every top team. Some important questions to ask when deciding how to train your Pokémon: Are my offensive Pokémon fast enough? Are they strong enough to take KOs? Can my bulky Pokémon survive a super-effective attack and do they threaten damage back? Each Pokémon’s move set should inform their spread. You wouldn’t EV Breaking Swipe Dragonite the same as Outrage - one should be bulky to support the team while the other should be threatening as much damage as possible. 

7. Pokémon I Enjoy Using

The meta is so varied right now there’s no reason to lock into a team you aren’t comfortable playing. So many Pokémon from previous regulations are making a comeback in this lower power level format, but there are other Pokémon who have seen little-to-no exploration that could have a niche. Be creative but make sure whatever you pick fits your team! A good example of this right now is Focus Sash Gengar for Haze or Taunt support and two strong neutral typings into most of the meta. 

8. Answers to the Top Archetypes 

If you put all of that together you should have a team that can deal with Psyspam, Dondozo, Archaludon, and Annihilape, but what about the other teams popping up? At the original time of writing this article, those were the top four teams to prep for but now there are Hyper Offense Sun teams seeing more play while Dondozo teams are losing favor. Paying attention to Limitless Tour results can help inform how the meta is developing and which archetypes are currently performing well, but this information can also be used to identify which archetypes could do well against the majority of the meta. If everyone drops their Dondozo checks because Sun teams are picking up in usage, will Dondozo Rain do well at Baltimore?

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