Best team for SoulGold Hard mode, built for double battles

Why doubles changes the plan

Build for doubles, not singles. On Hard, every gym and Elite Four fight is a double battle, and the leaders bring bigger teams with abilities, items and EVs.

A singles team (one fast sweeper, a wall, a healer) falls apart fast. Will’s Farigiraf sets Trick Room, and Espeon’s Expanding Force hits both of your slots on the same turn.

So on top of type coverage, I picked for three things:

• Two Intimidate users
• Fake Out to buy a turn
• Moves that hit both opponents without hitting my partner

I started with Cyndaquil and played on Hard caps. I finished the League with these eight, usually rotating six. I tried a singles team first and Whitney ended that idea.

The core eight

Pokémon	Caught as	Where (rate, level)	Ready by	Main jobs
Typhlosion	Cyndaquil, Elm’s lab	starter	Quilava 14, Typhlosion 36	Bugsy, Jasmine, Pryce, Scizor and Kingambit anywhere
Hariyama	Makuhita	Route 34 (30%, Lv 12 to 15)	Whitney	Whitney, Jasmine’s Steelix and Magnezone, Pryce’s Weavile, Karen, Lance’s Archaludon
Gardevoir	Ralts	Route 35 (30%, Lv 13 to 15); Route 30 (5%)	Kirlia 20, Gardevoir 30	Chuck, Clair, Bruno, Lance; Mega with the Route 30 Fairytite
Houndoom	Houndour	Burned Tower 1F (8%, Lv 19 to 22); Route 36 at night (5%)	Morty	Morty, Will, Jasmine, Pryce
Staraptor	Staravia	Route 37 (15%, Lv 17 to 21)	Staraptor 34	Intimidate; Chuck, Bruno, Karen; Earthquake partner
Magnezone	Magnemite	Routes 38 and 39 (30%, Lv 20 to 23)	Magneton 30, then Railway Cave or Thunder Stone	Pryce, Clair’s Gyarados and Altaria, Bruno’s Staraptor, Honchkrow
Mamoswine	Swinub	Ice Path, every floor (30%, Lv 30 to 40)	Clair	Clair, Koga, Lance; Earthquake and Ice Shard
Gyarados	Magikarp	fishing from Route 30 on	Chuck	Second Intimidate; Chuck, Jasmine’s Steelix, Bruno

Typhlosion

Your Fire for the first half. Three of Bugsy’s four Hard Pokémon, four of Jasmine’s five and five of Pryce’s six take double, and Scizor takes four times. It learns Mud Shot and Earth Power here. Mega Typhlosion (Fire/Ground, Drought) shows up after the eighth badge, in time for the League. It was my MVP.

Hariyama

I would never drop this one. Catch Makuhita on Route 34 (30%). Thick Fat halves Fire and Ice, and Fake Out gives you a free turn every fight.

Fighting is the only thing super effective on Whitney. It also hits Jasmine’s Magnezone and Steelix, Pryce’s Weavile four times, Karen’s Kingambit four times and Umbreon for double, and Lance’s Archaludon for double. It’s slow, which is great when Will sets Trick Room.

Gardevoir

Your best answer to the second half. Fairy hits for double on:

• All five of Chuck’s Hard team
• Four of Clair’s six, five once Gyarados Megas
• Bruno’s Kommo-o, four times
• Karen’s Scrafty, four times
• Five of Lance’s six Dragons

Grab the Fairytite at Mr. Pokémon’s house on Route 30. You’ll carry it most of the game before the Mega Ring shows up. I kept checking my bag just to look at it.

Houndoom

Covers Morty and Will. Dark hits Gengar, Misdreavus and all six of Will’s team for double. Fire kills Shedinja and Doublade. Flash Fire lets it switch into Larvesta’s Fire Spin or Honchkrow’s Heat Wave. Catch Houndour in Burned Tower 1F (8%).

Staraptor

Brings Intimidate and makes Earthquake free for its partner. Brave Bird and Close Combat handle Chuck’s four Fighting types and Bruno’s. Staravia is 15% on Route 37. The Flyingite is on Route 47 next to the Embedded Tower if you want the Mega.

Magnezone

Your Pryce and Clair specialist. Steel hits Alolan Ninetales four times and the rest of Pryce’s team except Mamoswine for double. Electric kills Mega Gyarados and Altaria, and Steel resists every Dragon move Clair and Lance throw.

1. Catch Magnemite on Route 38 or 39 (30%).
2. Evolve it to Magneton at 30.
3. Level it up inside Railway Cave, or use a Thunder Stone.

Magnezone was the slowest to build and the one I was happiest to have against Clair.

Mamoswine

Joins late and wins the two hardest fights. Swinub is 30% on every floor of Ice Path, the same cave with the Waterfall HM on 1F.

Ice Shard picks off Dragapult and the Dragonite line. Earthquake breaks Koga’s team and Archaludon, and TM26 is an item ball in Victory Road 1F. Thick Fat lets it take Clair’s Ice Beams and Kingdra’s Surf.

Gyarados

The flex eighth. Get the Old Rod at the Route 32 Pokémon Center and fish up a Magikarp anywhere from Route 30 on.

It gives you a second Intimidate, Waterfall for Steelix, and a Flying type for Chuck. Keep it away from Pryce (Freeze-Dry) and Jasmine’s Magnezone. Mine only came in for Chuck and the League.

Doubles tactics that worked

Fake Out the setter

Lead Hariyama with your fastest attacker. Fake Out the opposing lead that sets things up: Rufflet, Maushold, Alolan Ninetales or Farigiraf. Your partner kills it before it does anything. Every Hard team leans on one setter, and most fold once it’s gone. This one move won me more fights than any sweeper.

Stack Intimidate

Staraptor and Gyarados each drop both opponents’ Attack when they come in. Chuck, Bruno and Karen are mostly physical. Chuck’s Hitmontop and Bruno’s Hitmontop and Staraptor have Intimidate too, so send your physical attackers in after theirs are out.

Spread moves with an immune partner

• Earthquake next to Staraptor or Gyarados hits both opponents for free.
• Rock Slide (TM80, Route 49) and Blizzard (TM14, Ice Path Depths) hit both foes and miss your partner.
• Skip Surf and Discharge. They hit your own Pokémon too.
• Protect (TM17, Goldenrod Department Store 5F) on whoever’s being targeted while the partner attacks. The AI still falls for it, and it never stopped being funny.

Speed and weather

Thunder Wave (TM73, Route 41) and Trick Room (TM92, Ecruteak Mart) are both available before badge five. Mega Typhlosion’s Drought powers up Houndoom’s Fire moves too. Rain Dance (TM18, Slowpoke Well B2F) flips the Gyarados and Kingdra matchups if you’re the one setting it.

What to do at each level cap

Cap	After	Use the plateau for
12	arrival in Violet	Geodude on Route 46 or Dark Cave South for Falkner; the Togepi egg at the Violet Pokémon Center; the Exp. Share from the rival is already on.
19	Falkner	Candy Jar from Elm’s aide (banks 90% of every fainted foe’s EXP for Exp Candies); Old Rod at the Route 32 Pokémon Center; the Route 32 grotto (Lv 10 Mareep, Misdreavus, Applin, Paldean Wooper).
26	Bugsy	Makuhita and Abra on Route 34, Ralts on Route 35; Protect, Dig, Reflect and Light Screen TMs on Department Store 5F; vitamins on 4F (EV caps follow badges, so do not overbuy).
34	Whitney	Battle Factory opens for BP (feathers, Ability Capsule, Beckoning Bell); Houndour in the Burned Tower; Staravia on Route 37; Trick Room, Snarl and Will-O-Wisp at the Ecruteak Mart; Linking Cord item ball on Route 38.
42, 45, 48	Morty, then each of Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce	Magnemite and Swablu on Routes 38 and 39; Drain Punch TM on Route 39; Thunder Wave on Route 41; Darktite and an Assault Vest in Rocket Hideout B3F; Eviolite from the Lake of Rage grotto.
55	seventh badge	The Radio Tower itself. The Hard executives run 49 to 55, with Archer’s team at the cap, so this is the one plateau where the next fight is already waiting.
58	Rocket takeover	Mega Ring from Oak; Swinub in Ice Path and the Waterfall HM on its first floor; Blizzard in Ice Path Depths once you have Waterfall and Rock Climb; Dratini in the Dragon’s Den and the Super Rod in Blackthorn after the badge.
62	Clair	Bondstone from Elm; Watertite in Whirl Islands B1F.
70	Ho-Oh or Lugia	Earthquake and Rock Climb in Victory Road 1F, Steeltite on B1F, Weakness Policy on B2F; Choice Band on Route 27 and Choice Scarf on Route 26; Riolu, Pawniard and Drilbur in Tohjo Falls.

The full cap list and Soft versus Hard caps are in level caps and Hard mode. Every team I built against is in the gym leader reference.

Alternative build: Megas as early as the game allows

You don’t get the Mega Ring until after the seventh badge, so “early Megas” means Clair and the League. Pick up these stones before then:

• Fairytite: Route 30 gift
• Ghostite: Sprout Tower basement
• Groundite: Union Cave B2F
• Bugtite: National Park
• Rocktite: Route 46
• Fightite: Dark Cave North Side
• Psychite: Mt Mortar 2F, after Strength
• Electrite: Railway Cave 2F
• Flyingite: Route 47
• Darktite: Rocket Hideout B3F

Only one Pokémon can Mega per battle. Carry three or four stone holders and pick one per fight:

• Mega Gardevoir (Fairytite) for Clair, Bruno and Lance.
• Mega Alakazam (Psychite) for Koga and Bruno. Abra is 30% on Route 34, and Kadabra evolves with the Linking Cord.
• Mega Houndoom (Darktite) for Will and Morty’s rematch.
• Mega Heracross or Mega Scizor (Bugtite) for Will and Karen. Heracross is in the Goldenrod Shore grotto or Route 48. For Scizor, get Scyther from the Bug-Catching Contest and a Metal Coat from the Mahogany shop.
• Mega Ampharos (Electrite) as your Electric/Dragon answer to Clair’s Gyarados and Kingdra. Mareep is 30% on Route 32, and Ampharos comes at 30.

None of these beat Mega Gardevoir in the fights that count, and every extra stone holder costs you a slot. I carried four for a while and my team felt worse for it. Every stone and where it is lives in the Mega Evolution guide.

Alternative build: Trick Room

Hard doubles reward a slow, bulky team under Trick Room (TM92, Ecruteak Mart).

• Reuniclus sets it with Magic Guard. Solosis is 30% on Route 43, Duosion at 32, Reuniclus at 41.
• Hariyama and Mamoswine move last outside the room and first inside it.
• Tinkaton does the same, with Fake Out and Gigaton Hammer like Jasmine’s. Tinkatink is 8% in Union Cave and evolves at 38.

Will’s Hard Farigiraf has Trick Room too, and it can flip your room back. Kill it on turn one. Getting my own room flipped was the most annoying turn of my run.

Don’t try a mono-type run on Hard. The leaders carry coverage moves on purpose, and every type I planned around lost at least one gym outright. If you want to try anyway, read best innates and combos for the postgame innates that help, and the starters guide for which starter makes the first three badges easiest.