Why is the format of the VGC Doubles?

Question

I have always wondered why the VGC is played in doubles and not in singles. I mean, 99.99% the battles in the games are singles and even things like Showdown use singles as the primary format. So, why does the VGC happen in doubles?

Comments

I'm guessing it's because of the spectator factor. These tournaments don't just focus on the game, they also focus on the audience and making money. With that in mind, it makes sense that doubles be the format because it is fast paced. Singles can be agonizingly slow especially if one player has a stall team. Plus, it would be boring as hell if all the players do for thirty minutes straight was switch around

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And I guess VGC's singles counterpart is BSS?

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Either that or bss is the spiritual successer of the nintendo cup in gen one

Answer 1

There are two main reasons.

No matter how broken a strategy/pokemon/set it, it will be always more manageable in doubles, because you can always outplay with protects and double targeting. A frail and fast set-up sweeper in singles has effectively infinite health, as long as it keeps OHKO'ing stuff. That will never happen in doubles. It is, therefore, easier do design for doubles, because there is more room for error.

and

Not only is doubles faster and way more balenced but there’s a lot more strategy behind double targets and protects other then in 1V1. Considering your only means of protecting yourself or getting yourself in a safe position in singles is to switch, it makes it so switches are played more than actual attack.

Additionally, it is much faster.

If you see it from an organizer point of view you can’t afford that a 150 people tournament goes for more than one day, my point being, games in singles are way too long. Sure when two hyperoffensive teams face each other things go rather fast, but bulky or stall teams are something else.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/stunfisk/comments/7recvp/why_is_vgc_doubles/