Speed in VGC: Tailwind, Trick Room and speed tiers
In doubles, moving first is worth a lot: you can knock out an opponent before it acts or protect your partner in time. That is why almost every team brings a way to control who moves first.
What a speed tier is
It is the speed a Pokémon has with a specific stat point spread and nature. Two Pokémon with the same base stat can move in a different order depending on how they are trained. In Speed Tiers you have every Pokémon of the meta with its level 50 speed at the spreads people actually use.
Tailwind: double speed
Tailwind doubles your team's Speed for four turns, counting the turn it is used. It is the most common form of speed control: your slow Pokémon start moving before almost everything.
Trick Room: slow Pokémon first
Trick Room reverses the order for five turns, counting the turn it is used: the slowest Pokémon moves first. It has negative priority, so it goes off at the end of the turn. Trick Room teams look for slow, strong Pokémon, with a nature that lowers Speed and no stat points in it.
Priority, Choice Scarf and paralysis
Priority moves such as Fake Out or Extreme Speed go before everything else regardless of Speed. Choice Scarf multiplies Speed by 1.5 in exchange for locking you into one move, and paralysis halves it.
How many points to put in Speed
Decide who you need to outspeed and put in exactly the stat points to beat it by one. In the calculator and in Speed Tiers you can try spreads instantly; whatever is left is better spent on HP or defences.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if two Pokémon have the same speed?
It is a speed tie: the order is decided at random every turn. A single extra Speed point avoids that coin flip.
How many turns does Tailwind last?
Four, counting the turn it is used, so you get three full turns with doubled Speed.
Which Pokémon work well under Trick Room?
Slow ones with high attack or high defence. In Speed Tiers, look at the ones near the bottom of the list that are played the most in the meta.
More guides
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Every infovgc tool is free and built on the public team lists of Pokémon Champions tournaments.
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