Targeting in Doubles: Spread Moves, Redirect, and Follow Me

Doubles is the primary competitive format in Pokemon Champions, and that changes how every attack choice should feel. You bring a 6-Pokemon team, select 4 for the match, and then make decisions with two active Pokemon at a time. That means your turn is rarely just “use the strongest move.” It is about where your damage goes, what your partner is doing, and whether the opponent can change your target.

This doubles targeting guide is for breaking the habit of attacking whatever looks scariest at first glance. Sometimes that is correct. Other times, the better play is to hit the support, use a spread move, or account for redirection before you commit.

Why targeting matters more than typing in doubles

Typing still matters, but doubles adds a second question: who actually needs to take the damage this turn?

In singles, the opposing active Pokemon is the only immediate target. In doubles, you are choosing between two opposing Pokemon while also coordinating with your own partner. A good hit into the wrong slot can waste a turn. A weaker-looking hit into the right slot can decide the position.

That is why targeting often matters more than raw type advantage. You are not only asking, “Does this move deal good damage?” You are asking:

• Does this target need to be stopped right now?
• Does my other Pokemon already cover that slot?
• Am I trying to remove damage pressure or support pressure?
• Will redirection change where my single-target move goes?
• Is a spread move better even after the 75% damage reduction?

This doubles targeting guide starts from one simple idea: damage allocation is a skill. If you split damage when you needed to focus, both opposing Pokemon may keep acting. If you tunnel into the obvious attacker while the support controls the turn, you may never get the clean attack you wanted.

Team roles matter here. A “carry” is the Pokemon doing the main damage work. A “support” is the Pokemon making that damage easier to deliver or harder to answer. If you want a broader role framework, use Archetype Browser as a reference while thinking through your teams.

The best target is not always the closest threat. It is the target that makes the opponent’s next turn worse.

Spread moves taxonomy - Earthquake, Rock Slide, Surf, Heat Wave, Discharge, and the 75% multiplier

Spread moves are attacks that apply damage across multiple targets. In doubles, spread moves deal 75% of their base damage to each target, not 100%. Single-target moves do full damage. That one rule should shape a lot of your choices.

Common examples include:

• Earthquake
• Rock Slide
• Surf
• Heat Wave
• Discharge

The important spread moves doubles rule is not just “hit more Pokemon.” It is “hit more Pokemon at reduced damage per target.” Two reduced hits can be better than one full hit, but only if both hits matter.

A useful way to sort spread moves is by what you need them to accomplish:

Spread move use	What you are trying to do	Targeting question
Broad pressure	Damage both opposing slots	Is 75% damage to each target better than 100% to one?
Cleanup	Finish multiple weakened targets	Are both targets actually in range after the reduction?
Redirection insurance	Avoid relying on one single-target attack	Is the opponent likely to redirect single-target moves?
Partner coordination	Let your other Pokemon focus one slot	Which target does your partner need to handle?

The trap is assuming spread damage is automatically efficient. If Earthquake, Rock Slide, Surf, Heat Wave, or Discharge leaves both opponents healthy enough to keep acting, you may have done less than a focused single-target move would have done. In that case, the 75% multiplier is a real cost.

On the other hand, if both opposing Pokemon are already low enough, spread damage can punish the opponent for leaving two vulnerable targets on the field. That is the cleanest use case for the spread moves doubles concept: you are not guessing which slot matters more because both slots matter.

When unsure, compare these two outcomes:

• One full-damage single-target move into the most important slot
• One 75%-damage spread move into each affected target

If the first option changes the board and the second option only adds chip damage, choose the single-target move. If the second option meaningfully pressures both Pokemon, the spread move may be stronger.

Use Pokedex to check move details and Pokemon options when building around this idea.

Single-target prioritization - kill the carry vs neutralize the support

Single-target moves do full damage in doubles. That makes them your cleanest way to commit to one slot.

The hard part is choosing which slot deserves that commitment. Most turns come down to one of two plans: kill the carry or neutralize the support.

You usually prioritize the carry when:

• It is the main source of immediate damage.
• It can punish both of your active Pokemon if ignored.
• The support is not preventing your attack from landing.
• A full-damage hit changes the position more than a 75% spread hit would.

You usually prioritize the support when:

• Redirection is stopping you from hitting the carry.
• The support’s presence makes your opponent’s damage safer.
• Removing pressure from support opens better targeting next turn.
• Your partner can already pressure the carry.

This is where a doubles targeting guide becomes practical. You should not decide targets based only on which opposing Pokemon has the flashiest attack. Ask what happens after your move lands. If you hit the carry but the support continues to redirect or control where attacks go, you may still be stuck. If you hit the support but the carry gets a free turn, that can be just as bad.

A simple turn-by-turn method:

1. Identify the opponent’s biggest damage source.
2. Identify whether the other slot is enabling that damage.
3. Check whether redirection can interfere with your chosen attack.
4. Compare full single-target damage against reduced spread damage.
5. Choose the target that makes the opponent’s next action weakest.

That last step is the heart of good targeting. You are not just selecting an enemy. You are selecting the future board state you want.

Redirection moves - Follow Me, Rage Powder, Spotlight; when to use each

Redirection changes targeting by forcing attacks away from their intended destination.

Follow Me has priority +2 and redirects opponent single-target moves to the user. A good follow me strategy uses that to protect the Pokemon that needs to act. If your partner has the important attack this turn, Follow Me can make the opponent’s single-target answers go into the redirection user instead.

Use Follow Me when:

• Your partner’s action is more valuable than the user’s safety.
• You expect the opponent to use single-target moves.
• You want to force attacks into a Pokemon you are willing to have targeted.

Rage Powder behaves like Follow Me but fails against Grass-type Pokemon and Pokemon holding Safety Goggles. That makes it similar in purpose, but not identical in reliability. If the opposing attacker has one of those listed answers, do not assume the powder user can protect its partner.

Spotlight works differently: it forces a specific target to attack the user that turn. Use it when you need that chosen target’s attack pointed at the Spotlight user instead of somewhere else.

As the victim of redirection, slow down before clicking your usual attack. A strong follow me strategy from your opponent is trying to make you waste full-damage single-target moves into the wrong Pokemon. Your answers are to intentionally target the redirection user, use a spread move when the 75% reduction is acceptable, or rely on a listed bypass when the interaction allows it.

Your own follow me strategy should be just as deliberate. Do not use it only because you have it. Use it because the partner action you are protecting is worth more than the attacks your redirector is likely to take.

Counter-redirection - Ground immune, Grass immune to Rage Powder, Safety Goggles

Counter-redirection starts before the turn is selected. You need to know which of your Pokemon can ignore, punish, or work around the opponent’s redirection plan.

First, the Ground immune part of this section is a reminder to verify whether your intended damage actually connects before you build the whole turn around it. If your plan involves a Ground move such as Earthquake, check the relevant Pokemon and move information in Pokedex instead of assuming every target is valid. This article is not adding extra immunity rules beyond the listed interaction points, so treat this as a targeting discipline: confirm your damage path.

Second, Grass-type Pokemon are immune to the powder redirection interaction listed above. If your Grass-type Pokemon is the attacker, that powder move fails against it, so your targeting plan can be different from your partner’s.

Third, Pokemon holding Safety Goggles also ignore that same powder interaction. This is one of the cleanest item-based ways to keep a single-target plan pointed where you wanted it.

You also have two universal targeting adjustments against redirection:

• Make the redirector your intended target.
• Use spread damage when reduced damage to multiple targets is better than a full hit being redirected.

The spread moves doubles answer is especially useful when you do not need one perfect hit. If both opposing Pokemon are vulnerable enough, a spread move can keep your turn productive even when single-target attacks are being pulled away.

Three worked targeting puzzles

Puzzle 1: The tempting spread move

Your active Pokemon can use Heat Wave. The opponent has two Pokemon on the field: one major attacker and one support. Both can be damaged, but the attacker is the bigger immediate threat.

The lazy play is to click Heat Wave because it hits both. The better question is whether 75% damage to each target changes the board. If the attacker survives and keeps applying pressure, the spread move may not have solved the real problem.

Better targeting line:

• If a full-damage single-target move can remove or heavily punish the attacker, choose that.
• If both opposing Pokemon are already low enough for Heat Wave to matter, use the spread move.
• If the support is what enables the attacker, consider focusing the support instead.

This doubles targeting guide principle is simple: hitting two Pokemon is not automatically better than solving one slot.

Puzzle 2: The opponent has Follow Me

The opponent has a redirector beside a carry. You want to hit the carry with a single-target move, but Follow Me redirects opponent single-target moves to the user.

If you ignore that, your full-damage move goes where the opponent wanted it to go. You did not make a targeting decision; they made it for you.

Better targeting line:

• If the redirector is worth damaging, target it intentionally.
• If both opposing Pokemon can be pressured, use a spread move and accept the 75% multiplier.
• If your partner can handle the redirector, let one Pokemon clear that path while the other prepares to pressure the carry.

This is where follow me strategy matters from both sides. As the user, you are buying space for your partner. As the victim, you are deciding whether to fight through the redirector or attack in a way that does not rely on one single-target hit.

Puzzle 3: Powder redirection and Spotlight pressure

The opponent has a powder redirector beside a carry. One of your attackers is a Grass-type Pokemon or is holding Safety Goggles. Your other Pokemon is not.

Do not treat both of your Pokemon the same. The listed powder interaction fails against the Grass-type attacker and against the Safety Goggles holder, but your other Pokemon may still have its single-target move pulled away.

Better targeting line:

• Use the immune attacker to target the carry directly.
• Use the other Pokemon to hit the redirector or choose a spread move.
• If Spotlight is used, remember that it forces a specific target to attack the user that turn, so plan the other active Pokemon’s target carefully.

This puzzle is about asymmetric targeting. One of your Pokemon may be free to attack the intended slot while the other is not. Strong doubles play comes from recognizing that difference before you lock in the turn.

Key takeaways

• A good doubles targeting guide mindset starts with damage allocation, not just type advantage.
• Single-target moves do full damage, while spread moves deal 75% to each target in doubles.
• Follow Me redirects opponent single-target moves, so your follow me strategy should protect a partner action that is worth the risk.
• Grass-type Pokemon and Pokemon holding Safety Goggles can ignore the listed powder redirection interaction.
• The spread moves doubles decision is about whether reduced damage to multiple targets beats full damage into one important slot.