10 Underrated PVP Modes In Video Games

10. Triple Battles - Pokémon 

For the competitive VGC circuit, Double Battles have very much become the ‘default’ for competitive Pokémon play. With team archetypes like Trick Room, Sun, Rain, Sand and Snow (Hail as it was known prior to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet) to consider, as well as allies to support and so on, doubles battles are deceptively deep.

In Generation V, Game Freak started experimenting with a wackier concept: Triple Battle. As the title suggests, these bouts saw three Pokémon in play on each side of the field simultaneously. Mechanically, these matches didn’t play out that differently, but there were additional elements to consider.

Positioning was key, as Pokémon could only target adjacent foes (with most moves; Flying-type attacks weren’t restricted in this way). The Pokémon in the center, for instance, could attack all foes but could be attacked by any in turn, while the one on the left could only attack the one directly in front of it and in the center.

It was certainly unconventional and fiddly, but a welcome tweak to the formula for players who enjoy experimenting. The Triple Battle format has appeared sporadically since (in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, for instance), but never became a franchise mainstay.