Baton Passing Espeon, or "EspyJump" makes a return from ADV. Once you have Espeon in, you should lead with either Baton Pass or Substitute, so you can scout what your opponent is sending in to counter her. If you have a Sub set up as a slower opponent comes in, you can freely pass it to an appropriate counter. When facing a weaker special attacker you can begin boosting with Calm Mind, creating an unbreakable Substitute before passing to a sweeper. You have many options to choose from for a Baton Pass target, but the likes of Zapdos, Porygon-Z, Lucario and Empoleon are all fine choices, especially if they are carrying Agility. Given the prevalence of Tyranitar and to a lesser extent, Hippowdon and Abomasnow, you may want to carry some weather support on your team if you are planning to use this set. Damaging weather hinders this Espeon's ability to tank special hits and repeatedly use Substitute, so a Sunny Day or Rain Dance user would provide welcome respite from this. Replacing Leftovers with a Salac Berry can prove useful. For example, if you use Sub as Weavile comes in, you are free to Sub two more times to activate the boost, after which you will be left with an intact Sub and Speed higher than that of Weavile. This allows Espeon to safely Baton Pass the Sub and Salac boost, or use Calm Mind before passing a +1 boost in Speed, Special Attack and Special Defense to a sweeper.
This is a more attack minded set that makes greater use of Espeon's excellent base 130 Special Attack. Generally, you're better off leading with Hidden Power Fighting so you can OHKO Weavile and 2HKO Tyranitar. Fake Tears is more useful if your team has a few special attackers to take advantage of it if Espeon is forced out, while Calm Mind offers a better chance for Espeon to sweep herself. Although you're not passing anything, Baton Pass is recommended in case you're met with something like Metagross or Spiritomb, so you can simply Baton Pass out to avoid getting hit with Pursuit. However, if you're confident enough that you can predict a switch to a Pursuit user, you can use Shadow Ball to hit Espeon's fellow Psychic-types. Other OptionsEspeon also learns Grass Knot, so a Choice Specs set is viable, but Azelf and Alakazam are better at that. She also learns a few good support options like Wish, Charm and Reflect, but it's hard to find a slot for them. If you have some Sunny Day support, you're free to try using Morning Sun. Beware of Tyranitar, though. EVsFor the Baton Pass set, you should focus on HP, Special Defense and Speed. The defensive EVs allow Espeon to tank special attacks while setting up and the Speed EVs help to Baton Pass before taking a hit. 196 HP EVs hits 320, allowing for optimal recovery from Leftovers. Timid with 192 Speed EVs ensures you'll outrun Garchomp. You can bump her Speed up to 341 (216 EVs) for Mismagius, 347 (240 EVs) for Infernape, or max if you want to try your luck against Gengar. Any remaining EVs should go in Special Defense. The Fake Tears set should be focused on Special Attack and Speed, maxing out both is fine. If you would like a little more HP, then drop her Speed to 334, 340 or 347. Use a Timid nature. OpinionEspeon still remains as a useful Baton Passer, and is one of the more usable Psychics—a combination of Baton Pass and high Speed makes it almost impossible for opponents to smack her with Pursuit. Although she is quite easy to wall, her strength as a Baton Passer makes her a valuable asset to have on your side. CountersThe trouble with countering Espeon is that most "counters" are usually met with an immediate Baton Pass to safety, which even nullifies Pursuit. Still, on her own Espeon is countered by Tyranitar, barring Hidden Power Fighting. Tyranitar also stirs up Sandstorm, which severely limits the effectiveness of the Baton Pass set, as it nullifies Leftovers recovery. Metagross shrugs off Espeon's attacks and also has Clear Body to screw up Fake Tears. Weavile is OHKOed by Hidden Power Fighting, but if it gets in safely then Espeon will fall, as the icy weasel is one of the few Pokémon with Pursuit who outspeeds Espeon. Spiritomb is a fine choice as it is immune to both Psychic and Hidden Power Fighting, and it has Sucker Punch and Pursuit. Blissey takes Espeon's attacks with ease, although she can be beaten with Fake Tears. However, the pink blob is likely to throw a Thunder Wave at Espeon, destroying her effectiveness by crippling her excellent Speed. |
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