Baton Pass - its role in the metagame and possible solutions to nerf full Baton Pass chains

[TheWhiteRose]

I don't think we should be mentioning counters to baton pass teams as a reason to not ban them or how its manageable. The point here is that baton pass teams a) sweep teams that are unprepared for it (a majority of the teams currently), b) requires very specific counters which disrupts the whole metagame in general (haze quagsire and 100% crit absol, both of which have miniscule usage in OU) and c) being plain uncompetitive as almost no thinking is required (left click to win).
It really doesn't matter whether baton pass teams can be countered or not, but the fact that very very specific counters are required makes it worthy of a ban. We should be discussing on what has to be done to stop baton pass teams (ban certain mons, blanket bans etc) as I think we can all agree that baton pass teams are on the verge of being overpowered.

 

[Vryheid]

Hello, you must be new to the thread. Direct yourself to the consensus and arguments of the thread: Scolipede introduces a state of autonomy, which is deemed uncompetitive, due to the nature of Speed Boost.

Playing to win is competitive. Using a strategy that works is competitive. Showdown is a competitive simulator for competitive players, and if a strategy is consistent and effective, then by definition, it is competitive.

I would appreciate if people actually try to give some coherent arguments one way or the other here, rather than misuse convoluted buzzwords and pretend there's consensus where none exists.

 

[TheWhiteRose]

Playing to win is competitive. Using a strategy that works is competitive. Showdown is a competitive simulator for competitive players, and if a strategy is consistent and effective, then by definition, it is competitive.

I would appreciate if people actually try to give some coherent arguments one way or the other here, rather than misuse convoluted buzzwords and pretend there's consensus where none exists.

woah, hold up there. Okay, I agree with you that viable strats and all is by definition competitive, but the point of this thread is sorta to ponder on whether baton pass teams should be considered as a legal strat. I guess its sorta like the first ever recorded incident of someone using say steroids for a sporting event. It is, by definition at that point of time, legal and perfectly viable. But they realize its an unfair advantage. Its the same here, and we need to come to a conclusion on whether baton pass teams are too dominant and game-changing. If so, how do we fix it. If not, why.

 

[Eievui-Nymphia]

Baton Pass teama weren't broken in Gen II
Baton pass teams were powerful in Gen III and that was resolved by removing Ingrain from Smeargle.
Baton pass teams weren't broken in Gen IV.
Baton Pass teams weren't broken in Gen V.
Why Baton Pass teams are potentially broken in Gen VI?

Only in Gen III Baton pass teams ere considered uncompetitive but with a key differences: the metagame of Gen III has heavily stall oriented, unlike the one ater it. Also in Gen III:
-There were no physical/special split yet. Meaning that many pokemon can't utiize some of the STABs because they don't have the stat to use it, making them unviable.
-There were almost no priority moves outside Quick Attack and the rare Mach Punch.
-A lot of powerful moves didn't exist until after:
Fire doesn't have much abuse in physically based pokemon forcing to run a mixed set, which hinders them more than in Gen II by how EV works in gen III.
-Water doesn't have physical seppers with Waterfall and Aqua Tail.
-Grass: Giga Drain was 60 BP, Leaf Blade and Petal Dance were 70 BP. Also, moves like Energy Ball, Seed Bomb, Power Whip, Wood Hammer, horn leech and leaf Sotrm diudn't exist.
-Close Combat didn't exist in Gen III, alongside other fighting moves.
-Except 3 pokemon with Drill Peck the best Flying STAB was Aerial Ace or HP Flying. No air Slash and Brave Bird.
-No high powered Bug mvoes outside Megahorn Heracross. No other Megahorn users, no X-Scissor,,no Bug Buzz, no the annoying U-turn.Silver wind has weak and physical and Signal Bean was only on Volbeat and Dewgong.
-No Stone Edge or Head Smash to attack.
-Gengar can't fully exploit Shadow Ball.
-No Draco Meteor, no physical Outrage (and was 90 BP), physical Dragon can abuse DD + Dragon attack.
-Apart of Dark missing a lot of current moves like Night Slash, Sucker Punch, etc. lack pf special busers of Dark moves.
-No entry hazards, like SR, Toxic Spikes, etc.
And more things.

Meaning that the metagame of Gen VI can deal with sheer power better than the Gen III metagame.
what is new to Gen VI that makes BP teams "potentially broken"?
-Fairy types
-Scolipede getting Speed Boost.

Mr. Mime is still Mr. Mime even with Fairy type added in, which is no way uncompetitive. Sylveon is a seriuous threat, but nothing from ordinary and can be dealt with standard methods (ecept Dragon Tail for obvious reasons), Mawile is not that big of threats with his low Stats, Mega Mawile is very slow (even at +1 is slow) andlost potental power by making in a BP teams meaning "I need boosts".

That is the thing that stands out? Scolipede getting Speed oosts makes:
-Can Protect in the first to get an speded boost and guaramnteed to go first.
-If a special sweeper comes, can hide in a Substitute, (always going first now), needing priority to defeat it and getting a secinds boost that makes uninvesteed threats like Sylveon "fast" when BP.
-If a physically sweeper appears, can use first Iron Defense to boost his defenses and passing them to his teammates who are more specially bulky in general.

wirthout it, there were no mebers who can pass Speed and Deenses at once, speed has to be passed manually (getting hit in the process), making the team more difficult to pass up.

The objective is not making BP unviable. A good BP teams shoudl be capable of defeat standard thrests regularly. The obejective is identify potential elements of BP that are broken and delete them.

 

[Of Moose & Men]

Meaning that the metagame of Gen VI can deal with sheer power better than the Gen III metagame.
what is new to Gen VI that makes BP teams "potentially broken"?
-Fairy types
-Scolipede getting Speed Boost.

Scolipede does much more than pass Speed boosts to the Pokemon catching the baton. Plus, the fact Espeon so easily can be thrown on the team to prevent roar or whirlwind just makes it all so easily set up. Scolipede just made it a lot easier to set up in multiple stats. It can set a sub up, Iron Defense, or a swords dance, AND boost its speed in the same turn. Essentially doing what other pokes would need two turns to do.

 

[Aquaslash]

Read the definition of a counter, please. Shedinja does not stop Baton Pass chains, and falls to coverage. Espeon, while commonly running HP Fighting, might also run HP Fire, while Shadow Ball is quite common. Gliscor can simply poison it or Taunt it, or even Rock Slide in some cases. Likewise, Mew can Taunt or poison it, and a slew of Baton Pass recipients can slay Shedinja with no effort.

Hey there kids, Eevee Rangers guy here. Just popped in to talk about Shedinja. Not only does it flat out lose to Umbreon and Flareon in a 1 v 1, but Espeon commonly carries HP Fire, and here's the kicker, all 8 Eeveelutions can learn Shadow Ball.

You done got me agreeing with Over Zealous. Stop it son, stop it.

 

[jbtc10]

Just because they can use shadow ball doesn't mean they should or will, and the coverage is redundant considering the coverage move is meant for dark types since they are immune to stored power, so any serious BP team will never ever use it. And BP teams don't just have the slots to throw in a coverage move willy nilly, and by doing so they reduce the effectiveness of that team member against everything other than the rare thing they are trying to counter, in this case shedinja, which makes the team as a whole easier to beat by normal means against the high usage meta threats, which isn't exactly desirable.

 

[Aquaslash]

Just because they can use shadow ball doesn't mean they should or will, and the coverage is redundant considering the coverage move is meant for dark types since they are immune to stored power, so any serious BP team will never ever use it. And BP teams don't just have the slots to throw in a coverage move willy nilly, and by doing so they reduce the effectiveness of that team member against everything other than the rare thing they are trying to counter, in this case shedinja, which makes the team as a whole easier to beat by normal means against the high usage meta threats, which isn't exactly desirable.

They dont exactly have 4MSS by any means. There's more than enough room for a simple coverage move, especially for something with a mere 1 HP. Ol sheddy isn't a check or a counter in the least.

 

[Klobb]

I don't know if it's been mentioned before, but Scope Lense + Super Luck Absol is a solid counter to defense boost with 100% crit on Stone Edge, Night Slash, and Psycho Cut. Also immune to Stored Power and more viable in general games compared to the counters mentioned thus far.

That set is generally useless though because it's so niche. Also, Absol can't live a hyper voice.

 

[Ender Wiggin]

I don't know if it's been mentioned before, but Scope Lense + Super Luck Absol is a solid counter to defense boost with 100% crit on Stone Edge, Night Slash, and Psycho Cut. Also immune to Stored Power and more viable in general games compared to the counters mentioned thus far.

252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 155-183 (39.3 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 232-273 (58.8 - 69.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 232-274 (70 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

That's not going to do much.

4 SpA Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 410-486 (151.2 - 179.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
That's not even boosted

 

[Leer]

I don't understand what's wrong with simply banning BP on multiple Pokemon. Many are suggesting banning combinations like any 2 of Speed Boost+Magic Bounce+Baton Pass (or all), but all that does is limit teambuilding. BP is used on Espeon to scout switches all the time, it's used soley on Scolipede or Ninjask to pass boosts instead of just switching, and banning the two abilities just limits people who want to use Espeon and Scolipede. What does banning 3+ BPs do? It stops BP chains. You can't really make a BP chain with only two BPers, and it doesn't limit teams that aren't outright BP teams, unless you just happen to carry BP on everything but don't chain.

 

[Well_Damn]

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-111476824

Im new obviously, and this is a great match showcasing two bp teams with me( I barely won if not for red card espeon) . From what I have noticed, the premiere full bp team loses horribly bad to physical attacks and priority Aegis(sometimes even if you have a phazer), CB talon, and Mega Pinsir w/ Quick Attack. Not only that but you can get shitted on easily w/ one wrong prediction. If your losing to BP teams than you probally dont have a strong physical attacker or priority whatsoever. I use it and don't think it should be nerfed. You can climb the ladder or whatever but who cares... This is a kids game that ironically has bans(lol). Think about it how are you going to continue to ban shit in a game that nintendo has a rep for making it where everyone can win.. I read the thread, I know the rules, This isnt a suspect test this is just seeing wassup w/ the community, even though that doesn't matter to who's important and they choose. I like smogon because the actions made are for a good cause, but when you control a vast majority of the community, you have to realize from higher up thats not how you do things. Back on topic, dont do anything, let it ride out and ADAPT( coming from the fighting game community we let it ride and adapt). Especially since regardless of skill your still going to lose a few if you choose to play this game.. btw thats not even my main team just 1'testing" shit out lol. Easy or not it works.. but its easier to die w/ one mistake at "high lvl" s tier ect

 

[preserve]

Playing to win is competitive. Using a strategy that works is competitive. Showdown is a competitive simulator for competitive players, and if a strategy is consistent and effective, then by definition, it is competitive.

I would appreciate if people actually try to give some coherent arguments one way or the other here, rather than misuse convoluted buzzwords and pretend there's consensus where none exists.

It's funny because you're doing the same thing. You say there's no consensus yet you are defining competitive. To you competitive may mean "playing to win" yet to others it may mean that the most skill full players has the most chances of winning against less skillful players.

 

[Magnemite]

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-111476824

Im new obviously, and this is a great match showcasing two bp teams with me( I barely won if not for red card espeon) . From what I have noticed, the premiere full bp team loses horribly bad to physical attacks and priority Aegis(sometimes even if you have a phazer), CB talon, and Mega Pinsir w/ Quick Attack. Not only that but you can get shitted on easily w/ one wrong prediction. If your losing to BP teams than you probally dont have a strong physical attacker or priority whatsoever. I use it and don't think it should be nerfed. You can climb the ladder or whatever but who cares... This is a kids game that ironically has bans(lol). Think about it how are you going to continue to ban shit in a game that nintendo has a rep for making it where everyone can win.. I read the thread, I know the rules, This isnt a suspect test this is just seeing wassup w/ the community, even though that doesn't matter to who's important and they choose. I like smogon because the actions made are for a good cause, but when you control a vast majority of the community, you have to realize from higher up thats not how you do things. Back on topic, dont do anything, let it ride out and ADAPT( coming from the fighting game community we let it ride and adapt). Especially since regardless of skill your still going to lose a few if you choose to play this game.. btw thats not even my main team just 1'testing" shit out lol. Easy or not it works.. but its easier to die w/ one mistake at "high lvl" s tier ect

This replay does not prove anything. You could have wiped the floor with your opponent if you had simply Encored Gliscor into Swords Dance with Mr. Mime. Additionally, you got haxed quite a bit, and your opponent's sets were so stupid that I don't even know how to comment on them. Choice Scarf Drifblim with Substitute and Stockpile? Clawitzer? You said it yourself, you're new to competitive battling. Obviously, BP isn't broken in the hands of players who don't know how to use it properly. That's not the point. The point is, in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, BP is nearly impossible to beat without incredibly obscure and otherwise unless sets, and even then, BP can still get around that. Why should the meta have to "adapt" to this? Also, BP doesn't have that much trouble with Aegislash. Smeargle can switch in on a Shadow Ball and Spore it, Vaporeon can sponge a few attacks from it, etc.

 

[4everShaymin]

Yeah... another 'new' person here.
I read here for quiet some time now without posting and i think it's time to change that.

In my opinion there is now (hard) counter for BP because a counter could stop BP from any point in the game and has a guaranteed win regardless of which poke he's fighting against.
You could basicly say BP is 'uncounterable'. But there are a few Checks that do well againt BP.
But before I start I have so talk abould something else.

Many people think about pokemon as a game where every team beats every other team.
But thats not the case. Pokemon is more like a Rock-Paper-Scissors-Game.
You can see it in the typeinteraction (example grass > water > fire > grass).
So we have to ask ourselves 'where are we' ?

Personaly I would call archetypes like HO, Stall, Balanced -> 'Standart'
Like many people mentioned, gimmicks or obscure pokes can do (very) well against BP but suck in the standart Metagame environment.
And if we imagine that BP is something outside of 'Standart' then we can reconstruct the chain here too.
Standart > Gimmick/Obscure > BP/Swagger/(...) > Standart.

In Order to beat a Playstyle we have to specialise our pokemon and movesets.
Why do most OU teams loose against BP? - Because they are specialized for the OU meta and to beat Gimmicks etc.
Why do most BP Checks(/counter) loose against OU? - Because the are specialized to beat BP/Swagger etc.

The question is do we want pokemon to be a Rock-Paper-Scissors based Game or not?
If not then we definitly have to nerf BP. If yes then we can stop the discussion.
But the smogon community obviously does not want pokemon to the like R-P-S.

From my Point of view it's hard so say how we proceed with BP without entirely killing it.
Banning mons is no option, 'cuz it's a playstyle which is Broken/Overpowered/what ever you wanna call it.
Mons should only be banned if they are broken itself like MegaMom or MegaLuke.

Limiting the amount of pokemon which can BP their boosts would probably be the best although this might require a complex ban.

For now I'm asking myself how to have a realistic chance to beat BP at all.
And this came in my mind

Volbeat (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 212 HP / 80 Def / 216 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Encore
- Psych Up
- Baton Pass
- Tail Glow

I know that Volbeat will never be OU viable but thats not the point here.
It's just about having a way to win against BP until we have a solution for the problem.

The idea behind it is that you switch into it when your oponnent uses a boosting/passing/subing move.
Now you have 2 possibilitys. Copy their boosts or lock them into a move.
Prankster guarantees you to go first. After copying their boosts you can pass them to one of your team members.
I often used Chandalure because of infiltrator and Clear Smog.
Tail Glow is for some usefullness outside of interupting BPchains but can be replayed with roost as well to keep it healthy.

Maybe someone else can try this set out and tell me how it worked.

 

[KairosKairen]

When pokemon like mega gardevoir phasing subs with hyper voice and infiltrator pokes like chandelure and jump luff i think baton pass has been nerfed enough.

 

[Shurtugal]

I went on the PS ladder to see how "dominating" this baton pass was, but 94 games in and I've only seen 5 baton pass teams (I counted), and three times from the same user.

I'll make another post once I get #1, but this is kinda being blown out of proportion, seriously.

 

[Magcargo]

I went on the PS ladder to see how "dominating" this baton pass was, but 94 games in and I've only seen 5 baton pass teams (I counted), and three times from the same user.

I'll make another post once I get #1, but this is kinda being blown out of proportion, seriously.

Usage isn't a good argument against something being banned. For example, Gothitelle was banned from UU despite receiving around 2% usage.

 

[Shurtugal]

Wait is the argument here that baton pass is broken?

The reason the metagame struggles to beat Baton Pass is because it isn't commonly seen. There are lots of viable sets that can be used to combat BP is it became popular enough -- just because it is struggling now doesn't mean Baton Pass is broken. It's simply not used enough for the metagame to bother adjusting.

I suppose that we should all teambuild and prepare for threats like Seimsitoad, because while no one ever uses it, it could certainly be a threat!!

(In this instance, I think usage is a strong argument. When the usage stats are as low as this, when Smogon is advertising Baton Pass and players still aren't using it, I think that says something.)

 

[Magnemite]

Wait is the argument here that baton pass is broken?

The reason the metagame struggles to beat Baton Pass is because it isn't commonly seen. There are lots of viable sets that can be used to combat BP is it became popular enough -- just because it is struggling now doesn't mean Baton Pass is broken. It's simply not used enough for the metagame to bother adjusting.

I suppose that we should all teambuild and prepare for threats like Seimsitoad, because while no one ever uses it, it could certainly be a threat!!

(In this instance, I think usage is a strong argument.)

Does Seismitoad 6-0 you every time if you don't prepare for it? Didn't think so.

And it is becoming much more common, especially on the upper ladder. Pokemon like Vaporeon and Espeon which are mediocre or awful outside of BP are either OU or will be OU by the next tier shift if Baton Pass is not banned. Additionally, BP is becoming incredibly common on suspect ladders because it is a very easy way to get reqs without actually being good at OU. It may not have been common before, but it is skyrocketing in popularity.

And for the record:

| 219 | Seismitoad | 0.08948% | 12801 | 0.227% | 10488 | 0.235% |

 

[Magcargo]

Wait is the argument here that baton pass is broken?

The reason the metagame struggles to beat Baton Pass is because it isn't commonly seen. There are lots of viable sets that can be used to combat BP is it became popular enough -- just because it is struggling now doesn't mean Baton Pass is broken. It's simply not used enough for the metagame to bother adjusting.

I suppose that we should all teambuild and prepare for threats like Seimsitoad, because while no one ever uses it, it could certainly be a threat!!

(In this instance, I think usage is a strong argument.)

The difference between Baton Pass and crap like Seismitoad is that Baton Pass has a much lower amount of counters and requires much less skill to use than the standard team. If you look at some of the post previously made in the thread, you can see that Baton Pass indeed has a limited number of viable counters in OU and almost requires no skill to use.

 

[Shurtugal]

Does Seismitoad 6-0 you every time if you don't prepare for it? Didn't think so.

And it is becoming much more common, especially on the upper ladder. Pokemon like Vaporeon and Espeon which are mediocre or awful outside of BP are either OU or will be OU by the next tier shift if Baton Pass is not banned. Additionally, BP is incredibly common on suspect ladders because if is a quick and easy way to get reqs. It may not have been common before, but it is skyrocketing in popularity.

I'm already on the upper ladder as we speak. I don't see any of this baton pass crap everyone is complaining about. I'd like some actual usage stats (calculated from this "High Ladder") to prove that it is boosting in popularity from last month to this month, etc.

Seismitoed was obviously a small example, and it's a stall threat, so it's not going to 6-0 teams by itself so stop with the propoganda bullshit, but it could effectively stop you from winning depending on your team, of course, since it could wall the right threats; kinda like how Rhyperior can stop Talonflame long enough for the team to win.

The difference between Baton Pass and crap like Seismitoad is that Baton Pass has a much lower amount of counters and requires much less skill to use than the standard team. If you look at some of the post previously made in the thread, you can see that Baton Pass indeed has a limited number of viable counters in OU and almost requires no skill to use.

I wasn't trying to say that Seismitoad was the equivalent of Baton Pass, OK. I was simply stating that Baton Pass is probably used just as much as Seismitoed, and that is why most teams are unprepared. If you are unprepared for anything it could be your downfall. Obviously Baton Pass punishes teams that are unprepared much more effectively then Seimitoed that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

I'll address answers to Baton Pass using OU Pokemon after I've laddered enough for my liking, but will stay silent on the matter for now.

 

[haunter]

Can we, please, avoid basing off arguments of usage stats? Deoxys-D was UU when it got banned last generation. Being at the top of the usage statistics isn't a condicio sine qua non for something to be suspect tested and, anyway, as others have said, full Baton Pass teams are becoming more and more popular, especially at the top of the ladder.

While usage can often be indicative of whether something is broken or not (see Genesect), it doesn't necessarily mean that a given threat must be at the top of the usage statistics to be brought up for a possible suspect test.

 

[Quick]

I'm already on the upper ladder as we speak. I don't see any of this baton pass crap everyone is complaining about. I'd like some actual usage stats (calculated from this "High Ladder") to prove that it is boosting in popularity from last month to this month, etc.

Seismitoed was obviously a small example, and it's a stall threat, so it's not going to 6-0 teams by itself so stop with the propoganda bullshit, but it could effectively stop you from winning depending on your team, of course, since it could wall the right threats; kinda like how Rhyperior can stop Talonflame long enough for the team to win.



I wasn't trying to say that Seismitoad was the equivalent of Baton Pass, OK. I was simply stating that Baton Pass is probably used just as much as Seismitoed, and that is why most teams are unprepared. If you are unprepared for anything it could be your downfall. Obviously Baton Pass punishes teams that are unprepared much more effectively then Seimitoed that wasn't the point I was trying to make.

I'll address answers to Baton Pass using OU Pokemon after I've laddered enough for my liking, but will stay silent on the matter for now.

I'm currently at 1600 on the ladder and Baton Pass is hardly a rarity there. I would estimate 1/5 matches I face a baton pass team. Either I have really bad luck or you have really good luck. .

 

[Rhaegar]

252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 155-183 (39.3 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 232-273 (58.8 - 69.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Absol Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sylveon on a critical hit: 232-274 (70 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

That's not going to do much.

4 SpA Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 410-486 (151.2 - 179.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
That's not even boosted

Absol goes Adamant. Of course it still cant do much to Sylveon one-on-one, but deadly damage to Scolipede, Zapdos and Espeon and a helpless Vaporeon would mean a forced switch to Sylveon who would have to eat the Stone Edge, after which Absol switches out for a bit. Sylveon can't afford Wish + Protect in a BP chain so it can't take more than three switch-ins to Absol.
Anyway it's still niche and and this current style of BP chain pass has to go.

Also, I've only played against one guy from the ladder's top 10 and another two in the top 50 and they all played chain BP. Does anyone have an estimate of how dominant BP teams are in the top 100? I may be wrong but I'm guessing it may even be close to 50%. Meaning that about half of highest ranks use nearly identical teams with nearly identical sets. Not to mention none of it was their original idea. It's ridiculous,hilarious, and pathetic all at once.
Even if there's a nerf, most BP teams will still pick members from this repeated pool of 8-9. It would be nice if whatever action taken helped distribute the usage as well as encourage offensive passing.

Iron Defense + Baton Pass incompatibility on Scolipede would make quite a difference while being subtle compared to bigger bans like Speed Boost + Baton Pass and Magic Coat + Baton Pass. Banning the latter two would also dent offensive passing which if anything needs a buff.

 

[JamesOnyx]

I've personally been searching for a decent counter myself and I think I've found a pretty decent answer. Has anyone here ever tried Critzor?


Scizor (Crtizor)
-------------------
Focus Energy
Bullet Punch
Aerial Ace/Feint/Knock Off
U-Turn/Bug Bite
Ability: Technician
Item: Razor Claw
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Nature: Adamant

After a Focus Energy you won't have to worry about defense boosts since every single one of your moves will be guaranteed to crit while at stage 4. Espeon, Sylveon, and Scolipede have absolutely nothing on this guy. On a predicted switch into Smeargle, U-Turn out to break his sash and switch to a Grass/Insomnia/Vital Spirit mon with a priority attack to finish him off. Breloom is a great choice since he can handle Vaporeon who Scizor himself could possibly struggle against. Or if you decide to run Bug Bite over U-Turn, make sure to carry a Heal Bell/Aromatherapy poke in reserve to make your Scizor healthy again after bullet punching his sash away and being put to sleep with spore.

This seems to work well on paper but I have yet to test it myself. If Focus Energy Kingdra can become a thing, I see no reason why Scizor can't make the cut.