Advanced Baton Pass Guide (content up-to-date with X/Y gen 6)
by: Hiphiphooray with edits and contributions from: maddog, Andrew
art by Nastyjungle
by: Hiphiphooray with edits and contributions from: maddog, Andrew
art by Nastyjungle
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Baton Pass Overview
- Style and Evolution of Baton Pass
- Chain Passing
- Quick Passing
- Defensive Passing
- Baton Pass Checks
- Team Building Process
- Sample Team
- General Tactic
- Team Preview
- Acquiring Boosts
- Late Game Sweep
- Advanced Tactics
- Baton Pass Counters
- The Future of Baton Pass
- Baton Passing into other Tiers
Welcome to Smogon's official Advanced Baton Pass Guide. This guide is intended to aid all smogonites, and will provide plenty of information to aid all types of readers. If you've never played Baton Pass, we have got you covered. If you're already a Baton Pass pro and you just want another team to try out, we got you covered. But most importantly, if you absolutely hate Baton Pass teams, we got you covered.
Scan through the Table of Contents above and find the section that applies to you!
- If you hate reading and just want to try out a good Baton Pass team in B/W2 or X/Y, head to the Sample Team section and get that exported text. Both teams are competitively viable, and have even gotten users like anikrahman1995 voting requirements!
- If you absolutely hate losing to Baton Pass noobs, check out the last section called Baton Pass Counters. I also have a section called Baton Pass checks, which are essentially soft counters. Checks can beat Baton Pass when played right, but Counters will destroy Baton Pass teams with very little effort. Find a place for one of the listed Counter Pokemon and its GG. Alternatively, read through this guide and find out your enemy's master plan.
- And, If you have no idea what Baton Pass is, start reading right below!
Baton Pass is a 40 PP (64 with PP Max) move that allows the user to switch out of battle with normal priority. The user switches with another Pokemon on its team and passes along all stat changes and some special conditions. Baton Pass allows the user to escape from the effects of Shadow Tag, Magnet Pull, Arena Trap, and Pursuit's effect of hitting before the user switches out.
Competitive use of Baton Pass primarily focuses around its ability to pass stat boosts, which can easily make your favorite Pokemon an unstoppable force, like a Dragonite at plus +6 attack or even a Blissey at +6 defense! However, there are also many Pokemon who utilize Baton Pass in order to escape the trapping effects, like Scizor escaping Magnet Pull and Celebi escaping Pursuit. Furthermore, some combinations of Pokemon can abuse the extremely high PP of Baton Pass to stall out opponents by switch back and forth repetitively. Lastly, Baton Pass has less priority than switching out directly to an opponent, so it can be used as a great way to scout and maintain momentum (this is known as dry passing, and will discussed later).
In this article, we will begin with an overview of the various styles of competitive Baton Pass and see how they evolved over time as new threats and new users entered the Pokedex. This will lead us to one of most successful styles of Baton Pass in the current meta-game - Defensive Baton Pass Teams. From here, we will unveil its secrets to success, build a sample team and explore advanced tactics that ensure success. Lastly, we view the limits and limitations of Baton Pass and explore the future options of Baton Pass.
Style and Evolution of Baton Pass:
Over the generations, the competitive strategies around Baton Pass have evolved alongside the meta game. Despite the many changes across the generations, every Baton Pass team can be placed into one of three categories: Baton Pass Chain, Quick Pass, or Defensive Baton Pass.
Baton Pass Teams:
The Team:
Baton Pass Chains consist of five Baton Passers (at least 1 boosting move and Baton Pass) and 1 sweeper (with 4 attacks for perfect coverage). They play a balanced style of Baton Pass, and focus on boosting literally every stat. They often start boosting speed, and then switch between various Pokemon using moves like Sword Dance, Agility, Iron Defense, Nasty Plot, and Calm Mind. Once they have gathered enough boosts among their five Baton Passers, they finally pass to their last Pokemon, who is a strong, bulky mixed attacker known as a receiver.
Typically receivers are Lucario, Metagross, or Infernape. They have access to strong mixed attacking moves, priority attacks, and resist priority attacks as well. Metagross and Lucario's steel typing also helps by granting immunity to Toxic and resistance to Stealth Rock.
Analysis:
Baton Pass Chains are the oldest style of Baton Pass, but they have come and gone. They provide a nice balanced approached to Baton Pass, but in today's meta game they are easily defeated. This is primarily due to the fact that no receiver, regardless of boosts, is immortal. There are simply too many ways to beat them, such as Prankster + Destiny Bond or Sturdy + Whirlwind for example. The signature moves of Mega Banette and Skarmory respectfully. (There are many other unique ways to counter Baton Pass Chains, which are addressed in the Checks section later.)
Quick Pass Teams:
The Team:
Quick Pass teams contain two types of Pokemon: Passers and Receivers. Passers are the Pokemon on the team that have the move Baton Pass and at least one Boosting move. Typically the best passers are those than can reliably pass both speed and an offense stat, for reasons we will see later. Receivers are the Pokemon on the team that you Baton Pass to, and they are typically bulky, powerful sweepers. They generally lack a boosting move on their own and become extremely powerful after receiving stat boosts from Baton Pass.
So the general goal is to quickly pass a large number of boosts to a bulky sweeper who can come in on an attack, survive the hit and then 1HKO the entire meta.
A typically Quick Pass team consist of two Baton Passers and 4 receivers, however a single Baton Passer or even three can be used as well. The rest of the Pokemon that are not Baton Passers are typically receivers, but some can be support Pokemon (setting up entry hazards or dual screens).
The most infamous Quick Passer is Gorebyss, who use Shell Smash to quickly make itself or an ally extremely powerful. Other good Passers include Smeargle (Shell Smash / Shift Gear / Quiver Dance), Volbeat (Prankster + Tail Glow), and Ninjask or Scolipede (Sword Dance + Speed Boost). Good receivers are mixed attackers listed in the Chain Pass section. However, because you must be able to tank an attack before you sweep, its very important to have synergy among your sweepers. For example, Dragonite and Metagross complement each other's typing and form an effective receiving core. Combined with Scolipede who is able to pass either of them +2 Attack and +2 Speed, your trio can quickly win you games.
Analysis:
Quick Pass teams came about roughly the exact same time as Shell Smash Gorebyss was discovered. Gorebyss was insane in the NU tier and the combination of Shell Smash + Baton Pass quickly got banned in that tier. It then entered the OU tier, formed a nice duo with Smeargle (here are the two Baton Passers we discussed earlier), and allowed players to quickly pass a bulky Dragonite +2 attack, +2 special attack and +2 speed who then swept the entire meta with ease.
However, while this strategy is pretty easy and straightforward, there are many threats that need to be taken into account before a sweep is possible. Skarmory, Priority attacks, Prankster users and Focus Sash users all cause significant problems to quick pass.
Quick Pass can still be used today*, but is generally unable to beat all of the above threats to pull off a sweep. The result is typically a gimmicky setup that only works when you catch and unprepared opponent off guard.
*If you are interested in a guide for Quick Pass teams that aren't complete gimmicks and can actually be used competitively, send me a PM. If I get enough PMs, I may write one, but just note that as a team revolving around Baton Pass, they are easily out classed by Defensive Baton Pass teams.
Defensive Baton Pass Team:
Introduction:
For dedicated Baton Pass players like myself, out-dated and gimmicky are terrible words to hear about the state of Baton Pass. This was exactly the case in the B/W era. While the rampant Quick Pass Teams were causing everyone to associate Baton Pass with gimmicky and noob, I tried to find a way to make a Quick Pass team that was not gimmicky and could beat all the annoying checks and counters. The answer was Espeon.
After passing Espeon a Shell Smash, it could destroy teams with an extremely strong Stored Power and could beat Prankster, Whirlwind and Roar with its ability Magic Bounce.
However, Espeon was still significantly weak to priority attacks. I fixed this by adding team mates that could pass Defense, and then I realized I needed Special Defensive to beat Focus Sash users and more Speed to beat Choice Scarf users. Soon there after, I realized I had simply made a Chain Baton Pass Team with Espeon as the sweeper...
It worked well because of Stored Power and Magic Bounce, but I found my opponents often still forced me to send in Espeon faster than I could build up boosts because of Taunt, Roar, and Whirlwind. The solution was pretty simple. I needed a way to switch into Espeon for its ability, and then switch back to my team without losing my stat boosts (sound like something familiar?)...
The Team:
Defensive Baton Pass teams are based around the idea that every single Pokemon on the team should know Baton Pass (hopefully you already guess that :P). The team is built much like a stall team, so rather than every Pokemon serving an individual role (like boosting speed, defense, special attack, etc.) they instead serve as a counter to a specific set of common Pokemon in the tier (We will look at this more in depth when we build our sample team).
Playing as a Defensive stall team, how do we manage to kill things?! Baton Pass does no damage! Well, damage, and the ultimate win, come in the form of small residual damage (entry hazards, burns, toxic) and standard STAB attacks from our defensive Pokemon (Vaporeon's Scald, Zapdos' Thunderbolt, etc). However, the added bonus here is that during the process of boosting our defenses and stalling out our opponent, we are gradually getting stronger and stronger until our standard STAB attacks become unstoppable. This is especially true for Stored Power, which without even a single Special Attack boost can still 1HKO Blissey!
Analysis:
Defensive Baton Pass teams emerged just as the hype of Quick Pass was dying down. Once I finalized my most successful Baton Pass team ever, I climbed the B/W OU ladder and found myself beating top rated players I never imagined. I was quickly dismissed as just another Baton Pass noob who simply won by luck, but then something amazing happened: my team continued to win. Even after playing against the same opponents multiple times and having lost the element of surprise, I was still able to counter everything they threw out at me.
Eventually more and more people started to catch on that this tactic was actually working consistently against top rated players and beating infamous weather teams of the time. After receiving a large number of PM's either bashing or supporting my style of play, I decided to right my first ever RMT (unfortunately this RMT is no longer on Smogon). The community helped me patch up a few remaining holes in the team and the first ever truly successful Defensive Baton Pass team was created.
Popularity started to increase and the tactic became more widespread. Tournaments were starting to be dominated by Baton Pass and then the B/W generation came to an end.
However, this is not the end of Defensive Baton Pass. After a long time of testing in the unstable XY meta, eventually two strong Defensive Baton Pass teams emerged and both quickly topped the charts. (Note that this delay in the arrival of Defensive Baton Pass teams is as expected! If the Defensive Baton Pass Team are built by countering each of the most popular Pokemon in the tier then it makes sense that effective teams wouldn't be created until proper tiers were put into place.)
As of right now in the XY OU meta, Baton Pass is currently very strong. (So its a good thing you are learning to play it!) At the time of writing this, several users like myself are sitting at the top of the ladders with our Defensive Baton Pass teams. Come join us!
Baton Pass Checks:
A Baton Pass Check is defined as a weak Counter. So if a Counter is something that completely shuts down a Baton Pass team, then a Check is something that is able to beat an unprepared Baton Pass team. Checks are commonly found in the meta and can be used competitively without the sole intention being to beat Baton Pass Teams. For example, Skarmory uses Whirlwind to phase many threats and deal residual damage with entry hazards are down. However, Skarmory's Whirlwind can also destroy an entire Baton Pass team by making them lose their stat boosts. This makes Whirlwind an important Baton Pass Check.
Checks are extremely important to us when trying to build a Baton Pass team because we are trying to build a Baton Pass team that is not gimmicky and can work in all situations. In order to do that, we start by viewing our common Checks in the current meta and make sure we have a plan to beat each and every one of them!
Each check is listed below, along with common users and how to deal with it. For beginners trying out a Defensive Baton Pass team for the first time, I suggest you leave this page up so you can view it as you play. If the enemy team has any of the Pokemon listed below, make sure you are prepared in case they are running the particular check listed!
CLICK AND EXPAND TO SEE HOW TO BEAT THE CHECK:
ONLY COMMON USERS OF A CHECK ARE LISTED. THEY ARE LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE. FOR A COMPLETE LIST GO TO SMOGON.COM AND SEARCH THE MOVE.
Move Specific Checks:
Whirlwind: Skarmory, Hippowdon, Mandibuzz, Crobat, Snorlax, Aerodactyl
If the enemy team has a Skarmory, Whirlwind is almost guarenteed to be a problem. Here are a few ways to beat it.
Ingrain: Ingrain is the best option to stop Whirlwind. It is only usable by Smeargle, and gives the team an extra leftovers as well as stopping Whirlwind, Roar, and Red Card. If you are able to get Ingrain off before the user tries to Whirlwind, you will have no trouble since your entire team will not be phased. If you do not have Ingrain up when the user of Whirlwind switches in on anything that isn't Smeargle, you will be out of luck. If you see a potential Whirlwind users, prioritize getting that Ingrain off asap. This is especially important against stall teams that often run Roar and Whirlwind in excess. It can sometimes be beneficial to lead with Smeargle versus stall teams, as he is often fast enough to outspeed the bulky Pokemon on stall teams
Ingrain: Ingrain is the best option to stop Whirlwind. It is only usable by Smeargle, and gives the team an extra leftovers as well as stopping Whirlwind, Roar, and Red Card. If you are able to get Ingrain off before the user tries to Whirlwind, you will have no trouble since your entire team will not be phased. If you do not have Ingrain up when the user of Whirlwind switches in on anything that isn't Smeargle, you will be out of luck. If you see a potential Whirlwind users, prioritize getting that Ingrain off asap. This is especially important against stall teams that often run Roar and Whirlwind in excess. It can sometimes be beneficial to lead with Smeargle versus stall teams, as he is often fast enough to outspeed the bulky Pokemon on stall teams
Magic Bounce: Magic Bounce is the second best option to stop Whirlwind. The only Baton Passer with this ability is Espeon.
Magic Coat: s
Taunt: (Mew, Mr. Mime, Smeargle and Umbreon are all viable Baton Pass users who can learn Taunt)
Magic Coat: s
Taunt: (Mew, Mr. Mime, Smeargle and Umbreon are all viable Baton Pass users who can learn Taunt)
Roar: Hippowdon, Heatran, Donphan, Vaporeon, Blastoise, Suicune, Zapdos, Tyranitar, Gyarados, Ninetails, Empoleon, Haxorus, Aggron
Taunt: Mandibuzz, Sableye, Gliscor, Aerodactyl, Gengar, Thundurus, Heatran, Mew, Whimsicott, Froslass, Jellicent, Infernape, Gyarados, Haxorus, Chandelure, Umbreon, Alakazam, Skarmory, Tyranitar, Crawdaunt, Terrakion,
Trick: Rotom-W, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, Latios, Latias, Gengar, Starmie, Togekiss, Alakazam, Jirachi, Espeon, Clefable, Gardevoir
Switcheroo: Whimsicott, Ambipom
Encore: Whimsicott, Clefable, Togekiss, Politoed, Mr. Mime, Volbeat, Cinccino, Jumpluff, Wobbuffet,
Perish Song: Politoed, Celebi, Gengar, Murkrow
Haze: Milotic, Crobat, Blastoise, Politoed, Weezing, Vaporeon, Tentacruel, Chandelure
Red Card: Forretress, Deoxys, Skarmory
Clear Smog: Amoonguss, Weezing,
Dragon Tail: Aggron, Rhyperior, Scrafty, Dragonite, Tyranitar, Gyarados, Garchomp
Unaware: Quagsire, Clefable
Topsy-Turvy: Malamar
Power Swap: Ninetails, Exeggutor, Tangela, Tangrowth
Imprison: Musharna, Smeagle
Priority Attacks: Talonflame, Scizor, Pinsir, Lucario, Azumarill, Conkeldurr, Dragonite, Breloom, Mamoswine, Bisharp, Absol, Donphan, Infernape, Mienshao, Weavile, Ambipom, Aegislash, Cloyster, Metagross, Machamp, Toxicroak, Arcanine, Honchkrow, Sharpedo, Zoroark, Genesect
Team Building Process:
Team building is simplified greatly when playing with Baton Pass, but this doesn't necessarily make it easier! Every Pokemon must be able to use Baton Pass, so are limited to about 60 Pokemon to chose from at the start. Now we factor in Tier limitations, we cut our numbers down even further. As a Defense Baton Pass team, we will make sure EVERY pokemon has Baton Pass as move, so we will likely be working with a subset of about 10-20 Pokemon when building a team!
This also means that for every Pokemon we have on our team we only have room for three moves (since Baton Pass is the fourth). Everyone knows about 4MSS, but now we have introduced 3MSS! With our options on team building extremely limited, it's imperative that we chose only the best moves. We have already discussed how Baton Pass teams are used to counter a stagnant meta, and here is where our 3MSS predicament is alleviated - In general we chose the moves that aid us the most against the common meta, and not those that provide solutions to the entire meta. In other words, we don't need to run Mr. Mime if Perish Song isn't ever used, and we don't need that extra Calm Mind user if the meta is dominated by physical attackers!
So here we stand, we get to pick roughly 6/20 Pokemon, and chose on average about 3/50 moves for each. Where do we begin? A true defensive Baton Pass team is built solely around countering the common threats of the meta. If the meta is overrun with powerful STAB Thunder in the rain, we would start with a volt-absorb user and move forward from there. However, there are often too many common threats in a standard tier for us to get an ideal counter for every single one. So let's simplify the process by defining the general roles that should be covered in every Baton Pass team:
The Required Roles:
Like any well built stall team, you need a strong defensive core. You've probably heard of the infamous Skarmory-Blissey combination which is able to wall just about every attacker in the game because of Skarmory's great physical defense and Blissey's great special defense. However, there are still a small number of threats that can take out their respective wall, so an extra physical wall and an extra special wall are often used.
Similarly, for a Defensive Baton Pass team, we will use a defensive core consisting of two special walls and two physical walls. Lets take a look at our options for these walls:
Core Special Walls:
Sylveon: With a whooping 130 Special Defense and 95 HP, Sylveon has the best specially defensive stats available. It's typing leaves it weak to only Poison and Steel, which are very uncommon special attacks (Sludge Wave & Flash Cannon). This means it can easily wall the standard Bolt-Beam combination as well as take most Volt-Switches very easily. But the real great thing about being a Fairy is immunity to Dragon. Sylveon can stop Draco Meteor and Dragon Tail entirely!
Defensive options for Sylveon include Calm Mind, Wish, and Substitute; while offensive options include Stored Power (able to kill everything except Dark Types) and STAB Pixilate Hyper Voice (which hits Darks and Dragons extremely hard). Offensive sets of Sylveon are often encouraged due to Sylveon's 110 base Special Attack and this combination of Hyper Voice and Stored Power being able to kill everything but Shedinja.
However, not everything is perfect for Sylveon. It's extremely low defense and weakness to Steel hinders it greatly. Coupled with it's low speed, Sylveon requires good support in the form of Speed Boosts in order to set up without fearing dying from physical attackers. With no speed investment, Sylveon requires +4 speed to outspeed Choiced Latias's Trick and Excadrill's Iron Head in Sandstorm. Lastly, Sylveon without Subsitute is always in fear of Bullet Punch. The ever-so-common Scizor in particular can OHKO Sylveon with it's Life Orb or Choice Band sets.
Despite it's physical limitations, Sylveon is a top tier choice for a special wall that can also provide great offensive presence. It's typing will be greatly accepted on any Baton Pass team, complementing the more common Psychic typing well.
Espeon: Espeon is a classic
Mew: Being one of the few Baton Passers with access to Amnesia, Mew is an extremely bulky special wall. Mew can guarantee to get some special defense boosts for your team because of it's amazing movepool. Defensive options include: Amnesia, Barrier, Dual Screens, Roar, Heal Bell, Will-o-wisp, and Taunt. Offensive options include: Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, and almost any special attack of your choice!
The main downside with Mew is that its typing is often problematic and it's ability is lacking. Psychic typing makes you weak to Dark, Bug, and Ghost, all of which are common special attacks. Dark attacks in particular are often STAB from Nasty Plot users, which gives Mew a tough time. Synchronize is also a sub-par ability. While it does provide a gimmicky way to beat Shedinja, it's not as great as some of the other Psychic walls out there, like Mr. Mime and Espeon.
Overall, Mew is one of the best special walls. With plenty of support options and great mixed walling capabilities it can fit on nearly any team. While it is often outclassed by Espeon in OU, it performs amazingly in UU!
Core Physical Walls:
Sample Teams:
Scolipede (M) @ Mental Herb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Def / 240 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Soundproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Encore
- Baton Pass
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Protect
- Stone Edge
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Sylveon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Stored Power
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Def / 240 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Soundproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Encore
- Baton Pass
Gliscor (F) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Protect
- Stone Edge
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Sylveon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Stored Power
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
This Defensive Baton Pass Team for XY plays a stall oriented style of Defensive Baton Pass. It's only weaknesses are Thundurus and Phase heavy teams. Mega Pinsir can also be a pain. Here is a quick overview of the Pokemon roles:
Scolipede: functions as the lead in all cases except if the enemy has a mega pinsir. Scolipede sets up Iron Defense against anything it can and ensures it passes at least +3 or +4 speed to its team mates. Try to keep it healthy (use protect when you can) so that you can use it later to clear toxic spikes or get extra defensive boosts if needed). Watch out for priority users.
Gliscor: Talonflame and Mega Pinsir are dealt with by Gliscor. Gliscor is also able to stall out annoying Pokemon with Protect + Substitute. It ability to immune toxic and ground moves makes it a great partner for Vaporeon (the two of them completely shut down Quagsire). It can also switch in on Volt-Switch uses to stop their momentum, and then proceed to stall out their other options. Lastly, Gliscor is a decent counter to Thundurus if you manage to switch him in behind a Substitute, since you can outspeed and 2HKO.
Vaporeon: Functions as a defensive wall. Sets up on just about any physical attacker, even Kyruem-B and Electabuzz. It's very slow though and requires +4 speed to get past the fastest choice scarf users (Latios). Vaporeon's Scald is the best way to deal with Sword Dancers (burn ftw) and also a great attack to sweep with after a few Calm Minds. Vaporeon should avoid repetitive switch ins against strong physical attackers like Banded Talonflame.
Sylveon: Functions as a special wall. Sets up on just about any special attacker, even Timid Landorus and Gengar. Switch in and them Calm Mind away. Be wary of Bullet Punch users catching you without a Substitute up.
Mr. Mime: Used to counter Perish Song. Also sets up Calm Mind against anything that it can encore, especially dragon attacks. Again, be careful against priority attacker switching in without a Substitute. You should also be aware if the users you encored has a priority attack that will allow them to break free from an endless Encore.
Espeon: Performs two main roles. Functions as a phase stopper and a late game sweeper. Maximum bulk is given in the case you mispredict whirlwind and get hit with Foul Play or Brave Bird. Substitute is used to stop Ditto from ruining your fun, and Dazzling Gleam hits Darks.
Scolipede: functions as the lead in all cases except if the enemy has a mega pinsir. Scolipede sets up Iron Defense against anything it can and ensures it passes at least +3 or +4 speed to its team mates. Try to keep it healthy (use protect when you can) so that you can use it later to clear toxic spikes or get extra defensive boosts if needed). Watch out for priority users.
Gliscor: Talonflame and Mega Pinsir are dealt with by Gliscor. Gliscor is also able to stall out annoying Pokemon with Protect + Substitute. It ability to immune toxic and ground moves makes it a great partner for Vaporeon (the two of them completely shut down Quagsire). It can also switch in on Volt-Switch uses to stop their momentum, and then proceed to stall out their other options. Lastly, Gliscor is a decent counter to Thundurus if you manage to switch him in behind a Substitute, since you can outspeed and 2HKO.
Vaporeon: Functions as a defensive wall. Sets up on just about any physical attacker, even Kyruem-B and Electabuzz. It's very slow though and requires +4 speed to get past the fastest choice scarf users (Latios). Vaporeon's Scald is the best way to deal with Sword Dancers (burn ftw) and also a great attack to sweep with after a few Calm Minds. Vaporeon should avoid repetitive switch ins against strong physical attackers like Banded Talonflame.
Sylveon: Functions as a special wall. Sets up on just about any special attacker, even Timid Landorus and Gengar. Switch in and them Calm Mind away. Be wary of Bullet Punch users catching you without a Substitute up.
Mr. Mime: Used to counter Perish Song. Also sets up Calm Mind against anything that it can encore, especially dragon attacks. Again, be careful against priority attacker switching in without a Substitute. You should also be aware if the users you encored has a priority attack that will allow them to break free from an endless Encore.
Espeon: Performs two main roles. Functions as a phase stopper and a late game sweeper. Maximum bulk is given in the case you mispredict whirlwind and get hit with Foul Play or Brave Bird. Substitute is used to stop Ditto from ruining your fun, and Dazzling Gleam hits Darks.
Scolipede (M) @ Mental Herb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 240 HP / 80 Def / 188 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 225 Def / 28 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Roar
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
Smeargle (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 88 HP / 168 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ingrain
- Heart Swap
- Spore
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Def / 64 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Sylveon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pixilate
EVs: 216 HP / 208 SDef / 84 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Stored Power
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 240 HP / 80 Def / 188 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 225 Def / 28 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Roar
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
Smeargle (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 88 HP / 168 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ingrain
- Heart Swap
- Spore
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Def / 64 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Sylveon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pixilate
EVs: 216 HP / 208 SDef / 84 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Stored Power
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 200 HP / 56 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
This Defensive Baton Pass Team sacrifices its ability to beat Perish Song users for a more effective way to deal with Mega Pinsir, Talonflame, Thundurus, and Phasers. It's typically more successful than the first if played right, but requires a higher level of prediction to keep the field clear of entry hazards so Smeagle can be used effectively.
Here is a brief team overview:
Scolipede: functions as the lead in all cases except if the enemy has a mega pinsir. Scolipede sets up Iron Defense against anything it can and ensures it passes at least +3 or +4 speed to its team mates. Try to keep it healthy (use protect when you can) so that you can use it later to clear toxic spikes or get extra defensive boosts if needed). Watch out for priority users.
Zapdos: functions as a counter to Talonflame and Mega Pinsir. Has the added ability to sweep with Thunderbolt and phase setup users if needed. Roost can be used over Substitute to provide extra longevity, but leaves you weak to status and crits if you attempt a Zapdos sweep. Thunderbolt provides the best option against common Perish Song users (Politoed and Murkrow but not Celebi). Zapdos leading against Pinsir teams should be wary of getting out sped.
Vaporeon: Functions as a defensive wall. Sets up on just about any physical attacker, even Kyruem-B and Electabuzz. It's very slow though and requires +4 speed to get past the fastest choice scarf users (Latios). Vaporeon's Scald a great attack to sweep with after a few Calm Minds. Burn can also be used to beat setup users if Zapdos cannot phase safely. Vaporeon should avoid repetitive switch ins against strong physical attackers like Banded Talonflame.
Smeagle: Smeargle provides the team with increased longevity and a surefire way to deal with troublesome Pokemon. Spore clears those annoying pokemon and Ingrain provides the health bonus to allow the team to switch in and out freely. Smeargle's Ingrain also allows Espeon to no longer need to invest in physical bulk. Smeagle's main weakness is his low HP. Keep the field clear of Entry Hazards if you want to use his Spore against a troublesome Pokemon. You can lead smeargle against stall teams to ensure Ingrain.
Espeon: With Smeagle covering phasers, Espeon can function instead as a special wall. It also is an amazing counter to Thundurus and can sweep with STAB Stored Power if needed. Magic Bounce is needed to reflect Stealth Rock, but be careful not to mispredict. Be wary of Dark types who can Immune Stored Power.
Sylveon: Sylveon serves as a great special wall and late game sweeper. With its massive Special defense it can set up Calm Minds freely and then sweep with Stored Power or Hyper Voice. With Pixilate Hyper Voice hits Darks and behind Substitutes to beat Prankster Stallers and Dark types.
Here is a brief team overview:
Scolipede: functions as the lead in all cases except if the enemy has a mega pinsir. Scolipede sets up Iron Defense against anything it can and ensures it passes at least +3 or +4 speed to its team mates. Try to keep it healthy (use protect when you can) so that you can use it later to clear toxic spikes or get extra defensive boosts if needed). Watch out for priority users.
Zapdos: functions as a counter to Talonflame and Mega Pinsir. Has the added ability to sweep with Thunderbolt and phase setup users if needed. Roost can be used over Substitute to provide extra longevity, but leaves you weak to status and crits if you attempt a Zapdos sweep. Thunderbolt provides the best option against common Perish Song users (Politoed and Murkrow but not Celebi). Zapdos leading against Pinsir teams should be wary of getting out sped.
Vaporeon: Functions as a defensive wall. Sets up on just about any physical attacker, even Kyruem-B and Electabuzz. It's very slow though and requires +4 speed to get past the fastest choice scarf users (Latios). Vaporeon's Scald a great attack to sweep with after a few Calm Minds. Burn can also be used to beat setup users if Zapdos cannot phase safely. Vaporeon should avoid repetitive switch ins against strong physical attackers like Banded Talonflame.
Smeagle: Smeargle provides the team with increased longevity and a surefire way to deal with troublesome Pokemon. Spore clears those annoying pokemon and Ingrain provides the health bonus to allow the team to switch in and out freely. Smeargle's Ingrain also allows Espeon to no longer need to invest in physical bulk. Smeagle's main weakness is his low HP. Keep the field clear of Entry Hazards if you want to use his Spore against a troublesome Pokemon. You can lead smeargle against stall teams to ensure Ingrain.
Espeon: With Smeagle covering phasers, Espeon can function instead as a special wall. It also is an amazing counter to Thundurus and can sweep with STAB Stored Power if needed. Magic Bounce is needed to reflect Stealth Rock, but be careful not to mispredict. Be wary of Dark types who can Immune Stored Power.
Sylveon: Sylveon serves as a great special wall and late game sweeper. With its massive Special defense it can set up Calm Minds freely and then sweep with Stored Power or Hyper Voice. With Pixilate Hyper Voice hits Darks and behind Substitutes to beat Prankster Stallers and Dark types.
Ninjask (F) @ Mental Herb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Protect
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Red Card
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Stored Power
- Morning Sun
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Charge
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
Zapdos (Vaporeon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 244 HP / 224 Def / 40 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Scizor (Mr. Mime) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Soundproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Encore
- Baton Pass
Mr. Mime (Scizor) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Light Metal
EVs: 220 HP / 248 Def / 40 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Roost
- Baton Pass
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Protect
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Baton Pass
Espeon (F) @ Red Card
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Stored Power
- Morning Sun
- Baton Pass
Vaporeon (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Charge
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Baton Pass
Zapdos (Vaporeon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 244 HP / 224 Def / 40 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor
- Substitute
- Scald
- Baton Pass
Scizor (Mr. Mime) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Soundproof
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Encore
- Baton Pass
Mr. Mime (Scizor) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Light Metal
EVs: 220 HP / 248 Def / 40 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Iron Defense
- Substitute
- Roost
- Baton Pass
This was the team that started it all. "Baton Pass My A$$" was my first RMT in the B/W era and boy did it take off! This style of Baton Pass was everything everyone hated, a Baton Pass stall team with an annoying name! And to make matters worse, it worked. It removed the gimmicks associated with Baton Pass by allowing the entire team to switch in and out at any time. The success of this team was pretty impressive, as it lead to Ninjask's usage reaching OU at the end of the B/W era and Rain Politoed's having mandatory Perish Song.
If your a fan of the weather era then this team is the one to try! For an indepth analysis of how to use the team, check the original RMT here.
If your a fan of the weather era then this team is the one to try! For an indepth analysis of how to use the team, check the original RMT here.
General Tactic:
Advanced Tactics:
Baton Pass Counters:
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