QC: Kushalos / Meru / dingbat / IronBullet93
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack ( Stamped P Squared's amcheck) / GatoDelFuego
Overview
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Espeon is a decent Pokemon in the UU metagame. It has a great ability in Magic Bounce, which makes Espeon immune to all status attacks such as Whirlwind. It also has a great base Special Attack and good Speed, which allows it to deal some nice damage to opponents. Furthermore, Espeon can fill out different roles in the metagame such as offensive Baton Passing or setting up dual screens successfully thanks to a wide movepool. However, it has a bad typing that is weak to Ghost-, Bug-, and Dark-types, while it resists only two types. It also has quite low HP and Defense stats, which makes it very frail, and because of that, Espeon is easily beaten by physical attackers. Lastly, Espeon faces huge competition from Mega Alakazam in offensive roles, as it has higher Special Attack and Speed.
Offensive Baton Pass
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name: Offensive Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Calm Mind / Substitute
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Dazzling Gleam / Shadow Ball
ability: Magic Bounce
item: Leftovers
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Baton Pass passes stat boosts to a teammate and helps Espeon keep up momentum for teammates. Calm Mind boosts Espeon's decent special bulk and also boosts the damage output of Psyshock and Dazzling Gleam. Substitute can be used instead, as Espeon can then pass the Substitute to an ally that can proceed to set up afterwards. Examples of these setup sweepers include Haxorus and Mega Absol. Psyshock is a strong STAB attack that deals a lot of damage to special walls such as Blissey and Florges. Dazzling Gleam provides great coverage against Dark-types such as Hydreigon which threaten Espeon. Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types such as Alakazam and Jirachi for super effective damage.
Set Details
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Magic Bounce stops entry hazards from being set up, as well as stopping Taunt and status. Leftovers grants Espeon a little amount of recovery. The invested EVs and Timid nature maximize Espeon's Speed and improve Espeon's specially offensive capabilities. Colbur Berry is an option to lessen the damage taken from Knock Off and Pursuit.
Usage Tips
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Use Espeon as a lead, as entry hazard setters are common leads and will most likely switch out of Espeon, allowing it to set up a free Calm Mind or Substitute. Switch Espeon in when predicting status moves to cripple defensive Pokemon. Use Calm Mind if the opponent doesn't threaten Espeon much, as it boosts both Espeon's Special Attack and Special Defense. Use Baton Pass when you think you have set up enough or in emergencies when Espeon is up against a foe that threatens it.
Team Options
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Anything that appreciates a Calm Mind boost, such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Pidgeot, or Nidoking, will work as a partner, as it gives them the opportunity to sweep. Setup sweepers such as Lucario and Absol appreciate a Substitute so they can safely set up. Pokemon that can deal with Ghost- and Dark-types, such as Florges, Aromatisse, and Hydreigon, are quite useful, as these threaten Espeon badly.
Dual Screens
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name: Dual Screens
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Yawn / Psychic
ability: Magic Bounce
item: Light Clay
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Light Screen helps teammates take opposing special attacks with more ease and especially helps setup sweepers. Reflect does the same as Light Screen but decreases the power of physical attacks instead of special attacks. Baton Pass is a way for Espeon to gain momentum and switch out of its checks and counters without having to risk taking damage from Pursuit. Yawn is good after setting up screens; it forces the opponent to switch, allowing Espeon to Baton Pass out into a Pokemon with an advantage over the switched-in Pokemon. Psychic is a good STAB move that offers high Base Power and decent coverage and therefore can be used in the fourth slot.
Set Details
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Magic Bounce is the standard ability, as it bounces back status moves, entry hazards, and most importantly Taunt, which would otherwise completely stop Espeon. The HP investment patches up Espeon's low HP a bit. The Speed EVs along with a Timid nature allow Espeon to set up screens faster and allow it to Baton Pass quicker, gaining momentum and switching out of its checks and counters earlier. Light Clay makes Light Screen and Reflect last three turns longer, which allows Espeon to perform its job better.
Usage Tips
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Make sure to use Espeon as a lead, as it forces Pokemon that set up entry hazards to switch. When a wall is on the field and you're predicting something like Toxic, switch in Espeon, as Toxic will wear the opposing Pokemon down easily. Watch out for Knock Off, as this will limit the amount of turns that Light Screen and Reflect will be up to five instead of eight.
Team Options
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Setup sweepers, such as Haxorus, Lucario, and Mega Absol, appreciate screens a lot as they can set up more safely with them. Bulky physical walls such as Forretress and Umbreon are quite good teammates, as they can take on the physical attackers that threaten Espeon. Pokemon that can take care of Dark-types, such as Virizion, Lucario, and Scrafty, make for great teammates too, as Dark-types are immune to Psychic and can take Espeon out without effort.
Other Options
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A purely offensive set with Life Orb is an option, but Espeon does not have a wide offensive movepool. Work Up is another option to go with Baton Pass that is pretty useful for mixed attackers, but Espeon is too frail in most situations to set up enough boosts. Heal Bell provides cleric support, but other Pokemon such as Blissey and Florges do that better because of better bulk. Wish helps teammates at low health, but because of Espeon's frailty, it's not a very good user of the move. Morning Sun can be used for direct recovery and therefore boosting Espeon's longevity, but because Espeon is frail it's not a good user of the move. Hidden Power Fighting hits Steel-types, but lacks power in most situations, and therefore most Steel-types won't take a lot from it. Choice Specs can be used to give a boost to Espeon's Special Attack, but this will lock Espeon into a single move and Espeon is a bit too frail to sweep.
Checks & Counters
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**Physical Attackers** Physical attackers can easily defeat Espeon as it is very frail. Examples of these Pokemon include Krookodile and Haxorus.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Doublade and Chandelure can hit Espeon with one of their powerful STAB attacks and easily beat it, though they both need to watch out for Shadow Ball.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types such as Hydreigon, Absol, and Honchkrow can hit Espeon with one of their powerful STAB attacks and easily beat it, though they have to be wary of Dazzling Gleam.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Jirachi, Mega Aggron, and Empoleon resist Espeon's STAB moves and Dazzling Gleam as well, which means they wall Espeon completely. Furthermore, these Steel-types are also capable of taking it out with strong attacks.
**Priority**: As Espeon is frail, powerful priority attackers can wear it down easily, especially those with super effective priority moves such as Shadow Sneak or Sucker Punch.
**Pursuit Users**: Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Honchkrow and Krookodile, can trap Espeon and OHKO it.
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