[OVERVIEW]
Skitty is hampered by its mediocre to bad stats all-around, not to mention its Normal typing, which doesn't offer it much in terms of resistances. Though Skitty has a somewhat respectable offensive movepool, it's highly outclassed by Aipom, Meowth, and Zigzagoon as an offensive Normal-type. Skitty's only usable niche lies in its unique access to the combination of Baton Pass, Cosmic Power, and Wish, which gives it a small niche over other Baton Pass users such as Aipom and Buneary. Skitty is also notable for its unique ability Wonder Skin, which lets it dodge status moves half the time. However, even on dedicated Baton Pass teams, Skitty still faces stiff competition for a teamslot from Pokemon with better bulk, typings, and movepools.
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Cosmic Power
move 3: Wish / Heal Bell
move 4: Protect / Substitute
item: Eviolite / Berry Juice
ability: Wonder Skin
nature: Calm / Sassy
evs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Baton Pass allows Skitty to pass boosts to its teammates. Cosmic Power boosts both of Skitty's defensive stats, increasing its durability and, perhaps more importantly, that of the teammate it passes the boosts to. The combination of Wish and Protect allows Skitty to safely heal itself, potentially giving it more opportunities to set up Cosmic Power before it passes its boosts to a teammate. Wish is also useful for healing a weakened teammate, and it is vital to Skitty's role as one of the few usable Pokemon with both Wish and Baton Pass. Though Protect is usually the safer option for reliable healing with Wish, it can also give free turns to the opponent's team. For this reason, Substitute can be used over Protect, allowing Skitty to keep momentum on your team's side and also providing an added measure of security against critical hits and status moves. If Wish support isn't important to Skitty's teammates, Heal Bell can be used over Wish to cure Skitty and its teammates of troublesome status such as poison or paralysis.
Set Details
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The given EV spread and a Special Defense-boosting nature are used to increase Skitty's bulk. A Calm nature is usually the preferred ability, as Skitty is most commonly used in a Baton Pass chain and will likely receive Speed boosts from its teammates. However, a Sassy nature can be useful if Skitty is being used outside of a Baton Pass chain, as it lowers Skitty's Speed, allowing it to bring its teammates in more safely. If Skitty runs Wish, Eviolite should be used to maximize Skitty's bulk. Berry Juice should be used alongside Heal Bell to provide Skitty with a form of recovery. Though Wonder Skin is a fairly luck-reliant ability, it allows Skitty to dodge moves such as Taunt, Encore, and Spore 50% of the time, which can prove handy in a pinch.
Usage Tips
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Ideally, Skitty's teammates should try to pass some Speed or defensive boosts to Skitty so that it may perform its own duties more effectively. Once Skitty is in safely, boost up with Cosmic Power while keeping Skitty healthy with Wish. Try to keep Skitty's health as high as possible, as you don't want a stray critical hit to KO Skitty after it has obtained several boosts. Skitty should use Wish before passing to a teammate, ensuring that the teammate that comes in is as healthy as possible.
Team Options
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Because this set is mainly intended for use in a Baton Pass chain, common Baton Pass staples are Skitty's best teammates. Torchic is the only Pokemon in Little Cup with Speed Boost and Baton Pass, and it can also pass Attack and Defense boosts, so it's a highly useful (and nearly required) teammate. Other Pokemon with Baton Pass that can boost their defenses pair well with Skitty, such as Mime Jr., Drifloon, Shelmet, and Mienfoo. Mime Jr. is especially notable for blocking two forms of phazing (Dragon Tail and Roar), which threatens Skitty and its teammates. A sweeper that can take advantage of Skitty's boosts with Stored Power also pairs well with it, such as Munna, Natu, or Woobat. More standard setup sweepers found outside of Baton Pass chains, such as Swords Dance Fletchling, Bulk Up Timburr, and Snivy, also appreciate having Defense and Special Defense boosts passed to them to ease their setup.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Calm Mind can be used over Cosmic Power, but boosting both of Skitty's defenses is usually more vital to Skitty's longevity. Skitty has a decent physical movepool, including Fake Out, Sucker Punch, Play Rough, Zen Headbutt, Wild Charge, and Double-Edge, making an offensive set with Life Orb plausible. It's let down by its middling offensive stats, however, and is heavily outclassed by other offensive Normal-types. Skitty is the only Pokemon in Little Cup with the ability Normalize, meaning it can paralyze Ground-types with Thunder Wave. Psych Up can be used to copy the boosts of an opposing Baton Pass chain, but this is highly gimmicky, as Baton Pass chains aren't very common.
Checks and Counters
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**Utility Moves**: Even though Skitty has Wonder Skin, it's still heavily threatened by utility moves such as Taunt, Encore, Haze, and other status moves, which can cause serious issues for Skitty and its teammates.
**Phazing Moves**: Roar, Whirlwind, and Dragon Tail phaze Skitty and remove its boosts, which is very detrimental to Skitty and its teammates.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Fletchling, Swords Dance Corphish, Swords Dance Drilbur, and Nasty Plot Vullaby can boost their offenses more quickly than Skitty can boost its defenses, meaning that Skitty will be overwhelmed and defeated by these Pokemon if it has not already acquired significant defensive boosts from a teammate.
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