Although it is indeed simpler, I would disagree that it is more efficient.
Scolipede is relatively easy to stop, and there are many popular OU things that can stop it. For stall Scolipede is practically no problem whatsoever, as defence boosts and speed boosts are in most cases little concern for stall who uses passive damage to win games, and have (or should have) counters to boosters in phasers, taunt, encore, haze and perish song, the last 3 moves are less common one of the first 2 is generally staple. It is Scolipedes team members which are the problem for stall.
On offensive teams there are at least 3 viable checks that can stop it that I can think of off the top of my head: Mega-Pinser, Talonflame and Thundurus-I. The first 2 Pokemons flying priority can bust through Scolipede before it gets up enough boosts and can potentially setup SD on Protects, and Thundurus-I's Prankster taunt renders most Scolipede sets useless against it.
It is the other team members that better abuse its stat boosts and are able to preserve them (as Scolipede cannot with the amount of moves that can stop).
This is why I am in support of limiting the amount of BP users in a team to 3, as there will be always be holes that both offensive and defensive strategies can bust through, as none of the Pokemon are broken without another 2 or 3 in there chain and BP becomes much more manageable than a Scolipede ban which leaves quite a few leftover issues unaddressed.
It's relatively easy to say "Scolipede is relatively easy to stop" but remains a falsehood. Scolipede's two hard counters in OU are indeed Mega Pinsir and Talonflame, but nothing much else prevents Scolipede from supporting the chain overwhelmingly. Scolipede can scout regular Taunt/Encore with Protect, and evade unsuspecting Taunts or even Prankster Taunt via Mental Herb, and even Pinsir or Talonflame must switch in, giving Scolipede ample time to put up a Substitute.
Acquiring large amounts of boosts, with little to no effort, is a major problem for all archetypes, teams, and the meta as a whole. Of course there's plenty of better Pokemon to abuse the stat boosts, Sylveon and Espeon in particular, but Scolipede offers such boosts with no effort whatsoever, and the opponent can do virtually nothing to stop it.
While Stall doesn't care about the Speed and Defensive boosts so much, Scolipede's incredible versatility enables him to run Swords Dance, Spikes and even Toxic Spikes, albeit much less common. Further, even Scolipede's trivially acquired x4 Speed and x2-4 Def prove problematic for Stall by virtue of Stored Power. Unaware Quagsire, a bulwark, might ignore the boosts, but cannot ignore Stored Power's base power. With the auto speed-initiative provided by Scolipede, the entire chain can evade status moves like Toxic with Substitute, and unboosted Sylveon can wear down Quagsire via Hyper Voice. With 3 Pokemon, or 6, Stall will always have more trouble against Baton Pass, but Scolipede boosts several stats simultaneously, and has no trouble restarting the chain as many times as needed, in order to overwhelm with Stored Power. But does Scolipede + Espeon + Sylveon/Smeargle still stifle the development of Stall? And moreso than 5 or 6 Passers without Scolipede?
Without Scolipede, however, boosting will be a much more manageable affair for the metagame as a whole. Without Scolipede, players aren't forced to run Mega Pinsir, Talonflame, or niche counters like Red Card (which only stops the chain once, which is easily set up again), and without him, Baton Pass users require much more setup, more unreliably, and unsafely. Speed and Def, for example, must be obtained separately, requiring much more setup time, riskier, frequent switches, more prone to Taunt, Encore, phasing, etc.
By forcing Baton Pass users to obtain Speed via Agility, and boost stats separately instead of auto and simultaneously, teams have a much more manageable time disrupting, delaying or countering the chain.
A 3 user Baton Pass clause will effectively nerf Baton Pass; it'll be a harder nerf than Gen VI's rebalance of weather, but destroy the entire archetype of offensive and defensive Baton Pass chains. A 3 user Baton Pass clause will not just make Baton Pass more manageable; it'll reduce it to half/quick Pass. And by extension restricts playstyle teambuilding. It renders players who want to use the Baton Pass strategy to slap on 3 non-supportive, non-synergistic Pokemon with Scolipede, Espeon, and Sylveon or Smeargle.
Is this what Smogon wishes to do? If so, a 3 user Baton Pass clause is super effective, but OHKOs the chain archetype entirely and unnecessarily.
Remember, the entire OU metagame has contorted around the Baton Pass chain style, and not because someone Passed Sylveon a few boosts. It's because a Pokemon named Scolipede exists, that with overwhelming support, and so few counters, and its 100% reliability auto-guarantees speed initiative, the bulk for the chain to survive all physical presence, and the support to do so numerous times, makes the strategy uncompetitive if not overcentralizing.
With 6 Baton Pass users, it's true the chain can counter most of its traditional counters, but it requires speed initiative and possibly bulk to do this; all effortlessly given courtesy of Scolipede. Without the initial Iron Defense, Vaporeon is forced to switch in and do so, possibly outpaced and defeated before it can. If Vaporeon is unable to Acid Armor quickly, even Mr Mime and Sylveon may have trouble switching into attacks, nevermind remaining for Calm Minds. Without the auto-speed initiative, something like Zapdos is forced to switch in (and survive) and spend at least 2 or 3 turns boosting Agility. Without Scolipede's reliability at setting up multiple times during the match, a player who breaks or defeats a single chain usually spells out DOOM for the Baton Pass player.
Without Scolipede, Baton Pass, the playstyle, will still be on the threatlist. Players still must consider it when teambuilding, but with a much more manageable chance. With a Baton Pass clause, all players must still deal with Scolipede's overwhelming support on a half/quick Pass team. Between just Scolipede and Espeon, contrary to popular belief, unprepared teams will be easily swept. Auto x3 Speed, x2 Def, and possibly Substitute, Espeon is free to Calm Mind once or twice and sweep. Where she can't, Sylveon can. (Espeon is also free to run Dazzling Gleam over Substitute, in cases of half/quick Pass team variations where switching is not an option.)
It only seems fair to allow players to use the strategy of a dedicated chain at their own peril. The strategy of passing boosts is not inherently broken or uncompetitive, it's actually a very fragile strategy. A single mistake or overprediction can end the chain. It only becomes uncompetitive and/or overcentralizing when a Pokemon with an astounding support functionality as to be considered Ubers, runs rampant, and allows the playstyle to dominate the ladder.
It's pick your poison: establish a complex ban/clause and limit Baton Pass to 3 or 4 users, effectively killing the chain archetype, or banning an Uber-worthy support Pokemon. The collateral damage? Players can't use Scolipede in OU. But who uses Scolipede if not for its vast support functionality? Why should Smogon refrain from banning Scolipede as means to preserve its other sets, which go unused and obsolete anyways? But Scolipede is a legitimate half/quick Pass user, correct? Why ban that? Because he will always be paired with the likes of Espeon, Sylveon and/or Smeargle. Anotherwords, the banning of Scolipede has little collateral damage, certainly less than a Baton Pass clause, and possibly more effective.
