Smeargle Baton Pass - An Anything Goes RMT
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Peak
Teambuilding Process
So, sometime last summer, I was pretty bored and I wanted to try out a new metagame. I saw Anything Goes, a metagame where there are no bans (except Infinite Battle Clause). Hey, the concept is pretty cool, playing the game in its purest form, "like it's supposed to be". After experimenting with a few teams in the lower ladder, I decided to slap on a Scolipede for Toxic Spikes support, 4 Moody Smeargles and an Espeon for shits 'n giggles, and decided to see how far I'll get.
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The lower ladder of AG is notorious for being absolutely horrible, but still, the team did much better than I expected. Around the 1400-1500s (about 300 ELO higher than what I expected to get to with 4 Smeargles), I started to get streamrolled by players who knew what to do with Extremekiller Arceus and Mega Rayquaza. I fine-tuned the EVs a bit and initially replaced one of the Smeargles for Mega Mawile, as that appeared to be able to check the 2 priority users while being able to continue the chain:
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As it turns out, Mega Mawile kinda sucks in AG. I didn't actually have problems with Arceus and Rayquaza late game, but I needed to take them out or scare them early on so that I can set up on something else with my Smeargles. Mega Mawile doesn't have recovery, it can't check Mega Rayquaza without substantial defense boosts and it's worn down too easily. So I decided ditch it and replace it with Arceus-Fairy, which is a better check for both and a good secondary wincon:
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Surprisingly, this team did extremely well, beating many top ladder players. People don't really know how to play against it, and unless they prepare specifically for Baton Pass, I manage to win most of the time. While I've experimented with different moves, this is what the team has been like since last September or so. I don't spend too much time laddering, but I've been playing with this team whenever I have time and am bored since then.I almost hit top 10 twice, last year in October and this month. I can probably do it if I play some more, but eh (just peaked at #5). I had a quite few people asking for the team, so I decided to create a RMT.
The Team
Scolipede @ Lum Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 48 HP / 208 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Iron Defense
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
Scolipede is the lead of the team, providing Toxic Spikes support against grounded teams to help with stalling, Sub and Speed to Smeargle and Iron Defense boosts early on to Arceus. Depending on the opposing lead, I either lay down Toxic Spikes and sac it against stuff I can set up on with Smeargle (e.g. Groudon, Kyogre), Sub and Pass to Smeargle as they try to status me or lay rocks 'n shit (most other stuff really), or Iron Defense alongside the opposing Arceus/Rayquaza: It can actually take 2 unboosted Extremespeeds from Rayquaza and non-LO Extremekiller, so I can set up Iron Defense alongside their Dances and pass to Arceus when I get hit by the first Extremespeed. Thanks to Lum and 0 Attack IV's, I can take the first status move from Klefki, set up 3 Iron Defenses as they try to break my Sub and pass to my Magic Coat Smeargle; that's pretty much a guaranteed win against 6 Klefki teams. I've actually experimented with Megahorn or Poison Jab over Substitute with some Attack investment, as Sub/Taunt/Void/Pulse Darkrai fucks me backwards and so does a Xerneas setting up a Geomancy right in the beginning of the match. However, both are thankfully rare scenarios (may not be after I post this RMT?) and passing a Sub to Smeargle early on is too valuable to give up. EVs allow me to set 4 consecutive Subs while giving me max physical bulk. Why Jolly and not Timid then? Jolly guarantees a 2HKO on Deoxys-A with Struggle if I get Taunted by Deoxys-A, something that actually happened once.
Arceus-Fairy (Arceus) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 236 Def / 48 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Will-O-Wisp
My priority check and secondary wincon, in case something goes wrong with Espeon. Depending on the opposing team I can try to sweep early on or just knock down a few annoying mons once I get Speed and Def boosts from Scolipede, as it is pretty bulky and hard to stop without Toxic or phazing. 48 SpA has a roughly %50 chance of OHKOing regular Rayquaza after one round of LO; I can probably find a better benchmark, but eh. 16 Speed lets it outspeed max neutral base 90s; this and the damage output also allows me to estimate the spread of a base 90 mon; that is, whether I should try to get a Speed boost versus it with my Smeargle, or whether I can Sub right away. The HP and Def EVs maximize physical bulk. The last moveslot is pretty variable; Perish Song or Roar are good against opposing BP and to cut a Xerneas's sweep short, Sleep Talk can be used against Darkrai, Sub and Magic Coat have pretty amazing utility; Flamethrower or even Focus Blast can be used vs its main counter, Arceus-Steel; Earth Power also hits Primal Groudon... Ultimately, though, I feel like WoW gives me the most set-up opportunities.
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ingrain
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Minimize
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Aaand the heroes of my team, the nightmare of impatient offense players, the painters of doom, the slayer of Gods. Even mid-to-high ladder, I get probably a third of my wins from ragequits, haha. People don't really exploit Smeargle's full potential in AG: most people run Spore, Sash, some kind of boosting move (Smash or QD usually) and Baton Pass. I mean, quickpassing is okay if that's what you want, but Smeargle can do much more. 75 base Speed isn't fast, but it outspeeds quite a lot in AG. Against anything Smeargle is faster, I just keep on Subbing and SShielding (Protect should never be run on Smeargle, SShield is superior to it). Against faster stuff, I either sac my Scolipede and Arceus-Fairy and keep on trying to get a Speed boost with Smeargle, or simply let Arceus-Fairy handle it. Sheer odds mean that although I will lose some matches, I will bullshit my way outta seemingly impossible situations quite often. Wins after being down 2-6 to one Smeargle and Espeon is rather common. Once Smeargle is behind a Sub or it begins racking up boosts, it's pretty much GG. I'll lay down Ingrain, Minimize to max Evasion and pass around the Smeargles until I get the boosts I want. Priority is easy to stall out especially with evasion boosts, Ingrain shields Smeargles from Roars and Whirlwinds and Taunts are also predictable (either pass to Espeon or Magic Coat it); these stop the chain before it begins, but can be countered later. Spore would be nice to have, but both Sub/Pass/SShield and the 3 other moves (Minimize, Ingrain, Magic Coat) are absolutely necessary. Besides, if you can Spore something, you can Sub/SShield on it, so I don't miss it too much.
Espeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Baton Pass
Not much to say here, really. Espeon is the main receiver of the team. I typically aim to have a Sub up, max Evasion, neutral Accuracy and at least +2 Speed/Def/SpAtk before passing. Once I pass, it's GG most of the time. At around 20-25 total boosts, it usually OHKOs Lugia through Multiscale and Chansey. Stored Power and Dazzling Gleam are mandatory, I have CM over Sub to beat Lugia one-on-one and Baton Pass is to continue the chain early game, when I go to Espeon to reflect a very obvious SR/Taunt/Roar or something.
Replays
vs. LinearCurve
vs. dfkdnk356
vs. P1101560
vs. chanyuh
vs. ythddrt
vs. Ahuehuehue
vs. tc2
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vs. ihatejohncena
vs. DanteZeraxVoorheez
vs. yujkll
vs. Catniss Everdeen
Importable
That's the team in a nutshell.I might add replays later on, though my earlier replays seem to be lost. (finally added some!)
Peak
Teambuilding Process
So, sometime last summer, I was pretty bored and I wanted to try out a new metagame. I saw Anything Goes, a metagame where there are no bans (except Infinite Battle Clause). Hey, the concept is pretty cool, playing the game in its purest form, "like it's supposed to be". After experimenting with a few teams in the lower ladder, I decided to slap on a Scolipede for Toxic Spikes support, 4 Moody Smeargles and an Espeon for shits 'n giggles, and decided to see how far I'll get.
The lower ladder of AG is notorious for being absolutely horrible, but still, the team did much better than I expected. Around the 1400-1500s (about 300 ELO higher than what I expected to get to with 4 Smeargles), I started to get streamrolled by players who knew what to do with Extremekiller Arceus and Mega Rayquaza. I fine-tuned the EVs a bit and initially replaced one of the Smeargles for Mega Mawile, as that appeared to be able to check the 2 priority users while being able to continue the chain:
As it turns out, Mega Mawile kinda sucks in AG. I didn't actually have problems with Arceus and Rayquaza late game, but I needed to take them out or scare them early on so that I can set up on something else with my Smeargles. Mega Mawile doesn't have recovery, it can't check Mega Rayquaza without substantial defense boosts and it's worn down too easily. So I decided ditch it and replace it with Arceus-Fairy, which is a better check for both and a good secondary wincon:
Surprisingly, this team did extremely well, beating many top ladder players. People don't really know how to play against it, and unless they prepare specifically for Baton Pass, I manage to win most of the time. While I've experimented with different moves, this is what the team has been like since last September or so. I don't spend too much time laddering, but I've been playing with this team whenever I have time and am bored since then.
The Team
Scolipede @ Lum Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 48 HP / 208 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Iron Defense
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
Scolipede is the lead of the team, providing Toxic Spikes support against grounded teams to help with stalling, Sub and Speed to Smeargle and Iron Defense boosts early on to Arceus. Depending on the opposing lead, I either lay down Toxic Spikes and sac it against stuff I can set up on with Smeargle (e.g. Groudon, Kyogre), Sub and Pass to Smeargle as they try to status me or lay rocks 'n shit (most other stuff really), or Iron Defense alongside the opposing Arceus/Rayquaza: It can actually take 2 unboosted Extremespeeds from Rayquaza and non-LO Extremekiller, so I can set up Iron Defense alongside their Dances and pass to Arceus when I get hit by the first Extremespeed. Thanks to Lum and 0 Attack IV's, I can take the first status move from Klefki, set up 3 Iron Defenses as they try to break my Sub and pass to my Magic Coat Smeargle; that's pretty much a guaranteed win against 6 Klefki teams. I've actually experimented with Megahorn or Poison Jab over Substitute with some Attack investment, as Sub/Taunt/Void/Pulse Darkrai fucks me backwards and so does a Xerneas setting up a Geomancy right in the beginning of the match. However, both are thankfully rare scenarios (may not be after I post this RMT?) and passing a Sub to Smeargle early on is too valuable to give up. EVs allow me to set 4 consecutive Subs while giving me max physical bulk. Why Jolly and not Timid then? Jolly guarantees a 2HKO on Deoxys-A with Struggle if I get Taunted by Deoxys-A, something that actually happened once.
Arceus-Fairy (Arceus) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 236 Def / 48 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Will-O-Wisp
My priority check and secondary wincon, in case something goes wrong with Espeon. Depending on the opposing team I can try to sweep early on or just knock down a few annoying mons once I get Speed and Def boosts from Scolipede, as it is pretty bulky and hard to stop without Toxic or phazing. 48 SpA has a roughly %50 chance of OHKOing regular Rayquaza after one round of LO; I can probably find a better benchmark, but eh. 16 Speed lets it outspeed max neutral base 90s; this and the damage output also allows me to estimate the spread of a base 90 mon; that is, whether I should try to get a Speed boost versus it with my Smeargle, or whether I can Sub right away. The HP and Def EVs maximize physical bulk. The last moveslot is pretty variable; Perish Song or Roar are good against opposing BP and to cut a Xerneas's sweep short, Sleep Talk can be used against Darkrai, Sub and Magic Coat have pretty amazing utility; Flamethrower or even Focus Blast can be used vs its main counter, Arceus-Steel; Earth Power also hits Primal Groudon... Ultimately, though, I feel like WoW gives me the most set-up opportunities.
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ingrain
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Minimize
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Aaand the heroes of my team, the nightmare of impatient offense players, the painters of doom, the slayer of Gods. Even mid-to-high ladder, I get probably a third of my wins from ragequits, haha. People don't really exploit Smeargle's full potential in AG: most people run Spore, Sash, some kind of boosting move (Smash or QD usually) and Baton Pass. I mean, quickpassing is okay if that's what you want, but Smeargle can do much more. 75 base Speed isn't fast, but it outspeeds quite a lot in AG. Against anything Smeargle is faster, I just keep on Subbing and SShielding (Protect should never be run on Smeargle, SShield is superior to it). Against faster stuff, I either sac my Scolipede and Arceus-Fairy and keep on trying to get a Speed boost with Smeargle, or simply let Arceus-Fairy handle it. Sheer odds mean that although I will lose some matches, I will bullshit my way outta seemingly impossible situations quite often. Wins after being down 2-6 to one Smeargle and Espeon is rather common. Once Smeargle is behind a Sub or it begins racking up boosts, it's pretty much GG. I'll lay down Ingrain, Minimize to max Evasion and pass around the Smeargles until I get the boosts I want. Priority is easy to stall out especially with evasion boosts, Ingrain shields Smeargles from Roars and Whirlwinds and Taunts are also predictable (either pass to Espeon or Magic Coat it); these stop the chain before it begins, but can be countered later. Spore would be nice to have, but both Sub/Pass/SShield and the 3 other moves (Minimize, Ingrain, Magic Coat) are absolutely necessary. Besides, if you can Spore something, you can Sub/SShield on it, so I don't miss it too much.
Espeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Baton Pass
Not much to say here, really. Espeon is the main receiver of the team. I typically aim to have a Sub up, max Evasion, neutral Accuracy and at least +2 Speed/Def/SpAtk before passing. Once I pass, it's GG most of the time. At around 20-25 total boosts, it usually OHKOs Lugia through Multiscale and Chansey. Stored Power and Dazzling Gleam are mandatory, I have CM over Sub to beat Lugia one-on-one and Baton Pass is to continue the chain early game, when I go to Espeon to reflect a very obvious SR/Taunt/Roar or something.
Replays
vs. LinearCurve
vs. dfkdnk356
vs. P1101560
vs. chanyuh
vs. ythddrt
vs. Ahuehuehue
vs. tc2
vs. ihatejohncena
vs. DanteZeraxVoorheez
vs. yujkll
vs. Catniss Everdeen
Importable
Scolipede @ Lum Berry
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 48 HP / 208 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Iron Defense
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
Arceus-Fairy (Arceus) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 236 Def / 48 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ingrain
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Minimize
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Espeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Baton Pass
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 48 HP / 208 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Iron Defense
- Toxic Spikes
- Baton Pass
Arceus-Fairy (Arceus) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 208 HP / 236 Def / 48 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magic Coat
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ingrain
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Smeargle @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Minimize
- Substitute
- Spiky Shield
- Baton Pass
Espeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam
- Baton Pass
That's the team in a nutshell.
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