Soul Fly
IMMA TEACH YOU WHAT SPLASHIN' MEANS
approved by Nexus
[TABLE OF CONTENTS]
[INTRODUCTION]
[STYLES OF BATON PASS: 1) Quick Pass]
[QUICK PASS: OVERVIEW]
A. QuickPassers:
---
Smeargle
Gorebyss
Mew
Venomoth
B. QuickPass Recievers:
--
Dragonite
Thundurus-T
Hydreigon
Salamence
Lucario
Keldeo
&
Huge/Pure Power Users
Azumarill and Medicham
Metagross
--
--
[STYLES OF BATON PASS: 2) FULL BATON PASS]
[FULL BATON PASS: OVERVIEW]
Almost every Full Baton Pass team, without exception follows the following rigid team structure:
Since, Full Baton pass sports such a rigid and inflexible structure, the number of viable Pokemon fitting in such a team are few and far in between. This list will attempt to list out the most common users you'll see 9/10 times on a Baton Pass chain.
NOTE: It is worth noting that some of these Pokemon with the specific movesets are simply irreplaceable. There are many other Pokemon who do the job better, but lack baton pass, or lack the specific moveset. MOST are a indispensable on the chain purely due to their unique niche. Any (seemingly) good alternative baton passers will be addressed at the end of this section.
NOTE 2: If the user wishes to get creative with alternative movesets some things he/she must keep in mind:
1. THE LEAD
2. THE ANTI-PHAZER/ANTI-STATUS (Special Wall)
3. THE PERISH SONG COUNTER (Special Wall)
4. THE STEEL TYPE (Physical Wall)
5. THE MIX WALL
6. THE TANK (Backup Cleaner)
[FULL BATON PASS: OTHER VIABLE USERS]
Venomoth
PROS
Smeargle
PROS
Zapdos
PROS
The above listed Pokemon while the most viable aren't certainly the only ones capable of running a Baton Pass chain. There are a LOT of other possibilities, but their roles are usually redundant or utterly outclassed by the above listed pokemon, a brief description of the Pokemon with their drawbacks are listed, they may find extreme niche usage on some teams based on make-up and needs of the builder.
[COUNTERS TO BATON PASS STRATEGIES]
[PRANKSTERS]
[Perish Song/Phazers]
[SCARF DITTO]
[HAZE/CLEAR SMOG]
[UNAWARE]
[HYPER OFFENSE/SET-UP]
@
CONCLUDES THIS GUIDE
CREDITS:
[TABLE OF CONTENTS]
- INTRODUCTION
- What is Baton Pass?
-- - STYLES OF BATON PASS:
- QuickPass
- Overview
- Strategy
- Passers
- Recievers
- Full Baton Pass
- Overview
- Strategy
- Commonly Used Pokemon
- Alternatives
- Niche/Outclassed Baton pass pokemon
-- - QuickPass
- COUNTERS TO BATON PASS
- Pranksters
- Perish Song/Phazers
- Scarf Ditto
- Haze/Clear Smog
- Unaware Users
- Hyper Offense Teams/Set-Up Pokemon
- Red Card Users
[INTRODUCTION]
- Provide basic premise of usage and strategy
- Mention the Impact of Shell Smash and Quiver Dance this generation
- Prankster: The nemesis of any Baton Pass based strategy, and how it continues to be viable despite that
[COMPETITIVE DESCRIPTION OF BATON PASS]
- Use Smogon's Move Dex entry as base
- Present a more simplified write-up giving the essentials and mentioning the restrictions
- Specifically mention Mean Look no longer passed as of Gen 4
[STYLES OF BATON PASS: 1) Quick Pass]
[QUICK PASS: OVERVIEW]
- i.e 'SmashPass' and 'QuiverPass'
- A short Write-Up on how the advent of Shell Smash triggered of this playstyle.
- To insist upon the fact that how boosts can make almost all pokemon competitively viable but try to impress how only certain pokemon can consistently utilize these boosts within the OU environment.
- A note on how the availability of more diverse attacking threats this generation has lead to an abundance of receivers.
A. QuickPassers:
---
Smeargle
- Notable Moves:
- Every stat altering move in the book. Every damn move in general
- Description:
- Smeargle possesses the unique niche of having any combination of moves available in the game which makes it the ideal candidate for Baton Passing.
- Most Versatile with Support moves like Spore and Magic coat making it the most consistent Baton passer in the game
- Poor bulk and mediocre speed being it's only drawback hence being forced to rely on Focus Sash, which prevents it from utilizing any other beneficial items like White Herb.
- Example Moveset:
BetterThanOnSite (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 80 HP / 96 Def / 80 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Baton Pass
- Shell Smash/Quiver Dance
- Magic Coat
- Spore/Taunt
Gorebyss
- Notable Moves:
- Shell Smash, Amnesia, Barrier, Aqua Ring
- Description:
- Only pokemon apart from the Move Master Smeargle to get the legal combination of Shell Smash and Baton Pass.
- Along with decent Physical bulk and an excellent ability in Hydration, makes it a good passer. Especially in the Rain.
- Swift Swim Optional if using in a non-drizzle team.
- Example Moveset:
Gorebyss @ White Herb
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 24 SpD / 232 Spe
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
-Shell Smash
-Substitute
-Baton Pass
-Surf
Mew
- Notable Moves:
- Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, Rock Polish, Barrier, Amnesia, Calm Mind
- Description:
- Mew is an extremely versatile Pokemon, and can run a variety of Baton Pass options.
- Considered the most viable candidate for Double Stat Boosting moves thanks to across-the-board base 100 stats giving it much superior bulk
- Usage Relies on Boosting one attacking stat and speed stat by 2 stages and passing.
- Example Moveset:
Mew @ Lum Berry
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
-Rock Polish
-Nasty Plot/Swords Dance
-Baton Pass
-Taunt
Venomoth
- Notable Moves:
- Quiver Dance, Sleep Powder
- Description:
- Venomoth is the only pokemon beside Smeargle who can pass Quiver Dance boosts
- In addition, it can use Sleep Powder to set up, which is hampered by imperfect accuracy but is a potent support move
- Thanks to it's alternative trait: Tinted Lens, it can maintain offensive presence if it chooses even without passing due to near perfect Neutral coverage.
- Venomoth's ability Wonder Skin halves the accuracy of non-damaging moves, which gives it more scope to set up, but relies on luck.
- Example Moveset:
Venomoth (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Wonder Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Sleep Powder
- Baton Pass
- Quiver Dance
B. QuickPass Recievers:
--
Dragonite
- Notable Moves: Wide Movepool with varied offensive options
- Dragon Claw, Outrage, Fire Blast, Fire Punch, ExtremeSpeed, Brick Break, Superpower, Roost, Hurricane, Thunder, DracoMeteor
- Description:
- Dragonite has very high attacking stats from both sides of the spectrum, especially on the Physical side
- Has Access to powerful coverage moves.
- Multiscale+Lum Berry guarantees a safe switch in, a feat no other receiver can emulate. (provided rocks are off the field)
- Extremely hard to Revenge thanks to powerful priority in ExtremeSpeed.
- Usually seen running a Physical set which works off it's higher Atk stat but perfectly capable of running a Specially based or a mixed set depending on team needs.
- Example Moveset:
PhysicalSweeper (Dragonite) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw/Earthquake/Superpower
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fire Punch/Waterfall
Thundurus-T
- Notable Moves: Shallow but adequate movepool offering just enough coverage.
- Thunderbolt, Thunder, Focus Blast, Grass Knot, HP Ice,
Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt, Thunder, Focus Blast, Grass Knot, HP Ice,
- Description:
- Most powerful special attacker in the tier with a very good speed tier, making it an ideal QuiverPass recipient along with a SmashPass.
- Pseudo Bolt-Beam provides wide STAB+SE coverage coupled with Focus Blast.
- Surprising amount of bulk even after defense stat drop allowing it to survive priorities like unboosted STAB Ice Shard, which aids it's sweep.
252 Atk Mamoswine Ice Shard vs. -1 128 HP / 0 Def Thundurus-T: 266-314 (80.36 - 94.86%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- Volt Absorb is a super useful trait, which basically makes it immune to T-Wave.
- Example Set:
BKC-T (Thundurus-T) @ Life Orb/Expert Belt
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
Hydreigon
- Notable Moves: Fucking Enormous Movepool with access to every decent Attack out there.
- Acrobatics, Crunch, Dark Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, Earth Power, Earthquake, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Focus Blast, Superpower, Stone Edge,
U-Turn
- Acrobatics, Crunch, Dark Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, Earth Power, Earthquake, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Focus Blast, Superpower, Stone Edge,
- Description:
- Zero Counters. Even unboosted. Only Pokemon to boast of that distinction
- Can ideally work with both Shell Smash and Quiver Dance thanks to enormous movepool
- OHKOes entire Tier without exception after Shell Smash Boost. Another unique trait
- Similarly can OHKO entire tier after QuiverPass bar Chansey, Cresselia(w/o Dark Pulse) and Heatran, who are 2HKOed
- Defensively a liability since weak/neutral to all 3 common OU priorities (Ice Shard/Bullet Punch/Mach Punch), which makes SmashPassing an issue. Hence needs support
- Example Moveset:
MixHydra (Hydreigon) @ Life Orb/Expert Belt/Chople Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature (+SpA, -SpD)/
- Dragon Pulse
- Draco Meteor/Earthquake/Dark Pulse
- Superpower
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
Salamence
- Notable Moves:Tons of Variety with myriad attacking approaches making it unpredictable to an extent.
- Dragon Claw, Outrage, Earthquake, Brick Break, Fire Blast, Roost, Draco Meteor, Aqua Tail, Hydro Pump
- Description:
- [See Dragonite, without Multiscale]
- Trades off the Defensive buff of Multiscale in exchange for Moxie which turns it into a Nuclear Juggernaut once it get's going. Can literally Spam Outrage after +3 without bothering about prediction or mindgames
- Can alternatively use Intimidate to have an easier time coming in on Physical threats which is especially useful after the Shell Smash defense drops.
- Example Moveset:
MixMence (Salamence) (F) @ Life Orb/Lum Berry/Yache Berry
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature (+Spe, -SpD)/
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast/Hydro Pump
Lucario
- Notable Moves: Mixed bag with Physical spectrum getting the better options.
- Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, Bullet Punch, Ice Punch, Crunch, Stone Edge, Aura Sphere, Vacuum Wave, Psychic, Dark Pulse
- Description:
- Flagship Physical set-up Pokemon, right since DPPt
- Impeccable coverage options
- Strong Priority in ExtremeSpeed makes it hard to revenge
- Crunch/Bullet Punch allows it to mow through Bulky ghosts like Jellicent who would otherwise flat out wall it and cripple w/ W-o-W
- Physical set is generally superior but capable of running mixed/Special off it's HIGHER SpA stat with some decent specially based options, like STAB Vacuum Wave
- Lackluster bulk might give it trouble switching in, but is somewhat remedied by secondary steel typing and 4x Rocks resistance.
- Minor Point: Inner Focus might help against gay/gimmicky Fake out spammers like CB-Technician Ambipom, who do over 50% with Lucario @ -1 Def
- Example Moveset:
Lucario @ Life Orb/Lum Berry/Air Baloon
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
- Crunch/Bullet Punch
Keldeo
- Notable Moves: One trick Pony despite being premier OU threat.
- Surf, Hydro Pump, Secret Sword, Hidden Power[Insert_Coverage], Icy Wind
- Description:
- Best special attacking stat spread in the entire of OU
- Underrated as a QuickPass recipient, because lets be honest, it doesn't exactly need boosts to start wreaking shit.
- SmashPass might be an overkill compromising on his mediocre bulk, but lends very beautifully to QuiverPass, thanks to perfect mixed coverage off it's SpA stat.
- Lack of priority may lead to some problems in SmashPass, but in case of QuiverPass bulk is conserved and it resists most priorities making it a non-issue.
- Faces some serious coverage issues relying heavily on weak Hidden powers and on sub-par sweeping moves like Icy Wind.
- Absolute horror to face in the rain.
- Example Moveset:
NotUberYet (Keldeo) @ Life Orb/Expert Belt
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump/Surf
- Hidden Power [Ghost]/Hidden Power [Electric]
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
Azumarill and Medicham
- Notable Moves: Both posses shallow movesets and have little or no options beyond their usual Choice sets
- Azumarill - Waterfall, Aqua Jet, Ice Punch, Return, Double Edge, Superpower
- Medicham - Zen Headbutt, Psycho Cut, Hi Jump Kick, Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, Drain Punch, Bullet Punch
- Description(s):
- Both of these are usually very niche pokemon, and are outclassed by the above options, but SmashPass brings into focus their ABILITY which doubles their Atk stat, or in the case of a SmashPass boost of +2 effectively boosts their attack instantly to +6 turning them into 1 move BodyBaggers
- Sheer Attacking Power makes up for lackluster coverage that these two possess.
- Azumarill in particular mows through anything not called Jellicent, especially in the rain, even capable of OHKOing the Bulkiest Dnite out there through multiscale.
+2 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 72 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 576-678 (149.22 - 175.64%) -- guaranteed OHKO - Medicham can also Freely Spam HJK and Zen Headbutt outright KOing even resists with Thunder Punch/Ice Punch providing pseudo bolt-beam coverage.
- Also patches up the Speed stats of the said pokemon, which is usually their biggest drawback
- Lack of General bulk, especially on Medicham still an issue, though remedied by presence of powerful and usable priority moves on both their movepools making them harder to revenge.
- Example Moveset(s):
Azumarill @ Life Orb/Mystic Water
Trait: Huge Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch/Superpower
- Return/Double EdgeMedicham @ Life Orb/Black Belt
Trait: Pure Power
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)/
- Hi Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt/Psycho Cut
- Ice Punch
- ThunderPunch/Bullet Punch
- lol
--
--
[STYLES OF BATON PASS: 2) FULL BATON PASS]
[FULL BATON PASS: OVERVIEW]
- Stress how Unlike a 2-mon Quick Pass core, one has to dedicate the Entire team for this Playstyle.
- Based on racking up cumulative boosts.
- To mention how the increasing power creep over the generations has made this style increasingly harder to use consistently.
- How the increased amount of fast taunters/pranksters/phazers have reduced viability by a huge degree
- Still the be reckoned a dangerous style, with careful planning since it is hard/impossible to stop once it gets started.
Almost every Full Baton Pass team, without exception follows the following rigid team structure:
- Lead (+Spe Passer)
- Special Wall 1 (Perish Song counter/ +SpD Passer)
- Special Wall 2 (Lategame Cleaner/anti-phazer)
- Mixed Wall (High HP Substitutes/Wish Passer)
- Physical Wall (+Def Passer)
- Tank/Counter (Provide backup support to Lategame sweeper/ Extra Boosts)
- The objective of a Full Baton Pass chain is to use one Pokemon to set up another on your team.
- The most common use for Baton Pass is to build a chain of Pokemon to Baton Pass to each other. The boosts are cumulative; everything can be passed on forever as long as nothing breaks the chain by dying or switching out without the aid of Baton Pass.
- This culminates with finally passing all the boosts to a late-game cleaner, who then proceeds to finish off the opposition
Since, Full Baton pass sports such a rigid and inflexible structure, the number of viable Pokemon fitting in such a team are few and far in between. This list will attempt to list out the most common users you'll see 9/10 times on a Baton Pass chain.
NOTE: It is worth noting that some of these Pokemon with the specific movesets are simply irreplaceable. There are many other Pokemon who do the job better, but lack baton pass, or lack the specific moveset. MOST are a indispensable on the chain purely due to their unique niche. Any (seemingly) good alternative baton passers will be addressed at the end of this section.
NOTE 2: If the user wishes to get creative with alternative movesets some things he/she must keep in mind:
- you'll always want to keep Baton Pass (obviously), even if your final recipient.
- Substitute is vital to stop 2 things that hinder long Baton Pass chains the most: Status and Critical Hits (since they bypass any defense boosts)
1. THE LEAD
SUMMARY
Ninjask @ Mental Herb/Leftovers
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Protect
- Substitute
- Toxic/Flash/Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
- The Cornerstone of any Baton Pass chain.
- Guarantees +3 Spe boost. +3 an ideal number for the WHOLE TEAM to outspeed the entire tier including all Scarfed pokemon.
- With the right prediction you can Baton Pass with a substitute still up.
- Mental Herb preferred to ensure you can escape pranksters/fast taunters and get you substitute/chain started at any cost.
- Ev'd Speed to outspeed base 115+ Spe, and all scarfed Pokemon after +1. Rest dumped in bulk.
- Third moveslot Ideally utilized to ensure opposing Pokemon doesn't treat you as set-up bait.
2. THE ANTI-PHAZER/ANTI-STATUS (Special Wall)
SUMMARY
Espeon @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind/Substitute
- Stored Power
- HP Fighting/Morning Sun
- Baton Pass
- The only real reason Full Baton pass even works anymore in Gen 5. Magic Bounce.
- It's 3 jobs include stopping status/phazing, bouncing back hazards and cleaning late-game with Stored power
- The given EVs allow Espeon to act as a special wall
- Alternative Spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4SDef may be utilized to make espeon Physically bulky while using Calm Mind to Patch up Special Defense. This helps keep Whirlwind Skarmory at bay by tanking Brave Birds.
- Morning Sun as semi-reliable recovery should you choose to run it. Bonus against Drought teams. Increases longevity
3. THE PERISH SONG COUNTER (Special Wall)
SUMMARY
Mr. Mime @ Leftovers
Trait: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Barrier/Encore
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Sound Proof is it's only niche. The only way to block Perish Song.
- Also has the nice bonus of blocking Roar and checking Volcarona, (who otherwise destroys Baton Pass chains/kills Espeon) since it's immune to Bug Buzz. (can also cripple with Encore)
- Barrier provides an alternative way to stack defense boosts.
- Encore is surprisingly annoying, traps Pokemon in moves like Roar allowing you to grab more boosts.
4. THE STEEL TYPE (Physical Wall)
SUMMARY
Scizor @ Leftovers
Trait: Light Metal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Roost
- Iron Defense
- Substitute/Bullet Punch(w/ Technician)
- Baton Pass
- Team's only line of Defense v/s early game DragonSpam
- Tanks Physical hits extremely well,, especially after Iron Defense boost
- Only member of the Baton Pass team capable of Reliably tanking powerful Dragon Tails without Breaking Sub
- Bullet punch is an Optional moveset option with Technician Allowing it to beat troublesome Pokemon like Ttar and Kyu-B who give massive problems to Espeon and Baton Pass teams respectively.
- It's the only Normal-resisting Baton Passer(!), except Mawile (lol)
- Usually the slowest member of a standard Baton Pass chain and the only one getting outsped @+3 by Scarf Latios and SunSaur, hence needs max bulk and be behind a Sub.
- SpDef boosts appreciated to tank Draco Meteors
5. THE MIX WALL
SUMMARY
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 244 HP / 136 Def / 128 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Acid Armor/Aqua Ring
- Substitute
- Surf/Scald/Wish/Roar
- Baton Pass
- Perfect Defensive synergy with Scizor and Mr. Mime.
- Water Absorb allows it to Deal with Rain Spam
- Only viable and consistent WishPasser for Baton Pass teams.
- The given EVs allow it to act as a durable mixed wall.
- 244 HP enables Vaporeon to make the 101 HP Substitutes without being weak to entry hazards.
- 136 Def w/ Bold hits a jump point where Ferrothorn cannot break it's subs @ +4 Def
- Scald/Roar really good for shitting on set-up. Scald/Surf also a viable attacking move which becomes really powerful after a few SpA boosts
- Aqua Ring for Additional Recovery which can be Baton Passed.
6. THE TANK (Backup Cleaner)
SUMMARY
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Stored Power/Heal Bell/Yawn
- Baton Pass
- Covers common weaknesses Plaguing Baton Pass teams. Especially Psychic types.
- Backup Sweeper.
- Only viable Cleric for Baton Pass chains
- EVs maximize mix bulk and SpA
- Acts as backup Sweeper and general checks to Mons like Tyranitar who give a hard time to Espeon
- Yawn useful for phazing
[FULL BATON PASS: OTHER VIABLE USERS]
Venomoth
PROS
- Wonder Skin provides an interesting niche of avoiding Status moves
- Sleep Powder a very good support move to stop HO teams
- Quiver Dance Speeds up the Boost Racking Process.
- Compounds common weaknesses that BP teams face
Smeargle
PROS
- ONLY BATON PASSER WITH ACCESS TO INGRAIN: This basically is the only foolproof way of countering Dragon Tail, making it an extremely valuable niche
- Also allows you conserve Espeon since you no longer need to predict Phazing moves.
- Widest Movepool allowing you access to any boosting move of choice.
- Mediocre Bulk, frail even after defense boosts.
- Requires Extensive team support for Niche already covered between Mr. Mime and Espeon, hence superfluous.
Zapdos
PROS
- Agility Passer with some offensive presence (unlike Ninjask)
- Can work as a reliable Tank with Pressure+Roost
- Cannot grab speed boosts with same consistency as Ninjask. Can only usually get +2, opposed to Ninjask's +3
- Falls to fast strong (anti)leads like Sash Terrakion.
The above listed Pokemon while the most viable aren't certainly the only ones capable of running a Baton Pass chain. There are a LOT of other possibilities, but their roles are usually redundant or utterly outclassed by the above listed pokemon, a brief description of the Pokemon with their drawbacks are listed, they may find extreme niche usage on some teams based on make-up and needs of the builder.
Celebi:
Calm Mind as a special wall cannot replace either Mr. Mime or Espeon’s abilities. It's typing compounds weaknesses with Espeon and Mr. Mime.
---
Gliscor:
Only being able to Baton Pass speed, attack and a single defense (+1 instead of +2) makes it less useful than Ninjask or Scizor. Only considerable niche being Taunt. Ground/Flying type with High Defenses also provides some nice resistances.
---
Togekiss:
Usually Outclassed by Umbreon. Lack of Defense boosting moves hurts it badly. It could be viable, but it’s less bulky and typing isn't quite as good.
---
Jolteon:
Too frail. Dies too easily even with +6 defenses. Undesirable for any sustainable chain.
---
Ambipom:
Check <Zapdos>
---
Mienshao:
Calm Mind usage is outclassed by Mr. Mime and Espeon and is frailer in General. Physical set has some merit but has a hard time boosting.
---
Gorebyss/Huntail:
Shell Smash with White Herb sounds amazing on paper but works poorly in practice since you only get a single shot at pulling it off. One failure and they become a liability to the entire chain.
---
Scyther:
Redundant Boosting roles with mainstays of the chain. Crippling Rocks weakness doesn't help
---
Drifblim:
Poor typing and overlapping weaknesses, since Mr. Mime and Espeon are virtually required and another Pokemon weak to the same type attacks isn't good. General lack of proper bulk is also disappointing.
[COUNTERS TO BATON PASS STRATEGIES]
[PRANKSTERS]
- Bitch to deal with, Especially Sableye
- A good player can nearly always shut down Full Baton pass chains with it and also halt QuickPass strategies with ease
- Quick Pass teams will have to ensure they are weakened/eliminated before attempting a sweep, alternatively Smeargle can also play mind games with Magic Coat, preferably crippling them or predicting their switch in and taking them out with Spore. Venomoth can also Sleep Powder them, banking on Wonder Skin for Hax.
- Baton Pass chains will have to ensure that Espeon remains and healthy and switch in on predicted Taunt/W-o-W. Watch out for Foul Play from Sableye and Hurricane/U-Turn from Tornadus though.
[Perish Song/Phazers]
- Quick Pass teams need to respond with Ovewhelming offense, use Passers (Smeargle/Venomoth) to cripple them with Sleep/Para
- With Espeon and Mr. Mime Alive Full Baton Pass teams have little to fear given they predict correctly
- Full Baton Pass teams have to ensure Substitute is up to Avoid being Phazed by D-Tail. Use Scizor to tank them.
- Ingrain, if pulled off makes phazing a non-issue
[SCARF DITTO]
- Ultimate Nemesis of Boosting Pokemon
- Scarf Ditto is just plain out Annoying, can come in on Death and revenge entire team given proper coverage move.
- Quick Pass teams need to prey on it's low HP stat and quickly eliminate it using rest of their team for this purpose
- Full Pass teams only need to be concerned if they somehow copy their lategame sweeper with boosts.
- this can be easily avoided if they manage to keep substitute up.
[HAZE/CLEAR SMOG]
- Not a big concern for Quick Pass but can bring Baton Pass chains to it's knees.
- Haze can genuinely ruin your chain, and you'll almost never see it coming since no Pokemon usually run it as a standard moveset option. (I've only seen it one at the bottom of PS! ladder)
Once spotted though keep Dry-passing (passing without boosting) among chain members until you catch the user off guard and eliminate it. They are usually poison types, so Espeon can make short work of it w/ Stored power. - Clear Smog is much more common but the only Pokemon you'll ever see it with is Amoonguss. Just keep your sub up and get some boosts and nothing to worry about. Scizor is immune to it and Espeon can kill Amoonguss with minimal boosts.
[UNAWARE]
- Sounds Crippling on Paper but usually not such a big issue in battles
- The main user is Quagsire, with Quick pass your best bet is Taking it out with your Specially based Coverage move/STAB. Thundurus-T will will grass knot it to death. Purely Physical receivers may be in a bit of a bind though.
- Full Pass teams also need not Worry, while you won't be getting boosts accounted for, Stored Power doesn't get affected due to Unaware, you can exploit it's ridiculous base power after few moves, coupled with Quagsire's poor SpD to quickly dispatch him.
[HYPER OFFENSE/SET-UP]
- A good Example, (lol treecko)
- Only a threat for Full Baton Pass teams.
- Needs to be Anticipated an dealt with at the earliest, instead of making the mistake of engaging in a Boosting War.
- Try to prioritize grabbing defense boosts, if you spot a set-up sweeper in Team Preview.
- Try to utilize the good defensive synergy of you chain to tank out hits, and phaze/kill at the first opportunity, with Stored Power spam.
- Well fuck. Utterly gay and you'll never see it coming.
- Best bet is somehow trigger it off early in the match thus saving you chain from long term damage, but don't ask me how to tell if the forretress has one.
CONCLUDES THIS GUIDE
CREDITS:
- BW1 OU Baton pass guide by undisputed and Hyperbeem (incomplete) for article structure
- Gen 3 Baton pass guide by Mekkah, darkie and David Stone for information regarding fundamental boost chaining
- DPP Baton Pass guide by maddog, fuzznip and Komodo for some unconventional threat lists.
- 'Baton Pass My A$$' RMT by user HipHipHooray. This was the team I used to test chain baton pass sets, and test alternative variations with.