Let me first begin with a brief history. With each generation, I strive to find the perfect team. In DPP, I created a team that went 114-0 before losing. Last generation, I held the top 3 spots on the OU ladder at the same time, and decided to quit playing Pokemon for what I thought would be forever. Well, I came back for X and Y and let me tell you, it is tough. There have never been so many threats, never so many wild options to choose from. Game Freak has inadvertently evened the metagame by introducing even more Pokemon, and some Pokemon that were obsolete in he past have re-emerged as serious contenders. Before building this team, I had previously toyed with over a dozen other successful teams. Finally, I remembered one of the reasons my old tutor, imperfectluck, was so good: he had a killer Baton Pass team. While the premise of Baton Pass has remained unchanged, the way it's played is certainly different. Without further ado, let me present the final, undefeated variation of my Baton Pass team.
Scolipede
248 HP / 244 Sp Def / 16 Spe
Careful, Speed Boost
~Substitute
~Protect
~Iron Defense
~Baton Pass
This is what I typically lead with, though I try not to show it. The premise here is to get the ball rolling. When invested in properly, Scolipede is surprisingly bulky. Depending on the opposing Pokemon, I will use any of my first three moves. For example, against Genesect I will Protect, Iron Defense (and take about 63% from Flamethrower, not bad, not bad), Protect again, then Baton Pass out of there. Against something like Mamoswine, I use Iron Defense right away. When I'm sure the opponent wants to set up hazards, I will either accept it and use Substitute, or immediately Baton Pass to Espeon. The true trick to using this is to know when not to lead with it, like whenever the opponent has Talonflame.
Vaporeon
192 HP / 252 Def / 64 Sp Def
Bold, Water Absorb
~Substitute
~Acid Armor
~Roar
~Baton Pass
Whenever I see Talonflame, I lead with this, because they always expect me to lead with Scolipede. Fearing retribution, they almost always U-Turn out, allowing me to set up a sub or an easy Acid Armor. Regardless of what Pokemon I'm up against, Vaporeon's job is mainly to tank NVE hits or to Roar out opposing threats, namely other Pokemon trying to set up. I did play around with Wish for a little bit, but realized that it really wasn't necessary and that Roar is an absolute must. While most of my Defense boosting comes from Scolipede early in the game, it never hurts to have a back up, and Vaporeon performs admirably.
Lopunny
248 HP / 224 Def / 36 Sp Def
Careful, Cute Charm
~Substitute
~Cosmic Power
~Circle Throw/Encore
~Baton Pass
This used to be a Celebi, but I was finding it extremely difficult to handle Gengar, so this was the perfect solution. Lopunny is a great addition to this team, and while I don't often go to her, she can be my go-to gal when things get sticky. Cosmic Power is a pretty cool move, and while not as immediately useful as other boosting moves, it really helps if when considering that I'll probably need both Defense and Special Defense boosted in the long run. Speaking of cool moves, Circle Throw is awesome. When Vaporeon is in danger, or if I mess up and get Taunted, Circle Throw allows me to get rid of the threat and not have to fear losing my Baton Pass Chain. Encore is also extremely useful, but as I've already got it on Mr. Mime, I found Circle Throw to provide more utility.
Mr. Mime
248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Sp Def
Calm, Soundproof
~Substitute
~Calm Mind
~Encore
~Baton Pass
You cannot build a Baton Pass team without Mr. Mime. Period. This guy is just so damn important. Soundproof lets me evade sound based moves such as Roar and Perish Song, which could really put an end to my run. As you may have noticed, with all of my other Pokemon I tried to make equalize Defense and Special Defense in the assumption that I'll have the stat boosts to take whatever hit thrown at me. This is not the case with Mr. Mime, mainly because there can be some devastating Special Attackers and I don't want to risk using Espeon to take the hit and set up Calm Mind. I touched on it briefly with Lopunny, but Encore is extraordinarily useful. I often pass to Mr. Mime just to Encore a NVE or set up move, set up myself, and/or pass to Vaporeon to Roar, depending on the situation. Never underestimate Mr. Mime's bag of tricks because it can Taunt, too.
Espeon
248 HP / 232 Def / 32 Spe
Bold, Magic Bounce
~Substitute
~Calm Mind
~Stored Power
~Baton Pass
Ultimately, this is what I would like to sweep with. Stored Power gets very dangerous very quickly. If you think Unaware is going to help stop this thing, you though wrong. I rarely use Calm Mind unless the situation calls for it, but I keep it there all the same. It's becomes useful in certain match-ups, for instance, against Heatran. Besides Stored Power, the main reason to use this is Magic Bounce, which is down-right incredible, especially when you've got a team like this to back it up. As long as I've got at least +2 Defense, I usually feel pretty secure about switching this in to bounce back hazards, Taunts, etc, as I'm pretty good at prediction. However, this set can be dead weight against Dark type Pokemon, so I need another attacker than can do the job and get it done right, which is where Mawile comes in.
Mawile
248 HP / 28 Def / 232 Sp Def
Careful, Intimidate
~Taunt
~Swords Dance
~Play Rough
~Baton Pass
Oh boy. This thing got scary this generation. With the highest unboosted Attack in the game, this is nothing to scoff at, even before a Swords Dance. Often times I never have to resort to Mawile on offense, though I do pass to it for the Intimidate effect, which is why I rarely Mega-Evolve it until I'm absolutely sure I need to. While Swords Dance only benefits Mawile (and to some extent Espeon), I keep it on because there are sometimes when extra power is needed. Play Rough provides excellent coverage, so I don't really need another attack. Taunt is great because I can stop non-damaging moves before they pose a risk. The only thing that Mawile really wishes it had was Substitude. This is my only Pokemon in danger of taking a Critical hit, but like I said, it doesn't have to come out often. Most of the hits it takes are NVE anyway. Previously, this used to be Mega Scizor, but since switching to Mawile I've been much more impressed and my record has been even better.
I've played with this team long enough to perfect the kinks, but if you have any suggestions or alternate variations, please let me know! Also, feel free to give it a try and use this on the ladder. My primary intent for writing this was not to obtain help, but to share it with the community. If you've got the predictive skills, I'm sure you will rise high with this in no time.
