I recently decided to start running a Baton Pass team. In the past, Baton Pass had to deal with threats such as Taunt, Encore, and Phasing. 5th gen hurt Baton Pass even more with Prankster and Dragon Tail/Circle Throw. Thankfully, it also came with a boon in Magic Bounce to counter it and other statuses and the ridiculous Stored Power all in one Pokemon.
Ninjask@ Focus Sash
Bold
Speed Boost
248 HP/228 Def/24 Speed
Protect
Substitute
Baton Pass
X-Scissor
All but guaranteed to pass at least 1 speed boost, if not 6. Enough speed EVs to outrun base 115s before a Speed Boost and the rest into making Ninjask as physically bulky as possible. X-Scissor for Prankster Whimsicott.
Smeargle@ Leftovers
Jolly
Own Tempo
252 HP/252 Speed/4 Def
Spore
Ingrain
Substitute
Baton Pass
The standard, almost required, BP Chain Smeargle. I hardly ever have to resort to him due to the speed of the chain combined with Magic Bounce and Soundproof, but he's great for getting off a clutch Spore. Thinking of replacing Ingrain with a phasing move to stop other set-up Pokemon since it sees so little use.
Vaporeon@ Leftovers
Calm
Water Absorb
252 HP/252 Sp. Def/4 Def
Ice Beam
Acid Armor
Wish
Baton Pass
Vaporeon does so much for this team in stopping most DDers (bar Taunt Gyrados) cold, as well as dealing with Sun teams rather well. The EVs are to maximize the healing with Wish on my other Pokemon and make him as specially defensive as possible since he'll get off and Acid Armor first thanks to Ninjask. Ice Beam over Surf since it's his job to shut down the likes of Dragonite, Salamence, Haxorus, and even Landorus (who would destroy this team with Prankster Taunt). Acid Armor is crucial for protecting Espeon against the inevitable priority moves and that would try to end its sweep as all but the rare Vacuum Wave are physical, as well as protecting against the physical moves of sturdy Pokemon.
Mr. Mime@ Leftovers
Calm
Soundproof
252 HP/156 Sp. Def/100 Speed
Substitute
Calm Mind
Baton Pass
Psychic
Mr. Mime has been a staple in Baton Pass Chains for his ability to block Roar and Perish Song, so here he is. I'm maximizing special bulkiness while running enough speed to outrun max speed Starmie at +1. I don't usually set up too many Calm Minds with him seeing as I'm running CM on Espeon too and Espeon actually doesn't need that many to sweep. Substitute is there for its ability to let it set up more CMs or block Dragon Tail/Circle Throw.
Gliscor@ Leftovers
Impish
Sand Veil
252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp. Def
Earthquake
Taunt
Roost
Baton Pass
Gliscor is here to deal with threats such as SD Lucario, Charge Beamers, and CM Jirachi as well as provide necessary physical bulk for the team. Honestly, I'm not sure how useful he is and suggestions for replacements would be welcome. Taunt is always nice for a BP Chain too.
Espeon@ Leftovers
Modest
Magic Bounce
252 HP/252 Sp. Atk/4 Def
Baton Pass
Calm Mind
Stored Power
Hidden Power Fighting
The star of the show. It really only needs a few CM's (either from Mr. Mime or itself) to sweep teams as Stored Power is boosted by my Defensive and Speed boosts too. Magic Bounce is a ridiculous ability for my team as it allows for me never to fear statuses and can even reflect back Taunts, Encores, and entry hazards. Baton Pass is there so that I can get in Espeon if Magic Bounce is needed earlier, while Calm Mind is there because Mr. Mime can't always get up enough Calm Minds for it to beat threats such as Blissey or Specially Defensive Tyranitar. I realize that this is walled by Sabeleye and Spiritomb, but how many people honestly run them in OU? In any case, I can go back to Vaporeon to finish them off since I do have Baton Pass. Not too sure on the EV spread and nature here, but I've yet to see problems.
In most of the games I've played, I only use Ninjask, Vaporeon, Mr. Mime and Espeon, so I'm looking for possible upgrades for Smeargle and Gliscor that I might've missed while building this team. So far, I've only lost to unpredicted priority on Ninjask, Crits, and Haze. CM/Dark Pulse/Rest/Sleep Talk Spiritomb and Prankster Sabeleye are problems for obvious reasons, but they are so uncommon I'm not too worried about them and they may not even be worth countering.
Ninjask@ Focus Sash
Bold
Speed Boost
248 HP/228 Def/24 Speed
Protect
Substitute
Baton Pass
X-Scissor
All but guaranteed to pass at least 1 speed boost, if not 6. Enough speed EVs to outrun base 115s before a Speed Boost and the rest into making Ninjask as physically bulky as possible. X-Scissor for Prankster Whimsicott.
Smeargle@ Leftovers
Jolly
Own Tempo
252 HP/252 Speed/4 Def
Spore
Ingrain
Substitute
Baton Pass
The standard, almost required, BP Chain Smeargle. I hardly ever have to resort to him due to the speed of the chain combined with Magic Bounce and Soundproof, but he's great for getting off a clutch Spore. Thinking of replacing Ingrain with a phasing move to stop other set-up Pokemon since it sees so little use.
Vaporeon@ Leftovers
Calm
Water Absorb
252 HP/252 Sp. Def/4 Def
Ice Beam
Acid Armor
Wish
Baton Pass
Vaporeon does so much for this team in stopping most DDers (bar Taunt Gyrados) cold, as well as dealing with Sun teams rather well. The EVs are to maximize the healing with Wish on my other Pokemon and make him as specially defensive as possible since he'll get off and Acid Armor first thanks to Ninjask. Ice Beam over Surf since it's his job to shut down the likes of Dragonite, Salamence, Haxorus, and even Landorus (who would destroy this team with Prankster Taunt). Acid Armor is crucial for protecting Espeon against the inevitable priority moves and that would try to end its sweep as all but the rare Vacuum Wave are physical, as well as protecting against the physical moves of sturdy Pokemon.
Mr. Mime@ Leftovers
Calm
Soundproof
252 HP/156 Sp. Def/100 Speed
Substitute
Calm Mind
Baton Pass
Psychic
Mr. Mime has been a staple in Baton Pass Chains for his ability to block Roar and Perish Song, so here he is. I'm maximizing special bulkiness while running enough speed to outrun max speed Starmie at +1. I don't usually set up too many Calm Minds with him seeing as I'm running CM on Espeon too and Espeon actually doesn't need that many to sweep. Substitute is there for its ability to let it set up more CMs or block Dragon Tail/Circle Throw.
Gliscor@ Leftovers
Impish
Sand Veil
252 HP/252 Def/4 Sp. Def
Earthquake
Taunt
Roost
Baton Pass
Gliscor is here to deal with threats such as SD Lucario, Charge Beamers, and CM Jirachi as well as provide necessary physical bulk for the team. Honestly, I'm not sure how useful he is and suggestions for replacements would be welcome. Taunt is always nice for a BP Chain too.
Espeon@ Leftovers
Modest
Magic Bounce
252 HP/252 Sp. Atk/4 Def
Baton Pass
Calm Mind
Stored Power
Hidden Power Fighting
The star of the show. It really only needs a few CM's (either from Mr. Mime or itself) to sweep teams as Stored Power is boosted by my Defensive and Speed boosts too. Magic Bounce is a ridiculous ability for my team as it allows for me never to fear statuses and can even reflect back Taunts, Encores, and entry hazards. Baton Pass is there so that I can get in Espeon if Magic Bounce is needed earlier, while Calm Mind is there because Mr. Mime can't always get up enough Calm Minds for it to beat threats such as Blissey or Specially Defensive Tyranitar. I realize that this is walled by Sabeleye and Spiritomb, but how many people honestly run them in OU? In any case, I can go back to Vaporeon to finish them off since I do have Baton Pass. Not too sure on the EV spread and nature here, but I've yet to see problems.
In most of the games I've played, I only use Ninjask, Vaporeon, Mr. Mime and Espeon, so I'm looking for possible upgrades for Smeargle and Gliscor that I might've missed while building this team. So far, I've only lost to unpredicted priority on Ninjask, Crits, and Haze. CM/Dark Pulse/Rest/Sleep Talk Spiritomb and Prankster Sabeleye are problems for obvious reasons, but they are so uncommon I'm not too worried about them and they may not even be worth countering.
