“You have to pass the baton. Everyone takes a turn and chips in. That's what great teams do.”
Orlando Hudson
Orlando Hudson
Introduction:
Hello users of Smogon, Zoap here with my 2nd RMT for OU. After my initial Sandstorm RMT for OU didn't get much input I pretty much gave up on the tier for a good six months, but now I'm back and having the most fun I've had in OU in a long time. I've always enjoyed the gimmickyness of Baton Pass teams and as the quote states above, everyone has to be a part of the team for them to truly succeed. With that said lets get to the forming of the team.
Forming the Team:
First off EVERY Baton Pass team needs the love able bug, who with the proper support can pass Sword Dances, Subs and the all important Speed Boosts. Ninjask the Baton Pass King.
Hello users of Smogon, Zoap here with my 2nd RMT for OU. After my initial Sandstorm RMT for OU didn't get much input I pretty much gave up on the tier for a good six months, but now I'm back and having the most fun I've had in OU in a long time. I've always enjoyed the gimmickyness of Baton Pass teams and as the quote states above, everyone has to be a part of the team for them to truly succeed. With that said lets get to the forming of the team.
Forming the Team:
First off EVERY Baton Pass team needs the love able bug, who with the proper support can pass Sword Dances, Subs and the all important Speed Boosts. Ninjask the Baton Pass King.
Next I knew in order to be successful that I would have to be able to pass these speed boosts and SD's to someone of great power. The answer came in the form of Metagross.
After playing around with Ninjask in the lead position I knew I didn't like it. It was usually(if I was lucky) a one and done deal. So I decided to go with a different approach and use a lead that not only can stop rocks nearly 100% of the time but also get his own rocks up at the same time. Welcome Aerodactyl.
So with no rocks on the field and rocks of my own all I needed was to clear the way of Metagross's counters and hopefully complete my +2 Spe and +2 Att pass. Right off the bat I noticed that whenever I switched in Ninjask the usual counters included either a Skarmory(with Whirlwind), the ever popular Choice Band Scizor or a Taunt Gyrados. I knew immediately who would be my Knight in shinning armor. Magnezone time to trap these pesky steels.
After some thought, I knew that even if everything went well that I could still fail to get off a successful Baton Pass. With this is mind I opened my 5th spot to a Physical Sweeper who if the pass failed could still put gaping holes in the opponents team. Welcome the Water Dragon(no not Kingdra) Gyarados!
The last spot has belonged to several Pokemon. Originally it was Salamence before he got moved to Ubers as with Metagross he resisted all of the weaknesses and was a great BP receiver. After Mence left I tried everything from Dragonite to Lucario, but it wasn't until I started having Swampert problems that I arrived at my last Pokemon. The guaranteed sleeper Breloom.
Team at a Glance
The Lead
Aerodactyl
Item:Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-4 Def-252 Spe
Moveset:
Stealth Rock
Taunt
Earthquake
Rock Slide
First and foremost my lead keeps the rocks off the field. Ninjask does not like losing 50% of its HP so Taunt is usually my first move Vs any SR able Pokemon. After that it's very dependent on which lead or anti lead I'm facing but generally I throw down my own rocks. Run the standard Quake/Slide combo that hits most everything for at least neutral damage. The EV's are standard as well with the +Spe nature and 4 in Def rather than HP.
Vs. Common Leads:
Azelf- This one can cause some issues if it's scarfed but generally allows me to prevent rocks and get up rocks of my own.
Bronzong- Taunt and lay rocks and then if I die or they do something stupid(SR on my Taunt and Gyro Ball on my SR) switch to Magnezone for the trap.
Gyrados- Most are taunt leads so I go for my own Taunt and then set up Rocks. If I get lucky I can fire off a Rock Slide for some damage.
Heatran: Taunt to prevent rocks then go for EQ. If they switch after the taunt then I know to save my Aero for later.
Metagross:Taunt and die to Meteor Mash/Ice Punch+Bullet Punch.
Dragonite:Tend to go directly for my Rocks but if I'm feeling dangerous I go for the Rock Slide flinch.
Mamoswine: Rare but taunt just in case they want to lay rocks. Most of the time I taunt and die to Ice Shard.
Machamp: Setup Rocks and then EQ for some damage if for some reason they don't carry Bullet Punch or they get a bit frisky with their predictions(Payback predicting my Ghost switch in).
The Loosener
Gyarados
Item:Leftovers
Nature:Jolly
EV's: 84 HP-16-Att-104 Def-248 Spe-56 SpD
Moveset:
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Although Gyarados's job is to create holes in the opposing team, I wanted him to be semi-bulky at the same time. Hence my odd spread, so I'll start with the notables, 84 HP EV's gives me 352 which returns a nice 22 hp from leftovers, 16 Attack gives me 290 which after a DD becomes 435(580 if I get a SD from Ninjask), 104 Defense gives me 220 which coupled with 352 HP and Intimidate means I take less than 20% from Choice Banded Scizor Bullet Punch. The 248 Speed EV's coupled with Jolly ensure I outpace all Positive Base 80 Pokemon and lastly the 56 SpD EV's give me 250 SpD which with the 352 HP means that I can survive a +1 Crocune HP Electric(if SR is not present). The set is standard DD Gyra with the QuakeEdge combo and the STAB Waterfall. I'm open to suggestions on EV spreads or if you think someone else can do this job better.
The Bully
Breloom
Item:Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-4 Def-252 Spe
Moveset:
Spore
Seed Bomb
Stone Edge
Superpower
Breloom has filled a niche in my team that is very unique. First and foremost she gives me an answer to Swampert. She also gives me a great way to get a "free" switch into Ninjask via Spore. The set focuses on speed more than power hence the Jolly nature. The moveset allows me to receives passes from Ninjask if need be and not be walled but things like Rotom forms and Zapdos. As an added note Toxic Orb + Poison Heal is amazing for recovery.
Aerodactyl
Item:Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-4 Def-252 Spe
Moveset:
Stealth Rock
Taunt
Earthquake
Rock Slide
First and foremost my lead keeps the rocks off the field. Ninjask does not like losing 50% of its HP so Taunt is usually my first move Vs any SR able Pokemon. After that it's very dependent on which lead or anti lead I'm facing but generally I throw down my own rocks. Run the standard Quake/Slide combo that hits most everything for at least neutral damage. The EV's are standard as well with the +Spe nature and 4 in Def rather than HP.
Vs. Common Leads:
Azelf- This one can cause some issues if it's scarfed but generally allows me to prevent rocks and get up rocks of my own.
Bronzong- Taunt and lay rocks and then if I die or they do something stupid(SR on my Taunt and Gyro Ball on my SR) switch to Magnezone for the trap.
Gyrados- Most are taunt leads so I go for my own Taunt and then set up Rocks. If I get lucky I can fire off a Rock Slide for some damage.
Heatran: Taunt to prevent rocks then go for EQ. If they switch after the taunt then I know to save my Aero for later.
Metagross:Taunt and die to Meteor Mash/Ice Punch+Bullet Punch.
Dragonite:Tend to go directly for my Rocks but if I'm feeling dangerous I go for the Rock Slide flinch.
Mamoswine: Rare but taunt just in case they want to lay rocks. Most of the time I taunt and die to Ice Shard.
Machamp: Setup Rocks and then EQ for some damage if for some reason they don't carry Bullet Punch or they get a bit frisky with their predictions(Payback predicting my Ghost switch in).
The Loosener
Gyarados
Item:Leftovers
Nature:Jolly
EV's: 84 HP-16-Att-104 Def-248 Spe-56 SpD
Moveset:
Dragon Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Earthquake
Although Gyarados's job is to create holes in the opposing team, I wanted him to be semi-bulky at the same time. Hence my odd spread, so I'll start with the notables, 84 HP EV's gives me 352 which returns a nice 22 hp from leftovers, 16 Attack gives me 290 which after a DD becomes 435(580 if I get a SD from Ninjask), 104 Defense gives me 220 which coupled with 352 HP and Intimidate means I take less than 20% from Choice Banded Scizor Bullet Punch. The 248 Speed EV's coupled with Jolly ensure I outpace all Positive Base 80 Pokemon and lastly the 56 SpD EV's give me 250 SpD which with the 352 HP means that I can survive a +1 Crocune HP Electric(if SR is not present). The set is standard DD Gyra with the QuakeEdge combo and the STAB Waterfall. I'm open to suggestions on EV spreads or if you think someone else can do this job better.
The Bully
Breloom
Item:Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-4 Def-252 Spe
Moveset:
Spore
Seed Bomb
Stone Edge
Superpower
The Star of the Show
Ninjask
Item:Leftovers
Nature:Jolly
EV's:232 HP-164 Def-96 Spe-16 SpD
Moveset:
Protect
Baton Pass
Substitute
Swords Dance
I went with the Protect over attack set and the EV's are my own personal set. 232 HP EV give Ninjask an odd amount of HP while only going one point over the last achievable leftovers number, coupled with the 164 Defense this means that if at 100% that Ninjask can survive a Choice Banded Scizor Bullet Punch.The 96 Spe makes sure that you outpace Electrode and the rest gets dumped into SpD. I tend to Protect unless my opponent is asleep or locked into something like Fire Blast/Stone Edge. When I see what they want to bring in on me I switch accordingly or start to SD up for the pass.
The Receiver
Metagross
Item:Life Orb
Nature:Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-60 Def-196Spe
Meteor Mash
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Earthquake
I'll start by saying do you know how hard it is to find a cute picture of Metagross?! This is part two of my dynamic duo, and the set was simple. I remember running an AgilGross set once and having to choose what I wanted to be walled by. So with that I eliminated the decision and here is the ultimate sweeper. With both Tpunch and Ice Punch Gross no longer has to worry about which one duo do I want to hit,the Skarm/Gyra or the Gliscor/Flygon. Even if he only receives speed boosts this thing is a beast allowing my team to just have to clean up once its rampage is over. The EV's are simple, 252 Attack that if I get a SD I reach 738 Attack, 196 Speed + Jolly means that if I'm passed 2 speed boosts I outspeed +100 Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon(Flygon) who think they can revenge me, the rest is dumped into his impressive defense.
The Reliever
Magnezone
Item:Life Orb/Choice Scarf
Nature: Naive
EV's: 4 HP-252 SpA-252 Spe
Moveset:
Thunderbolt
Signal Beam
Hp Ground
Explosion
His job is simple, get rid of all the annoying things that can cause a problem to Ninjask. This includes but is not limited to Taunt Gyra, Choice Banded Scizor, Skarmory and Forteressat. I originally was using Life Orb as I figured I would be receiving Speed Boosts from Ninjask and that a Scarf wouldn't be needed, but lately I've found that I don't get the pass off and Magnezone is too slow to counter what he should be countering. EV's are max SpA and Speed with Naive for as much power as possible. I chose to run HP Ground over Grass and Fire because Tbolt does enough to Scizor and Forteress, while explosion can be used for the bulky grounds like Hippowdon and Swampert. Hp Ground is a good way to hit other Zones along with non scarfed Heatran and Apes. Signal Beam is mainly for Tyranitar and Celebi. Explosion so that Blissey doesn't completely wall me.
Ninjask
Item:Leftovers
Nature:Jolly
EV's:232 HP-164 Def-96 Spe-16 SpD
Moveset:
Protect
Baton Pass
Substitute
Swords Dance
I went with the Protect over attack set and the EV's are my own personal set. 232 HP EV give Ninjask an odd amount of HP while only going one point over the last achievable leftovers number, coupled with the 164 Defense this means that if at 100% that Ninjask can survive a Choice Banded Scizor Bullet Punch.The 96 Spe makes sure that you outpace Electrode and the rest gets dumped into SpD. I tend to Protect unless my opponent is asleep or locked into something like Fire Blast/Stone Edge. When I see what they want to bring in on me I switch accordingly or start to SD up for the pass.
The Receiver
Metagross
Item:Life Orb
Nature:Jolly
EV's: 252 Att-60 Def-196Spe
Meteor Mash
Ice Punch
Thunder Punch
Earthquake
I'll start by saying do you know how hard it is to find a cute picture of Metagross?! This is part two of my dynamic duo, and the set was simple. I remember running an AgilGross set once and having to choose what I wanted to be walled by. So with that I eliminated the decision and here is the ultimate sweeper. With both Tpunch and Ice Punch Gross no longer has to worry about which one duo do I want to hit,the Skarm/Gyra or the Gliscor/Flygon. Even if he only receives speed boosts this thing is a beast allowing my team to just have to clean up once its rampage is over. The EV's are simple, 252 Attack that if I get a SD I reach 738 Attack, 196 Speed + Jolly means that if I'm passed 2 speed boosts I outspeed +100 Speed Choice Scarf Pokemon(Flygon) who think they can revenge me, the rest is dumped into his impressive defense.
The Reliever
Magnezone
Item:Life Orb/Choice Scarf
Nature: Naive
EV's: 4 HP-252 SpA-252 Spe
Moveset:
Thunderbolt
Signal Beam
Hp Ground
Explosion
His job is simple, get rid of all the annoying things that can cause a problem to Ninjask. This includes but is not limited to Taunt Gyra, Choice Banded Scizor, Skarmory and Forteressat. I originally was using Life Orb as I figured I would be receiving Speed Boosts from Ninjask and that a Scarf wouldn't be needed, but lately I've found that I don't get the pass off and Magnezone is too slow to counter what he should be countering. EV's are max SpA and Speed with Naive for as much power as possible. I chose to run HP Ground over Grass and Fire because Tbolt does enough to Scizor and Forteress, while explosion can be used for the bulky grounds like Hippowdon and Swampert. Hp Ground is a good way to hit other Zones along with non scarfed Heatran and Apes. Signal Beam is mainly for Tyranitar and Celebi. Explosion so that Blissey doesn't completely wall me.
So that's my team please Rate,Comment, Critique etc.
Threat List coming soon!!
All pictures are from Arkeis.com and Bulbapedia
Threat List coming soon!!
All pictures are from Arkeis.com and Bulbapedia
