My issue with fullpass, (and yes I say fullpass, not baton pass as a whole) has never been that it is "broken" or whatever people like to call it. I believe the issue with it remaining in the metagame is what it requires you to do in regards to teambuilding. Certain threats like Ninjask and Umbreon require you to carry alongside a fazer to have any chance of breaking the chain to come. Many a time have I wanted to test out new, exciting offense teams on ladder, only to remember in the last few second before searching for a battle, that they are totally useless versus baton pass.
Ninjask: This mon can quite often be seen leading teams on low ladder I've I have ever seen a more stress-inducing, contemptible beast, I am having issues recalling it. This is the main reason I feel somewhat forced to bring a fazing move on ladder, near 100% of the time. With almost all sets running both substitute and protect, you are forced to either spam roar, or spam an accurate attack move. In the past, the players who ran these teams were forced to click "X" on the first sight of a skarmory. However, the novices that do wield these pests, have now realised that it makes an excellent bedfellow of magneton. When paired with the likes of Mr.Mime, these guys really can make you ask yourself why you decided to press the
button in the first place.
I rarely find myself sticking roar onto my offensively oriented teams. It seems farcical to stick a move that slows down the pace of the game onto a team that needs a high-paced game in order to succeed. This confines your counter-play to being a perpetual barrage of attacks against it's substitutes and protects until it is forced to switch out. Only when it does switch, it is so commonly paired with Mr.Mime or Umbreon, who are looking just for that barrage, so that their work can begin.
Umbreon: This threat here, for me, is the primary reason I believe fullpass as a strategy, deserves a further, more reforming look.
Tuberculosis (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Charm
- Mean Look
- Baton Pass
You can search far and wide for a player that enjoys opposing this mon in a game, I guarantee you, you will not find one. Taunt to prevent, your status, leech seed, roar/whirlwind, dragon dance, substitute, taunt of you own....you name it. Mean look to tie you down, and Baton Pass to start the chain. Your way around this guy, is having a surprise roar on a mon that isn't skarmory, or managing to 2-3 hit ko it somehow. Stab attacks usually aren't enough, and especially not after charm. What's even worse, is that Umbreon as a baton-passer, does not even have to be run on your usual fullpass team, it even works with semi/half pass
I understand that to most players, me included, that Baton Pass is not an intractable obstacle to circumvent in Advanced OU. This is mainly due to it being less formidable to the receivers available in the tier, as was aforesaid by Asta and Gacu. But there is no point in denying that the archetype as a whole, takes from the overall pleasure you get when playing the game. It makes no sense to me that an archetype which sees almost 0% usage at tournament level should be a sound reason to limit the teambuilding horizons of ladder players like myself. I am not even going to get into the whole sadism behind players who enjoy getting a BP chain off on their opponent, and watching their opponents blood pressure rise.
To conclude, I don't think that Baton Pass in the advanced meta, is by any means, game-breaking, and I don't think it's effectiveness was ever the question. I just feel that it carries a depreciation value on the overall quality, versatility and enjoyment the metagame. I feel as if the players who utilise this archetype have a very soul-less vibe to them. It is too often now that I've had to refrain from using a team I am genuinely intrigued to see fare in ADV, because of the intrinsic fear of BP a long-time enthusiast of the gen like myself possesses. In, the past, I've had to test my offensive/roar-less teams with friends, in private matches, and I'd like to be able to do that on ladder more comfortably.