Bibarel (Baton Pass Recipient)

[Xia]

I've decided to help get this on-site for an old friend of mine. Revamped the format and altered some of the set comments to reflect UU only (if this set works in OU another writer can feel free to post an analysis there).

Logs of this sets effectiveness can also be found here for anyone questioning this set's effectiveness (attn mods: that thread can also be locked since this one is replacing it).

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/bibarel

[SET]
name: Baton Pass Recipient
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Simple
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although it has been cursed with a dull movepool and depressing base stats, Bibarel possesses an amazing ability, Simple. Combine this with its excellent dual-STAB attacks that are only resisted by Shedinja in UU, and Bibarel makes an impressive Baton Pass receiver.</p>

<p>In preparation for a Bibarel sweep, you must comprehend two important things. Firstly, Simple doubles the effect of stat boosts, and the effect remains when Bibarel receives boosts from Baton Pass. Secondly, in reverse, Simple also doubles stat drops that Bibarel receives. In order to remedy this, one can prevent its Attack from dropping by using a Baton Passer with the ability Hyper Cutter, most notably Gligar, who is able to pass both Agility and Swords Dance boosts.</p>

<p>The subsequent calculations assume that Bibarel is equipped with a Life Orb and is Passed at least one Swords Dance (this converts to +4 in the case of Bibarel). With Return, Bibarel tears through walls like max HP / Def Bold Blastoise, max HP / Def Impish Drapion, max HP / 224 Def Impish Miltank, 212 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro, max HP / Def Bold Weezing, and max HP / Def Bold Uxie, OHKOing them all with Stealth Rock damage. Waterfall takes care of Steel- and Rock-types, OHKOing 252 HP Impish Steelix, Donphan, Claydol, Regirock, Spiritomb, Bastiodon, Golem, and more. Quick Attack is an option to beat Sucker Punch and all other priority after Bibarel is Passed a Speed boost.</p>

<p>The final move comes down to what specific actions you would like Bibarel to preform. Taunt will keep Haze, phazing moves, and status away from Bibarel, while Toxic will help make Bibarel more useful should it be forced into battle before acquiring multiple boosts. Pluck, while not listed in the set, can also be useful; since Shedinja is immune to both Water- and Normal-type attacks, Pluck is the only attack capable of KOing the pesky husk.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is straightforward: 252 Attack EVs paired with an Adamant nature maximizes Bibarel's offensive prowess. HP is also maximized in order to be able to get Bibarel in safely. No Speed EVs are necessary because after an Agility boost, Bibarel has an astounding 534 Speed, which is faster than almost everything. Lum Berry can be just as useful as Life Orb even if Bibarel is running Taunt, since Bibarel is completely open to status when it comes into battle unless a Substitute is part of the Baton Pass chain. Leftovers is another viable item choice, but it prevents Bibarel from OHKOing some of the most defensively-minded Pokemon.</p>

<p>The idea is to pair Bibarel with a Pokemon that can not only Baton Pass a Speed boost, but also a Swords Dance. The previously mentioned Gligar is a necessity. You are welcome to try out other Baton Passers, including Leafeon; you might even try constructing a simple Baton Pass chain consisting of a Sleep Powder Agility Venomoth who Baton Passes to Gligar, who then Swords Dances and Baton Passes the final boosts to Bibarel. Bibarel, however, is not the "bulkiest bulb" around; dual screen and Wish support will make its entrance and sweep easier. It is recommended that you make full use of Gligar, but other good supporters include the Underused Eeveelutions. They can not only Baton Pass Wish, but also Swords Dance, dual screens, and Mean Look, depending on which one you use. If you decide to use Leftovers instead of Life Orb, you might consider enhancing your Baton Pass chain to even pass defensive boosts like Amnesia and Barrier from Pokemon like Gorebyss or Stockpile from Drifblim. More information on the inner workings and strategy behind Baton Pass chains can be found in the <a href="/dp/articles/baton_pass_chains">Baton Pass article</a>.</p>

 

[Snorlaxe]

[SET]
name: Baton Pass Recipient
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pluck / Superpower / Taunt
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Simple
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although it has been cursed with a dull movepool and depressing Base Stats, Bibarel possesses an amazing ability, Simple. Combine this with its excellent dual-STAB attacks that are only resisted by Shedinja in UU, and Bibarel makes an impressive Baton Pass receiver.</p>

<p>In preparation for a Bibarel sweep, you must comprehend two important things. Firstly, Simple doubles the effect of stat boosts, and the effect remains when Bibarel receives boosts from Baton Pass. Secondly, in reverse, Simple also doubles stat drops that Bibarel receives. In order to remedy this, one could prevent its Attack from dropping by using a Baton Passer with the ability Hyper Cutter, most notably Gligar, who is able to pass both Agility and Swords Dance boosts.</p>

<p>The subsequent calculations assume that Bibarel is equipped with a Life Orb and is Passed at least one Swords Dance (this converts to +4 in the case of Bibarel). With Return, Bibarel tears through walls like max HP / Def Bold Blastoise, max HP / Def Impish Drapion, max HP / 224 Def Impish Miltank, 212 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro, max HP / Def Bold Weezing, and max HP / Def Bold Uxie, OHKOing them all with Stealth Rock damage. Waterfall takes care of Steel- and Rock-types, OHKOing 252 HP Impish Steelix, Donphan, Claydol, Regirock, Spiritomb, Bastiodon, Golem, and more. Quick Attack is an option in case you are unable to pass any Speed boosts at all.</p>

<p>Pluck is an option in the final moveslot for the sole purpose of keeping Shedinja away. Bibarel really has no other attacks to take care of it with, and while it may seem too uncommon to warrant using such an otherwise useless move, it is well worth it when Shedinja forces you to break your chain. If this doesn't bother you, Superpower and Taunt are both adequate choices to make Bibarel a more diverse sweeper.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread is straightforward: 252 Attack EVs paired with an Adamant nature maximizes Bibarel's offensive prowess. HP is also maximized in order to be able to get Bibarel in safely. No Speed EVs are necessary because after an Agility boost, Bibarel has an astounding 534 Speed, which is faster than almost everything. Leftovers can be considered, but they prevent, Bibarel from scoring the OHKOes it otherwise can acquire.</p>

<p>The idea is to pair Bibarel with a Pokemon that can not only Baton Pass a Speed boost, but also a Swords Dance. The previously mentioned Gligar is a necessity. You are welcome to try out other Baton Passers, including Blaziken or Leafeon; you might even try constructing a simple Baton Pass chain consisting of a Sleep Powder Agility Venomoth who Baton Passes to Gligar, who then Swords Dances and Baton Passes the final boosts to Bibarel. Bibarel, however, is not the "bulkiest bulb" around; dual screens and constant Wish support will make its entrance and sweep easier. It is recommended that you make full use of Gligar, but other good supporters include the UU Eeveelutions. They can not only Baton Pass Wish, but also Swords Dance, dual screens, and Mean Look, depending on which one you use. If you decide to use Leftovers instead of Life Orb, you might consider enhancing your Baton Pass chain to even pass defensive boosts like Amnesia and Barrier from Pokemon like Gorebyss.</p>

 

[Diesel]

It's probably worth a mention that Bibarel and Gligar have perfect defensive type synergy with the exception of Grass.

Also, in the final sentence you mention defensive passes. I would change that to a mention of Stockpiles from Drifblim (there's a Stockpassing set in my analysis) or Mawile (which can actually function if it's passed speed). Also you're missing an "a" before "Pokemon like..." in that sentence.

You mention that Quick Attack is there in case you can't pass speed, but you should note that it also allows you to dodge Sucker Punch and outpace other priority moves like Mach Punch / Vacuum Wave which could really do you in.

Also I'm having a little trouble with that last slot. Superpower drops Bibarel's stats by -2/-2, which is pretty debilitating considering Water/Normal hits for outstanding type coverage (completely unresisted IIRC <--- worth a mention?). I also don't think Shedinja deserves a mention in any analysis anywhere, since it's ridiculously rare. What about Toxic in that last slot? Taunt can stay as well.

 

[Xia]

Thank you for your proofread, Snorlaxe, but there were some problems I had with a few of your changes.

Dual screen stayed dual screen because I'm talking about both dual screen and Wish support. While it may have sounded strange with "constant" in there as well, I went ahead and removed it so there wouldn't be a problem. Also, OHKOes is a verb, not a noun, and using the shortened name of the tier (UU) is just like using Underused; they mean exactly the same thing.

Diesel: As a catch-all for Baton Pass teammates, I linked to the on-site article. And I'll be using your moveslot suggestions as well, but will mention Pluck in the set comments as an optional move to take down Shedinja. Thanks.

 

[YaM]

I think Lum Berry is more beneficial to Bibarel than Leftovers... You don't want to be paralysed or burned or slept on the switch itself, even if you run Taunt.

Also you could mention that Quick Attack beats Sucker Punchers and weakened users of priority moves (you don't want to be hit with Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave too)

 

[Xia]

Went ahead and added your suggestions, YaM; thanks for the input.

 

[Xia]

Is there anything else that should/could/must be done to this analysis before being uploaded that anyone can think of?

 

[Flora]

Small grammar nitpicks

<p>Although it has been cursed with a dull movepool and depressing base stats, Bibarel possesses an amazing ability, Simple. Combine this with its excellent dual-STAB attacks that are only resisted by Shedinja in UU, and Bibarel makes an impressive Baton Pass receiver.</p>

Base Power is capitalized. =P

<p>In preparation for a Bibarel sweep, you must comprehend two important things. Firstly, Simple doubles the effect of stat boosts, and the effect remains when Bibarel receives boosts from Baton Pass. Secondly, in reverse, Simple also doubles stat drops that Bibarel receives. In order to remedy this, one can prevent its Attack from dropping by using a Baton Passer with the ability Hyper Cutter, most notably Gligar, who is able to pass both Agility and Swords Dance boosts.</p>

<p>The subsequent calculations assume that Bibarel is equipped with a Life Orb and is Passed at least one Swords Dance (this converts to +4 in the case of Bibarel). With Return, Bibarel tears through walls like max HP / Def Bold Blastoise, max HP / Def Impish Drapion, max HP / 224 Def Impish Miltank, 212 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro, max HP / Def Bold Weezing, and max HP / Def Bold Uxie, OHKOing them all with Stealth Rock damage. Waterfall takes care of Steel- and Rock-types, OHKOing 252 HP Impish Steelix, Donphan, Claydol, Regirock, Spiritomb, Bastiodon, Golem, and more. Quick Attack is an option to beat Sucker Punch and all other priority after Bibarel is Passed a Speed boost.</p>

I'm just highlighting because I'm not sure if Passed is supposed to be capitalized. I know Snorlaxe put it in his edits, but I think it's like how people put "spin" instead of "Spin". I don't know though as this case didn't really have a clear conclusion yet.

Cool beaver and nice job!

 

[Oglemi]

Just a quick grammar fix in the Additional Comments I noticed:

<p>The EV spread is straightforward: 252 Attack EVs paired with an Adamant nature maximizes Bibarel's offensive prowess. HP is also maximized in order to be able to get Bibarel in safely. No Speed EVs are necessary because after an Agility boost, Bibarel has an astounding 534 Speed, which is faster than almost everything. Lum Berry can be just as useful as Life Orb even if Bibarel is running Taunt, since Bibarel is completely open to status when it comes into battle (assuming it isn't being Passed a Substitute). Leftovers is another viable item choice, but it prevents Bibarel from OHKOing some of the most defensively-minded Pokemon.</p>

It still sounds a little weird, but it's fixed. And you could also mention that Drifblim can not only pass Stockpile, but a meaty Substitute as well. That's about it, this analysis is very well-written Xia.

 

[Xia]

Went ahead and made your changes, Flora, but left Pass capitalized since there hasn't been any definitive answer to that debate (not in the grammar threads, at least).

Oglemi, instead of just changing where that phrase was I opted to change the wording. I hope that remedies the problem while retaining fluidity. You (or anyone) can let me know if it didn't work.

 

[YaM]

mega-bump: this looks done?

 

[whistle]

- Lum Berry should be used instead of Leftovers and potentially even Life Orb. Leftovers really does nothing for you considering screens + massive Attack/Speed, while the downide to LO is that you can get stalled out by intelligent switching if you get hit by a moderately powered attack switching in (although you will probably win in most cases even if Bibarel gets KOed by recoil lol). But while LO is needed to OHKO bulky stuff like Slowbro, if you have Lum Berry it can't do anything back to you, so LO is basically just for… Tangrowth? Milotic is always OHKOed after SR.
- the third paragraph makes more sense in a damage calc format, maybe moved down to additional comments since that's where damage calcs usually are.

also I'm not sure if Xia still does C&C stuff (he hasn't signed onto Smogon in a week) so if he doesn't post saying otherwise, someone should probably take this over.