The OU Council has agreed to ban Baton Pass from ORAS OU.
Baton Pass currently operates in the form of speed passing from Scolipede. Generally, the Scolipede user alternates between Substitute and Protect to pass boosts to another pokemon. Common recipients are Manaphy, Mega Heracross, and Espeon, but others exist as well. Scolipede occasionally carries Attract to pass with a Substitute intact under the right conditions, but some other alternative methods include BrightPowder for greater odds alongside Attract, as well as Lansat Berry to pass to Sniper Kingdra. All in all, Baton Pass teams have enough tools to bypass most of the counter-play, whether it be by sheer matchup or RNG from Attract / BrightPowder. This matchup and luck-based nature of Baton Pass is particularly what makes its presence unhealthy. This isn't to say that Baton Pass teams are unbeatable, as counter-play does indeed exist, but they win enough games and see enough usage to the point where they are actively hindering the metagame.
Furthermore, the current complex ban in place is both unnecessary and, via the above point, ineffective. A complex clause is illogical when this issue could have always been immediately solved by a simple, direct ban of the move Baton Pass. Even beyond that, though, the tier gains nothing of value by preserving the remnants of a nerfed Baton Pass. Considering that there is a simple and direct solution to the problem, and the fact that there is nothing worth preserving about a watered down Baton Pass, a blanket ban of the move is the only way forward.
As for why we decided on a Quick Ban as opposed to a Suspect Test, this is how all prior Baton Pass nerfs / clauses were enacted. Addtionally, part of this ban is about correcting old policy (the BP clause), and policy refinement is logically more council based than a usual suspect test determining a pokemon's brokenness.
If anyone has any questions regarding this decision then feel free to PM me.
Baton Pass currently operates in the form of speed passing from Scolipede. Generally, the Scolipede user alternates between Substitute and Protect to pass boosts to another pokemon. Common recipients are Manaphy, Mega Heracross, and Espeon, but others exist as well. Scolipede occasionally carries Attract to pass with a Substitute intact under the right conditions, but some other alternative methods include BrightPowder for greater odds alongside Attract, as well as Lansat Berry to pass to Sniper Kingdra. All in all, Baton Pass teams have enough tools to bypass most of the counter-play, whether it be by sheer matchup or RNG from Attract / BrightPowder. This matchup and luck-based nature of Baton Pass is particularly what makes its presence unhealthy. This isn't to say that Baton Pass teams are unbeatable, as counter-play does indeed exist, but they win enough games and see enough usage to the point where they are actively hindering the metagame.
Furthermore, the current complex ban in place is both unnecessary and, via the above point, ineffective. A complex clause is illogical when this issue could have always been immediately solved by a simple, direct ban of the move Baton Pass. Even beyond that, though, the tier gains nothing of value by preserving the remnants of a nerfed Baton Pass. Considering that there is a simple and direct solution to the problem, and the fact that there is nothing worth preserving about a watered down Baton Pass, a blanket ban of the move is the only way forward.
As for why we decided on a Quick Ban as opposed to a Suspect Test, this is how all prior Baton Pass nerfs / clauses were enacted. Addtionally, part of this ban is about correcting old policy (the BP clause), and policy refinement is logically more council based than a usual suspect test determining a pokemon's brokenness.
If anyone has any questions regarding this decision then feel free to PM me.
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