Meow?
[Overview]
<p>While Espeon is certainly nothing to laugh at with its Magic Bounce ability, the Dream World metagame provides many threats, such as Genesect and Excadrill, that give it a hard time. However, that is not to say that the Sun Pokemon is unusable. In fact, given the correct support, Espeon can really <i>shine</i>, and it has the potential to sweep whole teams. Espeon can also be used as a decent supporter thanks to its large supporting movepool and high base Speed. While the big guns of the Dream World might harass it, Espeon should never be underestimated unless one wants to get swept.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Psychic / Psyshock
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Baton Pass
item: Light Clay
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Espeon's Magic Bounce ability makes it a great supporter by letting it bounce back Spore, Stealth Rock, and Thunder Wave from the likes of common Pokemon such as Breloom, Ferrothorn, and Thundurus respectively. Additionally, with its high Speed, Espeon can set up dual screens with ease. This can aid sweepers such as Blaziken, Breloom, and Excadrill immensely, as it gives them an opportunity to boost their stats to sky-high levels. Espeon's third move depends on preference, as Psychic and Psyshock will do minor damage to Blissey and Chansey regardless. However, one should note that Psychic will hit Gliscor much harder than Psyshock. Hidden Power Fire gives Espeon coverage against some common threats in the metagame, namely Genesect, Ferrothorn, and Scizor. Baton Pass carries utility, though, as it allows Espeon to escape common Pursuit users such as Tyranitar, who have the ability to ruin Espeon's day.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Espeon's EVs are straightforward for a supporter of its nature. With maximum investment in Speed along with a Timid nature, Espeon can take advantage of its excellent base 110 Speed and set up screens with ease. Maximum investment in HP allows Espeon to take hits with ease and even find setup opportunities later in a battle. While Leftovers might seem like a good idea for reliable recovery, Light Clay is usually valued more because it allows the screens to stay up longer, giving sweepers the freedom to set up more easily. While Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Pokemon such as Heatran and Chandelure hard, Hidden Power Fire puts the hurt on Genesect, Ferrothorn, and Scizor, some of the most common threats in the metagame. An alternate EV spread with maximum Special Attack as opposed to HP can be used to buff Espeon's offenses, but Espeon's niche is setting up dual screens, so this is usually not the best choice. Nonetheless, with 60 Special Attack EVs, Espeon can 2HKO 252/252+ Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>The best partners for Espeon are those that can take full advantage of the screens it sets up. Setup sweepers in general largely benefit from dual screens, and they make great partners for Espeon. Garchomp—an already bulky Pokemon—does very well behind dual screens, as it can simply take most hits and retaliate with a Swords Dance-boosted Outrage or Earthquake. Dragon Dance Dragonite, Calm Mind Chandelure, Swords Dance Breloom, and Calm Mind Keldeo also do very well as recipients of the rise in defenses offered, and they can all be very deadly if given the chance to set up properly. Terrakion also makes a great partner because Espeon can Baton Pass against a Tyranitar that attempts to use Pursuit, only to have Terrakion receive an Attack boost courtesy of Justified. One always needs to watch out for opposing Choice Scarf Chandelure when playing with Espeon, as if Light Screen is not set up, Chandelure will simply OHKO Espeon with Shadow Ball. Genesect also poses a large threat, especially variants with both Bug Buzz and U-turn. While Espeon can buffer itself against one of Genesect's Bug-type STAB moves, the other simply OHKOes it.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Stored Power / Psychic
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Leftovers
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Espeon's access to Baton Pass and its high base Speed give it the ability to run a good Baton Pass set. While one might question what Espeon has over any other user of Baton Pass, the answer is simple: Magic Bounce. Magic Bounce allows Espeon to avoid being phazed by Roar and Whirlwind, bounce back status moves such as Spore, and prevent fast Taunts; it simply allows Espeon to set up easily, an advantage over other Baton Pass users. Calm Mind works very well here, as Espeon can use the boosts to sweep when given the chance. However, more often than not, Espeon will simply pass the boosts on to another sweeper, that will then take care of business. Psychic is a solid STAB move, though Stored Power is also an option because Espeon might be able to rack up multiple boosts. If one uses Espeon on a dedicated Baton Pass team, Hidden Power Fire is the superior option because it allows Espeon to possibly OHKO Genesect if Espeon is at +1 Speed. However, Hidden Power Fighting allows Espeon to hit the ubiquitous Tyranitar and other Dark-types that would otherwise wall this set, so it's crucial to Espeon's success.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are standard for a Pokemon of Espeon's supporting nature: maximizing HP allows Espeon to take hits, and maximizing Speed allows Espeon to be a better user of Baton Pass. A Timid nature is necessary to ensure that Espeon outpaces key threats such as Keldeo and Terrakion, and it also allows Espeon to Speed tie with Latios and Latias. While Espeon's attacking options on this set are severely limited, one can choose to run Hidden Power Fire to deal with Genesect more easily. However, most Genesect are equipped with a Choice Scarf, so Espeon cannot guarantee to beat it even with Hidden Power Fire; one simply has to rely on prediction skills to win. Hidden Power Ice allows Espeon to hit Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Dragonite, and Salamence harder, but aside from this use, it does not offer much more. If one's team is already packed with stat-boosting Pokemon, one can use Substitute instead of Calm Mind to achieve an easier sweep.</p>
<p>Blaziken is one of the best partners for this set because with a +1 Speed boost, Espeon gains the ability to sweep. Faster Choice Scarf users such as Genesect will not be able to beat Espeon if it carries Hidden Power Fire and is at +1 Speed. Any specially based sweeper will immensely appreciate the support that Espeon brings. Keldeo can capitalize on Espeon's Calm Mind boosts and forgo Calm Mind on its own set for Substitute, making it deadlier. In addition, Keldeo is one of the few specially based sweepers that is not walled by the likes of Chansey and Blissey, so it works wonders when coupled with Espeon. Furthermore, Rock Polish Genesect can pair up well with Espeon because it can use Rock Polish while forcing switches and simply wreak havoc. Outside of supporting sweepers, this Espeon set does not have much more use due to its poor Defense, so one should only use it on offensively oriented teams. Vaporeon works well as a partner because it can pass Defense boosts and heal Espeon with Wish.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Due to its poor movepool, Espeon has a slim set of other viable options. While it can run a Calm Mind set that capitalizes on its boosts and attempts to sweep, Tyranitar, Genesect, Thundurus, and Excadrill are all so common that this is never a truly viable option unless given major support. In the sun, Espeon can run Morning Sun to heal more than half of its HP back, but with the ubiquity of Tyranitar and Politoed, Morning Sun will often be a waste of a moveslot. Judging by Espeon's stats alone, it would seem to be an excellent Choice Scarf or Choice Specs user, but because its coverage is severely limited, Espeon is usually best running simple sweeping or supporting sets.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Espeon cannot be phazed out like most sweepers that try to garner boosts, its downfall stems from its low Defense stat. Threats such as Tyranitar and Scizor can both put Espeon in a checkmate position, the former due to STAB Pursuit and the latter because of both Bullet Punch and Pursuit. While Espeon can pack the correct Hidden Power to take on each of these threats, it cannot take repeated hits from either, and will be worn away quickly by passive damage from entry hazards. Genesect makes a fine check to Espeon because it can come in on a Calm Mind or Psychic-type STAB attack and grab an Attack boost from Download. It should be noted that even with minimal investment in Attack, Genesect will always OHKO Espeon with U-turn.</p>
<p>While Blaziken certainly cannot switch into Espeon, it does a fine job of beating it. Blaziken can use Protect on a turn to gain a boost in Speed, and then proceed to outspeed and OHKO Espeon with a powerful Flare Blitz. Garchomp can switch in on most of Espeon's attacks due to its great bulk and do massive damage with either of its STAB attacks. Excadrill also does well because it outspeeds and OHKOes Espeon with Earthquake when used in sand. However, one should be wary of Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Fire, because losing HP to an attack on the switch-in is unfavorable.</p>
<p>Shadow Tag Chandelure presents Espeon with a unique threat, especially if Chandelure is equipped with a Choice Scarf. If it manages to come in unscathed, Chandelure can simply use Shadow Ball to OHKO unboosted Espeon or even revenge kill Espeon if weakened sufficiently.</p>
<p>While Espeon cannot be phazed by normal means such as Roar and Whirlwind, one can use Circle Throw and Dragon Tail to limit Espeon's fun. However, one must be wary of a miss from the aforementioned moves, as it can spell doom.</p>
