[Overview]
<p>While its job hasn't changed much through the generations, Vaporeon is still one of the bulkiest Water-types around. It has two great abilities in Hydration and Water Absorb, giving it a fantastic advantage over other walls. This means that, when aided by Politoed's Drizzle, Vaporeon is immune to the dreaded burn status that most walls loathe, as well as having access to a form of instant recovery with no drawbacks. However, while those new tools are helpful, people are drawn to Vaporeon's original qualities: a phenomenal HP stat for passing Wishes, a decent support movepool, and an excellent Water typing. It can also take on some of the most prominent threats in today's metagame, including Shadow Tag Chandelure, Blaziken, Manaphy that lack Energy Ball, and many others.</p>
<p>While it's true Vaporeon is a good wall, its base defenses aren't anything spectacular. It shares the same problem that fellow special wall Blissey has: terrible Defense. It won't be able to take repeated physical attacks without getting worn down. On top of that, Vaporeon's base 95 Special Defense stat isn't bad, but it's not on the same level as Blissey and Chansey. Vaporeon also fears opposing weather starters such as Tyranitar, Ninetales, and Abomasnow, as they take away Vaporeon's precious status immunity. Perhaps the worst thing about Vaporeon is that it gets severe competition from Manaphy, who also has Hydration and has a better movepool and stat spread. This forces Vaporeon to play to its strengths, such as its ability to WishPass. Despite these downfalls, Vaporeon is a worthy wall and should not be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Classic Wish Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Scald
move 4: Toxic / Roar / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb / Hydration
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With BW's new Wish mechanics, Vaporeon is now able to pass enormous amounts of HP thanks to its outstanding base 130 HP. With the given EV spread, Vaporeon is able to tank hits from both ends of the spectrum, albeit not as well as other walls. Wish forms the crux of this set, as Vaporeon needs it to support its team. Protect helps Vaporeon use Wish to its own benefit, stall for Toxic or burn damage, and gain extra Leftovers recovery. Scald is a neat tool Vaporeon received, as it now has a good probability to burn the opponent. The last slot almost always goes to Toxic because it allows Vaporeon to outstall opposing walls that don't have a Steel or Poison typing. However, Vaporeon has a few other options it could use. For example, Roar is invaluable for its ability to beat setup sweepers such as Blaziken and Excadrill. Finally, Ice Beam can be used against Grass-types that are immune to Toxic, such as Roserade.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>When it comes to Vaporeon's two abilities, it's important to know which one to use on the appropriate team. Water Absorb is generally preferred if your team could use a Water immunity over a resistance. It also allows for a little extra healing when a Water-type attack is used against Vaporeon, which is always helpful. However, you must always use Hydration on a rain team, because the status immunity is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Vaporeon can run a few other moves in the final slot, but they all are inferior to the ones already listed. Haze is an interesting idea, but Roar is generally preferred because it forces the opponent out and racks up damage from entry hazards. You could run Rest in tandem with Hydration, but this is inferior as Vaporeon already uses Wish to heal itself and Hydration already removes status in place of Rest. Aqua Ring can also be used to add even more recovery, but Vaporeon already has Wish and, on occasion, Water Absorb to heal itself. Acid Armor can be used to patch up that mediocre Defense stat, but it can be very tough to find a decent oppurtunity to set up. Substitute can be used to block status, but Vaporeon is better at passing a Substitute than actually using it.</p>
<p>There are a large number of defensive partners that work extremely well with Vaporeon. Ferrothorn is one of the best partners for Vaporeon as it sponges the Electric- and Grass-type attacks aimed at Vaporeon while Vaporeon tanks the Fire-type attacks that Ferrothorn generally struggles with. Ferrothorn also supplies entry hazards, which are extremely helpful, especially if Vaporeon is using Roar. Forretress is in a similar boat in that its Fire weakness can be sponged by Vaporeon, while in return Forretress can both set up hazards and spin them away. Believe it or not, Gliscor is a good partner due to its Electric immunity, and it can also tank most unboosted Grass-type attacks, while Vaporeon laughs at the Water- and Ice-type attacks headed Gliscor's way.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Acid Armor / Wish
move 4: Scald
item: Leftovers
ability: Hydration / Water Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 244 HP / 136 Def / 128 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If you need a defensive Pokemon on your Baton Pass team, this version of Vaporeon is perfect for you. Capable of passing bulky 123 HP Substitutes, Vaporeon serves as an effective means of protection for your team. The main goal of this set is to get in on a Pokemon that can't threaten Vaporeon, Substitute up, and either Baton Pass to a waiting sweeper or get in an Acid Armor before passing. Baton Pass is obviously a necessity for any Baton Pass team. Substitute is a wonderful option to pass as every Pokemon has a least some for it. In Vaporeon's case, it is Baton Passed in order to protect a frail sweeper from status and damage. The third slot is basically for whatever you want Vaporeon to pass along with Substitute. Acid Armor is good for physically weak sweepers and walls, and Wish is always a useful move for healing a severely weakened sweeper. The final move is basically filler, but it has its uses. Scald is the best option to keep Vaporeon from being Taunt bait thanks to its ability to burn the opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hydration is usually preferred in case you are up against a rain team, as it would really be a shame if Vaporeon got statused while setting up. However, Vapreon does have Substitute to protect it from status, so Water Absorb is perfectly fine if your team needs a Water immunity.</p>
<p>You could run another boosting move, such as Work Up, in the final slot to help set up a sweeper, but this job is better left to Pokemon such as Ninjask or Scizor. Speaking of the final slot, you could ditch Scald and use another boosting move to pass multiple boosts at a time. However, Vaporeon is almost as afraid of Taunt as Ferrothorn is of a +6 Volcarona's Fire Blast in the sun, so Scald is generally better. If you do choose to run Acid Armor in the third slot, Stored Power is an interesting idea if you want some offensive presence, though its usefulness is extremely situational.</p>
<p>Vaporeon has a lot of options in terms of teammates. By far the best choices are Celebi and Gliscor. Celebi resists Vaporeon's Electric- and Grass-type weaknesses and can continue the Baton Pass chain with Calm Mind, Nasty Plot, or Swords Dance. Gliscor is similar, as it has Taunt to stop opposing Taunters and can pass Swords Dance or Agility to keep the chain going. Zapdos is also an acceptable choice if your team needs someone to pass Agility and luckily resists both of Vaporeon's weaknesses. Ninjask and Blaziken are wonderful partners too, as they can pass Speed boosts so that Vaporeon can get its job done faster. Smeargle is also a good partner because of its ability to pass Ingrain, which is important for all Baton Pass teams as it prevents phazing. Espeon is a fantastic partner as well, bouncing back Taunt and stat-lowering moves that Baton Pass teams fear as well as being a fantastic Stored Power sweeper toward the end of the chain.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Vaporeon has a shallow movepool, so there's really not a lot you have to work with. A pure Hydration Wall set with Rest is viable, but it faces stiff competition from Manaphy, who is both faster and bulkier physically. Vaporeon has an often overlooked base 110 Special Attack stat, so a Choice Specs set could work with Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Hidden Power Grass, Shadow Ball, and a Modest nature. However, it is outclassed by the likes of Keldeo, Manaphy, Starmie, and even Jellicent for that role. A gimmick strategy of Stored Power and Work Up is possible, but it is painfully difficult to set up and doesn't get fantastic coverage anyway. Additionally, Surf can be used anywhere Scald is suggested if power is more important than the chance to burn. Finally, Aqua Ring is a possibility on both sets, but has more utility on the Baton Pass set. However, it is not a primary option because Smeargle is much better at providing passive recovery with Ingrain.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Vaporeon's biggest counter, by far, is Toxicroak. Its Poison typing and Dry Skin make every attack Vaporeon has useless except for Ice Beam, which isn't doing much anyway. It can then proceed to set up and sweep while Vaporeon is a sitting duck. Ferrothorn is another problem, as it can steal some of Vaporeon's massive HP stat with Leech Seed and then proceed to set up hazards or threaten to KO Vaporeon with Power Whip. Generally, Grass- and Electric-types with powerful STAB moves, such as Breloom, Virizion, Zapdos, Shaymin, and Jolteon, will be forcing Vaporeon out. The Lati twins are also an issue because they can take an Ice Beam if need be and either launch powerful Draco Meteors or set up with Calm Mind.</p>
<p>Speaking of boosting sweepers, Vaporeon has issues with them if it lacks Roar. Jirachi, Espeon, and Reuniclus can set up on Vaporeon with Calm Mind while completely ignoring Toxic. Virizion is a notable booster as it can use Calm Mind or Swords Dance and follow up with Giga Drain or Leaf Blade, respectively, to dispose of Vaporeon. Conkledurr is similar in that it can Bulk Up in Vaporeon's face and KO it with Drain Punch. It also doesn't fear Scald as other physical sweepers might thanks to Guts, so Vaporeon needs to be extremely cautious when using it. Lastly, the pink blobs, Blissey and Chansey, take almost no damage from Vaporeon's attacks and can set up on it with Toxic, Stealth Rock, Aromatherapy, or Wish.</p>
