BT89
go on, take everything
i am the palindrome >;)
[OVERVIEW]
Girafarig holds its niche in UU mainly as a Baton Pass user that can threaten Haze users, phazers, and status inducers with its respectable 90 base Special Attack. With its solid Special Attack and offensive movepool, it can also force Pokemon weak to its moves to retreat, creating more setup opportunities. It stands out among Baton Pass users as the only one able to pass Amnesia boosts, which makes it a decent support Pokemon that can give its setup sweeper teammates a boost in bulk or Speed. Girafarig has to be used with care, however, as its frailty leaves it susceptible to hard-hitting Pokemon, such as Piloswine and Granbull.
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Agility
move 3: Amnesia / Psychic
move 4: Psychic / Thunder
item: Leftovers / Miracle Berry
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
===========
This set passes Speed and Special Defense boosts for a teammate to sweep. Agility is the best thing it can pass, since very few Pokemon can outspeed +2 sweepers. It can also pass an Amnesia boost so teammates can set up on special attackers; for example, +2 Special Defense Belly Drum Quagsire can set up on Slowking, which fails to do more than 50% with two uses of Surf. The last moveslot should be able to deter Haze users, phazers, and status inducers. Psychic is usually preferred due to it having high odds to 2HKO Nidoqueen and consistently deterring phazers such as Piloswine. Thunder is a worthwhile option due to the high number of Flying- and Water-types in the tier, including phazer Gyarados, although Ground-types are threatening if Girafarig forgoes Psychic. Dropping Amnesia to maximize coverage against phazers is a valid option.
Team Options
============
Quagsire makes for a great teammate, as Speed boosts allow Quagsire to power through things more efficiently with its deadly combination of Belly Drum and STAB Earthquake. Additionally, it lacks ways to effectively deal with Haze users and phazers prior to setting up. Poliwrath is another common choice for a Speed boost recipient, as it has Lovely Kiss + Belly Drum, which allows it to better deal with Haze users, phazers, and status inducers that might have switched in as Girafarig used Baton Pass. Politoed also gets these benefits while having higher Special Defense and no weakness to Psychic- and Flying-type attacks. It has lower Defense and Attack than Poliwrath, but still reaches close to 999 Attack at +6. Swords Dance Bellossom and Vileplume can use passed boosts to set up more reliably, although they can struggle against Haze users if they lack Sleep Powder. Pikachu makes for a solid receiver, since with a Growth passer such as Flareon, it can become an immensely strong threat. Explosion users such as Electrode and Haunter are great for taking down big threats, such as Granbull and Nidoqueen, while also providing screens and Thief support. Mr. Mime offers Baton Pass for keeping momentum as well as amazing utility with moves such as Encore, Thunder Wave, and Barrier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
============
Girafarig has a fairly wide and useful movepool, so many things can work. Curse can be used instead of Amnesia to boost physically oriented teammates using coverage or recovery moves over setup. However, the Speed drop is usually less than ideal, and other Baton Pass users tend to be better at passing Attack and Defense boosts. Girafarig can also run a mixed offensive set with its other coverage options, such as Earthquake, which can nail Magneton unexpectedly and deal more damage to Electric-types in general. Thief is a solid option on such a set, as it hinders bulky, Leftovers-reliant foes such as Hypno.
Checks and Counters
============
**Physical Attackers**: Girafarig's mediocre defenses and lack of Barrier leave it open to physical threats overcoming it. Curse + RestTalk Granbull can withstand Psychic and deal with common Baton Pass recipients while hitting back hard with Return. Quagsire and Piloswine can hit Girafarig hard with Earthquake and use Curse to give Baton Pass recipients difficulty. Piloswine is even able to use Roar. Girafarig is also vulnerable to Bug-types. Scyther and Pinsir are able to 2HKO it with Hidden Power Bug.
**Magneton**: Magneton resists Girafarig's standard coverage and can hit back hard with STAB Thunder, set up a Substitute, or use Reflect to assist against potential Baton Pass recipients. Although they are less common, Hidden Power Grass variants can also threaten Quagsire, one of the most common recipients of Girafarig's boosts. However, with some deft maneuvering, Girafarig can get around Magneton with Amnesia, Baton Passing to a Ground- or Grass-type at the right moment, or even with Earthquake.
**Jumpluff**: Jumpluff is a serious annoyance to Baton Pass chains. Its fast Encore can lock Girafarig into a boosting move, forcing it out as Jumpluff inflicts status on its team. Jumpluff can also use Encore as a Speed-boosted recipient attempts to set up for a sweep, foiling even a recipient equipped with Miracle Berry. However, Jumpluff can do nothing if a boosted Girafarig passes to a Miracle Berry Poliwrath or Politoed, as at +2 Speed, they can outspeed and put it to sleep before setting up.
**Other Psychic-types**: Hypno is easily able to tank hits from Girafarig and set up with Curse, the Defense boosts from which could nullify an attempted Belly Drum sweep. Mr. Mime is able to lock Girafarig and its recipients into a setup move with Encore.
**Explosion**: Girafarig is severely lacking in methods to deal with Explosion users. It cannot learn Substitute and there are very few Baton Pass users or recipients that resist Normal-type moves. Electrode can set up screens for its team before it explodes, since it can take multiple hits from Psychic. Haunter can put Girafarig to sleep before using Explosion, although there is a small chance that Psychic will OHKO Haunter in return if it misses or Girafarig has Miracle Berry. Graveler with Leftovers will almost always survive two hits from Psychic despite its horrid special bulk, and its Explosion will KO almost anything that does not resist it.
**Haze**: Although it can threaten a majority of them, Haze users can still pose a major threat to Girafarig if it has been crippled. Omastar, Blastoise, and Qwilfish are notable examples, although they all have to watch out for Thunder.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BreakthrU89, 487308]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Muk, 33374]]
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