As Series 2 of thePokemon Scarlet and VioletVGC continues to adapt to shifts in the meta, more unlikely mons could find themselves among the most used by competitive players. With the surprising rise ofScream Tailin the recent Orlando Regional Championships, the door has been opened for more overlooked creatures to have their chance to shine. One such monster that many competitive players have been sleeping on thus far is Espathra, which has the potential to be an incredible support mon thanks to its fantastic ability and access to Baton Pass.
Espathra is a new pure Psychic-type critter added toPokemon Scarlet and Violetthat evolves from its base form, Flittle, at level 35. While it currently sees very little usage in the meta forPokemon Scarlet and VioletVGC Series 2, this could change as new strategies are uncovered. With the potential Espathra holds to be a powerful Baton Passer, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before players figure out a way to take advantage of its unique status within Gen 9.
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Espathra’s Speed Boost Ability Makes it the Ideal Baton Pass User
Espathra is in a similar situation toMurkrow inPokemon Scarlet and Violetwhere an otherwise unremarkable monster suddenly becomes a threat due to being the only creature with access to a competitive staple. In this case, Espathra is the only mon currently available in Gen 9 with access to the Hidden Ability Speed Boost, which increases the user’s Speed by one stage at the end of every turn. This Ability is fantastic since it passively increases the Speed of a mon without need for a move like Tailwind, and since Speed is such a crucial part of competitive battles, having a team member with Speed Boost is invaluable.
WhileEspathraitself can’t take much advantage of the high levels of Speed gained through Speed Boost, it can use Baton Pass to switch out to another team member while passing along its stat changes to that teammate. With a base stat total of 481, Espathra is outclassed by other mons with higher attack stats and bulkier defenses. However, using Substitute or Protect to prevent itself from being KO’d for at least one turn and gaining the increase from Speed boost allows Espathra to use Baton Pass on the next turn to pass the Speed increase onto a more powerful mon like Dondozo or Gholdengo.
Beyond Speed Boost, Espathra also has access to Calm Mind, which boosts the user’s Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage. This is another great move to use prior to Baton Pass to pass on those buffs to a teammate likeArmarougewho can take full advantage of those stat increases. Stored Power could also be a complimentary move for this build since its power increases the more the user’s stats are boosted, making it great for tricky situations where Espathra is unable to Baton Pass to another teammate.
In past generations, other monsters with access to Speed Boost like Scolipede, Blaziken, and Ninjask were used to fulfill this role, although Blaziken was banned in many formats due to how powerful it was. With these creatures currentlymissing fromPokemon Scarlet and Violet, players looking to use a similar strategy are going to need Espathra on their team. Couple this fact with the large variety of potential teammates to synergize with, and Espathra could be a competitive threat waiting for the right team.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now for Nintendo Switch.
