What it does
Baton Pass switches the user out and passes all accumulated stat-stage changes — Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, in both directions — along with confusion and a sizeable list of persistent effects to the incoming teammate. The replacement doesn't re-trigger entry effects when it comes in.
The most important thing it passes is stat boosts. A Pokémon that spent a turn or two raising its Speed and Attack exits stage, and the incoming Pokémon starts its first turn with those boosts already banked. No setup cost, no turns wasted — all that investment transfers. This includes negative stat stages: if the passer has any stat drops, those pass to the receiver too, unless a White Herb held by the passer erased them before the pass.
Among the persistent effects that carry over: Substitute (at whatever HP it has left), Ingrain, Leech Seed, Taunt, and Aqua Ring. The Substitute interaction is worth highlighting — if the user has an active sub, the replacement inherits it and doesn't need to spend a turn setting its own.
Who runs it
Espathra runs it at 47%. Its Speed Boost ability raises Speed by one stage every turn — stack two or three turns and Baton Pass hands those Speed stages to a teammate who already hits hard but needs the priority. In doubles, that can flip the entire turn order in one swap.
Polteageist at 44% uses it for Shell Smash relay. Polteageist smashes — +2 Attack, Special Attack, Speed; −1 Defense, Special Defense — then immediately passes the whole package to a bulkier teammate. Without White Herb, the receiver inherits all stages including the −1 Defense and −1 Special Defense. If Polteageist held White Herb, the drops are erased before the pass and the receiver only gets the +2 offense and Speed.
Umbreon carries it occasionally as a stability pivot. Morpeko sees very low usage.
How to use it
In doubles, the play is to accumulate on one turn while the partner handles the pressure — either by being the more threatening Pokémon that opponents target, or by providing redirection — and then pass immediately before the user gets knocked out.
Opponents will try to KO the accumulator during the setup turn, or use Haze/Spectral Thief to strip the boosts. Keeping the Baton Passer alive until the pass goes through is the whole puzzle.
If the user runs Substitute, setting it before passing means the receiver inherits a ready-made buffer. That's a genuinely strong sequence — the receiver walks in with boosts and a sub in place.
Tips & strategy
In doubles, the partner absorbs attacks while the passer sets up, which makes the combo harder to disrupt than in singles where the passer is fully exposed.
Once the receiver enters with visible stat boosts, the opponent knows exactly what happened. The receiver needs to act immediately — don't wait a turn expecting to get another free boost in. The opponent will Haze, swap to a counter, or use Spectral Thief the moment they see the boosts.
Build the team around what the receiver does after the pass. Espathra passing Speed Boost is strongest when the receiver's damage output is already high enough to KO threats — more Speed on a low-attack receiver doesn't win games.