Well since Chris is Me gave me permission to continue this peer edit. Sets with an asterisk next to them are newly proposed ones I feel should be added to the analysis. Some sets are not mentioned because I feel they don't need as much editing and I'll be adding them in later when I get some more time to work on this.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/smeargle
[SET]
Name: Baton Pass Support
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Ingrain
Move 3: Substitute
Move 4: Baton Pass
Item: Leftovers / Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Smeargle makes a good choice for Baton Pass teams because of his ability to pass Ingrain which will prevent you from being pseudo-hazed by Whirlwind and Roar. Spore is extremly importantl as it can help you use Ingrain on the switch and then Baton Pass it away to another member of a Baton Pass chain. Should your team lack a trapper, such as Umbreon, Spider Web is a decent option over Substitute or Spore in order to prevent a bulky Haze user from coming in before the Baton Pass recipients on your team can OHKO most of them. Just make sure you never use it over Ingrain or Baton Pass since they are essential moves to pull off this set.</p>
[SET]
Name: Belly Pass
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Belly Drum
Move 3: Substitute
Move 4: Baton Pass
Item: Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is quite possibly the fastest to set up and the most destructive of Smeargle's Baton Pass sets. Simply put, it works marvels, though it's extremely hard to pull off. Here's how it works: First, send out Smeargle against something slow and use Substitute. If your opponent switched to a Pokémon that doesn't have Roar / Whirlwind, Haze, or multi-hit moves, use Belly Drum, otherwise, use Spore. On the next turn, Baton Pass or Spore if you just Belly Drummed, Belly Drum if you just Spored. Now all you have to do is sweep.Recommended recipients include Medicham, Aerodactyl, Cradily, Gyarados, Lucario, or pretty much anything with decent attack and speed stats. Medicham is one of if not the best Pokemon to Baton Pass to, if you can guarantee the pass, as it OHKOs every single Pokémon in OU but Cresselia (with max HP and Defense, Bold). Cradily and Octillery, however, have the benefit of being immune to Roar and Whirlwind, making it easier to pass to them. Aerodactyl and Gyarados are easier to get in and have Taunt for stuff they can't OHKO. It is also worth considering passing the Belly Drum to Electrode, Exploud, or Mr. Mime since their Soundproof ability makes them immune to Roar. Mr. Mime can then boost his defenses and Baton Pass out to anything with decent Attack and Speed to surely sweep. </p>
<p>It is recommended that you use 244 HP evs in order to pass the biggest Substitute possible while still having your HP divisible by 4 so a Belly Drum and substitute will activate Salac Berry. However if you decide to maximize Smeargle's defenses instead, do make your HP divisible by 4 so that the Salac Berry will activate after 1 Substitute and a Belly Drum. The bonus of having 25% health after a Sub and Belly Drum is the ability to live through Sandstorm while you set up with Smeargle as well as surviving residual damage if you switch in to Spore something later.</p>
[SET]
Name: Normal Endeavor
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Endure
Move 3: Endeavor
Move 4: Seismic Toss / Extreme Speed
Item: Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Guaranteed one kill in a match if your opponent does not have a Ghost or Sand Stream. Endure a hit from just about any Pokémon, Spore it, and if you aren't facing a Sleep Talker, use Endeavor. This will bring them to 1 HP, so your other attack should OHKO them (Seismic Toss always will, but a few Rock or Steel Pokémon can survive ExtremeSpeed if they have Leftovers). If they stay in, attack them with your last move. It's more likely that they switch, in which case you can Endeavor that Pokémon, too, thanks to the Speed boost from Salac. Now you will have put one opponent to Sleep at 1 HP, and another Pokémon that's awake at 1 HP. Beware of Reversal and Flail though. Some opponents are so shocked by this they make odd switches, and every switch to a new Pokémon means another Pokémon is screwed by Endeavor.</p>
<p>Where this set really shines, however, is in 2v2 Stadium Mode. Lead with this guy and a Pokémon that knows the move Explosion or Selfdestruct—the higher Attack and Speed they have, the better. Use ExtremeSpeed in this mode of play, as you have an ally to KO anything that would survive it. Use your Self-KO move on your ally and Endure with Smeargle, then send in a Pokémon that has Fake Out (Ambipom is preferred, but Persian will work, as well). If one enemy is faster than Ambipom / Persian, Spore that one and Fake Out the other, otherwise, Spore the Pokémon least likely to be carrying a Lum Berry. Next turn, Endeavor the Pokémon that is awake, and attack it with Ambipom. Since you Spored the Pokémon that is faster, the Pokémon awake should be slower. Endeavor brings them down to 1 HP, and Ambipom finishes them off, killing them before they do anything, leaving them with a sleeping Pokémon on the field. Repeat the process on every awake Pokémon, finally finishing off the sleeping Pokémon.</p>
[SET]
Name: L1 Endeavor
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Substitute
Move 3: Endeavor
Move 4: Extremespeed / Dragon Rage
Item: Quick Claw / Bright Powder / Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Set this Smeargle to level 1, and pair it up with Tyranitar's Sand Stream. It is nearly impossible to get in, but if you manage to pull it off and there are no Ghosts on the opposing side you WILL screw up at least one opponent. Substitute or Spore when you can to buy a little more time, and Endeavor anything that moves. Because of Smeargle's extremely low HP you will put them straight into Sandstorm's KO range, unless they are Ground-, Rock- or Steel-typed (or Cacturne, Golduck or Rayquaza). The last move is to finish those, or anything really if Sand Stream isn't up. Your EVs and hold item will likely not matter, but if they do kick in, they'll grant you another kill. Don't give Smeargle HP EVs when running this set—you'll reduce Endeavor's damage.</p>
<p>To get it in, one of your best options is a Pokémon with a trapping move and a sleeping move. Mean Look / Lovely Kiss Jynx, Block / Yawn Snorlax and Mean Look / Hypnosis Gengar are good options. Smeargle essentially needs one turn to get in and one to set up Spore or Substitute. If you ever encounter something that cannot really touch him, like a Pokémon with no attacking moves or only Ghost-typed (or one locked into a Ghost move with a Choice Band, Choice Specs, or a Choice Scarf) moves, use that to come in more than once.</p>
<p> It is also possible to use this set without a weather inducer of any kind. Simply Spore on the free turn guaranteed by Focus Sash while your opponent tries to OHKO, use Endeavor, and then finish them off with Extremespeed. However, with the popularity of weather inducers, it is recommended to try this set with substitute and the aid of a weather inducer of your own.</p>
<p>This set is extremely deadly, especially if your opponent doesn't notice that Smeargle is at level 1 and switches into something to take the Spore, not realizing everything is faster and powerful enough to kill him.</p>
[SET]
Name: Perish Trapping
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Spider Web
Move 3: Perish Song
Move 4: Substitute
Item: Leftovers / Salac Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 92 HP / 120 Def / 40 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Since OHKOs are banned in most competitive battles, this is the next best thing to using Lock On and Sheer Cold. However, this will only work if you can predict a switch. Use Spider Web on the switch, Spore them, Substitute, and Perish Song. After using Perish Song, spam Substitute and Spore while you are waiting for it to count down, in case they wake up before dying. Just be careful against common Sleep Talkers like Cresselia and Snorlax as their ability to attack while asleep really messes up this strategy.</p>
[SET]
Name: Belly Drum Sweeper
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Extremespeed
Move 3: Explosion
Move 4: Belly Drum
Item: Salac Berry / Lum Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Although not nearly as common as Smeargle's other sets, this set is more then capable of doing damage. STAB Extremespeed and Explosion after a Belly Drum are a force to be reckoned after a Belly Drum. Extremespeed will OHKO fragile sweepers like Weavile while Explosion will OHKO even Skarmory. The 4 EVs in HP make it possible to pull of another Belly Drum should your opponent give you the chance and no residue damage is affecting Smeargle.</p>
[SET]
Name: Transformer
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Transform
Move 3: Explosion / Reflect / Light Screen
Move 4: Trick
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The strategy here is to use Trick the first turn when they're going to switch. Now hopefully, they switch to something that has Leftovers or the like. If you held Choice Scarf, you'll want to switch out now, because they are guaranteed to be faster than you, unless they went to something incredibly slow like Snorlax. If you have Choice Band, for instance, a great Pokémon to Trick is actually Choice Specs Pokémon. You lock them into one move without giving them any useful boosts, and you can come back and Trickspecs another Pokémon. Choice Scarf has the advantage of letting you Spore most anything in emergencies (or Explode on most anything, if you go that route).</p>
<p>Next, you'll want to use Spore to put whatever they have out to Sleep, so you can use Transform in peace. You'll now be Transformed against either a Sleeping Pokémon or a new Pokémon they just brought out. If it's a new Pokémon, then you have a roughly even match up, but if it's the Sleeping Pokémon, you have it made. Remember that Transform copies their stat boosts, so if you Spore a Cursing Snorlax, and then Transform into it, you will keep your 314 HP yes, but you will copy their Curses and you'll be awake, a rather large advantage. When you're done, you can just use Explosion.</p>
[SET]
Name: 1 HP Passer*
Move 1: Spore
Move 2: Endure / Agility
Move 3: Baton Pass
Move 4: Nasty Plot / Dragon Dance / Swords Dance
Item: Salac Berry / Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Your goal with this set is quite simple. Endure on something you know will OHKO you, Spore it after you gain the Speed Boost from Salac Berry, stat up on the switch, and then Baton Pass it to a sweeper of your choice. A move that increases the stat of your choice by two stages is preferred here since you're already getting the Salac Berry boost. However, if you fear a Choice Scarf user switching in to ruin your Baton Pass, then Dragon Dance may be the move for you.</p>
<p> Alternatively, this set can be used with Focus Sash. With Focus Sash you'll use Agility on the turn Smeragle is attacked, use Spore on turn 2, use Nasty Plot on the switch or while your opponent's Pokémon sleeps, and then Baton Pass it away. Getting +2 Speed and +2 Special Attack passed to a Pokémon can be devastating to your opponent's team and can win the game for you. However, it's still possible that your opponent may switch in a Choice Scarf user who's faster then Smeargle even after he uses Agility. Using Focus Sash is also more susceptible than using Endure and Salac Berry so if you want to take as little risks as possible, you'll want to stick with Endure.</p>
<p>In this set you'll always want to be using HP evs over defense evs because the only move you won't be using endure on is Seismic Toss and HP evs will help you survive more Seismic Tosses then you normally would. Like many Smeargle sets this set is ruined by Sandstorm so if you plan on using this set you may want to bring a Rain Dance or Sunny Day user.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Smeargle doesn't have the stats to pull off much else besides what's already listed despite his ability to learn every move in the game. However, Taunt can be used on the Baton Pass sets in order to block Haze, Roar, and Whirlwind from ruining your strategy. Dark Void is also a nice option for double battles should Sleep Clause not be in play, but chances are it will be.</p>
[EVs]
<p>252 Speed and a Jolly nature is necessary for all of Smeargle's sets to work. If you plan on attacking the remaining EVs should be dumped into attack while they should be placed in HP if you plan on Baton Passing substitutes so they'll be as big as possible. Alternatively, you can distribute the remaining EVs as 92 HP / 120 Def / 40 SpD in order to maximize Smeargle's defenses.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>While Smeargle's options moveset wise are unlimited, he is best suited for Baton Passing. Smeargle is the reason why it isn't always so simple to bring a Pokemon carring Roar or Whirlwind to end Baton Pass chains. Smeargle can cause your loss right away, even outside of a Baton Pass chain, because Baton Passing a Belly Drum and a Salac boost to something as powerful as Medicham is just plain "good game". Despite how weak it's defenses and offenses are, underestimating him can cost you the game.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Ghosts counter the Endeavor set and the sweeper set 100% of the time without factoring in the possibility of being put to sleep by Spore (therefore making Banette a true counter).
Quick Attackers, ExtremeSpeeders, and anyone else with a first-strike move can just hit Smeargle before it does anything and OHKO it almost everytime. Additionally, Pokémon that attain 410 Speed or higher (most likely through the use of a Choice Scarf) will finish Smeargle off right away. Pokémon with multi-hit moves like Bonemerang or Double Hit can hit Smeargle through its Substitute to do some severe damage, as well. Being that Ambipom can use both Fake Out and Double Hit he is one of the better counters to Smeargle if one of your Pokemon is already asleep or if he doesn't need to switch in.</p>
<p>Skarmory, Suicune and Steelix (and any other phazer) scare Smeargle by default, since it won't get off a Baton Pass unless it has Ingrain or Taunt. Vaporeon and Weezing can similarly use Haze to put an end to Smeargle's Baton Passing dreams.</p>
<p>Any Pokémon with Taunt shuts down non-attacking Smeargle sets easily.
Additionally, Sleep Talk can spell Smeargle's demise. Pokémon such as Hypno, Primeape, and Banette are also great counters since their abilities prevent spore from putting them to sleep.</p>
