How is Teleport useful in Pokémon Let's Go?

Question

Teleport's effect is changed in Pokémon Let's Go; it no longer ends a battle but switches the user for a teammate.
What is the benefit of using Teleport instead of actual switching?
Keep in mind that Teleport requires a move slot and using PP, that it has no outside-battle effects and that the move Pursuit doesn't exist in Let's Go.

Comments

It isn't worth using if the Pokémon can learn Baton Pass, but it does allow the user to escape being trapped by Fire Spin and such moves. :P

Answer 1

Scouting. If you're expecting your opponent to switch, but you don't know what they'll switch into, by using Teleport instead of switching directly, you'll be able to choose which Pokémon to send in after seeing what your opponent does. Is it completely outclassed by U-Turn and Volt Switch in every way? Absolutely, and it probably still wouldn't be worth the moveslot even if those two moves didn't exist, but there is a small, niche use for it.
Plus, it's always been Abra's only level-up move, and GF apparently didn't want to change that (honestly, this is probably the main reason it appears in LGPE).

Comments

so why did they make it a TM? nostalgia? who's nostalgic for the worst TM in the original games?

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The games are supposed to resemble the first games, and Game Freak goes all out sometimes for Nostalgia in their games, like how in Hg/Ss you can get an item that changes the game's music to the original Gold/Silver sound effects. Also, Game Freak isn't concerned with how useless some moves or Pokémon are, and generality don't care about how viable things are so long as it isn't absolutely broken. They care more about the Pokémon's biology and dex entries more than most other things. :P

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I guess.

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Oh so Teleport switches out AFTERWARDS, that IS kind of neat, yes! Thank you for your answer!