Mega Sceptile
[QC:3/3] A Cake Wearing A Hat / Eyan / Hilomilo
[GP:2/2] The Dutch Plumberjack / marthaa
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Sceptile's high Special Attack, high Speed, and unique Grass / Dragon typing make it a potent attacker and revenge killer in the UU tier. These traits bolstered by helpful coverage options in Focus Blast and Hidden Power Fire make it tricky to consistently switch into Mega Sceptile without a specially bulky Pokemon. Its ability, Lightning Rod, gives Mega Sceptile an edge versus Electric-types, making premier threats such as Rotom-W and Mega Manectric think twice about using their STAB attacks in fear of giving Mega Sceptile a Special Attack boost. These perks are offset, however, by the omnipresence of bulky Steel-types, Fairy-types, and Ice-type coverage, which Mega Sceptile is 4x weak to. Although Mega Sceptile has a decent set of resistances, it is also weak to common Fairy, Flying, Dragon, and Ice moves, which is made worse by its frailty. While Mega Sceptile's base 145 Speed is exceptionally high, it still leaves it prone to being pressured offensively by faster Pokemon, such as Mega Aerodactyl and most Choice Scarf users, making offensive counterplay to it quite manageable. Furthermore, although Mega Sceptile's base 145 Special Attack is quite high, it is often not enough to threaten special walls in any meaningful way unless it has the proper coverage, making it a sitting duck versus the likes of Mega Altaria, Togekiss, and Blissey.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Giga Drain / Energy Ball / Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast
item: Sceptilite
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Leaf Storm is very strong coming from Mega Sceptile's high Special Attack and does heavy damage to most Pokemon that don't resist it, easily blowing away any Water- or Ground-type and doing up to half to Empoleon and Mantine. However, it comes with the drawback of lowering Sceptile's Special Attack two stages, which is typically enough to force it out and sacrifice momentum. Dragon Pulse is Sceptile's only option for a special Dragon-type STAB attack, and allows it to stand up to opposing Dragon-types. This enables it to act as an offensive check to the likes of Latias, Hydreigon, and Zygarde-10% while also maintaining good neutral coverage it would otherwise lack with Grass-type STAB alone. Giga Drain is Sceptile's go-to drawback-free Grass-type STAB attack, as it allows it to regain health by attacking, but Energy Ball can also be used for its higher power in exchange for longevity. This difference in power is notable for the OHKOs and 2HKOs it achieves. It 2HKOes fast Gliscor and OHKOes Alomomola, for example, after Stealth Rock, and it also has a good chance to OHKO uninvested Mega Blastoise even when Mega Sceptile has a Timid nature, while Giga Drain does not. Hidden Power Fire rounds out Sceptile's coverage alongside its STAB attacks, allowing it to hit Steel-types for super effective damage, most notably doing 4x damage to Scizor. It is also Sceptile's most consistent option to hit Klefki. Focus Blast can also be used over Giga Drain or Hidden Power Fire to hit Steel-types other than Scizor harder. It can OHKO Cobalion, for example, as well as 2HKO Empoleon, Mega Aggron, and Mega Steelix. Earthquake is a viable alternative in the last slot to lure in and 2HKO Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock and free Mega Sceptile up to use its STAB attacks without fear of being Pursuit trapped. It also does decent damage to Klefki but less than Hidden Power Fire or Focus Blast.
Set Details
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Full investment in Special Attack and Speed maximizes Mega Sceptile's offensive potential. A Timid nature allows Sceptile to outspeed Mega Manectric, Crobat, and base 80 Choice Scarf Pokemon like Chandelure, as well as Speed tie with Mega Beedrill. However, a Modest nature can be used for its notable increase in power if outspeeding such Pokemon isn't important. A Modest nature allows Sceptile to nab important OHKOs with Energy Ball, such as Mega Blastoise, Alomomola, and Primarina. It also has a much greater chance of OHKOing bulky Scizor with Hidden Power Fire. For this reason, Modest Sceptile should always be running Energy Ball over Giga Drain, since it is intended to maximize damage output, making longevity less important. Do be wary, though, that Modest Sceptile is slower than Mega Manectric, meaning it loses outright to one of the key Electric-types it is supposed to check. Lightning Rod gives Sceptile an immunity to Electric upon Mega Evolving as well as a Special Attack boost if it's hit by an Electric-type move, allowing it to shut down Electric-types lacking Ice coverage, most notably Rotom-W, entirely.
Usage Tips
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Mega Sceptile's Speed is valuable for revenge killing fast threats such as Latias, Crobat, and Mega Pidgeot after they've been put in KO range, as well as cleaning up late-game once the opposing team is weakened. Mega Evolve as soon as possible so Sceptile can gain the defensive benefits of its Dragon typing and Lightning Rod. This is important versus VoltTurn teams, especially ones carrying Rotom-W, as Mega Sceptile's Electric immunity is key for stopping them from gaining momentum. Don't be afraid to predict Volt Switch from Electric-types that pack Hidden Power Ice—namely Mega Manectric and Raikou—either, as the reward for shutting down momentum for VoltTurn teams is immense. Capitalize on Sceptile's resistances to Electric, Ground, and Water by switching it into the likes of Rotom-W, Hippowdon, and Swampert to fire off an attack. VoltTurn support makes this much easier to achieve without Sceptile taking damage, as Sceptile threatens most switch-ins to Volt Switch and U-turn. Even with these defensive qualities, however, Sceptile is still somewhat frail, so don't let it take attacks that it doesn't have to. Be careful when using Leaf Storm, as the number of Pokemon that take advantage of Sceptile grows exponentially once its Special Attack is lowered.
Team Options
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Sceptile does best on offensive teams that need a fast revenge killer and check to Water-, Ground-, and Electric-types. Wallbreakers like Terrakion, Primarina, and offensive Scizor do a great job wearing down walls for Sceptile, while Sceptile in return keeps fast offensive threats in check with its Speed. Mamoswine, Scizor, and Crawdaunt keep most of Sceptile's offensive checks at bay with their powerful priority moves on top of being wallbreakers. Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, Mega Altaria, and opposing Mamoswine are all vulnerable to at least one of these Pokemon's priority options. Mega Sceptile's base 145 Speed is extremely good, but it isn't enough to effectively keep faster foes in check on its own due to the presence of Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Choice Scarf users, so for this, Sceptile must be relegated to a backup role on offensive teams in favor of a Choice Scarf user like Infernape or Krookodile. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W and Infernape can bring in Sceptile safely by forcing in bulky Water-, Ground-, and Dragon-types that Sceptile can threaten. Steel-types in general do a good job checking bulky Fairy-types, such as Mega Altaria and Togekiss, that would otherwise come in on Sceptile with impunity. Be wary, however, that with the exception of defensive Scizor, they compound a weakness to Mamoswine. Spikes setters such as Klefki and Froslass also do a good job wearing down such Pokemon. Spikes synergize well with the aforementioned VoltTurn strategies, since it forces bulky foes to be worn down by entry hazard damage as well as by pivoting moves, opening a door for Sceptile to clean up late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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A Swords Dance set with Leaf Blade, Dragon Claw, and Iron Tail or Earthquake may sound appealing, as it lures and eliminates Sceptile's most common defensive checks in Togekiss, Alolan Muk, Mega Altaria, and Blissey, but it is generally suboptimal due to Sceptile's mediocre Attack for a Mega Evolution and its vulnerability to burns, which greatly compromise its ability to check Water-types. This is especially troublesome versus Rotom-W, as it can use Volt Switch more freely, since it threatens this set with Will-O-Wisp. A SubSeed set can capitalize on the many switches Sceptile forces by whittling down foes with Leech Seed, but this comes at a great cost in power and coverage, as it is limited to two attacks and cannot viably use Leaf Storm. Substitute + 3 attacks works similarly to SubSeed but gives Sceptile a free turn to attack on a forced switch rather than use Leech Seed, but it again faces the issue of lacking power and coverage. Lastly, Toxic can be used to cripple special walls attempting to counter Sceptile but is generally suboptimal due to the loss of coverage and the fact that most viable special walls have reliable recovery, a means of healing status, or both.
Checks and Counters
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**Fairy-types**: Most Fairy-types can eat any hit from Mega Sceptile and blow it away with their own STAB attacks. Mega Altaria and Togekiss are especially noteworthy, as they also resist Grass and don't care about Sceptile's coverage options, thus stopping Sceptile cold.
**Steel-types**: Though they must be way of Hidden Power Fire and Focus Blast, Steel-types resist Mega Sceptile's STAB attacks and thus prevent it from spamming them. This makes specially frail Steel-types like Cobalion and offensive Scizor shaky checks at best, but they can typically manage Sceptile after a Special Attack drop from Leaf Storm. Bulky ones like Aggron and Empoleon are much better at beating Sceptile, but they must be kept healthy to eat a coverage move if they want to beat it one-on-one, and Empoleon must be running Ice Beam or Toxic to threaten it at all.
**Ice-types and Ice Coverage**: Mega Sceptile will instantly fold to virtually any Ice-type move due to its 4x weakness to Ice and general frailty. Mamoswine, for example, can force Sceptile out with its priority Ice Shard despite being much slower. This is made worse by the fact that two of the most common Electric-types Sceptile wants to check, Mega Manectric and Raikou, often carry Hidden Power Ice, making switching into them directly very risky.
**Faster Pokemon**: Mega Sceptile is very fast, but it is nevertheless forced out by most faster foes in the tier, including Mega Aerodactyl, Choice Scarf Infernape, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Pursuit Mega Aerodactyl forces it into a checkmate position by stopping it from even switching out.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Unless running the niche Swords Dance set, Mega Sceptile has no real way to muscle past special walls with reliable recovery, meaning it is almost always forced out by the likes of Sylveon, Blissey, and Mantine. Alolan Muk can eat any two hits from non-Earthquake Sceptile and Pursuit trap it.
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