[STABmons] Sceptile

canno

formerly The Reptile
QC Checks [3/3]
baconbagon / Scyther NO Swiping / The Reptile
GP Checks [2/2]
fleurdyleurse / Walrein and Snobalt


FELIZ NAVIDAD​

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Sceptile can be extremely problematic for offensive teams due to its blisteringly high Speed and decent Special Attack. Mega Sceptile is the fastest Dragon-type, such as Garchomp, Latios, and Mega Charizard X, with Dragon Pulse. It also has a powerful STAB move in Seed Flare, which allows it to revenge kill fast threats such as Mega Manectric; Seed Flare in combination with Mega Sceptile's typing also allows it to easily deal with Water-types such as Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Slowbro. Another advantage its Grass typing brings is an immunity to Spore, which Mega Sceptile is also one the fastest users of. Furthermore, Lightning Rod also gives it an immunity to moves like Thundurus's Thunder Wave and Rotom-W's Volt Switch. However, due to its frailty, it is easily picked off by Choice Scarf users and priority moves, such as the common combination of Fake Out and Extreme Speed. This is compounded by its relatively bad defensive typing, which notably leaves it 4x weak to Ice Shard. It also doesn't have a very potent offensive typing and its strongest STAB move is widely resisted; thus, it often finds itself strained for coverage. Mega Sceptile also struggles against stall teams, as they tend to carry specific walls that Mega Sceptile cannot deal with easily.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Spore
move 2: Seed Flare
move 3: Dragon Pulse
move 4: Focus Blast / Hidden Power Fire
item: Sceptilite
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Spore allows Mega Sceptile to put fast offensive Pokemon, such as Latios, Thundurus, Raikou, and Alakazam, to sleep. Seed Flare lets Mega Sceptile heavily damage its foes, especially Water-types such as Quagsire and Rotom-W. It also has a very high chance to drop the foe's Special Defense by two stages, allowing it to break through walls it would otherwise struggle against. Dragon Pulse allows Mega Sceptile to revenge kill Dragon-types such as Latios and Garchomp. It is also more reliable than Seed Flare in terms of accuracy and PP. Focus Blast grants Mega Sceptile the best possible coverage alongside its STAB combination, as it hits almost all Steel-types at least neutrally. However, if certain Steel-types that are not hit hard by Focus Blast, such as Scizor and Skarmory, are an issue, and if Heatran is not much of a problem, Hidden Power Fire can be used instead.

Set Details
========

A Timid nature is recommended, as Mega Sceptile would otherwise miss out on outspeeding fast threats such as Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric, which can heavily damage Mega Sceptile with Dragon Ascent and Hidden Power Ice, respectively. Maximum Speed and Special Attack investment is used to be as fast and powerful as possible. Lightning Rod allows Mega Sceptile to absorb Electric-type moves such as Thunder Wave and Volt Switch from the likes of Rotom-W.

Usage Tips
========

It is important to Mega Evolve as soon as possible, though that is easy to do thanks to Sceptile's high Speed. The extra power is appreciated, while the extra Speed is needed to revenge kill faster Pokemon, such as Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric. Lightning Rod is also important to check Electric-types and gain immunity to Thunder Wave. Mega Sceptile should be used both to revenge kill and to put key threats to sleep. While it might seem appealing at first, Spore should not be used early in the match, but rather on Mega Sceptile's counters or a fast Pokemon that threatens the rest of the team. You can also pivot Mega Sceptile into Water-types such as Rotom-W thanks to its 4x resistance to Water and blow them back with a Grass-type STAB move. However, Mega Sceptile should be wary about Ice Beam which will OHKO it. Mega Sceptile's typing lets it pivot into Electric-type Pokemon such as Raikou and force them out with its superior speed; however, Mega Sceptile must be careful about Hidden Power Ice or powerful secondary STAB moves. Mega Sceptile can pivot into Spore from the likes of Tangrowth and certain Ferrothorn sets, although it is not advised to stay in unless they take a decent amount from Dragon Pulse, as they can threaten Mega Sceptile out with their secondary STAB moves. Be careful when using Seed Flare, as it has a low 8 PP despite being easy to spam.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that can handle Fairy-types, such as Dragalge and Gengar, make for good teammates, as Mega Sceptile is weak to Fairy-type attacks, while Fairy-types are not hit hard by its moves due to their generally high Special Defense. Pokemon that can remove Grass-types, such as Talonflame, Heatran, Rotom-H, and Gyarados, are great teammates to Mega Sceptile, as Grass-types can easily absorb Spore and force Mega Sceptile to use its weaker Dragon Pulse. Checks to Flying-types, such as Raikou and Rotom-H, are good teammates too, as Flying-types are generally able to survive Seed Flare and can retaliate with a super effective STAB move. Heatran can notably check Flying-types in addition to Grass-types. Talonflame is a good partner, as Mega Sceptile can deal with Pokemon that check it such as Rotom-W and Tyranitar. Any Pokemon that hates Rotom-W and other bulky Water-types such as Slowbro appreciate the presence of Mega Sceptile in general; examples of such Pokemon are Terrakion and Gyarados. Wallbreakers such as Hoopa-U and Choice Specs Dragalge can help Mega Sceptile clean up. Pokemon that appreciate the removal of bulky Ground-types, such as Tyranitar and Excadrill, also make for fine teammates. Entry hazard setters such as Heatran and Jirachi are also useful, as they wear down foes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Mega Sceptile can use Energy Ball or Giga Drain alongside or over Seed Flare and Focus Blast for more reliable Grass-type STAB moves that also preserve Seed Flare's PP, but Mega Sceptile's coverage or power will be compromised. Earthquake with a Naive nature is a fine option that can deal with Steel-types if Heatran is particularly problematic or if hitting specially defensive Jirachi a bit harder is wanted. However, outside of its niche targets, Earthquake is generally inferior to Focus Blast and Hidden Power Fire as a coverage move. Substitute is a powerful tool on Mega Sceptile, as it provides protection from priority and can generate free turns by forcing Water-types out or by simply putting something to sleep. However, it will have to give up either the utility of Spore or coverage, and Mega Sceptile already struggles with its limited movepool. A Swords Dance set can be used, as Mega Sceptile has access to Power Whip, which provides a strong physical STAB move, and Spore, which eases setup; it also possesses a usable base 110 Attack and a good physical movepool. However, other Dragon-type sweepers such as Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, and Haxorus outclass it in that area.

Checks and Counters
========

**Flying-types**: Bulky Flying-types are a problem for Mega Sceptile, as they can usually survive Seed Flare and heavily damage it with a STAB move in return. Togekiss is particularly troublesome for it, as Mega Sceptile usually runs nothing in the way of coverage against it and can potentially allow it to set up. Mandibuzz, while not as common, takes all of Mega Sceptile's moves. To make matters worse, Mandibuzz has Overcoat, meaning that Spore is completely useless against it. Other Flying-types, such as Assault Vest Thundurus-T and Talonflame, also cause problems for Mega Sceptile, although they do not appreciate Spore.

**Revenge Killers**: Priority moves such as Fake Out + Extreme Speed, Talonflame's Brave Bird, and Ice Shard from Kyurem-B and Weavile give Mega Sceptile problems due to its low bulk. Choice Scarf users that can outspeed Mega Sceptile, such as Thundurus-T and Terrakion, are also problematic.

**Bulky Steel-types**: As long as Mega Sceptile does not have a coverage move to hit them, bulky Steel-types are an issue. For example, Mega Scizor walls Mega Sceptile without Hidden Power Fire. Some Steel-types are not bothered by Mega Sceptile's coverage moves; such Pokemon include Klefki and Jirachi, which both can easily survive a Hidden Power Fire.

**Bulky Grass-types**: While not that common, bulky Grass-types are an issue for Mega Sceptile, as they are immune to Spore. This problem is exacerbated if Mega Sceptile lacks Hidden Power Fire or other means to hit them. Pokemon like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Ferrothorn are examples of these.

**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Chansey, Clefable, and Porygon2 can easily take all of Mega Sceptile's moves, especially if it has already put something to sleep with Spore. Assault Vest users such as Meloetta and Thundurus-T cause the same problems for Mega Sceptile, being able to survive any hit Mega Sceptile can dish out and deal massive damage in return.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: EV

EV

Banned deucer.
Overview
  • In the second to last bullet (or maybe as a separate bullet) add that it struggles to carry all the coverage it needs at all times. It wants Focus Blast/Hidden Power/Earthquake alongside its STABs, and also a more reliable Grass STAB.
  • For the last bullet, I've found Mega Sceptile a good stallbreaker because of Spore or Seed Flare. Sure, it's not as good as it used to be because the two are incompatible, but a fast Spore or threat of -2 drops scares stall. However, the points about it struggling to crack certain walls is completely valid.
Set - Spore
  • Honestly I'd rather combine this with Substitute. Slash Sub in the fourth slot or over one of its STABs. Slash Giga Drain over Leaf Storm.
  • I'd move the 4 EVs to SDef, which is higher naturally.
Moves
  • For the second bullet, Latios isn't staying in.
  • Substitute and Giga Drain need mentions if the sets merge.
Set Details
  • k
Usage Tips
  • Add more emphasis on the switches, which is when Substitute gets discussed because then you don't risk Sporing your opponent's sleep fodder, i.e. you maintain more control over what sleeps.
  • The opponent will probably send in their sleep fodder first so tell the player how to respond appropriately (using sub or just hitting hard with STAB/coverage.)
Team Options
  • Hazards to turn multi-KOs into 1 and 2-hit KOs?
Set - All Out
  • No more Focus Blast as an option? At least put it below imo.
Moves
  • Add Focus Blast, rest good.
Set Details
  • Why Naive? You should be preserving its better defensive stat imo. Change to +Spe, -Def.
Usage Tips
  • Is there a move I should be using more often if I don't know what's coming in?
  • What about preserving Seed Flare's precious 8 pp?
Team Options
  • If any set should have hazard mention it's definitely this one. All out attackers need all the help they can get breaking down walls and such.
  • Heatran is a good partner to beat Fairy/Grass/Steel and can throw out SR.
Set - Substitute
  • See above. Otherwise it's fine.
Other Options
  • I used to run Rock Slide until I realized Dragon Pulse 2HKOs Zard Y. This looks fine.
Checks & Counters
  • I'd rather see Ice Shard Kyurem-B in #2. Weavile doesn't typically run it from my experience because it's already fast.
  • Under the Steel section, you had mentioned earlier that Jirachi and Klefki get hit with Earthquake. Add that caveat here?
  • You know, Ferrothorn can go under bulky Grass too. And it is common. Also Mega Venusaur is about as good a counter as you can get with Mega Sceptile, so list that too.
  • Porygon 2 in special walls as well.

Good job! QC 1 of 3.
 
Last edited:

canno

formerly The Reptile
The idea of Naive is that you don't -Def so its not as weak to fakespeed. That said, it is probably better to preserve Special Bulk to switch into Water-types, as FakeSpeed hurts Sceptile anyways

As for Focus Blast, I just don't feel like it's that important if you have EQ + HP Fire, but I'll mention it anyways
 

Scyther NO Swiping

Washed up former great
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Overview
  • Maybe say something about it lacking set up moves
  • Also maybe say something about the bad defensive typing and all the weaknesses, maybe merge it with the frailty bullet.
  • Also maybe include that it is able to be a spore sponge
Set 1 - Good

Moves - Good

Set Details
  • Add in something about LightningRod and how it allows you to take Thunderwave and other electric moves. Imo this should go in this section as well as the one below
Usage Tips
  • Also note that you can switch into an expected spore
Team Options
  • Imo for the first 3 bullets you should elaborate more on why these make new teammates, ie say that Sceptile is weak to these types. Also say what Sceptile can do for them, ie removing ground, or Rock types that they don't appreciate, or countering electric types
  • I also think hazard control mons could be helpful because Sceptile might have to switch in and out a few times, and it would appreciate not taking damage each time
Set 1 - Good

Moves - good

Set Details - Good

Usage Tips
  • Talk again about how it can switch into Electric types and switch into Spore.
Team Options
  • Again imo talk about the mutual relationship Sceptile has with these teammates, what it can do for them.
OO- Good

C&C - Good

Really good analysis Not too many changes, a lot of them are kinda nitpicking anyway. Once you make them, go ahead and open the hide tab.

Good Job
QC 2/3
Here's a Gif of approval.
 

EV

Banned deucer.
The Reptile – Do you really think this is viable anymore? I really don't... :s
It was viable during the old rules but that didn't take into account things like Mega Altaria which was banned fairly quickly when Mega Sceptile came around. I think we can keep it as a fast Sporer with a nice wallbreaking perk in Seed Flare.
 
It was viable during the old rules but that didn't take into account things like Mega Altaria which was banned fairly quickly when Mega Sceptile came around. I think we can keep it as a fast Sporer with a nice wallbreaking perk in Seed Flare.
Well yah in the old rules, but now I doubt it is. With Mega Metagross blocking it, Pixilate FakeSpeed stopping it, and the massive opportunity cost alongside it, it just sounds like too niche for me.
 

canno

formerly The Reptile
I want to see how it works out after all of the suspects / bans, as the two biggest threats to it (M-Mega and M-Alt) are being suspected.

Even with them in the tier, though, Mega Sceptile can always Spore it, so I can see it still having viability. Unlike Serp, after it puts something to sleep it can apply instant pressure.
 
The Reptile i think it's probably worth an analysis but it should be stated like a LOT how it's subpar but niche but good but eh ya know?

still a cute mon, so do it :3

 

baconbagon

free stabmons
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
i don't have a lot of experience with mega sceptile in stabmons, but i'm just going to check this cause no one else is doing it D:

Overview
- Mention Slowbro and Keldeo under the Water-types that it beats, as they're really good. If it feels like too many, I'd probably remove Quagsire because it's not too popular right now. Your choice tho
- What priority is it vulnerable to? Fake Out + Extreme Speed should probably be explicitly named
- Talk about how Lightningrod lets it check Electric-types in general, because mons like Raikou are used
- tfw not Lightning Rod. smogon should really get their act together they did it!

All-Out Attacker
Moves
- Describe Seed Flare's amazing secondary effect and how it helps limit switch-ins
- Hidden Power Fire doesn't actually hit Ferrothorn any harder than Focus Blast, so reword it to something like more reliability vs Ferrothorn
- idk about Bisharp being a notable Focus Blast target, as Sceptile shouldn't be staying in on Sucker Punch while HP Fire does a ton anyway

252 SpA Mega Sceptile Hidden Power Fire vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 192-226 (70.8 - 83.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

- Add Earthquake to Moves without slashing it, as I think it's pretty useful for Heatran, Magnezone, specially defensive Jirachi, and uh the odd Assault Vest Metagross? It's just pretty cool because Mega Sceptile outspeeds Choice Scarf Heatran and Magnezone

Set Details
- I think a Timid nature shouldn't be exclusively described as capable of putting fast Pokemon to sleep and that revenge killing them should also be mentioned. Spore is a one-use thing after all
- Naive nature for Earthquake I guess

Usage Tips
- I think if you're going to describe use of Substitute here, you're going to need to mention it in Moves
- Take out the mention of Leaf Storm because it's not good after the change. I think that whole line is a attack / status split specific thing actually, so if it is it should probably go
- What does Mega Sceptile pivot into Spore from? Describe the bulky Grass-types that it takes advantage of, and how it fears Sludge Wave from some of these Pokemon
- Describe how Mega Sceptile can pivot into Electric-types and potentially get Special Attack boosts as well, but fears HP Ice in a similar vein to fearing Ice Beam from Water-types
- Talk about holding off the obvious Spore until you've determined what you want to put to sleep
- Talk about preserving Seed Flare PP, as it runs out extremely quickly in some matches

Team Options
- I don't really like Rhyperior being mentioned cause it's kinda bad lol
- Gyarados can also beat bulky Grass-types with Dragon Ascent
- Also basically any Pokemon that dislikes bulky Ground-types, such as Excadrill and Tyranitar, work well here
- Mention that the wallbreakers help by breaking the walls that Mega Sceptile can't break in general
- This section seems a little confusing in general, it'll probably change when it's written up but it'd be nice to see defensive and offensive teammates be more separate I guess

Other Options
- Yeah you should probably leave Substitute here and completely remove it from Usage Tips
- Leech Seed? It's a bit of a waste of Mega Sceptile's offensive capabilities, but it can be really annoying
- Swords Dance has pretty good surprise factor and you can run cool coverage like Rock Slide or Drain Punch so mention those positives

Checks and Counters
- rip Geomancy Togekiss :(
- Revenge Killers should probably have priority 'such as' Fake Out + Extreme Speed, Ice Shard, and Talonflame's Brave Bird because there's a bunch of other stuff like Sucker Punch, so 'such as' makes it clear you haven't listed everything
- If it doesn't have HP Fire, Mega Sceptile probably has Focus Blast anyway so Ferrothorn is rarely going to wall it
- Add Amoonguss to bulky Grass-types

also something's up with your formatting, all the headers are in the wrong place

great analysis and a fun read!
QC 1/3
 
Last edited:

canno

formerly The Reptile
baconbagon do you mind if I put Earthquake in the OO section instead? I just feel like its a bit too niche to fit into the actual moveslot section

EDIT: Otherwise implemented :D
 
Last edited:

Scyther NO Swiping

Washed up former great
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Okay looks good nothing to add. Just make sure you put a line of space between each new point in the checks and Counter section.

QC 2/3
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top