So I was bent on defying the metagame with this team and determined to turn Mega Sceptile into an RU mega that nobody even considers into one of the most surprising setup sweepers in the game, given his counters (Anything with Ice Shard, Scarfed Dragons, or anything that would resist his attacks and OHKO, which can be easily picked out by the rest of the team.) Of course, due to his many weaknesses, you sort of have to put at least two Pokemon in your team that can handle the weaknesses, maybe three or four if they fill niches you will need filled anyway.
Sesshomaru (Sceptile-Mega) (M) @ Sceptilite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 228 Atk / 200 SpA / 80 Spe
Naive Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse/Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance/Protect
(RU)
When I was first dabbling in Mega Sceptile in OU, I was very, very dissatisfied with the current set that Smogon has on display for Mega Sceptile. The main problems are that it has way more EVs invested in SpA than are neccisary to OHKO Assault Vest Azumarill after Stealth Rock with Leaf Storm, and WAY more EVs invested in speed than are neccessary to outspeed Greninja, the fastest, most common threat it can go up against. You will still run from Mega Beedrill, and I wouldnt risk that that Mega Manetric isnt running Hidden Power Ice, but we have walls for both that handle both very nicely in the team.
Of course, the main feature here is that this is a mixed Mega Sceptile that drops Focus Miss in favor of the much more reliable EQ and threw out that Sub that we are told to use when we force switches in favor of Swords Dance. Most people at present will not see EQ coming, and so you can Swords Dance on a predicted switch or Protect, etc, and then just flatten the inevitable Special wall that comes in to stop you. Bear in mind, however, that an unboosted EQ, even with this much invested in Atk, will be useless on Pokemon that resist it or arent hit super effectively. Save your surprise attack for when it will hit hardest. If we want to OHKO Assault Vest Azumarill after rocks with this EV spread every time, we are going to have to use Leaf Storm, rendering Sub somewhat redundant without a reliable recovery. I figure Protect could also be run, which might be better in a Doubles setting and also allow Sceptile to safely Mega Evolve right away and gain his extra 4x resistance to water and complete immunity to Electric type attacks and Thunder Wave, which would make him easier to switch in later in the game. You do lose out on a lot of potential power though, so I prefer to run Swords and bring Sceptile in when it is safe to do so.
Do bear in mind that while Outrage does in fact hit harder than Dragon Pulse with this EV spread, does not get powered down from usage of Leaf Storm, and does get powered up from Swords Dance, I would advise against using it since you are locking yourself into a move and begging for the Fairy, ScarfChomp, or Ice Shard switch in. You will sweep teams hard if you can get it off when all threats are out of the way, but it is a gamble otherwise and Dragon Pulse will still be useful throughout the game and really only does marginally less damage. You will also be able to conceal the fact that you are mixed perhaps a bit longer. Still an option to consider.
Toph (Skarmory) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock/Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
(UU/OU, thing seems to fluctuate all the time)
Good ol' Skarmory tends to get overlooked quite a lot in favor of other Stealth Rock users, but I still find this little gal to be the cream of the crop. Stealth Rock is preferred for me since I am basing Sceptile's guarenteed OHKOs for the Pokemon most likely to resist him if I drop his SpA EVs too low on it being set up, and as a result, I almost always lead with Skarmory, even when I suspect my opponent will lead with a fire or Electric mon. Even if they do, my Arcanine and Rotom-W can easily switch in on them and wall the incoming attack. If I feel it is prudent to do so, I may even let the attack connect and allow Sturdy to give me a guarenteed Stealth Rock, usually if the opponent is running Charizard or Talonflame to hit them where it hurts. My favorite part about Skarm is the fact that he has a very reliable recovery and can deal damage out in kind with Brave Bird at very low risk, even up against the most powerful physical threats. This thing does not mind getting Ice Punched by a rampaging Mega Metagross whatsoever, and can slowly wear it down with Brave Bird. If Steath Rock gets out safely with a Talonflame or Charizard on the opposing team, or you come up against a Pokemon that likes to sub or set up with status, or simply when in doubt, Whirlwind.
Just remember that this is Skarmory fully invested in Def, not Ferrothorn. He will not take special attacks well, especially not super effective ones. We have an Arcanine for that.
Cee (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 60 SpA / 148 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp/Thunder Wave
- Protect/Reflect/Light Screen
(OU/VGC14)
I was trying really hard to include a good amount of unique Pokemon in this lineup, but the compatibility of Rotom-W with the other members of this team simply cannot be ignored. The thing is very powerful in its own right, capable of sweeping entire teams sometimes if left unchecked, but better yet, it walls many of the attacks that Mega Sceptile and Skarmory cant stand with ease. This thing seriously speaks for itself, and has proven its worth many times already. I dont feel the need to go into a lengthy discussion on this choice.
As a side note though, for this particular team, I am running Will-O-Wisp and Protect. Somewhat redundant when you consider Arcanine also knows Will-O-Wisp, but, the way I see it, the only good enemy sweeper is a burned enemy sweeper. It will make it much easier for Skarmory to stall and wear down. Thunder Wave can also be used to slow down threats that Mega Sceptile cant outspeed, such as Mega Beedrill or ScarfMence, so it really comes down to personal taste, I think.
Akamaru (Arcanine) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Morning Sun
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
(UU)
How in the name of the llama-god Arceus is this thing UU? Seriously? This thing is the MVP of my team on an incredibly frequent basis. See those SpD EVs? This thing will shrug off a Draco Meteor from a fully invested nature boosted Salamence like it was nothing, and then use Morning Sun to truely make it cry. Best of all, he can wall both special sweepers and physical sweepers with ease. Why invest at all in Def when you can come in and get an immediate Intimidate debuff off, followed closely by a Will-O-Wisp to shut down even the most threatening of physical sweepers? If you can predict the forced switch and get that burn off on Garchomp, even a fully invested EQ will do nothing if it isnt holding a Choice Band, granted it would be better to switch to Skarmory in that situation, or Sceptile to secure the OHKO if you know it isnt Choiced. I cannot stress enough how huge of an annoyance this thing is for opposing teams. Almost nothing brings Spdef Arcanine down efficiently, and if it can, one of my other Pokemon can handle it, namely Skarmory or Mega Sceptile/Azumarill. Burns on every single one of the opposing threats, Flare Blitz to wear them down similarly to Skarmory, and even a priority move in Extremespeed to secure revenge kills. I ask again: How in the name of the llama-god Arceus is this thing still UU!?
And if you think I should have a Heatran in this slot instead, for one, bear in mind that this team is intended to be a team I can easily create in-game and also that this thing is far superior. Give it a shot. There is no way you can tell me Heatran would fill this slot better as much as this thing is my MVP. Plus you lose some uniqueness.
Mako (Azumarill) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Belly Drum
(OU)
Standard Belly Drum set here. Its been tried and proven many times, and there is not much more I can say about it that isnt already said in it's Smogon University article. The main purpose of Azumarill on this team is as a secondary sweeper and as a check to Scarf Garchomp. Thing is a decent revenge killer too. Occasionally useful, but I usually find it more helpful to bring about the team's two walls to stall away my opponent's most common threats. You could always run an Assault Vest set if you would rather have the bulk, but I figure there are plenty of extremely bulky Pokemon on this team already.
Ekizou (Donphan) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
(UU)
Enter the other reason I dont use Assault Vest Azumarill. I'm already running an Assault Vest Donphan. As should be plainly obvious, this is my user of Rapid Spin. He adds some uniqueness to the team as a UU Pokemon, which is part of what I was going for when making this team, and plus Rapid Spin doesnt remove the Steath Rocks that I set, unlike the double-edged sword that is Defog. It is also really funny to watch a mutual Steath Rock on the first turn, followed by my switch to this guy and my opponent's switch to Latios, watch as my opponent Defogs the field for me, and OHKO with Knock off xD
Also comes with EQ for a STAB and Ice Shard for coverage and a hard hitting priority move for all things Dragon/Flying, Dragon/Ground, or Flying/Ground that might switch in. Knock Off also comes with the added benefit of crippling walls and hitting spinblockers hard, so I dont even consider any other move for the slot.
Will appreciate any feedback. For a team that isnt running 100% S-Ranked, OU, stacked Pokemon, this team performs extremely well. Better yet, it is a team that I might actually be able to build outside the realm of Showdown, considering it runs no Legendaries or impossible-to-aquire Hidden Abilities.
Sesshomaru (Sceptile-Mega) (M) @ Sceptilite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 228 Atk / 200 SpA / 80 Spe
Naive Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse/Outrage
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance/Protect
(RU)
When I was first dabbling in Mega Sceptile in OU, I was very, very dissatisfied with the current set that Smogon has on display for Mega Sceptile. The main problems are that it has way more EVs invested in SpA than are neccisary to OHKO Assault Vest Azumarill after Stealth Rock with Leaf Storm, and WAY more EVs invested in speed than are neccessary to outspeed Greninja, the fastest, most common threat it can go up against. You will still run from Mega Beedrill, and I wouldnt risk that that Mega Manetric isnt running Hidden Power Ice, but we have walls for both that handle both very nicely in the team.
Of course, the main feature here is that this is a mixed Mega Sceptile that drops Focus Miss in favor of the much more reliable EQ and threw out that Sub that we are told to use when we force switches in favor of Swords Dance. Most people at present will not see EQ coming, and so you can Swords Dance on a predicted switch or Protect, etc, and then just flatten the inevitable Special wall that comes in to stop you. Bear in mind, however, that an unboosted EQ, even with this much invested in Atk, will be useless on Pokemon that resist it or arent hit super effectively. Save your surprise attack for when it will hit hardest. If we want to OHKO Assault Vest Azumarill after rocks with this EV spread every time, we are going to have to use Leaf Storm, rendering Sub somewhat redundant without a reliable recovery. I figure Protect could also be run, which might be better in a Doubles setting and also allow Sceptile to safely Mega Evolve right away and gain his extra 4x resistance to water and complete immunity to Electric type attacks and Thunder Wave, which would make him easier to switch in later in the game. You do lose out on a lot of potential power though, so I prefer to run Swords and bring Sceptile in when it is safe to do so.
Do bear in mind that while Outrage does in fact hit harder than Dragon Pulse with this EV spread, does not get powered down from usage of Leaf Storm, and does get powered up from Swords Dance, I would advise against using it since you are locking yourself into a move and begging for the Fairy, ScarfChomp, or Ice Shard switch in. You will sweep teams hard if you can get it off when all threats are out of the way, but it is a gamble otherwise and Dragon Pulse will still be useful throughout the game and really only does marginally less damage. You will also be able to conceal the fact that you are mixed perhaps a bit longer. Still an option to consider.
Toph (Skarmory) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Stealth Rock/Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
(UU/OU, thing seems to fluctuate all the time)
Good ol' Skarmory tends to get overlooked quite a lot in favor of other Stealth Rock users, but I still find this little gal to be the cream of the crop. Stealth Rock is preferred for me since I am basing Sceptile's guarenteed OHKOs for the Pokemon most likely to resist him if I drop his SpA EVs too low on it being set up, and as a result, I almost always lead with Skarmory, even when I suspect my opponent will lead with a fire or Electric mon. Even if they do, my Arcanine and Rotom-W can easily switch in on them and wall the incoming attack. If I feel it is prudent to do so, I may even let the attack connect and allow Sturdy to give me a guarenteed Stealth Rock, usually if the opponent is running Charizard or Talonflame to hit them where it hurts. My favorite part about Skarm is the fact that he has a very reliable recovery and can deal damage out in kind with Brave Bird at very low risk, even up against the most powerful physical threats. This thing does not mind getting Ice Punched by a rampaging Mega Metagross whatsoever, and can slowly wear it down with Brave Bird. If Steath Rock gets out safely with a Talonflame or Charizard on the opposing team, or you come up against a Pokemon that likes to sub or set up with status, or simply when in doubt, Whirlwind.
Just remember that this is Skarmory fully invested in Def, not Ferrothorn. He will not take special attacks well, especially not super effective ones. We have an Arcanine for that.
Cee (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Def / 60 SpA / 148 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp/Thunder Wave
- Protect/Reflect/Light Screen
(OU/VGC14)
I was trying really hard to include a good amount of unique Pokemon in this lineup, but the compatibility of Rotom-W with the other members of this team simply cannot be ignored. The thing is very powerful in its own right, capable of sweeping entire teams sometimes if left unchecked, but better yet, it walls many of the attacks that Mega Sceptile and Skarmory cant stand with ease. This thing seriously speaks for itself, and has proven its worth many times already. I dont feel the need to go into a lengthy discussion on this choice.
As a side note though, for this particular team, I am running Will-O-Wisp and Protect. Somewhat redundant when you consider Arcanine also knows Will-O-Wisp, but, the way I see it, the only good enemy sweeper is a burned enemy sweeper. It will make it much easier for Skarmory to stall and wear down. Thunder Wave can also be used to slow down threats that Mega Sceptile cant outspeed, such as Mega Beedrill or ScarfMence, so it really comes down to personal taste, I think.
Akamaru (Arcanine) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Morning Sun
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
(UU)
How in the name of the llama-god Arceus is this thing UU? Seriously? This thing is the MVP of my team on an incredibly frequent basis. See those SpD EVs? This thing will shrug off a Draco Meteor from a fully invested nature boosted Salamence like it was nothing, and then use Morning Sun to truely make it cry. Best of all, he can wall both special sweepers and physical sweepers with ease. Why invest at all in Def when you can come in and get an immediate Intimidate debuff off, followed closely by a Will-O-Wisp to shut down even the most threatening of physical sweepers? If you can predict the forced switch and get that burn off on Garchomp, even a fully invested EQ will do nothing if it isnt holding a Choice Band, granted it would be better to switch to Skarmory in that situation, or Sceptile to secure the OHKO if you know it isnt Choiced. I cannot stress enough how huge of an annoyance this thing is for opposing teams. Almost nothing brings Spdef Arcanine down efficiently, and if it can, one of my other Pokemon can handle it, namely Skarmory or Mega Sceptile/Azumarill. Burns on every single one of the opposing threats, Flare Blitz to wear them down similarly to Skarmory, and even a priority move in Extremespeed to secure revenge kills. I ask again: How in the name of the llama-god Arceus is this thing still UU!?
And if you think I should have a Heatran in this slot instead, for one, bear in mind that this team is intended to be a team I can easily create in-game and also that this thing is far superior. Give it a shot. There is no way you can tell me Heatran would fill this slot better as much as this thing is my MVP. Plus you lose some uniqueness.
Mako (Azumarill) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Belly Drum
(OU)
Standard Belly Drum set here. Its been tried and proven many times, and there is not much more I can say about it that isnt already said in it's Smogon University article. The main purpose of Azumarill on this team is as a secondary sweeper and as a check to Scarf Garchomp. Thing is a decent revenge killer too. Occasionally useful, but I usually find it more helpful to bring about the team's two walls to stall away my opponent's most common threats. You could always run an Assault Vest set if you would rather have the bulk, but I figure there are plenty of extremely bulky Pokemon on this team already.
Ekizou (Donphan) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
(UU)
Enter the other reason I dont use Assault Vest Azumarill. I'm already running an Assault Vest Donphan. As should be plainly obvious, this is my user of Rapid Spin. He adds some uniqueness to the team as a UU Pokemon, which is part of what I was going for when making this team, and plus Rapid Spin doesnt remove the Steath Rocks that I set, unlike the double-edged sword that is Defog. It is also really funny to watch a mutual Steath Rock on the first turn, followed by my switch to this guy and my opponent's switch to Latios, watch as my opponent Defogs the field for me, and OHKO with Knock off xD
Also comes with EQ for a STAB and Ice Shard for coverage and a hard hitting priority move for all things Dragon/Flying, Dragon/Ground, or Flying/Ground that might switch in. Knock Off also comes with the added benefit of crippling walls and hitting spinblockers hard, so I dont even consider any other move for the slot.
Will appreciate any feedback. For a team that isnt running 100% S-Ranked, OU, stacked Pokemon, this team performs extremely well. Better yet, it is a team that I might actually be able to build outside the realm of Showdown, considering it runs no Legendaries or impossible-to-aquire Hidden Abilities.