Sceptile [4F]+

[Zepar]

@Paranoid212 - Incidentally, even in Sandstorm, Leaf Storm has a very high chance of OHKOing, a guranteed OHKO with Stealth Rock damage. And it is precisely that that makes Regirock think of staying in - many will think that the Sandstorm boost will let it survive, allowing it to Explode, set up Thunder Wave, etc.

I meant put in sandstorm calcs instead of regular, while barely any stay in so it isn't really helpful unless you are a Regirock user.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

OK, put in Sandstorm calcs. I was wrong, it is a guaranteed OHKO even in Sandstorm.

I think I'm done with this.

 

[diinbong]

Not quite; abbreviations like SD (Swords Dance) should be restored to their proper elongated forms, and in the first set of Damage Calculations you misspelled Porygon's name. This is all I noticed upon skimming through, however I would attempt to match all spelling and grammar to the official C&C Spelling/Grammar thread. thanks

 

[Draco Zephyr]

All abbreviations restored, corrected Porygon2. I checked the C&C standards, and I'm sure I'm following them.

 

[Stagnant]

I'm sorry but I think that you should add the Endeavor set back to the analysis. It is by far one it's best sets right next to Choice Specs.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

Well, I understand that Overgrow + Leaf Storm + Endeavor is a very potent combination, but the abundance of Sucker Punchers (among other priority users) renders the set useless.

 

[Lee]

On the Swords Dance set:

This set is simple - use Swords Dance to boost Sceptile's Attack to an impressive 404, then attack with the remainder of Sceptile's moves.

269 x 2 = ...not 404. :)

You've added +1 rather than +2.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

Oh, whoops. Thanks, fixed. It's 538.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

removed all references to Shaymin and Crobat. ready for uploading.

 

[Stellar]

This may just be nitpicking, but can someone please explain the reasoning behind Dragon Pulse being a main option on the Choice Specs set? You say it is to hit "dragons", but there is only one Dragon-type found in UU (Altaria) which is hit harder by Hidden Power Ice. I think

- Leaf Storm
- Energy Ball
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice / Dragon Pulse

would be a much better set up. Focus Blast seems more useful for hitting both Registeel and Chansey much harder. It actually 2HKOes standard Registeel [463 Atk vs 412 Def & 364 HP (120 Base Power): 194 - 230 (53.30% - 63.19%)]. Even if it is for "neutral coverage", you won't be using it much anyway. Resisted Leaf Storm ((140*1.5)/2 = 105) has more power than neutral Dragon Pulse, so you will be using Leaf Storm most of the time anyway.

Long story short, I believe that Focus Blast should be the primary option over Dragon Pulse.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

well, that was more along the lines of if anyone wanted to use sceptile in OU, but yeah i'll add that in.

 

[Stellar]

UU analyses should be tailored for UU. The arrangement of a set should reflect its best performance in UU. If the set should be arranged differently for OU, it should be mentioned in the set comments, not on the set itself.

 

[Draco Zephyr]

The Specs set has been edited. Any more changes?

 

[Eo Ut Mortus]

Choice (Special):

<p>Three things make Sceptile a brilliant candidate for a Choice Specs set: its high 105 base Special Attack, its stunning base 120 Speed, and its great special movepool. This set makes full use of those potent characteristics and is undoubtedly one of the most lethal sets Sceptile can run. A STAB Choice Specs Leaf Storm from Sceptile is downright scary and will blast its way through almost anything that doesn't resist it. Unfortunately, Grass isn't the best offensive type, so this is where the other moves come to the rescue. Energy Ball is there to provide a consistent STAB move when Leaf Storm isn't needed, while Focus Blast provides an excellent tool for severely maiming Steel-types. Hidden Power Ice destroys Altaria and other Flying-types who are keen to switch in on Sceptile, but Dragon Pulse is there as an alternative for better neutral coverage (although it loses the coverage on Flying-types. So, unless one is planning to use Sceptile in OU, HP Ice should be used).</p>

SubSeed:

<p>SubSeed is a strategy notorious for causing switches, so SubSeed Sceptile is best paired up with Stealth Rock and a Spiker to rack up damage even faster. Sceptile does have the misfortune of being walled easily by bulkier Fire-types, such as Magmortar and Arcanine. Therefore, it is a good idea to use Sceptile in tandem with a bulky Water-type, like Milotic or Lanturn. They provide extra insurance against Fire and Steel-types, can Ice Beam Grass-types and Altaria, and can pave the way for Sceptile to SubSeed unhindered. One of the most common strategies in UU is to use a so-called Fire / Water / Grass core, which provides excellent synergy. To complete the trinity, a strong Fire-type that can cover up Sceptile’s weaknesses can be used. Blaziken and Magmortar are good choices, as they provide the raw firepower needed to muscle their way through SubSeed Sceptile’s counters – while trashing any overeager Grass-types whose bulk can withstand Sceptile’s Hidden Power of choice. This set's greatest nemesis, however, is Flying-types. They either possess the liberty of outspeeding Sceptile or are bulky enough to dispatch it, and unluckily, their STAB moves can trump Sceptile easily. To take care of these threats, you can use Sceptile in concert with a Magneton, which provides the perfect answer to these problems. Magneton's typing makes Flying-types shudder in fear, and the three-headed magnet can OHKO them with Thunderbolt. SubSeed Sceptile's problems with Steel-types suddenly vanish when used in conjunction (you just used the same wording prior to this) with Magneton, who can trap them and KO them with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Dugtrio is also a great answer to Flying-types, as its high Speed allows it to comfortably trap and dispatch of them with Stone Edge. (Arena Trap does not work on Levitating / Flying types.)</p>

<p>To fully reap the benefits of Sceptile's great Speed, 252 EVs should be pumped into it. 216 HP EVs bulk up Sceptile's Substitutes considerably and go some way to compensate for its subpar defenses. Meanwhile, the 40 SpA / Atk EVs serve to boost its attacking power. The SubSeed set, while very annoying, does lack power compared to other Sceptile sets. If you want to stick with SubSeed but use a harder-hitting Sceptile, change the HP IV to 23, giving it 273 HP. This allows 5 Substitutes to be used consecutively with Leftovers, eliminating the need for any HP EVs. From there, Sceptile can be EV'd as offensively as possible, while perhaps even sparing a few EVs for its lackluster defenses.</p>

Swords Dance:

<p>Sceptile is traditionally seen as a specially based Pokemon because its base 105 Special Attack often overshadows its respectable base 85 Attack. However, Swords Dance, the transition of Leaf Blade becoming physical, and a great physical movepool all work to make Sceptile a very viable physical attacker. This set is simple - use Swords Dance to boost Sceptile's Attack to an impressive 538, then attack with the remainder of Sceptile's moves. Leaf Blade was pumped up to 90 base power during the D/P transition. Its decent power and high critical hit rate make it a solid STAB move for Sceptile and a must on any physical set. Earthquake provides great neutral coverage and destroys Poison-types. The last slot is dependent on which types of Pokemon you want Sceptile to cover. X-Scissor usually OHKOs fellow Grass-types after a Swords Dance, making it a very attractive choice. Rock Slide prevents Altaria from walling this set, as well as getting a handy flinch rate. It should be noted that when running Rock Slide, this set attains perfect coverage in UU.</p>

<p>Swords Dance Sceptile, like the SubSeed variant, greatly dislikes Flying-types, who can come in, outspeed / wall it, and OHKO with their STAB super effective moves. Therefore, this particular Sceptile is best used in conjunction with sturdy Steel-types such as Magneton or Steelix, who can eliminate these threats so Sceptile can pull off a successful sweep. Magneton again especially serves as a great partner to Swords Dance Sceptile. Swellow rarely carries any move that is super effective against Magneton, allowing it to KO with a STAB super effective Thunderbolt. Magneton can also make use of Hidden Power Ice to dispatch Altaria, aiding Sceptile that lack Rock Slide. Alternatively, one can use a Tangrowth to halt any Grass-type in its tracks, freeing up a slot for Rock Slide and ensuring Sceptile’s universal coverage. [Tangrowth cannot handle the majority of Grass-types at all, most of whom are specially based and can easily wreck it with Sludge Bomb (roserade and venusaur)]</p>

MixTile:

<p>As mentioned before, Sceptile has good attacking stats on both sides of the spectrum. Additionally, many of its moves became physical during the D/P transition, allowing for both of its potent attacking stats to be utilized. This paves the way for it to become a very effective mixed sweeper in the UU environment - not exactly the UU MixMence, but powerful in its own regard. This particular Sceptile is capable of destroying stall and does a very good job in taking out the premier walls in UU. Focus Blast nets a clean 2HKO against standard Steelix, whilst Leaf Storm scores massive damage against the likes of Milotic, Lanturn, and Gastrodon. The choice between Leaf Blade and Earthquake is a matter of preference. Leaf Blade provides a solid STAB move to batter Chansey and friends, while Earthquake provides coverage on Nidoking, Fire-types, and Registeel. It is possible to run both Earthquake and Leaf Blade on the same set, giving Sceptile dual coverage against the aforementioned Pokemon. However, then one must drop X-Scissor, and with it, coverage on Sceptile's fellow Grass-types. Additionally, Rock Slide provides an option to batter Flying-types, as well as a handy flinch rate.</p>

<p>In terms of pure attack power, Sceptile is inferior to other UU mixed sweepers, such as Blaziken and Magmortar. While it serves as an excellent stall breaker, mixed Sceptile is best used as a late-game sweeper, due to the fact that it has much higher Speed than the aforementioned Pokemon. It does a very good job of cleaning up the scraps with its awesome Speed: it OHKOes Swellow with Leaf Storm (assuming Stealth Rock), easily wipes out bulky Waters (Slowbro, Milotic, Lanturn), and can outspeed and KO non-Scarfed fellow mixed sweepers.</p>

<p>This set uses the masquerade of the Choice Specs set at first (with Focus Blast and Leaf Storm). This is a perfect lure for Pokemon such as Chansey, who can promptly be met with a powerful Leaf Blade, which has a very high chance of 2HKOing. Mixed Sceptile benefits greatly from entry hazard support, making its sweep easier. Unlike the SubSeed set, bulky Water support is not as necessary, because mixed Sceptile benefits from the ability to outspeed and KO most Fire-types with Earthquake. However, it does not hurt to have one in reserve.</p>

Team Options:

<p>While the Choice Specs set packs a huge amount of power, it is susceptible to Fire-types switching in on Leaf Storm. Sceptile has no reliable way of damaging Fire-types aside from Focus Blast (which is rather risky) or resorting to obscure and otherwise useless Hidden Powers. So, one of the best aids to SpecsTile - and any Sceptile set in general - is a "bulky Water." A prime example of a Bulky Water is Milotic (among others like Slowbro and Lanturn). Milotic [omit Flame Orb - this set has been criticized as gimmicky, as you are not only burned but do not have Leftovers] has great defenses on both sides of the spectrum, allowing it to easily deal with the common Fire-type mixed sweepers that are such a nuisance to Sceptile. Ideally, a Rest / Talk Milotic would serve as the best partner to Sceptile. If there's one status Sceptile really hates, it's paralysis, which nullifies its greatest asset. A Rest / Talk Milotic can absorb status for your team, as well as effectively support Sceptile with its STAB Surf that can easily dispatch of any hindersome Fire-types. Additionally, bulky Waters can provide extra insurance by being a reliable check to Altaria (Ice Beam) and Steel-types (with the exception of Magneton). Adding a Fire-type to your team completes the common Fire / Water / Grass core strategy; Blaziken is recommended because it can dismantle walls easily, allowing Sceptile free rein.</p>

<p>Speaking of Magneton, it is one of the best partners Sceptile can have, especially to SubSeed and Swords Dance variants. Sceptile's greatest asset is its blistering Speed, so anything that outspeeds it is a real pain in the neck. Unluckily for Sceptile, one of the two Pokemon that outspeeds it is a counter - Swellow. To make matters worse, because Swellow is a prominent late-game sweeper, it can potentially prevent Sceptile from pulling off a late-game sweep of its own. To eliminate Swellow, Magneton serves as the perfect answer. Magneton's typing allows it to laugh at any attacks Swellow throws at it. Additionally, special variants of Sceptile who lack Focus Blast do have some trouble with Steel-types, which Magneton can take care of with ease, setting up Magnet Rise to neuter any potential Earthquakes and calmly dispatching of them with Thunderbolt or HP Fire. [omitted stuff about Fire-attacks - it's common sense] Dugtrio is a also a very efficient partner, as its useful Arena Trap ability (omitted speed reference because it doesn't matter in this context - all Steels are slow; omitted Flying references because it can't trap them and even though it can still Stone Edge them, Dugtrio still isn't the best choice to take them on) allows it to trap and take down Steel-types with a STAB Earthquake.</p>

<p>Because Sceptile is normally seen as a sweeper, entry hazard support is greatly needed to increase the chances of Sceptile pulling off a successful sweep. Ideally, the entry hazard layer should be a Pokemon that also helps Sceptile play to its strengths. A perfect example of a Pokemon that fills these roles is Claydol. Claydol's STAB Earth Power catches super effective hits on Fire and Steel-types, making Sceptile's job much easier. Claydol can Rapid Spin away entry hazards to make sure SpecsTile can survive longer, while simultaneously laying down hazards of its own. But Claydol's usefulness doesn't end there. It can set up Reflect and Light Screen to ease taking hits for your entire team, gets access to Ice Beam to check Altaria and Psychic to check Weezing, and rounds things off with a bang (Explosion) when it's done.</p>

Other Options:

<p>One of the more attractive (albeit unreliable) options that Sceptile has at its disposal is the possibility of running an Endeavor set. After surviving a fatal blow through use of a Focus Sash or Endure, Sceptile can use Endeavor to lower its opponent's HP to 1, as long as the target in question is not Ghost-typed. More importantly, however, Sceptile's Overgrow ability activates, superpowering its already powerful Leaf Storm. Even better, Sceptile can use Quick Attack to dispose of Endeavor-weakened opponents. However, the one thing restricting the viability of this set is the abundance of priority users in UU, which [the abundance does in this wording rather than the priority users] nullifies the purpose of this set completely.</p>

<p>Sceptile has access to Pursuit, Crunch, and Night Slash, three Dark moves that can work on the physical sets. However, their type coverage is rather unremarkable and can only be used to hit the odd Mismagius. Unlike most Grass-types, Sceptile doesn't learn too many status moves. It has access to Toxic, which can be used on the SubSeed set. Other than that, it only gets Worry Seed and GrassWhistle. In the healing department, besides Leech Seed, it receives Synthesis, Giga Drain, and Drain Punch. In terms of an alternative STAB move, Grass Knot is always an option, but generally should not be used unless one is planning to use Sceptile in the OU environment because there are very few important instances where Grass Knot is more powerful than Energy Ball in UU (such as against Milotic or Steelix). Sceptile can use Counter in conjunction with Focus Sash to produce some interesting but generally unreliable results. Agility boosts Sceptile's Speed even more, ensuring the outpacing of even Scarfed Pokemon. Screech is an interesting option but is generally overshadowed by Swords Dance unless Sceptile is trying to force switches. Strangely enough, Sceptile receives ThunderPunch, but not Ice Punch to batter Dragons.</p>

<p>Sceptile can throw together a Choice Band set, but Swords Dance packs more power and is generally more reliable. It can also try to pull a Breloom with Substitute, Leech Seed, Focus Punch, and a filler, but doesn't get STAB or the power that Breloom has. Still, the set has a surprise factor working in its favor. Additionally, Sceptile learns the Sunny Day / SolarBeam combo, but it is too frail to pull it off successfully.</p>

EVs:

<p>On the SubSeed set, try to make your HP divisible by 16 to ensure maximum Leftovers recovery. Invest as much as possible into Speed and HP and put the remainder in your desired attacking stat.</p>

Opinion:

<p>With the banishing of Shaymin-S to the Uber tier, Sceptile has regained its title - this time as the fastest non-Uber SubSeeder. Sceptile is a versatile Pokemon with many selling points - the fastest non-Uber SubSeeder, a potent revenge killer, a physical sweeper, or a special powerhouse. It is a unique Pokemon that can fill various roles and back them up with solid stats and a good movepool. Although Sceptile is often overshadowed by other Pokemon, it can fill many niches and is a valuable addition to any team.</p>

Counters:

<p>Defensively, Weezing is arguably the bestSceptile counter around; it resists Grass, Ground, and Fighting (the most common attack combination Sceptile uses) and can KO it with STAB Poison moves. Weezing must be wary of Specs-boosted attacks, however, as its Special Defense is rather low. Additionally, Sceptile's erstwhile partner Claydol can put a total halt to Weezing with STAB Psychic moves. Sceptile is also quite prone to being revenge-killed by Scarfed Pokemon, particularly from the likes of Magmortar and Typhlosion. However, it should be noted that Sceptile often plays in conjunction with a bulky Water for this very reason, so they must stay on their feet. Fire and Steel-types must also be wary of being Earthquaked on the switch. Registeel is also a fairly reliable counter to Sceptile lacking Focus Blast or Earthquake - namely, the SubSeed set. Chansey sufficiently walls any specially-based set fairly well; a Specs Focus Blast can only muster a 3HKO (37.29% - 43.99%). Chansey must be wary of the mixed sweeper, though - its prime objective is to lure Chansey out and then strike it with physical attacks.</p>

<p>Flying-types, as mentioned numerous instances prior, are Sceptile’s Achilles heel. Swellow is a dangerous late-game threat that can outspeed Sceptile and OHKO it with Brave Bird. However, due to its frailty, it must stay on its toes and not switch in carelessly – any of Sceptile’s Specs-boosted attacks will OHKO, Sceptile may be using a Choice Scarf, Rock Slide from the mixed sweeper will OHKO, et cetera. Altaria is defensively bulky and can take on pretty much any Sceptile set without fear of retribution unless Sceptile is running Hidden Power Ice. Honchkrow sports high offensive stats and is relatively bulky, allowing it to take care of most Sceptile.</p>

 

[Draco Zephyr]

Thanks for the check, Eo Ut Mortus. Added in all your corrections.

 

[darkie]

lala