It's an even trade-off, really. Giga Drain makes it take hits better, but it can be argued that Sceptile is not catered to take hits in a Specs set. Energy Ball lacks the HP gain, but it has a 10% chance to lower the foe's Special Defense; and it can be argued that it's too low of a chance to rely on. They both net around the same KOs, both OHKOes Deoxys-D. I just prefer Energy Ball, since the 10% Special Defense drop can make a difference in certain situations.
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Sceptile
- Thread starter Dr. Alex
- Start date
I would run Timid / Jolly, to outspeed almost anything else in the tier bar Aerodactyl, Crobat, and Jolteon, and to deal with Cobalion and Durant, who would otherwise outspeed, set up, and OHKO Sceptile. Swords Dance and Choice Specs already lend enough power for it to sweep.
I don't think its anywhere near an even trade off. Giga Drain just plain outclasses Energy Ball. A 10% chance for a special defense drop you may or may not be able to take advantage of, and your opponent can simply switch out of, is hardly worth even mentioning. You don't even have to take have had taken a hit for Giga Drain to be useful, it'll patch up damage taken from entry hazards, weather, life orb recoil ect.
Yeah, you're right. I was actually thinking of Sceptile in DPP when I thought of running Adamant on the SD set.
Giga drain can easily regenerate enough hp to make a difference. A frail poke like sceptile can usually switch in on a resistance or take one moderate neutral hit over the course of a battle. Giga drain can get you back up to health on that resisted hit, allowing you to do both in a single battle witout compromising sceptile. If you find yourself in a situation where sceppy needs full health to bust past that priority user and sweep, giga drain is a life saver.
Have you used giga drain this gen? Its freaking amazing.
Giga Drain > Energy Ball, really. Energy Ball's effect of a SpD drop is the same as like, Thunderbolt's paralysis rate. It's just too unviable, but for something frail yet strong like Sceptile, Giga Drain is a life-saver.
I've only encountered like three of these, and every single time they've swept me, the person always found the right time to switch in and kicked my ass.
Sceptile @ White Herb
EVs: 252 speed, 252 Sp. A and 4 HP
Leaf Storm
Dragon Pulse
Roar
Agility
I like to use this to revenge kill as my UU team has a lot of pokes weak to water/ground.
Leaf Storm is there for power and STAB. The White Herb is there to prevent the recoil. Dragon Pulse is a solid move. Roar is to switch those steel type which wall my sceptile.
Agility is for the speed boost as it is not the fastest pokemon. In general this is a good revenge killer if you need a grass pokemon on your UU team.
EVs: 252 speed, 252 Sp. A and 4 HP
Leaf Storm
Dragon Pulse
Roar
Agility
I like to use this to revenge kill as my UU team has a lot of pokes weak to water/ground.
Leaf Storm is there for power and STAB. The White Herb is there to prevent the recoil. Dragon Pulse is a solid move. Roar is to switch those steel type which wall my sceptile.
Agility is for the speed boost as it is not the fastest pokemon. In general this is a good revenge killer if you need a grass pokemon on your UU team.
not exactly a good set, if you really want a fast sceptile just use Choice Scarf.
Sceptile already outspeeds Froslass in UU, he's VERY fast. Agility on sceptile is similar defense curl on shuckle. It seems like it could help to boost their best stat, but really it's a useless waste of time to do so.
It just sucks that drain punch is incompatible with unburden. I was really looking forward to using a SD sweeping set with it for recovery/coverage. :/
It just sucks that drain punch is incompatible with unburden. I was really looking forward to using a SD sweeping set with it for recovery/coverage. :/
This is so meh; if you use Overgrow, take into consideration, that you could run Drain Punch instead of Focus Blast and Swords Dance instead of Hone Claw.
Why? Well, we'll obviously like extra recovery to compensate its Life Orb damage, especially without Giga Drain. The main problem, when using this set in OU is Tyranitar, the one who is believed Focus Blast is chosen for.
Focus Blast on Tyranitar (252 HP, 0 SDef, Sandstorm)
316 - 376 = 78.2% - 93.1%
+1 Leaf Blade on Blissey (252 HP, 252 Def+)
390 - 459 = 54.6% - 64.3%
Compared to:
+2 Drain Punch on Tyranitar (252 HP, 0 Def)
588 - 696 = 145.5% - 172.3%
+2 Drain Punch on Blissey (252 HP, 252 Def+, Bold)
578 - 680 = 81% - 95.2% (* btw, that's more than Leaf Blade does)
Unfortunately Sceptile doesn't have anything to abuse with Hone Claw but Rock Slide, Focus Blast and Iron Tail. The last ones are rather weak coverage moves, since Iron Tail has nothing to add to a grass-fighting coverage and Focus Blast doesn't get its job done.
In UU Focus Blast sucks as a filler, too. The only pure physical walls who come to mind are Slowbro and Regirock. Bro resists fighting, so no doubt Leafblade will do more damage than Focus Blast.
+1 Leaf Blade on Slowbro (252 HP, 252 Def+, Bold)
290 - 344 = 73.6% - 87.3%
+2 Leaf Blade on Slowbro (252 HP, 252 Def+, Bold)
390 - 458 = 99% - 116.2%
One stat boost makes the difference: Almost definite 2HKO (almost because of crits) or a close OHKO.
In the case of Regirock:
Focus Blast on Regirock (252 HP, 0 SDef)
238 - 282 = 65.4% - 77.5% (expect less in sandstorm)
+2 Leaf Blade on Regirock (252 HP, 252 Def+, Relaxed)
248 - 294 = 68.1% - 80.8%
In this case better stick to SD.
Conclusion: Focus Blast is a bad filler for physical sweeper, regardless of the tier. I might have written far to much to prove it ...
I've been seeing Choice Scarf Sceptile everywhere on the ladder recently. It will soon be UU, you can bet on that.
It outspeeds even Stoutland in the sand is generally a nightmare matchup.
It outspeeds even Stoutland in the sand is generally a nightmare matchup.
It's a late game sweeper. Why would you put it in when Rose is alive?
Not to mention the Sweeper sets of Sceptile are running Hidden Power these days....if you aren't using the Spikes set, it's a guaranteed 2HKO meaning Rose can't switch in at all.
If it's running Fire rather than ice Escavalier is also 2HKOd.
Raikou can't even switch in that safely at all. UU is a hazard dominated game, and if the opponent has Rocks and Spikes up, Raikou is OHKO'd by STAB Leaf Storm. And actually, even with just rocks, even after the SPAttack drop, STAB Leaf Storm STILL has a good chance of 2HKOing Raikou.
And this is only provided this is a max HP Raikou....ie the RestTalk set.
Therefore, Chandelure is really the only "safe" switch in, and odds are, if they are using Sceptile as a sweeper and they aren't retarded, they are going to have a hard counter for the few things that can beat it.
Not to mention the Sweeper sets of Sceptile are running Hidden Power these days....if you aren't using the Spikes set, it's a guaranteed 2HKO meaning Rose can't switch in at all.
If it's running Fire rather than ice Escavalier is also 2HKOd.
Raikou can't even switch in that safely at all. UU is a hazard dominated game, and if the opponent has Rocks and Spikes up, Raikou is OHKO'd by STAB Leaf Storm. And actually, even with just rocks, even after the SPAttack drop, STAB Leaf Storm STILL has a good chance of 2HKOing Raikou.
And this is only provided this is a max HP Raikou....ie the RestTalk set.
Therefore, Chandelure is really the only "safe" switch in, and odds are, if they are using Sceptile as a sweeper and they aren't retarded, they are going to have a hard counter for the few things that can beat it.
yeah but on a scarf set, you have to out predict the opponent, and even if you do, you lock yourself into a weak move, meaning the opponent can now capitalize on a weak HP Fire/Ice, weakened LS, inaccurate Focus blast etc. Plus Sceptile can't switch in on shit, and doesn't take hazards too well. Flygon is a much better scarfer. Sceptile should really be using it's talents, i.e. the high speed usable attacking stats and solid movepool to flat out attack. I think the biggest thing going for Scarf Sceptile is that he outspeeds neutral nature Kingdra under rain, as well as Ludicolo and Kabutops, but again Sceptile isn't switching in too well
I feel that the much better Sceptile is Flight Gem SD Acrobatics. I've toyed around with it and it worked out pretty fine, and this was in the past where guys like Donphan are still around.
I don't see what exactly Scarf beats that Flight Gem SD or even Mixed LO doesn't.
I don't see what exactly Scarf beats that Flight Gem SD or even Mixed LO doesn't.
I did try a set like this once in UU:
Sceptile @ White Herb
Unburden
Timid / Modest
80 HP / 256 SpA / 176 Spd
Leaf Storm
Acrobatics
Focus Blast
Hidden Power Fire / Substitute
It is kinda gimmicky you could say. Leaf Storm is pretty powerful when STAB and everything like that. Acrobatics kills Lilligants and other weak to Flying types that can probably deal with the rest of this set. Focus Blast kills Steels and Empoleons that always troll Sceptile anyways. Sub vs Hidden Power Fire is something I've been debating.
We pretty much know what the rest is. Sceptile can be pretty scary when played properly since it has some good offensive stats for being low tier.
Sceptile @ White Herb
Unburden
Timid / Modest
80 HP / 256 SpA / 176 Spd
Leaf Storm
Acrobatics
Focus Blast
Hidden Power Fire / Substitute
It is kinda gimmicky you could say. Leaf Storm is pretty powerful when STAB and everything like that. Acrobatics kills Lilligants and other weak to Flying types that can probably deal with the rest of this set. Focus Blast kills Steels and Empoleons that always troll Sceptile anyways. Sub vs Hidden Power Fire is something I've been debating.
We pretty much know what the rest is. Sceptile can be pretty scary when played properly since it has some good offensive stats for being low tier.
Weather sweepers.
Flight Gem SD easily outspeeds all of these after the Gem is activated. With DS, Sceptile can actually tank a hit or two and get a SD up and sweep.
Except you are going from a special attacker to a physical attacker.