Sceptile's Strike

SlyShady

I decided to build a team around Sceptile, a favorite of mine from R/S/E. My original team, while not bad, wasn't too good either. I had the same Pokemon, but a number of them had different sets or different EV spreads. After some serious testing on Smogon, I ended up with this team.

The Team

376.png

Metagross @ Occa Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/236 Attack/12 Defense/8 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
- Stealth Rock
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
- Explosion

My lead is Metagross. I wanted a Pokemon that could set up rocks and do some serious damage afterwards. Bullet Punch is to make up for Metagross’s lackluster speed, and can actually KO some frailer leads despite its low base damage. Earthquake does some major damage to Steels that would resist Bullet Punch. Explosion gives Metagross a nice exit if its HP gets too low, and almost always takes something with it. Usually, it survives well into the match, and it actually does pretty well. Occa Berry actually doesn’t help that much, but it’s likely the best option.

Forretress.gif


Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/252 SpD/4 Def
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense, - Special Attack)
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion/Payback

Forretress is pretty great. Because of its insane defense and low special defense, I decided to max its HP and its Special Defense so that it can stay in as long as possible to set up its hazards and to spin away enemy ones. Payback is to do damage if needed. Strangely enough, this guy has actually swept teams. I faced a Belly Dance team, and Forretress got to set up 3 layers of Spikes, and 2 layers of Toxic Spikes, and then spammed Payback nonstop and ended up winning the match for me. All the Pokemon below didn’t even get to enter the battle. Definitely a weird moment, and likely, it will never happen ever again (especially since the guy stopped trying once Forretress came out and kept drumming over and over), but it was still enough to assure me that Forretress definitely deserved its spot on this team. I have also tried Explosion, and it performed fantastically. I think I’m going to stick with that.

254Sceptile.png


Sceptile @ Choice Specs
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Speed
Nature: Timid (+Speed, -Attack)
- Leaf Storm
- Focus Blast
- HP Ice
- Dragon Pulse

So we get to Sceptile, the heart of the team to me. It seems like it was designed as a revenge killer. High speed and special attack with the completely INSANE STAB Leaf Storm make it excel at its job. Since the attack I use the most is Leaf Storm which would cause me to switch a lot, I decided that a Choice item would be a fantastic fit. Since with a Timid nature, it’s already extremely fast, I decided to give it Specs to boost the power of its already very powerful moves. Focus Blast takes care of Steels, HP Ice takes care of Grass types, Flying types, and all Dragons except Kingdra. Dragon Pulse gives good coverage, and specifically deals with Kingdra. I used to have Energy Ball in Pulse’s slot, but I almost never used it since Sceptile would usually switch right on out anyways, so Leaf Storm was almost always a better option. The only time I used to even use Energy Ball was when Sceptile was my last Pokemon since it was the best move to be locked into. Dragon Pulse works in that role even better. Now of course, so far, my team has a MAJOR weakness to Fire types. Which brings me to my next Pokémon…

059Arcanine.png


Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed
Nature: Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)
- Flare Blitz
- Extremespeed
- Thunder Fang
- Roar

I needed a Pokemon with a good fire immunity, so I searched through the list of Pokemon with Flash Fire. Since I never use legendaries, Heatran wasn’t an option. I like Arcanine, so I went through its sets on Smogon and found the RestTalk Shuffler. I thought it was cool and I tried it, but after using it, I realized that wasn’t the kind of set that would really work with this kind of team. Flash Fire really just doesn’t really work with that set, but I still needed it. So instead, I went with the Howl set, but with Roar instead of Howl. I never really got to use Howl that much in battles, and Roar has been a lot more helpful because of how common stat-boosters and baton passers are. Back to the Heatran thing, Arcanine has arguably better typing besides it’s weakness to Stealth Rock which takes away 25% of its health upon switch-in. But since I have Forretress as a spinner, it’s all good.

468Togekiss.png


Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP/24 Defense/232 Special Defense
Nature: Calm (+Special Defense, -Attack)
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Aura Sphere
- Roost

Togekiss is an insane Pokemon. It has a useful Ground immunity in regards to the rest of the team, and it can really frustrate people. Thunder Wave combined with the insane flinching thanks to Air Slash and Serene Grace is just way too nasty. Roost gives it some nice recovery and removes the Flying type, which could be useful if you predict an Ice attack. Aura Sphere gives it better coverage and is an all around good move. He has been my most capable Pokemon for dealing with Gengar, Rotom forms, and many other common threats.

477Dusknoir.png


Dusknoir @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/32 Attack/112 Defense/112 Special Defense
Nature: (+Defense, -Special Attack)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Dusknoir is a fantastic tank. It hits hard, has a (unreliable) recovery move in the form of Pain Split, and can cripple Physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp. Earthquake and Ice Punch together are pretty fantastic, and can hit tons of Pokemon in OU for super effective damage. It’s helped me through some tough situations when I was facing walls (thanks to the combination of Will-O-Wisp constantly doing damage and Pain Splitting any recovered HP), and it blocks Rapid Spin, which is helpful. It’s also been my #1 Pokemon for dealing with dragons since most are physical and almost all are extremely weak to Ice Punch. Special dragons (aka special Salamence) are even easier to deal with because of their lack of boosted speed. Toxic is the only thing that has ever been a serious threat to this guy. Togekiss and Dusknoir form a fantastic tag team to annoy the CRAP out of people, and to deal with numerous threats that otherwise would have easily destroyed my team.

Other Notes

I considered and still am considering switching Swampert for Arcanine. It's not immune to Fire, but has a great resistance to it, it's bulky, it has access to Roar, and it can hit Fire types back with STAB Waterfall or STAB Earthquake for super effective damage, something Arcanine can't do. Of course on the other hand, Arcanine has much better speed and access to Extremespeed, which is always a plus.

Conclusion

Well, that's my current team. It's performed the best out of ANY of the teams I've ever used, which is pretty awesome. My record is 33 wins/17 losses out of my first 50 battles with the team, 66 wins/34 losses out of my first 100, and 76 wins/40 losses so far. Pretty consistent as far as the ratio goes, and pretty good, but could definitely use improvement in my opinion. I'm open to changing anything besides Sceptile obviously.

AshSceptile.png


Can't mess with a beast like that.
 
I'm quite short on time, so for now I'll only say this... Maybe I'll come later and do a better rate.. Anyways here are the few comments I have to say:

1. Switch Sceptile's item to LO; Specs doesn't grant you any noticeable KO in OU threfore you should switch to LO which would allow you to optimize your sweeping capabilities.

2. For the sake of aesthetics, please resize your Forretress's picture.

3. Always use Rotom-H over Dusknoir for he does the same job, but better.

4. You are quite Bulky Gyarados weak. So I would suggest you add in a Rotom-H like I mentioned above over Dusknoir.

5. The extra bulk isn't useful on this Arcanine set for it has no reliable defensive role barring phazing - Arcanine is a pretty bad phazer anyway... I would highly recommend you replace Forretress for Skarmory and Arcanine for Scarf Jolly Flygon 252 Atk/ 4 Def/ 252 Spe with Outrage | Thunderpunch | Earthquake | U-Turn for you lack a proper Salamence/Gyarados revenge killer.

6. I don't get all the SpD and HP invested on Togekiss; it seems a bit pointless. If you needed a decent Tank, either Vaporeon or Gliscor would have filled the bill perfectly; both bringing their nice aspect into the team. If you do needed Togekiss for para support (which seems a bit pointless seeing how Sceptile pretty much outspeeds all the common OU threats), well... you don't need it IMO. I think you should replace Togekiss with something more profitable to your Semi-Stall such a Vaporeon/Gliscor which I mentioned just above.
 
TheAmazingFlygon said:
I'm quite short on time, so for now I'll only say this... Maybe I'll come later and do a better rate.. Anyways here are the few comments I have to say:

1. Switch Sceptile's item to LO; Specs doesn't grant you any noticeable KO in OU threfore you should switch to LO which would allow you to optimize your sweeping capabilities.

I second that suggstion, unless maybe expert belt?
2. For the sake of aesthetics, please resize your Forretress's picture.
Someone said it and it wasnt me :O
3. Always use Rotom-H over Dusknoir for he does the same job, but better.

4. You are quite Bulky Gyarados weak. So I would suggest you add in a Rotom-H like I mentioned above over Dusknoir.

5. The extra bulk isn't useful on this Arcanine set for it has no reliable defensive role barring phazing - Arcanine is a pretty bad phazer anyway... I would highly recommend you replace Forretress for Skarmory and Arcanine for Scarf Jolly Flygon 252 Atk/ 4 Def/ 252 Spe with Outrage | Thunderpunch | Earthquake | U-Turn for you lack a proper Salamence/Gyarados revenge killer.

6. I don't get all the SpD and HP invested on Togekiss; it seems a bit pointless. If you needed a decent Tank, either Vaporeon or Gliscor would have filled the bill perfectly; both bringing their nice aspect into the team. If you do needed Togekiss for para support (which seems a bit pointless seeing how Sceptile pretty much outspeeds all the common OU threats), well... you don't need it IMO. I think you should replace Togekiss with something more profitable to your Semi-Stall such a Vaporeon/Gliscor which I mentioned just above.
What about a bulky Suicune?
Click to expand...
 
sorry about the forretress, i actually resized it 3 times before anyone replied, but it kept reverting to it's original size, so i switched it for a smaller picture.

i'll also try switching dusky for rotom. thing is, then i lose my awesome dragon counter, and thunderbolt/shadow ball/overheat/will-o-wisp on rotom doesn't help me with blissey at all, which is one of the things i loved about dusknoir. i also MUCH prefer the moves dusknoir has on it than the moves rotom has.

i'll also try switching the specs on sceptile for life orb and see how that goes. the one thing i don't like about that change is that leaf storm is my main attack, and i have to switch out after that anyways. so it's useless to have an item that gives me a 30% boost and takes away 10% of my health when i can use an item that gives me a 50% boost and doesn't take away any HP but locks me into that move. doesn't matter since i switch out anyways. i guess both make sense. i'll try it, but i doubt i'll choose it over the specs.

and yeah, about arcanine, that's my old set (the RestTalk Shuffler) but i know you probably didn't read the write-ups underneath since you were in a hurry so you probably wouldn't have been able to figure that out on your own. my bad for not switching it. i've been using 4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed on my current set. i'll make that change to the original post.

the SpD and HP EVs on togekiss are standard for the flinch hax set i'm using, except i shuffled some EVs from SpD to defense. the paralysis isn't for slowing down enemy pokemon (except gengar). it's for reducing the enemy pokemon's chances of attacking even further. they get what, a 30% chance of attacking? it's very useful.

i've never had any problems with gyarados, so i don't see it as a threat at all. rotom-h is a MAJOR threat though. it's griefed me very much. togekiss has always been my only pokemon able to stand up to it. paralysis combined with flinch has always been able to bring it down, albeit pretty slowly. rotom-h became much less annoying after i figured that out, but it still is my most hated threat.

and no, no bulky suicune. i said no legendaries.
 
scratch that, after play testing, i like life orb sceptile more than specstile. also, i'm sticking with dusknoir.
 
I can see scarftran or ape running through this team with little effort. You need a bulky water badly. A restalk suicune can do very well with toxic spikes support.
 
Eggbert said:
I can see scarftran or ape running through this team with little effort. You need a bulky water badly. A restalk suicune can do very well with toxic spikes support.
Click to expand...

look 2 posts above yours. i said no legendaries, and *specifically* no suicune. and ape gets destroyed by dusk, or togekiss, take your pick. heatran is a problem, but usually dusk deals with him easily too.

and like i said, i am considering swampert to replace arcanine. bulky water enough for you?
 
I only read the OP. I thought you meant ubers. Ape is wisely paired with pursuit users for that very reason, not to mention that overheat deals 56.5% - 66.7% to dusky. Stone edge KOs togekiss after SR. I suggested suicune because it would be the best option for your team. But hey, if you want to limit yourself to no legendaries in a metagame filled with heatran and azelf, be my guest.
 
meh, i've never encountered an ape/pursuit team. also, i'm fine with limiting myself to no legendaries. i've been swept by clefable and shuckle more times than i've been swept by tran, azelf, and ape combined. note that i've only been swept by those 2 pokemon one time each. that really says something.

also as a note, i tested swampert in arc's place. doesn't perform as well as arcanine, so i'll switch back to that.

p.s. how did that clefable destroy me? all my pokemon were at full health, so was it, and it endeavored me to death. how's that work? but anyways, that's not relevant...
 
I recommend HP Fire on Sceptile. The only thing that HP Ice is better for is Dragonite. Salamence and Flygon are already hit hard enough with Dragon Pulse. HP Fire prevents Scizor from coming in and spamming U-turn which ruins your team.

I fail to see what Togekiss does for your team. It says nothing about team support other than being your best bet against Gengar. I suggest a Scarfed Tyranitar over it's place. It retains that special bulk from Togekiss except it handles Rotom-A much better which you have problems with. With the loss of a ground immunity a Rotom-A of your own over Dusknoir is recommended as it gains that immunity back while doing the exact same job.

Get over your "no legendaries" notion. This is competitive Pokemon and you shouldn't put yourself at such a disadvantage. Also, it makes it so you can't accept some help from raters really making their lives more difficult. Such a closed mind benefits no one. The fact that you refuse to use Heatran hurts your team alot. A specially defensive shuffle set would be able to wear down the opponents team before cleaning with Sceptile. They have great type synergy allowing an easy switch to and from Sceptile allowing them to rip through teams together.

The set I would recommend is
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EV’s: 252 HP/ 4 SAtk/ 252 SDef
Nature: Calm (- Atk, + SDef)

Flamethrower/Fire Blast
Earth Power
Roar
Protect

If you get over your notion that legends are cheap, overpowered, or any other odd reason to be against them, give this set a whirl.

Note to above post: Azelf isn't a sweeper but an effective lead. Heatran is a revenge killer not a sweeper. Infernape is a wallbreaker meant to rip holes mid game. If you are swept by Shuckle you are really in need of better playing or a better team (your toxic spikes should prevent that anyway). Also /slap at not trying to damage the level 1 Clefable...
 
it wasn't level one. that's what i didn't understand. it was level 100, at full health, spamming endeavor. that's why i asked. i still don't understand how it worked. it wasn't a F.E.A.R. clefable, i know that for sure. and shuckle didn't sweep me, i was just unprepared for the toxic/wrap combo. i managed to get rid of it after it took out half my team. :/ and it's not that i didn't try and damage the clefable. it came out when i had forretress out. i was spiking, not expecting much from it, and it cosmic powered 6 times in a row. by the time i realized what was going on, it was already too late. i exploded, barely did anything to it, then it just went to town.

aaaaaanyways... i'll go with HP fire on sceptile. that's an idea i have absolutely no problems with. it'll be nice surprising scizors coming in for the u-turn kill. thank you for that!

togekiss has saved me NUMEROUS times. it and dusknoir are essential members of my team, which was actually surprising. it's crippled and beat tons of pokemon that my other pokemon couldn't really do much to. namely gengar, rotom forms (which can ravage my team), other togekiss, jirachi, and breloom. i know those pokemon can be beat by other members of my team, but togekiss does it much cleaner because of it's ability to come out of it virtually unscratched thanks to roost. and if those pokemon are gone, then it's pretty much up to togekiss to save the day, a situation that's come up multiple times.

also, i know their roles. but they're being hyped up as major threats when in reality, i've dealt with them quite easily. especially azelf and ape. heatran has given me problems, but i find ways around it.

now, if anyone wants to recommend a reliable rotom-h counter and what to replace with it, i'm all ears. tyranitar maybe? CB weavile?

also, it's not really a personal thing against legendaries. i use these teams on wi-fi too, and we all agreed no legendaries. that's also why the pokemon i use are all relatively easy to get.
 
How do you cover DD mence, he easily sets up to +1/+1 and OHKO's your whole team except Dusknoir and with out reliable recovery hes gone to pursuit users and residual damage which are often placed together on teams. to help with this you need to change to get a reliable revenge killer. Also you need a water type, it is the 2nd best type offensively and defensively (Dragon Offence, Steel Defence). to reliably beat mence use a Scarfmie it beats Mence and helps give you important defensive and Offence. the set is:
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
Evs: 252 SpA 252 Spe 4 SpD
~Hydro Pump / Surf
~Ice Beam
~Thunderbolt
~Trick
This stops DD mence in his tracks and gives you a great revenge killer which your team currently lacks. Hydro Pumps Smacks everything very hard Ice Beam for the dragons and Thunderbolt for Gyarados. Trick stops Blissey form walling Sceptile and works well with Sceptile Defensively.
 
Hm, I do like your team here, quite orginal, and it seems you have managed to give effective support to pokemon who would usally not be viable in OU.

I'm not going to suggest using other pokemon, generally, I don't have to much to add, but I think you should try too find a more usable item to fit on your Metagross. Occa berry does help it against strong fire attacks, but there are other items. You could consider something like custap berry maybe, if you have access to it, although I will only recomend it if you are not in dire need of him later on in the battle. Now, I don't have any accurate calculations, I have no idea if Metagross can survive a super effective fire attack or not, but with a custap berry, you will be able to always get up a stealth rock and explode, or one hit ko a frail lead and explode afterwards when he sends in a counter, robbing your opponent of his lead, crippling the counter or maybe even taking it down, taking two of his pokemon out of the game, right of the bat, since custap berry will allow you to go first in a pinch. This will make him more like suicide lead, but if you have no general use for him later on, maybee it will be effective. The sad thing is custap berry is, for some reason, not listed on the item list on shoddy, so you will have to test it in game.

That was just something from the top of my head, as stated, maybe it would be effective, an extra turn can always change the battle in some way.

Hope I helped, or at least gave you some ideas.

(Note: I'm a little new to smogon, so don't burn me or anything if I'm completly wrong).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top