soulgazer
I FEEL INFINITE
http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/serperior
'Treecko and WhiteDMist are the greatest and cutest person in da world'
[Overview]
<p>Serperior is a solid Pokemon in NU for a few reasons. Thanks to its high Speed, Serperior can outpace and check common threats such as Jynx, Scolipede, Charizard, Tauros, and Primeape, and its well-rounded stats and decent movepool allow it to function as an effective attacker and supporter. Serperior's great Speed gives it the opportunity to set up before the opponent can stop it. Unfortunately, with below-average offensive stats and low Base Power attacks, Serperior is typically forced to boost its stats in order to sweep teams. While it has a good support movepool, Serperior's offensive coverage options leave it walled by many common defensive Pokemon, such as Audino and Metang.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Taunt / Substitute
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Serperior's high base Speed makes it a viable Calm Mind user, giving it the ability to boost its Special Attack to clean up later in the game. Taunt is used to keep Serperior from becoming setup fodder, prevent entry hazards from being set, and keep the opponents from statusing or phazing it, making Serperior a team player as well. Substitute, on the other hand, can be used to help Serperior get to Overgrow range or to keep it from being taken out by faster opponents, but without Taunt, Serperior struggles against other Calm Mind users such as Musharna. Giga Drain is the best STAB option for Serperior, as it provides a way to recover health. Finally, Hidden Power Rock is used for coverage to hit the Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon, such as Charizard, Scolipede, and Mandibuzz, that would wall Serperior otherwise.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hidden Power Fire can be used over Hidden Power Rock if your team needs coverage against Steel- and Grass-types, such as Metang and Roselia, but Hidden Power Rock's coverage against specific threats is almost always more useful. Hidden Power Ice can also be used to hit opposing Grass- and Flying-types, but it suffers from the same problem that Hidden Power Fire does. Life Orb is the item of choice to give Serperior the much-needed power.</p>
<p>Seismitoad pairs well with Serperior, as it can set up Stealth Rock and take on the Steel-types that wall Serperior, while Serperior resists Seismitoad's only weakness. Stealth Rock support helps Serperior a lot because most types that resist its STAB are weak to Rock. Garbodor is also a great partner, as it provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which helps Serperior by wearing down Steel- and Grass-types, Lickilicky, and Audino, all of which give Serperior a lot of trouble. Garbodor also resists Bug- and Poison-type moves, giving it opportunities to set up entry hazards against Serperior's checks, and can also remove Toxic Spikes. Offensively, Charizard is an amazing partner, easily taking out Grass-, Bug-, and Steel-types for Serperior, while Serperior can easily weaken Rock- and Water-types with Giga Drain. Finally, Probopass can also be a good partner, as it can easily take any Flying-type move from Swellow, which outspeeds Serperior, trap Steel-types with its Magnet Pull ability, and provides a slow Volt Switch to bring in its teammates safely, while Serperior can kill Ground-types trying to take out Probopass.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Light Clay
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Serperior's high Speed, great bulk, and access to Taunt make it a good dual screens user. This particular set faces competition with Gardevoir, which has access to Memento, but Serperior's greater Speed gives it an easier time setting up Reflect and Light Screen. Taunt is used to protect Serperior and its partners from status and phazing, while also preventing Stealth Rock from being set up by common leads and preventing opponents from trying to set up alongside Serperior. Finally, Giga Drain is a filler move which gets STAB and can help Serperior recover some health.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Max Speed investment is used to outspeed Scolipede and other slower Pokemon. This is to assure Serperior can set up Reflect and Light Screen reliably before opponents can get a hit on it. The rest goes in HP to let Serperior live more repeated hits. Light Clay is used to boost Reflect and Light Screen up to 8 turns, giving Serperior's teammates more turns to set up. While Giga Drain is mostly here to keep Serperior from becoming complete Taunt bait and to recover some health, Safeguard could be used over it to further support its team.</p>
<p>This set should mainly be used with setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Zangoose, Carracosta, Fraxure, Linoone, and Gorebyss, as they love dual screens support to set up safely. Entry hazards setters such as Custap Berry Golem and Focus Sash Scolipede are also great partners, as they can provide quick entry hazards which makes it easier for the team to sweep your opponents.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Despite its poor coverage options, Serperior still has some good support moves up its leaves. Access to Leech Seed, Glare, Safeguard, and Dragon Tail might give you the impression that Serperior can pull out a good support set, but such a set would be outclassed by Roselia, Vileplume, and Tangela, as they have better support movepools, bulk, and abilities. Aromatherapy is a great support move that most other Grass-types can't fit on their sets, but it is only legal on Serperior with a Hardy nature, making it completely worthless. Serperior also has access to some other offensive options, such as Sword Dance, Coil, Aqua Tail, and Dragon Tail, but Serperior has awful coverage options on the physical side. Finally, Leaf Storm could be used with a Life Orb to OHKO Piloswine, but Serperior needs Calm Mind to work decently and sweep late-game.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Although Serperior is bulky and fast, it can be easily walled by many Pokemon. Sap Sipper Miltank and Sawsbuck both hard wall Serperior and receive an Attack boost if it tries to use Giga Drain against them. Steel-types and Poison-types also take on Serperior well, as they resists its STAB while taking very little from its most common coverage moves. Muk can check both sets, as it has Brick Break to take out Reflect and Light Screen set by Serperior, rendering it useless. Toxic Spikes greatly hinder Serperior, keeping it from staying healthy with Giga Drain. Liepard and Volbeat can Encore or Taunt Serperior with the help of Prankster. Bastiodon and Zweilous can easily take a hit and phaze Serperior out to weaken it with entry hazards. Finally, fast Pokemon such as Swellow or fast Choice Scarf users such as Jynx, Primeape, Braviary, Rotom-A, and Charizard can easily outspeed Serperior and OHKO it with the appropriate move, but keep in mind Serperior can play around with some of them by using Substitute.</p>
'Treecko and WhiteDMist are the greatest and cutest person in da world'
[Overview]
<p>Serperior is a solid Pokemon in NU for a few reasons. Thanks to its high Speed, Serperior can outpace and check common threats such as Jynx, Scolipede, Charizard, Tauros, and Primeape, and its well-rounded stats and decent movepool allow it to function as an effective attacker and supporter. Serperior's great Speed gives it the opportunity to set up before the opponent can stop it. Unfortunately, with below-average offensive stats and low Base Power attacks, Serperior is typically forced to boost its stats in order to sweep teams. While it has a good support movepool, Serperior's offensive coverage options leave it walled by many common defensive Pokemon, such as Audino and Metang.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Taunt / Substitute
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Serperior's high base Speed makes it a viable Calm Mind user, giving it the ability to boost its Special Attack to clean up later in the game. Taunt is used to keep Serperior from becoming setup fodder, prevent entry hazards from being set, and keep the opponents from statusing or phazing it, making Serperior a team player as well. Substitute, on the other hand, can be used to help Serperior get to Overgrow range or to keep it from being taken out by faster opponents, but without Taunt, Serperior struggles against other Calm Mind users such as Musharna. Giga Drain is the best STAB option for Serperior, as it provides a way to recover health. Finally, Hidden Power Rock is used for coverage to hit the Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type Pokemon, such as Charizard, Scolipede, and Mandibuzz, that would wall Serperior otherwise.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Hidden Power Fire can be used over Hidden Power Rock if your team needs coverage against Steel- and Grass-types, such as Metang and Roselia, but Hidden Power Rock's coverage against specific threats is almost always more useful. Hidden Power Ice can also be used to hit opposing Grass- and Flying-types, but it suffers from the same problem that Hidden Power Fire does. Life Orb is the item of choice to give Serperior the much-needed power.</p>
<p>Seismitoad pairs well with Serperior, as it can set up Stealth Rock and take on the Steel-types that wall Serperior, while Serperior resists Seismitoad's only weakness. Stealth Rock support helps Serperior a lot because most types that resist its STAB are weak to Rock. Garbodor is also a great partner, as it provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes, which helps Serperior by wearing down Steel- and Grass-types, Lickilicky, and Audino, all of which give Serperior a lot of trouble. Garbodor also resists Bug- and Poison-type moves, giving it opportunities to set up entry hazards against Serperior's checks, and can also remove Toxic Spikes. Offensively, Charizard is an amazing partner, easily taking out Grass-, Bug-, and Steel-types for Serperior, while Serperior can easily weaken Rock- and Water-types with Giga Drain. Finally, Probopass can also be a good partner, as it can easily take any Flying-type move from Swellow, which outspeeds Serperior, trap Steel-types with its Magnet Pull ability, and provides a slow Volt Switch to bring in its teammates safely, while Serperior can kill Ground-types trying to take out Probopass.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Light Clay
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Serperior's high Speed, great bulk, and access to Taunt make it a good dual screens user. This particular set faces competition with Gardevoir, which has access to Memento, but Serperior's greater Speed gives it an easier time setting up Reflect and Light Screen. Taunt is used to protect Serperior and its partners from status and phazing, while also preventing Stealth Rock from being set up by common leads and preventing opponents from trying to set up alongside Serperior. Finally, Giga Drain is a filler move which gets STAB and can help Serperior recover some health.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Max Speed investment is used to outspeed Scolipede and other slower Pokemon. This is to assure Serperior can set up Reflect and Light Screen reliably before opponents can get a hit on it. The rest goes in HP to let Serperior live more repeated hits. Light Clay is used to boost Reflect and Light Screen up to 8 turns, giving Serperior's teammates more turns to set up. While Giga Drain is mostly here to keep Serperior from becoming complete Taunt bait and to recover some health, Safeguard could be used over it to further support its team.</p>
<p>This set should mainly be used with setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Zangoose, Carracosta, Fraxure, Linoone, and Gorebyss, as they love dual screens support to set up safely. Entry hazards setters such as Custap Berry Golem and Focus Sash Scolipede are also great partners, as they can provide quick entry hazards which makes it easier for the team to sweep your opponents.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Despite its poor coverage options, Serperior still has some good support moves up its leaves. Access to Leech Seed, Glare, Safeguard, and Dragon Tail might give you the impression that Serperior can pull out a good support set, but such a set would be outclassed by Roselia, Vileplume, and Tangela, as they have better support movepools, bulk, and abilities. Aromatherapy is a great support move that most other Grass-types can't fit on their sets, but it is only legal on Serperior with a Hardy nature, making it completely worthless. Serperior also has access to some other offensive options, such as Sword Dance, Coil, Aqua Tail, and Dragon Tail, but Serperior has awful coverage options on the physical side. Finally, Leaf Storm could be used with a Life Orb to OHKO Piloswine, but Serperior needs Calm Mind to work decently and sweep late-game.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Although Serperior is bulky and fast, it can be easily walled by many Pokemon. Sap Sipper Miltank and Sawsbuck both hard wall Serperior and receive an Attack boost if it tries to use Giga Drain against them. Steel-types and Poison-types also take on Serperior well, as they resists its STAB while taking very little from its most common coverage moves. Muk can check both sets, as it has Brick Break to take out Reflect and Light Screen set by Serperior, rendering it useless. Toxic Spikes greatly hinder Serperior, keeping it from staying healthy with Giga Drain. Liepard and Volbeat can Encore or Taunt Serperior with the help of Prankster. Bastiodon and Zweilous can easily take a hit and phaze Serperior out to weaken it with entry hazards. Finally, fast Pokemon such as Swellow or fast Choice Scarf users such as Jynx, Primeape, Braviary, Rotom-A, and Charizard can easily outspeed Serperior and OHKO it with the appropriate move, but keep in mind Serperior can play around with some of them by using Substitute.</p>
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[Overview]
[*]- Amazing speed, able to outspeed some dangerous threat such as Jynx, Scolipede, Primeape, Tauros, and Charizard, and great bulk.
- Main roles in the metagame: Calm Mind sweeper and supporting offensive teams with Dual Screens.
- Usable special attack stat.
- Needs to boost to inflict good damage and reliance to Giga Drain as its strongest move.
- Plethora of support options.
- Sparse offensive movepool. Steel-, Dragon-, and Fire-types wall Serperior depending of the Hidden Power used.
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Taunt / Substitute
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Rock
item: Life Orb
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[*]- Base 113 Speed lets Serperior outspeed most of the threats in the metagame, such as Jynx, Primeape, Sawk, Scolipede, Tauros, Charizard, and more.
- Calm Mind to boost Serperior's special attack and special defense, which can make setting up easier for Serperior against some special attackers.
- Substitute to block status and protect Serperior from Choice Scarf users. Taunt to prevent opponents to set up alongside Serperior and prevent Stealth Rock, as Serperior match up well against common leads.
- Substitute and Taunt play differently: Substitute is mainly used to support Serperior itself by going down to Overgrow range and protecting itself from revenge killing, while Taunt is used to win against other Calm Mind sweeper such as Musharna and prevent opponents to set up alongside Serperior, helping its teamates in the process.
- Giga Drain for STAB and recovery.
- Hidden Power Rock gives Serperior the best coverage possible as some of the Steel-type in NU are neutral to Grass moves. Hitting Fire-, Bug-, and Flying-type such as Charizard, Scolipede, and Mandibuzz, which could wall it otherwise.
[*]- Hidden Power Fire can be used over Hidden Power Rock if your team needs coverage against Steel- and Grass-type.
- Life Orb gives Serperior much needed power.
- Garbodor is a good partner with Toxic Spikes support, as it help Serperior by wearing down some walls like Lickylicky and Audino.
- Seismitoad pairs well with Serperior, as it can set up Stealth Rock and kill most Steel-type with its STAB, while Serperior resist Seismitoad's only weakness. Stealth Rock helps Serperior a lot since most types who resist Serperior's STAB are weak to Stealth Rock.
- Charizard is also a great partner for Serperior, killing Grass- and Steel-type to ease Serperior's job, while Serperior can weaken most Charizard's checks with Giga Drain.
- Probopass is also a good partner, as it is able to take any Flying-type moves from Swellow, which outspeed Serperior, and trap Steel-type with its ability Magnet Pull, while Serperior can kill Ground-types trying to kill Probopass.
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Light Clay
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[*]- With its high speed, great bulk, and access to Taunt makes Serperior a good dual screen user.
- Unlike its other set, this one is mainly used to support its teamates by setting up Reflect and Light Screen, which gives frailer teamates the ability to set up safely.
- This particuliar set face competition with Gardevoir, which has access to Memento, but Serperior's Speed gives it an easier time to set up Reflect and Light Screen.
- Reflect and Light Screen to help sweepers to set up.
- Taunt to protect Serperior and its teamates from status and phazing. Taunt also prevent Stealth Rock against common leads while also preventing anything from seting up alongside it.
- Giga Drain for STAB and decent recovery.
[*]- Light Clay is used to have Reflect and Light Screen up for 8 turns.
- Serperior is running max Speed investments to outspeed Scolipede and other slower Pokemon. This is to assure Serperior can set up Reflect and Light Screen. The rest goes in HP to let Serperior live more repeated hits.
- Giga Drain is mostly used to not be Taunt bait.
- Safeguard could be used over Giga Drain to further support your team.
- Set up sweepers such as Pinsir, Zangoose, Carracosta, Fraxure, Linoone, and Gorebyss loves Dual Screen support. Never used this set, so any input is welcome!
- Entry hazard setter such as Custap Berry Golem and Focus Sash Scolipede are great partner as they can quickly provide entry hazard support to the team, making it easier for your team to sweep the opponent.
[*]- Leech Seed, but Serperior has difficulty dealing with opponent's Grass-type.
- Glare.
- Dragon Tail.
- Aqua Tail.
- Sword Dance and Coil.
- Safeguard.
- Dragon Pulse.
[*]- Toxic Spikes
- Sap Sipper Miltank and Sawsbuck.
- Metang and Klang.
- Swellow.
- Scarf users such as Jynx, Primeape, Rotom-S, Charizard, and Tauros.
- Roselia, Vileplume, Skuntank, Garbodor, and Muk which can also use Brick Break to break Reflect and Light Screen.
- Pokemon able to take a hit easily and phaze Serperior, such as Bastiodon and Zweilous.
- Liepard and Volbeat can Taunt or Encore Serperior with the help of Prankster.
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