It's about fucking time this thing is released lol, although it would have been a much better addition to the tier come last gen when Sand and rain was basically everywhere.
Serperior @ Life Orb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ground
- Substitute / Glare
The sets in the OP are pretty bad tbh. One of Serp's biggest selling points is that once it grabs a few boosts it can switch up moves if it has to while still hitting hard. Locking it into a move that's resisted by so many Pokemon is a huge disadvantage, and on top of that if it ever locks itself into a coverage move it basically gives any set up sweeper a free set up opportunity. Leftovers and max HP are also a pretty poor choice, because without LO it's very weak, and not taking advantage of its fantastic speed tier is a pretty big disappointment. Like many have already said, Mega Sceptile is definitely the superior Grass-type all around because of its insane coverage, blazing Speed stat, hitting harder right off the bat, immunity to Thundy's T-wave, and dual STAB. However, as long as there are a shit ton of viable mega evolutions in OU to choose from, Serperior makes for a great replacement if you want a fast Grass-type but can't afford to run Mega Scep because you're already using a mega. The biggest problem with Serperior is that depending on what Hidden Power it runs, it's always going to be hard walled by very common Pokemon no matter what. Hidden Power Fire gives it the most coverage, as it is able to OHKO Ferrothorn and Skarmory after a Leaf Storm as well as heavily denting Mega Metagross, Magnezone, Scizor, and Klefki. Hidden Power Rock is a close second coverage wise, because otherwise Serp basically allows Talon, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Zard-Y a free switch in or set up opportunity. Hidden Power Ground is still a very good option too, as you're able to still nail a few Steel- and Fire-types, but with the added advantage of OHKOing specially defensive Heatran after a Leaf Storm, which is otherwise considered a complete hard counter to this thing. So although it's always going to be walled by something, your opponent has to scout what Hidden Power Serp is running, which actually gives any Serp player a shit ton of momentum early on. Substitute and Glare are merely fillers, but Sub is really nice because it can ease prediction and protect it from status, while Glare can smack predicting switch-ins such as Talon, Pinsir, or Zard-Y with a paralysis.
I actually see a lot of potential in Serperior. The biggest problem with Serp is that it needs at least one boost under its belt to be all that threatening, so it might not be able to find a TON of opportunities to come in for free and spam Leaf Storm seeing as how much of the metagame resists it, however it's actually relatively bulky, which is a perk. I can see it being a solid B+ threat, simply because it has the potential to be a great cleaner as well as a check to some pretty notable Pokemon such as Keldeo, Azumarill, Mega Slowbro, Mega Sableye, Landorus, Gyarados, and Rotom-W. And because of its high speed tier and solid bulk, it can definitely be quite the hassle.
