Here's the old grass snake.
[OVERVIEW]
* Contrary is the biggest selling point about Serperior, essentially allowing it to gain a free +2 boost in Special Attack every time it uses its strongest STAB attack, Leaf Storm.
* It's pretty fast, too; 113 base Speed is pretty good and lets it outpace a good deal of notable threats such as Latios, Mega Metagross, Gengar, and Kartana, but it leaves it ultimately slower than other notable threats such as Tapu Koko and Pheromosa.
* Its STAB is pretty decent to handle common Water- and Ground-types such as Dugtrio, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Tyranitar.
* Its coverage is lacking but passable.
* It's modestly bulky and also has good utility moves such as Glare and Leech Seed that give it some usage in being slightly annoying as well.
* It's rather easy to wall with popular threats such as Heatran and Mega Venusaur, so it needs support to effectively sweep.
* Its typing gives it some pretty bad weaknesses and leaves it vulnerable to threats such as Weavile and Pheromosa.
* It's also pretty weak without any boosts, since its Special Attack is quite average at best.
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Leaf Storm
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Substitute is pretty good for dodging status moves such as Toxic, but it also eases prediction against switch-ins and allows Serperior to play a bit more safely against faster threats if need be.
* Leech Seed is an annoying move that can drain a bit of HP from the opponent for recovery for Serperior.
* Leaf Storm is a strong STAB move that hits hard and gives a boost to Serperior's Special Attack.
* Hidden Power Fire is for Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, and it also hits Bug-types like Buzzwole and Pheromosa.
Set Details
========
* EV spread allows Serperior's Substitute to survive one Hydro Pump from Rotom-W, otherwise, it gives it a pretty good HP number, and the rest is invested into Special Attack and Speed.
* Contrary is a given, considering it comprises Serperior's niche with Leaf Storms that provide boosts.
* Leftovers provides passive recovery, which helps Serperior sustain enough HP to utilize Substitute repeatedly in the long run.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is meant to be a massive annoyer with its access to Substitute and Leech Seed and its high Speed, stalling out foes such as Chansey and Heatran, which otherwise wall Serperior.
* With such a set, it can hide behind a Substitute and drain little bits of its foe's HP every turn, giving it decent staying power.
* Keep it away from Grass-types like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, which block Leech Seed and wall Serperior.
* Leaf Storm is a safe move to spam behind a Substitute, and with its boosts Serperior can become a pretty formidable threat if its counters are removed, so it can sweep well too in the late-game.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Bulu is a great choice, since it provides Grassy Terrain, which boost sthe power of Leaf Storm and gives Serperior additional passive recovery. It also has offensive sets that can surprise Heatran with Superpower or Brick Break.
* Landorus-T, is a pretty good partner since it can take on threats such as Mega Scizor, Heatran, and to an extent some Pheromosa decently, sets up Stealth Rock, can bring Serperior in via U-turn, and baits in Rotom-W, which Serperior can use as setup bait.
* Stealth Rock and Spikes are especially useful, since this set can force switches a lot. Greninja, Garchomp, and Dugtrio all provide such entry hazards effectively.
* Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Azumarill can check Pheromosa and also take on some of Serperior's answers such as Mega Venusaur and Heatran, respectively. Azumarill also deals with Weavile very well.
* Mantine is also great, since it deals with both Heatran and Pheromosa well and has more offensive presence as well as Defog, Tapu Fini similarly is very good.
* Mega Scizor and Buzzwole can both handle Weavile and Pheromosa. Mega Scizor also has U-turn to be able to bring Serperior in more easily.
* Tapu Koko is also a workable teammate, since it has U-turn or Volt Switch to provide momentum, not to mention it can deal with the likes of Tornadus-T, Skarmory, Celesteela, Greninja, and Weavile decently and also has high Speed to revenge kill.
* Heatran can set up Stealth Rock and handle Steel-types such as Scizor, Celesteela lacking Earthquake, Magearna, and Ferrothorn. It can also defeat opposing Heatran with Earth Power.
* Dugtrio is a great partner, since with Arena Trap, it can effectively trap and weaken Heatran and Chansey. It can also provide Stealth Rock support.
* Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele are also useful, since they can defeat Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss or force them out while providing general offensive support.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Glare / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Glare / Substitute / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Leaf Storm is strong, hits hard, provides a good STAB move, and boosts Serperior's Special Attack via Contrary.
* Hidden Power Fire helps with Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and to an extent Amoonguss and Tangrowth.
* Glare can paralyze a switch-in such as Tornadus-T, Choice Scarf Jirachi, or Volcarona that switches in to cripple them for the match.
* Dragon Pulse is decent because it has good neutral coverage and also hits Dragon-typess such as Latios, Latias, and Dragonite for extra good damage, though it's relatively weak otherwise.
* Giga Drain is a decently powerful STAB attack that works as recovery, and pairs well with Life Orb.
* Taunt makes Serperior into a pretty good stallbreaker by blocking status or recovery moves, and also preventing hazard setup. Thus, it also helps in dealing with Chansey.
* Synthesis can work alongside Substitute as reliable recovery to keep Serperior consistently healthy.
* Knock Off works as a utility move to potentially cripple switch-ins such as Heatran and Dragonite.
* Hidden Power Ground is also good, since otherwise Serperior can't do anything to Heatran.
* Hidden Power Ice is a viable option as well to handle Salamence, Gliscor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T.
* Hyper Beam with Normalium Z is a viable option, since it can hit a potential Grass switch-in such as Mega Venusaur very hard without the expense of the recharge turn.
Set Details
========
* The set invests 8 HP to allow Serperior to survive one Sacred Sword guaranteed from Keldeo even with Stealth Rock taken into account.
* The remaining EVs is invested into Special Attack and Speed so Serperior can sweep.
* Leftovers can provide passive recovery if needed, but Life Orb provides additional power which can help Serp hit harder, albeit at the cost of recoil. The latter works well with Giga Drain since Giga Drain provides some recovery to compensate.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is a late game cleaner first and foremost, so weaken potential counters such as Mega Venusaur, Heatran, and Celesteela before you try sweeping.
* With its good Speed and the threat of a Leaf Storm that also functions as a free Nasty Plot, use Serperior to threaten something like Hippowdon or Tapu Fini and either KO it or force it out for a free "boost" opportunity.
* Leaf Storm should be the primary move used, since it hits hard and provides the +2 boost off the bat, and Serperior is relatively weak without boosts so Leaf Storm should be what you're relying on.
* You can use Glare as well to potentially cripple something that will switch into Serperior, such as Tornadus-T, which gives Serperior utility early/mid game with paralysis.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Bulu can work as a partner since it provides Grassy Terrain, not to mention Bulk Up sets can lure Heatran in and weaken it, and Choice Band sets can also smash it with Superpower.
* Landorus-T can take on some of Serperior's checks such as Heatran and to an extent Pheromosa, set up Stealth Rock, and help Serperior come in with U-turn. It also deals with Scolipede and can check the like Buzzwole to some extent as well, while it lures Rotom-W in, granting Serperior an easier opportunity to come in.
* Buzzwole can take on Pheromosa well.
* Azelf can also set up Stealth Rock relatively quickly.
* Scarf Garchomp can revenge kill threats like Pheromosa and to some extent Tornadus-T
* Tapu Koko is also a decent teammate, since it handles Tornadus-T, Skarmory, Greninja, and Celesteela pretty well and also provides momentum with Volt Switch or U-turn.
* Ash-Greninja is a good teammate, since it can handle Mega Metagross and Heatran well and benefits from Serperior being able to take out Tapu Fini and the like.
* Volcarona is also a viable teammate that can clean and deal with Steel-types and Pheromosa well, while it appreciates Serperior's ability to deal with Tapu Fini, Toxapex, and Nihilego.
* Heatran itself is a good teammate, since it's reliable at setting up Stealth Rock and handles the likes Celesteela lacking Earthquake, and Skarmory well.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
* Serperior's movepool is extremely shallow with few to no options at all.
* Dragon Tail is decent on Spikes teams as a means of phazing and spreading damage.
* Light Screen and Reflect have merit as a means of reducing damage for frailer teams, and Serperior has enough speed to set them up reliably.
* Mirror Coat is an interesting move that can be used to deal heavy damage to strong special attackers such as Tapu Lele and Magearna.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire-types**: Heatran completely walls Serperior and can force it out or defeat it with Lava Plume or Fire Blast. Other Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak, Mega Charizard Y, and Volcarona also deal with Serperior effectively, with the latter also being capable of boosting on Serperior with Quiver Dance provided it lacks Taunt.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth can wall Serperior with relative ease and defeat it with Sludge Bomb.
**Faster Pokemon**: Threats such as Weavile, Tornadus-T, and Pheromosa can outspeed Serperior and revenge kill it with their STAB moves.
**Dragon-types**: Mega Charizard X, Salamence, and Dragonite can use Serperior as setup bait to boost with Dragon Dance, but they don't appreciate being paralyzed by Glare.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Chansey can check Serperior effectively due to its extremely high bulk. Celesteela, Magearna, and Ferrothorn also make for effective answers to Serperior due to resisting Leaf Storm.
[OVERVIEW]
* Contrary is the biggest selling point about Serperior, essentially allowing it to gain a free +2 boost in Special Attack every time it uses its strongest STAB attack, Leaf Storm.
* It's pretty fast, too; 113 base Speed is pretty good and lets it outpace a good deal of notable threats such as Latios, Mega Metagross, Gengar, and Kartana, but it leaves it ultimately slower than other notable threats such as Tapu Koko and Pheromosa.
* Its STAB is pretty decent to handle common Water- and Ground-types such as Dugtrio, Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Tyranitar.
* Its coverage is lacking but passable.
* It's modestly bulky and also has good utility moves such as Glare and Leech Seed that give it some usage in being slightly annoying as well.
* It's rather easy to wall with popular threats such as Heatran and Mega Venusaur, so it needs support to effectively sweep.
* Its typing gives it some pretty bad weaknesses and leaves it vulnerable to threats such as Weavile and Pheromosa.
* It's also pretty weak without any boosts, since its Special Attack is quite average at best.
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Leaf Storm
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Substitute is pretty good for dodging status moves such as Toxic, but it also eases prediction against switch-ins and allows Serperior to play a bit more safely against faster threats if need be.
* Leech Seed is an annoying move that can drain a bit of HP from the opponent for recovery for Serperior.
* Leaf Storm is a strong STAB move that hits hard and gives a boost to Serperior's Special Attack.
* Hidden Power Fire is for Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, and it also hits Bug-types like Buzzwole and Pheromosa.
Set Details
========
* EV spread allows Serperior's Substitute to survive one Hydro Pump from Rotom-W, otherwise, it gives it a pretty good HP number, and the rest is invested into Special Attack and Speed.
* Contrary is a given, considering it comprises Serperior's niche with Leaf Storms that provide boosts.
* Leftovers provides passive recovery, which helps Serperior sustain enough HP to utilize Substitute repeatedly in the long run.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is meant to be a massive annoyer with its access to Substitute and Leech Seed and its high Speed, stalling out foes such as Chansey and Heatran, which otherwise wall Serperior.
* With such a set, it can hide behind a Substitute and drain little bits of its foe's HP every turn, giving it decent staying power.
* Keep it away from Grass-types like Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, which block Leech Seed and wall Serperior.
* Leaf Storm is a safe move to spam behind a Substitute, and with its boosts Serperior can become a pretty formidable threat if its counters are removed, so it can sweep well too in the late-game.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Bulu is a great choice, since it provides Grassy Terrain, which boost sthe power of Leaf Storm and gives Serperior additional passive recovery. It also has offensive sets that can surprise Heatran with Superpower or Brick Break.
* Landorus-T, is a pretty good partner since it can take on threats such as Mega Scizor, Heatran, and to an extent some Pheromosa decently, sets up Stealth Rock, can bring Serperior in via U-turn, and baits in Rotom-W, which Serperior can use as setup bait.
* Stealth Rock and Spikes are especially useful, since this set can force switches a lot. Greninja, Garchomp, and Dugtrio all provide such entry hazards effectively.
* Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Azumarill can check Pheromosa and also take on some of Serperior's answers such as Mega Venusaur and Heatran, respectively. Azumarill also deals with Weavile very well.
* Mantine is also great, since it deals with both Heatran and Pheromosa well and has more offensive presence as well as Defog, Tapu Fini similarly is very good.
* Mega Scizor and Buzzwole can both handle Weavile and Pheromosa. Mega Scizor also has U-turn to be able to bring Serperior in more easily.
* Tapu Koko is also a workable teammate, since it has U-turn or Volt Switch to provide momentum, not to mention it can deal with the likes of Tornadus-T, Skarmory, Celesteela, Greninja, and Weavile decently and also has high Speed to revenge kill.
* Heatran can set up Stealth Rock and handle Steel-types such as Scizor, Celesteela lacking Earthquake, Magearna, and Ferrothorn. It can also defeat opposing Heatran with Earth Power.
* Dugtrio is a great partner, since with Arena Trap, it can effectively trap and weaken Heatran and Chansey. It can also provide Stealth Rock support.
* Mega Alakazam and Tapu Lele are also useful, since they can defeat Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss or force them out while providing general offensive support.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Glare / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Glare / Substitute / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Leaf Storm is strong, hits hard, provides a good STAB move, and boosts Serperior's Special Attack via Contrary.
* Hidden Power Fire helps with Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and to an extent Amoonguss and Tangrowth.
* Glare can paralyze a switch-in such as Tornadus-T, Choice Scarf Jirachi, or Volcarona that switches in to cripple them for the match.
* Dragon Pulse is decent because it has good neutral coverage and also hits Dragon-typess such as Latios, Latias, and Dragonite for extra good damage, though it's relatively weak otherwise.
* Giga Drain is a decently powerful STAB attack that works as recovery, and pairs well with Life Orb.
* Taunt makes Serperior into a pretty good stallbreaker by blocking status or recovery moves, and also preventing hazard setup. Thus, it also helps in dealing with Chansey.
* Synthesis can work alongside Substitute as reliable recovery to keep Serperior consistently healthy.
* Knock Off works as a utility move to potentially cripple switch-ins such as Heatran and Dragonite.
* Hidden Power Ground is also good, since otherwise Serperior can't do anything to Heatran.
* Hidden Power Ice is a viable option as well to handle Salamence, Gliscor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T.
* Hyper Beam with Normalium Z is a viable option, since it can hit a potential Grass switch-in such as Mega Venusaur very hard without the expense of the recharge turn.
Set Details
========
* The set invests 8 HP to allow Serperior to survive one Sacred Sword guaranteed from Keldeo even with Stealth Rock taken into account.
* The remaining EVs is invested into Special Attack and Speed so Serperior can sweep.
* Leftovers can provide passive recovery if needed, but Life Orb provides additional power which can help Serp hit harder, albeit at the cost of recoil. The latter works well with Giga Drain since Giga Drain provides some recovery to compensate.
Usage Tips
========
* This set is a late game cleaner first and foremost, so weaken potential counters such as Mega Venusaur, Heatran, and Celesteela before you try sweeping.
* With its good Speed and the threat of a Leaf Storm that also functions as a free Nasty Plot, use Serperior to threaten something like Hippowdon or Tapu Fini and either KO it or force it out for a free "boost" opportunity.
* Leaf Storm should be the primary move used, since it hits hard and provides the +2 boost off the bat, and Serperior is relatively weak without boosts so Leaf Storm should be what you're relying on.
* You can use Glare as well to potentially cripple something that will switch into Serperior, such as Tornadus-T, which gives Serperior utility early/mid game with paralysis.
Team Options
========
* Tapu Bulu can work as a partner since it provides Grassy Terrain, not to mention Bulk Up sets can lure Heatran in and weaken it, and Choice Band sets can also smash it with Superpower.
* Landorus-T can take on some of Serperior's checks such as Heatran and to an extent Pheromosa, set up Stealth Rock, and help Serperior come in with U-turn. It also deals with Scolipede and can check the like Buzzwole to some extent as well, while it lures Rotom-W in, granting Serperior an easier opportunity to come in.
* Buzzwole can take on Pheromosa well.
* Azelf can also set up Stealth Rock relatively quickly.
* Scarf Garchomp can revenge kill threats like Pheromosa and to some extent Tornadus-T
* Tapu Koko is also a decent teammate, since it handles Tornadus-T, Skarmory, Greninja, and Celesteela pretty well and also provides momentum with Volt Switch or U-turn.
* Ash-Greninja is a good teammate, since it can handle Mega Metagross and Heatran well and benefits from Serperior being able to take out Tapu Fini and the like.
* Volcarona is also a viable teammate that can clean and deal with Steel-types and Pheromosa well, while it appreciates Serperior's ability to deal with Tapu Fini, Toxapex, and Nihilego.
* Heatran itself is a good teammate, since it's reliable at setting up Stealth Rock and handles the likes Celesteela lacking Earthquake, and Skarmory well.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
* Serperior's movepool is extremely shallow with few to no options at all.
* Dragon Tail is decent on Spikes teams as a means of phazing and spreading damage.
* Light Screen and Reflect have merit as a means of reducing damage for frailer teams, and Serperior has enough speed to set them up reliably.
* Mirror Coat is an interesting move that can be used to deal heavy damage to strong special attackers such as Tapu Lele and Magearna.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire-types**: Heatran completely walls Serperior and can force it out or defeat it with Lava Plume or Fire Blast. Other Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak, Mega Charizard Y, and Volcarona also deal with Serperior effectively, with the latter also being capable of boosting on Serperior with Quiver Dance provided it lacks Taunt.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth can wall Serperior with relative ease and defeat it with Sludge Bomb.
**Faster Pokemon**: Threats such as Weavile, Tornadus-T, and Pheromosa can outspeed Serperior and revenge kill it with their STAB moves.
**Dragon-types**: Mega Charizard X, Salamence, and Dragonite can use Serperior as setup bait to boost with Dragon Dance, but they don't appreciate being paralyzed by Glare.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Chansey can check Serperior effectively due to its extremely high bulk. Celesteela, Magearna, and Ferrothorn also make for effective answers to Serperior due to resisting Leaf Storm.
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