
Serperior
Stats: 75 HP / 75 Atk / 95 Def / 75 SpA / 95 SpD / 113 Spe
This stat spread seems relatively mediocre at first; good speed, average HP, above average defenses, and only average attacking stats. This will be explained further, but this distribution is key to its success.
Level-up Moves
Lv1: Tackle
Lv1: Leer
Lv1: Vine Whip
Lv1: Wrap
Lv4: Leer
Lv7: Vine Whip
Lv10: Wrap
Lv13: Growth
Lv16: [M536]
Lv20: Leech Seed
Lv24: Mega Drain
Lv28: Slam
Lv32: Leaf Blade
Lv36: [M489]
Lv40: Giga Drain
Lv44: Wring Out
Lv48: Gastro Acid
Lv52: Leaf Storm
Lv1: Leer
Lv1: Vine Whip
Lv1: Wrap
Lv4: Leer
Lv7: Vine Whip
Lv10: Wrap
Lv13: Growth
Lv16: [M536]
Lv20: Leech Seed
Lv24: Mega Drain
Lv28: Slam
Lv32: Leaf Blade
Lv36: [M489]
Lv40: Giga Drain
Lv44: Wring Out
Lv48: Gastro Acid
Lv52: Leaf Storm
Egg Moves
Captivate
Natural Gift
Glare
Iron Tail
Magical Leaf
Sweet Scent
Mirror Coat
Pursuit
Mean Look
Twister
Natural Gift
Glare
Iron Tail
Magical Leaf
Sweet Scent
Mirror Coat
Pursuit
Mean Look
Twister
Learnable TMs
TM04 - Calm Mind
TM06 - Toxic
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM11 - Sunny Day
TM12 - Taunt
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM16 - Light Screen
TM17 - Protect
TM20 - Safeguard
TM21 - Frustration
TM22 - Solar Beam
TM27 - Return
TM32 - Double Team
TM33 - Reflect
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM48 - Troll
TM53 - Energy Ball
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM70 - Flash
TM75 - Swords Dance
TM82 - Dragon Tail
TM86 - Grass Knot
TM87 - Swagger
TM90 - Substitute
TM94 - Rock Smash
HM01 - Cut
HM04 - Strength
TM06 - Toxic
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM11 - Sunny Day
TM12 - Taunt
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM16 - Light Screen
TM17 - Protect
TM20 - Safeguard
TM21 - Frustration
TM22 - Solar Beam
TM27 - Return
TM32 - Double Team
TM33 - Reflect
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM48 - Troll
TM53 - Energy Ball
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM70 - Flash
TM75 - Swords Dance
TM82 - Dragon Tail
TM86 - Grass Knot
TM87 - Swagger
TM90 - Substitute
TM94 - Rock Smash
HM01 - Cut
HM04 - Strength
New Move Data:
[M536]: Special Grass PP: 10 Power: 65 / Accuracy: 90 Effect: May decrease opponent's Accuracy by 1 stage.
[M489]: Other Poison PP: 20 Power: --- / Accuracy: --- Effect: Raises the user's Atk, Def, and Acc.
A well rounded support movepool, as well as several boosting moves in Growth, Calm Mind, and Swords Dance for attacking sets. Its offensive movepool, on the other hand, is barren. This makes his access to the aforementioned boosting moves less relevant.
Typing: Grass
Resistances: Electric, Grass, Ground, Water
Weaknesses: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison
Due to its pure Grass-typing, it isn't 4x weak to anything, which means it can even take super effective attacks. Its resistances are fairly common and allow him to ward off many common attackers. However, the Grass-type leaves him with weaknesses to very common attacks; U-turn, Fire Blast, and Ice Beam. Fortunately, Flying and Poison moves aren't all that common.
Ability: Overgrow
"When a Pokémon with Overgrow uses a Grass-type move, the power will increase by 1.5x if the user has less than or equal to 33% of its maximum HP remaining."
On offensive sets, it allows Serperior to fire off one last attack before going down. On defensive sets, it could allow Serperior to recover some extra damage via Giga Drain (which now has 75 BP).
Possible Sets:
Name: SubSeed
Nature: Timid
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 Spe or 252 Def / 20 SpD / 236 Spe
Item: Leftovers
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Protect / Giga Drain
move 4: Torment / Glare
Serperior has something no other SubSeeder has: access to Torment and Glare. It may not be as fast as Shaymin-S or Sceptile, but it has a lot more bulk than them. Maximum HP EVs makes its Substitutes more durable, while 236 Speed EVs allows it to outrun positive 110 base speed Pokemon. The rest goes into defense for taking Earthquakes and various physical attacks like Scizor's Bullet Punch. An alternate spread is 252 Def / 20 SpD / 236 Spe, which still outruns base 110s but allows you to recover a larger % from Leech Seed. Substitute + Torment + Protect is seen on Heatran a lot, and this set can utilize the strategy by pairing it with Leech Seed. Torment + Leech Seed will force a lot of switches, racking up residual damage. Serperior will effectively beat many choice users, such as Scizor and Heatran, with this set. Another option is to use Giga Drain + Glare. Giga Drain is now 75 BP, which works well with Leech Seed and Leftovers to regain lost HP. Glare now has 90% accuracy, and it will also create a lot of switches, while also adding paralysis support for your team. Taunt can be used in either of the last two slots in order to beat Blissey handily, as it will not be able to recover off the damage from Leech Seed while you set up Substitutes in its face.
Name: Dual Screen
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Atk / 236 Spe
Item: Light Clay
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Light Screen
move 4: Leech Seed / Glare / Safeguard
Serperior has the right combination of bulk + speed to differentiate itself from other Dual Screeners. Reflect + Light Screen are further extended by Light Clay, which can help a sweeper set up. Leaf Blade is there so you're not complete Taunt-bait, and it can do some decent damage with its high critical hit ratio and STAB. Of course, you can move the Attack EVs to Special Attack and use Giga Drain instead, which will further extend the life of Serperior. However, that will reduce the number of turns your sweepers will have to set up. The last slot can offer your team more support. Leech Seed will help sap health from the likes of Blissey and Snorlax. Glare can paralyze a threatening Pokemon, or Safeguard can protect your sweepers from status.
Name: Offensive SubSeed
Nature: Timid
Ability: Contrarian
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Item: Leftovers
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Hidden Power [Fire] or [Ice]
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Leech Seed
Serperior's Dream World ability, Contrarian, supposedly reverses stat changes. Utilizing the same Substitute + Leech Seed strategy as before, this set focuses on going on the offense. Leaf Storm + Contrarian is a deadly combination. Instead of Leaf Storm sharply reducing your Special Attack, it will sharply increase it (+2). Each consecutive use of Leaf Storm will make Serperior more powerful, and with its high base speed and Leech Seed forcing switches, it shouldn't have any problems finding turns to use it. Hidden Power Fire gives additional coverage and puts the hurt on Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and other Grass-types, but leaves you walled by Dragons, specifically the new Dark/Dragon, Dragonite, and Salamence. Hidden Power Ice covers these threats, but leaves you walled by the aforementioned Steel-types. Although Heatran walls you either way, if you put up a Substitute or Leech Seed it as it switches in, you can drain its HP a bit.