ORAS UU We wish you a Merry Christmas (Mega Sceptile Balance)

[Tom the Bomb]

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
...and a happy New Year!

​

In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to build a team around Mega Sceptile. The result was an offensive balance team that I have been doing decently well with, in tourneys and on the ladder. The goal of this team is to basically punch holes in the opponent's team until I clean up with either Sceptile or Infernape, while still having switch-ins to major threats. Let's take a look at it, shall we?

THE TEAM

We wish (Krookodile) @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge

The hole-puncher of the team. This dude is meant to break down walls and weaken the opponent's team in order to make it so that Mega Sceptile and Infernape can clean up. The reason I chose Krook for this role is because it has great defensive synergy with Sceptile and can provide utility with Intimidate, forcing many switches. Pursuit is a very situational move, but if often comes in handy versus opposing Ghost types like Chandelure, which Infernape can't touch and Sceptile needs prior damage on to take out. Krook also serves as a decent check to SD Lucario and the Nidos, which otherwise wreck my team.

Some Calcs:
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Swampert: 175-207 (43.6 - 51.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 44 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 160-190 (53.1 - 63.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Knock Off vs. 8 HP / 0- Def Mega Abomasnow: 159-187 (49.2 - 57.8%) -- 96.9% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Earthquake vs. 200 HP / 252 Def Vaporeon: 246-289 (54.5 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

you a (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Baton Pass

Vaporeon is the glue of this team. Since Sceptile is worn down quickly through Substitute, it needs the wish support Vaporeon provides. Vaporeon also has very good defensive synergy with Mega Sceptile, since Grass/Dragon covers all of Vaporeon's weaknesses. Baton Pass is very useful, since it allows many of my mons to come in safely once a Wish is up. Since Vaporeon forces a lot of switches in general, Baton Pass also helps me gain momentum in a lot of situations. 30 speed IVs ensures that I lose the speed tie with other Vaporeons so they can't get a scald off on my switch in. There have been many occasions, where I wish I had Heal Bell, but unfortunately you can't have five moves.

Some Calcs:
252 SpA Mega Pidgeot Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Vaporeon: 193-228 (41.5 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 198-234 (42.6 - 50.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Jirachi Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 54-63 (11.6 - 13.5%) -- possibly the worst move ever
+6 4 SpA Suicune Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Vaporeon: 124-146 (26.7 - 31.4%) -- 19.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

Merry Christmas (Sceptile-Mega) @ Sceptilite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse

This is the star of the team. Sceptile's nice base 145/145 offenses allow it to revenge kill most of the unboosted meta, while still packing a decent punch. I chose the substitute set for a variety of reasons. First of all, Sceptile's typing allows it to set up a sub on the majority of bulky waters barring Ice Beam (curse you Zygarde for making everything run Ice Beam!). This thing also outspeeds scarfed Chandelure, which is nice since my own scarfer can do literally nothing to it. Giga Drain and Dragon Pulse for STABs, and Focus Blast so it's not walled by steels.

While Mega Sceptile may not have the best defensive typing in the world, it has some cool resists as well as an immunity to electric. It also works in the Fire/Water/Grass core I have going on with Vap/Scept/Ape.

Some Calcs:
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Jirachi: 141-167 (41.3 - 48.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Dragon Pulse vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Crobat: 180-213 (48.2 - 57.1%) -- 41.4% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Hydreigon: 368-434 (113.2 - 133.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Dragon Pulse vs. 200 HP / 252+ SpD Zygarde: 224-266 (55 - 65.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Suicune: 236-282 (58.4 - 69.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

and a (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

This is the second part of my defensive core. SpDef Jirachi is mainly there to take hits from the likes of Mega Pidgeot, Mega Zam, Raikou, Mega Ampharos and Mega Sceptile, while offering T-wave support. It has pretty good defensive synergy with Vaporeon, taking most of the hits it can't take. If my opponent has a scarfer that Sceptile cannot outspeed, I usually try to t-wave it with Jirachi so I don't have to rely on Ape to take it out.

There are two things that I am unsure about for this set. First of all, I like the reliability of T-wave, but Body Slam would also be good in order to paralyze ground types and Mega Sceptile. Also, I used to have Wish but decided against it and went for U-turn to keep momentum, since I already had Wish support and there weren't many opportunities to use it. I also like U-turn because it takes advantage of the switches that Jirachi forces.

Some Calcs:
252 SpA Mega Pidgeot Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 224+ SpD Jirachi: 158-186 (39.1 - 46%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 224+ SpD Jirachi: 150-177 (37.1 - 43.8%) -- 99.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Mega Alakazam Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 224+ SpD Jirachi: 178-210 (44 - 51.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Mega Sceptile Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 224+ SpD Jirachi: 105-124 (25.9 - 30.6%) -- 3.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

happy (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Atk / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Roost
- Defog

Probably the most reliable defogger in the tier. This is basically the standard Crobat set, and it does its job well. The main difference between this set and most others is the fact that I run Infiltrator toxic. If I didn't, I would get swept by Coil Zygarde / SubCM Suicune from the very beginning. The EV spread is for maximum bulk possible while still outspeeding Mega Pidgeot. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Attack with 4 in SpDef so Porygon-Z gets an Attack boost.

This is my only thing that handles Beedrill well. Knock off doesn't do very much, and I can just roost off the damage. If I didn't have this guy, Beedrill would wreck me and I would have to resort to a speed tie with Sceptile, which is never fun.

Some Calcs:
252+ Atk Adaptability Mega Beedrill Poison Jab vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Crobat: 129-152 (34.5 - 40.7%) -- 55% chance to 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Mega Beedrill Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Crobat: 156-184 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery

New Year! (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Grass Knot Stone Edge
- U-turn

The final member of my team, and one of the most vital. This completes the FWG core with Vapo and Sceptile. Scarfed Infernape is really underrated right now. I chose scarfed Ape over Darmanitan for a variety of reasons. First of all, Infernape outspeeds Jirachi (and has a great chance to OHKO) and Hydreigon, which are pretty vital speed tiers to hit. Infernape also has a second STAB it can resort to, making it less suicidal than Darm. Ape can also lure in things like Swampert and 2HKO them with Grass Knot, which is always satisfying. Finally, since ScarfApe isn't as common as ScarfDarm, not very many people see it coming.

If I see anything like an Azelf on the opposing team, I usually lead off with Infernape. Most people assume I'm the sash lead set, so they Taunt as I U-turn into something that can outspeed and kill. ScarfApe is also my way of killing Beedrills. On more than one occasion, I have been able to kill the Beedrill on the second turn of the battle, because they assume that I'm not scarfed. Overall, ScarfApe has surprised me in how reliable it is to clean a game up.
​

Threatlist

• 
  
  - The Nidos are pretty big threats to my team. Nidoking singlehandedly dismantles my defensive core with Tbolt / Earthpower, while Nidoqueen does a lot to vaporeon with sludge wave and isn't easily revenge killed if I lose Krook.
• 
  - If I lose Crobat, Beedrill wrecks me. Fortunately, I have scarfape to keep it in check, but it's difficult to catch Beedrill because it's usually U-turning all over the place.
• 
  - This is one of the few things that outspeeds my Sceptile after it Mega Evolves. Infernape can't OHKO it either, so the only thing I have is vaporeon (though Jirachi usually beats it 1v1 because of T-wave)
• there are definitely more but I'm tired and I don't feel like listing them right now

Importable

We wish (Krookodile) @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge

you a (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Baton Pass

Merry Christmas (Sceptile-Mega) @ Sceptilite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Dragon Pulse

and a (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn

happy (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 72 Atk / 4 SpD / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Roost
- Defog

New Year (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Stone Edge
- U-turn

Thank you for reading!​

 

[Bouff]

hey Orbital, I think I faced this team at one point, and it looks fairly solid as a balance team, so I only have a few suggestions.

Firstly, since you already have Sceptile, and to an extent, Vaporeon, for Water-types, I don't really see Grass Knot as the most optimal choice on Scarfnape. As you said, it can't touch Chandelure, who is a pretty huge threat for your team, so I would suggest replacing it with Stone Edge, which hits Chandelure for super-effective damage, as well as serving as a decent coverage move, having a 68% chance to kill Aerodactyl after rocks, which as you mentioned, is a pretty annoying thing for your team to face.

While I'm not entirely sure on this change, as it could make it harder for you to pass Wishes, I think U-turn would really help you on Crobat over Toxic, as having a momentum core with your other U-turn users always helps in easing prediction and nets you a bit of chip damage. However, by removing Toxic, you are left nearly helpless against SubCoil Zygarde, so I would suggest trying Ice Beam over Baton Pass on Vaporeon, as this pressures Zygarde and makes it pretty difficult to set up, as well as taking out opposing Mega Sceptile on the switch. This change is optional, though, so if you don't think it's optimal you can always revert back to ToxBat and BP Vape.

Hope I helped, nice team friend!

 

[Tom the Bomb]

Thanks for the reply Bouffalant, I'll definitely remove grass knot on Ape and replace it with Stone Edge. I'm not entirely sure about removing Toxic on Crobat, but I'll definitely try it out!

I also edited the OP to add some calcs and more detail

 

[Celsius]

Hi , Orbital , this is a very solid team you've got ! I especially like your Jirachi set .
I think i've found some weaknesses :

SubToxic / SubCM Jirachi can do damage to your team . He can come on both Crobat , ur Jirachi and then uses Substitute.
The SubCM version can hit very hard if he runs EnergyBall or Moonblast on his 4th attack slot. To be honest i don't think your Jirachi can win the 1 on 1 because , you have to use Wish with your Vaporeon and then switch to your Jirachi . ( Maybe i'm wrong on this point ).
The Toxic version is a threat to your team , after a Substitute , he has FirePunch which can destroy your Jirachi , and he can use Toxic on Vapoeron , Infernape , Krookodile.

As Bouffalant said i would run IceBeam on Vapoeron over Baton Pass , but again it is an option.

Anyway solid team and great job !
In love for this team , Mega-Sceptile is definitely a cool pokemon to build around !
Happy New year to you too !

 

[Questro]

Hi fren :)

I personally would consider HP Fire > Focus Blast on Sceptile. Since Heatran is obviously not UU, I find HP fire gives M-scept more reliability while retaining a good deal of coverage against most steels in the tier. For example, you hit Jirachi just as hard with HP fire but more reliably so, you can now hit Forretress and Doublade much better, with a sub up, you can take down M-snow more reliably as well, actually hits Whimsicott/Bronzong etc...In exchange, you lose out on hitting Empoleon supereffectively but it can't really touch you without Ice Beam, and hitting M-aggron and Cobalion as hard (the latter of which you 2HKO with HP fire anyway).

You can't even 2HKO Umbreon, though I guess if you feel like you're good at managing chip damage, it's something worthwhile.

I just don't find the merit of Focus Blast for the UU tier, but let me know if you have a personal affinity for it (or really care that much about winning speed ties vs Beedrils).

Speaking of Umbreon, if you have trouble with the Nidos, you can potentially change your defensive core around a bit more optimally. I'd say keep Crobat, but you can try changing Vaporeon to Umbreon. Now you have a more reliable answer to Nidos, Hydreigon and Chandelure (who actually threaten your team quite a bit), and pretty much all of the things your Jirachi was meant to cover (being a blanket Special Check) while providing cleric support for your team. You can then swap out Jirachi itself for a bulky water to handle Fire Types. I like Swampert in its place as you still have a Stealth Rocker, gives you an M-Aero Check, can phaze out Suicune if you have scouted Ice Beam to not let your M-scept get mauled, and happens to love the Wish support Umbreon gives it.

That's just my two cents. Hope I helped in some way :)


Edit: This is a better Jirachi Picture: