Sceptile Discussion

[DittoCrow]

Look at that sprite. Boss.

Sceptile has the potential to be a massive threat in this metagame. It is a very versatile Pokemon, having a good movepool and great stats: 105 Base SpA and 120 Base Speed. He is the third fastest Pokemon in RU, and can become the fastest Pokemon in the tier with the hidden ability Unburden. Here are some of the sets:

Sceptile (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Leaf Storm

This is Sceptile's most effective set, being able to continue to hit things hard throughout the game without the loss of a Gem. Giga Drain is definitely one of the most useful moves on this set. It enables Sceptile to get some HP back without the use of Synthesis, and it is a good STAB move to use if you don't want to lower your special attack. Focus Blast 2HKOs Ferroseed and Clefable and takes a decent chunk out of Munchlax's HP (35.5 - 41.79%). HP Rock is preferred to HP Ice because of its ability to OHKO Moltres and other Flying types after rocks. Sceptile's Leaf Storm is one of the strongest moves in the tier. You won't be able to switch in without having a solid counter.

Sceptile @ Leftovers
Timid Nature | 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Ability: Overgrow
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Fire / Focus Blast

Sceptile's high speed works perfectly together with Substitute + Leech Seed. Sceptile is capable of setting up on a majority of the metagame by forcing switches, allowing for a free substitute. If you use Sceptile with hazard support, you will quickly rack up damage on the enemy. Leech Seed + Giga Drain will earn back the HP you lost from Substitute. Even if you get low, Overgrow will activate, raising the power of Giga Drain by 50%. Hidden Power Fire, in my opinion, is the better move because stuff like Ferroseed and Rotom-C are going to switch in trying to block Leech Seed, only to get caught off guard by a Super-Effective hit. This set also baits counters to the offensive sets, such as Munchlax, and gains a large chunk of HP from Leech Seed.

Sceptile @ Grass Gem/White Herb
Timid Nature | 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Ability: Unburden
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Rock
- Leaf Storm

This is a set I've been experimenting with recently. After Unburden activates, Sceptile reaches 742 Speed. If you don't have a counter, it's GG. People underestimate Leaf Storm. With Grass Gem, almost nothing can switch in safely. Only Munchlax and Pokemon that resist Grass can take a boosted Leaf Storm without having their HP automatically cut in half. Because this one move is so frightening, the opponent will likely switch in something such as Moltres, which you can OHKO with good prediction using HP Rock. Giga Drain is there in case you don't want -2 SpA, allowing you to obtain the speed boost and clean up the enemy's team. I haven't figured out an alternate EV spread for this, but if someone wants to change it, go ahead.

Sceptile @ Flight Gem
Adamant Nature | 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Ability: Unburden
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Brick Break
- Acrobatics

This is a fairly uncommon set but it should not be underestimated. Swords Dance will boost Sceptile's mediocre Atk stat. Acrobatics can OHKO Moltres, as well as common switch-ins such as Lilligant. This set is generally outclassed by the special sets, but you can use it effectively as a late game sweeper or as a surprise factor.


If you guys have any other sets that you use, please post them! I am hesitant to post a Choice Specs set, as I haven't tested it or ran damage calcs yet. If Sceptile becomes more well-known, it will become a very unpredictable Pokemon, making it extremely hard to counter. Discuss!

 

[sheniqua]

Honestly why not just use a life orb set? It is so much more reliable than the three you posted. Subseed doesn't work with so many grass types in the tier, unburden with grass gem is bad because you will be at -2 SAtk. The swords dance unburden set can work, but it takes so much to set up and it can still be walled pretty easily. Life orb set such as

Sceptile @ Life Orb
Modest / Timid | 4HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Ability: Overgrow
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power (Rock)
- Leaf Storm

This set has a lot of power with the life orb, can stay alive using Giga Drain as the main move. Focus Blast hits Bouffalant and Sawsbuck who always try and come in and get the sap sipper boost, as well as hitting steels very hard. Hidden Power Rock is good for fire types such as moltres and Typholosion, and flying types. Leaf Storm is for one last hurrah before dying or switching out.

 

[DittoCrow]

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[kniteowl]

There's also the Chesto Rest set but Sceptile isn't bulky enough to pull it off.

Sceptile @ Chesto Berry
Adamant Nature |252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Ability: Unburden
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Rock Slide
- Rest

I wasn't sure how to EV him so I just put everything into Attack and HP for maximum Power and Bulk.

You may want to invest more in speed just in case you need that extra speed to pull off rest before another pokemon can revenge you.

Leaf Blade and Rock Slide gives you coverage to hit everything except steels, it's the same coverage Lilligant usually carries (ie Giga Drain & HP-rock)

The Acrobat Flight Gem Set and the Chesto Rest Set have different Pros and Cons

The Acrobat set is probably easier to set up and has better coverage having 3 attack moves

While the Chesto Rest set gives you the opportunity to set up more then one sword dance and can deceive your opponent thinking Sceptile is crippled with burn or Para and suddenly find out it recovered it's status with Rest and a chesto berry to wake it up.

Although Unreliable, Leaf Blade's High Critical secondary effect or Rock Slide's Secondary Flinching may come into play against steels that resist Chesto Rest Sceptile's coverage. I've seen it happen before lol.

 

[Windsong]

Honestly, Sceptile's one of the most amazing Pokemon in the metagame right now. Tons of teams rely heavily on stuff like Sap Sipper Bouffallant or Sawsbuck to as their Grass-"resist", and end up essentially getting destroyed by Sceptile due to its access to Focus Blast and Brick Break. Other common Grass-resists, like Moltres and Tangrowth can meet easy ends with Rock Slide and Hidden Power Ice Respectively. Finally, outspeeding basically everything important in the tier except Swellow and Aerodactyl is really nice.

From my experience, the best set as of late has not been the AcroSD set, which I've found has trouble getting past some common mons depending on what moves it's running, and is extremely susceptible to priority. It also sucks that you really only have one chance to sweep with it, and in a lot of games it's essentially a dead weight. I also find mixtile to be somewhat ineffective, since pure special Sceptile can break through most Special walls in the metagame without very much trouble.

No, in my opinion, the best sets are Specs and LO. It has basically a perfect offensive movepool for RU with Leaf Storm / Focus Blast / Hidden Power Ice, which hits basically every common mon in the metagame (with the exceptions of Charizard and Moltres) extremely hard. With Rocks support, it basically 2HKOs the entire meta. Choice Specs sets also have a solid secondary STAB option in Giga Drain, and Life Orb sets have the now totally reliable Synthesis available.

In general, an excellent mon.

 

[sheniqua]

Oh synthesis, i have never thought of that. I'll have to try that on my sceptile. Does if usually work for you? it seems like giga drain might be better because you can kill things and still get health back

 

[Rakan]

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with Windsong's sentiments about Sceptile. I, for one, find it difficult to determine the set - that, to me, seems to be one of the most dangerous aspects about Sceptile. Should you incorrectly guess the set, you may be met with an untimely sweep. The Swords Dance + Acrobatics set is easily walled by numerous Pokemon in the tier such as Steelix, so I think the standalone Life Orb set is the most dangerous. With phenomenal coverage that allows it to be walled by almost nothing except the most specially defensive of walls, it can smash through teams with its excellent Speed and Special Attack. A simple set with Leaf Storm / Hidden Power Rock / Focus Blast / Giga Drain 2HKOes or even OHKOes nearly the entire RU tier. I haven't used Sceptile much due to the presence of offensive Tangrowth on my team (which, by the way is amazing as well, and should be used more), but I certainly have experienced the destruction that Sceptile can deliver.

 

[Dewhinifier]

Unburden is an AMAZING ability in this tier to have since PO doesn't acknowledge its activation and some on the mid to lower ladder (900-1100) are unaware of its existance and the signs that indicate you are running unburden. Sceptile is a great poster child for this ability, having access to great coverage moves to deal with huge RU threats like sharpedo and lilligant and the ability to outspeed most opponents.

Gonna have to throw a set for unburden in here just cuz of the success i've had with both:

scep @ flying gem
adamant
unburden
252 atk 252 spd 4 hp
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Acrobatics
-Leaf Blade
Earthquake is a gift to sceptile. Sure, rock slide is viable, but eq is gonna hurt those fire types, durant, and galvantula more than that. Also, scep is gonna be able to smack drapion, one poke that I like in the tier for usage as a tank (having 110 base speed and beautiful attack and speed) and can be really menacing. The only poke that can deal with this set effectively is moltres, which is only threatened by acrobatics. However, I've usually let something else take care of the phoenix.

Sceptile was a huge threat to rain dance abuse teams back when they got popular. Sceptile is conveniently able to survive a swift swim ludicolo's ice beam and fire back to OHKO with either acrobatics or leaf blade.

 

[DittoCrow]

I added Sceptile's Life Orb set to the OP since I feel that it is currently in the top 3 best Pokemon in RU. It plays a very important role in checking Feraligatr, taking Aqua Jet and KOing with Giga Drain. On the opposite side, only a few things can check Sceptile. These are: Roselia, Mandibuzz, Munchlax, Druddigon, Drapion, Muk, Skuntank and Weezing. With proper prediction, you'll have a very easy time sweeping with Sceptile if the opponent doesn't have one of the Pokemon listed above. How do you guys usually deal with Sceptile? I might even consider this to be broken if there aren't more counters because these ones can be easily played around.

 

[spuds4ever]

Durant is a solid check to his physical sets, 4x resisting his STAB and threatening a OHKO with pretty much anything, making predicting a safe switch very tough seeing as I can throw anything at it to kill it. Special sets are tougher IMO to deal with as the best special wall in the tier, slowking, doesn't stand a chance. I would say priority is probably the best way forwards. Hitmonchan has decent special bulk and with a choice band, can quickly dispose of the lizard with a mach punch. Specially defensive rotom-c actually does a good job, even though both his STABs are resisted. He can either cripple him with t-wave or can provide a safe switch with a slower volt switch.

Sceptile stands as a very dangerous threat, and is still under-rated but as long sharpedo stays around, sceptile won't be getting banned.

 

[Iceydude168]

Not entirely sure why Timid Nature and 252 Speed are used on your Grass Gem set. Why not this EV spread: 86 HP / 252 SAtk / 170 Spd with a Modest Nature
170 Speed allow you to hit 318 speed, enough to surpass Jolly (God forbid) Sharpedo.

I've used the Acrogem set to great success (albeit with EQ over Brick Break for Entei), it needs to be used more.

 

[Dewhinifier]

Not entirely sure why Timid Nature and 252 Speed are used on your Grass Gem set. Why not this EV spread: 86 HP / 252 SAtk / 170 Spd with a Modest Nature
170 Speed allow you to hit 318 speed, enough to surpass Jolly (God forbid) Sharpedo.

I've used the Acrogem set to great success (albeit with EQ over Brick Break for Entei), it needs to be used more.

Has more power too. I felt eq gave me better coverage too, which it did tbh. Hurts evire when it shows up...gives it a reason to fear scep.

The last time i played in the tier, all I saw was acrogem sceptiles. Idk if this has changed at all tho...

 

[complete legitimacy]

Yeah, the LO set is really popular now. I wouldn't go as far to say that it's the only set that I see, however about 95% of Sceptile are running the LO set. HP Rock is now really common to hit things like Moltres (which otherwise walls the set), Entei, and Scolipede. Gligar is hit really hard by Leaf Storm, and that's the main reason to run HP Ice. Either way, things like Sigilyph and Mandibuzz are hit neutrally, leaving little risk. The only things that don't like HP Ice are Grass-types, and Ferroseed, Tangrowth, Sawsbuck, and Lilligant are all taken care of by Focus Blast.

 

[SkullCandy]

What I find though is that with clever prediction it's not too hard to play around SpecsTile. As long as Rocks are gone the counters you mentioned as well as Charizard and Moltres (if it is lacking HP Ice) hard counter it. The other sets, however, all do very well, especially LO.

Unfortunately when after one SpA drop Sceptile pretty much has to switch out which is unfortunate for a pokemon that is hit by all three entry hazards.