[OVERVIEW]
With great offensive stats, excellent coverage moves, and a diverse movepool, Sceptile is an offensive Grass-type that excels at cleaning the opposing team once it's been weakened. Lightning Rod allows Mega Sceptile to use opposing Electric-type attacks to raise its own Special Attack stat. However, Mega Sceptile is rather frail thanks to a 4x weakness to ice and below average defense stats. Additionally, it is prone to being revenge killed by common Choice Scarf users such as Toxicroak, Salazzle, and Flygon.
[SET]
name: All-Out Special Attacker
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Dragon Pulse/Earthquake
item: Sceptilite
ability: Overgrow
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm is Mega Sceptile's most powerful STAB move, OHKOing pokemon such as Cloyster and 2HKOing Diancie. Additionally, it hits pokemon such as Toxicroak and Galvantula hard despite the grass resist. Giga Drain is an extremely spammable move, healing Mega Sceptile while dealing damage in order to keep it healthy. Hidden Power Ice is used to hit Flying-types such as Noivern and Swellow, OHKOing both after stealth rock damage. Dragon Pulse is used to hit offensive Dragalge, Salazzle, and other Pokemon that resist both Grass and Ice harder than any other moves. Earthquake could be used in the last slot to hit Fire-types and Steel-types other than Bronzong hard, yet you'd need to run a Naive or Hasty nature to get the most out of it.
Set Details
========
A Timid nature and 252 Speed EVs allow Mega Sceptile to have a blistering speed stat of 427, outspeeding every other Pokemon in the tier. 252 Special Attack EVs bump the aforementioned stat to 389. Investing the maximum amount of EVS mentioned in this set is crucial to ensure that Mega Sceptile can be as threatening as it can. Switching the EVs to 52 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe if you're running Earthquake is another option.
Usage Tips
========
Because Sceptile is so frail, using a slow pivot such as Golisopod or sending it in after a teammate has fainted to send it in are ideal. Mega evolve Sceptile as soon as you can, because its stats are dramatically increased upon mega evolution.
Team Options
========
Slow pivots such as Golisopod, Mandibuzz, or Tsareena are able to ensure that Mega Sceptile can switch in safely. Fire-types such as Arcanine and Alolan Marowak can defeat opposing Ice-types that would otherwise wall Mega Sceptile. Entry setters such as Rhyperior and Donphan can set up Stealth Rock, allowing Mega Sceptile to OHKO threats such as Swellow. Rhyperior also compliments Mega Sceptile well thanks to the two covering eachother's weaknesses.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Swords Dance set with Leaf Blade, Earthquake, and Dragon Claw with 252 Atk / 252 Spe is another option, yet you'd be missing out on Leaf Storm's awesome power. Dragon Claw could be used over Outrage on the mixed set, but Outrage has more power. Focus Blast is another option for the last moveslot, yet the Steel-types in the tier also have a secondary typing that resists Fighting, so its not as good as it sounds.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-types**: Due to Mega Sceptile's 4x weakness to Ice, Pokemon such as Donphan carrying Ice Shard and Cloyster can cause a lot of pressure. However, they do not like being switched into STAB Grass-type moves.
**Flying-types**: Powerful Flying-types such as Swellow and Noivern can OHKO Sceptile with their STAB moves. However, Hidden Power Ice deals a ton of damage to both.
**Fire-types** Mega Sceptile can't really do much against the likes of Drapion and Toxicroak. Despite the fact that they can KO Mega Sceptile with their STAB Poison-type moves, they should be wary of sets with Earthquake.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[ Lunaflare ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]