[OVERVIEW]
Terrain teams rely on Sceptile as an Unburden Swords Dance sweeper. Sceptile's speed is unmatched once Unburden is activated, and it excels as a sweeper because it has the coverage to deal with traditional Grass-type checks like Vileplume and Talonflame. That said, sturdier Grass-type checks like Weezing, Escavalier, and Arcanine are much harder for Sceptile to sweep past, and phazers like Guzzlord foil its one-time Unburden boost. Sceptile is also not that strong, and as a result, it heavily relies on safe setup opportunities and super effective coverage for a chance to sweep. Without either of these two, Sceptile struggles to make a meaningful difference versus some defensive cores; walls like Talonflame, Guzzlord, and Garbodor easily prevent sweeps when Sceptile lacks adequate coverage for them.
[SET]
name: Terrain Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Acrobatics / Rock Slide
move 4: Low Kick / Earthquake
item: Psychic Seed / Electric Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
Acrobatics is meant for opposing Grass-types, notably preventing Vileplume from being a counter. Rock Slide could be used instead to nail Flying- and Fire-types like Talonflame and Salazzle, but a boosted Acrobatics usually suffices. Low Kick is great for Steel-types and Guzzlord. Earthquake also works to hit Steel- and Poison-types like Stakataka and Garbodor, but it shouldn't be ran on Grassy Terrain teams. Drain Punch is another Fighting-type attack worth considering for its recovery, but the power drop off is noticeable; at +2, Sceptile fails to reliably OHKO Stakataka and never OHKOes Guzzlord. Sceptile's item depends on which Terrain setter it is paired with, and Speed investment is unnecessary given that nothing relevant outspeeds it after Unburden.
Indeedee-F, Pincurchin, and Thwackey all work as potential Terrain setters for Sceptile to receive its Unburden boost from. They also complement Sceptile in their unique ways: Indeedee-F preys on Poison-types and potentially deals with shared checks like Guzzlord and Escavalier, Pincurchin sets Spikes to put Vileplume in range of a +2 Acrobatics, and Thwackey brings Sceptile on the field safely with U-turn and boosts Leaf Blade. Other Terrain sweepers such as Alolan Raichu and Cosmic Power Xatu complement Sceptile by dealing with Talonflame and Weezing. Pivots like Silvally-Ground and Arcanine tend to bring in Sceptile on Water- and Ground-type walls for setup opportunities. Additionally, these two force damage on the likes of Mantine and Talonflame so that Sceptile is capable of sweeping past them later.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sceptile could go for more Speed investment over bulk to outrun threats like Silvally-Ground and Toxicroak without the Unburden boost. However, the likelihood that Sceptile will need the extra Speed is low, whereas the extra bulk allows extra setup opportunities like avoiding the 2HKO from Sylveon's Hyper Voice and the OHKO from Mantine's Hurricane after Stealth Rock damage. Substitute may net additional Sword Dance boosts against status users like Mudsdale and Quagsire, but the lack of another attack exasperates Sceptile's coverage issues, usually making it more harm than help.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Weezing is the hardest counter for Sceptile to muster through, as it is simply too bulky to be threatened by +2 Acrobatics. Other Poison-types like Vileplume and Garbodor are a problem if Sceptile lacks the coverage for them or lacks a Swords Dance boost.
**Fire-types**: Arcanine's Intimidate and great bulk make it a tough foe for Sceptile to go up against. Talonflame is tough too if Sceptile forgoes Rock Slide, as Flame Body and Wil-O-Wisp shut down any attempt at sweeping.
**Escavalier**: Most walls struggle to take Sceptile's strong coverage, and if they can, they usually cannot KO it. Escavalier is the exception, as its typing, solid bulk, and nuclear Megahorn make it a hard counter to Sceptile.
**Guzzlord**: Even with Low Kick, physically defensive Guzzlord survives any +2 hit from Sceptile and phazes it with Dragon Tail. However, a worn-down or sleeping Guzzlord might not be as reliable at preventing sweeps.
**Residual Damage**: Sceptile will often sustain considerable damage when setting up, which is a problem when compounded by entry hazards and status. Rocky Helmet Xatu and Toxic Mudsdale are bulky enough to trade hits with Sceptile and effectively prevent long-term sweeps.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[Togkey, 400664], [Rabia, 336073]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
Terrain teams rely on Sceptile as an Unburden Swords Dance sweeper. Sceptile's speed is unmatched once Unburden is activated, and it excels as a sweeper because it has the coverage to deal with traditional Grass-type checks like Vileplume and Talonflame. That said, sturdier Grass-type checks like Weezing, Escavalier, and Arcanine are much harder for Sceptile to sweep past, and phazers like Guzzlord foil its one-time Unburden boost. Sceptile is also not that strong, and as a result, it heavily relies on safe setup opportunities and super effective coverage for a chance to sweep. Without either of these two, Sceptile struggles to make a meaningful difference versus some defensive cores; walls like Talonflame, Guzzlord, and Garbodor easily prevent sweeps when Sceptile lacks adequate coverage for them.
[SET]
name: Terrain Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Acrobatics / Rock Slide
move 4: Low Kick / Earthquake
item: Psychic Seed / Electric Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Unburden
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
========
Acrobatics is meant for opposing Grass-types, notably preventing Vileplume from being a counter. Rock Slide could be used instead to nail Flying- and Fire-types like Talonflame and Salazzle, but a boosted Acrobatics usually suffices. Low Kick is great for Steel-types and Guzzlord. Earthquake also works to hit Steel- and Poison-types like Stakataka and Garbodor, but it shouldn't be ran on Grassy Terrain teams. Drain Punch is another Fighting-type attack worth considering for its recovery, but the power drop off is noticeable; at +2, Sceptile fails to reliably OHKO Stakataka and never OHKOes Guzzlord. Sceptile's item depends on which Terrain setter it is paired with, and Speed investment is unnecessary given that nothing relevant outspeeds it after Unburden.
Indeedee-F, Pincurchin, and Thwackey all work as potential Terrain setters for Sceptile to receive its Unburden boost from. They also complement Sceptile in their unique ways: Indeedee-F preys on Poison-types and potentially deals with shared checks like Guzzlord and Escavalier, Pincurchin sets Spikes to put Vileplume in range of a +2 Acrobatics, and Thwackey brings Sceptile on the field safely with U-turn and boosts Leaf Blade. Other Terrain sweepers such as Alolan Raichu and Cosmic Power Xatu complement Sceptile by dealing with Talonflame and Weezing. Pivots like Silvally-Ground and Arcanine tend to bring in Sceptile on Water- and Ground-type walls for setup opportunities. Additionally, these two force damage on the likes of Mantine and Talonflame so that Sceptile is capable of sweeping past them later.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sceptile could go for more Speed investment over bulk to outrun threats like Silvally-Ground and Toxicroak without the Unburden boost. However, the likelihood that Sceptile will need the extra Speed is low, whereas the extra bulk allows extra setup opportunities like avoiding the 2HKO from Sylveon's Hyper Voice and the OHKO from Mantine's Hurricane after Stealth Rock damage. Substitute may net additional Sword Dance boosts against status users like Mudsdale and Quagsire, but the lack of another attack exasperates Sceptile's coverage issues, usually making it more harm than help.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Weezing is the hardest counter for Sceptile to muster through, as it is simply too bulky to be threatened by +2 Acrobatics. Other Poison-types like Vileplume and Garbodor are a problem if Sceptile lacks the coverage for them or lacks a Swords Dance boost.
**Fire-types**: Arcanine's Intimidate and great bulk make it a tough foe for Sceptile to go up against. Talonflame is tough too if Sceptile forgoes Rock Slide, as Flame Body and Wil-O-Wisp shut down any attempt at sweeping.
**Escavalier**: Most walls struggle to take Sceptile's strong coverage, and if they can, they usually cannot KO it. Escavalier is the exception, as its typing, solid bulk, and nuclear Megahorn make it a hard counter to Sceptile.
**Guzzlord**: Even with Low Kick, physically defensive Guzzlord survives any +2 hit from Sceptile and phazes it with Dragon Tail. However, a worn-down or sleeping Guzzlord might not be as reliable at preventing sweeps.
**Residual Damage**: Sceptile will often sustain considerable damage when setting up, which is a problem when compounded by entry hazards and status. Rocky Helmet Xatu and Toxic Mudsdale are bulky enough to trade hits with Sceptile and effectively prevent long-term sweeps.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d, 231074]]
- Quality checked by: [[Togkey, 400664], [Rabia, 336073]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
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