Sceptile-Swampert BO3 Team Discussion

rapidcipher-81 OP

https://pokepast.es/18174e920f766c2f

Im trying to make a bo3 team. I might swap high horsepower i just need to test it

sunnyquiver-34
quickjester-17

I'd do ice punch

quickjester-17

Other than that I mean the team looks solid

quickjewel-96

I've seen high horsepower look really good, but ice punch is very good as well.

Looks good to me except for the sceptile

rapidcipher-81 OP

I was thinking bout ice punch

rapidcipher-81 OP

I havnet tested enough

quickjester-17

Ice punch may not be needed.
32+ Atk Swampert-Mega Wave Crash vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Staraptor-Mega in Rain: 187-222 (97.3 - 115.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OKO

@quickjester-17 Ice punch may not be needed. 32+ Atk Swampert-Mega Wave Crash vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Staraptor-Mega in R…
rapidcipher-81 OP

Ig but tbf you have no ice coverage

quickjester-17

That's also true

rapidcipher-81 OP

Its weird

rapidcipher-81 OP

Lik you got rotom n peli

rapidcipher-81 OP

Ig

rapidcipher-81 OP

Idk

rapidcipher-81 OP

Bump

happycandle-57

Sableye > Grimm for rain dance

rapidcipher-81 OP

Eh

rapidcipher-81 OP

I like spirit break

merrykitten-85

The team has a really cool two-mode structure. One side is Mega Sceptile + Rotom-Heat, where Rotom can spam Discharge next to Lightning Rod Sceptile and potentially boost it while still pressuring the board. The other side is Pelipper + Mega Swampert, giving you rain, Tailwind, Wide Guard, and strong Water/Ground pressure.

The main strength is that the team has a lot of tempo. You have Tailwind from Pelipper, Fake Out from Sneasler, screens from Grimmsnarl, and two very different Mega options depending on the matchup. The team can either play fast special pressure with Sceptile/Rotom or physical rain pressure with Swampert.

The main issue is that the team can get a little confused if you try to bring both modes at once. Rain makes Rotom’s Overheat weaker, and Sceptile mode does not always need Pelipper. So I’d think of this less as one fixed six-mon game plan and more as two different modes you choose from team preview.

I’d suggest these 10 changes/tests:

  1. Swampert: add more Speed investment
    If Swampert is meant to be a rain sweeper, it should actually take advantage of rain. The bulky spread is okay, but faster Swampert will make the rain mode much scarier.
  2. Swampert: drop one Ground move
    High Horsepower and Earthquake together feels a bit redundant. I’d keep one and use the other slot for better coverage.
  3. Swampert: add Ice Punch
    Ice Punch helps a lot into Garchomp, Dragonite, Flying-types, and Grass-adjacent matchups. That coverage feels more useful than double Ground.
  4. Decide between Earthquake and High Horsepower
    Earthquake is stronger with Pelipper and Rotom beside it, since they avoid Ground damage. High Horsepower is safer if you are often next to Sneasler, Grimmsnarl, or Sceptile.
  5. Grimmsnarl: Calm → Careful or Sassy
    Calm lowers Attack, which weakens Spirit Break. Grimmsnarl is not there for damage, but there is no reason to nerf its only attack for free.
  6. Grimmsnarl: consider dropping Protect
    Protect is okay, but Grimmsnarl can feel passive. Taunt, Parting Shot, or Fake Out would give it more active value if those are available.
  7. Rotom-Heat: reduce the Electric move overlap
    Discharge is the main combo move with Sceptile, and Thunderbolt is the safer single-target move. Electroweb feels a bit redundant on a Choice Scarf set.
  8. Rotom-Heat: test Trick or Volt Switch over Electroweb
    Trick would help into Trick Room setters and bulky support Pokémon, while Volt Switch would give the team more pivoting. Either gives Rotom more utility than a third Electric button.
  9. Sneasler: don’t force Coaching
    Close Combat / Dire Claw / Fake Out / Protect is already very clean. Coaching sounds nice, but Sneasler usually gets more value from Fake Out, attacking, activating Unburden, and protecting.
  10. Be stricter with your mode selection
    Some games should be Sceptile + Rotom mode. Some games should be Pelipper + Swampert mode. Some games are just Grimmsnarl/Sneasler support into the better Mega. The team will feel much better if you stop trying to bring every synergy at once.

Overall, the shell is strong. I’d say the team has good ideas, but the biggest improvement is cleaning up Swampert’s role, making Grimmsnarl’s set less awkward, and making Rotom more useful outside of just clicking Electric moves.

@merrykitten-85 The team has a really cool two-mode structure. One side is Mega Sceptile + Rotom-Heat, where Rotom…
rapidcipher-81 OP

Thing is swampert doesnt need speed investment imo

rapidcipher-81 OP

Its 180 and imvesting too much to outspeed delphox etc isnt worth

rapidcipher-81 OP

Electro web is a flexiable slot but its prob the best slot

merrykitten-85
  1. Keep bulky Swampert if 180 in rain is enough.
  2. Test whether double Ground is worth more than Ice Punch.
  3. Fix Grimmsnarl’s nature.
  4. Consider Taunt / Parting Shot / Fake Out over Grimmsnarl Protect.
  5. Change Rotom’s Electroweb to Trick or Volt Switch if available.
  6. Keep Sneasler’s current moves.
  7. Be strict at preview about whether you are playing Sceptile mode or Swampert mode.
rapidcipher-81 OP

Why fix the nature

rapidcipher-81 OP

The nature id the good part bc lorb i either invest n not survive sneasler dire claw

rapidcipher-81 OP

Bump

rapidcipher-81 OP

Bump

rapidcipher-81 OP

Bump

rapidcipher-81 OP

Bump

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