Community POTW #8

[Nijaskills]

A Jalorda works great with Typhlosion. You can have the Oath combo, and an Oath set is always worth mentioning in the case of a starter. Jalorda can either set up a Sunny Day or let the Typhlosion do the work, and/or you can look at how Jalorda can open up a move on a Typhlosion because it will be carrying and grass move. Typhlosion can either have Extrasensory or Focus Blast to attack opposing Fire types, unless you are in a triple battle and have, say, an Empoleon or Samurott (you can tell I like starters).

You have a fair point on the Oath moves. Serperior has perfect stats to use the moves, since it is fast, yet still somewhat bulky. In doubles/triples you could pair it with another starter, and let it use dual screens as well as the oath moves. The set could look something like:

Serperior @ Light Clay/Leftovers
252 HP/252 Spe/4 SpAtt
Grass Oath
Light Screen
Reflect
Glare

[rukarion]

Double battle team that is awsome
serperior, so hot the sun blazes =]
sunny day
solar beam
light screen
reflect
modest/timid/bold/calm nature
heat stone/light clay
overgrow

with tangrowth
solar beam
shock wave
synthisis
sludge bomb
modest(offensive)/calm(defensive)
for this set, many have to journey to 4th gen to get this combo

counters landorus bronzong shuckle
combos for offence
mienshao with brick break
choice scarf abomnasnow with blizzard

[Rockleon]

Double battle team that is awsome
serperior, so hot the sun blazes =]
sunny day
solar beam
light screen
reflect
modest/timid/bold/calm nature
heat stone/light clay
overgrow

with tangrowth
solar beam
shock wave
synthisis
sludge bomb
modest(offensive)/calm(defensive)
for this set, many have to journey to 4th gen to get this combo

counters landorus bronzong shuckle
combos for offence
mienshao with brick break
choice scarf abomnasnow with blizzard

Counter=Eruption typhlosion. Eruption hits both plus stab plus increased by sunlight. Both will probably go out with one shot if He has choice scarf. I think grass teamed up with grass isnt really a great Idea, Partners should always have coverage for the other.

[Kraleck]

Unusual Mixed Set
Stats: Adamant/Jolly - 252 Speed & Attack, 4 Sp.Atk
Ability: Perversity
Moves: Leaf Storm, Iron Tail, Aerial Ace, Hidden Power (Ice/Ground)
Item: Choice Scarf, Metronome, Expert Belt, or Leftovers

Aerial Ace's average power will be aided by Iron Tail's chance of an added Defense cut (barring Clear Body, White Smoke, or Big Pecks Abilities) and by Intimidate Ability opponents. Leaf Storm will be useful while it lasts (Pressure Ability screws with the low PP) while HP (Ice) will rip into many Dragon Types while HP (Ground) handles Sap Sipper Zebstrika.

Serperior may scream "Perversity plus Leaf Storm," but Physical-Weak opponents that resist grass will be in for a surprise from Mixerperior (especially those with Intimidate).

Problem Opponents
--Anything with Sap Sipper should be a priority problem to tackle.
--Special Serperior should fear Pressure Ability opponents. Leaf Storm's 5 PP will be gone faster than you can say "Perversity."
--Physical Serperior should fear Intimidate, faster opponents with Choice Band/Specs (Accelgor, Aerodactyl, Weavile, etc.), and par-Speed opponents with Choice Scarf (Scolipede, Gengar, Special Technician Persian, etc.). Modest Technician Persian with Icy Wind (4th Gen Tutors) will be an issue without Perversity in play.
--Mixerperior should fear Tanks, Stallers, and Pokemon with Sap Sipper, Clear Body, White Smoke, or Big Pecks Abilities.

Potential Counters
--Sap Sipper Zebstrika with Flame Charge can do a ton of damage to Serperior. This one is a huge problem because Serperior can only hit it with neutral hits, barring Hidden Power (Ground).
--Heat Rotom can be problematic with resistances to many of Serperior's Moves.
--Charizard and Scarf-Typhlosion can ruin Serp's day.
--Slip Through Crobat can give Stallerperior hell.
--Blissey, Volcarona, and Snorlax can be problematic for Special Sets.
--Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball can be a threat to the Speed-heavy Serperior and it can be a threat in general to Physical Sets.
--Whimsicott can prioritize-stall over Serperior.
--Escavalier and Spiritomb can stall offensive sets for a respectable duration, plus Vespiquen can do so for longer with Roost/Heal Order and Toxic.
--Accelgor (Bug Buzz), Jolteon (Signal Beam from 4th Gen), and Aerodactyl (STAB Flying) can unleash serious hurt on a non-Scarfed Serperior.

[Zachmac]

Unusual Mixed Set
Stats: Adamant/Jolly - 252 Speed & Attack, 4 Sp.Atk
Ability: Perversity
Moves: Leaf Storm, Iron Tail, Aerial Ace, Hidden Power (Ice/Ground)
Item: Choice Scarf, Metronome, Expert Belt, or Leftovers

Why Adamant/Jolly? Lonely/Naive will work better, since Jolly and Adamant drop sp.attack.

[Kraleck]

Why Adamant/Jolly? Lonely/Naive will work better, since Jolly and Adamant drop sp.attack.

I'm not a fan of dropping one's defenses for a mixed set. If Serperior were slow like Torkoal, Slowbro, or Ferrothorn, I'd have used Brave. Since it can outspeed Garchomp with the same Speed investments and Items, I felt I needed to focus Natures on the Moves that are weaker on the set.

Perversity Leaf Storm will remedy some of the Sp.Atk loss from Adamant/Jolly. Base 75 Sp.Atk means only ~25 points will be dropped from the maximum-neutral-stat baseline at Level 100 (easily fixed by a sharp Sp.Atk boost from Perversity Leaf Storm). A Neutral Nature would work, too, but many people would rather go for some kind of stat boost from the Nature.

If Serp' had base 95 attack stats then, yeah, I would go with a Lonely/Naughty Nature for that set. I find a stat loss from Natures to be easily fixed by a stat boost (like Perversity Leaf Storm) rather than head for a potential loss of defenses (and those base 95 defenses are rather nice as is).

That last bit said, pouring EVs into HP (252) and both defenses (129 each) for the set I posted would work for a "slow and steady" Mixed Attacker. Granted, you'd still have the Nature issue.

Edit: Almost forgot. Torkoal would also have a field day with Physical Serperior due to Curse+Gyro Ball and STAB Fire.

[Epicpip]

Any Fire/Flying type pretty much does Serpy in. Whether it's a Brave Bird or Fire Blast coming in, they will ruin Serpy, unless he can squish in a Toxic or some screens to help his teammates.

[rukarion]

adamant set
iron tail
ariel ace
leaf blade
synthisis

liechi berry

counters
mienshao with brick break

[pikamanepicfail45]

hp rock is the best for serperior, it kills all its weaknesses except for poison, and steel. And as epicpip has alredy sed, typhlosion raeps da steels.

ha fun victini
zen headbutt
v-generate
wild charge
grass knot

spinda w/ focus sash skill swaps it perversity

[TimmahX]

Any Fire/Flying type pretty much does Serpy in. Whether it's a Brave Bird or Fire Blast coming in, they will ruin Serpy, unless he can squish in a Toxic or some screens to help his teammates.

That list consists of Charizard, Moltres and Ho-Oh, and I doubt that Ho-Oh will be fighting Serperior. Charizard is an excellent pick though.

Countering Serperior

As stated, Charizard is a great choice to counter Serperior, thanks to two super effective STABs and x4 resistance to Leaf Blade. Roserade also packs x4 resistance to LB, and super effective STAB Sludge Bomb. Crobat, for the same reasons as Charizard, but it's faster. Your standard collection of Steel types, Scizor, Foretress, Skarmory, Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Escavalier. Swoobat, one more base speed can be fatal to Special/Mixperior with a Calm Mind + Simple route. Venomoth becoming usable from the addition of Butterfly Dance can take down Serperior with it's two STAB moves. Ninjask can use it to set up Passes or sweeper variants can use it's two STABs.

Serperior is a three trick pony, and one of it's tricks is illegal at the moment. It's a screener or a seeder, rarely anything in between, since it does those two things way too effectively. As it has been said many time, Brick Break and Multi-Hit moves are surefire ways to bypass the main Serperior sets.

[13_luckynumber]

That list consists of Charizard, Moltres and Ho-Oh, and I doubt that Ho-Oh will be fighting Serperior. Charizard is an excellent pick though.

Countering Serperior

As stated, Charizard is a great choice to counter Serperior, thanks to two super effective STABs and x4 resistance to Leaf Blade. Roserade also packs x4 resistance to LB, and super effective STAB Sludge Bomb. Crobat, for the same reasons as Charizard, but it's faster. Your standard collection of Steel types, Scizor, Foretress, Skarmory, Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Escavalier. Swoobat, one more base speed can be fatal to Special/Mixperior with a Calm Mind + Simple route. Venomoth becoming usable from the addition of Butterfly Dance can take down Serperior with it's two STAB moves. Ninjask can use it to set up Passes or sweeper variants can use it's two STABs.

Serperior is a three trick pony, and one of it's tricks is illegal at the moment. It's a screener or a seeder, rarely anything in between, since it does those two things way too effectively. As it has been said many time, Brick Break and Multi-Hit moves are surefire ways to bypass the main Serperior sets.

I dont think Charizard or any Fire/Flying ( except for Ho-oh) is a viable counter since Stealth Rock would kill them and who wants to waste a slot of team for that. In addition, a counter must be able to kill Serperior in one turn, which is quite difficult when the screen have already been set up, or otherwise, Dragon Tail would blow them away and your team could take more damage from entry hazard

[TimmahX]

I dont think Charizard or any Fire/Flying ( except for Ho-oh) is a viable counter since Stealth Rock would kill them and who wants to waste a slot of team for that. In addition, a counter must be able to kill Serperior in one turn, which is quite difficult when the screen have already been set up, or otherwise, Dragon Tail would blow them away and your team could take more damage from entry hazard

Option 1: Rapid Spin support. Donphan, Starmie, Tentacruel, etc.
Option 2: Lead. Serperior can lead with Screen sets, and Bellyzard is a nice option in that scenario.
Option 3: Scarf Charizard can kill Serperior's Mixed/Sweeper variants, and if it uses Special moves and only reflect is up, or Physical and only light screen, it can get a nice easy kill in.
Option 4: Not all variants carry Dragon Tail. Most (Not all) are using Double Screens, Glare and Leaf Blade.

If it doesn't kill Serperior 1 hit, it can still set up off of it. Serperior can hardly damage it, and Bellyzard could be set up, or it could hit whatever stat hasn't been screened (If there is one). Plus keep in mind, it's still getting Super Effective STAB hits, and in some remote scenarios, Blaze. It doesn't always counter Serperior, but it can set up, or go for the counter in remote scenarios, like Mixperior/Sweeper variants.

[Kraleck]

That list consists of Charizard, Moltres and Ho-Oh, and I doubt that Ho-Oh will be fighting Serperior. Charizard is an excellent pick though.

Countering Serperior

As stated, Charizard is a great choice to counter Serperior, thanks to two super effective STABs and x4 resistance to Leaf Blade. Roserade also packs x4 resistance to LB, and super effective STAB Sludge Bomb. Crobat, for the same reasons as Charizard, but it's faster. Your standard collection of Steel types, Scizor, Foretress, Skarmory, Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Escavalier. Swoobat, one more base speed can be fatal to Special/Mixperior with a Calm Mind + Simple route. Venomoth becoming usable from the addition of Butterfly Dance can take down Serperior with it's two STAB moves. Ninjask can use it to set up Passes or sweeper variants can use it's two STABs.

Serperior is a three trick pony, and one of it's tricks is illegal at the moment. It's a screener or a seeder, rarely anything in between, since it does those two things way too effectively. As it has been said many time, Brick Break and Multi-Hit moves are surefire ways to bypass the main Serperior sets.

I dont think Charizard or any Fire/Flying ( except for Ho-oh) is a viable counter since Stealth Rock would kill them and who wants to waste a slot of team for that. In addition, a counter must be able to kill Serperior in one turn, which is quite difficult when the screen have already been set up, or otherwise, Dragon Tail would blow them away and your team could take more damage from entry hazard

Agreed, plus Sap Sipper Pokemon will negate Serp's STAB, making them good switch-ins, especially Zebstrika. That is, barring Hidden Power, Screens, active Traps, or Status Moves, of course.

[Epicpip]

Bellyzard completely obliterates Serpy (barring Stealth Rock). The screen's ain't nothing to a full power Fire Punch or Flare Blitz or Aerial Ace (I'll stop here). When battling it, a Swagger from something is great, especially on Dragon Tail and/or Leaf Blade sets. It will not only confuse, but raise attack as well. But, that's one of the only times to use Swagger.

[jolteonjak]

Crobat, for the same reasons as Charizard, but it's faster.

I would say Crobat is a better counter than Charizard because its Dream World ability, Slip Through, allows it to bypass screens.

[rukarion]

if eruption typhlosion didn't have a choice scarf, it could be taken down by serperior

__________________________________________________ _______________________
typhlosion isn't epic as there isn't any good move sets 4 it

[Epicpip]

Another idea is Beartic. It has Avalanche and Brick Break, great for decimating the screens and then hitting hard with an Avalanche.

[pikamanepicfail45]

other than steels, HP rock murders Moltres and Charizard. Oooooor....... you can use HP fire and have a rock type on your team.

does anyone know how to change your username? I don't leik mine anymore.

[Blackbomber72]

Sincerely, i´m starting to lose hope in POTW choices... but

I don´t have faith in a grass type as a wall(personal opinion, 5 weaknesses is meh) and grass as an attack isn´t good either

Serperior@Life Orb
Naive/Timid nature
4 Atk/252 Sp.Atk/252 Spd
Overgrow
-Growth
-Solarbeam
-Hidden Power FIRE
-Dragon Tail/Iron Tail/Aerial Ace/Glare

In the sun, Growth boosts both attack stats by 2 stages. Solarbeam and HP FIRE give semi coverage, being boosted in the sun. This thing is a frail sweeper, clearly because of the sun, you will evade dragons or fire types. There is when the fourth choice comes into play. Dragon Tail if you catch the dragon on the switch, Iron Tail and Aerial Ace for different coverage depending on the team. Or Glare if you think paralyzing the threat is a good idea. It is good to say that it is cool to defeat the fire types that may come in to grab the sun, and kill Serperior.


I would come up with a Perversity set, or a Coil set, but you already know how to do one of those.

If it's a set that revolves around sun, Shouldn't it have SUNNY DAY!?

Sorry for responding this late but that´s because Drought Ninetales gives infinite sun, and a grass-type needs every single one of their moveslots to counter things, as grass is unluckily resisted by a lot of types.

Also, I found that Oath/Screens combo brilliant, and any screener set is also fantastic.

[insanityhand]

I'm sorry if I'm late on this boat (and I apologize for not having any sets as the English versions have not been released) but the BEST contour imo is speed boost (or even Blaze) Blaziken. Think about it, with speed boost it can get more speed the Serperior. On top of that it has Brave Bird access, along with any number of fire moves. The only thing that really threatens it is the dual screens but single screens can be remedied by having a mixed Blaziken.

[Epicpip]

Yes, that Oath set is a fantastic partner for any other oath starter. The screens really boost Typhlosion and make Empoleon pretty much invincible (but screams BRICK BREAK).

[koa'kiyuri]

Not my idea and is a gimmicky set:

Serp-pressure band
Impish/ Careful (Take your pick.)
Ability: Perversity
Item: Pressure Band
EV: HP 252, Def 128, SpD, 128
-Wrap
-Leech Seed
-Toxic
-Substitute/ Protect

Just Trap opponent with Wrap, and hopefully set up. Wrap will prevent opponent from switching. Pressure Band increases Wrap damage. Perversity because Overgrow is useless on this set. Eat their Hp away with Seed and Toxic stall. Keep and eye out for Ghost, Steel, Grass, and Poison Types since were are completely walled by them. Also be wary of Magic Guard and Liquid Ooze. Have fun.

[Blue Harvest]

The only set you should ever use:

Smuglord @ Leftovers
Timid
252 Speed / 252 Special Attack / 4 HP
Perversity

Substitute
Leaf Storm
Hidden Power Fire
Leech Seed / Dragon Tail

This is THE Jaroda set. Set up a Substitute on a Choiced resisted move and spam Leaf Storm. Leech Seed allows you to beat and non Scarfed Dragon or Heatran but Dragon Tail will rack up Stealth Rocks damage against Salamence and save you against Shandera. Smuglord is extremely hard to switch into as most of his "counters" are at risk of a 2HKO or a ton of damage from Dragon Tail / Leech Seed.



Any set that runs Overgrow is a joke and I'm too lazy to write up full sets but try stuff like..


Coil / Dragon Tail / Leaf Blade / lol Rock Smash (filler)

Could be decent-ish at.. uhh.. maybe.. err... Oh come on, why would you pass up Leaf Storm with a FREE NASTY PLOT.


..More reasonable is a Dual-Screener that abuses Mean Look.

Mean Look / Light Screen / Reflect /.. Leaf Blade?



... Seriously Smuglord can barely scrap together enough good moves for the Leaf Storm set, if you aren't using that you are running a joke set. Reno make sure thats clear when you write the analyses..

[Serebii]

The only set you should ever use:

Smuglord @ Leftovers
Timid
252 Speed / 252 Special Attack / 4 HP
Perversity

Substitute
Leaf Storm
Hidden Power Fire
Leech Seed / Dragon Tail

This is THE Jaroda set. Set up a Substitute on a Choiced resisted move and spam Leaf Storm. Leech Seed allows you to beat and non Scarfed Dragon or Heatran but Dragon Tail will rack up Stealth Rocks damage against Salamence and save you against Shandera. Smuglord is extremely hard to switch into as most of his "counters" are at risk of a 2HKO or a ton of damage from Dragon Tail / Leech Seed.



Any set that runs Overgrow is a joke and I'm too lazy to write up full sets but try stuff like..


Coil / Dragon Tail / Leaf Blade / lol Rock Smash (filler)

Could be decent-ish at.. uhh.. maybe.. err... Oh come on, why would you pass up Leaf Storm with a FREE NASTY PLOT.


..More reasonable is a Dual-Screener that abuses Mean Look.

Mean Look / Light Screen / Reflect /.. Leaf Blade?



... Seriously Smuglord can barely scrap together enough good moves for the Leaf Storm set, if you aren't using that you are running a joke set. Reno make sure thats clear when you write the analyses..

But you also need to make sure that it's clear that at the moment there is no way of running a Pervesity Serperior. None whatsoever and it's unlikely we will any time soon. This is why we ask for Overgrow sets

[Blue Harvest]

As long as its made clear that Perversity > not running Jaroda > Overgrow. Just point that if its available Perversity Jaroda is the best option, and if its not Jaroda is outclassed by pretty much everything.

Hes just a worse Sceptile without Perversity.