Competitive Information for Sceptile [Black/White]


Grass
Abilities:
At 1/3 or less of its max HP, this Pokemon's offensive stat is 1.5x with Grass attacks.
Speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches, gets new item/Ability.


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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Sceptile? These builds are optimized for Black/White Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Black/White metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Prepare for battle with Sceptile, a sick Pokémon boasting Grass attributes. It's a sight to see Sceptile out in the 5th generation battlefield. It is weak to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, and Poison-typed attacks. Want to master Sceptile's movesets? Dive into our detailed strategies below!
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 212 Hp / 252 Atk / 44 Def
Moveset:
- Leaf Blade / Seed Bomb
- Night Slash / Crunch
- Thunder Punch / Double-Edge
- Outrage / Dragon Claw
In single battles, Sceptile is known as popular Physical Sweeper. The objective of this moveset is to crush rivals using formidable physical attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Sceptile from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability. Thunder Punch was added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a considerable amount of damage.
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Crunch is a physical 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Thunder Punch is a physical 75-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Sceptile afterwards).
◆ Dragon Claw is a physical 80-base power Dragon-type move that deals a nice amount of damage.
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gaafe
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 212 Hp / 44 Def / 252 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Leaf Storm / Energy Ball
- Dragon Pulse / Dragon Breath
- Razor Wind / Hyper Beam
- Mud-Slap
Sceptile stands out as a first-rate Special Sweeper in single battles. It was designed to crush rivals using heavy-hitting special attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Sceptile from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability.
◆ Energy Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Dragon Pulse is a special 90-base power Dragon-type move that deals a substantial amount of damage.
◆ Dragon Breath is a special 60-base power Dragon-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Razor Wind is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (charges, then hits foes turn 2. High crit ratio).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Sceptile cannot move next turn).
◆ Mud-Slap is a special 20-base power Ground-type move (100% chance to lower the target's accuracy by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gbafe
Item: Watmel Berry
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Natural Gift
- Leaf Blade
- Rock Slide / Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Sceptile thrives as a dazzling Physical Sweeper perfect for single battles. It was designed to overwhelm foes with overwhelming physical power. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability. Natural Gift is the star of the show here. With Watmel Berry, Natural Gift turns into a 100 bp physical fire attack and doubles Sceptiles speed due to Unburden. Thus, Sceptile becomes very difficult to revenge kill outside of priority (which is sadly quite common). The unfortunate side effect is that Natural Gift is a one off attack so it must be used carefully. With a Watmel Berry equipped to it, cannot be eaten by Sceptile. No effect when eaten with bug bite or pluck.
◆ Leaf Blade is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Grass-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Sceptile's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gcafe
Item: Petaya Berry
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Leaf Storm
- Synthesis
- Dragon Breath
- Leech Seed
Sceptile is a fabulous Special Sweeper to use for single battles. This moveset is designed to crush rivals using formidable special power. The Petaya Berry will raise Sceptile's Sp. Atk by 1 stage when it reaches 1/4 max HP or less and gets consumed. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability.
◆ Synthesis is a status move (heals your Sceptile by a weather-dependent amount).
◆ Dragon Breath is a special 60-base power Dragon-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Leech Seed is a status move (1/8 of target's hp is restored to Sceptile every turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gdafe
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Sceptile? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Black/White Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Black/White metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 212 Hp / 252 Atk / 44 Def
Moveset:
- Leaf Blade / Seed Bomb
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Rock Slide
- Night Slash / Crunch
In double battles, Sceptile's Physical Sweeper role is an extraordinary. It is primarily designed to take down the opponent's team with destructive physical attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Sceptile from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability.
◆ Seed Bomb is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move that deals a considerable amount of damage.
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Crunch is a physical 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/haafe
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 212 Hp / 44 Def / 252 SpA
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Leaf Storm / Energy Ball
- Razor Wind / Hyper Beam
- Dragon Pulse / Dragon Breath
- Mud-Slap
For those intense double battles, Sceptile is an incredible Special Sweeper. This moveset was constructed to overwhelm foes with intense special power. Focus Sash helps protect Sceptile from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Unburden, speed is doubled on held item loss; boost is lost if it switches gets new item/ability.
◆ Energy Ball is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Grass-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Razor Wind is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (charges, then hits foes turn 2. High crit ratio).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Sceptile cannot move next turn).
◆ Dragon Pulse is a special 90-base power Dragon-type move that deals a good amount of damage.
◆ Dragon Breath is a special 60-base power Dragon-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Mud-Slap is a special 20-base power Ground-type move (100% chance to lower the target's accuracy by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/hbafe
Movepool
Want to know what moves Sceptile can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Black/White generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Sceptile.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Sceptile can perform in Black/White. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive BW Move and Ability Combos for Sceptile
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Safeguard + Outrage
- Moves: Swagger + Screech
- Moves: Endure + Endeavor
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Drain punch
- Moves: Substitute + Leech seed
- Moves: Toxic + Leech seed
- Ability: Unburden + Move: Acrobatics
- Ability: Overgrow + Item: Focus sash
- Ability: Unburden + Item: Mirror herb
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Endeavor + Item: Focus Sash
- Move: Acrobatics + Item: Red Card
- Move: Acrobatics + Item: Flying Gem
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Dynamic Punch
- Moves with Priority: Detect, Endure, Protect, Quick Attack
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Sceptile's stats
- Agility
- Hone Claws
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Sceptile
- Earthquake
- Frenzy Plant
- Protect
- Rest
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Sceptile in Black and White
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.

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Here are the best movesets for Sceptile. Top rated Sceptile Black/White movesets. You can find Sceptile builds Black/White. Sceptile movesets Black/White are listed here. VGC Sceptile Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Sceptile in Black/White along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution