Moves
Leaf Storm provides Mega Sceptile with a strong Grass-type STAB move that does a lot of damage to most Pokemon that don't resist it, allowing it to be an excellent revenge killer. Dragon Pulse is Mega Sceptile's best Dragon-type STAB move, which provides fantastic neutral coverage to hit Pokemon like Mandibuzz, Roserade, and Arcanine that it wouldn't be able to break with just Grass coverage. It also allows it to offensively check the tier's prominent Dragon-types such as Tyrantrum, Noivern, and Mega Ampharos. Protect is vital for avoiding First Impression from Golisopod and scouting what Mega Sceptile's revenge killers lock themselves into, as well as making Mega Sceptile tougher to revenge kill. Leech Seed is used in tandem with Protect to annoy and whittle down Mega Sceptile's switch-ins and give it a form of passive recovery, which is important to mitigate how fast it gets worn down by entry hazards and the weak coverage moves it can switch into. Hidden Power Fire is an option to make breaking past Steel-types easier, with the primary target being Metagross. However, it doesn't do much to bulky Steel-types like Bronzong and Registeel, leaving Mega Sceptile still vulnerable to being walled by them.
Set Details
A Timid nature is used to allow Mega Sceptile to outspeed Choice Scarf Pokemon with base 80 Speed like Gardevoir. If dropped in Overgrow range, regular Sceptile has a stronger Leaf Storm than after Mega Evolving, which can be useful in some scenarios. Upon Mega Evolving, it is granted access to Lightning Rod, which is a useful tool to prevent Electric-type moves from being spammed. However, the Electric-types in the tier have the necessary coverage options to punish Mega Sceptile from recklessly switching in on them.
Usage Tips
Mega Sceptile's blistering Speed allows it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and a few of the tier's potent Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum, Goodra, and Gardevoir, allowing it to be an effective revenge killer. However, it needs a few of these threats to be worn down in order to take them out; this can be achieved via setting up entry hazards early. For instance, Gardevoir is required to switch into Stealth Rock twice in order for Leaf Storm to OHKO it, and offensive Shaymin must switch into Stealth Rock once to be 2HKOed by Dragon Pulse. Mega Sceptile shouldn't aim to fire off Leaf Storm recklessly, as most of the tier can take advantage of it after the Special Attack drop. Leaf Storm should only be used if the power is needed to revenge kill something; otherwise, Leech Seed is a safe middle ground to annoy and soften a lot of its switch-ins without giving up much momentum. Despise its great frailty, Mega Sceptile's typing and ability Lightning Rod allow it to switch into a few Water- and Electric-type attacks from Pokemon like Slowbro and Raikou to get a free turn to fire off a strong attack. However, this can't be done without the risk of being predicted and hit with super effective coverage such as Ice Beam from the former and Hidden Power Ice from the latter, so this shouldn't be done liberally. While Mega Evolving does give Mega Sceptile a great set of resistances, it is imperative to know when to do so. An Overgrow-boosted Leaf Storm could be important in some situations, and staying in base forme allows it to eat moves like Donphan's Ice Shard, which it wouldn't be able to do once Mega Evolved. While Mega Sceptile has an unmatched Speed tier, it can easily be revenge killed by priority users like Golisopod and Metagross or faster Choice Scarf users like Noivern, Salazzle, and Flygon. In the case of Golisopod, it is important to use Protect to avoid being taken out by First Impression, while the other examples can be scouted for what coverage options they have and which one they lock themselves into.
Team Options
Mega Sceptile fits best on offensive or balance teams that value the revenge killing capabilities it provides thanks to its Speed tier and ability to pressure Water- and Ground-types and prevent Electric-types from spamming their STAB coverage. Slowbro is an example of a Pokemon that appreciates Mega Sceptile's ability to pressure Water- and Electric- types it struggles with, and it is capable of handling threats like Toxicroak and Donphan, which can revenge kill Mega Sceptile, in return. Entry hazard setters help put foes in range for Mega Sceptile to KO them and can make it less reliant on spamming Leaf Storm, allowing it to avoid the Special Attack drop. Rhyperior and Diancie can set up hazards for Mega Sceptile to guarantee the OHKO on the likes of Salazzle and Yanmega while also being able to switch into a majority of Mega Sceptile's revenge killers like Noivern and Salazzle. Spikes users like Golisopod help chip Steel-type switch-ins, allowing Sceptile to beat them a lot more easily. Golisopod also is a good blanket check to Donphan and Zygarde-10%, which threaten Mega Sceptile. Nidoqueen is another good partner that pressures the Steel- and Fairy-types that check Mega Sceptile while being able to set Stealth Rock too. It also has access to Toxic Spikes, which works phenomenally in tandem with Leech Seed + Protect to rack up damage on foes and bring them in range for Mega Sceptile to finish off. Steel-types such as Bronzong and Metagross have a lot of synergy with Mega Sceptile by virtue of their ability to check the Dragon-, Ice-, and Flying-types that threaten it. Wallbreakers like Machamp and Arcanine help weaken Mega Sceptile's checks like Florges, Snorlax, and Steel-types, potentially allowing it to clean up late-game. Mega Sceptile's frailty makes it susceptible to being revenge killed easily, so Choice Scarf users like Salazzle and Gardevoir can help make up for this. Salazzle pressures Steel-types and Florges for Mega Sceptile, while Gardevoir can provide utility in the form of Will-O-Wisp, Trick, or Healing Wish.
