Scolipede weaknesses and counters in Pokemon GO

There are well over 600 different Pokemon in Pokemon GO. Each has unique designs, stats, and movesets.

To stay true to the franchise's tradition, players can battle these Pokemon against other trainers online in the game's competitive Battle League. This game mode has quite an expansive community.

In this game mode, users can experiment with different Pokemon, team compositions, and movesets while also earning rewards. However, as they climb in the ranks, they begin to notice specific patterns used by most gamers in terms of Pokemon on a team and their moves.

This is called a "metagame." Almost all online competitive games have them.

One of these Pokemon that players may encounter in Pokemon GO's Battle League is Scolipede. Added to the franchise's fifth generation, it has been somewhat of an unseen but threatening presence in the battling scene.

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Scolipede in Pokemon GO: An analysis

Official artwork for Scolipede used throughout the franchise (Logo via Niantic)

Scolipede is a Bug and Poison-type Pokemon, much like Beedrill and Venomoth. However, Scolipede is the only Pokemon with this type of combination to be somewhat viable in Pokemon GO's Battle League. This is due to its rather impressive stat spread paired with the defensive utility of the Poison typing.

Scolipede's best stat is its attack sitting at a relatively high 203. This pairs great with its defense of 175, which makes Scolipede a decent mid-game DPS or even an early-game shield baiter with the proper moveset. However, Scolipede's weakest stat, its stamina of 155, can be easily exploited with a little strategy.

For starters, Scolipede has an incredibly predictable movepool. The only move it has access to that is not Bug or Poison is Gyro Ball, a rather low-powered Steel-type move.

Given the low power of this attack, many Scolipede Enjoyers choose not to use this attack in their movepool and opt for Sludge Bomb instead.

With this in mind, gamers anticipating a Scolipede can switch to their Steel or Ground-type to either force a switch or take it out. If the Scolipede shows up as a lead, try changing to a Pokemon with a Psychic, Flying, Fire, or Rock-type charged attack to bait out a shield or two from the opponent before bursting it down.

If the Scolipede appears in the late game, it will be much easier to deal with. A late-game Scolipede is most commonly used in confidence to either bait out shields or burst down weakened Pokemon.

A great way to circumvent this is by switching to a Pokemon that can outlast it. A Steel-type Pokemon or any high-stamina one will do.

While Scolipede's off-meta choice may scare some inexperienced Pokemon GO users, its glaring weakness to common attacking types and weak stamina leave it vulnerable to burst damage. Those preparing for one will have the best luck using a Galarian Stunfisk or another tanky Ground-type Pokemon.

Scolipede only has somewhat of a presence in Pokemon GO's Great League due to its low maximum combat power. This is a tier where Fairy and Steel-types run rampant, so it is understandable for many players to want to use Scolipede, a Poison-type.

However, opting for a Steel-type may be a better choice in this case.