Best Sceptile PvP build in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Regulation G season of its ranked battle mode has been around for a couple of months now, and with that comes a more stable metagame for players to experiment with. In an attempt to find some new interesting combinations, many fans have turned their attention to Starter Pokemon.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the first game where all nine generations of Starter Pokemon are available for players to catch and battle with. As such, many older creatures are making their way back into the competitive scene. With this in mind, some players may want to know how to use Sceptile for serious competitive play.

Note: This article is written using usage stats provided by Pikalytics, as well as the writer's opinion.

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The best build for Sceptile in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC

Sceptile is a decent Grass-type with decent supporting tools. (Image via Game Freak)

Sceptile is primarily used as a speedy support that can shut down priority moves. Here is its most popular moveset:

• Upper Hand - 65 base damage Fighting-type move that hits targets readying a priority move like Shadow Sneak or Fake Out; results in the opponent flinching.
• Shed Tail - Sacrifices a fourth of Sceptile's HP to create a substitute before switching out to another teammate; the teammate receives the substitute.
• Grass Pledge - Deals decent Grass-type damage; can be paired with Fire or Water Pledge with Incineroar or Primarina to deal increased damage.
• Helping Hand - Powers up the move used by its ally; pairs great with Incineroar's Flare Blitz, Primarina's Hyper Voice, and Terapagos' Tera Starstorm.

In terms of held items, Sceptile pairs best with the Focus Sash or any of the terrain seeds. This is due to its hidden ability, Unburden, which boosts Sceptile's speed stat after it consumes its held item.

For this particular build, players will want their Sceptile to be bulky and fast. In addition to a Timid nature, trainers should use this spread of effort values:

• 252 HP
• 4 Special Attack
• 252 Speed

Since Upper Hand is mainly used for its flinching effect, trainers do not need to invest in Sceptile's Attack stat.

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Is Sceptile good in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet VGC?

Sceptile is simply not worth using in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet when Rillaboom is so much better. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In a metagame where Rillaboom is legal, Sceptile will never be a popular choice. Rillaboom is simply a better Grass-type starter since it has support in its ability to set Grassy Terrain and access to Fake Out. While Sceptile can potentially double its high-speed stat for free using an item, Rillaboom gets a 55 base power priority move, which means it almost always goes first regardless of speed.

While the future looks bleak for Sceptile, there is still hope. Pokemon Legends Z-A is set to reintroduce Mega Evolutions to the franchise. If this bleeds over into the main series, Mega Sceptile could return to VGC. With its Lightning Rod ability, Mega Sceptile synergizes much better in a double battle than its base form.