Pokemon GO Mega Sceptile raid (December 2022): Best counters, weaknesses, and more

Trainers worldwide are gearing up for Pokemon GO's Hoenn Mega Raid Day on December 3, 2022. This occasion marks the debut of the Mega Evolutions of the Hoenn starter trio while also giving players a chance to obtain them either for their collection or for use in Raid and Gym Battles.

While all the Hoenn starters are popular among Pokemon fans, the Sceptile line is arguably the most beloved of them all. This evolutionary line is widely recognized, thanks to its notable spots in the franchise's different forms of media (Ash's Sceptile in the anime and Grovyle from the second Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles).

Pokemon GO trainers will have the chance to catch a Mega Sceptile in just a few hours. Knowing the creature's weaknesses and the optimal counters to use against it will give them the edge in this Mega Raid. So what does one need to know about Mega Sceptile?

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Mega Sceptile is very weak to Ice-type attacks in Pokemon GO

Official imagery for Pokemon GO's Hoenn Mega Raid Day (Image via Niantic)

The first thing to know about any Raid Boss in Pokemon GO is its typing. Upon Mega Evolving, Sceptile gains the Dragon typing, which helps weaken blows from Fire-type attacks that it was previously weak to. However, this amplifies its weakness to Ice-type attacks.

Mega Sceptile's stats are built to emphasize its offensive capabilities. It has an attack stat of 320 and a weak stamina stat of 172. This means its biggest weakness is a team composition structured to outdamage it.

Mega Sceptile is incredibly susceptible to Ice-type attacks. Thankfully, Pokemon GO's best Ice-type creatures excel at powerful burst damage. Weavile, Galarian Darmanitan, and Mega Abomasnow are all excellent choices for this Mega Raid, thanks to their type advantage and powerful attack stats.

These creatures may be hard to come by for many trainers. Thankfully, there are a variety of relatively cheap alternatives for the average player.

Glaceon is a great choice, as it only requires 25 Eevee candies and a Glacial Lure Module to obtain. Piloswine and Mamoswine are also great choices, thanks to their bulky stats and powerful Ice-type attacks. However, their Ground secondary typing does not leave them resistant to Grass attacks like other Ice-types would be. With this in mind, players should choose other defensive options for their anchors.

Since the variant of Sceptile that one will face in Pokemon GO has the Frenzy Plant attack, trainers can best prepare their defenses by bringing another Grass-type counter. A Grass and Poison-type like Venusaur, Roserade, or Vileplume should suffice. Thankfully, these picks have become much more common since their debut.

Another thing to keep in mind when challenging Mega Sceptile in Pokemon GO is to always hit its weak points. Using non-effective fast attacks to charge a super-effective attack is a huge waste of time, so players should use creatures that only have the type advantage over it. A team of seven or eight trainers is ideal for this Mega Raid.

The Heading to Hoenn Mega Raid Day will run from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm local time on Saturday, December 3, 2022.