Introduced in generation five, with the Pokemon Black and White games, Serperior is a monotype grass Pokemon. It is the final evolution of Snivy, the grass type starter Pokemon of generation five, and will evolve from Servine. It is classified as the “Regal Pokemon” by the Pokedex, which is a nod to its appearance and that pride it has during battle. This guide will showcase Serperior’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Serperior.
About Serperior
As a generation five Pokemon, Serperior first appeared in the Black and White season of the Pokemon anime in the episode Jostling for the Junior Cup!. It was rival Trip’s ace Pokemon in the anime and served as a powerful Pokemon in his arsenal. Serperior will evolve from Servine at level 36, while Servine evolves from Snivy at level 17. As a grass type starter, it has a relatively straightforward statline and abilities.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White Jostling for the Junior Cup! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Final evolution of Snivy, evolves from Servine |
| 1st Evo level | 17 |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 |
| Pokedex Entry | They raise their heads to intimidate opponents but only give it their all when fighting a powerful opponent. |
Serperior Base Stats
| HP | 75 |
| ATTACK | 75 |
| DEFENCE | 95 |
| SP. ATTACK | 75 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 95 |
| SPEED | 113 |
| TOTAL | 528 |
Appearance
Serperior appears to be a long, grassy, snake-like Pokemon with most of its serpentine body green in colour but it has a white head with light green ears. There are various ornamental designs across Serperior’s body and it has red eyes with a black pupil and two pointed fangs in its jaw. It also has a dark green back that ends at the sides of its lower neck in the form of coiled extensions that spread out with a curving pattern. At its full length, Serperior is quite tall at 10 feet and 10 inches, or 3.3 meters, tall.
Behavior
Most of Serperior’s behavior is seen through Trip’s Serperior in the anime and as a base evolution, it is quite confident in its abilities and has a self-righteous personality. It will hold its head high and look down on its opponents with superior connotations. The Pokedex also mentions that it will not use its full power unless it respects its opponents.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Seperior’s biggest selling point is its high speed stat although it does have decent defensive stats even if its HP is relatively mediocre. However, Serperior can come with the ability Contrary which negates any negative stat changes and turns them into buffs, and vice-versa, which makes it very difficult to slow it down. As a monotype grass Pokemon, Serperior is weak to flying, poison, bug, fire, and ice type moves, taking twice the normal damage against them. It will resist ground, water, grass, and electric type moves, and takes half the normal damage.
Shiny Serperior
It is quite easy to distinguish between regular Serperior and Shiny Serperior. The dark green around regular Serperior is changed to a dark blue around Shiny Serperior. However, nothing else changes between these two variants but even then Shiny Serperior is a distinct shiny. Since it is the grass type starter for generation six, Shiny Serperior is also highly desirable. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Serperior gains a starry animation upon entering battle.
Credit to TrainerParshen on Deviantart for the below picture.
Best Moveset
Thanks to Serperior’s strong base speed stat along with its ability Contrary, Serperior has sat near the top of competitive brackets. It is not a particularly offensive Pokemon but the utility it can bring to a battle cannot be understated. Give it Leftovers, as a held item, to support Serperior’s natural bulk and consider using Leaf Storm, Hidden Power Fire, Glare/Leech Seed, and Substitute/Knock Off/Synthesis depending on how offensive or defensive you want Serperior to be.
Leaf Storm will benefit from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) while also functioning as its main source of damage, Hidden Power Fire will function as type coverage, Glare can be used as a status inflicting move while Leech Seed can provide you with some longevity. Finally Substitute, Knock Off, and Synthesis can be interchangeable depending on how aggressive or defensive you want your Serperior to be.
| Leaf Storm | Hidden Power Fire |
| Glare/Leech Seed | Substitute/Knock Off/Synthesis |
How to Catch Serperior in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain a Serperior in Pokemon Go, the easiest way would be to obtain a Snivy and then eventually evolve into Serperior. Like most final evolution Pokemon, Serperior can spawn in the wild but it is a lot rarer than its base evolution counterpart. You will need 25 Snivy candies to evolve into Servine, and another 100 to evolve into Serperior. Unfortunately, it does not seem as if Serperior has appeared as a raid boss in Pokemon Gyms and thus you will need to do it the hard way if you want to have a Serperior in Pokemon Go.
Video
Trivia
- Serperior shares the same base stat total as the other two final evolution starter Pokemon with a total base stat of 528.
- There are many snakes and limbless lizards that could have been the inspiration for Serperior’s design. Among them are the vine snakes, the emerald tree boa, ball python, and even the Quetzalcoatl.
- The name Serperior is a combination of the words serpent and superior.
FAQ
Is Serperior a good Pokemon?
Serperior is an excellent Pokemon with a strong speed stat and respectable defensive stats. The true power of Serperior shines when coupled with the ability Contrary which reverses any stat changes towards Serperior, whether positive or negative. A well built Serperior can cause havoc on a poorly prepared team.
Why is Serperior so good?
It can be difficult to slow down a Serperior. As it begins to set up moves like Leech Seed, Glare, and Substitute, you cannot do much other than attempt to KO the Serperior. Any negative stat changes you attempt to apply to an opposing Serperior will raise its stats instead, making it a resilient Pokemon.
Is Serperior a Legendary Pokemon?
There is nothing about Serperior that would classify it as a legendary Pokemon. It is simply the grass type starter of generation five that ended up being quite powerful. In order to be a legendary Pokemon, it cannot be bred, it needs a base stat total of 600 and it needs to have one of the lowest catch rates in the game. Serperior does not fulfill any of these conditions.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Regal Pokemon”. Serperior did not have the biggest impact on generation five competitive play but since then, it has been near the top of competitive brackets. It is a powerful Pokemon that is very resilient to many common strategies of enemy trainers and thus if you reserve a slot on your team for Serperior, you’ll get a solid and consistent Pokemon.
