Mixed
Sweeper
120Speed · Very Fast

Sceptile Best Moveset

120 Speed on Grass with AbilityUnburden doubling it after consuming a held item. Held ItemLeftovers with NatureAdamant at 85 Attack runs a physical Grass TermStab set. The Speed is already elite without Unburden. 105 Sp. Atk offers a special alternative. The moveset flexes between physical, special, and Unburden-boosted depending on team needs.

SABCDEFAABBCCERuby, Sapphire & EmeraldIIIRS/EPEAKDiamond, Pearl & PlatinumIVDP/PtBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2X & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMSword & Shield / BDSPVIIISS/BDSPScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen III — Ruby, Sapphire & EmeraldA

Fastest Grass-type starter at 120 Speed in Gen III (Ruby & Sapphire). Leaf Blade was its signature move, and Sceptile outran most of the format.

Received Overgrow

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 29
Leaf Blade
Grass90COMMONSTAB
TM10
Hidden Power (Ice)
Ice60COMMONCoverage
Tutor
Substitute
NormalCOMMONUtility
Egg
Leech Seed
GrassCOMMONSTAB
Tutor
Thunder Punch
Electric75RARECoverage

Best Build

Experimental
Special Attacker
Ability
Overgrow
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Sceptile
Timid+SPE

Sceptile best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Attacker Moveset

  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • Hidden Power Ice
  • SubstituteUtility
  • Leech SeedSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Gen IV — Diamond, Pearl & PlatinumA

Same Speed advantage in Gen IV (Diamond & Pearl). Swords Dance with Leaf Blade hit hard, and few Pokemon could match 120 base Speed.

Physical/Special split overhauled move damage
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 29
Leaf Blade
Grass90COMMONSTAB
TM26
Earthquake
Ground100COMMONCoverage
TM2
Dragon Claw
Dragon80RARECoverage
TM75
Swords Dance
NormalRAREUtility
TM90
Substitute
NormalRAREUtility
Egg
Leech Seed
GrassRARESTAB
TM59
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85RARECoverage
Lv 67
Leaf Storm
Grass130RARESTAB
Experimental
Physical Setup Sweeper
Ability
Overgrow
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Sceptile
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • Dragon Claw
  • Swords Dance

Recommended Teammates

Gen V — Black & White / B2W2B

Power creep made 85 Sp. Atk and 85 Attack underwhelming in Gen V (Black & White). 120 Speed was still great but the damage wasn't there.

Gained Unburden as hidden abilityHidden Abilities became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75COMMONSTAB
TM52
Focus Blast
Fighting120RARECoverage
Lv 29
Leaf Blade
Grass90RARESTAB
TM90
Substitute
NormalRAREUtility
TM75
Swords Dance
NormalRAREUtility
Tutor
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85RARECoverage
TM10
Hidden Power (Rock)
Rock60RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Overgrow
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Sceptile
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Giga DrainSTAB
  • Focus Blast
  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • SubstituteUtility
Gen VI — X & Y / ORASB

Mega Sceptile gained Dragon-typing and Lightning Rod in Gen VI (X & Y). Base Sceptile without Mega was mediocre, but the Mega form was solid.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Tutor
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85COMMONCoverage
Lv 63
Leaf Storm
Grass130COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75RARESTAB
TM52
Focus Blast
Fighting120RARECoverage
Lv 23
Leaf Blade
Grass90RARESTAB
TM10
Hidden Power (Fire)
Fire60RARECoverage
TM90
Substitute
NormalRAREUtility
TM26
Earthquake
Ground100RARECoverage
Sceptile (Mega Sceptile)
Sceptile (Mega Sceptile)
GrassDragon
Ability Lightning Rod
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Overgrow
Item
Choice SpecsPOWER
Best Nature for Sceptile
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Dragon Pulse
  • Leaf StormSTAB
  • Giga DrainSTAB
  • Focus Blast
Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUMC

Mega Sceptile was decent but base form fell in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). Pure Grass with average offenses had no competitive niche.

Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 23
Leaf Blade
Grass90COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75COMMONSTAB
TM75
Swords Dance
NormalRAREUtility
TM26
Earthquake
Ground100RARECoverage
TM62
Acrobatics
Flying55RARECoverage
TM10
Hidden Power (Ice)
Ice60RARECoverage
TM52
Focus Blast
Fighting120RARECoverage
TM1
Work Up
NormalRAREUtility
Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Unburden
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Sceptile
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • Giga DrainSTAB
  • Swords Dance
  • EarthquakeCoverage
Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPC

Struggled in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield). Unburden gave it a Speed boost after consuming an item, but Sceptile needed that boost just to compensate for low offenses.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 42
Leaf Blade
Grass90COMMONSTAB
TM63
Drain Punch
Fighting75COMMONCoverage
TR0
Swords Dance
NormalRAREUtility
TM78
Acrobatics
Flying55RARECoverage
TR10
Earthquake
Ground100RARECoverage
Lv 25
Giga Drain
Grass75RARESTAB
TR51
Dragon Dance
DragonRAREUtility
Experimental
Physical Setup Sweeper
Ability
Overgrow
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Sceptile
EVs

Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • Drain Punch
  • Swords Dance
  • AcrobaticsCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

No Mega form in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Sceptile was just a fast Grass-type with nothing else going for it.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 1
Leaf Blade
Grass90COMMONSTAB
TM88
Swords Dance
NormalRAREUtility
TM115
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85RARECoverage
TM149
Earthquake
Ground100RARECoverage
Lv 56
Leaf Storm
Grass130RARESTAB
TM14
Acrobatics
Flying55RARECoverage
Lv 25
Giga Drain
Grass75RARESTAB
Experimental
Physical Setup Sweeper
Ability
Unburden
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Sceptile
EVs

Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Leaf BladeSTAB
  • Swords Dance
  • Dragon Pulse
  • EarthquakeCoverage

Sceptile Weakness

Type-wise, Sceptile takes extra damage from Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. The Grass typing picks up 4 resistances to work with.

Sceptile Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug
0.5x (Resist)Water, Electric, Grass, Ground

What is Sceptile Weak Against

Fragile
5Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score-6
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None

What is Sceptile Strong Against

3Strong
7Resisted
0Immune
Score-4

Best Pokemon Against Sceptile

Evolution

The three-stage chain from Treecko through Grovyle ends here at Sceptile. Want more? Breed for Treecko eggs. Plenty of partners available via two egg groups. The evolution from Treecko pushed Sceptile to 530 total stats. Speed saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Treecko
Grass
Grovyle
Grass
Sceptile
Grass
HP
40
50+10
70+20
ATK
45
65+20
85+20
DEF
35
45+10
65+20
SP.ATK
65
85+20
105+20
SP.DEF
55
65+10
85+20
SPE
70
95+25
120+25
BST
310D-Tier
405C-Tier+95
530B-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Special

Breeding

Easy

Breed with Sceptile to get Treecko eggs easily using 72 partners from the Dragon and Monster egg groups.

Egg Groups
Gender
87.5%12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
gyaradoscharizardkingdraflygonmiloticnoivernvenusaurblastoisenidokingmeganiumferaligatrampharos

How to Get Sceptile

All 16 games

Sceptile doesn't appear wild. Catch Treecko instead, it shows up at moderate rates. Evolve it at level 36 to get Sceptile. The 3-stage chain is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Sceptile in SV

  1. Treecko
    Step 1Catch Treecko
    Canyon Biome
    Lv.50-80Overworld
  2. Grovyle
    Step 2Evolve into Grovyle
    BREEDING
    Available
    Leave Sceptile with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Grovyle egg.
  3. Sceptile
    Step 3Sceptile

Base Stats

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Sceptile's Speed does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Speed EVs per KO. Tough to catch, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
High
HP70
C
Attack85
C
Defense65
C
Sp. Atk105
B
Sp. Def85
C
Speed120
A
Total530
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.7 m
Weight52.2 kg
Base XP239
Abilities
Overgrow
Strengthens grass moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
UnburdenHidden Ability
Doubles Speed upon using or losing a held item.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+3
Strong Speed training target
Pokedex Entry

The leaves that grow on its arms can slice down thick trees. It is without peer in jungle combat.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Sceptile Guide

  • Sceptile works as a sweeper with 530 BST behind it. B-Tier on our list: a solid choice for the right team. That 120 base Speed does the heavy lifting.

  • Yes. Mega Sceptile is the evolved form, sitting at 630 BST. Big power spike over base Sceptile (530). Equip the Mega Stone and it transforms in battle.

  • Sceptile's biggest threats include Blaziken (Fire), Lapras (Ice), and Nidoking (Poison), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Flying and Bug-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Overgrow is the go-to ability for Sceptile. It strengthens grass moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. Its hidden ability Unburden can work in specific setups.

  • Sceptile is a mixed attacker with base 85 Attack and 105 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 120 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the sweeper role.

Game Availability

Available since Ruby & Sapphire, Sceptile appears in 16 games spanning 8 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Mega form in Generation 6.

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