Scolipede

[JCM.]

Scolipede

/

60 / 90 / 89 / 55 / 69 / 112​

Abilities:

• Poison Point
• Swarm
• Quick Feet

Notable moves:

• Megahorn
• Baton Pass
• Agility
• Toxic
• Rock Slide
• Earthquake
• Swords Dance
• X-Scissor
• Spikes
• Toxic Spikes
• Aqua Tail

For a few months, many NU'ers have been waiting for this centipede, and it has finally arrived. What is so appealing about this bug? He has access to both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and what sets him apart from Garbodor and Roselia is his great Speed and good typing which gives him a 4x resist to both Fighting and Grass, two common types in NU. He can also attempt to go fully offensive, dealing good damage with Megahorn, one of his advantages over Pinsir. Scolipede is also the only Pokemon in NU that has access to STAB Megahorn.
_________________________________________________________________

 

[Celever]

You forgot to mention something that scolipede can do, if you are in need of one then it can absorb status and suck up toxic spikes. Also you put X-scissor in Notable moves but not poison jab. Just sayin'

Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and say that choice band will be great on scolipdede, as well as offensive spikeas. Unfortunately, I'm not looking forward to scolipede in the least since this meta game is going to be full of spikes now...

 

[Five Green]

Here's our Deoxys-D. It can drop Spikes in the face of everything and check half of the tier. Psychic types, and other Pokemon like Ludicolo and Sawsbuck aren't safe when this thing is around. I think he will be awesome with Swords Dance. Fast as ****, great coverage and decent bulk make him very dangerous. Don't know much Pokemon able to stand up against him after a SD, except Regirock and Alomomola, who can't do nothing back unless she gets a burn with Scald.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Stick a fork in me and call me done.

Scolipede has an insane speed tier for NU, as nothing can really outspeed him. This, along with his access to both Spikes AND Toxic Spikes make him an insane hazard setter who can get them up so quickly it's not even funny. This makes him an easy fit on any offensive teams. Scolipede+Misdreavus will be very strong and this will pretty much guarantee wins. Add Skuntank+Sawk to that, and it's pretty smooth. Scolipede will probably make Hyper Offense overcentralizing because of this. Not only that, because of STAB Megahorn, Scolipede checks things like Gardevoir and Musharna very well, and he has incredible coverage in QuakeSlide and Megahorn. SDPede will be insane and nigh impossible to wall, and once it gets that boost, well good luck. You'll need it. His typing also gives him quad resistances to two common attacking types, which makes him even more broken. I am not looking forward to seeing this centipede in NU.

Get this broken piece of shit outta here pls.

 

[ebeast]

Scolipede is bound to be one of, if not the best, Pokemon in NU. It's extremely fast, has good bulk, and a variety of options that make it hard to counter. Scolipede can take the roles of a Swords Dance sweeper, a Swords Dance passer, an Offensive Spiker, and even a Bulky Spiker, and do all roles very well.

This is not the place to be calling Pokemon broken as we have yet to really see how the tier does with Scolipede in it. Instead we should be discussing potential sets to use, good partners for Scolipede, and good counters to it. So in that case I'll post a few example sets that I have seen people use so far and see where it goes from there.

Swords Dance

Scolipede (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Tail

This is a simple All-Out-Attacker set that gets the optimal coverage on Scolipede. Aqua Tail hits Golurk and Haunter while Poison Jab gets STAB and hits Flying- and Fighting-type Pokemon neutrally. As this is an offensive set with Life Orb, bulk isn't too important although a Leftovers set with 88 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe is usable to set up on Pokemon like Metang and Alomomola easier.

Salac Sweeper

Scolipede (M) @ Salac Berry
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Aqua Tail / Baton Pass

This is CrashinBoomBang's set which attempts to give Scolipede the optimal conditions for a full on sweep. Once fully set up Scolipede is at +2 Attack (at least), +1 Speed, and has Swarm activated. Megahorn's power is now beyond the roof and Scolipede can outspeed almost every Scarf Pokemon in the tier (Scarf Zard still outspeeds). Aqua Tail rounds out the coverage by hitting Golurk and Haunter hard, while Baton Pass lets it distribute out its boosts to a partner.

Bulky Spiker

Scolipede (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Atk / 104 Def / 120 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes / Protect
- Megahorn
- Aqua Tail

This is Annoyer's set used to set up as many hazards as possible by taking advantage of Scolipede's good bulk and decent Bug/Poison-typing. 36 Attack EVs allows Scolipede to 2HKO Musharna while 120 Speed with a Jolly nature lets it outpace positive nature base 95 Pokemon like Sawsbuck and Haunter. Protect allows Scolipede to gain more Leftovers recovery if it needs it or scout a move. The bulk on this set allows Scolipede to switch into Sawk much easier than it can with any other set.

For ways to beat some Scolipede sets, Weezing and Misdreavus come to mind as they can take boosted onslaughts and burn Scolipede with Will-O-Wisp. Misdreavus in particular can start using Foul Play over Shadow Ball now to hit Scolipede and most Pokemon in general harder. Foul Play also lets it deal massive damage to Zangoose and Sawsbuck, Pokemon that Misdreavus would be able to hit with its STAB attack. Zangoose had Toxic Orb to avoid Will-O-Wisp burns and Sawsbuck could potentially be a Substitute + Swords Dance set.

 

[dcae]

Scolipede is gonna be an absolute monster in NU, thanks to blazing speed, a great boosting move in Swords Dance with that wonderful Bug type STAB that wrecks the shit out of all the Psychics that plague NU, and has also some incredible utility thanks to access to both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Scolipede is bound to be used a lot, it is imo the biggest tier changer that dropped from RU this time. Access to Baton Pass, Swords Dance, and Substitute makes it useful as a team supporter in that role, and also Scolipede sports great coverage moves that really help it beat pokemon in the tier. EBeast mentioned Weezing and Misdreavus, and I agree that those pokemon potentially will increase in usage to deal with the SD set and the allout attacking set thanks to excellent physical bulk and access to burn moves. Also, Frillish is an excellent counter to Scolipede thanks to that brilliant typing that shuts down Scolipede bad, and also has access to burn control. Scolipede can be paired with Pursuiters to eliminate these irritating Ghosts, so Skuntank is a good partner. Overall, expect a big splash by Scolipede in NU.

 

[Lolk]

With a new excellent spiker coming down, the need for rapid spin will just keep on growing. I expect to see a lot more armaldos and torkoals.

 

[Kendrick Lamar]

God damn, was really surprised when i seen this. Scolipede as you all said is great at laying down spikes and it is now one of the fastest Pokemon in NU. Will be very interesting to see people working around this monster.

 

[RabidChipmunk]

So I've been trying out the Salac sweeper set and... just, my God... there are no words...

Scolipede is a damn monster. Most of the time I found myself only needing either the Salac boost or the Swords Dance boost, and that was it. Game over. The ability to outspeed every Psychic-type in NU and a resistance to common Choice Scarfers only sweetens the deal. Priority can be a bitch if you're low on health from subbing down, though, so have a plan for dealing with Pokemon like Skuntank.

In short, I would not be in the slightest surprised if Scolipede became the new face of NU, or if he even gets suspect tested.

 

[Aasgier]

Scolipede is a BEAST indeed. I have been trying the Spikes setter, and it easily sets up a layer or two when in the lead, unless Electrode is going to appear and Taunt you (but you see that one coming, right? :P ). Scoli is pretty frail, but with 2-3 layers of Spikes, hell did already break loose, usually enough for something else to sweep.

Spinners in NU suck, not really helping, neither does the fact that Scolipede can run offensive sets.

Yes, I expect it being suspected pretty soon.

 

[ryanr554]

This thing is gonna be amazing. The only good Pokemon outspeeding this are scarfers, swellow, zebstrika and electrode and even they can be outsped by the Salac set.

I am gonna guess that the Psychic type is not going to be as dominant anymore but still pretty prevalent.

 

[FortressDoor]

Garbador is now completely outclassed. Rosealia is now also mostly outclassed.

I really like Scolipede, but I still think Scholipede will be very much broken in NU, for reasons stated above. I really like the comparsion to Dexosy-D that was made here, as it fits so perfectly. I wonder if the increase of spikes will increase the amount of Flyers/Levitaters? With there being another Fighting type in the Tier with Primeape, Sawk may not become so common, and Weezing will be able to do stuff. Weezing will completely wall the bug, and roast it with Fire Blast.

Not calling for a ban of Scholipede, at least not yet, But, on paper, it seems very much broken. It is SR Weak, though, but there will more spikes than SR in NU now

 

[watashi]

garbodor and roselia are still better spikers for stall teams since they can actually take hits well, so scolipede does not completely outclass them.

 

[FortressDoor]

garbodor and roselia are still better spikers for stall teams since they can actually take hits well, so scolipede does not completely outclass them.

True. But, due to the general uncommonness of stall, Scolipede will be getting much more usage than those two, and easily become the most dominiant spiker

 

[Pocket]

I am excited about these new drops! About time NU experience some shake-ups!

I can see Golem becoming a prominent lead to counteract Scolipede with Rock Blast.

Gurdurr will probably rise in usage, too, since it shrugs off moves that Scolipede sends its way and can take advantage of Toxic Spikes with its Guts boost. Gurdurr + Skuntank combo ftw??

 

[Cheatingtaco]

I can also see Scolipede being used in UU more often. Just saying, I don't think this change will last long, because this pokemon is by far one of the most notable bug pokemon in the metagame.

 

[wiithepeople]

Offensively, Poison is not a great typing, just like Steel as an offensive ability. Bug STAB in Megahorn and X-Scissor really does help Scoli though.

 

[FortressDoor]

Offensively, Poison is not a great typing, just like Steel as an offensive ability. Bug STAB in Megahorn and X-Scissor really does help Scoli though.

Scolipede has Megahorn, which is all it needs

 

[Aasgier]

And coverage. You don't use that Poison offensively, it only helps Scoli in taking certain attacks so you have additional turns to set up Spikes/use SD/attack.

But yeah, now I play with it, it is impossible to prevent Scoli from setting up Spikes if used right. Leading with a common Taunt Lead like Misdreavus will only result in one layer being up, while leading with Electrode results in no spikes but having a dead Electrode instead.

 

[Celever]

I can also see Scolipede being used in UU more often. Just saying, I don't think this change will last long, because this pokemon is by far one of the most notable bug pokemon in the metagame.

UU? This is an NU sub-forum...

 

[Aasgier]

He means that Scoli leaves NU next tier change because it is/would be used more in UU, I assume.

I think it is too early to tell that, but I am quite sure Scoli is out of NU at that point. Though a ban. There is no point in running a team without Scoli, which is pretty sick.

 

[skylight]

The fact that it just dropped from RU suggests that he just typo'd NU for UU (why would Scolipede go to UU by next tier change if it only just dropped from RU...?), and that Scolipede will likely be banned due to high usage/dominating/over-centralising the metagame. Even so, as you said it's too early to tell (although I don't think it's ban-worthy now, and I don't think it will be in the future, but that's not really a discussion for now).

Also, there are reasons to run teams without Scolipede - such as weather teams and TR teams (although they are uncommon), but it's true that it can easily find a place to fit onto most teams. In general too, I can see spinners probably becoming more common at this point, because it almost guarantees one or two layers of Spikes.

 

[ryan]

The fact that it just dropped from RU suggests that he just typo'd NU for UU (why would Scolipede go to UU by next tier change if it only just dropped from RU...?), and that Scolipede will likely be banned due to high usage/dominating/over-centralising the metagame. Even so, as you said it's too early to tell (although I don't think it's ban-worthy now, and I don't think it will be in the future, but that's not really a discussion for now).

Also, there are reasons to run teams without Scolipede - such as weather teams and TR teams (although they are uncommon), but it's true that it can easily find a place to fit onto most teams. In general too, I can see spinners probably becoming more common at this point, because it almost guarantees one or two layers of Spikes.

Along with this note, spinblockers will become ever present. Last tier change, Roselia/Misdreavus sounded like it would be a good pair. This tier change, Scolipede/Misdreavus sounds downright sexy.

Having thrown that out there and now having a good amount of games under my belt for our new NU, I can honestly say that I don't feel Scolipede is inherently broken. I could be wrong, and within the coming weeks, I could see Scolipede becoming a dominant threat. I just don't see it becoming broken. Yes, it should be a staple for most teams--no doubt about this. But Regirock, for example, is 4HKOd at best with 252 HP/0 Def, neutral nature. This alone could cause Regirock's usage to skyrocket.

Also, I could see Shiftry or Cacturne being good partners for it. Given the right predictions, most of the threats to either is covered well by the other. I tried out Shiftry for a couple battles, and I ended up deciding on Misdreavus instead because having a spinblocker on HO with Spikes and Rocks is infinitely more useful. It's a pair I definitely plan to expand more upon in the future.

Finally: fuck Poison Point Scolipede. That is all.

 

[Explorer]

Stick a fork in me and call me done.

Scolipede has an insane speed tier for NU, as nothing can really outspeed him. This, along with his access to both Spikes AND Toxic Spikes make him an insane hazard setter who can get them up so quickly it's not even funny. This makes him an easy fit on any offensive teams. Scolipede+Misdreavus will be very strong and this will pretty much guarantee wins. Add Skuntank+Sawk to that, and it's pretty smooth. Scolipede will probably make Hyper Offense overcentralizing because of this. Not only that, because of STAB Megahorn, Scolipede checks things like Gardevoir and Musharna very well, and he has incredible coverage in QuakeSlide and Megahorn. SDPede will be insane and nigh impossible to wall, and once it gets that boost, well good luck. You'll need it. His typing also gives him quad resistances to two common attacking types, which makes him even more broken. I am not looking forward to seeing this centipede in NU.

Scolipede gets Pursuit itself....if it switches in safely it can easily destroy or force out any Pokemon in NU.

 

[skylight]

Scolipede gets Pursuit itself....if it switches in safely it can easily destroy or force out any Pokemon in NU.

While it may have access to that, there's also the issue that Scolipede has many good moves to choose from for coverage, and there's not really room for it on most of its sets. It could work against Golurk over Aqua Tail however it leaves it with nothing to take on Steels (assuming it's like SD + Spikes, or something). Although, a dedicated set based around the idea of luring or scaring out specific Pokemon with Pursuit could be interesting. However for the most part there are other moves more suitable for Scolipede so there won't be as many opportunities to perform the "force out" role.