Serperior, the Regal Pokémon. It generates energy from sunlight, then amplifies that energy dozens of times within its long body. An intimidating gaze and majestic appearance have caused this Pokémon to be known as the Lord of the Forest.
Overview
Serperior’s missing out on the eighth generation only to return in the ninth is nothing short of serendipity. It did not have to languish bemoaning its lack of coverage due to the loss of Hidden Power, since the new Terstalization mechanic gives Serperior far more potent coverage than Hidden Power ever could. With this, Serperior is poised to eviscerate opposing teams with little notice, its incredible base 113 Speed getting the jump on already fast Pokémon like Ogerpon and Latios. In the end, Contrary Leaf Storm is what pushes Serperior over the edge. Being able to setup while attacking with such a powerful move as it belies defensive pivoting, as even if a wall that can safely take Leaf Storm comes in, it is still going to be damaged and Serperior is still going to be boosted. Serperior’s good defenses, access to recovery and invaluable Ground and Water resistances also help with this task, making it simple for Serperior to stick around and accrue multiple boosts. This moveslot compression is also invaluable for set flexibility, giving Serperior ample room to slot in one of its many supportive and disruptive tools without compromising its sweeping potential.
Serperior is not superior in all aspects, however. Base 75 Special Attack is wholly unimpressive without boosting, leaving Unaware walls like Clodsire, and Clefable hard stops to a sweep, and it needs one or two Leaf Storm’s to roll over opponents. Leaf Storm’s imperfect accuracy can also crop up at the worst times, as missing a Leaf Storm means missing a boost, placing Serperior far behind on tempo. Serperior’s coverage being virtually non-existent outside of Grass STAB and Dragon Pulse makes it a Terastalization Sink, which is constraining in both teambuilding and in battle tactics. Grass’s poor coverage also makes it difficult as there is no one Tera Type that covers every threat. Despite all this, Serperior is an incredible snowballing threat who must be kept in mind lest it take over the battle.
Positives
Contrary is an absurd ability, turning Leaf Storm into a Nasty Plot boost for an incredibly efficient boosting tool.
Base 113 Speed is incredible, getting the jump on many already fast Pokémon.
Decent support movepool with access to Screens, Glare, and Leech Seed enable Superior to mix up its game.
95 Defense and Special Defense coupled with valuable Ground and Water resistances and recovery in Giga Drain or Synthesis give Serperior impressive longevity.
Negatives
Grass is poor offensively, with many common resists that make Leaf Storm far less potent than it could be otherwise.
Serperior is incredibly reliant on Terastalization for coverage and is far less effective when it can’t Terastalize.
Poor base 75 attacking stats require multiple boosts to be threatening.
Movesets
Serpent’s Storm
-Leaf Storm
-Tera Blast
-Dragon Pulse
-Giga Drain
Ability: Contrary
Item: Life Orb
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
A setup sweeper set, Serperior makes the most out of Contrary Leaf Storm to, if not run over opposing teams, to blow open holes for other teams to exploit. Leaf Storm’s role compression of setup and damage is amazing, enabling Serperior to gain momentum even if the opponent switches out into a resist for Leaf Storm. Tera Blast is mandatory, the breadth of coverage it provides Serperior is vital to take on checks that can otherwise stifle it completely. Dragon Pulse is tertiary coverage, mercifully broadly neutral, though being able to hit Grass resistant Dragon types like Roaring Moon, Gouging Fire, Kyurem, Latios and more is an excellent bonus. Giga Drain rounds out the set, and both helps Serperior constantly pressure with the offense as well as recover damage from both opponents and its own Life Orb. Thanks to its blend of bulk and offense, Serperior often finds its place on offensive and balance teams alike.
Tera Types:
Serperior is incredibly reliant on Terastalization to provide needed coverage, and unless you eliminate every Grass resist, should be your go to option for Terastalization. Due to the many gaps in Serperior’s base coverage, there are several options to consider for Terastalization. Tera Fire works best with the above set, both offensively and defensively. Defensively, Tera Fire gives Serperior vital Fire, Ice and Bug resistances. Offensively, Fire Grass is great, only being commonly resisted by Dragon, which Dragon Pulse covers leaving Heatran as the only one that resists everything. Tera Water is like Tera Fire in that it loves Dragon Pulse for taking care of the Dragons that mutually resist Water and Grass and boasts an excellent defensive type in general. Though opposing Grass types become a concern given their now advantage against Serperior and lack of Super Effective coverage on Serperior’s part. Tera Rock is also a standout offensive-defensive Tera Option, giving Fire, Flying and Poison resists, along with the fantastic coverage Grass Rock provides, though this leaves Steel types as a major problem. Tera Ground also deserves mention. While lacking important resistances, Ground makes up for it in spades with its coverage, being Serperior’s best option for Clodsire, Skeledirge, Heatran and Steel types in general, all of which are significant problems otherwise. Serperior is also a rare abuser of the Stellar Tera type, loving the Special Attack boost it gets from Stellar Tera Blast. In addition, the initial Stellar Tera boost alleviates the issue of Serperior’s initial Leaf Storm being weak. Add in the perfect neutral coverage Stellar Tera Blast provides, opening up Serperior’s moveset, makes for quite the package.
EVs and Items:
Standard sweeper array of Max Speed and Special Attack is recommended. While Serperior’s Special Attack is low, speed investment is paramount for outstripping Ogerpon, Walking Wake and Latios. Even dropping to a neutral nature leaves Serperior outstripped by max Speed base 100 Pokémon like Volcarona, Zapdos, as well as Enamorus, on top of all the base 110s Serperior normally outruns. Life Orb is recommended for the extra power it provides, crucial for bumping up damage and reaching OHKOs on Dragons like on Roaring Moon, Gouging Fire and Kyurem after 1 Leaf Storm as well as muscle through Assault Vest Archaludon with 3 layers of Spikes. If wishing to take advantage of Serperior’s durability, Leftovers is an excellent choice, pairing well with the bevy of healing options Serperior has available to it gives it a large degree of durability.
Partners:
Rillaboom may be an odd partner for Serperior, given that they are both Grass types, but Serperior greatly benefits from the Grassy Surge powering up its own Leaf Storm, and having the durability to benefit from the extra healing it provides. This is on top of the priority for picking off faster targets and item disruption Rillaboom normally provides. In turn, Serperior offers a complimentary special attacker to Rillaboom’s physical, and with both having similar checks, can repeatedly wear down their checks to the point where they can’t answer them anymore.
Answers to Grass resists are greatly appreciated given Serperior’s own poor coverage, and the more answers one packs, the fewer reasons Serperior needs to Terastalize. Great Tusk is a prime example, its Ground STABs devastating not only Steel, Fire and Poison types, but Clodsire, Skeledirge and Heatran especially, while often packing Ice Spinner for Flying types. Serperior in return provides a reliable answer against opposing Water types and can use the Water types Great Tusk draws in as a relatively safe entry point. Heatran is another great partner, burning opposing Grass types, melting Corviknight and Air Baloon Gholdengo and being a general safe pivot into all Serperior’s base weaknesses. Serperior answering opposing Water and Ground attacks builds the synergy there. Other excellent examples include Iron Boulder and Gouging Fire.
Other Options:
Substitute is a staple option. With the number of Switches Serperior forces, it is easy for it to grab a rather bulky Substitute that it can hide behind to boost up with Leaf Storm, helping grab the multiple boosts needed to be threatening, though one should really be running Leftovers if using this.
Glare is another move Serperior is famous for, being a reliable Paralyzing option, great for paralyzing would be faster switch ins after a Substitute or even crippling moderately fast targets like Volcarona and Latios to make easy pickings for Serperior’s teammates.
Synthesis offers potent burst healing that is generally more reliable than Giga Drain, though Alolan Ninetales’ Snow and Pelipper’s rain can cut into it.
Leech Seed is fantastic with Substitute, giving Serperior a reliable way to chip down Unaware walls like Clodsire.
Light Screen and Reflect turn Serperior into an offensive screen setter, able to abuse screens for its own use, or facilitate a teammate’s own pivot and setup.
Doubles and VGC Options
Serperior’s history and role in Doubles has been much the same in singles, bowling over the competition with Contrary Leaf Storm, taking advantage of its great speed tier and bulk to safely accrue the necessary boosts to become an actual threat. Serperior’s compressing setup and offense in one move is another boon, enabling it to fit in disruption without compromising its main role, providing an incredible degree of flexibility. Contrary is even more potent in Doubles than in singles due to the many stat dropping attacks and abilities running around, making it easy for Serperior to grab boosts to Speed and Special Attack in addition to outright disincentivize such tactics. Serperior being reliant on Leaf Storm landing is a pain point, as losing turns to Fake Out, Protect and missing are huge losses in momentum that can prevent Serperior from applying offensive pressure in later turns.
Serpent's Standard
-Leaf Storm
-Tera Blast
-Glare
-Protect
Ability: Contrary
Item: Wide Lens
Tera Type: Stellar/Fire/Rock
EVs and Nature:
116 HP / 4 Def / 132 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Serperior’s standard Doubles set plays similarly to its singles; boost up with Contrary Leaf Storm, pushing progress while setting up. Then eliminate key targets with Leaf Storm and Tera Blast the latter providing coverage Serperior desperately needs. Glare provides potent and persistent speed control, with the potential lost turns can be game breaking. Protect is major deviation from Singles sets, thanks to the sheer value it provides in Doubles. Scouting out for moves, blanking Fake Out, stalling out Trick Room, opposing Tailwind, weathers, terrains, etc. Protect provides so much in a doubles setting its recommendation is expected.
Wide Lens is recommended if running Glare as it patches up both Leaf Storm's and Glare's accuracy issues. Stellar Tera is incredible given its perfect neutral coverage, the extra setup it provides with Tera Blast, and the initial boost great for alleviating Serperior’s weak early game. Tera Fire and Rock are great alternatives given their offensive and defensive utility. Tera Fire providing valuable Fire and Ice resistance for Incineroar and Chien Pao, as well as annihilating opposing Grass types like Rillaboom and Amoonguss, as well as Steel types like Gholdengo and Kingambit. Tera Rock gives resistances to Tornadus’ Flying STAB, Fire, Entei’s and Dragonite’s Extremespeed, while providing a direct answer to opposing Fire and Flying types like Incineroar, Tornadus, Gouging Fire, Chi-Yu, and Entei. EV Spread provides a balance of offense and bulk, helping Serperior live long enough to snowball and provide support, while not requiring too many Leaf Storms to deal appreciable damage.
Other Options & Partners:
Given Serperior’s high natural speed, it makes for a fantastic Taunt user, shutting down opposing setup Pokémon and belying normal anti Prankster measures like Tera Dark, Psychic Surge, and Armor Tail.
Dragon Pulse is great for more offensive Surperior, offering great coverage with Tera Fire and answering many Dragon types and Dragon Terastalizations.
Substitute is tricky to use, but greatly punishes opponents that are passive in front of Serperior, and can be invaluable against Trick Room teams for stalling Trick Room out. Best if paired with Leftovers Serperior.
Grass Pledge requires specific partners but can provide unique effects hard to replicate elsewhere. Empoleon is a natural partner, give its high bulk and many resistances alongside Competitive while Grass + Water pledge provides great speed control.
Incineroar and Urshifu Rapid makes for a solid Grass Fire Water core, Incineroar providing damage mitigation while Urshifu provides physical offense in complement to Serperior's Special Offense and Speed Control.
Iron Hands threatens both Flying and Steel types that give Serperior trouble and providing Fake Out disruption that is often vital for Serperior. Serperior threatening opposing Ground types in turn is fantastic for Iron Hands.
Countering Serperior
Given Serperior’s below average Special Attack, Unaware walls not weak to Grass are a consistent issue for Serperior forcing it to rely on its poor Base Special Attack and coverage to try to muscle through. Clodsire is king in this regard, not even fearing Tera Ground without a Life Orb, and even then capable of draining Serperior’s health with Toxic, but struggles against Substitute. Specially defensive Unaware Clefable is another hard wall for Serperior and can use it as setup fodder, but is rather niche. Skeledirge also deserves mention, reliably tanking attacks if Serperior isn’t running a super effective Terastalization like Water, Ground or Rock.
Despite Serperior’s boosting power, some Pokémon can weather even boosted assaults… again depending on the Terastalization. Corviknight does well, able to threaten with Brave Bird STAB with just about any amount of chip, and utterly walls Tera Ground sets. Assault Vest Achaludon also works, able to switch in on the first Leaf Storm and threaten a OHKO with Draco Meteor after some chip damage, provided Serperior isn’t Tera Ground. Assault Vest Hisuian Goodra fares even better thanks to its phenomenal Special Defense, reliably absorbing even max boosted attacks, aside from Ground Tera Blast.
What may be the most reliable way of handling Serperior is to revenge kill it. While Base 113 Speed is impressive, years of speed creep have left it far from peerless. Cinderace, Meowscarada, Specs Greninja, Specs Dragapult, Darkrai, Acrobatics Roaring Moon, Weavile, etc. all outspeed and can OHKO with their STABs or super effective coverage.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Not in game
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Not in game
Black/White:
Evolve Servine
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Servine
X/Y:
Trade from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Servine
Sun/Moon:
Exeggutor Island
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Trade from Sun & Moon
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Not in game
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Not in game
Legends: Arceus:
Not in game
Scarlet/Violet:
Evolve Servine
Anime Appearences
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Serperior has made a few appearances in the anime. Most notably, Trip used one during his Unova League campaign and was used in his battles against Ash |
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