asa
PU Leader
[QC Checks: quziel / Stan Soojung / PursuitOfHappiny]
[GP Checks: The Dutch Plumberjack / Fireflame479]
[OVERVIEW]
Scyther sits at an exceptional Speed tier, which allows it to naturally outspeed a lot of the NU tier. With a Choice Scarf, Scyther is capable of outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame as well as certain boosted threats like Z-Celebrate Venusaur, meaning that it can serve as a solid revenge killer and late-game cleaner. Due to Scyther's decently high Attack, it is capable of hitting fairly hard and forcing many switches, on which it can capitalize because of its access to U-turn. Additionally, Scyther's offensive typing allows it to prey on some of the tier's most common threats in Hariyama, Venusaur, and Slowking. Unfortunately, Scyther's typing also burdens it with a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which limits its pivoting potential and the number of times it can switch in, as well as with weaknesses to common attacking types in Electric, Fire, and Ice. Scyther's average bulk prevents it from stomaching stronger neutral attacks well, which doesn't pair well with its Stealth Rock weakness. Finally, Scyther finds itself struggling to break through many of the tier's physical walls such as Steelix, Diancie, and Druddigon.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Aerial Ace
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Pursuit / Bug Bite
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn is Scyther's main Bug-type STAB move due to it hitting fairly hard and allowing Scyther to pivot out of unfavorable matchups while generating momentum for a teammate. Aerial Ace is Scyther's strongest and most reliable Flying-type STAB move and is a great tool for cleaning late-game due to its relatively high power. Knock Off cripples defensive Pokemon like Steelix and Rhydon by removing their item, thus stinting their longevity and leaving them unable to check Scyther as consistently. Pursuit allows Scyther to trap and remove Ghost- and Psychic-types that it outspeeds such as Haunter, Mismagius, and Delphox, which can potentially open the door for a Fighting-type teammate. Alternatively, Bug Bite can be used to give Scyther a stronger Bug-type attack that threatens to 2HKO Slowbro after Stealth Rock while not forcing it to switch out.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Speed in tandem with a Jolly nature and Choice Scarf makes Scyther as fast as possible, allowing it to outpace some of the fastest Pokemon in the tier such as Whimsicott, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Choice Scarf Delphox, with the investment in Attack maximizing Scyther's offensive presence. Technician is the best ability for Scyther, as it increases the power of Aerial Ace and Bug Bite, which is really important for securing certain 2HKOs such as on Delphox with Aerial Ace and Slowbro with Bug Bite.
Usage Tips
========
U-turn is the main move Scyther should be using earlier on, as it chips away at Scyther's switch-ins and allows it to safely bring in a teammate to KO them, like Venusaur against Rhydon. Using Knock Off early-game is also smart, since a lot of Scyther's checks and counters loathe having their item removed. Think twice before using Aerial Ace and Bug Bite early-game, since being locked into either allows Pokemon like Steelix and Rhydon to switch in with no problems. Once Scyther's checks are weakened mid- or late-game, it will be more free to use Aerial Ace and Bug Bite. Avoid switching Scyther in if Stealth Rock is up, as this causes it to lose 50% of its health upon entry and makes it more susceptible to priority from Pokemon like Sneasel and Toxicroak. Scyther should avoid taking as much damage as possible, as its bulk isn't the best and it needs to be as healthy as possible to better stomach neutral attacks.
Team Options
========
Scyther's 4x weakness to Stealth Rock mandates entry hazard control and removal, making Pokemon such as Xatu, Rotom, Silvally-Steel, and Blastoise ideal teammates. Entry hazards pressure a lot of Scyther's switch-ins and make it more annoying for teams to switch into U-turn, meaning Pokemon that can set them such as Steelix, Rhydon, and Garbodor are appreciated. Wallbreakers such as Magmortar, Venusaur, Heliolisk, and Sceptile can heavily damage the physically bulky Pokemon that Scyther struggles with, and they appreciate Scyther getting them in safely with U-turn and crippling their switch-ins with Knock Off. Fighting-types such as Medicham, Passimian, and Hariyama are good partners, since they are capable of breaking through Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon for Scyther. In return, Scyther outspeeds and almost KOes Pokemon like Choice Scarf Delphox and Rotom in addition to also checking other Fighting-type switch-ins like Venusaur and Vileplume. Pokemon that also have U-turn or Volt Switch in their movesets like Passimian, Xatu, Heliolisk, and Rotom can also make for good partners, completing a VoltTurn core and helping to keep the momentum going throughout a battle.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Swords Dance set with maximum investment in HP and Speed using Eviolite can be used to turn Scyther into a more bulky setup sweeper that can capitalize on the switches it can force by setting up. Scyther also boasts reliable recovery in Roost, but it has issues setting up and isn't very strong before setting up. A Choice Band set makes Scyther's moves harder to be brought in on, which is good for netting certain KOs the Choice Scarf set cannot such as the OHKO after Stealth Rock damage on Delphox with Aerial Ace, but this means that Scyther is losing out on a valuable Speed tier. Brick Break is Scyther's most consistent coverage option against the likes of Klinklang and Steelix, but it isn't strong or boosted in power by Technician, and Scyther would rather its teammates handle these Pokemon. Reversal seems appealing due to it hitting the aforementioned bulky Steel-types for up to 200 Base Power, but this requires Scyther to take a lot of damage to reach that power, making it inconsistent and generally not worth it. Tailwind can be used to double the Speed of Scyther's team right before it is KOed, making normally slower Pokemon like Hariyama far more menacing, but being locked into it is far from ideal otherwise, and Scyther has trouble dropping a move for it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Scyther loses 50% of its HP upon entry if Stealth Rock is up, which prevents it from freely pivoting in and out with U-turn.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Steelix, Rhydon, Omastar, and Palossand either resist or take very little damage from Scyther's STAB moves and are all capable of taking advantage of it being locked into the wrong move in one way or another. Omastar also receives a +2 boost in Speed if Scyther attacks it courtesy of Weak Armor, which can be problematic.
**Rock- and Steel-types**: Scyther struggles immensely with Pokemon such as Steelix, Rhydon, Gigalith, Diancie, Omastar, and Klinklang due to their collective resilience to its STAB moves. None of them face any issues with KOing Scyther, or even setting up on it in the case of the latter two, though the former two in particular don't appreciate taking a Knock Off.
[GP Checks: The Dutch Plumberjack / Fireflame479]
[OVERVIEW]
Scyther sits at an exceptional Speed tier, which allows it to naturally outspeed a lot of the NU tier. With a Choice Scarf, Scyther is capable of outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame as well as certain boosted threats like Z-Celebrate Venusaur, meaning that it can serve as a solid revenge killer and late-game cleaner. Due to Scyther's decently high Attack, it is capable of hitting fairly hard and forcing many switches, on which it can capitalize because of its access to U-turn. Additionally, Scyther's offensive typing allows it to prey on some of the tier's most common threats in Hariyama, Venusaur, and Slowking. Unfortunately, Scyther's typing also burdens it with a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which limits its pivoting potential and the number of times it can switch in, as well as with weaknesses to common attacking types in Electric, Fire, and Ice. Scyther's average bulk prevents it from stomaching stronger neutral attacks well, which doesn't pair well with its Stealth Rock weakness. Finally, Scyther finds itself struggling to break through many of the tier's physical walls such as Steelix, Diancie, and Druddigon.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Aerial Ace
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Pursuit / Bug Bite
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
U-turn is Scyther's main Bug-type STAB move due to it hitting fairly hard and allowing Scyther to pivot out of unfavorable matchups while generating momentum for a teammate. Aerial Ace is Scyther's strongest and most reliable Flying-type STAB move and is a great tool for cleaning late-game due to its relatively high power. Knock Off cripples defensive Pokemon like Steelix and Rhydon by removing their item, thus stinting their longevity and leaving them unable to check Scyther as consistently. Pursuit allows Scyther to trap and remove Ghost- and Psychic-types that it outspeeds such as Haunter, Mismagius, and Delphox, which can potentially open the door for a Fighting-type teammate. Alternatively, Bug Bite can be used to give Scyther a stronger Bug-type attack that threatens to 2HKO Slowbro after Stealth Rock while not forcing it to switch out.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Speed in tandem with a Jolly nature and Choice Scarf makes Scyther as fast as possible, allowing it to outpace some of the fastest Pokemon in the tier such as Whimsicott, Sneasel, Heliolisk, and Choice Scarf Delphox, with the investment in Attack maximizing Scyther's offensive presence. Technician is the best ability for Scyther, as it increases the power of Aerial Ace and Bug Bite, which is really important for securing certain 2HKOs such as on Delphox with Aerial Ace and Slowbro with Bug Bite.
Usage Tips
========
U-turn is the main move Scyther should be using earlier on, as it chips away at Scyther's switch-ins and allows it to safely bring in a teammate to KO them, like Venusaur against Rhydon. Using Knock Off early-game is also smart, since a lot of Scyther's checks and counters loathe having their item removed. Think twice before using Aerial Ace and Bug Bite early-game, since being locked into either allows Pokemon like Steelix and Rhydon to switch in with no problems. Once Scyther's checks are weakened mid- or late-game, it will be more free to use Aerial Ace and Bug Bite. Avoid switching Scyther in if Stealth Rock is up, as this causes it to lose 50% of its health upon entry and makes it more susceptible to priority from Pokemon like Sneasel and Toxicroak. Scyther should avoid taking as much damage as possible, as its bulk isn't the best and it needs to be as healthy as possible to better stomach neutral attacks.
Team Options
========
Scyther's 4x weakness to Stealth Rock mandates entry hazard control and removal, making Pokemon such as Xatu, Rotom, Silvally-Steel, and Blastoise ideal teammates. Entry hazards pressure a lot of Scyther's switch-ins and make it more annoying for teams to switch into U-turn, meaning Pokemon that can set them such as Steelix, Rhydon, and Garbodor are appreciated. Wallbreakers such as Magmortar, Venusaur, Heliolisk, and Sceptile can heavily damage the physically bulky Pokemon that Scyther struggles with, and they appreciate Scyther getting them in safely with U-turn and crippling their switch-ins with Knock Off. Fighting-types such as Medicham, Passimian, and Hariyama are good partners, since they are capable of breaking through Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon for Scyther. In return, Scyther outspeeds and almost KOes Pokemon like Choice Scarf Delphox and Rotom in addition to also checking other Fighting-type switch-ins like Venusaur and Vileplume. Pokemon that also have U-turn or Volt Switch in their movesets like Passimian, Xatu, Heliolisk, and Rotom can also make for good partners, completing a VoltTurn core and helping to keep the momentum going throughout a battle.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Swords Dance set with maximum investment in HP and Speed using Eviolite can be used to turn Scyther into a more bulky setup sweeper that can capitalize on the switches it can force by setting up. Scyther also boasts reliable recovery in Roost, but it has issues setting up and isn't very strong before setting up. A Choice Band set makes Scyther's moves harder to be brought in on, which is good for netting certain KOs the Choice Scarf set cannot such as the OHKO after Stealth Rock damage on Delphox with Aerial Ace, but this means that Scyther is losing out on a valuable Speed tier. Brick Break is Scyther's most consistent coverage option against the likes of Klinklang and Steelix, but it isn't strong or boosted in power by Technician, and Scyther would rather its teammates handle these Pokemon. Reversal seems appealing due to it hitting the aforementioned bulky Steel-types for up to 200 Base Power, but this requires Scyther to take a lot of damage to reach that power, making it inconsistent and generally not worth it. Tailwind can be used to double the Speed of Scyther's team right before it is KOed, making normally slower Pokemon like Hariyama far more menacing, but being locked into it is far from ideal otherwise, and Scyther has trouble dropping a move for it.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Scyther loses 50% of its HP upon entry if Stealth Rock is up, which prevents it from freely pivoting in and out with U-turn.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon like Steelix, Rhydon, Omastar, and Palossand either resist or take very little damage from Scyther's STAB moves and are all capable of taking advantage of it being locked into the wrong move in one way or another. Omastar also receives a +2 boost in Speed if Scyther attacks it courtesy of Weak Armor, which can be problematic.
**Rock- and Steel-types**: Scyther struggles immensely with Pokemon such as Steelix, Rhydon, Gigalith, Diancie, Omastar, and Klinklang due to their collective resilience to its STAB moves. None of them face any issues with KOing Scyther, or even setting up on it in the case of the latter two, though the former two in particular don't appreciate taking a Knock Off.
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