Overview
########
Scyther has always been an interesting Pokemon in RU. With Eviolite, Scyther possesses surprisingly good bulk, and a good base 110 Attack stat to match. On top of this, Scyther has a great Speed tier, outspeeding threats such as Moltres, Meloetta, and Delphox. Scyther also has access to Quick Attack to abuse priority Technician. Scyther has two great STAB moves in Aerial Ace and U-turn, as well as Knock Off to annoy teams and hit Steel-types neutrally. However, Scyther has a quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock ; as such, Scyther always needs a reliable entry hazard remover as a partner. Scyther is also walled by most Steel-types in the tier, and tends to struggle against bulkier Pokemon thanks to its low Base Power moves. Finally, Scyther is weak to Fire-, Electric-, Ice-, Rock-, and Flying-type attacks, which are common in RU.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-Turn
move 2: Aerial Ace
move 3: Quick Attack / Bug Bite
move 4: Knock Off / Bug Bite / Pursuit
ability: Technician
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
U-turn OHKOes Meloetta, and does big damage to Cresselia or Reuniclus, and allows Scyther to gain momentum on Pokemon like Moltres and Doublade. Aerial Ace is Scyther's secondary STAB move, and at 90 Base Power, it has a solid damage output. Quick Attack is the best option for the third slot because it allows Scyther to revenge kill threats like Sharpedo, Dugtrio, and Jolteon. Bug Bite allows Scyther to beat Calm Mind Cresselia and Reuniclus one on one, which U-turn fails to do. In the fourth slot, Knock Off is optimal to do deal damage to Doublade, and to hinder physical walls like Alomomola, taking away their Leftovers. Bug Bite, as stated before, can be used as a consistent Bug STAB move without switching out, and beats defensive Psychic-types. Pursuit is really nice for OHKOing Delphox, and doing big damage to Meloetta while the two are switching out. At the same time, Pursuit with Technician also OHKOes Delphox after Stealth Rock damage, and does about three quarters of damage to Meloetta granted that both have not switched out. Both Pursuit and Bug Bite are great to have ; however, Scyther has trouble fitting all these moves into one set.
Set Details
========
Scyther should always run 252 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature to outspeed Delphox. It should also use 252 Attack EVs for as much power as possible. Do not ever use 4 HP EVs, as it will leave Scyther unable to switch into Stealth Rock more than once.
Usage Tips
========
Make sure Stealth Rock is off the field before recklessly switching Scyther in. Early-game, Scyther can U-turn to steal momentum from the opponent multiple times, and late-game, Scyther can sweep slow and weakened teams with one of its dual STAB moves. Scyther hates any form of status. Each status, with the exception of sleep, will nullify Scyther.
Team Options
========
Hitmonlee, Gligar, Shiftry, Golbat, or some form of hazard removal is necessary when using Scyther. Scyther also appreciates hazards on the opponents side, as it forces quite a few switches with U-turn, Rhyperior covers almost all of Scyther's weaknesses, so it's a great teammate. Qwilfish, Ferroseed, Omastar, and hazard setters in general are great to have alongside Scyther. Magneton is probably the best partner for Scyther in the tier. Magneton Volt Switches to match Scyther's U-turn, and traps every Steel-type in the tier with the exception of Doublade. Choice Band Scyther and Choice Scarf Magneton cores can both be extremely troublesome for teams to face. Heliolisk can also be used as a Volt Switch user that keeps Doublade in check. Lanturn resists Ice-, Fire-, and Flying-type attacks, and is immune to Electric-type moves. Lanturn covers all of Scyther's weaknesses except for Rock, which it hits hard with Scald, and it can use Volt Switch to get momentum. It can also Heal Bell to remove troublesome status from Scyther.
Other Options
########
A Choice Scarf set is Scyther's next best set. It uses the exact same moves as the Choice Band set, but the Choice Band set is more desirable as Scyther's Speed tier is already great in RU. Scyther's only other good option is Swords Dance, but due to the fact that it can barely fit 4 offensive moves on a choice set, it's hard to fit 3 on a Swords Dance set. Swords Dance / Knock Off / Aerial Ace / Quick Attack would probably be optimal on an offensive variant, and Swords Dance / Baton Pass / Roost / Aerial Ace would be the best set for a more bulky booster. Brick Break can be used on a Choice Band set to hit Steel-types, but Scyther simply can't fit it on the set. Eviolite and U-turn can be used to fake a Choice Scarf set, but hardly has much use.
Checks & Counters
########
**Physical Walls**: Rhyperior, bulky Cobalion, Alomomola, Registeel, and Gligar can all switch in to any of Scyther's attacks and support their team in return, but all hate to have their item Knocked Off. On top of this, Scyther can easily U-turn out to a counter on any of these.
**Stealth Rock**: Keeping Stealth Rock on the field by using spinblockers and Braviary to pressure Defog and Rapid Spin will make it hard for Scyther to function.
**Steel-types**: Doublade is Scyther's best offensive check, but must be wary of Knock Off. Cobalion is also a good offensive check, resisting Bug-type attacks and having a faster Volt Switch to punish Scyther and its team.
**Faster Electric-types**: Jolteon, Heliolisk, and Choice Scarf-holding Electric-types such as Magneton all threaten to OHKO Scyther with their STAB moves, and can gain momentum for their team with Volt Switch.
Last edited by a moderator: