[Overview]
<p>When one first notices Scrafty
, it seems
like everything, yet unnecessary vague phrase nothing is going for him. He has access to three amazing abilities in Shed Skin, Moxie, and Intimidate
, and also possesses while also possessing great defensive stats and incredible STAB coverage. With STAB Hi Jump Kick and Crunch Scrafty needs very little else to hit the metagame hard. Scrafty's Dark typing also allows him to hit Chandelure for super effective coverage, but is still neutral to Genesect's Bug Buzz thanks to being part Fighting-type. Scrafty also has great coverage in Ice Punch and helpful set-up moves like Bulk Up and Dragon Dance. Of course, these sweeps are only aided by his abilities, Moxie boosting his attack to new heights
,[comma] and Shed Skin + Rest providing excellent healing abilities. Sadly, not all is well for our ghetto friend. New, fast Fighting-types and Flying-types roam Dream World and Pokemon such as Terrakion, Keldo, Blaziken, Tornadus, Tornadus-T, and Meoletta-S can all come in and use a strong STAB move to OHKO him. In addition, Scrafty has received nearly nothing new in DW, his Dream World ability rarely helping him in his endeavors. Even with these troubles though, Scrafty can be a great asset to a team if played correctly.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>By using Dragon Dance, Scrafty boosts both his pitiful speed and modest attack at the same time. This, in tandem with great defenses and incredible STAB coverage, make
s [add s] Scrafty a dangerous set-up sweeper. Pulling the set together is Dragon Dance, enabling the hoodlum's entire sweep. Hi Jump Kick, an insanely powerful STAB move, ties in to provide a strong move that can break down walls. Crunch provides near-flawless coverage with Scrafty's Fighting-type STAB and hits Psychics and Ghosts, such as Latios and Gengar, for super effective damage. Ice Punch rounds out the set by giving Scrafty a stronger option against Dragon-types and Gliscor, Pokemon who would normally be able to tank a Crunch or Hi Jump Kick.
[space]One should never overestimate Ice Punch's power though, as even a resisted Hi Jump Kick is more powerful than a neutral Ice Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Scrafty's choice of item is one based upon personal preference. Lum Berry is a great boon to Scrafty, preventing random status effects and priority Thunder Wave, possibly hindering or stopping a sweep. It is also gives Scrafty the ability to gain an extra boost on walls that tend to abuse status, like Gliscor and Jirachi. Life Orb, on the other hand, give Scrafty quite a powerful "kick" (pun intended), but leave him available to both status and residual damage. Scrafty is actually quite easy to wear down when bearing a Life Orb; the loss of health make in extremely vulnerable to priority moves like Dragonite's Extremespeed
of or Scizor's Bullet Punch.
(what about Loom's Mach Punch) Moxie is the preferred ability here, making Scrafty's sweep all the stronger. It also stops the opponent from simply using death fodder to stop Scrafty, a common anti-sweeper technique. The EVs and nature provided allow Scrafty
at +1 to outspeed up to
speed-boosting positive-natured base 111's
at +1 while retaining a good amount of power. Dropping Speed any lower is advised against, as it allows Terrakion to come in and KO with a Close Combat.</p>
<p>Scrafty's other options for a Dragon Dance set are rare. He can choose to run less speed for more power or bulk, but it means he will be outspeed by many a Pokemon and leaves him even more vulnerable to fast attackers. Scrafty can run Drain Punch over Hi Jump Kick if one desires consistent attacking with recovery, but it is much, much weaker and won't score nearly as many KO's. Scrafty can also use the combination of Rest and Shed Skin instead of Ice Punch and Moxie to give good recovery, but it is unadvised because without investment in bulk, Scrafty can be easily revenge KO'd.</p>
<p>Scrafty's ideal teammate for this set would be one who can use Rapid Spin reliably and effectively, and take out physcial walls. A great example of a Pokemon like this happens to be Starmie. Starmie can simply spin away any Spikes that would hurt Scrafty and take out normal counters such as Hippowdon or Skarmory. Broadly speaking though, Scrafty doesn't require all that much team support, and pairs best with teams that already posses a spinner, or Magic Bounce user, and a special attacker.</p>
I'm kinda late on this one, but maybe mention Pursuit users to get rid of Ghosts?
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Rest
move 4: Crunch / Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Bulk Up makes the best out of Scrafty's good defenses and decent attack. When using this set, one must remember that its goal is to set up slowly, tank hits, recover off the damage
, [comma] and eventually hit back. What makes this so effective is Scrafty's dual methods of recovery, reliable HP and status recovery and decent defensive typing. Bulk Up is the center point of the set, making Scrafty's Defense reasonably large
while and enabling him to attack with a force that build
s[add s] up over time. Drain Punch is Scrafty's main way of dealing damage and also is a great method of recovery, something most physical attacks would kill for. Rest, along with Shed Skin, gives Scrafty
is ever-beloved essential status immunity and perfect HP recovery. Crunch provides near-perfect coverage when used with Drain Punch and is powerful, but Dragon Tail is a good move for general phazing,
while and also
giving gives perfect coverage with Scrafty's Fighting-type STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Because Bulk Up only boost Scrafty's Defense, max Special Defense investment is recommended so that he will not be taken down by unboosted, non-STAB'd special attacks. One may consider investing in Defense, but it is not worth it in the long run. Leftovers is the obvious item of choice here because it lets Scrafty recover even more damage off, even when using Bulk Up.</p>
<p>As a deviation of the set, Scrafty can choose modify slightly. Intimidate along with a spread of 120 HP / 188 Attack / 200 SpD and an Adamant nature to give more off-the-bat power and let Scrafty start setting up on physical threats. It also lets the user regain Ice Punch or use both Dragon Tail and Crunch. This spread is not nearly as bulky, barely missing the OHKO from Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast and lacking reliable recovery.</p>
<p>Scrafty, when using Bulk Up, is very self-sufficient. Having perfect status and HP recovery makes it hard to pick out perfect teammates for him. Because of this, when selecting partners one must remember Bulk Up Scrafty's main weaknesses are phazers and strong, physical walls. This means Pokemon that can face those threats are the best fit. Some examples of teammates like this are Starmie, Chandelure and Keldo.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although Scrafty's STAB moves attain perfect coverage, he has several other attacking options such as Stone Edge, Head Smash, Dragon Claw, ThunderPunch and Fire Punch. Each can be used to attain desired coverage, but they will always be overshadowed by Scrafty's insane dual STAB combination. Fake Out is a notable move Scrafty has access to and can be used to break Sturdys and Focus Sashes. As far as items go, Chople Berry can be used on either set to protect against Terrakion and other strong Fighting-types. Intimidate is also another option, although its uses are rare, minus the case with
bulk up Bulk Up, and it is usually outclassed by
wither either Shed Skin or Moxie.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Despite what you may believe
,[comma] not every Pokemon is perfect, and Scrafty's counters prove that. When using Scrafty, one must watch out for strong, faster Fighting-types and priority. Excellent example of these would be Keldo and Breloom, respectively. Two notable Fighting-types in particular are Heracross and Toxicroak, both resisting Scrafty's STAB combination and OHKOing back. Scrafty must beware of things that can outspeed him too. Even when at +1, Alazkazam, Starmie, and Meolette-S outspeed and can KO Scrafty.Other faster threats that really hurt Scrafty are Tornadus-T and Tornadus-I. With Flying-type STABs and high speeds, they can easily OHKO any Scrafty set, although Scrafty can outspeed Tornadus-I at +1. Genesect can also damage Scrafty quite well to, as a Download boosted Bug Buzz or U-turn can take a chunk out of his health.</p>
<p>In addition to offensive threats, there are a number of defensive Pokemon that can trouble Scrafty. Skarmory can easily take any attack, bar a boosted Hi Jump Kick, Scrafty uses and simply Whirlwind him out. Hippowdon can do the same, but he must be careful when Scrafty gets several Moxie boosts. Gliscor is another great option for this role, but Ice Punch will put it down quickly. Other than physical walls, the best way to stop a sweep would be Ghost-types. Pokemon such as Gengar, Jellicent and Chandelure can all switch in on Scrafty's Hi Jump Kick and cause him to lose 50% of his HP. Protect can also be used in a similar manner, most commonly seem on Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. Another good way to stop Scrafty lacking Lum Berry is to simply status him. A Burn will make his sweep crumble and Paralysis will make him easily revengeable. Scrafty's checks and counters do not simply stop at Pokemon, but extend to field effects. Being vulnerable to all kinds of hazards, Scrafty must make sure that these do not limit his prowess. To compound upon this, Scrafty has a difficult time dealing with
dual screens Dual Screens, although not necessarily its users. Finally, when one is facing Scrafty the best defense one could hope for is a Hi Jump Kick miss, or to abuse its recoil.</p>