http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/skarmory
[Overview]
<p>Skarmory has always been one of the top physical walls in the game, and it has managed to retain these bragging rights even in a metagame infested with Shadow Tag Chandelure. Skarmory's absurd physical bulk, excellent typing, and access to Spikes all make it an incredible team supporter. It can wall threats that Ferrothorn could never dream of handling while supporting its team, and it can even disrupt other walls if need be. It's a fantastic wall and easily one of the biggest hurdles for sand teams to overcome, walling menacing Dragon-types and threats such as Excadrill and Garchomp. To put it bluntly, Skarmory is probably the best Steel-type wall in Dream World.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Wall
move 1: Roost
move 2: Whirlwind
move 3: Spikes / Stealth Rock
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Shed Shell / Leftovers
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Skarmory's bread and butter. Its stellar defenses and typing make it an exceedingly difficult physical wall to crack, and Skarmory is capable of taking full advantage of this fact. Spikes are Skarmory's primary form of team support and by far the preferred of its two entry hazards. However, if Skarmory's team desperately needs a Stealth Rock user it can fill that role. Roost and Whirlwind make breaking through Skarmory a challenge, with the latter preventing setup and racking up entry hazard damage quite quickly. Brave Bird is Skarmory's STAB move of choice, allowing it to threaten offensive Pokemon who are weak to it, such as Breloom or Serperior. Additionally, if Skarmory is at full health, Sturdy ensures that Skarmory can use Brave Bird to trade its life for that of a rampaging Blaziken or Volcarona. Taunt is also a viable option, shutting down other entry hazard users such as Ferrothorn; however, the lack of a reliable STAB move can be detrimental against Pokemon such as Magic Bounce Espeon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Shed Shell is Skarmory's item of choice, and for very good reason. Without it, Skarmory becomes a sitting duck against Shadow Tag Chandelure, and as such becomes a fairly subpar wall. (Simple logic dictates that a dead Pokemon can't wall much of anything.) Shed Shell allows Skarmory to escape Chandelure's shadowy clutches, and Skarmory doesn't mind losing Leftovers recovery too much because of its fantastic bulk and reliable recovery. Bolder users of Skarmory can use Leftovers, as the extra recovery can be useful, but they have to accept that they will eventually lose Skarmory to a Chandelure because of the lack of Shed Shell. In terms of EV spread and nature, both are geared toward maximizing Skarmory's physical bulk. If Taunt is being used, then some EVs can be shifted from Defense to Speed to get the jump on walls and other Skarmory.</p>
<p>Skarmory absolutely needs a teammate who can deal with Chandelure, regardless of whether or not Skarmory is using a Shed Shell. Tyranitar is the absolute best option available if Skarmory is not already being used on a different type of weather team. Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability provides extra passive damage, it can always OHKO a fleeing Chandelure with Pursuit, and can set up Stealth Rock, giving Skarmory's Whirlwind a bit of a bite. Skarmory has issues with Volt Switch, which when boosted by STAB can generally OHKO Skarmory if Sturdy is broken. Because of this fact, Skarmory is forced out and its team loses momentum. Ground-type Pokemon, such as Garchomp and Gastrodon, alleviate this issue. Special attackers generally give Skarmory trouble, so a stall team can use Pokemon such as Blissey and Amoonguss to handle them. In return, Skarmory can handle the physical Pokemon who give its teammates trouble. Skarmory is also helpless against last-pokemon Excadrill since Skarmory cannot phaze it out, so a teammate who can deal with it, such as Technician Breloom or Choice Scarf Politoed, is recommended.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Skarmory can opt to run a specially defensive EV spread and nature, but compared to Ferrothorn it is a rather poor special wall, especially when considering how difficult it is to kill with a physically defensive spread. If Brave Bird's recoil is unappealing, then Drill Peck is an alternative, though the drop in power is noticeable. For example, Skarmory loses the ability to break Garchomp's Substitute. Sky Drop, Toxic, and Torment can all be used to disrupt the opponent, but the use of any of these moves forces Skarmory to give up critically important moveslot. Brave Bird is the most replaceable of Skarmory's staple moves, if any of these options are appealing. Skarmory has access to a rather gimmicky Swords Dance set that takes advantage of Weak Armor for Speed boosts, but it is very weak and Skarmory can have difficulty setting up due to its special frailty.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Chandelure and Magnezone are the biggest threats to Skarmory when it is not holding a Shed Shell, as they can trap it and OHKO with their respective STAB moves. Special attackers in general, especially those who can capitalize on forcing Skarmory out, such as Genesect and Rotom-W, give Skarmory severe trouble. Fast Pokemon with Taunt, such as Deoxys-S and Gyarados, can shut down Skarmory completely. Skarmory also hates sun, as it allows normally-survivable unSTABed special Fire-type attacks to OHKO it. Dragon-type Pokemon, like Salamence, are especially threatening because of this, as Skarmory's team can no longer rely on Skarmory to take Dragon-type attacks. Rapid Spin, though not directly dangerous to Skarmory, undoes all of its work, so a Ghost-type teammate, such as Choice Scarf Chandelure is handy for preventing entry hazards from being blown away.</p>
